Triad fragrance notes

  • Head

    • sri lankan oud
  • Heart

    • magnolia, may rose, indonesian bouya, chinese oud (hay-nan)
  • Base

    • thai oud, tonka bean, benzoin, hyraceum

Latest Reviews of Triad

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It should be noted, first of all, that when we talk about natural perfumes, we are talking about smells and shades that are very different from those of classic perfumery. Triad is a beautiful scent of oud on the head and pink in tow. The oud is medicinal, pungent at first, it almost tastes like fuel, then it fades a lot when the rose begins to emerge. When it comes to roses, it is good to specify that, unlike classic perfumery, the natural rose of this kind of perfumes is not a flower shot in a thousand and overhanging it, but more an accord that refreshes and wets the fragrance, lightening it and giving it softness. During the drying phase, in the final phase, the note of fossil hyrax is perceived which, perhaps, not everyone can like. That said, it is a beautiful perfume, with a moderate sillage and excellent persistence.
19th November 2022
266165
There is no beating around the olfactory bush here - The opening hits me with an oud storm: rich, deep, and expressing hallmarks of - at least to some extent - the real deal as far as the agarwood ingredients are concerned.

Nonetheless, this is not a very linear development, but includes subtle changes that provide added olfactory entertainment. The initial Sri Lanka out is very dark on me, with aromas of rum raisin and a slight touch of civet. Intoxicating...

Soon a May rose is added and adds a dark, rich, velvety rose impression, mainly of the blossoms with touches of the stems too. Yes, now we have here - another - rose-oud product in the making....

Going further into the drydown, it becomes clear tat with all he effort the rose, now supported by some magnolia and whiffs of muguet, puts into its participation as an equal, the oud always keeps the upper hand. Fortified by more oud variants from Indonesia (Bouya oud) and Hainan, the agarwood group becomes smoother and looses some of its faecal character.

Towards the base - the transition is very smooth and barely conscious - a bit more of an edge re-appears, and the whole becomes a touch brighter. This is likely the result of the addition of another oud - Thai oud - as well as the appearance of a benzoin note. The – now again - stronger animalic component is also due to some added hyraceum. These animalic parts are, however, never very intrusive or nauseatingly strong; they are - distinct and evident - contributors to the whole but never intent of playing the lead part in this olfactory drama. An earthy undertone develops throughout the base as a peripheral addition,.

I get strong sillage, excellent projection, and ten hours of longevity on my skin.

This wintery creation is an oud-fest for oud-lovers. On the one hand it is charachterised by an unusually sophisticated application of various types and species of agarwood, and the usual - currently fashionable - combination with a rose impression. On the other hand, small and original nuances are added to make this scent more interesting than the usual run-of-the-mill rose-oud products that have been flooding the department stores for the last few years. Most importantly, the quality of theses natural ingredients is superb, and the blending is impressive. A bit more of non-oud -based variety might make this creation a bit more titillating, but it is a very impressive scent anyway. The performance of this sillage bomb is close to heavenly. 4.25/5
19th October 2021
248496

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There is no doubt in my mind that Triad by Bortnikoff (2020) is an excellent fragrance; but at this point in the "game" of making rose oud fragrances seemingly palatable to Westerners that wrinkle their noses to fecal or urinous animalic notes, the big niche or luxury prestige designer lines have already beaten the artisanal maker to the punch, and have done so offering "more" for "less" by using synthetics which the layman nose will not find discernibly different enough to justify the price. That said, if you're looking for a dry and medicinal/refined oud paired with rose, and do not wish to compromise by using mere traces of real oud mixed with powerful and accurate replacers from chemical firms like Firmenich, Triad by Bortnikoff is your holy grail. This is the perfume that answers the questions of "What if Montale Black Aoud (2006) had real oud in it?" or "What if the oud in Parfums Dusita Oudh Infini (2016) wasn't fecal?", and does so by using a custom oud distillation by Dmitri Bortnikoff himself that uses everything but Laotian or Indian ouds, which tend to be the most cheesy or fecal in tone. Of note, this is an extrait de parfum, so a little goes a really long way, which may help to alleviate cost concerns some since one bottle may be a lifetime supply for people with larger collections. I really like this stuff even though I typically opt for the porterhouse over the filet mignon, and getting to taste the latter now and then even if by sample is fun.

