Bois d'Encens Giorgio Armani for women and men

Incense is one of my favorite genres to collect. This is pure olfactory art and satisfaction. I also have CDG Incense Avignon, and while it may be a tad redundant, I find them to be different enough to warrant a purchase. This is less soapy/citrus. This nails that Catholic Church incense vibe I remember when growing up. I feel the use of cedar wood was properly done here. Quality is on par, but I must give the upper hand to Bois d’encense , which means incense of the wood in French. Yep, that’s what you get here , incense and wood with a touch of spices to support. The dry down is fantastic and it’s lasts a long time. I regret not getting the myrrh imperial one, it’s going for $1,000 now, best myrrh fragrance I’ve ever smelled. Great work Armani! 9/10

I can confirm that whatever they laced this with makes it completely unwearable. It’s a very loud, abrasive, vinegary chemical that destroys an otherwise good fragrance in its own right. The Armani Prive line has typically been amazing for me, but this one was an instant dislike as soon as I put my nose to it. Be wary of newer batches!

I bought this when it first came out. It was my signature scent. Ex-gf threw it away. Just got a new bottle of it. Frankincense! Totally smells like an Orthodox christian church when the priest is blessing everything with incense.

Liturgical incense with woody accents. The incense does not take over but stays in the background. It can be a beginner's incense scent for a Catholic church experience. Not overpowering and office safe.
I get only 4h wearing on my skin, but this is the average time I get from Armani Prive.

Dark cold olibanum old wood iso e super pine incense smokey animalic very linear dull

3/10

Woody/Dark perfume.
Love this, very smoky and liturgical incense.
Wow!

Sillage : 7./10
Longevity : 7.5/10
Scent : 8.5/10

Overall : 8.5/10

Amen

This on me is slightly citrusy, peppery, bitter frankincense and I love it. Sometimes I pair it with Myrrh from the same line for a Yin-Yang churchy combo that goes all out, and wear alone when I want to be more under the radar

The word "incense" occurs 211 times on this page.

It's called "incense".

But because Fragrantica is... Fragrantica, members can't vote for it as a note. Which makes the whole "vote for ingredients" thing a complete nonsense.

You also can't vote vetiver in Roger and Gallet Vetyver, or tobacco in Mancera Tobacco Rouge. There are lots more examples. Sort it out...

I get the incense note at first, and it’s so interesting and well blended and unique. However, 15 minutes in it’s straight cedar to me, just like the inside of a cedar lined chest. That said, I like it.

@tessture

I really wish you guys would shut up and leave the community forever, no cap. ISO E Super is what Bois d'Encens is loaded with, and it's all the better for it. I know this, because back in the day before you losers complained about whatever chemicals you stupidly attach on to to say are "bad" chemicals today, ISO E Super was vilified. The reality is you don't know what you're smelling and you don't have any knowledge or taste to be a critique.

I get a deep, liturgical, burning frankincense at first, which then gets mixed with a smooth, velvety, powdery labdanum; very little musc in the dry down.
Does not project much, and longevity on my hand was about 12h. I expected it to last more, tbh. If I spray an Amouage on my skin, it's there for the next few days, even after many showers.
Nice, but overpriced for what it is(well, I guess advertising, marketing, etc, etc are all included in the price ;-) )

Understated class! Bois Dencens is following a similar path to incense Avignon but it is much warmer, woodier, and sweeter thanks to the labdanum which is both woody and sweet! It is very linear but it does not lack depth. A very sexy incense, however, it will not announce itself to the room. Someone must be in close proximity to detect this fragrance. Definitely one of my favorite incense dominated fragrances!

@ marioslg3.....I wear this perfume in this winter period, but more at the end of the year.
It is pleasant and smells very good of the church, but it must be recognized that it is not a fragrance with a wake.
I prefer Lavs de Unum whose presence is remarkable, without being intrusive,
and allows me to recommend it to you in order to make your experience of incense perfumes.
Etro's Midnight Mass isn't bad either.

A cathedral in the early morning, empty but for colored light.

Short lived on skin, incredible for scenting a leather jacket.

@tessture probably norlimbanol or ambrocenide. You can buy small quantities of these aromachemicals online for next to nothing. To confirm your suspicion and learn.

These chemicals are overdosed in so many modern fragrances, and become more noticeable in the drydown. They are incredibly tenacious (they last forever). Scratchy, rubbing alcohol, like sandpaper for your nose. Often listed as incense, cedar, and in every Oud that I've tried.

If you liberally spray a fragrance on your skin then wash it off, these chemicals will remain.

It's been ruined. Years ago I sampled this and loved it's warm smooth incense-y wood, but a recent re-try was a disaster. There is a loud, harsh wood-alcohol/rubbing alcohol note in there now that takes over everything and ruins the beauty. I'm finding this in a lot of Armani these days. Screamwood, I hate you. I wish you were an illegal aroma chemical because you are ruining everything. Sigh.

Bois d'Encens is an excellent rendering of church-style incense, bringing back memories of attending Mass growing up. Simple and high-quality, it is woody and spicy in equal measure with balsamic, resinous nuances. It is somehow sensual despite being thoroughly churchy (Catholic guilt?!)

BE opens with peppery spice, followed closely by dry, woody vetiver. Resinous notes with a pine-like nuance emerge, forming the frankincense accord together with the woody spice. Initially dry and smoky, catching in the back of the throat, it is church incense through-and-through, one of my favourite notes of all.

The amber accord develops as the scent progresses on my skin, becoming slightly animalic. It is a good, high-quality amber accord, resinous and rich, adding a smoothness to the hyper-realistic incense of the opening here. Cedar adds some woody depth, rounding out the vetiver nicely. The spicy incense remains until final fade. Sillage and longevity are moderate - I did expect better performance given the price and scent profile, but it's so good regardless. Perfectly unisex, and best worn in autumn/winter.

Simple yet perfectly formed. The thurible swings. 4.5/5.

Pure Church incense. Amazing and ultra-realistic. Nothing more, nothing less. And it just dawned on me, this is basically a minimalist version of Gucci PH1.

Agreed with most of the reviewers here that this is a very fleeting scent. It indeed lasts on my skin for as short as 1 hour. I bought it impulsively from the boutique at full prize because of how good the scent was, and a few months after, I saw this same bottle on a MASSIVE discount at Selfridges - what a terrible mismanagement by L’Oréal again. Anyway this fragrance reflects Michel Almairac’s simplistic and effortless style which I love. I didn’t get to smell this perfume when it was first released but I suspect the poor performance could have been because of the inevitable rounds of reformulations given the fact that it’s under L’Oréal.

Extremely high quality juice. Takes me to a space where it is decorated with wood and marble, with a smell of incense in the background. Very vivid yet serious parfum. Really love it.

ريحه لبان العربي نفس الريحه في فندق ارماني برج خليفه

Opened with a very nose jarring sourish note that I hate. Thank goodness it only last about a minute or so. What followed was a beautiful incense perfume. Not the best but beautiful nonetheless. Another big problem is the dry down which is tar like to me. Not good. The longevity on skin was only a bit more than an hour while on clothing it was ten plus.

Can't get over the smoked mackerel opening and also it doesn't last

I'm disappointed because it smells lovely-- a perfect blend of incense smoke, spices that bring just a little sweetness, and dry woods, but it didn't even last an hour on me unless I'm putting my nose right on it. I have a spray instead of a dabber to make sure I was getting the right read on it since it's not an insignificant amount of money, but that's really unfortunate.

