Reviews of Bois de Violette (1992)
by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido

A horrible, nausea-inducing overdose of synthetic cedar (Iso E Super), violet leaf and sweet, candied violets. I've read somewhere that Bois de Violette has a 65% concentration of Iso E Super... No surprise here. If you don't like Iso E Super, or the usual suspects that also have an overdose of Iso E Super (like Terre d'Hermes, Kyoto or Feminite des Bois), avoid this at all costs.

I usually agree with the perfume critic Luca Turin on his "5 star" choices, but this one is not to my taste. Perhaps it fits the current trends in perfumery, but I don't believe Bois de Violette will stand the test of time (or future IFRA regulations for that matter).

3/10

Well, isn’t this yet another very VERY familiar Lutens. Of course, one of the very first scents from this house.

Very recognizable and expected Sheldrake creation. Many other scents made by this man come immediately to mind, starting from Feminite du Bois…
Honeyed and creamy plumy woods placed under a candied bouquet of violets.

Quite simple as that and it is pretty damn nice. Non-complicated sweet and crisp woody oriental goodness all the way through.
Thumbs up easily although this is not full bottle worthy to me, not the least because I think this scent is more fitting for women. (Although it is unisex and recommended for men at least to try, obviously.) Also, I personally like even more scents from this house that has that certain type of edge which is lacking from this…

Beautiful fragrance that is very practical and easy to wear but not boring at all.
4 stars as far as Pigeon is concerned.

A rare example of perfect balance in a perfume. Throughout its developement, the woody, oriental and floral elements are in such close harmony that I found it difficult to pick out discreet notes. Instead, they formed a whole new creature, and quite a beautiful one. In The Guide, I read about BDV's relationship to Dolce Vita, and I see the connection, haveing worn Dolce Vita years ago. I remember that fragrance as smelling like Root Beer, which BDV, thank God, does not. My only disapoinment is that it's not quite as long-lasting as I would like. Marvelous nonetheless.

Violet flowers, leaves, and cedar. The cedar is the perfect foil to bring out the floral aspects of the ionone note as well as the greenness of the violet leaf. In The Guide, Luca Turin sings the praises of this scent, speaking of the rotational nature of the notes from Feminité du Bois; he analyzes the swapping around of the prominent note in each of the derived scents, and expounds on how the violet and cedar are brought out in this one. I can't believe that the prominent notes are the only ones here; there might be hints of honey or beeswax, cinnamon, and orange blossom in here, but deftly relegated to the background. These or some other elements spice, soften, and impart a warm, animalic note to the mix. Beautiful, fairly lasting, subtle but sensuous. One of the best.

A delightful and well-balanced fragrance, with a glowing heady note of violets backed by a soft backdrop of woods. The woods are raspy but never harsh, and the overall effect feels textured and utterly luxurious, somewhat like a beautiful grosgrain ribbon. The two sides to the perfume, floral and woody, combine to make this utterly unique and unisex.

5 Stars.

A boozy violet. Thick and medicinal like most of the Serge Lutens line (I love the "house accord"). Not my style. Love the woods, though. I think there's a hint of cedar.

Aaaahhhhhh, this is scrumptious! Violet and wood. The violet here is absolutely succulent! It is deep, rich and dark (as opposed to bright/fresh/dewey). I actually salivate when smelling this Luten's masterpiece. It immediately reminds me of Dolce Vita - only better! The funny thing is, after reading Perfumes The Guide, I discover they are related! Bois de Violette pushes all the right buttons for me...including the woods blend, which does not strike me as dominantly cedar...it is crafted well and comes off as very wearable by either a man or woman. Maybe just a touch more feminine. In any case, I emptied my wallet for this one...and have not a single regret!

I was delighted to find Bois de Violette available for testing – even purchase – at Bergdorff’s recently, and given its reputation I plied my way past one of the most pretentious and ill-informed sales associates on planet earth to try it.

