Fragrance du Bois – oud, rethought in Paris
Fragrance du Bois was founded in Paris in 2013 by Jonnie Swarbrick, who comes from packaging, print and brand identity – so design was part of the idea from day one. The name itself, “scent of wood”, points to the material at the heart of everything here: oud, the dark, resinous wood of the Aquilaria tree. Fragrance du Bois pairs it with partners you would never expect – cherry, rum, coffee, rose or tropical fruit.
What makes Fragrance du Bois special to us?
We love how Fragrance du Bois takes the heaviness out of oud and lets it turn joyful, fruity or creamy – without losing its dark core. Tropiques smells like a holiday, Sirène of dark cherry and incense, and Lucius Maximus, with roasted coffee and vanilla, shows that sometimes it works without oud altogether.
Who are Fragrance du Bois fragrances for?
For anyone who has always been curious about oud but would rather wear it bright, fruity or sweet than smoky and heavy. And for anyone who has loved oud for a long time and wants to discover a new side of it. All scents are unisex – the best way to find your favourite is to wear two or three of them on your skin at home for a few days.
Oud from its own plantations
Oud is one of the most precious materials in perfumery. The fragrant resin forms in only a few wild Aquilaria trees, and every Aquilaria species has been CITES-protected since 2004. That is why Fragrance du Bois relies on oud from its own CITES-certified plantations – so the heart of every composition stays real without wild stocks being plundered for it.
A circle of perfumers
Rather than one in-house perfumer, Fragrance du Bois works with a circle of perfumers: Nanako Ogi composed Sirène, Gaël Montero Tropiques, Dalia Izem Forbidden Plum. Each time, oud gets a different partner – cherry and incense in Sirène, dark plum, tuberose and whipped cream in Forbidden Plum. Some scents even do without oud altogether: in Lucius, Jordi Fernández laid bitter orange over cedarwood, and in Lucius Maximus roasted coffee over Madagascan vanilla, while François Merle-Baudoin captured a morning mist on the Riviera with peach, plum and peony in Brume du Matin.
In London you'll find Fragrance du Bois at Harrods. Forbidden Plum was long a Harrods exclusive, available only at the Knightsbridge store. At SNUD in Vienna you can now smell it too and take a sample home.