„An olfactory reflection of the hours Mr. Armani spent with his grandmother in Italian churches. This is Mr. Armani’s own fragrance, he wears it everyday.

’I was looking for the smell of incense from my childhood, when I went to church with my grandmother. It had depth and warmth which also reminded me of the black stone of Pantelleria’ Giorgio Armani”

Pronounced black pepper opening, which does, as others here say, dissipate. Quite austere and cold after that. Very limited projection and longevity, and so rather disappointing as I can barely smell it on me and others don't at all. Very expensive for what it is, and also hard to find to test or buy. I just happened to find a bottle on Armani's own website and bought it blind, but haven't seen it available anywhere else or even on Armani's website since. Not a safe blind buy unless the price is immaterial to you. For church incense, Avignon or Heeley's Cardinal is a much better buy.

If you thought Avignon was too much to wear more regularly, try this one. It has that similar church-y vibe, I immediately started hearing the echo-y creaks of wooden pews and that lofty air in stony old European churches. Whereas Avignon felt a little cold, this one is neutral. The beginning has a slightly dank woody scent which I assume might be labdanum - There is a tang and I tend to interpret tang in wood as wetness. There is definitely frankincense in here but not sure if it's the main star. It's all about woods but not the cedar-y pencil shavings kind, thank god. It's definitely wood INCENSE, and wood SAP/RESIN, etc. After a while, it is just very calm, slightly forest, liturgical incense that's permeated into the pews because of centuries of masses. If Avignon is the rockstar priest (makes sense that Morrissey wore it), this is your ideal holy priest (calming, meditative, quiet). It's great.

This is VERY dark. Not blind buy safe; however, I do like it. It's pretty much straight incense and cedar, and the incense doesn't last all that long. Probably not something you'd have a chance to wear too often.

i like weir frangrances. the older i get the more i like niche, unusual stuff that is sophisticated and unique. i have some fragrances i hesitate to wear to social ocassions and use tham just to please myself at home. i loved this at an airport years ago and now finally invested to make myself joyful and satisfied for christmas (family is heavy situation now).

i love it - it is like an old, quiet chrch full of mystery

I don't love this one. It smells very peppery on me. Like fresh cracked black pepper on my skin. It's strong and I don't like it.

Guys am I missing something here? I get nothing but black pepper from this. I love the notes of frankincense and myrrh which I have always associated with the Catholic Church and based on reviews I was hoping for a similar sent with this one? I bought a couple branded decants to try it but all I got is pepper, pepper, pepper?

Update: I was so turned off from the opening of pepper that I washed this off. Today I gave it another chance and am surprised to say that the strong pepper smell does dissipate quite a bit upon dry down with notes of frankincense and a light smell of cedar coming through. The dry down is much better than the opening, so give it a chance. I would def sample this before buying, which I guess only makes sense at this price point. I like it but don’t love it and I’m not sure when you would have occasion to wear this fragrance.

I LOVE this scent, however, if you're not heavily into incense, give this one a miss. I often say that I like to smell like a Catholic church, and this ticks that box. The semi-subtlety of the sillage means that this won't be evoking any 'Protestant coughs' as you walk through a room - and I think this gets that fine balance perfectly right. I almost always get compliments whilst wearing this, from those I choose to let close enough to me to smell the depth of the fragrance. Churchy, complex, and makes me feel like I can accomplish anything.

Smells EXACTLY like Catholic church incense. I like it but my daughter said I smelled exactly like church so this one is a miss for me.

This reminded me of Avignon by CdG but with more wood and wood resins. It's quite gothic, and a beautiful winter fragrance for particular settings, none of them casual, imo.

The knelling of brass bears down upon the afternoon with every imaginable ferocity. Before the genre of horror, the camera was nevertheless imagined as an eye. Slick with falling water, labdanum bides its time

I am in love with this creation. It gave me the incense of the old chapel wooden benches. First time when I sniffed it, I closed my eyes and it took me directly to the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral tour. Seriously I felt like I am sitting on the old wooden benches of the Cathedral. This is one of my beautiful buying so far.

I use this perfume to add an incense effect to every aromatic combination.
It is useful for adding masculinity and elegance to florals.
The incense provides a spiritual effect to the wearer.

The scent stays close to the skin , so it can be perceived as a perfume with poor longevity.
So it’s perfect for the people who wants a discrete and elegant incense perfume, but it could be a waste ,for the ones who loves resinous-incense compositions.

In my experience , if you love the scent of this perfume, apply it in the clothes and leather goods.

Well, I can't say the reviews didn't warn me. I love incense in perfume, especially the resinous, sweet myrrh type more than the ecclesiastical sort. The churchy type is noticeable in this, though far from the only noticeable note. It's a beautiful composition, but as warned, it definitely leans more "masculine" in my opinion. I definitely believe that gender is meaningless when it comes to what one enjoys wearing and smelling like, but what I tend to enjoy on me are perfumes that lean towards what is traditionally considered feminine, and this is just too dry and devoid of anything remotely sweet that it's not for me.
However - it smells incredible on my husband! It's sexy and luxurious, and I love smelling it on him when we snuggle. So my purchase was not in vain. I may try again in a few weeks, or try layering it, but right now, I prefer it as is but on my husband's body! There's more than one way to enjoy and appreciate a fragrance beyond how it smells on yourself!
PS - I don't understand how this manages to smell like frankincense based upon the four notes listed. I don't see how any marvel of chemistry can take these notes alone and create an accord that recalls burnt church incense so clearly. Either Fragrantica is missing something or I'm just not knowledgeable enough to figure it out...

THE frankincense bomb. Love it. This 3rd and latest reformulation (2021) is the best yet with increased longevity and sillage. Original version was great. 2nd version was a disaster! Someone must have put L’Oréal back on track. This is again a worthy signature scent for the man himself.

If you love cedar, this has the loveliest cedar note enveloped in a gorgeous orchestra of earthy vetiver, dry spices and a tender touch of sweet, resinous labdanum. Incense heavy Cedar! not smoky incense, it’s more like gently heated incense. Such a pleasure to wear, so smooth, round, complete and meditative. Cheers!

Delightful dry woody incense scent. Not very long lasting or great sillage, but I couldn't stop smelling my wrist. Never smelled such a dry woody incense yet, certainly a path to follow.

I didn't think I would have loved it so much as it is so different from the kind of perfumes I prefer. Bois d'encens is very elegant and special ans so comforting!
On my skin the performance is good.

I absolutely love Encens Satin from the Prive line, so I bought a decant of this after reading some raving reviews. I really wanted to love this one too, but I have to say I'm a bit disappointed. The scent has a very elegant and mystical vibe. Right up my alley. Lots of black pepper and smooth incense. However, to me it smells almost identical to CDG Incense Avignon only less bright and with worse performance. Maybe I got a bad decant, but the projection on this is terrible. Hardly a skin scent and 5 hours later I can't smell anything where I sprayed twice.

Its meh incense, not very interesting there are better options. No compliments received more hate than love on this. The performance is awful. Skin scent within 5 minutes and need 20 sprays to get any decent longevity. Don't waste your money.

This came out in 2004 and only now am I discovering it? I don't know its history; was it passed over and forgotten about with the crushing competition of too many ouds?

