Kerosene Fragrances, Honest Opinions?

I'm also curious as to the quality of John's offerings. He seems like a genuine and nice guy, but I'm just not sure about the fragrances. Not too keen on the bottles, a bit like a poor-man's By Kilian (not bashing at all, simply my opinion) and appear very 'homemade' but I'm not sure if that is part of the charm/intentional.

Any opinions appreciated.

In response to this and to back-up my previous post, I have nothing against a new perfumer coming onto the scene and charging top whack for his products if they are worth the price tag (in the same way that a new movie actor could be paid the same amount as a veteran, as long as they know what they are doing; this is from experience, I'm in the industry!) I just don't know enough about the line yet and as the OP stated, reviews are very mixed at this point. I also don't want to order samples uninformed, as shipping is expensive on top of the sample price for what could be a let down.

I too don't purchase based on the bottle design; however, I do find that generally a well designed, well made, well presented bottle draws the eye and consequently, the nose. If I saw these on the shelf next to some By Kilians or Mona di Orio bottles, I'd think they contained a relatively cheap fragrance.

You are never going to know unless you sample them yourself - just like any other line/fragrance.

Personally, I think John has done an excellent job. I own and enjoy R'Oud Elements, Copper Skies and Whips and Roses. I am very happy with my purchases.

I respect your nose/opinion. Hopefully, you'll see where I'm coming from though regarding the samples. I tend to do a lot of research before ordering anything, samples or full bottles. The fragrances that I want to get my nose on have a habit of being unobtainable in the UK! I know I can get some samples sent over from Germany and will probably do so next time I order some FBs.

I've tried only one - R'oud Elements that a friend of mine had. Nothing special IMO. Have smelled better oud scents. Perhaps the others are better.

Any fragrance's worth is directly linked to your enjoyment of the fragrance. The only way you can know will be to sample. For many they are worth it. I've heard many good things on this board from noses I trust, I doubt they are lying. Everyone is a novice at one point and I believe John has been in to creating his own scents for a long time.


Each bottle is hand painted by John himself, using automotive paint. They look nothing like By Kilian except for being a rectangle.

I sampled them first, then made my decisions. I do not watch his channel.

I actually like the look of the bottles. On to the juice.... I think R'Oud Elements is decent. I own Copper Skies, and I really enjoy it. I haven't been able to try the others yet.

I'm getting some samples of this line this week, I'm very very intrigued I have to say. Really looking forward to seeing what Kerosene has produced.

A couple of years ago I would have obtained some samples, but now what I'm finding is that the new frags I sample smell enough like something I already have, and so there is no need for a bottle. The unique ones I generally don't like, and I don't like strong oud notes. Once in a rare while I come across a frag that is different enough and pleasant enough that it is worth buying, but because that is so rare I don't go out of my way to obtain samples.

I also say that they appear homemade, so I'm not wrong there. I will repeat that I'm not bashing. It's an opinion, something that everyone is entitled to! I also state that I'm happy to pay top dollar for something if it's worth it, regardless of whether it's a new perfumer or an established one. Defending myself here starship, as I feel you're turning my post into something negative, which was not at all my intention. Accept my apologies if I have offended you.

It's not likely someone like him could reproduce the complexity, dynamism, etc. of the great vintage frags, and I don't think one should sample his frags with that in mind (not that I'm saying that is what you did). I have yet to find a recent frag that has accomplished this, including the most expensive niche I've sampled. Rather, one should expect a simpler frag that is rich and straightforward. If you expect something different from this kind of "house" I think the likelihood of disappointment is great.

I got a sample pack of Kerosene scents from MIN and have been testing them to write for my blog. On first sniff, I am impressed by the depth and development of the majority of them. There is one that doesn't agree with my skins but the others seem to be working very well.

I come from the dance music world which is experiencing a DIY phenomenon as well. If you go back 10 years, the cost of equipment was really high - and then record labels exercised the role of quality control, acting as a filter to what came out on the market. With music production software being so cheap - everyone is a producer and the amount of tracks being released to beatport is overwhelming. Where as I used to listen to 10 tracks and buy/love 4-5 of them - that ration is now 1 or 2.

