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Eine kleine Erfrischung im Herbst ;-) (by Rosie88)

Collection Extraordinaire

Bois d'Iris Van Cleef & Arpels 2009

8.1 / 10 776 Ratings

A popular perfume by Van Cleef & Arpels for women and men, released in 2009. The scent is woody-powdery. It is being marketed by Interparfums.
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Main accords

Woody

Powdery

Floral

Spicy

Sweet

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Salty notes

Heart Notes

Iris

Base Notes

Ambergris

Vetiver

Perfumer

Emilie Bevierre-Coppermann

Ratings

Scent

8.1776 Ratings

Longevity

7.0640 Ratings

Sillage

5.9616 Ratings

Bottle

8.2562 Ratings

Value for money

6.8219 Ratings

Submitted by Kankuro · last update on 01/08/2026.

Source-backed & verified

Interesting Facts

The fragrance is part of the Collection Extraordinaire collection.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Bois d'Argent Eau de Parfum

450 Eau de Parfum

Giardino dell'Iris

Dans Paris

Eau de Foudre Intense

Adiós Pampamia Mujer

Reviews

47 in-depth fragrance descriptions

01/17/2012

SystemeD
58 Reviews

SystemeD

Very helpful Review 3

Woody Iris, as promised!

There's a sweetness and creaminess in Bois d'Iris, but not a sugary one. And while the centerpiece is a fresh iris note, Bois d'Iris is woody throughout.

There's a very clean vetiver here, too, although the drydown is mostly ambery, touched very lightly with incense, and with a hint of labdanum's leatheriness.

If you were disappointed by the sugariness of Guerlain's Iris Ganache, and if you enjoy woody and ambery fragrances, you must try Bois D'Iris.

11/27/2015

ColinM
516 Reviews

ColinM

Helpful Review 6

Silver iris

I must admit it: I’ve a penchant for iris fragrances. As long as they’re even just decent, I always like them a lot. It amazes me how versatile this material can be, and how many nuances it offers. It can smell warm and luscious, dusty and cold, “grey” and “red”, plushy and earthy, and always so refined and mysterious. Anyway, Bois d’Iris is surely a remarkable must for any fan of this material, probably even more than other more praised ones in my opinion. It explores the colder-dustier and more balsamic side of iris, pairing it with dry resins, warm amber, a very peculiar sort of “greyish”, massively incense-driven crisp woody note, and a sort of rarefied foggy pine-forest feel. So imagine a breezy, balsamic, woody and above all, dusty-powdery incense scent, completely unisex and actually quite dark somehow, or better say “cold”, peaceful yet somehow aloof. Almost “lunar”, I’d say. And extremely refined: the dustiness has some very fascinating sort of sparkling texture – “silver powder”, so to speak. Dior named a scent “Bois d’Argent”, but that name would be so better for Bois d’Iris actually. By the way the two scents are indeed quite similar, but I prefer Bois d’Iris, for a couple of very simple features: less pretentious, more substantial.

What fascinates me about this scent is how it creates a shimmering, rarefied sort of “silver incense” vibe played on iris powder and resinous-balsamic woody notes, without using directly incense. I mean, this fragrance smells quite incensey to me, but in a peculiar way, “incensey and not-incensey at once”. Maybe more than incense I should say “a whiff of cold, azure-grey smoky breeze scented with iris and luxury resins”, as it feels weightless and airy yet surprisingly substantial, balsamic, enveloping. Truly one of a kind, extremely enjoyable and fascinating. Shortly – if it wasn’t clear already – I really like this scent: it feels quality, it’s extremely sophisticated, it’s delicate but not light or too close to skin – just elegantly discreet. I own other iris based scents, and this has definitely its own personality which makes it worth owning even if you think you’ve “smelled them all” when it comes to iris. Maybe a tad too expensive, but a true class act!

8/10

11/24/2012

6Scent 7.5Longevity 7.5Sillage

Sherapop
1239 Reviews

Sherapop

6

For vanilla lovers only...

I've worn Van Cleef & Arpels BOIS D'IRIS a couple times now, punctuated by a few other iris-centric perfumes, and I've decided that my initial impression was sound: this composition contains every bit as much vanilla--if not more--than iris. So that may be good or bad news depending upon one's view of vanilla.

I myself am ambivalent toward vanilla: sometimes it works; sometimes it does not. I definitely don't get overly excited about vanilla-extract facsimiles, but a complex vanilla creation is always welcome to my nose, provided that it smells very natural and is not cloyingly sweet.

BOIS D'IRIS meets those criteria, but I must admit that it is not my favorite iris perfume. I think that I prefer the other niche-quality iris perfumes--by Heeley, MPG, L'Artisan Parfumeur, Hermès (Hermessences--yes, there are two iris options...), the list goes on and on--to this one.

