Cypress in Oak starts with soft woody and aromatic cypress notes.
The smoothness in the opening is impeccable. There’s an aromatic facet that is fresh to the nose yet warm to the touch, with a faint spiciness underneath. The greenness in it smells natural; herbaceous with woody hints, making me imagine the leaves hanging on the tree branches. Like a strong tree, there’s an excellent balance between the freshness of the aromatics and the damp, mossy, mushroomy scent of the natural woods.
There’s a part in Cypress in Oak that reminds me of salty air. It makes me imagine standing on a high cliff with the vast sea below and the forest behind. Imagine the breathtaking view and the satisfaction of smelling the salty breeze mixes with the forest’s woody, mossy, herbaceous smell. I can feel the texture contrast between the thin air and the trees’ wood grains, complex yet they belong together.
Cypress in Oak evolves on the skin slowly and smoothly.
The woody and the airy background persists from the top until the end, serenading other elements to manifest throughout the journey. I get a hint of balsamic and resinous notes that reminds me of fir balsam underneath the lingering woods, smelling a tad sweet, sour, and fumed. It somehow elaborates the resinous character of the cypress, which naturally has some sweetness in it. At the same time, it intensifies the salty facet.
At this layer, vanilla and musk appear harmoniously. Like a cocoon, it envelopes the woods. They complement the sweetness and create a feathery texture around it, balancing the cedarwood’s dry ambery facet that starts to appear towards the dry down.
Cypress in Oak smells like a harmony of amber, cedarwood, musky, and most importantly, mossy in the dry down. It is not a beast mode fragrance as it stays close to the skin. One of the many things I like about this perfume is that it still has a hint of cold, aromatic feeling even after 6 hours on the skin.
Another thing that I love about this perfume is the salty notes. The salty notes in this perfume are the ones I adore because it doesn’t lean into the marine territories. Instead, it highlights the natural wood’s salty facet, enhances it with some smoky, resinous materials that go perfectly with the green and woody moss. Moreover, the cypress and cedarwood elements in this fragrance are of excellent quality. They smell so neat and smooth—outstanding choice of materials.
The nose behind Cypress in Oak is Mackenzie Reilly,
a young and talented perfumer from International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF), one of the world’s leading fragrance houses. More to mention about Mackenzie, she is one of the Fragrance Foundation 2021 Notables because she brings extraordinary remarks in the fragrance industry.
Cypress in Oak is one of my favorites from Scents of Wood after Oranger in Chestnut (read my post about it here). Both are amazing perfumes from the extraordinary house, Scents of Woods.
Scents of Wood fragrances are available on their website at www.scentsofwood.com. Here is the direct link to Cypress in Oak in case you’re ready to purchase it! I love their flacon so much. Scents of Wood introduces their fragrances through a subscription system, and the good news is, their 2020 limited edition subscription is extended! Find all the information about it by following this link. Get updates from the brand by following their Instagram account, @scentsofwood. The founder, Fabrice, held an IG chat every week where he answers some questions and tells us stories about their fragrance developments.
Cypress in Oak is one example of fragrances with an excellent cypress note.
To my nose, cypress is a fresh wood. Its duality makes it interesting because it carries both aromatic and woody facets. The fresh character is similar to eucalyptus but more leafy-green, while the woody character reminds me of cedar. Besides, cypress has some sweet-balsamic and salty undertones that somehow remind me of fir balsam and slightly fruity notes like an apple.
Cypress pairs nicely with citruses, like the one found in the iconic Eau d’Hadrien by Annick Goutal and Cypress and Grapevine from Jo Malone. It’s beautifully paired with sandalwood in Tam Dao by Diptyque and with vetiver in Sycomore by Chanel (read my post about Sycomore here). Do you have other examples?
I don’t mind having more cypress perfume in the market because I think this material is worth exploring. Do you have ideas or candidates for other exciting cypress pairings?
See you in my next post!
Cheers,
Gia.
