Negative Reviews of Bois Impérial by Essential Parfums
Chiming in to offer some perspective, since I know this has become a popular blind buy based on the strong enthusiasm found online. I can see why people like this. It's modern, attention grabbing in its own way, extremely potent (more on that later), and different--it doesn't smell like your typical mall scent. If all that sounds good to you, by all means sample. If you like it, grab a bottle - the price is good if you enjoy what you're smelling. You'll probably get compliments*, since everyone will smell this radiating off you, and you'll leave a glowing trail of aromachems in your wake.
After coming close to blind buying, I am extremely grateful to a kind basenoter who sent me a sample first. This is easily the worst thing I've smelled since joining this site. A scrubber like no other made worse by the fact that it's impossible to scrub off. It smells like pesticide. Spicy, peppery chemicals that enflame the nostrils and crawl down your throat. It's not the vetiver, which is there, but stripped clean and fairly subdued. It's not the sharp basil either, which is probably the best part of the composition. Best I can tell, it's the megadose of akigalawood, which I now understand is a signature of perfumer Quentin Bisch, apparently dosed higher here than anywhere else. (Maybe Ganymede compares, as folks occasionally raise similar complaints, but I haven't tried it.) The overall effect is aggressively sharp and spicy but somehow hollow, like an incomplete fragrance made of peppery synthetic woods. More of an industrial smell than a perfume, it's like an AI-generated painting of a tree, if the AI were restricted to two colors and had no understanding that trees are living things.
If that was it, just a sharp chemical smell I don't particularly care for, I could just shrug this off and move along. Not every scent is for everyone, who cares. I like plenty of minimalistic scents that others hate (Encre Noire, Tam Dao, many from Comme des Garcons), and it's fine if this one doesn't work for me. The issue is that when akigalawood is dosed this high and mated with ambroxan, the projection and longevity become positively nuclear. I'm convinced that most people wearing this are probably anosmic to some facet of the akigalawood, because most people aren't picking up the fact that this literally lasts weeks on fabric.
This was my experience wearing it. Two sprays to the chest, and I enjoyed it at first, until the screechy bug spray note took over, and I realized it wasn't for me. Sat in it for about 6-8 hours, and finally scrubbed it off in the shower, toweled off, went to bed. The next morning I wake to the exact same smell, just as strong as when first applied. The scent had survived the shower and was now impregnated in the sheets. Yesterday's shirt was radiating from the laundry pile, and last night's towel positively reeked. Everything goes in the laundry, I took another shower... but no, there's no escape at this point. Days later, after multiple showers, this was still noticeable on my skin. My original t-shirt stank of bug spray for over a month, even though I washed it three times. It rubs off on anything you touch, and it will not die. The olfactory equivalent of an infectious, incurable disease.
I've learned akigalawood can smell fine in reasonable doses, though it has a nose-tingling edge and is weirdly tenacious. I'm pretty sure I smell it in the base of Parfum d'Empire's Le Cri, one of my favorite light florals--even though the "patchouli" in the base will last days on clothing. I've seen others complain about the base of Beau du Jour (also akigalawood) surviving trips through laundry, leading to a a gradual accretion of olfactory funk over time. Clearly not everyone picks up on this, and that's probably a good thing. I would just warn you that even if you can't smell the peppery death that lies at the heart of Bois Imperial, at least some folks you encounter will.
Parting story: a few months after my initial encounter, I'm heading towards my office elevator when the door opens, and I'm smacked in the face with a wave of Bois Imperial. Older executive-type gent gets off the elevator, oblivious to the strength of his perfume; and he had clearly sprayed heavily. Even after he left, it was hard to breathe in the elevator, and the scent lingered in my nose for 15 minutes and gave me headache. You have been warned!
*Full disclosure: I did get compliments wearing this. It can smell pretty striking in the air, and people notice it. My daughter, who always tells me whether she loves or loathes whatever I'm wearing, smelled it on me and said it was one of the best perfumes she had ever smelled. C'est la vie.
After coming close to blind buying, I am extremely grateful to a kind basenoter who sent me a sample first. This is easily the worst thing I've smelled since joining this site. A scrubber like no other made worse by the fact that it's impossible to scrub off. It smells like pesticide. Spicy, peppery chemicals that enflame the nostrils and crawl down your throat. It's not the vetiver, which is there, but stripped clean and fairly subdued. It's not the sharp basil either, which is probably the best part of the composition. Best I can tell, it's the megadose of akigalawood, which I now understand is a signature of perfumer Quentin Bisch, apparently dosed higher here than anywhere else. (Maybe Ganymede compares, as folks occasionally raise similar complaints, but I haven't tried it.) The overall effect is aggressively sharp and spicy but somehow hollow, like an incomplete fragrance made of peppery synthetic woods. More of an industrial smell than a perfume, it's like an AI-generated painting of a tree, if the AI were restricted to two colors and had no understanding that trees are living things.