In the fragrance world, the world of niche/independent perfumers enables a lot of people to put their fragrances on the market - etsy is the market place that anyone can put their scents on. Then stores like indiescent, min, aedes act as a filter.

For the past year, I've been enjoying exploring independent perfumers who are free from major market restraints (like major labels in the dance music world) and are able to be more creative/out there. Off the top of my head - Slumberhouse, Sweet Anthem, Providence Perfume and Kerosene come to mind.

One thing I will say - if you are looking at economics - I am tempted to say that the value of aromachemicals/ingredients used in independent scents are higher than those used in mainstream/designer scents. For example, when I smell Slumberhouse Norne - I imagine that if the same scent was released mainstream or from a larger niche house - it would be priced 4-5x more.

Judging from my time here at basenotes, I know Joe has a pretty discriminating nose - he certainly doesn't like "just anything." To again relate this conversation to music, the Foo Fighters made their last record in their garage. Sometimes a natural energy, free of convention makes for a really good product. I've yet to sample John's frags, so I don't have an opinion yet, but I look forward to testing them in the next couple weeks.

As for the price, I'd have to think he buys his materials in much smaller batches than most houses, which probably drive up production costs a bit. $140 a bottle isn't crazy expensive by any means though, if the juice is good.

I don't think $140 is "crazy," but rather that it is meant to convey exclusivity, and not based upon some sort of utilitarian formula. Smell Bent is much cheaper, and I think their quality is quite good, so $140 is too much, IMO, for a person like myself, who is in it only for the fragrance (not the bottle, nor any sense of being special because I wear niche frag X).

Agree 100 %. As to costs, that is only something manufacturers know, but I have the feeling that it is the way you describe it to be.

Off topic, I am left thinking about the future of these independent perfumists.

Option A: Like Andy Tauer, they will insist on supervising operations so they will keep business operations limited.

Option B: Big multinational corporations (MNCs) find the prestige of their brands in peril so they massively acquire many independent companies, like the ones owned by Kerosene.

Option C: They coexist - aficionados end up leaving big MNC's brands to the masses and explore offerings by independent perfumists.

Option D: Big MNCs launch "faked independent perfumists" through shill marketing activities and we, aficionados, end up supporting them without being aware of the scheme.

Sorry, just doing some perfume-business-fiction.

On topic: end up curious. New ones in my list for future reviews in our blog.

Oh I didn't mean to sound so negative (which I guess I come across as) no need to apologize. I was just trying to explain the detail obviously put into the product. I think the homemade look goes very well with the vibe I get from him, which is very down to earth.

MIN definitely has some great fragrances to offer, you can sample all 5 of the Kerosene fragrances for $10. I'd also recommend checking out Heeley, Amouage, and Tauer which they all carry.

Another thing to consider, if a store like MinNY picks up a line (and the others his fragrances are sold at) there's a good chance it's not a fluke.

I've never tried any of his frags, but I agree with this sentiment. I am pretty sure that people are giving him a boost because he was a reviewer himself, and thus giving his fragrances a higher grade than they would receive if they were say a Bond No. 9, a Creed or another polarizing brand.

I feel that this thread is full of haters. They say familuarity breeds contempt. Why out of the thousands of mediocore scents saturating the market is there a thread questioning this individuals product which has proven to be legite? Not a good look here.

so basically you'd rather have your opinions formed for you?



to be honest, seems like you have an axe to grind.



for someone who clearly has no interest in Kerosene fragrances you sure are hellbent on trying to discredit them. this thread had ill intentions from go.


I smell previously banned member, and not a very bright one at that.

Great thread! yteek is thinking some of the exact same questions that went through my mind. Homemade, untrained, all of it.