All I know is that it seems like a very worthy fragrance to me. Dark and brooding and not at all sweet, just good pulsating incense that gushes forward for a couple of hours and then settles down to being a comforting presence for another 3 hours. I didn't really time this, but I probably applied more about 4 hours after the initial dousing. Fabulous stuff.

and i just realised my bottle is from 2006. omg

Just found a 50ml tester of this fragrance that's half full, cost me $70 NZD

I wasn't expecting much, and was totally blown away... This is dry, spicy, woody, mystical, utterly relaxing and this spiritual scent will stick to you all day. It envelops around you creating a beautiful sensual cloud that leaves me euphoric. One of the best, if not THE best perfume I've ever smelt, this is incense done right!! These kind of scents are why I'm addicted to fragrances, it taps into my soul in a beautiful way.

Remarkably spicy fragrance with a MAJOR top note of Black Pepper! This hits so strongly in your nose, it almost puts a fear whether this will be a bit smoother or not.

It does get smoother, in the heart note. The heart is of soft sweet notes of Labdanum and potent Vetiver! Initially I smelled Myrrh but it might be a specific incense accord used here.

The base is woody and definitely ISO E SUPER. I compared my bottle of Iso E Super to the drydown of Bois d'Encens and its dead on a match!

I would say for a sweet and spicy incense fragrance, this is quite delicious and demanding of your attention. Your wrist will be to your nose constantly!

Sillage is quite remarkable, past arms length and the longevity is quite potent at about 5 to 6 hours before it fades to a synthetic Iso E Super smell.

Great fragrance!

I tested it and it smells exactly as I would like the incense fragrance to smell. However what puts me off seems to be very poor projection. Even in high summer it is barely a skin scent. This is hard to tolerate at this price point... I do not understand why is it so difficult to make a good incense fragrance. The best ones either get discontinued (Guccci Homme) or reformulated (Piguet Casbah)... I will need to try once again, because the reviews here give conflicting accounts of performance. Maybe just a bad sample, but the scent itself is heavenly.

A frigid winter morning and the dawn sun is eclipsed by gray clouds. The cold has a presence, dark ominous gusts that disturb the perfect silence. You can see a small church steeple in the distance, crowded by forest canopy. Suddenly the peal of a single bell rings out, clear and resonant in the frozen landscape. It's sound so poignant, so pure, you feel moved.

Bois d' Encens is like that bell that for me. It's been awhile since I wore an incense-centric perfume, more of a fall/winter choice. The aroma stood out among the spring florals, and reminded me why I love incense. It touches scent memories that are genetic, something we collectively share. Incense is mystical, mysterious, magical. Combine that with the smell of woods from deep forest, and the scent is almost spiritual in its effect. There are other wonderful incense perfumes, but this one excells in all-round quality and wearability. Bois d'Encens uses an exceptional incense, and the supporting notes hit that 'Goldilocks Zone' where the formula, the blending, the quality are flawless. Sillage and longevity both moderately good. Metaphysical qualities, excellent.

Actually, this one is mostly about black pepper giving an impression of incense thank to resinous support, but it is anyways very elegant.
In the heart notes, I get a fennel vibe. One major downside: it has a poor performance, unaccepatble at that price point.
May be full bottle worthy (only at discounter price though).

Great black pepper fragrance, but still, not my favourite.
Fall days and evenings, 30+

I've smelled a lot of incense perfumes, and this is the best. Many use frankincense essential oil which is nothing like the burnt smoke smell that occurs when burning the raw resin on hot coals - resulting in that mystical ancient church smell. Alas it's not that simple to recreate that smell in liquid format.

Bois D'Encens also doesn't have the weird sugar-free sweetner vibe, as is found in Avignon, Cardinal, Full Incense, Plein Jeu III-V etc. (I do like these fragrances by the way...) Instead, Bois D'Encens in contrast is a dusty, peppery smell that is much closer in my imagination to ashy incense recently burnt in an old thurible. As noted by others, it does also have woody elements. Yes it's expensive, but quite easy to find decants online.

This is a decent masculine offering from Armani house and my first experience with their top line. I won't say good things about it.. sorry. All I get is a decent manly cold weather scent which smells like dirt and dust at the opening. I was ready to kill it with soap but I waited to see if it change and I was right. It is a complex scent which transforms into a beautiful masculine scent with a mild middle eastern vibe. Very wearable and safe after the nasty initial opening but it's not a new smell for me. Still there's dust in it with super dry vetiver, bitterish churchy incense and mild black pepper. The labdanum is quite tamed and very well blenbed with the rest notes. It doesn't stand out as a dominant note but embraces the other notes. The incense is churchy but the blend as a whole doesn't smell like incense in a church. Let's say 80%.
Performance isn't great but decent. Moderate sillage and good longevity. It becomes quite quickly a skin scent. This is not a strong scent but subtle and quite.
As an alternative, if you like this Armani, try Black Calamus by Carner Barcelona house which doesn't have this incence but it does have beautiful calamus note and better performance overall. There are some similarities between those two scents.

Armani Prive Bois d'Encens is yet another solid offering in the Prive line, understandably a staple in the line since its 2004 inception as it offers a bold, mostly-wintery, mostly-masculine contribution to the line that seems otherwise slightly lacking in the current line-up.

It's extremely spicy at its onset with lots of pepper and woods, and then almost immediately begins to calm down to be only very spicy, but still quite spicy and woody, as a resinous, semi-sweet base starts to unfold. It feels like the sweet rather than the animalic side of resins, though, nothing too untamed, the pepper perhaps being the wildest aspect of the whole risk.

The result is a masculine winter fragrance that's elegant for formal and nighttime wear but still has the air of being a men's anytime signature scent for cold weather, especially.

Performance is solid, well above average on projection and great on longevity.

I definitely recommend trying this out. I waited far too long to try my sample.

8 out of 10

I think that Bois d'Encens an elegant incense, is not the classic ecclesiastical incense like Avignon, but I do not consider it too dark. It is a dry incense with a spicy tip given by black pepper. perhaps more suitable for a man than a woman, but if you love this kind of fragrance you have to try it. on me the projection & longevity are poor, I consider it another skin scent and does not worth the price

Smell of Pantelleria island, that was Giorgio Armani after in this composition.

Moody, dark, secretive, muddy - black speck between Tunisia and Sicily, volcanic outcrop with herby scrubs.
Bois d'Encens is nocturnal, poetic, profound smell of incense and pines, cypresses and thujas.
Being fairly incensy it nevertheless doesn't not smell as a Church, but like North-African earth and heat, smell of fierce sirocco, volcano, black stones and wood resins. A great one indeed.

8:45 - Woo pepper boy! That vetiver isn't fooling around, either. Cedar comes in hot and fast right after.

12:35 - was vaguely annoyed by how strong the cedar was at various points in the morning but it sneakily dissipated and now I can barely detect a thing. Never got any of the frankincense all the other reviews talk about.

It did veer toward masculine but not enough to set off my "IS THERE AN INVISIBLE DUDE LOOMING OVER ME?!?!" feelings, so fine.

I did like the scent, when it was scentable, but the sharpness of the cedar and the lack of any sort of drydown stage means it's a no-go for me. Would have loved some incense on me. Will go ahead and respray now. If my opinion changes, awesome.

3:40 - Whelp, guess that's a wrap. Same thing happened. Way too astringent and intense of a cedar and then (almost) nothing. I did have visitors when it was in the overwhelming (to me) phase and they said that it wasn't offensive or strong from a conversational distance away, so there is that.

This is The perfect frankincense fragrance. This note represents 80% of the perfume.

