Reviews of parfums*PARFUMS Series 3 Incense: Avignon (2002)
by Comme des Garçons

Truly faked incense. It's good. I don't get the incense connection as the other reviews seem to talk about. And I have nothing more to add.

Unquestionably there's a charm in the lunacy of the entire CdG line, the 21st century's equivalent to Santa Maria Novella's old world weirdness.
Like SMN with Peau D'Espagna or Nostalgia, CDG hits a winner once in a while among all its cutesy avant garde offerings, and this is one of them.

Meditative? High Mass? Nicole Kidman in a Catholic schoolgirl's uniform slowly stripp--never mind.

(As a theological experiment you might want to wear this one on your right shoulder and Salvador Dali PH on your left. See if a little angel and a little demon perch upon them.)

Well, if nothing else you'll finally be able to answer the perennial question posed by unsympathetic acquaintances: " Why you spend so much money on fragrances? " With the honest reply: " Because I'm insane--but have far better taste than you ever will."

Now go ring the bells at Notre Dame and save the poor innocent gypsy girl . . .

Comme des Garcons Avignon

Incense-based scents are one of my favorite style of scents. I have loved the smell of incense from my teens lighting up a cone in the burner and listening to Led Zep or Pink Floyd on the turntable; to my adulthood and discovering the perfumes that hold the same olfactory pleasures. The perfumer who has consistently hit the high notes for me in this style of scent is Bertrand Duchaufour. He has made five of my very favorite incense scents and I consider him my High Priest of Incense. All stories have a beginning and M. Duchaufour's relationship with incense-forward scents began in 2002 when he designed two of the five scents in Comme des Garcons Series 3 Incense series, Kyoto is the other. Avignon is named after the city in France which was the Papal seat in the 14th century. Appropriately the central accord in Avignon is frankincense which any one who has ever attended a high mass will recognize. In point of fact Avignon is so true to recreating the frankincense accord that I imagine if you have bad memeories of the Catholic church you might find it hard to wear. Thankfully, I don't have any olfactory issues with the Catholic church. Avignon wastes no time getting to business as from the moment this hits my skin the incnse accord comes to life. Just like the priest swinging a censer I am immediately enveloped in a heady, intense cloud of incense. This is a bold beginning and in many cases it would be a hard act to follow as it has to be hard to compose when your crescendo comes at the start. One of the things M. Duchaufour does is to leave the incense accord in play but like that imaginary cloud of incense allow it to recede and be paired with patchouli in the heart. As any child of the 60's and 70's will tell you patchouli and frankincense go together like peanut butter and jelly, they're just natural partners and it is the same in the heart of Avignon. the herbal quality of patchouli added to the sweet resinous incense makes for a perfect balance. The whole scent is tied together with a beautiful vanilla in the base. The vanilla is used to accentuate the sweet quality of the incense and to contrast with the herbaceous quality of the patchouli and the choice of vanilla to close this off is nigh perfect. Avignon is an extremely strong scent on me but it has been mentioned in other articles that it is an excellent layering component when used in moderation. I know it is the incense scent I turn to when I am interested in adding a touch of incense to another scent. M. Duchaufour has gone on to make even better incense scents, Timbuktu & Jubilation XXV, but in Avignon his first steps on the incense road already showed the potential that those future scents would realize.

Along the lines of other reviews, I can only liken the scent of Avignon to having a religious experience....Born again? quite possibly. Absolution? guaranteed!
Slightly masculine but unexpected and pleasant for a woman. Heavy but balanced, uber- interesting and never turns syrupy sweet.
My personal favorite of the Comme des Garcons, its like a rare walk in the greenest, deepest woods of your dreams.

During my teenage years, I spent a lot of my free time as a senior altar boy. I still don’t know why I bothered volunteering for such work, as I actually disliked attending church. However, if I had to be honest with myself, it was probably a better alternative to being bored rigid amongst the congregation.

Yes, I much preferred being active at mass than passive, and enjoyed serving at benedictions and high mass. Avignon strongly reminds me of this period in my life but, while I consider it to be the best from the Incense line, it’s certainly something I can’t see myself wearing on a regular basis.

