L'Art & La Matière

Bois d'Arménie 2006

Bois d'Arménie by Guerlain
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8.3 / 10 770 Ratings
A popular perfume by Guerlain for women and men, released in 2006. The scent is woody-spicy. The production was apparently discontinued.
Pronunciation
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Main accords

Woody
Spicy
Sweet
Oriental
Powdery

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
FrankincenseFrankincense IrisIris Pink pepperPink pepper
Heart Notes Heart Notes
Gaiac woodGaiac wood BenzoinBenzoin CorianderCoriander
Base Notes Base Notes
Copaiba balsamCopaiba balsam PatchouliPatchouli White muskWhite musk

Perfumer

Ratings
Scent
8.3770 Ratings
Longevity
7.8615 Ratings
Sillage
6.8615 Ratings
Bottle
8.7566 Ratings
Value for money
6.3203 Ratings
Submitted by DonVanVliet, last update on 02/11/2025.
Interesting Facts
The fragrance was part of the collection "L'Art & La Matière".

Smells similar

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Danza Armena by Michele Bianchi
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Cuir Béluga by Guerlain
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Reviews

19 in-depth fragrance descriptions
7.5
Bottle
2.5
Sillage
7.5
Longevity
8
Scent
Apicius

224 Reviews
Apicius
Apicius
Helpful Review 3  
A Vanilla Titbit
There is a certain kind of paper – the sort which you may use to cover the shelves in a cupboard – that allegedly was responsible for the creation of Bois d'Arménie: a childhood memory of Sylvaine Delacourte – as I read or heard somewhere. As Guerlain's art director, she seems to have a leading influence on the creation of new fragrances. Well, another of those Guerlain legends!

With Bois d'Arménie, Guerlain gives us a fragrance which simply can only come from this house. It is this special handling of vanillic notes, which only Guerlain has lead to perfection. For me, it does not matter that vanilla is not mentioned as such in the known fragrance notes. Anyway, Guerlain is always telling only half of the truth.

The vanilla – or whatever I identify as such – has an unbelievable depth and intensity. It is not accompanied by woody tartness as the tonka complex in Arsène Lupin Voyou, but by a completely different dark and recondite woodiness. This has some resemblance to certain liqueurs, but without being overly sweet. And also, it almost has some smokiness. In its clear, only slightly shaded expression, this vanilla comes near to the wonderful Spiritueuse Double Vanille, however, it is darker.

With that paper story, Bois d'Arménie touches the world of orris fragrances – besides the powder note there is the impression of old foxy paper which also applies to some orris fragrances, and among those most of all to Dior Homme. They have something in common, however, only initially. Bois d'Arménie is not developing any “lipstick” accord as the Dior scent does.

Bois d'Arménie is a difficult fragrance, and it is a little bit demanding. The pithiness of the vanillic part obviously makes it necessary to shift down the intensity. And so, Bois d'Arménie is a difficult candidate for testing. During my first encounters at my local Maison Guerlain, Bois d'Arménie seemed to have nothing to say. Having my olfactory sense affected by other, less discreet fragrances, I was hardly able to smell it. Bois d'Arménie creates only a faint aura around its wearer – getting acquainted with it needs some time and devotion.

Besides vanilla and orris, no other note reveals itself to me. On the contrary, during its development Bois d'Arménie more and more retreats into the vanilla-like shell until it is completely faded after almost a day.

So, which one is to prefer? The clear and ethereal Spiritueuse Double Vanille, or the noble, darkish Bois d'Arménie? Of course, these questions are not to be answered. Both will equally delight their owners – providing that one can cope with such a lot of vanilla-like orientalism.

Personally, I only sometimes like to wear it – carefully, so to say. Please consider: a vanilla ice cream is consumed within a few minutes – but Bois d'Arménie will last many hours! Despite its discreetness, one better wears this beautiful fragrance with consideration. Eat it like a titbit!
0 Comments
8
Pricing
10
Bottle
6
Sillage
9
Longevity
9
Scent
Omnipotato

169 Reviews
Omnipotato
Omnipotato
6  
Armenian paper
The history of "papier d'Armenie" or "Armenian paper" is a fascinating one. People in Armenia in the 19th century would burn benzoin resin to release its fragrant smoke for disinfecting and cleansing purposes. A Frenchman on his travels came upon this practice and wanted to spread it in his home country. He came up with a way to dissolve the benzoin resin in alcohol and infuse it onto blotter paper. He started a company called Papier d'Armenie which is still around to this day and run by his great-grandaughter.

