Best Wode (Scent) by Boudicca Alternatives & Similar Perfumes

A new project with Bertrand Duchaufour and a landscape artist/photographer Martin Hill.

The same way in which Martin goes to a sight and rearranges what nature left there into an installation, the perfumer rearranged some molecules and materials to put the beauty of a natural material into focus.

Also Martin aims to let his stuctures to be absorbed back into natural chaos. Perfume evaporates into the environment in a similar fashion, beautiful but transient.

In Chypre Shot all the focus is on a classic chypre effect (citrus - tart flower- dark woody background). However, the traditional rose is replaced with peony and for the signature dessert gourmand touch of his, Bertrand throws in a delectable coffee and cardamom combination.

The structure and image which were the conceptual inspiration for the perfume are below. It's a mysterious, rich haze full of the sweet scents of a meadow. There is also a nod to oakmoss (one of the pillars of the chypre architecture).

“Udbaha” means “marriage” in Bangla, and this extrait references the Bangladeshi Holud Night celebration before the wedding. The festival is decorated with marigolds, roses and tuberoses. The aromas of festival sweets and treats fill the air: sugar, nuts, cardamom and saffron, mingling with oranges, pineapple and ripe mangoes. A spicy/earthy paste of turmeric and fenugreek is applied to the bride and groom’s body, enhanced by warm amber. And summoning the ceremonial application of henna, Bengal oud and oakmoss weaves a funky green trail through the proceedings. A deep and joyful perfume.

The name S24 refers to the double S in the Maysson brand logo, paired with 24 to signify the very first perfume the house released in 2024. Bitter/nutty notes of saffron and hazelnut accent the woody-leather theme, softened by amber, benzoin and toffee. A fragrance summoning new beginnings, confidence and determination.

The third volume in the Revenants series takes inspiration from the works of architect Nicolas Hawksmoor (1661-1736) whose foreboding structures define London's urban landscape even today.

Hawksmoor - referred to as ‘the Devil’s architect’ - continues to provoke interest for his distinctive churches, which introduced elements of Egyptology into traditional ecclesiastical settings. These curious architectural details, and his recent reputation as a Freemason has prompted speculation that occult symbolism influenced his methods, and imbued his designs with an inherent ‘terror and magnificence’.

By contrasting darkness with invigorating complexity, perfumer Pia Long has combined a vivid olfactory impression of the man, his works and his myth. Accords of Somalian Incense, dry woods and wet stone meld with opium smoke, papyrus and kyphi, underpinned by a base of Haitian vetiver and precious resins. 

The product’s packaging bears a representation of Hawksmoor’s celebrated work – Christ Church Spitalfields in East London.

Kamel was the friend who entrusted Sora Dora founder Antoine with the secrets of the oriental olfactory universe, embodied in this namesake perfume. Built around the clean woodiness of Laotian oud, this extrait contrasts the dirty spice of cumin with sweet raspberry and syrupy rose. Smoky and spicy, Kamel Oud will enhance your next 1001 days and 1001 nights.

In fleeting top notes Myrtle, fragile as the promises of love, encounters the preciousness of saffron, merging into an indomitable desire for eros.

The luxuriant notes of honey are exalted by the jasmine night breeze that pervades the home of the chaste lovers, among the frescoes, on a thalamus of rose petals.

The mysterious notes of incense and sweet vanilla blend with the oriental contamination of amber and labdanum that fades into the ancient aroma of agar wood, sealing the essence of Castiamanti, expression of rich Pompeii.

 Perfumer: Miroslav Petkov

A bestial intense animalic amber serving the visceral image of a wild stallion. Patchouli and labdanum harmonise to a rich decadent leather while hits of oriental osmanthus add to the floral sweetness which in turn is balanced by spicy cypriol and vetiver. Stunning and magnificent.

There’s a tantalising friction in the smell of iris root. It’s austere, but tender. It can be powdery, but it also suggests leather. Depending on the context, it can read as feminine or masculine. Iris Ardent resolves this fabled material’s dissonance in a compelling eau de parfum that balances all of iris’ contradictions. The opening spikes of cypress and vetiver provide the scaffolding for cushiony amber and powdery iris. Juniper’s bright twang illuminates the darkness of incense and moss. Intellectual, but accessible.

The concept of the smell is walking among giant sequoias, so tall the sunlight never reaches the ground, breathing crisp air of a coniferous forest. Expect a seriously dark woody character, more on the drier resinous side of the woody spectrum.

The perfume has a smoky nuance but neither in the creamy way of Le Labo's Santal 37 nor in the outrageous gunpowder way of Beaufort's Tonnere. Woody Mood's smokiness is a gentle facette combined from smoky nuances of frankincense, sequoia and black tea.

Memories of the Golden Temple in India. A warm leather caress enhanced by a resinous hug of labdanum, further softened by Cashmeran. Incense adds a smoky spark, while patchouli and cypriol supply the earthiness.

Perfumer: Mylène Alran