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

I find Kyoto to be complex, dark, and even mysterious. It nearly gives me a chill in the way it makes me feel as if I'm in an unknown place, or perhaps walking alone in the woods, almost Twin Peaks-like in tone.

My first thought when I sniffed Kyoto was that there was a coffee note in it. A dark, somewhat sour, stale coffee note which may have been Duchaufour's way of muting the cedar creating an aged, antique quality. Next up, an accord I can only describe as faintly reminiscent of mosquito repellent. I haven't seen this mentioned here but the reviews on MUA and elsewhere mention the sensation and one reviewer names citronella which I happen to agree with. Whatever it is, it's sour, but not off-putting. For me it only adds to the mysteriously calm, meditative aura of Kyoto.

I went to Comme des Garcons to pick one Series 3 fragrance and I was almost certain it was going to be Zagorsk based on previous sampling. After some testing, and now with Kyoto on my mind, I decided on the woody, spicy Jaisalmer, but still needed time to decide. Walking around that day and into the night with all five fragrances on my arms, I was haunted by Kyoto's presence and decided I needed even more time. A week later I conducted the same experiment, left the store and as soon as I walked outside Kyoto gripped me again, transporting me to that strange, quiet, lonely, meditative place, and after about a block I turned around and purchased it without a second thought. I may experience it differently than others but I find Kyoto to be a fascinating three-dimensional fragrance journey.

Kyoto starts harsh in the summer and a lot less so in the colder temps. The initial and middle phases can be beautiful because I am taken to a cold, damp, green forest at dusk, wandering through and catching hints of a smoldering fire in the distance. The drydown is quiet and does lack the "umph" that Ouarzazate provides, but it leaves a very soothing trail of amber and incense. A great scent but I can see how some people don't care for it. I probably won't get another bottle, but I'll definitely enjoy what I have left.

A very well-made modern fragrance, the epitome of 21st century niche: incense, wood, iso-e-super, transparent, short-lived, skin scent, very light, slightly sweet base. The approach reminds me a lot of Acca Kappa's Cedro, another low-key minimalist modern fragrance (greener and woodier, though). A lot less irritating than most of what's on the market, but does not trigger the supsension of disbelief I'm looking for in perfume.

After all the hype surrounding this series, I decided to give Kyoto a go (primarily due to it being the most popular of the Incense line and NOT because of Ricky Martin). On first application, I smelt almost nothing at all. However, based on advice from a fellow Basenoter, this was something I was expecting.

It wasn’t until the second application that I actually smelt something on my skin. However, all I could detect was something synthetically green – I could hardly pick out any incense in this at all. Its sillage was pretty good and its longevity better than I had originally expected but, at the end of the day, Kyoto came across as too soapy clean for me. It’s a very pleasant scent but it miserably failed to overwhelm me.

[Original submission date: 10 April 2008]

Its just as it says, basic incense. I don't know why anyone would want to go around smelling like this.

Kyoto is the driest and most translucent of the scents I’ve tried from Comme des Garçons Incense series. It’s texture is spare – ethereal even – with cedar, smoky incense, and very little else. If Avignon is cathedral incense and Zagorsk is resinous conifer incense, Kyoto is the charred ash of incense already burned. Yet for all of its simplicity, I find Kyoto a compelling scent. There’s a certain meditative stillness about it, and if any fragrance I’ve tried recently comes close to embodying the notion of Zen, this quiet incense is it.

As you’d guess from my description, Kyoto is not a potent fragrance. In fact it may epitomize the idea of the “skin scent.” It leaves the impression of having walked through a cloud of incense smoke, of which a trace has lingered on one’s clothes. Unfortunately, Kyoto is a bit ephemeral, and begins to dissipate rapidly after a couple of hours’ wear. The drydown is a stark as the rest of the scent’s phases, consisting of a sparse accord of vetiver and cedar. On the whole I’d consider Kyoto an aesthetically successful exercise in olfactory minimalism, but I do wish it had a little bit more “umph” and endurance.

Very nice top notes, but you have to keep the bottle in your pocket because the longevity is mediocre.
Should be thumbs down, but I still give it neutral for the nice scent.

However, if you like this fragrance, you should give Hinoki a try.
In my opinion, it is similar but smells better, more expensive and lasts longer.

I love it! (I can't think of anything clever or profound to say.)

Tigrushka pretty much says it all: An elegant and meditative scent.

This could be worn for any occasion. This is one of the scents that made me say Wow the first time I wore it. It's a bit subtle, yet has very good longevity and moderate projection. This isn't a masculine or feminine scent. It's not about sex at all. It's for simple enjoyment. It's asexual. I look forward to sampling the rest of this series, since they all seem to be highly regarded.

I grew up around temples (and incense) that have a scent similar to that of Kyoto's.

... And yet it still does not bore me, despite being decidedly linear. Comforting and contemplative.

On the other hand, people could say that "It's just incense." Well, tell them that you don't feel like carrying around burning sticks of incense.