Actually The best pure frankincense perfume that I came across. I had many frankincense based fragrances from different arabian niche houses but this one has amazing and superb quality.

Very piny, refreshing and so simple niche quality juice.

The super High Cost is its big disadvantage though.

I don't know if it's me but it makes me feel sick. I love incense but my lawyer was wearing it and I have to sit and take an air and I even threw up at the restroom but iI didnt dare to ask her the name. After some weeks I go to the scent store and I randomly tried it. And again I felt sick as a scent never did to me...

I love this cause its all incense but not totally churchy and claustrophobic, it feels like a whiff of incense floating high above a forest in the dead of winter. It smells like winter air in a snowy landscape. Much more spartan and austere than than its contemporaries like Full Incense or Avignon. It also has a radiant, shimmering effect that the others dont have. It seems to slightly alter the mood of the entire room without being loud or dense. This is my favorite incense by far, as I love its darkness, austerity and simplicity. Truly bewitching, mysterious and etherial!

To anyone who reads the comment directly below this one, this lovely scent smells nothing like Encre Noir and you'll waste that $25. Unless you like straight up vetiver and then you'll enjoy your purchase.

After finally finding a sample of this, it was just a meh for me. In the realm of churcy fragrances, this is overall disappointing for myself. There are many better options out there in my opinion, including Clive Christian V, Sauf Plein jeu III-V, and Montale Full Incense. Hell, I would even take Bentley Infinite Rush over this, although of course the quality is very different, but it is a tenth of the price.

As an incense lover, I've long wanted to try this one. Finally got the chance, as select Neiman Marcus stores now carry the full line. While this is a well-crafted incense fragrance, it ultimately failed to wow me.

I'll admit that CDG Avignon is probably my reference incense. I have others that are woodier (CDG Kyoto), greener (Tauer Incense Flash), or more ornate (Amouage Jubilation XXV). But Avignon most closely approximates the Catholic incense of my childhood - the mystery, the dryness, the full experience. Bois d'Encens is very similiar - almost too similar for my taste. Here too the wearer experiences the ash almost more than the resin. It's beautifully melancholy, and more than a fair representation of the incense used in Christian rituals. But again, it's so similar to Avignon that I'd struggle to justify a purchase. I had hoped that this Armani rendition would somehow add another dimension to the incense genre. But it really doesn't. It smells wonderful, but it's a tough sell given the much more reasonably priced alternatives.

This is not a romantic scent.
It is a very blunt, straightforward scent.
It says incense, and it IS incense. Just incense, with heavy dose of frankincense.
If you love incense and woods but only if enveloped in romantic fumes of spices or flowers or fruits, don't go for this.
It is flat gender-less. It smells very .. ascetic. Removed from colors. Just shades of brown with slight gray tint. It's like the anti-sexy perfume.
I am a lover of woods and incense, but this.... it is just too blunt for my taste I think. This scent taught me something about myself. It is that, although I claim to appreciate bluntness and honesty, my truth is, that I am a romantic. Which means I appreciate a little beautification (basically lying) and exaggeration.
I can imagine an ad for this scent. The scene opens with a beautiful woman (of course), she is fragile thin, wearing white, like an angel (a woman not a girl, not too young), who is walking in a wooden, old, abandoned house. (Colors are all shades of brown and gray). The woman walks into a room, (dark, dusty and old), and find a part of the room separated with light veil. She is scared to see what's behind but nevertheless uncovers it. Only to find a big mirror and her reflection. The reflected image smiles at her malisciously (her image is not too angelic). Shock on her face. Mirror is shattered.
Then the catch copy is: Truth as is.

For me... no thanks... for now I need some flowers of imagination in my life. :D

I just love and adore Bois d'encens!

Worried that it might be discontinued one day, like Ambre Orient and Ambre Soie, I purchased a second bottle, to ensure I have enough to last for years to come. This is my go to fragrance, as I so enjoy wearing it and know that it won't overpower or irritate anyone around me.

I can understand some people comparing this to the original Clive Christian V on card, but a very different scent on my skin and I am lucky enough to own both. Such a shame that V is being discontinued and replaced by a new V in September 2017. Sampled the new one in Selfridges recently and it just didn't speak to me.

If you love a nice dry incense, do give Bois d'encens a try, it's a real masterpiece!

Quite probably the most delicate, sensual and elegant incense fragrance ever created, this beauty adds notes of black pepper, vetiver, woods and labdanum oh so delicately to create a truly mystical feel. Moderate sillage and projection but very classy and understated presentation. This one can be worn anytime by anyone and not offend anyone. High quality craftsmanship here. Unisex scent with moderate sillage and good longevity. Enjoy!

Wow I fall in love with this cologne.
It is bitter,dark,rich,deep and very beautiful scent.
A masterpiece absolutely.
I love it so much
9.5/10

6/10

Beautiful, absolutely the most beautiful, gentle and mild, woodsy incense perfume!!!! It's gorgeous!!!!! It's the loveliest, gentlest incense. I'm completely in seventh heaven when I wear it, which is hmmm......most of the time.......I can't get enough of it!!! It's deep and rich, comforting and soothing. It envelopes me in a soft cloud of lightly smokey woody fragrant spicy sweet incense, but it's a smokiness that's more like a powder than smoke-up-your-nose suffocating smoke. It's soft and smooth. It's exquisite. I adore it!!!!
It is much loved by everyone who smells it on me, especially my husband, and even complete strangers tell me how wonderful I smell and ask me what it is!!! And it lasts for 24 hours!! I'm serious!! It's lovely and strong for about 10 hours, then softens to just a little more than a skin scent for the rest of that time, but it virtually never goes completely away until after 2 showers!!! Which is fabulously fine with me, especially as I only need to spray 3 or 4 sprays on!!
It's the most perfect perfume for me - it's divine!!!!! It's one of my favourite perfumes, and I treasure it dearly!!!

let's play a game with Bois d'encens

are you a saint or a sinner?

to me this is a spiritual journey in a bottle, a soul lifter or a lust awakening...

i sniff and i imagine churches with a cold breeze, we all need to connect with our souls every now and then, it's a safe feeling!

or a call to sin! reminds me of clean fresh smelling wild men, who knows how to please you and make you feel like you're walking on clouds after you finish...

as i said earlier this perfume is simply: Spiritual.


(the only claim i have is that it's very short lasting :( one hour tops! i recently got 250ml bottle from dubai, is this how this frangrace is or i got a bad bottle? please let me know xxx )

I am a woman who is also an incense lover, so doesn't matter if it's targeting men or women. I like this scent well enough; it's an incense, and it is along the lines of Heeley, and it's fairly straightforward, and as some reviewers said less "smokey" and more wood, peppery-clean and fairly linear. Also, to repeat another, it is safe for the office. This is not going to create monster silage and there's a good chance it might smell better on a man than a women.

Having said that, I think there are just far better incense frags out there: Heeley and CDG Avig. are similar--I mean they all have the "incense" vibe, but this seems quite simple, less complex than CDG Avignon, much less "churchy" not rich and resinous. I much prefer Unum Lavs, and I like a little elemi with my incense.

Finally,this would be a perfectly fine FB scent---if it lasted! It lasts, like, 20 minutes on me. That's with 5 sprays! Silage? None. Skin scent--Yes. That's why I think this would be just fine for the office. Only someone nuzzling your neck might smell this ("probably" not going to happen at the office).