If that was it, just a sharp chemical smell I don't particularly care for, I could just shrug this off and move along. Not every scent is for everyone, who cares. I like plenty of minimalistic scents that others hate (Encre Noire, Tam Dao, many from Comme des Garcons), and it's fine if this one doesn't work for me. The issue is that when akigalawood is dosed this high and mated with ambroxan, the projection and longevity become positively nuclear. I'm convinced that most people wearing this are probably anosmic to some facet of the akigalawood, because most people aren't picking up the fact that this literally lasts weeks on fabric.
This was my experience wearing it. Two sprays to the chest, and I enjoyed it at first, until the screechy bug spray note took over, and I realized it wasn't for me. Sat in it for about 6-8 hours, and finally scrubbed it off in the shower, toweled off, went to bed. The next morning I wake to the exact same smell, just as strong as when first applied. The scent had survived the shower and was now impregnated in the sheets. Yesterday's shirt was radiating from the laundry pile, and last night's towel positively reeked. Everything goes in the laundry, I took another shower... but no, there's no escape at this point. Days later, after multiple showers, this was still noticeable on my skin. My original t-shirt stank of bug spray for over a month, even though I washed it three times. It rubs off on anything you touch, and it will not die. The olfactory equivalent of an infectious, incurable disease.
I've learned akigalawood can smell fine in reasonable doses, though it has a nose-tingling edge and is weirdly tenacious. I'm pretty sure I smell it in the base of Parfum d'Empire's Le Cri, one of my favorite light florals--even though the "patchouli" in the base will last days on clothing. I've seen others complain about the base of Beau du Jour (also akigalawood) surviving trips through laundry, leading to a a gradual accretion of olfactory funk over time. Clearly not everyone picks up on this, and that's probably a good thing. I would just warn you that even if you can't smell the peppery death that lies at the heart of Bois Imperial, at least some folks you encounter will.
Parting story: a few months after my initial encounter, I'm heading towards my office elevator when the door opens, and I'm smacked in the face with a wave of Bois Imperial. Older executive-type gent gets off the elevator, oblivious to the strength of his perfume; and he had clearly sprayed heavily. Even after he left, it was hard to breathe in the elevator, and the scent lingered in my nose for 15 minutes and gave me headache. You have been warned!
*Full disclosure: I did get compliments wearing this. It can smell pretty striking in the air, and people notice it. My daughter, who always tells me whether she loves or loathes whatever I'm wearing, smelled it on me and said it was one of the best perfumes she had ever smelled. C'est la vie.
It smells synthetic. It's the first perfume in the last four dozen samples I've tried that's given me a headache. My favorite thing about it was the basil, but that didn't redeem it
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I bought this based on the many, many compliments that were reported. It's as if Bois Imperial is being crowned the next "Aventus" already.
After 2 sprays on the first wearing(evening), I was almost ready to hop on that bandwagon. But now, as daylight and sobriety unfold new dimensions to this juice, I am running for the exit.
Today, one full spray to the chest/next, one mist spray to the gut, bot under clothes. I now smell the Armaf style ingredients that are familiar with CDNIM; harsh and synthetic.
5-6 sprays would fill a stadium, and I really wish I could go home and shower from 1.5 sprays.
I really liked the bright, fizzy, sprightly opening from the other evening, but today it's just pest spray. The original wearing was as bright and fizzy as Givenchy Vetyver, but today I did not get that aura.
I'm thinking climate and skin really effect these aromachems, so a strong try-before-you-buy from me. As I am averse to mall-counter "Blues", this must have something similar. So if Sauvage and BDC are your bag, this may be for you.
To vintage and powerhouse snobs, try a free sample before jumping in, is my recommendation.
5/10. Worth the money at half the current prices or less.
After 2 sprays on the first wearing(evening), I was almost ready to hop on that bandwagon. But now, as daylight and sobriety unfold new dimensions to this juice, I am running for the exit.
Today, one full spray to the chest/next, one mist spray to the gut, bot under clothes. I now smell the Armaf style ingredients that are familiar with CDNIM; harsh and synthetic.
5-6 sprays would fill a stadium, and I really wish I could go home and shower from 1.5 sprays.
I really liked the bright, fizzy, sprightly opening from the other evening, but today it's just pest spray. The original wearing was as bright and fizzy as Givenchy Vetyver, but today I did not get that aura.
I'm thinking climate and skin really effect these aromachems, so a strong try-before-you-buy from me. As I am averse to mall-counter "Blues", this must have something similar. So if Sauvage and BDC are your bag, this may be for you.
To vintage and powerhouse snobs, try a free sample before jumping in, is my recommendation.
5/10. Worth the money at half the current prices or less.