Kyoto: i have never stepped inside Japan, leave alone Kyoto . it seems the be the most "wearable" of the incense series along with Jaisalmer. Kyoto smells of temple made of woods with ceiling darkened by the soot of incense, there is a odd ink note which reminds one of CDG 2 for a sec. the midnotes carry fresh breeze from the cedar/pine forest along with a healthy dose of florals and woody notes, all this one a solid base of amber and incense. The comparison to Christian lacroix Tumulte is very true, only tumulte lacks the intense incense laden basenotes, neverthless, tumulte could be a very good substitute for someone who wants to get a good idea of what Kyoto is all about.

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.

An incense scent with a fruity side. Its fruity side somewhat similar to Terre d'Hermes. It does not last very long but has good sillage.

The spray goes on almost invisible at first. I can detect some slight floral sweet notes, but that's it for its topnote. But in a few minutes, the fragrance starts reacting and amber with some cedar starts wafting. Several minutes after that, it dries down to a wonderful incense that doesn't get directly in your face like the Avignon.

The scent seemed almost too light when I applied it the first time. I was worried that it would disappear on me quickly, but somehow it endured and stayed around forever and a day. The scent stays pretty close to the skin, but with a light breeze, there shouldn't be any problem with the sillage.

It is inexplicable why, in the sweltering days of summer in Houston, Texas, I have had an urge to explore Comme des Garcons' Incense and Wood Series. It makes no sense and moreover, I did not grow up around incense (I'm not Catholic, Buddhist, Russian Orthodox, etc...) or any forests of note so these are not reference smells for me but wow, I am certainly enjoying these perfumes!

Comme des Garcons' Kyoto is the "prettiest" one of the incense series, an austere bunch of scents. It is most similar to CdG's Zagorsk but Kyoto is a wee bit more girlish and fruity incense whereas Zagorsk is uncompromising warm wooded incense. Another observation is that Kyoto is similar style-wise to CdG's Ourzazate in that they both start off powerfully and then gracefully scale back to become almost minimalist fragrances. If it weren't for today's energy prices, I would crank my air-conditioning way down, pull on a cozy sweater, spray on Kyoto and luxuriate in it! Winter can't come to the Gulf Coast fast enough.

Here are Kyoto's notes, per The Perfumed Court: incense oil, cypress coffee, teak wood, vetiver, patchouli, amber, everlasting flower and Virginia cedar.

Incense and woods. Very dry woods. Like in an old temple with large wooden crossbeams. Has a sweet tonka bean like base to it. Great but not impressive enough for a bottle.

This doesn't smell like Kyoto, or of Japanese incense, at all. What it DOES smell like is Precious Chandan incense from the Indian firm Hem. If you can't make it to Barney's to sample this, just go to your local Indian grocery, head shop, or street incense vendor and buy some Precious Chandan. To my nose, at least, they smell so alike that the nose (Now Smell This attributes it to Bertrand Duchaufour) must have either filched the idea or been heavily "inspired" by it.

This is a pleasant, rigidly linear fragrance with excellent longevity and moderate sillage. I don't like it as much as I once did--it seems kind of treacly to me now--but I still like it enough to hold on to my bottle. It is definitely better suited for cool weather.

My friend got this for himself n I had the pleasure of trying this one out...Its is so much like Chirstian Lacroix Tumulte(Which I jus love)....
This one is a very wonderful cologne n worth givin a try...

Superiour scent! But very very similar to Esteban teak and tonka and Armani Privé Bois de Incencse.

MN

My first impression of Kyoto was that it is the gentlest, most transparent, most wearable, and least attainable of the CDG incense series. Perhaps it’s my skin, but the incense in this one is quite diaphanous compared to the rest of the series. I preferred and purchased Avignon first, but Kyoto played on my mind until I purchased it, also. After years of use, I now much prefer Kyoto to Avignon. In Kyoto, the incense, cypress, teak, and amber are the notes that I am able to pick out – I can’t find the vetiver or coffee. The softness and lack of focus confused me at first – I thought that what I was smelling was simply background; but then it occurred to me that the total scent IS…background. This is an excellent fragrance for meditation because it is so very neutral – in parsing it, I’ve tried, but I can’t reach in it and grasp a single definite, applicable feeling emanating from it – Kyoto won’t yield up its parts as parts. Kyoto has to be grasped holistically rather than note-by-note or layer-by-layer because there are no layers to be peeled away. Kyoto has no center – it is the center.

It's like being in a very old room or gallery that has lacqeured wood surrounds. Best of the Incense range by a mile.

Kaern

Bright, woodsy, and natural smelling. It's like sitting at a temple in a forest on a crisp cold morning, with your nose being the catalyst to the rest of your senses. There's a prickly note of pine that gives way to Japanese incense with the slight hint of smoke to it. There is a dry coffee note in there to further strengthen its woody and green personality. I was somehow expecting more, but still it's not bad fragrance at all.

