Reviews of Bois du Portugal (1987)
by Creed

A heady one, this. It reminds me a little of Chanel Pour Monsieur Concentrée (which it predates by two years), in both good ways and bad. Good in that they both project a certain middle-aged authority, bad in that there's something a little sickly sweet about both of them. BdP is definitely the better of the two: spicier, more interesting, better ingredients. I can't take a full application on skin of this, but a light misting and one spray onto my undershirt gives me a great deal of pleasure for the rest of the day. A little more spice and a little less sweet would have made this a clear thumbs-up for me. Definitely best suited for cooler weather.

I'm not giving this a thumbs down because of poor construction or because it's a Creed. I'm giving it a thumbs down for the simple fact that I don't like this scent. To my nose it smells too "perfumey". It's also strong but not in a good way. I can imagine how overapplying this would quickly turn you into "the cologne guy". What I mostly get from this scent is wood that isn't balanced out by other notes. I'm sure there are other notes but the aldehydes and wood overpower everything else that my nose can decipher. But if you like old school scents then you might want to give this a try.

Bois du Portugal is definitely a sophisticated power scent that is warm, extremely rich and very masculine. It has pretty good sillage and very good longevity (but maybe not as much as previous reviews have made out, although it could easily last 6-8 hours). However, there’s something distinctly ‘80s about it that has prevented me from completely falling in love with it. Some would argue that it’s a timeless classic but, to a certain extent, I disagree. However, for what it is, I still think it deserves an unreserved thumbs up.

Bois du Portugal is a great scent. I bought it several months ago and wear it every day. To Hell with day versus evening wear. I like it, I wear it, and that's all.

There's something about this scent alright. At its first impression, it does remind me of my grandfather. However, this is the scent that all fakes were made to be. This is the original, natural, pure expression of dominant masculinity. The top notes of citrus and lavender are heavenly and addicting, while the base softens up and lasts almost like a Lutens, very un-Creed like in its longevity. I own two sample decants, and will have a bottle by next fall!

This review is under revision.

I can see why Bois du Portugal has its admirers. It appears to stand utterly opposed to the polite and pretty millesimes that represent so much of the modern Creed line. Bois du Portugal opens LOUD, with a smoky leather assault that catapults straight out of the bottle. This is a take-no-prisoners accord if ever there was one: leather and burning wood all the way. The smoke hangs on for quite some time, eventually even taking on an "old ashtray" character that might pass as macho camp, in an ironic, post-modern sort of way.

My gripe concerning Bois du Portugal is with the drydown. As the scent develops, a surprisingly soft, powdery note emerges above the ashtray, building a very soapy accord that dominates the base. I hate smelling like soap. It makes me feel uptight and stodgy. Once the soap asserts itself Bois du Portugal transforms from assertively potent to stuffy and, I dare say, elderly in a matter of a few minutes.

What I'm left with is an extended drydown so fusty and so morbidly nostalgic that I feel as if I've walked into a nursing home. What a letdown. I'm already comfortably ensconced in midlife, but I can't imagine wearing this scent for at least another twenty years.

After reading all the reviews of Bois du Portugal it sounded like an ideal fragrance for me. My tastes have been evolving towards the more masculine end of the spectrum. I gave it a try and it definitely was as advertised, a finely crafted, very masculine fragrance which I genuinely like. That being said, I also felt a bit of disappointment. While I do like it, I really don't like it any better and many cases less then several fragrances which cost me 1/4 as much: Yatagan, Cumming, Santos, Bel Ami... Based upon the Creed mystique I guess I was expecting "All this and a bag of chips too" and someone left out the chips. So very good fragrance but I really question the value.

At first I was taken aback and wondered whether the sample had gone bad. I wore it a bit on my wrists. Murky, musty, dusty, musky. The last third of a thick cigar. The complete opposite of me: ultra-strong, ultra-masculine, ultra-formal. I thought this would be a perfect fit for the classical stereotype man who is the size of a bull, never even had a feminine side, always wears a suit and tie and neglects his family. Seen Twin Peaks? Major Garland Briggs is BdP personified.

But I'm being unfair. So much for the first impressions. I'm trying this for the second time now. The greenness is there, although it is the dark green of a thick pine forest before a thunderstorm, and the sweetness can be found as well, hidden beneath the resin and spices. In all, this could be a good scent and I like some parts of it (perhaps it is the legendary "Creed base") but still probably not for me.

Although I'm a big Creed fan, for me this one is an awful lot like the much-cheaper Old Spice. It's nice enough, and the dry down is very nice - but - it doesn't seem as classy as the other Creeds I wear regularly. The practical guy in me would buy Old Spice and then with the money I saved buy a different Creed. Cheers!

I like this but I don't love it to the extreme so many of you do. Its virtues are many, esp its lightness which starts right at the opening, and continues to the almost everlasting drydown. Yes, it's a sophisticated, boardroom scent but it lacks the aggressive, masculine feel of Vintage Tabarome, or---to leave Creeds altogether and step out into the outdoors--Penhaligon's Blenheim Bouquet.
I can't help but wonder if Churchill would have considered BdP a bit of a ligtweight?

In any case, I suspect the BdP appeal lies in the negatives it avoids. This is an 80's frag par excellance--the time when fougere, chypre and woods ruled male perfumery as the ubiquitous acquatics do today. It was Drakkar Noir country, and with a few brilliant exceptions-Joseph Abdoud and Francesco Smalto, to name two--the woods were closing in on all sides as oakmoss battled fern and men were would be Tarzans covered in fungus.

BdP was a safe and refined alternative with well blended notes of cedarwood, sandalwood, and vetiver (The same combo the GIT uses today, btw minus the oriental/woods)

Bless all BdP fanatics, but for me, it's 4 a star scent at most, I prefer the 1948 Vetiver--from which it borrowed much, and the aforementioned go-for-broke Churchillian frags.

Pax 'all.

To me, this smelled like Chaps, the old drug store cologne by Ralph Lauren.

I can't decide if I like it or not, but that's what I got out of it....Chaps. Oh...and flashbacks from 7th grade.

I had such high expectations from this after reading so many positive things about BdP. I must say, though, that for my taste, this is a little too "old man." Admittedly, it does improve during drydown, but it still smells a little old for a 30-year old. I like the smell of grandpa, but I don't want to smell like my grandpa. It's pleasant, just not how I prefer to smell.

The most phenomenal drydown of any fragrance I have ever experienced. This potion just keeps getting better with each minute its on your skin.