Its conventional frankincense, myrrh and cedar composition works extremely well, and I have yet to come across anything else that surpasses it. Unfortunately, its longevity and sillage is not as strong as I would like it to be. It's also too synthetic for my tastes.

Apart from Goths, those who have some fascination (or perversion) regarding churches and the extremely avant-garde, Avignon will not provide the level of versatility that one is usually used to. However, if your interests lie within its artistry, rather than in its potential accessibility, it’s definitely worth going for.

[Original submission date: 25 May 2008]

Heaven. Heaven. So wonderful! The EXACT smell of Catholic cathedral. That's it, not too complex: incense, beeswax-of-the-ages on aged wood, cleanish smoke, dust, a touch of mould. In hot weather, I find it going a touch sour, not too pleasant, but for cool days.... heeeeeaaaaven.

Fabulous incense and so much cheaper than Armani Privee's version.

OMG eww. I have no idea if a man could pull this off, but I suspect more so than a woman. Incense, musty cedar and even a little pine to my nose. This is not beautiful to me, not even close. It does capture an aging musty church. Do you really want to smell like this? Me...not so much. The incense is so muted that it smells like it could be only the residue of burnings past left on a very old and musty curtain. I put this on, gagged, ran for my strongest bottle of something else-doused myself to cover this up...failed miserably and took a shower and changed clothes. Yep, I can cross this off my list. Sorry if this offends the lovers of Avignon..nothing personal. Beauty is in the nose of the beholder and this just means there will be more for you.

Wow! I can't believe all of the folks who like this. Smelled like my basement after the hot water tank burst. The only one of this incense series that has any merit to me as a woman is Jaisalmer...the slightly sweet pimento opening was interesting and kinda nice!

Greta scent. Sent me back to the ancient cathedrals where the world faded away as me and my God conversed. Smoky frankincense.

Quite flawless incense fragrance. I like it, unlike many other incense scents.

Chamomile gives this one a wonderful, much needed lively and positive vibe that is slightly medicinal. (To me many incense scents are too “serious”, too “unwholesome” smelling)

Ambrette seeds with hint of vanilla and white musk gives it a lovely texture that’s almost creamy.

Also, I detect the same sort of smoky undertone as in Essence of John Galliano (room spray), although here it is much more subtle and refined.

Despite the uplifting chamomile, this is eventually very melancholic, almost sad smelling fragrance, but it’s also irresistibly beautiful with hauntingly mysterious qualities

Avignon: opening to mid notes, this has one of most INTENSE "Frankinsence" note. its as if i was put inside a chest filled with Frankinsence for over the last century or so, its very very very intense. it takes almost an hour for this rustic note ot wear off; then revealing the altar surroung it with massive ceilings and aged stone which has absorbed the soot from this incense for as long as mankind. the coldness of the stone is to be sniffed to be believed. by the time i reached the base i encountered the infamous "dust" notes giving the basenotes a very ambery, dry feel with hints of burnt woods. A priest would defintiely find this interesting. wearable? well, couple of wears will tell me if it i could wear to it work, i dont wanna end up conducting a Mass..
This one is potent, exciting and unlike any other scent i have sniffed before, however, the smell is not unfamiliar, every christian knows this smell. if one would like to know how this smells, please go to the nearest church

CDG incense series:

The incense series in general, startled me at first. kyoto and Jaisalmer would probably be the two which would come across embracing you immediately, saying that it doesnt mean it doesnt have substance, only that the other two, Avignon and Zagorsk, are pretty bold, no holds barred, really intense scents but, couple of wears in to it and one would appreciate all of these for their respective qualities.

Incense series is dark, woody, smoky, mysterious, resinous, earthy, dusty and loaded with incense in general. though they all have the same characters, they smell poles apart from each other in their approach. a definite for someone who is looking for an adventure, a spiritual and meditative adventure in perfumery.

