Collection Extraordinaire - Bois d'Iris Van Cleef & Arpels 2009

Collection Extraordinaire - Bois d'Iris by Van Cleef & Arpels

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Collection Extraordinaire - Bois d'Iris (Van Cleef & Arpels)

Top 59 in Unisex Perfume

8.4 / 10498 Ratings

Collection Extraordinaire - 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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Perfumer

Emilie Bevierre-Coppermann

Fragrance Notes

Top Notes	Salty notes
Heart Notes	Iris
Base Notes	Ambergris, Vetiver

Ratings

Scent

8.4498 Ratings

Longevity

7.2398 Ratings

Sillage

5.9385 Ratings

Bottle

8.3365 Ratings

Value for money

7.533 Ratings

Submitted by Kankuro, last update on 22.05.2021.

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Reviews

03/11/2021

9.5
Scent 7
Longevity 6
Sillage 9
Bottle

Chrisniburg

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Chrisniburg

Helpful Review 12

The No Scent Twin

This fragrance is often called a fragrance twin to Bois D'Argent. But is this justified?

The fragrance starts with a similar floral with a very present iris note. This can not be denied and lets just exactly this character of a fragrance twin awaken. What is immediately noticeable, however, is that Bois D'Iris remains rather bright and light. Where Bois D'Argent very quickly drifts the fragrance color in the direction of honey brown, this remains here according to its name silvery and bright.

What you smell in the top note is also what you perceive over the entire course of the fragrance. It does not change greatly and acts accordingly linear. This could be the one or the other something too monotonous, but I like it well. Due to its lightness, it could seem rather too feminine in some noses. For me, it moves very much on the border. It is just so wearable as a man. - There are also reasons why this fragrance is led on some pages by out as a women's fragrance and not unisex. -

The durability is not outstanding in my eyes. After 5 hours at the latest, it is no longer perceptible for me even close to the skin. Since the Bois D'Argent offers more power.

The flacon is kept simple and straightforward. The trailer is nice accessory and lets the simple bottle a little bit nobler act.

Measured by its price (between 70 and 100 €), it is a fragrance that is ideal to get a small idea of the Bois D'Argents. However, for a comparable opinion, I think both should be tested. They are too different for that.

Therefore, I come to the conclusion that it is not a fragrance twin. The fragrance is oriented to the Bois D'Argent, but nothing more. Bois D'Iris could be rather the little brother

5 Replies

11/23/2020

5
Scent 5
Longevity 4
Sillage 5
Bottle

AromaPath
24 Reviews

AromaPath

Irises don’t grow near sea landscapes

I understand intentions of previous reviews, but if you have iris in your top notes, it is one of the scents that disappear as soon as you spray your perfume. This composition is created in woody floral family. Nothing powdery, not even a hint about orris accord. I can hear more salty driftwood scent with sugary floral notes. Not to mention that iris don’t grow near sea landscapes scapes makes hard to fall into believe what this iris is about. I love orris accords in perfumes, but here iris is represented very lightly. Longevity and silage are very poor. You literally need to spray a lot in order to get any projection. It is very light, again, very light, elegant scent. In my opinion it is overpriced. Company tries to sell this scent as being made with experience ingredients, but I simply hear synthetic woody floral notes. I can’t believe that this scent represents Tuscany. On dried notes I can hear lightest presence of labdanum. I had expectations that this fragrance will remind me of beautiful Florence, iris garden, called Giardino dell'Iris, were almost 1500 different irises bloom every Spring. Red irises are very symbolic for this region. Sweet vanilla hunts me, nothing more.

08/01/2020

9
Scent 8
Longevity 7
Sillage 10
Bottle

Pinkdawn

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Pinkdawn

Top Review 31

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.

14 Replies

07/22/2020

9
Scent 9
Longevity 7
Sillage 9
Bottle

Victoria225

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Victoria225

Top Review 15

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".

13 Replies

04/22/2020

9
Scent 8
Longevity 7
Sillage 9
Bottle

DerDefcon

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DerDefcon

Top Review 18

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.

8 Replies

02/08/2020

9.5
Scent 9
Longevity 7
Sillage 8
Bottle

Pollita

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Pollita

Top Review 37

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!

24 Replies

08/25/2018

7.5
Scent 7
Longevity 4
Sillage 8
Bottle

RossiFee

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RossiFee

Helpful Review 11

The Choir of Angels?