When I wear Unum Lavs, CDG Avignon, Andy Tauer's incense flash or rose, it goes on and on and on. Heeley, same thing, and a few others I can't remember. So, ultimately nice scent, thumbs down.

This has quickly become my favorite incense perfume, dethroning CDG Avignon. It is straight up, very strong, long lasting woods and INCENSE!!! Rather than adding amber or vanilla to sweeten or citrus to freshen, they just layered frankincense with cedar and spice to make a very focused, very deep, dark wood and incense fragrance (just as the name suggests) that delivers the note without any distractions. It’s abstract and linear and makes a great elemental scent to layer with other scents in my collection. It’s expensive, yes, but it’s the only thing out there I’ve found that delivers a wollop of straightforward frankincense and wood and actually lasts all day.

This first makes me think of Frankincense, though what I'm smelling is labdanum - it's very incensey, church-like, with strong notes of dark aged wood.

I'd say it's quite masculine in a way, with its paired-down pure, woody aesthetic, but in drydown it's softer with a subtle sweetness, like sun-warmed cedarwood. Very mellow.

If you like woody perfumes you'll enjoy this as a scent to remind you of ... incense and wood, surprise! It's similar to most of the Armani Prive range in that it's quite purist, not an abstract complex bouquet. (maybe the one exception is Pierre de Lune)

It's a very smooth, tranquil take on woody incense, enjoyable but not very complex or mysterious. I kind of feel I'd like it most as something to spray in furniture - drawers, cupboards etc, but that would be an expensive method of scenting drawers!

If I smelled this on a guy I'd think it was tasteful, but perhaps not very imaginative ultimately. For soft woody incense I'd tend to go for Passage d'Enfer.

Armani Bois d'Encens is a refined mildish Incense frag. A hit of slightly sour spices in the beginning before the labdanum and woody cedar comes into play.I get hints of olibanum as well even though it's not mentioned here. It stays pretty linear after that for the rest of it's scent life. This is not a resinous or smokey Incense like CDG Avignon or Interlude so even people who dont particularly like incense can pull this off. Projection is Ok, pretty much in the safe zone and well behaved. Longevity likewise is slightly disappointing for me considering the price, around the 5 hour mark. I like this frag and incense is one of my favourite notes, so I enjoy wearing this but I hesitate to blindly recommend it because purely from a price to performance ratio, this is barely ok. Far better options at cheaper prices exist, Avignon to just name one or even Montale Full Incense if you want better longevity. So if price or performance is not an issue go for it, one of the best clean incense frags around, versatile enough for office or dates. 8/10

You cautiously inch closer toward this mysterious figure. You still don't quite understand what you are doing here nor how you arrived, but you must continue forward as there is no other way. You perspire a little as the humidity clings to your flesh - a stinging of cinnamon, pepper, and cumin drip down your face. As you walk, the cedars sway with your footfalls as if to pull you toward this figure. Moments later you come face to face with them - a beautiful woman looks up and peers into your depths with her gaze. You falter, not knowing what it is she seeks - the tendrils of vetiver begin to burn where they meet your skin. She reaches out and holds your hand - in that moment, you are soaring high in the clouds eclipsing the sun as it burns an enigmatic emerald. Your shadow is cast upon the clouds and you look to see the light piercing through your invisible wings. The air up here burns like heavenly incense; every breath fills you with the life you thought lost to the cold grip of time...you have found a semblance of peace, at last. You wipe the labdanum tears from each other's soft skin - it begins to rain.

Day 98 - Ecliptic
Listening to: Lacuna Coil - The Ghost Woman

Notes: I think I smell more in the opening than may be listed, but I swear that there is a touch of cumin and cinnamon mixed in with the pepper note...and it is beautiful! I wish the intro would last a bit longer before delving into the clean and lemony liturgical incense with a smooth accompaniment of cedar and a dark vetiver (which is quite subdued) with traces of resinous labdanum in the base. These Prive creations are exceedingly simple but compellingly beautiful and durable (again, this lasts a good 8 hours on my skin). I feel this leans more masculine as incense is usually reserved for masculine fumes, but a woman could do this justice as well!

First sniffed this in 2004 at Sak's.
The Dry Pepper grabbed me, the Vetiver shook me,and the Frankincense sealed the deal. It was the first Armani, for me, that captured the essence of elegance since the Vintage Pour Homme.
In 2008 I purchased it along with a pair of Black Label Gray Flannels.
It remains as my favourite of the Prive Line.
It sits most noble beside a small decant of Vintage Pour Homme.

A great masculine wood fragrance with spices. To me, my first memory was Clive Christian V and low and behold, I see others think the same thing. It's like a 95% match. Maybe just a tad bit more tame but in a better way. More wearable. Also, a cooler wealth frag. It feels like it wants to transform into its own version of V, but it's staying the same. Overall, well done and I appreciate the extremely high grade ingredients the Armani prive line seems to be using .

Wow. Unique, dark, mysterious, peppery, brooding, imposing, smouldering, ancient, odd and in its own one-of-a-kind way, good. Really a daring move to put this out. My one suggestion to the Armani people would be to dial down the pepper a bit. If that never happens, this sharp stuff is an excellent candidate for "layering" with something else.

As an incense tragic I had to try this. I'd rather shop in my pyjamas than leave the house without perfume on, so I had to sample it on one of those little cards from the perfume counter.

So after nearly a week I am sniffing the card, and of course I'm liking it because it smells exactly like Heeley's Cardinal, and therefore much like Shanaan from Micallef- frankincense, cedar, labdanum, some sort of spice. I have a feeling that it would rate lower than those on the sillage-o-meter, which may not be a bad thing. Not so much like CDG Avignon - it doesn't have Avignon's unidentified-moisture-dripping-down-the-dank-stonework note. But still, safer than sniffing fresh altar boys at midnight Mass.

I guess the marketing team yachted over to Pantelleria on Armani's dime to 'smell the black rocks', but they must've had a few cocktails before tottering out onto the shingle. I certainly didn't catch any of that ubiquitous 'ocean' note in the fragrance profile, or detect any briny rocks.

I may get a small sample, but it will have to be fairly awesome on the skin to merit the horrendous price of a full bottle. On the good side, I can finally tell myself that I'm showing fiscal restraint with the Cardinal.

I love it and I am a woman. Seems most of the reviews are from me, but I truly don't care. I find it long lasting and the perfect winter perfume. I am wearing right now. I put it on at 8:30 am, now it's 2:15 pm and I can still smell it.

incense with an overload of peppercorns. This stuff almost makes me sneeze. If you want to get an idea of how this smells like then just hang your nose over a barrel of peppercorns. This is the opening, straight up sparkling peppercorns injected with incense and it,s awesome. Gradually mellowing but never loosing that very spicy incens. It is unique. It gives me some kind of vibe that gucci pour homme does but more in some kind of boss style. Although i mention "boss", it is classy at the same time.
This is very mature and pure "pour homme"
I am 38 but i still feel a little to young for wearing this but i don,t care, i like it.
Performance is perfect for this. Longevity is enough 8+ hours and after a while it gets closer to you but still noticeable. Thankfully this is not a loud fragrance since it packs a punch.
Great scent and one to check out for sure from this line

BBQ?!?! Yep that was my first thought when I smelled this. The little glass domes in front of the majestic bottles that contain the fumes of this perfume let off a smell similar to that of a delicious smelling BBQ! However, I do get the incense vibe, like that in a church. There was a Buddhist monastery that I walked by in Singapore on a regular basis and always inhaled deeply as I walked by.
On skin this is definitely heavy smoke, incense, dark, mysterious, and woody. No more BBQ on my skin! I get a heavy does of labdanum, smoke, incense, and cedar. Beautifully crafted and quality ingredients. I have cedar essential oil and this smells exactly like it.
That is sadly all I get. It does not develop further. After a few hours I get cedar essential oil and burnt incense. Basically douse yourself in cedar EO and stand next to an incense stick and you will have the same effect. With all due respect, this cologne is darn near $300, not $6 like a bottle of EO. The performance is top notch for sure and the bottle is stunning but I cannot justify shelling out this money for this cologne, no matter how well it captures incense, I do not want to smell like a $300 stick of incense.