You could really imagine yourself sitting in a cathedral wearing this. The whiff of incense, the ancient wooden pews, the musty smell of old Bibles and tapestries, the cold stone floors. Yup, it's all there. But as beautiful as it is, I could not wear this on a regular basis - too somber.

An earlier reviewer used the term "cerebral" and I realized that he chose precisely the correct description. This is a fragrance that demands a measure of maturity and sophistication. Perhaps one might begin by noting that it is reminiscent of a high mass but that barely scratches the surface. As the scent matures on the body, it discloses a broad range of tantalizing elements just below the surface. In this regard, it differs from Messe de Minuit in that the latter (which I like very much) just takes you to mass and leaves you there. As with most well crafted fragrances, a list of ingredients tells you relatively little about the total effect. I can fault it only in that as it slowly fades out it becomes simplified and sweetish. Not the fragrance for the man who has to be right up to the minute with the latest and greatest, Avignon is refined and elegant. I cannot imagine it being worn successfully by anyone under thirty. Truly, young guys, you'll smell like you're wearing your rich and urbane uncle's clothing.

I have to agree with phibess - "I would like Avignon much more if it didn't smell exactly like instant cola drink I remember."

I want to like it because I burn church incense at home for the smell, but Avignon smells like cola 'Pop Rocks' on me. I bought the gift set of 5 so am hoping that the others smell better.

After reading about this a hundred times I was finally able to experience it first hand and it's no joke: This is the smell of Catholic Church incense. I just played the opera Tosca and there's a scene where the alter boys come out and swing incense around the stage and I actually wore Avignon to the last concert, and sniffing the smoky air and then my arm, I notice little to no difference in the scent experience. It's a hot, dry smell, and there is nothing of the Catholic Mass incense experience that Avignon is not. And the genius of Avignon exists in its ability to create a fragrance texture that until now I'd not experienced: dry and scratchy. It's so remarkable that these scent molecules can paint such a realistic picture, leaving me almost parched, that I'm left perplexed and awestruck each and every time I experience it. I used to confuse the idea of incense with Nag Champa, the colorfully sweet incense of India, but Avignon is the opposite of sweet. It's a somber woody incense, gray, and perhaps a little wistful -- a little lonely, and dry as a bone, like walking into a hot wooden sauna before water has been sprinkled onto the rocks. It's VERY realistic, not particularly beautiful, a little brutish, rather austere, yet not completely unapproachable. This is a very special fragrance indeed.

The creators of this perfume managed to put a cathedral inside a little bottle. I absolutely loved it and plan wear it at night. I think it is specially suitable for a candlelit dinner. The wood and the incense will bring mistery and a contemplative satisfaction to the occasion. It is a peaceful, balanced perfume that deserves my praise.

Smells like a beautiful old dusty Catholic church...warm, comforting, ethereal. Wonderful scent!

Deserving of every compliment it's gotten in the earlier reviews. Avignon doesn't bother much with the traditional top notes. Instead, it launches right into deep, smooth, sweet incense that's infused with dried fruit, bitter citrus zest, and spices - perhaps nutmeg, mace, or cinnamon. Over the course of an hour the fruit, citrus, and spices gradually retreat, leaving in their wake a very dry frankincense-rich incense accord. At this stage, Avignon is rarified, transparent, and somehow distant, yet also very profound. The heart has a spiritual quality that vividly evokes the silent, cool interior of an ancient cathedral. Avignon remains in this groove for a long time before it starts to dry down into a faintly vanilla seasoned myrrh and cedar accord.

This scent is potent and long lasting, with plenty of sillage, and mercifully avoids the harsh synthetic tone that marks some of Comme des Garcon's more outre fragrances. It's not my favorite incense scent - that would be Dia, L'Homme Sage, or Dzongkha - but it's certainly a great one.

Good stuff - church indeed. The first thing that came to my mind in terms of comparisons is, strangely enough, Chanel's Platinum Egoiste, although it also bears resemblance to CdG 2 Man in terms of the smoke. Avignon shouldn't work well in warm weather, but surprisingly, it isn't bad at all in the heat, although I'd imagine that it must be a bit better in cool weather. Morrissey is said to wear it, and has it sprayed on the stage before performing... seems appropriate.