Being Armenian, I was drawn straight away to the name of this fragrance, "Bois d'Armenie" or "Armenian Wood." Unfortunately the practice of burning benzoin has died out in our culture, and most Armenians have never even heard of the papier d'Armenie that is ubiquitous in France. I only found out about it through reading the description of this fragrance on Guerlain's website then doing my own research about its history.

As you may by now realize, Bois d'Armenie is Guerlain's take on the scent of papier d'Armenie. And even though I have never smelled the burning paper myself, Bois d'Armenie is a beautiful representation of sweet benzoin and a light woody paper accord. Dry frankincense and creamy vanilla add to the experience, rounded out by soft iris. It is subtle but long lasting, and it somehow grows over time, like a room slowly being filled by the scent of burning benzoin-infused paper.
4 Comments
6
Pricing
9
Bottle
6
Sillage
6
Longevity
10
Scent
Sopelka

40 Reviews
Sopelka
Sopelka
3  
Very comforting
I discovered Bois d’Armenie in February 2022 when a kind fellow fraghead sent me a sample. I took it with me on the road when I went to Warsaw to help my parents evacuate from Ukraine. BdA helped me deal with the stress and anxiety while I was way from home for a couple of weeks. I felt its warm, sweet, calming embrace in the mornings and resprayed at night to help me fall asleep.

After I came back and reunited with my collection, I realized that BdA is a lot like Shalimar EDT’s dry down. It is essentially Shalimar less the bergamot opening and no leather.
0 Comments
6
Pricing
8
Bottle
7
Sillage
7
Longevity
10
Scent
Aramatam

8 Reviews
Aramatam
Aramatam
2  
Could bathe in it
The amazing thing about Papier d’Armenie is the stark contrast between its scent before burning versus as it burns. I was expecting Bois d’Armenie to resemble the latter: heavy, smokey, and purifying frankincense and myrrh, reminiscent of Orthodox Church. Instead, it is nearly a dead ringer for the musky, powdery, vanilla, almost dusty iris scent of the ‘Papiers’ while they are neatly in their booklet. Not an unpleasant surprise! I get almost no woodiness, and it has no smoky incense notes, but it is so incredibly smooth and supple and comforting that I am lusting after a full bottle even though it is wildly expensive. It had a weak projection on me—I have to spray with gusto as I would a cologne—but it is so elegant. Also, confirming It has that special powdery ‘Guerlinade’ accord that folks have mentioned. Uzum em. . .
0 Comments
10
Pricing
10
Bottle
10
Sillage
10
Longevity
10
Scent
SwabGames

83 Reviews
SwabGames
SwabGames
2  
Статусність та вишуканість
The scent starts out just perfect. It reveals iris and incense. The beginning is moderately sweet, moderately tender, but very pleasant. In the middle, gvojac and coriander open up. And here the gvojac has a certain sweet and sour aroma, plus a hint of spice is added due to the coriander. Well, at the end the patchouli and white musk begin to smell. The aroma turns into velvety, status and refined. It's a very cool scent and I think it's suitable for any season.
0 Comments
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Statements

5 short views on the fragrance
EstbienlaEstbienla 3 years ago
The smell of unburnt Armenian paper deceived in vanilla
0 Comments
HajuvanaHajuvana 8 years ago
I'd like to know more about the dry, resinous oriental that's hiding behind that Menardo accord hovering on top like a huge black censor bar.
0 Comments
ScentToolboxScentToolbox 3 months ago
9
Bottle
6
Sillage
7
Longevity
7
Scent
Forgotten dusty bookcases lie untouched in a lost library. This is such a unique, powdery wood scent. Not for me but I appreciate the art.
0 Comments
SamgradeSamgrade 11 days ago
9
Bottle
6
Sillage
8
Longevity
10
Scent
Elegance in a bottle. Incense, wood & pachouli… a pleasure for your nose
0 Comments
FrankcrummitFrankcrummit 24 days ago
Succeeds by elevating soft woods and musks over harsh balsam - like the incensing of an ancient icon in a chapel stuffed with dried flowers.
0 Comments

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Discussions

Topics about this fragrance in the forum
ApiciusApicius 12 years ago
Perfumes & Brands
Bois d'Arménie - tilted?
I gave up on Guerlain after the release of Spiritueuse Double Vanille, which I still love.

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