Top Notes 
Eucalyptus
Thyme
Heart Notes 
Amber
Clove
Base Notes 
Cedar
Heliotrope
Musk08/06/2025
Musicandarts
219 Reviews
Musicandarts
1
Aromatic accords that end in powdery notes. Good but not great.
Exil is the second perfume that I own from the house of Jardins d'Écrivains. The glass bottles come in a leather sleeve, marketed nicely with literary references. The literary connections are not obvious to me, except in a very generic manner. The founder, owner and the sole perfumer for Jardins d'Écrivains is Anaïs Biguine. They have a single boutique in Le Marais in Paris, but they also sell through Jovoy Paris. I purchased a 50 ml bottle after testing a sample, both from Jovoy.
The perfumer lists eucalyptus, thyme, amber, clove, cedar, heliotrope and musk as the key notes on their website. As the olfactory pyramid signals, it is an aromatic and spicy fragrance that ends in a woody powdery dry down. Eucalyptus, thyme and clove are strong in the opening. The rest of the notes are revealed when these opening notes subside. There is some cedar in the base notes, but my nose says it is mostly powdery musk. Heliotrope also adds to the powdery feel in the base notes. Overall, it is a nice fragrance but nothing exceptional. It will work if you are looking for an aromatic scent that is not too expensive.
The performance in the opening hours is very good, though it is not a sillage monster. It shows good longevity for 4-6 hours, in line with the notes in the olfactory pyramid. It will work as an office perfume, albeit a little boring.
Though I have two full bottles, I am still unsure of the house of Jardins d'Écrivains. On initial testing, they smell good. But there is something formulaic in all their perfumes I have tested so far. Their marketing messaging with literary allusions are interesting, though uninformative and often unrelated to what you smell. It is not a bad deal for $70 for 50 ml from Jovoy, but $70 can fetch you many exceptional perfumes. I am afraid that I will have to force myself to use up my Jardins d'Écrivains perfumes.
The perfumer lists eucalyptus, thyme, amber, clove, cedar, heliotrope and musk as the key notes on their website. As the olfactory pyramid signals, it is an aromatic and spicy fragrance that ends in a woody powdery dry down. Eucalyptus, thyme and clove are strong in the opening. The rest of the notes are revealed when these opening notes subside. There is some cedar in the base notes, but my nose says it is mostly powdery musk. Heliotrope also adds to the powdery feel in the base notes. Overall, it is a nice fragrance but nothing exceptional. It will work if you are looking for an aromatic scent that is not too expensive.
The performance in the opening hours is very good, though it is not a sillage monster. It shows good longevity for 4-6 hours, in line with the notes in the olfactory pyramid. It will work as an office perfume, albeit a little boring.
Though I have two full bottles, I am still unsure of the house of Jardins d'Écrivains. On initial testing, they smell good. But there is something formulaic in all their perfumes I have tested so far. Their marketing messaging with literary allusions are interesting, though uninformative and often unrelated to what you smell. It is not a bad deal for $70 for 50 ml from Jovoy, but $70 can fetch you many exceptional perfumes. I am afraid that I will have to force myself to use up my Jardins d'Écrivains perfumes.