I liked R'oud Elements very much when I sampled, and found it FBW, so I bought it. I eventually did a side-by-side with M7 vintage and found that I love R'oud far more than ANY version of M7. R'oud is a wee bit "rougher" in texture, but I've come to love that aspect. It has certain spicy and smoky and orange kicks to it that I think are amazing, and the typical niche solidity of the thing (longevity and projection over time - i.e., area under curve) just blows poor M7 out of the water. Not saying that M7 is bad - just that R'oud isn't wasting the ability of niche to amp things up where designer hesitates to go. And you know me - I love designer stuff.

Creature is unwearable to me, but I respect it. "Tauer-esque" - sorta like the Lonestar Memories of green notes. Do NOT buy that thing unseen. I may come back to it, because some aspects are very attractive, but it's challenging overall.

Copper Skies is a very different woody and amber - enough that I didn't find it derivative of anything. It is REALLY well named - it evokes red, dry brick and dead wood to me. However, despite being somewhat novel, it just didn't excite me, so I didn't buy.

Haven't smelled the new ones - looking forward to them.

The scents smell - to me - both untrained and unconstrained. Training has both positive and negative elements. Training is a shortcut to things that can take a lot of time to discover on one's own. However, training tends to bypass some really interesting things that people simply miss.

I think comparison of R'oud Elements to Mona's oud (which I just smelled, thanks to Brian Chambers) is very telling. Mona trained and worked with some of the greats in perfumery. That oud really is a masterpiece. There is this wonderful, classical state of balance that she brings it to, which reminds me of perfect states that I have seen in my beloved Chanels, such as Cuir de Russie and no. 5 Eau Première. I see that as a byproduct of training - because classic perfumes tend to seek out such multicomponent perfect points.

R'oud Elements, however, is perfectly named, because it shuns that type of beauty, for something which is "rude, crude, and socially unacceptable", as they used to say, but has a beauty that any lover of Kansas City <whatever> will recognize. In fact, there is a part of R'oud that smells every bit like barbecued orange chicken on a grill to me. Very American. Like early jazz, it's uneducated, but hugely attractive, and very emergent. I love it!

Be skeptical. These are NOT common scents that are easy to love. Sample. But I have to admit that I've gotten bored with a lot of the safer, more designerish niche stuff lately, and Kerosene was the first niche line in some time that I was really excited about bottling on.

I think that training is a worthy thing, and I wish more young perfume lovers with talent like Kerosene would consider going into the industry, getting the training, infusing designer and corporate niche fragrances with their talents, and driving mainstream perfumery in new and interesting directions. But not all of them. It's always good to have those outsiders, to keep things real.

Spoken like a true pro, Redneck! Fair and balanced! (Something most of this thread is not)

Please, you seem very attacking against the fellow. He has expressed interest by saying he wants to order Kerosene samples. Also, just because he looks at reviews to see if something generally is received well doesn't mean he wants his opinions decided for him. I often cannot sample fragrances, so I also read many reviews to get a feel for whether or not a fragrance has met people's expectations, and to gauge if I would enjoy it enough to blind buy.

Relax man, I think OP is just wanting a regular discussion on peoples opinions of an independent perfumist (and his pricing haha)

As for myself, I would not pay upwards of $100 for a bottle unless it was good stuff. To do that I would have to sample, and I'm not willing to shell out $5 to get a sample of something that's not already well established. I don't have all that much money to piss away. If I weren't a student, then I probably wouldn't have a problem with ordering samples from Kerosene. If Joe thinks his stuff is good, then the guy must be fairly talented at making perfumes.

Just my .02

I have only tried R'oud Elements and it is really good. As good or better than most of the Montales that I have tried. I am very honest and would tell you if it was terrible/cheap/amateur. Its not.
Since you said you never buy full bottles of niche frags I suspect you wont think any are fbw. And since you are skeptical you are probably not going to listen to anyone on here that has purchased full bottles. Some people on here buy 4-5 $150+ bottles per week so their idea of "worth it" is going to be vastly different from yours.

Yes he may have a few buyers just off of his name, but him making yt vids is not going to convince MiNNewyork to sell his frags.

It may not mean much to you but it is meaningful.


So... they are exactly the same as every other fragrance in the world. Some like them, some dont.

Like everyone has said, you are going to have to try them for yourself.

