Collection Extraordinaire

Bois d'Iris Van Cleef & Arpels 2009

Bottle Design Carré Basset

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8.2 / 10 659 Ratings

Bois d'Iris is a popular perfume by Van Cleef & Arpels for women and men and was released in 2009. The scent is woody-powdery. It is being marketed by Inter Parfums. Pronunciation

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Main accords

Woody

Powdery

Floral

Spicy

Sweet

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Salty notes

Heart Notes

Iris

Base Notes

Ambergris

Vetiver

Perfumer

Emilie Bevierre-Coppermann

Ratings

Scent

8.2659 Ratings

Longevity

7.0539 Ratings

Sillage

5.8524 Ratings

Bottle

8.2484 Ratings

Value for money

6.9139 Ratings

Submitted by Kankuro, last update on 06.04.2024.

Interesting Facts

The fragrance is part of the "Collection Extraordinaire" collection.

Reviews

17 in-depth fragrance descriptions

02/08/2020

8
Bottle 7
Sillage 9
Longevity 9.5
Scent

Pollita
224 Reviews

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Pollita

Top Review 41

Soft tones in perfect harmony

This morning I sprayed this sweetheart on a paper strip and carried it around with me. Wow, it's beautiful! I was blown away, and I held the thing under my nose all the time. Afterwards I grabbed my bike and cycled for about 1.5 hours, then jumped under the shower and put this sweetie on. But I couldn't smell much, only when I pressed my nose directly onto my wrist, which disappointed me a little at first. OK, check, I thought so. When I was just preparing my meal, my husband came and said that I smelled so wonderful. I was initially surprised: "You can smell that?" I replied in amazement. And then a compliment, which my husband rarely receives. The other day, I wrote about "not bad", remember? :)

All right, let it sink in. At least it seems to be well received by the people around me, but I want to get something out of it myself! The longer I was on the road with Bois d'Iris, the more I became aware of the scent I was wearing. Yeah, he's the 450 from Farmacia SS. Annunziata, which I also own. Bois d'Iris, however, is not quite as sweet, the sweetness is even a little bit softer than that of Farmacia. The dry one of the iris comes through a little stronger. It is creamy, subtly smoky due to the incense, myrrh is subtly perceptible and the labdanum grounds it. It's like laying down 450 with a touch of Passage d'Enfer. I only get a gentle breeze here and there. I guess ISO, which can cause such a flickering effect. Nowadays, not everything that noses have worked with in the pyramid of fragrances is in the pyramid anymore. He's not completely gone even now, quite the opposite. He keeps saying hello to my little nose. And my Mr. Pollito says it is one of the most beautiful scents I have. OK, if he says THIS, then I guess I have to buy him. I only have a small remainder of the Farmacia, so what.

Well, what do you know? Anyway, now I have a grin on my face and I am happy with myself and the world, what more could you ask for?

Boid d'Iris is certainly not a fragrance for people who like booms. I do too, but not on principle. If I had to wear Confetto and Sorriso every day, I would have a stomachache at some point, haha! This fragrance is a suitable companion for every nose that appreciates soft tones. And it radiates more than you think. I was really surprised. Looking forward to the summer with this treasure.

Speaking of treasure: I owe this treasure to the dear treasure-seeker, because the sample came from him. Many thanks for this!

08/01/2020

10
Bottle 7
Sillage 8
Longevity 9
Scent

Pinkdawn
67 Reviews

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Pinkdawn

Top Review 45

Pinkdawn in the Iris Forest

I love the summer with its sun, its scents, its blue sky with the speckled clouds, the green nature with all its plants and animals. But when the heat has been above 32° for several days now and everything is paralyzing, I start to look forward to autumn. Fragrantly I am well prepared. I own some autumn scents - with patchouli, roses and iso, and of course two wonderful ouds from MFK - which I all love to wear. Now a new one has been added, which does completely without patchouli, roses and oud. Bois d'Iris has long been on my wish list. A cheap ebay offer has now made it possible that it found its way into my collection.

It was a blind purchase due to the ingredients of the fragrance pyramid and surprisingly good ratings. After all, Bois d'Iris has made it to a top spot in the unisex ranking.
The ingredients, it seems to me, are a bit of a secret. At Parfumo, only "salty notes, iris, ambergris and vetiver" are mentioned. Other sources are said to know of ladanum, vanilla, myrrh, sugar and driftwood. This brings us closer to the fragrance.

I like wood notes. Not necessarily the sweet sandalwood, but if it's in the direction of tangy cedar or something, I appreciate it. And sun-kissed driftwood, anyway. I'm fascinated by the powdery dryness of the iris in general
That was also roughly my idea of the Bois d'Iris, whereby I wonder whether Bois means wood or forest. In English the word wood can also mean both.

