Bornéo 1834 Serge Lutens 2005

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7.6 / 10 277 Ratings

A popular perfume by Serge Lutens for women and men, released in 2005. The scent is earthy-spicy. The longevity is above-average. It is still in production.
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Main accords

Earthy

Spicy

Woody

Oriental

Gourmand

Fragrance Notes

Patchouli

Cocoa

Camphor

Labdanum

Cardamom

Galbanum

White blossoms

Perfumers

Christopher Sheldrake, Serge Lutens

Ratings

Scent

7.6277 Ratings

Longevity

8.3205 Ratings

Sillage

7.2186 Ratings

Bottle

7.9172 Ratings

Value for money

6.743 Ratings

Submitted by Kankuro, last update on 01/13/2025.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Humus

Horizon

Film Noir

VII: L'Heure Défendue

Patchouly Indonesiano

Patchouli Patch

Reviews

14 in-depth fragrance descriptions

02/01/2012

7.5
Bottle 7.5
Sillage 7.5
Longevity 10
Scent

Rebella
16 Reviews

Rebella

Very helpful Review 5

Hello Darkness, my old friend.

I love, love, love Borneo 1834. This is simply the best patchouli ever. And since I am a die hard patchouli fan I´ve tried a lot patchouli based fragrances. Borneo is something of a shapeshifter to me, it can be interprented both as an exotic and adventurous fragrances as well as an dark, melancholic and gothic mood kind of scent.

Borneo isn´t what I chose when I´m in happy go lucky kind of mood, but what I chose when I want to embrase the darkness within, feel it, understand it and occationally even recognise it and like it. Because within Borneo´s darkness there is something caressing, gentle and calming, maybe it´s like being in the eye of a storm?

What ever feelings Bornoe ewoke, it´s a heavy, full bodied patchouli, cocoa, woody, tobacco (I smell it, do you?) fragrances that will scare away patchouli sensitive peps across the globe. You have to really love patchouli to walk this convincing. I think I do, not every day, but today. It makes my darkness sing and shine...

03/23/2015

7
Scent

Greysolon
74 Reviews

Greysolon

Helpful Review 4

The almost lovable curmudgeon

Of all the essences that make up the vast vocabulary of perfumery few elicit as much mixed up, love-hate sentiment as patchouli. Examples of this can be found in reviews for patchouli-centric fragrances which read like regret filled soliloquies to failed relationships…

“I love patchouli, I really do, but…”

My love-hate relationship with the essence generally follows this pattern: I spritz on a patchouli rich fragrance and for the first hour or so it’s heaven. The seductive tendrils of scent are so exotic and alluring. But patchouli is also tenacious and it’s not long before the smell is omnipresent and clingy. Eventually this constant embrace leads to the feeling of an oily diffusion creeping over my skin making me itchy and claustrophobic.

I love patchouli, I really do, but…

…but I really do love patchouli and I wanted to find a scent that wasn’t a perfume boa constrictor. So I enlisted the braintrust of Parfumo’s “Fragrance Consulting Forum” for suggestions. I described my ideal patchouli perfume as having a dry, leafy setting of the essence. Serge Lutens Borneo 1834 was suggested by several members and it fits the description of my imagined fragrance perhaps just a little too well.

Borneo 1834 is -almost- a lovable curmudgeon of a scent. Like all lovable curmudgeons, it has a gruff, contrary exterior before revealing its warmer, slightly softer heart. But even when Borneo 1834 settles down it occasionally lets out a grumpy, contrarian harrumph.

This is not a fragrance for those seeking instant gratification. The first 20 minutes of development is downright rough and unsettled as cocoa, spices, patchouli and a dry, herbal accord vie for supremacy. When patchouli finally reaches its position of dominance, the cocoa and spices settle into an arid base reminiscent of other Christopher Sheldrake creations such as Santal Majuscule and Ambre Sultan. The difference is that Borneo 1834 also has the dry, herbal accord to create the illusion of withered patchouli leaves, which is the soul of the fragrance. Serge Lutens describes it this way: “Why did I pick 1834? That was the year Parisians discovered patchouli. In those days, it came wrapped in silk.” The island of Borneo was on the shipping route between the Asian silk producing nations and Europe and patchouli was folded into the fabric to repel insects.