FBW = Full Bottle Worthy (an abbreviation common in the fragrance-lovers' world)

MiN is a pretty high-end place. The fact that they sell Amouage, Miller-Harris, L'Artisan Parfumeur, Frapin, as well as a bunch of very trendy new brands like Carner Barcelona, and generally stay away from many smaller brands similar to Kerosene, but picked him up anyway, tells me that his stuff must have impressed Mindy and Chad more than a lot of other stuff which I don't find all that wonderful or exciting (no names). I agree that being carried at MiN means nothing to anybody's nose, personally. But I took it as a bit of validation - it made me think that Joe and I weren't totally crazy in liking R'oud Elements.

You're definitely wise to be careful, IMO. Especially with something like Creature. $140 or whatever is a lot of coin. You don't want to drop that on something you would not be happy wearing repeatedly.

Wow, anyone else agree?

Honest opinion here. I like R'oud Elements a lot. It is the easiest to wear Oud fragrance I've smelled so far. It actually does smell like a $140 fragrance from a high end house and not like something a guy made in his basement. Not only does it smell incredible, but it projects well and lasts a very long time. I get at least 10-12 hours every time I wear R'oud. It dries down to a very nice and delicate vanilla that lasts til the end. It has niche quality in that it doesn't smell like your average scent, however it doesn't smell weird and WTF like some niche companies who try to push the envelope too hard. As for the bottle, yeah it's just a generic atomizer, but the craftsmanship he put into making them look unique is top notch. The automotive paint is much more beautiful in person than the pictures lead you to believe. I have a 50ml of the "vintage" R'Oud bottle and I actually prefer it over the newer one. The new one is still nice though. I agree that the prices are a bit high for a novice, but the overhead to start up your own fragrance business is expensive I'm sure.

That being said, I have also tried Creature and Copper Skies and wasn't a fan of them. The level of quality ingredients is apparent in them, but they're not for me. Copper Skies is ok, but it's too medicinal to me. I ordered a sample of Whips and Roses and Santalum Slivers from Min NY recently and I'm looking forward to trying them.

Here's my bottle of Kerosene R'oud Elements for good measure.

I recently got a sample and agree with every word of this. I don't like most oud scents, but this one is very appealing. I get a coca-cola note too which is very nice. That said I am unlikely to buy a bottle as M7 and M7 Fresh fulfill my limited oud requirements already. Nonetheless, this one is a winner. One minor caveat - those craving an avant-garde niche scent should look elsewhere IMO; there are no hard edges here, it just smells damn good

Most of the Montale Aouds that I have tried I have found to be unwearable. Too dry and overpowering, I feel like I am suffocating with them on. I love Aoud Musk because it has some sweetness to balance the oud and woods. The sweetness is what makes R'Oud so good.
Though it is Top 10 worthy, I never have been able to find the oud in M7 so i dont include it in any comparison of ouds.

Wow, where to start?

I agree that the tone of the OP feels a bit off. Don't know if this was intentional but it seems unnecessarily negative to me.

Anyway, I've tried his first three fragrances and they're all very good.

I have no issues with the quality or cost. I feel that $100ish is quite cheap for a 100ml fragrance from an independent perfumer that pours their time and love into a creation and into the presentation of every bottle.


Onto the fragrances:

R'oud isn't oudy really, it's more about sweet red woody notes. No idea why it's being compared to M7 which is far more ambery and complex. Too different scents IMO and both good.

I like Creature the best so far. I'm going to test this and Lush's Dirty more so I can work out which of these two will fill my need for a bombastic minty scent. Maybe I'll end up with both - we'll see.

Copper Skies I'm not sure about. It feels a bit heavy on the a spice or two which flattens the smell more than I'd like. Frustratingly it's also growing on me more than the others so who knows


I hope you will try wearing them yourself yteek. I'd like to hear your impressions if you're able to thoroughly test the line.

