Paul Emilien's "L'Esprit Divin" has been on the market for two years now, and yet there is no comment. And this for an oud fragrance with the name "The Divine Spirit." The interest does not seem to be overwhelming.
I too needed some time and multiple tests before I could bring myself to write a comment.
To begin with: The sample is fresh from a Dutch perfumery.
So what does one write first about a fragrance that one finds very interesting, extraordinary, and contradictory, but does not wish to own oneself?
I will keep it as objective as possible.
At first, "L'Esprit Divin" smells of beautiful oud, slightly animalic and fecal, truly alive and animalistic, which fascinates me. I expect an interesting development.
However, on the skin, the oud almost completely disappears at first; it is only around me, rising from my arm.
It becomes citrusy, aromatic woody, somewhat like wood polish; I smell strong clove and saffron. I can also identify the sharpness of ginger during the second and third tests. Initially, without looking at the pyramid, I was puzzled by this note because I could not place it.
I did not even detect Grasse rose and vanilla as notes in "L'Esprit Divin."
But I now know that "L'Esprit Divin" has a very long progression, at least for me. Tomorrow morning, I will be able to smell the final result, based on my experience so far.
How good that I did not write a comment immediately after the first test.
Over the course of hours, "L'Esprit Divin" initially develops a tobacco and dried fruit note, always surrounded by clove and woody notes.
Up to this point, aside from the beginning, "L'Esprit Divin" was brittle, somewhat sharp-spicy, and woody-dry, but it gradually changes into a warmer, resinous, slightly waxy, and green direction. Here, I would mark the beginning of the influence of labdanum. Consequently, "L'Esprit Divin" becomes sweeter with a slight honey note.
All of this unfolds closely on the skin, though not exclusively.
However, the most important thing is what I perceive around me. And throughout the entire progression, I always smell a sweaty note. Sometimes it is very faint, sometimes it is a bit stronger. It is not the stinky sweat of someone who has not washed in a long time. It is the sweat of people who sweat while working. I always perceive this smell as an intense, heightened human scent, and depending on the person, it is certainly not unpleasant - in nature and in the fresh air. In buses, cars, that is, in public and also in smaller private spaces, offices, elevators, it can be terrible. This smell can also be described as animalistic, as we are, after all, mammals. Now and then, the oud note from the beginning accumulates again for a short time and is at least densely perceptible on the skin.
Thus, "L'Esprit Divin" lingers around me for a very long time.
However, after about twelve hours and after I have not further concerned myself with "L'Esprit Divin" - after all, one goes shopping, sleeps, has other things to do, and does not always have one's nose on the arm or sniffing the air - I still smell everything I have already mentioned, which is also somewhat listed in the pyramid. However, at no point can I perceive floral, cream, or powdery scents. What the vanilla does in the fragrance, I can only guess.
But I neither smell the oud from the beginning nor do I smell it at all, as I am used to. I smell it in "L'Esprit Divin" simply as the scent of a laundry basket with unwashed laundry. Similar to the smell when I take the basket to the washing machine and then empty it again to check if everything belongs in the planned wash, if delicate items need to go in a net, if something needs to be buttoned up or turned inside out. This is not a disgusting smell; it is just soiled laundry that may have sat for a few days until enough has accumulated for a washing machine load. Especially in the summer, in warmth and heat, I smell this "worn laundry smell." But also in closets, where people put their already worn clothing like sweaters, etc., back because they want to wear them again, so nothing is lying around, it smells like this. One can also perceive the smell in clothing rooms with used clothing, even if only laundry and clothing that must be washed and cleaned are allowed there.
It has still required quite a bit of thought from me, as I have not washed off "L'Esprit Divin" at any time, the sillage is not excessively strong, and the fragrance is not unbearable. After I realized during the first test at night while entering the test result that no comment had been written yet, it was all too late for me, and I was too tired to write.
That is why I was able to perceive this human skin smell so clearly the next morning. It remains to be noted that "L'Esprit Divin" thus develops clear "Nuances de Peau" over time. At least for me. Of course, "L'Esprit Divin" is a unisex fragrance.
Top Notes 
Cardamom
Frankincense
Madagascan clove
Chinese ginger
Nutmeg
Vanilla
Amber
Citrus fruits
Grasse rose
Turmeric
Heart Notes 
Nagarmotha
Precious woods
Indonesian patchouli
Brazilian rosewood
Musk
Sandalwood
French violet leaf
Base Notes 
Spices
Spanish labdanum
Turkish rose
Tobacco
Heikeso
Zauber600
Yatagan
Ergoproxy
Seejungfrau
Seerose
Globomanni
Sommer2014
TIA1971
Serafina