Iris holds the prayer book in her hand.
She resolutely opens the requested page in praise of God.
To her great joy.
The community rises like a quake. A divine song follows.
Actually, Iris isn't very religious.
She only likes to sing melancholic melodies in this old place with its splendid holy observers, who apparently know so much and then reveal nothing.
She hears the voices of the others.
The Choir of Angels?

Today she dares!

She'll drown them all!

Full throat, all her strength she will need, all will look to her!
It tingles all over her body, soft knees, her hands trembling and wet, she presses the black book even harder on herself.
Her heart's beating faster and faster, heavy breathing. Iris takes a deep breath...

Silence.

The crowd of believers settles down on the creaky old wooden benches, and folds their hands.
Here and there a slightly suppressed cough and coughing.
The singing impregnated air is purified by thick incense swaths until the last note has faded away.
The expectant silence and the request of a recurring prayer forces Iris again into the depths of the unfriendly hard eternal pew.

She missed her bet.

4 Replies

09/24/2017

8
Scent 7
Longevity 3
Sillage 9
Bottle

ScentedSalon
96 Reviews

ScentedSalon

Affordable Unicorn

Bois d'Iris is what I wished Iris Ganache had been: woody, slightly sweet, irisy and creamy. Though Iris Ganache has a better quality iris note, it is so strong that it overpowers everything else. Bois d'Iris has room for all the ingredients. There is some sugar and cream, but not too much. The woods are earthy, dry and calming. The iris note is almost an afterthought and I wish it was a little more prominent. The opening reminds me a lot of Eau Duelle with the frankincense, and this incense is gooood.

Bottom line, this is a dupe for the impossible to find Iris Ganache if the iris was toned down and a bit of Eau Duelle was mixed in. Love the price and bottle as well.

04/25/2016

8
Scent 8
Longevity 6
Sillage 8
Bottle

SmartyScent
6 Reviews

SmartyScent

Perfect iris

Oh my GOD, this fragrance smells really velvety and smooth, the best iris one imo, not so earthy nor dusty but creamy and very well balanced, romantic still powerful and better than bois d'argent too. Longivity is amazing and sillage is medium. Definitely one of my best and closest to my heart in terms of smell. Thumbs up van cleef and arpels ;)

11/27/2015

ColinM
516 Reviews

ColinM

Helpful Review 6

Silver iris

I must admit it: I’ve a penchant for iris fragrances. As long as they’re even just decent, I always like them a lot. It amazes me how versatile this material can be, and how many nuances it offers. It can smell warm and luscious, dusty and cold, “grey” and “red”, plushy and earthy, and always so refined and mysterious. Anyway, Bois d’Iris is surely a remarkable must for any fan of this material, probably even more than other more praised ones in my opinion. It explores the colder-dustier and more balsamic side of iris, pairing it with dry resins, warm amber, a very peculiar sort of “greyish”, massively incense-driven crisp woody note, and a sort of rarefied foggy pine-forest feel. So imagine a breezy, balsamic, woody and above all, dusty-powdery incense scent, completely unisex and actually quite dark somehow, or better say “cold”, peaceful yet somehow aloof. Almost “lunar”, I’d say. And extremely refined: the dustiness has some very fascinating sort of sparkling texture – “silver powder”, so to speak. Dior named a scent “Bois d’Argent”, but that name would be so better for Bois d’Iris actually. By the way the two scents are indeed quite similar, but I prefer Bois d’Iris, for a couple of very simple features: less pretentious, more substantial.

What fascinates me about this scent is how it creates a shimmering, rarefied sort of “silver incense” vibe played on iris powder and resinous-balsamic woody notes, without using directly incense. I mean, this fragrance smells quite incensey to me, but in a peculiar way, “incensey and not-incensey at once”. Maybe more than incense I should say “a whiff of cold, azure-grey smoky breeze scented with iris and luxury resins”, as it feels weightless and airy yet surprisingly substantial, balsamic, enveloping. Truly one of a kind, extremely enjoyable and fascinating. Shortly – if it wasn’t clear already – I really like this scent: it feels quality, it’s extremely sophisticated, it’s delicate but not light or too close to skin – just elegantly discreet. I own other iris based scents, and this has definitely its own personality which makes it worth owning even if you think you’ve “smelled them all” when it comes to iris. Maybe a tad too expensive, but a true class act!

8/10

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