Wearing this is like entering an Italian cool church on a hot summer day. Strong on frankincense initially (why isn´t frankincense listed as a note here?) and a very stylish drydown. Would prefer better longevity, and kept a travel spray for re-applications in my bag for later in the day. Became my summer scent of 2015 with sweet memories of Tuscany and Umbria.

10/10

If you are searcing for Oily church incense scent, that's it!!! so loud and natural smelling, too masculine for me.

This is my current favorite fragrance. The frankincense is really masculine.

An excellent, bold, mysterious incense perfume, actually my favorite, it really is a skinscent so if you are looking for "statements" avoid. It starts of peppery and then follows a pungent ambery, slighlty animalic note (labdanum) along with a light airy frankincense which also reveals a citrusy vibe. Then it dries down to a mainly musky cedar with some vetiver. Overall it evokes the feeling of a restive and menacing void, sheltered by an alluring but insidiously calming ambience. Personally, I find all the phases extremely beautiful and I adore the fact that it wears as a cologne. If you like incense and mercurial and multifarious fragrances BLIND BUY IT.

Ok not trying to offend anyone (hint: I actually am because you people are nuts) but how is it possible, at all, that the first note listed is anything other than Cedar? This fragrance NAILS cedar. It is genius Cedar. PERFECT cedar. Quite literally the most amazingly photo-realistic Cedar ever created in perfumery. CEDAR CEDAR CEDAR CEDAR AND ONLY CEDAR!!!!

Now that I have effectively overstated the true nature of this fragrance allow me to elaborate. Many fragrances list 'oakmoss' or 'bergamot' 'leather' as notes in the fragrance. 99% of the time they actually smell nothing at all like any of these notes, but rather sorta kinda like like these notes. Similar to how a Yamaha keyboard can sound like a Piano, but you'd never mistake one for a Bosendorfer grand. No one in their right mind really truly smells leather in Cool Water, but perhaps some synthetic interpretation of 'leather' but again- Yamaha keyboard vs Bosendorfer. Now Bois d'Encens... This one smells exactly like cedar. It is what you smell from fresh cut cedar, or perhaps something that is handcrafted from cedar.

I will never forget my parents had a turtle carved from cedar that had a pull out jewelry storage drawer. You couldn't smell the cedar from the outside of the turtle, but when you opened the drawer it was overwhelming! Beautiful. The kind of scent that burns into your brain and heart. When I sprayed Bois d'Encens on me I was instantly transported back in time to when I would sneak into my parents room with the sole purpose of opening that cedar turtle and taking in a giant deep whiff.

I wanted that scent to last, but it only ever was good for a few deep inhalations before it was gone. I would close the turtle knowing that later the smell would come back. With Bois I get to smell that scent anytime I want! But alas, much like my coveted cedar turtle, the scent does not last for long. Longer than a few whiffs, but not long enough. Maybe 3-5 hours depending on many factors such as outside temperature or what I'm wearing.

Sillage- moderate within the first couple hours, close to skin thereafter.

Overall the execution of this fragrance is a thing of utter brilliance. The first from the Prive line that I have fallen for and am actually considering purchasing beyond the sample I have. With the only flaw being the longevity I give this one a solid 8/10.

I haven't had this one in a long time so bare with me as its all from memory.

This one is just plain beautiful if you like deep...almost dank incense smells. Like the inside of an old church, sitting on a fresh cut cedar pew, on a rainy day where the doors are open and the incense is clouded around the cealing. This is one of the few that I could smell all day everyday and not get tired of. Performance is so so, but wow! The richness! Is to die for.


Scent 10/10
Projection 6/10
Fortitude 6/10

Without question, this is the highlight of the line and one of the best frankincense perfumes on the market.

It’s basically a cerebral chin-stroker of a frankincense with cedar facets that are balanced out by what seems to me to be some kind of floral note. Frankincense can be quite bitter, and here it’s smoothed over in a way that exalts the material’s richness. There are some spices present, but they’re really just there for texture rather than flavor. It’s a cold scent—not quite as sharp as the similarly-themed Avignon—but chilling all the same. However, it has a calming, meditative quality to it that offsets some of the coldness. It’s linear and it winds down to Iso E quite fairly quickly, but it’s really all about highlighting the frankincense—and that’s what this does well. It feels like a solinote, so if you’re looking for a more developed perfume, I’d turn to Clive Christian’s V or perhaps Sahara Noir, but this is great for what it is, and it’s by far the best thing from the line.

Very loud opening!

Oily church incense and a lot of wood.

Smoky, thick, rich incense.

Although Bois d'Encens has no complex fragrance pyramid, it is very well done (it’s virtually quality through simplicity).
The scent intrigues by its dark, woody, smoky and voluminous character.
One has the impression to wear something noble and solemn.

The scent stays close to your skin and is most appropriate for special occasions.

As an incense lover, I'd been keen to try this. Whilst it is quite a lovely incense fragrance, I couldn't say it breaks any new ground or really stands out in what is becoming quite a crowded genre. It is based around 5 ingredients: frankincense, labdanum, vetiver, spices and cedar. All of these are easily distinguishable and I find the scent itself quite linear, except for the cedar & spices becoming more prominent after a few hours. It isn't quite as liturgical as say, CdG Avignon, but not as contemplative as Kyoto from that house either. In fact, it's kind of like a blend of that pair. Frankincense with a big compliment of cedar. It's staying power is really good, but it is quite subtle on me, so it doesn't try to suggest to everyone within arms reach that you've been sitting in a catholic mass all day. This is a good thing! I believe a full bottle of this is worth quite the pretty penny and seeing as I have a bunch of other perfectly delightful incense frags already (that do a very similar job), I doubt I'd be in the market for a bottle any time soon. That being said, there's no denying it's a very elegant, classy scent, so if you have the money....well, let's just say, there's no pockets in a shroud!

I love it, but am left thinking that I smell of pencil shavings....in a good way though.

Whilst i believe this might be more a masculine scent, it works perfectly with my skin chemistry. I have been looking for the right incense scent for a long time and came across Bois d’Encens by accident. Initially intrigued by the sleek, dark bottle, I was shocked by the scent within. This is a masterpiece of smoldering incense, mystical and provoctative. It brings me back to sunday mass in Poland when the priest would bust out the frankincense and cleanse the air. What an experience to be so vividly transported! Overall, a beautiful scent, not too overpowering with a lingering finish that screams sophistication.

Beautiful pepper! So real it makes me want to sneeze. Then the driest woods with spices and then my beloved incense takes over.
Dark charcoal grey smell.
Beautifully dry. You can feel the noble wood and see the incense rising in a thin but confident line. Simple and refined, the excellent quality materials make it elegant in its simplicity.