Sheldrake is a genius at creating a sense of touch through perfume so the crinkly feeling of dried patchouli leaves is right at your fingertips. It's executed perfectly. But he could have made this a more approachable, friendly fragrance by incorporating the contrasting element of silkiness suggested by Lutens. Instead, the curmudgeony roughness of the opening stays with the fragrance and gives Borneo 1834 a vetiver like stoicism rather than the seductive, come hither quality usually associated with patchouli. Borneo 1834 is a wonderful creation, but it demands a particular sense of confidence and character from those who wear it. If you’re looking for a drier patchouli accord with a more inviting personality then something like Chanel Coromandel might be a better choice.

04/07/2012

10
Bottle 7.5
Sillage 7.5
Longevity 9
Scent

TimeaZsofia
5 Reviews

TimeaZsofia

Helpful Review 3

"Patchouli cocholate"

Some weeks ago I got a wonderful wax(solid) sample-set from Serge Lutens. It was a really big surprise, so thus I can smell so many (25!) new fragrance from SL!

It takes weeks, until I've tested them. :)

One of my favorite of those fantastic fragrances was Bornéo 1834. First I found the name of the parfume very interesting, as "Another Perfume Blog" said: "Borneo has a complex history. From what I understand, in 1834 the island was home to several states (and even now, it is now divided between the countries of Brunei, Malaysia, and Indonesia), all of them involved to some extent in the power grabs of the Dutch and British, but at least some (including Brunei) still ruled by their own Sultans. I have struggled to understand why Serge Lutens would have chosen 1834 for the name of this fragrance, and the guess I like the most is that it invites us into a moment when West and East are contrasted with each other, in a place that is in tension but hasn’t yet broken."

And about the fragrance, as Rebella describe it perfectly, probably "the best patchouli ever."

I think patchouli note is beautiful, dark, earthy, woody and sweet, and with the cocoa creates a lovely smell! Simply love it.

03/14/2014

Deefit
33 Reviews

Deefit

3

Patchouli, and some more patchouli. Oh, and there's cacao..

It opens very strong and the bitter cacao and patchouli are clearly present. However, after an hour or two, this scent reminds me somewhat of a church or castle. Perhaps this is the galbanum, I don't know. It smells of ancient places, very earthy and slightly musty perhaps.

It's very interesting but now I feel I cannot wear this fragrance because of this association. It seems strange for me to wear as it doesn't fit me as a person either. It is not a comfortable scent either, so beware. I tried my sample for the first time today, but I don't think I will ever use it again. This just is not for me.

I can see people wearing this and loving it, as it is very characteristic. But I would suggest sampling this, as it most certainly is not suitable for everybody. Although, this is a fragrance that is harder to find and wanted by a lot of people, so you probably would not have a hard time swapping it.

08/03/2024

8
Sillage 9
Longevity 9
Scent

DrB1414
214 Reviews

DrB1414

Helpful Review 2

Iconic Patchouli

Borneo 1834 from Serge Lutens, composed by none other than Christopher Sheldrake. One of the most iconic perfumes in the "Patchouli" genre, to which many turn their nose, searching for inspiration. And then again, there are probably a dozen such perfumes in this line, which only speaks volumes to how influential the house of Lutens was, is, and continues to be for the world of perfumery.

What strikes me as so brilliant about Borneo 1834 is how Christopher combines the ugly and the beautiful to create the "wearable," culminating with a patchouli composition far from a crowd-pleaser, and yet that won't come across as your average artisanal blend/mash-up. The patchouli accord here verges on the dank, moldy, and earthy side of the spectrum. Then there is some camphor, light touches of booziness, as well as some tobacco. The latter may be just a facet of labdanum, plentiful in the base. So far, it sounds rough and far from palatable. But then there is a heap of velvety, decadent cocoa powder that falls like a dusty layer over the composition, not only completing the facets of the patchouli but improving everything about it. It softens the textures and infuses a mouthwatering quality to the blend. Later, it blends with the cistus to change consistency from dusty to molten dark chocolate. But this is not a gourmand nor a savory perfume. That's what I find so clever about it. Just enough to infuse some charm and smoothen the creases while the rest of the structure will continue to remind the wearer of moldy basements, antique furniture, and dusty old books, with a dash of cocoa to make things more lively, palatable, mysterious, and fun.

IG:@memory.of.scents

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