Although I knew that there would be wood nuances waiting for me, I found the idea of the iris forest simply more inspiring. Just imagine a forest of violet iris flowers ... They were one of my favourite flowers even as a child. At that time people still talked about irises.

In fact, as early as the 19th century, perfumes were brewed from the iris roots, which were poisonous in themselves and were called "violet root" at the time, and they gave off the violet fragrance that was extremely popular at the time. It was also coveted as a confectionery - not least because it provided a discreet fragrance in a quiet little place.

The scent of the iris root - no aromatic oil can be extracted from the blossom - is considered to be beguiling: mystical, soft powdery, elegant, woody and sweet. The rootstock has to mature for years before it can be distilled into iris butter.

The "blue flower of romanticism", behind which the iris is assumed to be, is named after the winged goddess of the rainbow from Greek mythology.

So what would I expect? Iris, of course, and wood. That's what I'm counting on. But what wood notes will those be? And how will they mix with the earthy vetiver? Where will this fragrance journey take me?
Actually, everything should be clear. Is it? I'm spraying the scent. It's all there, but it's not what I expected. The wood is light, dry and sweet, like sun-warmed. The first impression is: woody, dry and sweet. I think I smell a hint of vanilla.

The fragrance has a noble and subtle effect right from the start. It doesn't reveal itself to me immediately. It "flickers" somehow. My guess is Iso. Every time I sniff the back of my hand, it feels different. The light wood is a constant, the powdery iris is a constant. But the vanilla "flickers." I am irritated. Maybe what I think is vanilla is maybe the labdanum?

For moments the fragrance reminds me of the strong aroma of dark forest honey, but without sweetness. The sweetness is already there, but restrained, rather balsamic.

Herbal green nuances alternate with woody ones. Once I have the feeling of walking past a rural sawmill and perceiving the smell of freshly cut wood. However, there is also "forest", which makes the balsamic scent heavy and somewhat earthy. Vetiver has something musty, herby, but not as intense as patchouli, which likes to push itself into the foreground.

Bois d'Iris is a subtle fragrance. Subtle, I remember. It's subtle, not overpowering, but present. For me, it is a soft autumn scent - a bit pensive like a day in Indian summer, when you can already feel the elegy of the fading summer. But it is not a fragrance of strong feelings. It's subtle. If you pay attention to it, you are rewarded with various scent elements - forest honey, wood, balsam, tart vetiver and, if you sniff very closely, there is also something somehow sublime that makes you think of incense. I suppose it's the myrrh that puts a slightly smoky veil over the whole thing.

The fragrance is pleasant, varied, subtle and exciting. It never gets boring Those who pay less attention to it will find it an unobtrusive, sympathetic companion that radiates elegance, but remains pleasantly unsweet in its dry, woody dominance. The iris blends harmoniously into the fragrance orchestra. And no, it has nothing violet-like here, but only the fine powdery sweetness of a fragrance that is completely devoid of floweriness, which I find very appealing.

It is a fragrance for dreaming, a companion for the last summer days and the first still warm autumn days. It has nothing dark or gloomy like many patchouli scents. It rests in itself, feels calm and transmits this feeling of well-being to its wearer. I write Wearer because I prefer to imagine this fragrance on women, although it is unisex. For men it is perhaps too soft, not intense enough and too indifferent, iridescent.

I think it will appeal best to people who are sensitive to the soft tones, so to speak. That's where he unfolds his great wealth of nuances. Provided one has a fine nose to perceive all the notes
In my opinion, the iris forest is not undergoing a major change - apart from the fact that the lovely vanilla will at some point become more and more ambergris, i.e. lose this very sweetness and become more "oriental". Which of course does not mean that Bois d'Iris is an Oriental. But he has something that I associate with wanderlust, as I often feel when migratory birds gather in autumn and fly south. And I accompany them in my thoughts, across the great water, wondering how many of them will return.

I mean, with Bois d'Iris you will be well received everywhere and leave a pleasant impression. He fits in very well with many occasions. He can give you a certain elitist aura. Because he's sophisticated. In this sense, he may not be so attractive to very young people - except for the charismatic personalities among them, who like to stand out from the crowd.

I like this smell. I find the mixture of woody and powdery very successful.
As I said, I wouldn't necessarily wear the Bois on hot days, because it radiates just that earthy warmth, but on summer evenings it can certainly appear attractive.

