Private Collection - Bois de Copaiba
by Parfumerie Generale

This entire composition is dominated by one of the notes from Creed's Royal English Leather, which ultimately weakens the fragrance. Beneath that it's a fruity, soapy, leather with a solid helping of some type of wood. I honestly didn't recognize this wood at all, but a little google-fu regarding the word "Copaiba" helped me out a bit as to what it was.

go ahead, I'll wait...

Irrespective of what the wood is, it smells like a quality piece of furniture. And now that I've googled Copaiba I understand that this could be because a resin is harvested from the tree and used as varnish. Of course now I'm just speculating and pontificating and I'm sure I look like an ass doing so to any botanists reading this. And there's also a bit of a cereal note in there too.

Anyway, it's that damn REL note that keeps me from loving this.

23rd November, 2011.

Bois de Copaïba goes on sweet and spicy, presaging another Parfumerie Generale gourmand to stand alongside Cadjmere, Coze, or Aomassaï, but its character soon alters. While the spices persist, the opening sweet fruity notes surprise me by grafting themselves onto a robust leathery accord. What accounts for my impression of leather here I cannot say, since neither birch tar nor labdanum are listed in the pyramid published at Luckyscent.com. I can only guess that the combination of bittersweet citrus rind and dark woods at the heart of Bois de Copaïba alludes to cured leather in a sideways manner that convinces my nose. Something in this heart accord strikes me as anachronistic - perhaps even nostalgic - as if I were wearing a scent from the early twentieth century, and not a modern niche fragrance.

As Bois de Copaïba wears it becomes progressively drier and woodier. A healthy dose of myrrh in the base eventually makes this a medicinally bitter scent, so that it’s not only very, very dark, but also hard and craggy in its profile. Bois de Copaïba dries down (or should I say “dries out”) to an arid, almost desolate accord of myrrh and dusty sandalwood, projecting admirably, but not intrusively, all the while. For a woody scent, I do find Bois de Copaïba oddly fleeting, though I can’t tell whether I’m habituating to it or it’s actually fading within a couple of hours. It’s a distinctive scent with an interesting evolution, but I wish it persisted longer on me.

15th December, 2009.

Amazingly rich and full bodied orange, smells very "expensive" thanks to the superbly balmy and resinous woods that backs the composition. The opening is decidedly citrussy with gingery undertones that seem to fan the orange into a live and breathing accord that smells very "crushed and pulpy", simply put -- it's just perfect. The sweet Myrrh appears midway into application, warming up the entire palette of notes and accords until it dries down to a woody musky and the tiniest bit powdery, and in my opinion a rather quixotic whisper of a drydown.

30th June, 2009.

I'm a guy and find it wearable. So would say that it's correctly labeled as a unisex scent. However, I can also understand where some men might not be too comfortable doing so, as it leans heavily toward the feminine at the start. Then slowly becomes more "virile" towards the heart and drydown. Yet always remains sensual and intoxicating. Bois de Copaiba opens with a blast of sweet and totally delicious accord. A crystalised orange pulp accord but never "reads" as citrusy, at all. This is probably because of the added spicy ginger and boozy, almondy amaretto notes. This combination is very heady and almost has the same quality as the gorgeous whiffs from night blooming flowers, one gets wafting in the breeze, when out walking in the early evening in the tropics. It is a rich and opulent scent, almost reminiscent of a touch of honeysuckle. ... Then it gets even better when the sensual balsamic warmth of the Copahu resin slightly darkening the heart of the fragrance. On my skin this scent lasts and lasts, and by the time I get to the maginficent drydown, I'm in ecstacy. The Opoponax (sweet myrrh) rears it's head, lying amongst a creamy bed of Sandalwood and Mahogany woods. The whole scent has the real "feel" of a classic scent from a bygone age. Pierre Guillaume does it once again. For me, there are no duds amongst his entire, perfect collection. Every single one is worthy of investigation, at very least.

25th February, 2009.

Interesting, it comes off as kind of a gourmand to me, not much about leather. This smells strongly of candied fruit. It is listed as orange, but it's more like marachino cherry. Plus, I get a strong, sweet amaretto accord, that is even a bit boozy.

24th October, 2008.

A lovely leather, very much along the lines of the much praised Tabac Blond (but for considerably less $, even at niche prices). There's a floral element here, too, that speaks more of Bellodgia than Tabac Blond, even -- is it carnation? I'd love to see the pyramid on this one.

Goes on very sharp and sweet (perhaps overly so) and soon turns a tad soapy, but then (OH!) it dries down to a gorgeous leather. This is one of those frags that's only marginally unisex, though -- it's like Tabac Blond in that a fellow can pull it off, yes, but only if he's got major globes. (And I do.)

Can't believe that there aren't more reviews of this one yet -- maybe I've pounced upon a real sleeper here.

13rd January, 2008.