For me, wearing Bois de Violette was like lying in a snug cedar box filled with candied violets. Funereal, isn’t it? Well, Bois de Violette is not a "happy" scent. In fact, it’s close, dark, and thick, especially for its first hour on the skin. After that the lugubrious opening accord begins to sweeten and soften – first very slowly, then with exponential acceleration. Just when I think Bois de Violette is going to careen into the side rail of my tolerance for powdered sugar, its engine catches fire, and the resulting cloud of smoke redeems it for me. Once Bois de Violette settles in to its drydown I’m treated to the familiar smoky, spiced honey base that so many of the Lutens fragrances share.

Bois de Violette is an impressive, hard-hitting scent, one of those that I can admire without actually liking. All for the best, as far as my wallet is concerned, since it’s at least one much-praised niche fragrance that I won’t have to buy.

(An aside: Smelling the two side-by-side, it’s clear that Bois de Violette is the inspiration for Tom Ford’s ugly little Black Violet. Were Bois de Violette widely distributed in North America, Mr. Ford need not have bothered.)

I am completely smitten with this fragrance. It is so ellusive, so beautiful...All other violets fall short in comparison.

Much better than the disaster called Un Cedre. It's like Feminite du bois with a violet note that manages to be simultaneously soapy, cold, grassy and candied. Something in it feels foody too, savory, like cumin, saffron or some other spice? Or do I smell my lunch cooking in the kitchen? A cool and airy scent, despite the warmer, richer spicy/woody base. Intriguing.

My wife likes Kenneth Cole Signature on me, so I wanted to compare the Serge Lutens treatment.

Very nice - especially the strong violet-leaf introduction for green sharpness, and the feeling that I had just lain in a shady grove, crushing blooming violets (instead of swimming in violet water).

The woody drydown is not quite as intense or longlasting as my current cedar standard, by Azzaro, so my SL favorites will remain Ambre Sultan and Santal de Mysore.

~Cedar, violet leaves and flowers~ The first time I tried this fragrance I passed it off, but the second time it really grabbed me. The degree to which different people smell a different balance of the cedar and violet is all over the board. As is the take on the violet itself - oversweet, dry, cloying, natural. Absolutely no consensus...
The opening, which supposedly is cedar, was for me a sort of boozy whiskey/rum - violet note, rough and quiet, quite sensual. It grabbed me immediately. I got a touch of indefinable wood, which seemed separate from the boozy note. There may have been a citrus causing the wood to turn to whiskey or rum in my nose. After about five minutes a leather note started emerging, smokey, sensual and utterly compelling with that smooth, quiet, deep little violet. I found it compulsively sniffable at that point. I have to say I'm on a leather kick at the moment, and anything that is vaguely leather is blowing me away. So I'm willing to say it may be my nose at the present time, but I'm hoping it will always stay the way I smelled it today. This one finally won me over to Serge Lutens. There really is a superior understanding involved to be able to tease out the darker, sensual aspects of the quiet, soft, intimate little violet and showcase it so perfectly in counterpoint with a leather. It turns it into a violet the color of smoky lavender gray with veins of oakmoss green and shadows of leather brown. Is there a touch of dry chocolate? I don't think so, but it comes to mind. The cedar starts coming out a little more in the drydown and is my least favorite part, though still good. I've been getting a little tired of of cedarwood in fragrances lately, so I'm probably suffering from overkill, otherwise I might like the more cedary drydown just fine.

Starts with a blast of fresh violets,green and tender. Then the cedar comes through,I get a Feminite du Bois feel in the middle notes.
Beauitful fresh light fragrance.

Many find this scent to be a breathtakingly beautiful compositon, a perfect play between the cedary woods int he background and the greenish sweet violet in the fore. I found it merely breathtaking--as in cloyingly sweet, the way violet scents can get. No woods show up on me unil hours in, and the violet is more confection than flower. I much prefer Keiko Mecheri's Genie du Bois (which may be using SL for 'inspiration), in which the woods are much stronger and slightly spicy and powdery, and the violet shrinks to the edges.