One should not underestimate this scent in any case. He's got it in him, so to speak. I keep discovering new facets of him. That makes it varied. I wouldn't be surprised if Iso was involved.

The fragrance manages to combine warm chords with a certain elitist detachment - an exciting fragrance experience.

09/24/2021

6.5
Scent

Susan
59 Reviews

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Susan

Top Review 27

Not my Iris....

I am not a friend of sweetish-vanilla staged iris and can therefore also not particularly much abgewinnen this fragrance.....

To my mind, any clearly perceptible sweetness robs the iris of its naturally cool elegance.....

Moreover, my incense-sensitive nose also clearly perceives it.....although it is not indicated......a Google search then revealed, however, that the above pyramid is incomplete.....

Elsewhere, the following ingredients are found:

Iris, driftwood, vanilla, frankincense, myrrh, sugar, amber, ambregis, vetiver....

The above ingredients are also much more in line with my personal perception......

People who like all that, however, will find here a delicate, soft-woody and resinous-sweet companion in the center of which unfolds a softly-butterscotchy iris.....

04/22/2020

9
Bottle 7
Sillage 8
Longevity 9
Scent

DerDefcon
124 Reviews

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DerDefcon

Top Review 25

A veil of finest silverwood.

This fragrance is a bit like a breath of nothing - very subtle, not demanding in any way, reserved, simply pleasant.

"Bois d'Iris" is traded as a fragrance twin to the price-intensive "Bois d'Argent". Recently I often read that this is supposed to be the "more feminine" version of the Diorian bestseller. I can't judge that, because I simply don't know this one and that's not what this commentary is about. So let's dedicate ourselves to the essentials.

"Bois d'Iris" does not have a great scent. Everything is there somehow and instantly. There is the light iris, which neither scratches nor stings, but simply appears bright and wonderfully creamy. The salty notes are also there, but somehow hard to grasp and grasp. When trying to put them into words by comparisons from our everyday life, I reach my limits. I can only think of two adjectives, namely "dry" and "dusty".
And then there's vetiver - slightly smoky and very different from other fragrances. The sweet grass here is neither dark nor particularly green, but rather - probably to make friends with the iris - light and friendly, but at the same time woody. Is this perhaps the reason for the smell of these floral notes that are spoken of over and over again? Let's leave it up to each nose to decide for itself.

What do we have at the end?

We have a light, almost silver, so incredibly pure wood that exudes a very special magic. We find: a light, soft iris, smoky-friendly vetiver and a foundation of a little dry dust. And this composition is not as weak as the rating here on Parfumo might suggest. Truly, it's not particularly offensive, as you might know from other woody scents. It doesn't eat into the mucous membranes or flood building complexes, but it's always there somehow, like a second skin, so inconspicuous, yet not invisible, like a fine veil.

07/22/2020

9
Bottle 7
Sillage 9
Longevity 9
Scent

Victoria225
9 Reviews

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Victoria225

Top Review 21

Was the blind purchase worthwhile?

I have already written a statement about this fragrance. But now that a few more hours have gone by, I have to write about it in more detail.
Bois d'Iris was my first blind buy. I don't normally do this, but the price was very tempting. And since the reviews were mostly very positive and the fragrance pyramid promised a nice scent, I actually dared to do it. The scent was ordered and arrived after 2 days. I unpacked it and sprayed it directly on the skin. The excitement was very big - what do I do if I don't like it after all? Maybe it was a bad buy after all?
But what I felt on my wrist was the opposite of disappointment. Something slightly sweet, woody and powdery was rising up my nose. A portion of vanilla - that's what my nose recognized at first (vanilla is not listed here at all, but in other sources it is mentioned in the fragrance pyramid). Something salty... Myrrh... and then this warm white (that's how I imagine this wood) wood appeared, covered with iris powder. Mmmmmmh.
I usually like sweeter scents - lira, grand soir, eau duels... The more vanilla, the better. But there's hardly any sweetness here. But it's this combination of wood and iris that makes the fragrance so cuddly. A nice alternative if you don't feel like a sweet scent.
But the fascinating thing that finally made me write a comment is the durability.
Many complained in numerous comments that the scent would not last long. Believe it or not, but Bois d'Iris has been living on my skin for almost 12 hours now! I sprayed it on last night and still felt it this morning.
Yes, it doesn't radiate that far, the sillage is quite weak, the scent - close to the body. But the durability is excellent.
If you like well-balanced discreet fragrances, but still place great value on good durability, Bois d'Iris is absolutely recommendable. Provided you like powdery scents. Was the blind purchase worthwhile? Absolutely! I am glad to have another iris scent in my fragrance wardrobe besides "L'instant magic".

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