parfums*PARFUMS Series 3 Incense: Kyoto (2002)
by Comme des Garçons

Another incensed Duchafour's gem that my taste rates over Avignon and on the side of Zagorsk. Its rather meditative quietud turns out as the olfactory transposition of a clear, quite and serene enlighted  grey afternoon on a mountain in Japan, while Black Tourmaline conjures high, appalling Transilvanian mountains in a winter stormy and windy late afternoon barely before the night is coming down. A stark, sharp, ethereal, silent, peaceful incense that is the breeze of cold aromatic air in a japanese town of mountain placed on the side of a dark forest.  There is some smoke in the air coming from a fire burning somewhere and its burnt-incensed  smell goes merging with the almost mentholated air of the forest. Resins of pine and cypresses, firs, charred incense, cedar, vetiver and patchouli, that's what comes to mind inhaling Kyoto. I don't smell smoothing elements around. The dry down is  basically woodsy-aromatic and  just slightly incensed with its barely dusty accord of cedar and vetiver. The incensed boise' Kyoto's temperament  seems to be exuded by burnt woods exhaling in the air and merging with the aroma of the forest. The incense is as faint as it is not really blended in the composition as separate and further element. As other reviewers had to affirm the fragrance is minimalist but therefore,  being it pleasant,  cleverly appointed. Kyoto, as the faintest of the Incense Series, is light and close (probably too much) to the skin with a moderate longevity.

12nd October, 2011. (Last Edited: 13rd October, 2011.)

This one starts out with a blast of incense followed by a cypress note giving a woodsy aspect to this fragrance.

In the drydown the burned wood aroma still present and so, the fragrance stays until the end. The coffee note which was the note that awakened my curiosity about this fragrance was not detectable on my skin, sadly.

9th October, 2011.

Wonderful. A far less literal interpretation of incense than Avignon, more radiant and uplifting. Whilst many incenses seem to go down the dusty church and ecclesiastical route, this one showcases the resinous sharpness redolent of a pine forest.

On a par with the exemplary Jubilation XXV.

8th September, 2011.

Comme des Garçons Incense Series 3 KYOTO is burnt wood incense perfume with a slightly less burnt drydown in which tea appears also to be present. The composition does not have an oily or resinous texture at all, unlike most of the oudh perfumes I've tried. KYOTO seems to me sometimes of incense ashes liquified but also, in turns, crushed sticks of unburned incense. That's about it for the development trajectory, though, as this is a fairly simple affair. I do not detect any floral notes at all, just incense in one form or another—there can be no denying that, as advertised, incense is the focus of this creation!

Despite the lack of a significant oily base, KYOTO has good staying power and fairly big sillage. I would not call this perfume either masculine or feminine but rather omnisex--or perhaps even asexual. Definitely a better choice for the fall and winter months. I'm not sure how this would work in the heat.

2nd July, 2011. (Last Edited: 9th July, 2011.)

A minimalistic masterpiece. Kyoto brings to my mind of the unscented incense sticks used by the Nichiren Shoshu Buddhists (the Japanese most practiced Buddhism branch). An austere but gentle fragrance, quite, versatile and discreetly distinctive. A bone dry structure that's still very compelling with notes of incense, cedar and cypress oil. Another Duchafour's masterwork that's simple but superbly executed.

In my opinion minimalism needs solid skills to be seriously compelling and Mr. Duchafour is one of the few perfumers who's able to add the extra touch that really makes the difference. Highly recommended!

15th April, 2011.

This is a stark fragrance. Although touched by other elements, for me this is about resinous, coniferous trees, bark, needles, sap, etc - almost a mentholated effect. Definitely a briny aspect too, which heightens the sense of a damp, earthy conifer forest. I don't know the smell of cypress but I assume it is the leading edge here.

There is a whiff of smoke, maybe the slightest hint of vetiver, patchouli. Nothing to sweeten and soften this - such as vanilla or florals. Yet it is gentle and smooth. very masculine. Nice. Good longevity on me.

6th February, 2011.