Un Bois de Sépia (1994)
by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido

Luca Turin, in "Perfumes: The Guide," presents an analysis of a few scents which would derive them, among them Bois de Violette, Bois et Fruits, and Un Bois Vanille from the earlier Féminité du Bois.He traces its history, ultimately deriving its concept from Chanel Bois des Îles through Caron Parfum Sacré to the cedar and fruity accord that Pierre Bourdon conceived while in Marrakech, and then passed on to Christopher Sheldrake. He in turn made it into Lutens' first introduction for the Palais Royal Shiseido collection. Turin says that Bourdon and Sheldrake "generously credit each other" with the concept; but the technique of "overdosage," in which a background note in one version of a scent is brought forward to a central position, each one in turn, to make a series of related perfumes, says Turin, is Bourdon's bit of genius. I don't know if you can properly call these scents "flankers" of Feminité du Bois, but the family resemblance is unmistakable.

Turin goes on to pan Un Bois Sépia, but Un Bois Sépia is just as much one of the flankers of Féminité du Bois as the others. It is the one that emphasizes the woods and resins and soft-pedals the fruity notes of the parent scent. Sandalwood, cypress, vetiver, patchouli, and opopanax make for an opulent effect that is truly memorable. Un Bois Sépia is not the most delicate, nor the most stunning, of the series, but it might fairly be said to be the subtlest, and to have the densest base note of the pentad. It develops incrementally through the soft, then the sparkling, then the deep aspects of the accord. Not the greatest in longevity, nor in sillage of the group, but perhaps the most soothing and comforting.

Hmmm….It is extremely familiar scent, but as I wrote this I just couldn’t get it in my head what was that kissing cousin scent I was thinking about, even when I scratched my head until it almost bled… (Was it Basala by Shiseido or perhaps something else..??)

Very aromatic dry peppery woods with burnt sugar like tone to it. It burns my nostrils ever so slightly; it is that edgy and sharp.

Quite nice, but would I be silly enough to pay required amount of money of this..?
No.

It's interesting to see the date of creation on this scent, as there seem to be a few imitators out there in the intervening years. Off the top of my head I can only think of "Wood & Spices" by Montale, but I know I've encountered this construction elsewhere.

That said, all imitators are indeed just that: pretenders to this scent. Blending is deft; while this is not necessarily groundbreaking, it is a fine cinnamon'd wood/ bark perfume. Not too sweet, very wearable. I'd buy it if I had the chance.

This one is an interesting repeater! The notes come back several times during the day, depending on my activity, slightly different each time.

Maybe this was an early version of what was later the stronger and longer-lasting Arabie. It is dry and reserved and soft (a good effort from the 1990's).

For me, Un Bois Sepia embodies the woody/sweet notes of "Un Cedre" but in softer and slightly more complex tones. I'm hoping a friend will bring me some home from France.

Un Bois Sepia starts off like a candied fruit scent...very sweet and very fruity. Surprisingly, that seems to last all of a minute or two, then the scent transforms into something just slightly reminiscent of L’Artisan’s Timbuktu. While I consider Timbuktu to be dry, charred woods with a very nice red berry touch, I consider Un Bois Sepia to be dried red fruits in a wooden dish, maybe with some vanilla syrup. The scent is sweet and dry with an ashen, woody note. The further it dries down, the woodier it gets and the less sweetness it has, but it never leaves the almost-too-sweet territory. Compared to Timbuktu, this smells like a confectionery, while Timbuktu smells more exotic, like a potion made by a tribal elder. One is something to eat, the other, something to wear. Nice, but maybe too sweet for my personal tastes. Not as sweet as Santal de Mysore, but sweet still.