This is really good stuff
It does have a similar vibe to 24 platinum def.. wierd huh

Dark, liturgical, resinous...I can't stop sniffing my wrist! Such a mystic experience

im not very religious but if this is how churches/mosques/temples smell.. i might have to start praying a little more often :P this is such an amazing spicy incense fragrance, also smells a bit like weed if u really put ur nose right up to it. nonetheless an intoxicating fragrance for someone who loves incense or darrrrkkkkk forestyyy smokeyyy stuff.. perfect for a dark rainy day or cloudy winter days.

I LIKE MUCH , I LIKE ALSO THE NEW PARFUME ARMANI COLLECTION PRIVE' " ENCENS SATIN "

After delving into incense based fragrances after quite a long time I guess I can say I've finally found my holy grail.

Bois d'Encens - (Incense Wood) is a perfect, consistent blend of compounds. It's dry, with perfect sillage(moderate to very big), huge longevity(usually over 12 hours, sometimes even to 24 hours!). It smells luxurious and majestic, I'd say. There is a perfect combination of spices(mainly black pepper) mixed with resins(labdanum, olibanum) and woods(vetiver, cedar).

There are really great incense-based perfumes, mainly in niche genre(Olivier Durbano Rock Crystal, Montale Full Incense, James Heeley Cardinal, Comme des Garcons Incense Series - especially Avignon), I like most of them, but almost all of them are lacking with something. They don't have that "wow factor" to me... And Bois d'Encens has it! It has everything what I want. It has only one disadvantage - its price. But it's totally worth it.

My must have and sooner or later, I'll get it.

Magical fragrance! Yet again the Armani Prive collection has delivered a wonderful fragrance of the highest order.
Sharp Labdanum opening into Frankincense, dry peppery spice and dense luscious woods, I get from this fragrance. It's a mystical incense scent of superb quality and has a unique feel with it too.
Took me a couple of tries to write a review but that's no reflection on the impact Bois d'Encens made on me because it was immediate. If you love incense, and precious resins without an overly smokey vibe this is definitely for you.
Longevity is a little bit of a let down and that is probably the only minor criticism I have of these Armani fragrances. The only one that has great lasting power for me is Myrrhe Imperiale, followed by Oud Royale.

Initially it's an odd one but it evolves beautifully. The subtle incense smokiness lasted for hours on my skin. Softly smouldering and unique. I Love it!

Bois Encense & MyrrheImperial smell ALOT like: YSL Nu (Old Formula)

this is pure frankincense bliss!
this is my childhood without the smoke and charcoal aftertaste! wonderful...
for a pure frankincense 'fume, it's in the same league as avignon by CDG. wonderful...

As a "frankincense guy" (in a past -not so far-) I was always looking for fragrances that deserved a place in my smoky heart.
I found Avignon and Kyoto (5 stars perfumes!)... And my wardrobe was full of a kind of sultry joy! I could been stoped there... I'd be happy! But then... After all the big disappointments with (almost) all Armani Privé line I discovered Bois d'Encens! Simply unique and lovely... Not as dry as Avignon, not as quiet as Kyoto... I finally found my perfect incense! It's wonderful and has a respectable projection and longevity!
Thanks Michel Almairac for your finest work (yes! I had to know who's the creator of this masterpiece... So I did my research)!
I'm back trough the smoke again!

I am wondering why the most prominent Frankincense note is not included here. I smelled the most beautiful and enchanting scent of peppery and slightly spicy Frankincense resins and that was what caught my attention. Bois d'Encens is an absolutely gorgeous fragrance and I even chose it over Ambre Orient and Cuir Noir.

An expensive fragrance indeed, but definitely worth every penny. The initial burst of pepper and cedar (or pine as I would call it in this opening phase) is almost too much. But it settles down in seconds on my skin and from there it's all beauty. Warm and sweet incense, along with the most perfectly balanced vetiver I've ever encountered. The cedar makes it something more of a masculine scent imo. I think that some (most) aspects of Bois d'Encens resembles MB03 by Biehl, but with generous cedar added.

Longevity is sadly a bit limited but the moderate sillage on the other hand suits the composition. Maybe not a signature, but probably a new permanent member of my collection.

Absolutely beautiful fragrance - one of my favourites. I only wish it had heavier sillage and greater longevity (it's quite soft and disappears after a couple of hours although this could be due to my dry skin).

I think this would suit both women and men.

I'm not a pro when it comes to detecting the notes but living in the Mediterranean I can almost guarantee that there is a moderate amount of mastic in this perfume which brilliantly complements the pine/cedar note.

Lovely incense pepped up by some spices with vetiver in the background. Maybe some citrus fruits as well but I'm not sure, could be the labdanum as well.

Nice!

Beautiful.
Though summertime is here, I have to wear it. I imagine cool woods, damp ground, and the interior of an old church indeed.
Fantastic labdanum, I love it.

Not too strong, good longevity!

OK, so I have been delaying this review too long because I love this frag SO much but wanted to find my own description and not repeat the description given by Armani.

But I have failed. This REALLY does give you the sensation of rushing out of a rainstorm into a cool, stone-flagged church in an Italian city (Florence?). The sensation of the incense, wet stone and hint of moss hitting your olfactory centres is EXACTLY the sensation I get when a waft of this frag meanders up from my chest in the middle of the day.

And it will last, fantastic longevity and perfect projection.
Not VERY complicated, but not too simple. I think Mr Armani has done everything perfectly to create his signature fragrance (correct me if I'm wrong about this being his signature)

I'm not sure I can do this frag justice with a review, but I've done my best.

hermes 186 YOU ARE RIGHT!!! I AGREE TOTALLY..I was trying to find how to describe this perfume makes me feel..and it is exactly how Mr. Armani described it

"to rediscover the damp coolness of the stones of the Italian churches still filled with the curling smoke of incense".

One of the very best scents, always compliments.

This is extremely similar to Diptyque l'eau trois, but surprisingly much well constructed and not from a niche house more of "Niche Clothing" house , more natural smelling, you can definitely pick up on the incense in this mix, a slight hint of oregano that I failed to smell in l'eau trois and great longevity, the sillage is moderate but miles stronger than l'eau trois and also the presence of that "mastic gum" that is addicting for me to smell. Absolutely love it, I guess L'eau trois that I had given away will be reincarnated soon in my collection as Armani/Prive "Bois D'encens" Gracie...Mr.Armani for that beautiful mix.

just read some reviews..dark, gothic, mysterious and deep is right! and yes, I do appreciate the quality too..but can't wear it

i tried to love this..and I never not like a perfume..I have over 200 perfumes and the only ones I don't like is opium and this one..I love Armani and everything he has..the boat, the home decorations and all his other perfumes that I tried and have..but not this one..it is just way too heavy for me..

As many have observed already, this is a dry, austere scent. I have tried the CDG incense fragrance and the now discontinued Gucci Pour Homme(2003)but both are too obvious. Bois d'encens is less sweet and more pure in terms of the incense note. It is subtle as you would expect from Mr Armani. There is also a pine/ cedar note on dry down.

I have acquired the body lotion version via Ebay. These are normally only available to guests of the Armani hotels(Milan/Dubai). If you love Bois d'encens you will enjoy this also though i suspect most women will find it too masculine. There are rumours that an accessories line may be introduced to include body wash/ shower gel/ soap etc

too TOO complex. that's all


i believe somebody else called it "HARDCORE"

It has been said before, and I certainly agree, that this austere, reduced perfume paints a life-like picture of a catholic church where the smells of century-old wooden benches and lots of incense are lingering in cool air. It's not an inviting or warm perfume, but it is fascinating, in a way.