Fragrance notes: Roman chamomile, cistus oil, elemi, frankincense, myrrh, vanilla, patchouli, palisander, ambrette seeds.
Avignon is the flagship scent in the exotic and well-conceived Incense line of Comme des Garçons. I admire it, but like it the least of them. It has a very true-to-form frankincense opening: it is sweet, almost fruity, powerful and pungent. It gives a very high church atmosphere, more than a little gothic in its intensity. It is brilliantly evocative of dark cathedrals which have seen much incense and prayers. It is just too rich for my taste. Others in the line (Zagorsk, Kyoto, Ouarzazate) are more restrained and I find them haunting and attractive.

Very well made! Top notes smell to me like Frankinsence, Myrrh, Cedar, and dust. Dry down smells of a smoother version of the frankinsence and myrrh, but with a noticeable amount of patchouli. Not sweet to me at all. Even though I really like this, I find it very difficult for me to wear. Longevity and sillage leave something to be desired on my skin.

I remember confessing my sins of omission when a gentle waft of inscense evades the monastary lumen. I categorize this fragrance as a church inscense. It has a slight synthetic feel to it. It is very dry and vastly inferior to kyoto. My sins of omission were neglecting to purchase kyoto much sooner!

I Recently purchased Avignon together with Jaisalmer and Quarzazate from this fine series. It´s impossible not to admire CdG for their great integrity and artistic approach to making fragrances. This was especially true before the sweet-series and the recent guerillas, which are fine as well, but a bit too mainstream. No other house (fairly large that is) could or would put out a series like this. There´s such a leisure cool and above all strong sense of luxury to the concept of exploring variations of a theme such as incense in 5 different premium fragrances. No Demeter fragrance library here, these are all standalone scents with great character. The different nuances balancing the incense range from sweet to woody, smokey and smoulderingly spicy.

Avignon is definitely the most straightforward "churchey" one of the lot. The comparison to Etro´s Messe de Minuit must be made. They are certainly similar, but I would argue that Avignon is far superior and above all much more wearable. MdM stays with the gothic theme during it´s entire progression, never leaving that catholic mass groove. Whereas Avignon is significantly softened by the vanilla and chamomille that appear quickly alongside the frankincense and myrrh. The subtle vanilla also prevents it from becoming to cold and musty. Avignon could be described as a mix of MdM and Gucci Rush, with the originality of the first and the pleasant powdery wearability of the latter.

This is such a complex fragrance that I am not sure if I can find the inspiration to describe it and do it justice. It definitely smells like a Cathedral, but instead of making me feel melancholy, it evokes feelings of wonder and joy. The incense Frankinsence and Myrrh are the obvious notes, but there is a softer greener aspect that emerges on drydown to soften the effect. Definitely gothic, and not suitable for a romantic first date. This screams to people that both you and your fragrance have hidden depths if they care to look! I think those on a spiritual journey would find this fragrance helps with meditation or various saddanas. Jai Sai Ram.

If SL Ambre Sultan reminds me of "wedding incense", than CdG Avignon reminds me of "Holy Week incense" from my seminary days. Several reviews have mentioned the negative church-memory associations which caused a thumbs down for them. I have no problems on that account, but the wearability factor can be modified in the normal way: layering.

I have found that Avignon and SL Chene match up very well for sillage and longevity (10 to 12 hours), with the incense not melding its presence as obtrusively as it can by itself. If oak bark is not your favorite, maybe a cedar or sandalwood fragrance would be a good alternative to Chene in this combination. Try it!

A favorite.

Way too harsh and cold for me. Its definitely a quality fragrance, but I can't really see a situation where this will work for me. Too avante garde for work, too harsh for romance, to sharp for play - it's a niche fragrance that is well put together, but doesn't fit well with my chemistry.

