Reviews of Myrrhe Ardente (2007)
by Annick Goutal

I can see where the 'root beer' comparisons come from though calling it sweet is missing the mark by a mile. Dry and resinuous from start to finish, somewhat linear with no distracting accords along the way. MYRRHE ARDENTE is probably an ardent fan's interpretation of myrrh, very discreet yet mysteriously intoxicating. But it might take some getting used to for it is truly niche, wears close to the skin and seems to be made more for the private enjoyment of the wearer and that lucky lady in his arms.

It took a while to let the beauty of this fragrance enter into my way of thinking… The myrrh in Myrrhe Ardente’s opening is smooth and refined – it’s not a raw, visceral myrrh smelled directly, it’s a atmospheric myrrh – one that suggests the miscellaneous use of myrrh in the environment, not the close-up personal, intentional use of the “bitter perfume.” Although thoroughly a myrrh fragrance, the gaïac wood and beeswax of the heart notes come through well… I don’t get any vetiver. The myrrh of the base gets more resinous and stays resinous because the benzoin and tonka present their sweetness lightly and discreetly. But still even this “resinous” version of myrrh remains tame. This is an absolutely beautiful fragrance and a must buy for me. It is discreet and mysterious and elemental. I love what is not there… its lack of florals and its lack of sweetness and even its lack of the more visceral (I usually love visceral) aspects of this ancient perfume of mankind. This is a “background” scent that gives me a perfect level of performance just as it is.

That medicinal smell reminds me strongly of pine tar, "Grandpa's Pine Tar soap" to be precise. I love the soap, but most do not. As for the Myrrhe Ardente, I've come to love it, too. I would love to smell it on a man; how intoxicating and million times better than the typical "male" scents.

Yes, it's a linear scent, but it is quite interesting, with not a touch of sweetness in it anywhere to my nose, and I adore it for that.

A true niche fragrance, somewhat eccentric, definetely non-standard, non-floral, dry and also vanillic due to the use of tonka bean.

There is an amount of bitterness and darkness in it that is irritating or even appalling. One cannot expect to love it on first sniff!

It is definetely not a gourmand scent, yet it gives me the impression of very dark cocoa, still ardent(e) from being freshly roasted.

Annick Goutal encourage their customers to experiment with layering their fragrances. Since Myrrhe Ardente is very distinct and also IMO does not development much during the drydown, I think it could be a good basis for such experiments. I suppose it layers quite well with some aquatic or green scents just to give it a counterpoint. Maybe Aventure by Il Profumo or a fig scent such as Philosykos or even Annick Goutal's Vetiver? Let's see...

Ingredients listed on Annick Goutal's Website:

Myrrh essence, tonka bean and benzoin, myrrh resin, guaiacum wood and vetiver, absolute essence of beeswax.

My search for a straightforward incense fragrance is over! After experiencing the wonderful incense drydown of PDN "Sacrebleu", I wanted more. Myrrhe Ardente is beautiful & elegant with a vanilla syrup start and a smokey myrrh finish. Having burned actual myrrh resin at Christmastime, I can tell you that Annick Goutal has captured that essence in a bottle. No flowers here to distract; No sugar to appease. This fragrance wears close to the skin... a soft vale of a perfume. And if a man wore this, I'd follow him anywhere!

What a strange smell. It smells like. . . Salonpas! Kind of licorice-y. Only at first. Then the incense comes through a little bit. The drydown is mostly amber of some sort. I like it. But it's kind of got a weird medicinal opening.

Sweet root beer in a bottle. Not at all complicated.