Les Bois de Caves

Sacred Wood Kilian 2014

Bottle Design:
Carré Basset

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7.3 / 10 278 Ratings

A perfume by Kilian for women and men, released in 2014. The scent is woody-spicy. It is being marketed by Estēe Lauder Companies.
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Main accords

Woody

Spicy

Sweet

Creamy

Resinous

Fragrance Notes

Atlas cedar

Copaiba balsam

Mysore sandalwood

Ambrette seed absolute

Carrot seed

Dominican amyris Myrrh

Myrrh

Tolu balm

Perfumer

Calice Becker

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Ratings

Scent

7.3278 Ratings

Longevity

7.5210 Ratings

Sillage

6.8220 Ratings

Bottle

8.4224 Ratings

Value for money

5.8106 Ratings

Submitted by DonVanVliet, last update on 04/25/2025.

Interesting Facts

The fragrance is part of the "Les Bois de Caves" collection.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Tam Dao Eau de Toilette

Wonderwood

Rush for Men Eau de Toilette

Milky Musk/39

24 Rue de L'Université

Molecule 04

Reviews

6 in-depth fragrance descriptions

12/21/2017

8
Bottle 8
Sillage 8
Longevity 7
Scent

Smora
155 Reviews

Smora

Helpful Review 5

Scent of Serenity

Scentrack
Massive Attack – Unfinished Sympathy

As the name correctly suggests, Sacred Wood is an extremely woody fragrance. The milky sandalwood note is really prominent. As not being a sandalwood specialist, I cannot identify which variety is used in this fragrance. A strong menthol accompanies the sandalwood accord with a touch terpene-like elemi resin and Indian spices (like a very faint immortelle or cumin) in the background. Some darker note, incense or oud, gives a little bit dirtier kick to the composition. The sandalwood-theme is well supported by a strong cedar backbone, which reminds of Comme des Garcons Wonderwood.
Although having a great performance on my skin, I find this fragrance overly one-dimensional. It reminds me more of isolated woody base. Like it is not finished nor possessing a quirky interplay with more volatile notes. Still, it is well constructed, enjoyable and serene, but lacking that wow factor. I would like to see this creation more expanded.

Rating: 7/10

More on Scentimentalwords

11/26/2024

6
Sillage 8
Longevity 8.5
Scent

Ceesie
110 Reviews

Ceesie

2

Creamy wood

You know these room-fragrances with the wooden sticks? In The Netherlands where I live it's quite the trend. And 9 out of 10 times, the thing smells like sandalwood. When I first wore this fragrance I felt a bit like a walking room fragrance stick, lol. The difference is that Kilian smells more natural, more subtle and more creamy.

It's a scent that makes me feel all warm and glowy. Projection is not very powerful, typically a fragrance that you wear for yourself. It gives these lovely whiffs of soft, creamy yet powdery wood all day long. It's so comforting.

Is it worth the price? Not sure. I've based this review on a miniature that I love. I'll be sad when it's finished but I won't buy a full bottle for a couple of 100's. For now that is. It does put the lovely sandalwood note back on the map for me though!

09/22/2024

4
Pricing 7
Bottle 6
Sillage 7
Longevity 6
Scent

Musicandarts
206 Reviews

Musicandarts

2

An underwhelming, unpleasant perfume that can easily be ignored

This review is based on a 7.5ml vial from a discovery set for The Woody Cellars collection from Kilian. This is a creation of Calice Becker, who is almost the in-house perfumer for Kilian. Here is the most important conclusion I reached after testing this travel-size set. Everyone should start with this set if you want to explore the Kilian Woody Cellars collection. These scents are very diverse in quality, and we should not be swayed by the marketing and the brand association that goes with Kilian. I found that Black Phantom and Intoxicated are good and worthy of a full bottle for some folks, Straight to Heaven is mildly interesting with patchouli and woody accords, and Sacred Wood is dreary and unpleasant.

Though the adjective sacred would imply woody notes and resins with religious connotations, Sacred Wood doesn’t quite get there. The opening note is a blend of carrot seeds and ambrette seeds according to the perfumer. Carrot seed accord is very divisive to many noses, as some perceive it as sour and off-putting. This accord causes problems for me in Nishane’s Nanshe as well. I also find the opening to be distinctly plasticky, something that you would smell in a new unused plastic container. The heart note of sandalwood emerges within minutes, but it feels confused and lost in the fog. If you are imaginative, you may find the notes listed by the perfumer as heart notes, namely cedar, amyris, copaiba balsam, myrrh and tolu balm. I perceive some wood other than sandalwood, but I cannot link its provenance to any of the notes above. Unfortunately, the off-key sour plasticky note persists throughout the middle. I also get other unlisted notes sauntering in without any purpose, such as a cumin-like culinary note and a bergamot. The perfumer also lists malted milk vapor among the base notes. Is this the sour note many users are perceiving? But when I get to the base notes, it is the same heart notes I smell but with much lower intensity. Obviously, I don’t see any serious development in Sacred Wood. My clothes seem to project the woody notes a bit more than my skin.

When I put on a perfume, it starts a conversation with the perfumer. What are your trying to evoke? What are you trying to create? How do you plan to get there? And many others. Calice Becker is silent here. I miss the point of a perfume that blends carrot seeds, sandalwood, malted milk and resins. Even the inspiration for this perfume on the Kilian website feels very strained and artificial, reflecting the overall confusion.

The performance of Sacred Wood is mid-range, which I am thankful for. I smell the carrot seed and sandalwood on my skin for 4-6 hours. But it doesn’t project much. Befitting its overall personality, the sillage is very low. Though the wearer may dislike some of the notes in Sacred Wood, it is unlikely to bother others because of the below average performance.

I cannot find a raison d'etre for Sacred Wood. So, a recommendation from me is out of question. I believe that our response to perfumes is very subjective, so I typically abstain from writing harsh reviews such as this. There are plenty of dreary pointless perfumes out there, but none that costs $290 for 50 ml.

11/10/2024

4
Pricing 7
Bottle 7
Sillage 6
Longevity 5.5
Scent

Kyanito
20 Reviews

Kyanito

2

Splintered, dry wood shavings

Part of my journey for a sandalwood scent, but unfortunately this was the most underwhelming of what I found. Very dry, dusty woody scent that doesn't change much. Whatever sandalwood I'm supposed to detect is barely there at all- all the good juice and sandalwood oils has been long gone, leaving only a bare trace of a memory and a sour taste both in the nosebuds and the heart.

01/18/2025

8
Pricing 8
Bottle 9
Sillage 8
Longevity 9.5
Scent

44muc
32 Reviews

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44muc

2

Dreamlike wood & myrrh

Sacred Wood reminds me of a forest in Bavaria, surrounded by tall trees where a clearing opens up. It smells like a green forest. There is a chapel there.

The chapel smells of cold incense, which combines with the scents of the forest. This interplay is exactly what I find in Sacred Wood.

The sandalwood and myrrh set the tone for me. That's why Sacred Wood reminds me exactly of the fragrance vibes of the chapel Mitten im Wald.

It is not intrusive, but it is easily perceptible and pleasing in its woody notes.
Longevity and sillage are average.

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