This is a tremens fragrance that makes me want to orare en lingua latina. This is vere Ecclesiam Romanum fragrance, right out of the Liber Usualis. Credo that in fact it was inspired not just by Liturgia, sed The Tridentine liturgy! One must make distinctiones recti in that the current Missae does not often employ holy smoke reaching for the rafters the way the Old Mass did. So, while I love Elf's description of this as "The Liturgy in a bottle," for its veritas et scimplitas, I would amend it ad dixit that this is The Tridentine Liturgy in a bottle. Gaudeamus igitur!

Joe

I'm not Catholic and never have been much of a churchgoer, so I can't comment this scent's ability to evoke any religious imagry. But I can tell you this is a very, very well made and complex scent.

It's so much more than just incense! While frankincense and myrrh are certainly dominant notes in here (especially during the harsh and someone shocking topnotes), they would never make an acceptable fragrance alone. In rushes the cistus oil (rockrose), which grounds the smoke and gives the fragrance that "stony" feel that others credit for evoking images of cold, stony cathedrals. Old cathedrals definitely do have a musty, dry, rocky scent about them, whether there was ever much insense around or not, and Avignon expertly recreates this smell of incomprehenible "oldness"...and all the history - good and bad- and goes along with it. Tauer acheives the same rocky, mineralic, timeless effect in L'Air du Desert Marocain. What that fragrance does with spice notes, Avignon does with incense. Soon, some dry subtle vanilla enters the scene and softens the overall accord, finally making it more approachable. It's at this point that we stop seeing Avignon as an esoteric study of insense and start to realize that it's actually a pleasant and wearable scent. I'm not sure I smell much of the roman chamomile in this. There is something green and herbal hiding in it, but this accord doesn't really attract attention to itself. Like the vanilla and rockrose, I think it serves to smooth out the rough edges of the scent and give people something familiar to grasp while experiencing this olfactory journey in time. Avignon may take some getting used to if you aren't used to such unabashedly intense, smoky insense notes (I know it took me some time to appreciate it), but wait is definitely worth the realization that this is a masterpiece. If you get to try one insense fragrance in our life, this should be it. Amazing.

Eau de funeral!This one evokes rather awful memories for me. I can't imagine anyone but a Goth in this fragrance.

The dry, dusty scent of incense smoke in a cool, dark stone church surrounded by woods. Very evocative and quite a lot like Messe de Minuit.

I would like Avignon much more if it didn't smell exactly like instant cola drink I remember they use to sell when I was a kid (I don't see it around any more). You poured the powder into a glass, added water and made your own Pepsi or Coca Cola rip-off. When it got flat/stale it smelled just like Avignon. Flat Cola anyone?

The Liturgy in a bottle. This is one evocative scent, and depending on your experiences with a sacramental Church (Catholic or Orthodox), you'll love it or loathe it. I believe it can be worn by women as well. The frankincense and vanilla are strong but not overly sweet. The notes blend into one another beautifully. Certainly the perfect choice for high holy days. A very fascinating fragrance!

Wow! Is this Catholic! Carries me right back to parochial school. I took one whiff of this scent and started speaking Latin: Ad Deum qui laetificat, juventutem meam.
Nostalgia aside, Avignon is a truly beautiful fragrance. I don’t think it’s my past alone that causes me to think this is the most beautiful of the incense series. It does have several enchantments in addition to the incense: Its chamomile provides a clean aromatic ambiance while its soft vanilla sweetens the background. And it has that exotic woodnote that balances, warms, and grounds the cool spiritual airiness of the incense. Avignon definitely belongs in the ‘ethereal’ territory.

Mass in a Glass. good for all us recovering catholics who want the smells and bells minus the confession.

For some reason, this smells exactly like the scent of Christmas trees on me. I love that smell when it is on a tree, but it isn't necessarily something I wish to smell like. I guess I just don't have the right body chemistry to carry this one off!

Just when I thought 2MAN was the best ever...here comes Avignon. Once again this is a scent that will alway stay in my collection. The only problem is $60 for 1.7oz. bottle is a wee pricy so I only use it around the holidays. Midnight mass in gothic cathedrale never smelled so good. I started speaking Latin soon after the first spray.