The opening here seems to forego any traditional sense of top notes, and immediately you are bonked in the noggin with an Acme Inc. hammer made of ROSE AND OUD. In a similar move to powerful synth rose ouds like the aforementioned Montale creation, medicinal oud and sharp green rose greet the nostrils all at once, although the official brand notes also list magnolia in the heart. Sri Lankan oud, Indonesian Bouya oud, and Chinese oud (hay-nan) are all blended into the top and heart according to Bortnikoff, so a swirl of medicinal oud it is until the base appears to soften things just a tad. The rose settles in behind the oud rather than in front of it like it does in many designer or niche synth ouds, so this is more accurately described as oud and rose rather than rose and oud. The medicinal woody facets of the agar are then mulled with some tonka and benzoin to smooth them oud into something I imagine Westerners used to Mancera and Tiziana Terenzi can stomach, then only the slightest and most judicious amount of hyraceum is used to give just enough animalic musk to give Triad virile bite. Hyraceum is used here how civet used to be used in rose chypres in the 80's, so most noses will not wrinkle to it. Wear time is all day, but sillage is surprisingly not nuclear, and will stay at arm's length until you scrub. Best use is anyone's guess, as this is still a statement maker at heart. Winter time feels best for Triad, but you expected me to say as much, as something like this would reek in humidity.

The price of $350 for 50ml of extrait is not out of bounds for people who are used to paying retail prices for classic Guerlain extraits like Shalimar (1925), Mitsouko (1919), or Jicky (1889); but the usual $350 for 100 to 125ml of eau de parfum from brands like Parfums de Marly, or even the folks used to getting Montale and Mancera ouds for under $200 are going to turn up their noses. Remember, this isn't aimed at the "oud freaks" who buy stuff like Parfums Dusita Oudh Infini and call it their easy reach, then bust out Ensar Oud or Areej le Dore attars as their show pieces, or even just wear raw oud oils that cost in the thousands then chase everyone out of a restaurant they walk into while wearing them. This is aimed at the MFK lovers, the kind of people that think L'Artisan Al Oudh (2009) was challenging, or even have insecurity about wearing deep vintage Kouros by Yves Saint Laurent (1981) out in public. This was made for the haute bourgeois that discovered oud through Tom Ford or and has slowly sunk deeper only in small layers by tasting ouds from Louis Vuitton, and definitely value shop whenever Gucci or Versace release an oud that usually sells for a slice above designer retail then drops off production in a few years. They have no taste for gym socks, at least not yet, and this is a hard sell to them. Still, Triad is an all-natural Western-style rose oud, and that's pretty neat. Kudos for Bortikoff for once again merging styles and practices from all over the globe. Thumbs up
25th July 2021
245939
Triad skips detectable top notes, instead starting directly at its development heart. As the composition enters its early heart a lush, jammy rose emerges and takes the fore, with super-smooth non-fecal smelling real oud in support, underpinned by just a hint of sweet, almost liquid benzoin rising from the base. During the late dry-down the smooth real oud becomes only just detectable, as musk-like hyrax from the base is unveiled and takes the fore, joining the receding remnants of the rose through the finish. Projection is excellent, as is longevity at around 12 hours on skin.

It is easy to call Triad a successful composition. The rather simplistic combination of rose and oud has been tried and tested hundreds of times before, but in the case of Triad the distinguishing attribute is ingredient quality. It is rather obvious from initial application that top quality naturals comprise most of the ingredients. The rose is extremely natural smelling and oh so lush, while the oud used is obviously the real deal and extremely high quality super-smooth stuff. Only in the late dry-down do hints of the subtle animalic facet of the composition come out, as what most likely is real hyrax adds a subtle musky dimension to the rose that never is over-the-top or unpleasant. In fact, the composition is always conservative, sophisticated and classy throughout. The only thing that prevents this writer from calling Triad outstanding is that despite its obvious ingredient and construction quality, other similar quality rose and oud compositions have come before it like the superb, similar smelling, much less expensive Thirty-Three from Ex Idolo, making Triad somewhat superfluous despite its excellence. The bottom line is the $350 per 50 ml Triad is an "excellent" 4 stars out of 5 rated rose oud concoction, but while featuring top quality materials and fine execution by the perfumer, it plows no new ground and is matched by others in the space to make recommending a purchase very difficult.
11th April 2020
227955