Kyoto fragrance notes: incense, cypress oil, coffee, teak wood, vetiver, patchouli, amber, everlasting flower, Virginian cedar.
Kyoto is a quiet coniferous/woody scent, with a hint of incense. It is restrained, simple, and evokes a contemplative mood... a Zen-like experience if you are open to it. The opening is sweet, with coffee and a prelude of the patchouli and incense which will be the base. These quickly retreat, and a lovely cedar and cypress wood accord emerges and sits very, very close to the skin. Light incense gently softens – but does not entirely remove – the austere dryness of the wood. I find this to be a very well designed, attractive scent. It is for interior moments rather than public statement.

a wonderful surprise. Incense it is and very Asian incense at that. I thought it was nice but people kept complimenting me all day while wearing it.

As I sit in seiza and meditate, I reflect on the time I spent with sensei walking through the temple in the forests of Japan. The cypress mingles with coffee that is enveloped by one of the best incenses known to man. The act of spraying this on feels like exquisite complicity but is truely the definition of fragrant hedonism. A true holy grail fragrance indeed and will forever connect me with cerebral enounters.

My first samples of Kyoto were fantastic and I was thoroughly smitten with the incense base and exotic quality of the fragrance - enough that I was compelled to purchase a bottle. Upon repeated wearing, however, it started to remind me more and more of mosquito repellent, which, while not altogether reuplusive, isn't really what I have in mind when I apply a fragrance. Comparisons to Sequoia are certainly valid here. Longetivity and sillage are both above average. CdG continues to impress with their unique offerings, but this one just isn't for me.

A nice not too smoky incense top note that (in a few minutes) gave off a faint 'birch beer' smell on my skin - I can see why so many Basenotes members have this one (in the Incense series) in their wardrobe. Can't wait to try the other 4...

How to describe it with the right words?
Its intense but light, mysterious but remind something familiar.
Incense and fresh pine resines. It´s obvious but elegant :)

At first I like it, a very pleasant incense scent, quite exotic and quite sweet. Unfortunately it goes sour on my skin with time and and up with a note resembling mosquito repellant. It's not the first CdG to do this to me. However I have only tried it once and I need to try it more.

Still undecided after the third sampling.
It really kicks off like the lovechild of Messe de Minuit and Sequoia - clear medicine heights close to cough syrup, along with a strong incense base.
While the mixture is quite interesting and it works quite well, I wasn't too excited about it because I felt it was really similar to Sequioa, which I already own.
Time passed but this unique cough sirup scent did not pass nor developed any further. What a surprise, though, when it reached its base after 2 hours - the medical touch was gone, only leaving some minor fresh note in the midst of a very smooth, soft wooden incense base. Very comfortable, very pleasant. Nothing sharp here, nothing offensive. I see this in autumn and winter or early spring and while it is wearable as unisex scent, it is clearly more masculine. Could be worn as niche formal scent but could also work as more passive scent for evenings or even clubbing. It works more as ambience, not as offensive "in yer face" scent.
Coming from club culture I would compare it to a good remix of a good track [Sequoia], but if you did not like the original you won't find too much new here for you. Although my gf digs for Kyoto and I got similar comments from other female colleguages I still did not buy it because for me it shares too many of Sequioa's notes in the first 2 hours to make it really unique. Great drydown, though.

Like a handful of cedar chips punctuated by pine needles. Pungent and pleasant.

Delicate, harmonious, sharper than Avignon and seemingly discreet, this scent comes back to haunt you when you least expect it.

Wow ~ !!! 2 Thumbs UP !!!
It reminds me of a Shinto priest in the
middle of a temple writing sacred prayer scrolls in the most ornate Kanji while incence smoke is drifting in swirled whisps around the whole affair.
It is truly a Zen like and incredible mixture.
Olfactory hints of aloes and other rare woods,
sweet - haunting vanilla cloaked with dark, rich
brooding , sacred incense. The lowest and most
rich note a Koto can play.A most Tender balance of
sweetness, wood and smoke trapped in a silk
kimono. There's nothing here I don't like.

I finally completed the incense set with Kyoto this year. I don't think it tranquil so much as urbane exotic woods. Tea house, if not tea itself, in spite of the coffee. Rei Kawakubo reflects her native culture well here and so unlike any mainstream idea of scent, Kyoto is a must for the incense collector.

This is really nice. It doesn't smell like the Japanese incense I know, but it does have sort of the pine smell of the ink used in Japanese calligraphy. A beautiful "green" incense. Others complain that it is short-lived, but I experience many hours of a gorgeous, unfolding drydown.

My favorite of this series. A less obtrusive, stark incense, very comforting and meditative. The others have their own unique qualities obviously, but some are just a tad TO unique. Zagorsk is also quite pleasant.

I have a thing for woody coffee scents and Kyoto is one of the very best! Kyoto is the most "urban" scent of the Incense Series, both elegant and meditative, warms up wonderfully on skin, can be worn year round, suits any occasion.