An aspect that I don't like so much about Bois d'Encens, though, is that, to my nose, it smells somewhat hollow. I'm missing something at the core of this perfume. What I do get is a plasticky note (maybe that's the pepper?). It's a bit as if I smelled an empty plastic container that once held a great perfume.

Good quality scent. It has a peppery opening and somewhere in its scent journey it crosses paths with SL's Fille en Aguilles. It dries down and smell like smoky pine. Beautiful and comforting.

Wow. This is a v interesting, unique fragrance. Conjures up feelings of being in olden times in a gothic church. Evokes a purification ritual or fragrant meditation featuring the resins myrrh and frankincense with a touch of vetiver. . Very skillfully done.
Not sure how often I'd reach for this, its a very serious fragrance !
This may sound odd but --Perhaps it would be ideal for life transitions, ceremonial occasions like funerals or grieving periods.
It may be equally at home on a solitary day spent meditating or contemplating serious issues/ decisions. If u want a fragrance for a yoga retreat, this may be it.
I think a touch of woody honey/ amber honey or beeswax would have just made it slightly more wearable and feminine. One to consider when you want something totally different.
This could easily be unisex but leans more masculine . As frankinscence is strong here, this may be comforting to those with pleasant memories of attending church.

I love the smell but my skin soaks it up and it's gone in no time. If I could get more than 3 hours I'd be grateful, I can't justify the cost for such a fleeting treat.
Shame for me but new skin is on my xmas list!

THIS IS A VERY MASCULINE COLOGNE THAT TAKES YOU TO A TIME OF THE PAST MORE LIKE MIDIEVAL TIMES ..A GOOD INSENCE COLOGNE THAT IS MORE SUITABLE FOR WINTER AN A SUIT,A SOPHISTICATED AN MYSTERIOUS COLOGNE THAT DEMANDS RESPECT.

Georgio Armani says he wanted "to rediscover the damp coolness of the stones of the Italian churches still filled with the curling smoke of incense". This is spot on.

It's a pine bomb with woody,incense background fragrance.
Weird that there is no pine in notes pyramid.
Very dry scent,serious and mature.
It's unique,if u like this genre u may also like fille en aiguilles from serge lutens line wich cost less then BD.
Longevity and projection seems good.

Adoro il senso di calma e pace che dà questo profumo. Un vero concentrato di calma e serenità, l'incenso é totale in questa fragranza. Meditativo. Ne ho due campioncini e lo utilizzo come una medicina.

The first thing I pick up is lemony frankincense and some cedar. It’s a thin, transparent scent with a hint of dusty vetiver in the base. I don’t see much resemblance to church incense. Instead, it’s more of a wood-and-stone composition, evoking the materials of an old building that’s recently been renovated with some juniper flooring or beams, or a dry forest with lots of dead evergreen trees.

In any case, it’s subtle, natural-smelling, and understated, not exactly what I expected from Armani, but a pleasant surprise. The pepper does not appear to me until about an hour into the drydown, when it becomes noticeable, helping maintain the strength of the other notes. Longevity is good, about 6-8 hours on skin.

I would classify this as a vetiver fragrance, and as such, like it a lot. My enthusiasm would be less if I wanted it to be an incense fragrance. For those who like subtle, woody scents, it’s most definitely worth a sniff.

I am a woman. I like all sorts of florals and wear Carnal Flower, Fracas, Portrait of a Lady, etc - BUT, that being said, I find that I feel very powerfully feminine when I wear Bois d'ensens. I LIKE that it smells like church incense - that is an extremely appealing scent for me, and I have found in Paris, actual cathedral incense! So for me, it has little to do with male or female, and much more to do with sensuality

Rating - Outstanding.
This is hardcore.
Bois d'Encens is the ultimate incense fragrance with killer intensity and authenticity. Haha. It is pretty harsh straight to business incense here. It has this woody resin smell to it too. And spices are greatly blended to it so a normal person won't tell there's ones. If compare it to Passage D'Enfer then I think I prefer Passage due to it's colder, more evil mind. This is incense, the thing. And Passage is aura. That's the difference. Though, that doesn't mean Bois d'Encens is worse. No, it's effing terrific fragrance, you have to have serious guts to wear that. Not all will be able to simply pull it off. Only complaint is the price. We have it for 280$ for 100ml -.- Verdict. This is great but L'Artisan is cheaper and comes in great bottle too.

I got a sample of this online and while i enjoyed the smoky incense of it, i couldn't get passed the GIN note. I hate gin ugh haha and it didnt seem to last that long...too bad this the bottle is over $150 on the Armani website... $_$

It's the best. I like it very much. It's absolutely elegant and manly.

Far, FAR too spicy for me. I can appreciate it's quality, but I can't wear this.

This is a masterpiece! Dark, gothic, deep and mysterious liturgical incense. Together with CDG avignon, this stays at the top of church inspired fragrances and it's surely one of my favourites. It's pungent almost astringent in the opening to turn much more softer, warm and earthy during drydown. Pepper, some coniferous, vetiver and animalic hints give birth to a multi-faceted incense based composition that while smelling dark and gothic it's incredibly elegant in its minimalistic approach. Not too powerful but definitely remarkable. If you want your incense to stay close to the skin but to result incredibly distinctive at the same time, there's nothing like Bois D'Encens.

The original packaging came in a precious wood bottle and was available as a 50ml EDP at a quite unaffordable price. They now made a "smarter/cheaper" version with a dark glass bottle coming in a 100ml EDP size. Highly recommended!

Rating: 9.5/10

I used the whole sample,so I can describe it my way:Piny, sophysticated,dry-ashy kind of smell.At first sniff remind me two things: cedar and pine forest and somewhat russian sauna.(in a good way)
The image for this perfume,though should be a strong misterious lady,sitting on a back-seat of a limo.
Red lipstick and black dress and stockings are good addition for this perfume.

Beautiful ,memories of Christmas mass .It's got great lasting power and sillage and should be a classic . It's way up there with the greats like Chanel no 22, Guerlain's Vol de Nuit , Lanvin's My Sin and others.

This was extremely green on me, smelled like pine or juniper. There was the most fleeting exhale of incense when I first sprayed it onto my skin, and then it was simply very green and masculine. It definitely warrants a re-test though.

Found a spray refill of Armani Prive Bois D'Encens at a great price and had to snap it up, even though I had never smelled it.

I'm so glad I did. What an amazing scent! Husband and I are planning on sharing the bottle. It is unisex, though women who wear primarily flowery or fruit perfumes may find it a bit too masculine for their taste.

Five ingredients? I believe it. It's a simple but powerful combination that to my nose smells like black pepper, cedar, vetiver and frankincense. Couldn't guess what the mystery fifth ingredient is but there's a little something extra in there. Maybe sandalwood or cocobolo wood? The overall effect is a pleasant mixture of dry wood and church incense. It starts out very sharp with a dominant pepper note, but dries down to a soft, comforting incense aroma.

The sillage is excellent. My one complaint is that the persistence is below average. Considering what this scent normally costs, it ought to have greater longevity than it does. It was distinctly less noticeable after two hours, and by the end of six hours, I had to really take a deep sniff of my wrist to even detect those last faint frankincense notes.

Still worth a try, though, if you're looking for a good incense fragrance.

It is fantastic scent! It is like no other, very individual, very manly and elegant.