Launched by Naomi Goodsir Parfums in 2012, Bois d’Ascèse is a soliflore of smoke, and the smell of smoke is present throughout the fragrance's development. It opens with a note of citrus that quickly gives way to incense deepened by a note of wood smoke from smoked cade – a juniper species with a sharp cedar forest smell. It is clean and clear until it blooms, and the smokiness becomes more complex with the addition of tobacco and boozy whiskey. Spicy cinnamon adds warmth as amber softly sweetens it. Oakmoss shows up green and mossy; it adds freshness before its earthy, smoky facets appear and give Bois d’Ascèse a sensual woodiness. Bois d’Ascèse showcases all the facets of smoke - incense, dry, woody, medicinal - with a deft hand so that it’s never heavy or dark. Instead, the drydown is refined and sophisticated. It’s a full, rich, addictive olfactory experience that makes me feel good on the inside while smelling good on the outside. Notes: Citrus, incense, tobacco, whisky, cinnamon, amber, cistus labdanum, smoked cade wood, Somalian incense, oakmoss.