I do recommend this Van Cleef & Arpels composition as a stand-out among vanilla fragrances, but vanilla appreciation is absolutely a prerequisite to wearing this perfume. In fact, I think that a better name would have been IRIS VANILLE, because the woods are far less pronounced than the vanilla. I should perhaps add, however, that the sweetness does not approach that of FEERIE edp, which to my nose is a kind of fruit syrup scent.

This composition seems much closer to something from L'Artisan Parfumeur than probably any other house. BOIS D'IRIS is definitely more of a subtle niche creation than a mainstream designer fragrance--as it should be, given the price!

05/01/2014

5Scent 5Longevity 2.5Sillage

WRoth
154 Reviews

WRoth

Helpful Review 1

Collection Extraordinaire - Bois d'Iris

This fragrance opens with a peppery, green iris note under which I detect a smooth, powdery base. This base slowly rises to the top and engulfs the peppery-green quality of the orris. What I see reminds me at first of Iris Bleu Gris (smooth, powdery) and Iris Silver Mist (peppery, green) combined, but once the notes have settled in my skin I see a cousin of Infusion d'Iris. There is a smooth woodsy base in the same vein, a dash of resins and balms to add elegance and polish and last but definitely not least the same silky orris note at the heart of the composition. Bois d'iris, however, is less fresh and vibrant than Infusion d'Iris, as it does not contain any citrus notes; in fact the nose has focused more on sweet and vanilla-like notes. Despite this, Bois d'Iris is not a gourmand scent like Iris Ganache. The woodsy base becomes stronger and more prominent as the fragrance progresses, as does the myrrh which I can now see as a separate entity (as opposed to a resinous harmony with labdanum, frankincense and ambergris) enveloping the woods and orris root. Having smelled my fair share of iris scents, I am now sure that Heeley's Iris de Nuit is its sibling. They are very much alike, but whilst Iris de Nuit is sparkly excitement, Bois d'Iris is smooth serenity.

11/14/2024

Michellek
9 Reviews

Michellek

3

Melancholic iris

Incense, vanilla, driftwood, iris heaven. I live for a woodsy, aromatic vanilla and this fits the bill perfectly. It’s deep, salty, a little contemplative and melancholy. Lonely. An iris for sad girls and sad boys. Wears quite close to the skin but longevity is great. Reminds me of Eau Duelle from Diptyque ever so slightly. Moody. An Elliot Smith song is playing. Or maybe Mahler. I absolutely love it.

Updated on 02/10/2025

More reviews

Statements

170 short views on the fragrance

Pallidus

3 years ago

7.5Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

6

1

A resinous woody iris that collapses into a light myrrh vanilla concoction resembling benzoin. Bois de benzoin would be more accurate.

MickyMike

11 months ago

2.5Scent 4Longevity 4Sillage

2

Mix of DHI with Prada l'Homme but weaker. Scent disapear after 1 hour. Not a big fan of the Iris in the Prada.

Ninamariah

5 months ago

9Scent 8Longevity 6Sillage

1

Beautiful a little bit salty Iris for everyday wearing. Not sweet since there is no Vanilla in it but cozy regardless. Not too dry nor cold.

Rob

6 years ago

8.5Scent 7Longevity 6Sillage

1

Warm woody iris with a hint of salt. Never too bold, always appropriate. Understated luxury - timeless elegance.

GerdadeHaan

3 months ago

7.5Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

1

A bit woody, but not too much. Lovely iris fragrance, wearable all year around.

Topfpflanze3

2 years ago

8Scent 7Longevity 6Sillage

1

In the middle between Bois d'Argent and Xerjoff Zefiro. Dry iris with honey and incense, very elegant and in no way inferior to both

Elbchen

8 years ago

10Scent 9Longevity 9Sillage

31

10

Save the date: Mr. Holz and Ms. Iris are tying the knot. He asked, she said yes. A connection made in heaven: love! ♥

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BillyBumbler

1 year ago

9Scent 7Longevity 4Sillage

29

34

Sitting on the rock,
the coniferous forest behind me.
Finest sea spray
powdery iris.
Wooden shadows behind
incense clouds,
delicate vanilla rays.

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Yatagan

7 years ago

7.5Scent 7Longevity 6Sillage

27

7

Beautiful woody iris root enriched with aromatic myrrh, rounded off with incense in the base: very elegant!

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SchatzSucher

6 years ago

9Scent 7Longevity 6Sillage

27

11

Iris powder, softly intertwined with wood and delicate floral nuances. Just a subtle hint of everything, yet this hint is as gentle as it is beautiful.

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