This is the fragrance that lingered on my clothes and hair after attending high mass. It makes me feel serene and it has become one of my top 5. I wear whenever I'm feeling spiritual and best of all it is a 'cool' incense fragrance evoking marble basins filled with holy water.

This on is straight up Catholic incense. Immediately reminds me of Easter. I really enjoy it.

There is nothing else like this fragrance. A transformational transcendant experience. You can almost remember a past life in the priesthood walking through the high mast incense. Deep mystifying frankincense with dry palisander wood - simple but powerful.

Truly gorgeous. Takes me to Santiago de Compostela, looking up at that moss covered cathedral, before being swallowed up in its majestic gloom. Pure poetry, and my favourite of the incense scents.

This scent really IS an entire high Mass ritual in medieval Latin ! It's VERY close if not a perfect representation of Frankencense burned during a Catholic /Orthodox celibration. It does have a pine like aspect but so much more ! Truly obscure, exotic and long lasting , My new favorite to be sure- and just spicy enough to be for a man, but a woman who "thinks outside the box" could prob. wear it as well. Extremely unique! LOVE It. !!!

Avignon...Avignon...the prettiest scent I've ever had on...

Absolutely enchanting, sexy, mysterious, and powerful...this fragerance enrobes you into a completely different world...smoky, perhaps, a white smoke...somewhat deceptive at first...it's warm, comforting, yet, oddly dark and mysterious at the same time...perhaps representing a religious awakening, and at the same time, shady background dealings, dark confessions...

...love...salvation...intrigue...mystery..power...

truly an awesome scent, much like other CDG fragerances, people may not think you are wearing cologne, but rather, you naturally smell like this...absolutely beautiful...it picks up where 2 MAN left off, and takes it to another level...deffinately one of my top 10 favorites of all time...

Avignon is a paradox: a cold incense -- perhaps because it evokes for me a stone cathedral on a late autumn night. It is slightly brutish at first, then becomes more ethereal. The smell of ritual, old dry wood, and candle flame, in a bottle.

One of the best incense-based fragrances I have ever smelt. It pulls you into its world and when you wear this you will have its aura surrounding you and anyone within noseshot.

A haunting near-ghost of a fragrance that almost seems to float. I like just about every incense scent and think the "typical" smoky incenses, from the sweet nag champa types to the heavier, more severe frankincense and myrrh-heavy varieties, are great. But this is somethimg entirely different, with a mist-like quality that could be considered Gothic or just plain old gloomy, depending on where your interpretation lies. This is played against teh sensations of rich velvet - chamomile - and a dry warmth that comes from the cistus oil (labdanum), evoking the heat that rises from candle flames and the smell of wooden pews in an overheated chapel. A truly dramatic and transformative fragrance, one that can easily take you out of the realm of day-to-day real life and into another time, another place, an entirely different history. Brilliant!

Is a church in a bottle

not a bad scent -- pretty undistinguished oriental notes. little to sage and patchouli for me. 2MAN manages a similar scent while maintaining some uniqueness.

The most meditative and evocative scent I've smelled. Absolutely unique.

I'm still looking for my "holy grail" frankincense; a fragrance which captures the true smell of frankincense the way Fred Soll incense does. Although it's not the hg, Avignon is close. Unfortunately, not much longevity. It's the shortest-lived of the entire CdG incense series. Still, it'll have to do until the real thing comes along. I like wearing Avignon on holy days like Ash Wednesday or the Feast of the Seven Dolors of Mary.

AMAZING! Best incense scent ever made. Period.

Dark, damp, dank and a tad putrid along the lines of Etro's deplorable MdM. No go.

For a first few moments it's a pretty straightforward mix of church incense and musk. Then it mellows down to display notes of roman camomile, cistus oil, elemi, vanilla (good vanilla, dry and not overloaded with sugar), patchouli, palisander and ambrette seeds. Very ususual scent that attracts attention. Incredible wear for a cool rainy days.