Wood Jasmin
BDK Parfums (2016)

BDK Parfums upon first glance may seem to be another throwaway niche brand capitalizing on the ballooning demand to escape the increasing homogenization of designer perfume, and they may underneath it all actually be just that, but founder and principle perfumer David Benedeck does a good job of offering the "alternative" to the demographic-fed AI-composed perfume blues. Yeah, a great deal of synthetics are detectable in BDK's range, but what isn't anymore in an era of IFRA-restrictes resource-bereft mainstream perfumery where economies of scale make it impossible to supply enough real sandalwood oil to satisfy the sheer quantity of perfume sold to consumers anymore? Batch-made Artisanal perfumes exist for that need, and you'll pay dearly for them if a scalper doesn't beat you to them with a purchaser bot net first. With that realism in mind, I can appreciate what BDK Parfums Wood Jasmin (2016) tries to do, even if some of its synthetic filler does stand taller than whatever naturals it may claim to contain. For starters Wood Jasmin is a bit of a misnomer, since this is primarily a "fruitchouli" fragrance, a genre I'm ill-disposed towards but in this case manages to be another rare winner in the style like Mon Patchouly by Ramon Monegal (2009). If you manage to make something be more than the typical sum of its parts, you're generally looking at a winner even if it's from a category that some may find distasteful, becoming an exception to the rule.

The juicy plum and pear opening of Wood Jasmin comes across tart and supple in the first few moments, but not sweet enough to wrinkle the nose, although the finish of this fragrance is sweet (just emanating from another source). There is a bit of jammy Turkish rose which lends part of this final sweetness, while indolic jasmine sambac from which part of this fragrance's name is derived comes forward. I get an "apple pie" sort of ghost note here not listed by the perfumer, and detect no davana/artemisia of any kind, with some unlisted spices coming across like cardamon and cinnamon with a pinch of boozy cognac. The base is where the totally denatured "fractionated" patchouli lives, providing formless thickness and body that could threaten to add too much "pectin factor" to the fruit like so many of this ilk do, but instead sees balance with the aforementioned unlisted spices from the heart and some peru balsam (basically benzoin) to anchor it. If anything, Wood Jasmin should have been named Balsam Spice, since besides the patchouli and fruit, the spice, booze, and benzoin remain most prevalent. Late-stage vanilla finishes this up and other notes like cypriol or incense do not register to me clearly. Wood Jasmin is a warm, sweet, romantic affair suitably unisex and lacking the oakmoss bite of Mon Patchouly, making up for it with additional coziness and high performance. Best in winter for cuddle-up sessions, Wood Jasmin is something that if I smelled it on you, I might not let go.

If you're looking for a nice oriental spice with fruity elements to enjoy in front of a fireplace or during a night of caroling, Wood Jasmin may be just what you're after if you can stomach the $200-ish price tag wanted for 100ml of the stuff. Of all the BDK Parfums entries I've tested, Wood Jasmin is by far the most-inviting, best-performing, and well-blended even if the worst-named, least natural-smelling or versatile of the bunch. Maybe you could take this one clubbing if you had plans to be a lounge lizard in a booth with a bottle of spirits to yourself looking to be caught buttering with some pretty stranger, but otherwise this is too romantic to be anything but used in intimate or festive contexts. Fans looking for a more upscale variant of something like Alford & Hoff for Men (2009) might find Wood Jasmin to be an upgrade if they can stand having a little more patchouli and zero wood in the trade-off for better performance and blending. The Avon-produced Hervé Léger Homme (2010) also could be a downmarket distant cousin with a flicker of oakmoss and woods but again, inferior blending and performance. Worth a sniff even if maybe not a blind buy at these prices, BDK Parfums Wood Jasmin is pretty good for a mis-named fruitchouli fragrance. I might want to see what natural camphoraceous patchouli is like in this setting, but I may never get it. Thumbs up.