I've tried and reviewed all of Kerosene's fragrances on my Youtube channel (bpwool). I do consider John(Kerosene) to be a friend, but I still believe I can be objective in reviewing his fragrances. I think John can hold his own with many other perfumers in the niche markets. I recently tested Kilian's Asian Tales line, and thought they were both overpriced and rather generic scents. As for Kerosene's fragracnes, R'oud Elements is a bitter orange incensey oud fragrance that I find to be slightly exotic, but more wearable than many other niche fragrances. Creature has a slightly harsh opening, but overall, much more interesting than Heeley's Menthe Fraiche. I'm not really into ambers, so Copper Skies was not something that excited me much. But it was nice to test an amber that had an american feel to it. Whips and Roses was alright. Kinda like a fresh garden smell. Probably the most unisex. Santalum Slivers is maybe the best sandalwood scent I've tried. I believe it is more exciting thatn Tam Dao. So those are some of my thoughts on Kerosene's fragrances

ABSOLUTELY agree with Hep on that comment. Producing something better than Montale doesn't seem to be that hard to accomplish.

Good summation BradW. His Santalum is one of my two favorites from his line. My skin reflects it back as a sort of woody leather.
Good stuff.

The first release beats Dark Aoud, Oud Cuir d'Arabie, and Red Aoud...sounds like a must own.

Other than MIN, where can these be bought or tested?

Kerosene: wrong name! This sounds not as a perfume house, but as a marketing joke...Diesel/Kerosene, Giorgio Armani/Bruno Banani?

If anybody likes Copper Skies, send me a PM.

I'm still reserving any judgement and will continue to do so until I've properly sampled them...

I've only tried R'oud Elements, and found it to be just mediocre. It did sit closer to the skin, lasted a while, and reminded me of Gucci Envy. I would love to try the rest of his line.

As for PuddleMonkey attacking the OP, just ignore him, he is always negative.

I'm not convinced Monkey Puddle was all that out of line.

I bought R'Oud Elements when he was selling on Etsy and had 1.7 oz bottles. They were cheaper then. I really enjoy it and it lasts forever. I haven't tried the others but I think his prices fall in line with a lot of niche prices. Yes if you like the fragrances they are worth it.

I agree, and again, Smell Bent is the obvious company to compare Kerosene to, AFAICT. If this person had something else to offer, other than a nice-looking bottle, I might have a different opinion. However, to some people $140 per bottle is something they don't even think twice about, so I think it's important to keep in mind that $140 does not mean the same thing to different people, whereas $35 means about the same to most people, when buying a frag.

If this thing is between M7 and Envy now I definitely need to try it.

R'oud Elements is well worth the price for me. Personally I think most of the positive reviews dont even do it justice. The Oud note is handled with the same skill as M7 and even some Montales(the softer ones). Longevity is exactly where it should be for the price tag...I can still smell it on my shirt thats been in the hamper that I wore close to a week ago; 8+ hrs. on my skin; Silliage is typical of an EDP, with a huge projection for a few hours and then a long lasting closer to the skin scent. The bottle is definitely not the quality of a Niche brand but still not bad. I got one of the ones with the engraved copper plate which was a nice touch. Its not an everyday scent for me and I dont mind paying that much since one bottle will probably last me for quite some time. Apparently samples are pretty reasonably priced and easy to get if you know where to go.

I'd like to see him upgrade the style of his bottles once his house becomes more well known.

I don't get what all the hubbub is about concerning his bottle. That is his shtick. Sort of a maverick. Killians bottle has been mentioned several times, what is the big deal about his bottle. Same darn one for every frag, just a different stick on label. To me, I am buying the juice, not the bottle. Look at MDCI, same juice, but if you want the head on it! $125.00 more, no thanks.

To the OP, you won't know if you like it, until you try it. If you are not even willing to spend $10.00 for a few samples plus some others ($10.00 gets five samples from MIN) you may be interested in, then why all the negativity without being willing to even give it a chance.

I know it's a part of the theme to his house, but I just don't care for it. Every bottle doesn't have to be super classy, but it looks a bit cheap and makes me curious if the juice is worth it since the presentation is less than desirable.

I fell the same way. Let the bottle represent the juice it holds in terms of class and sophistication.