Boreal Pineward 2020

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7.5 / 10 89 Ratings

A popular perfume by Pineward for women and men, released in 2020. The scent is green-resinous. It is still in production.

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Main accords

Green

Resinous

Woody

Fresh

Spicy

Fragrance Notes

Mint

Moss

Pine needle

Resins

Cedar

Perfumer & Creative Guidance

Nicholas Nilsson Brand owner, Perfume maker

Ratings

Scent

7.589 Ratings

Longevity

6.568 Ratings

Sillage

6.170 Ratings

Bottle

8.152 Ratings

Value for money

6.326 Ratings

Submitted by Hatka, last update on 12.04.2024.

Reviews

4 in-depth fragrance descriptions

12/15/2023

6
Sillage 7
Longevity 9
Scent

Pollita
224 Reviews

Translated Show original

Pollita

Top Review 49

Resting before the joy of life

From outside, from the forest I come here;
i have to tell you, it's very Christmassy! Everywhere on the tops of the fir trees
i saw golden lights twinkling,
and up above from the gates of heaven
the Christ Child looked out with wide eyes.

And as I strolled through the dark fir,
he called to me with a bright voice:
"Servant Ruprecht," it called, "old fellow,
lift your legs and hurry up!"
The candles are beginning to burn,
the gates of heaven are opened,
Old and young shall now rest from the chase of life,
and tomorrow I will fly down to earth;
for it shall be Christmas again!"
(Theodor Storm)

I thought of this beautiful poem when I first sniffed Boreal. The forest, the fir trees, the candles, the lights, the gate to heaven - Nicholas Nilsson seems to have captured everything perfectly in this fragrance. There is also a hint of coziness from a cup of peppermint tea, which Mr. Knecht Ruprecht was perhaps allowed to taste at some point on his arrival. A wonderful scent to ring in this contemplative time.

I don't think of Boreal as sweet, as some people have written before me. For me, Boreal is first and foremost a scent of incense. I can see this little chapel in front of me, which is always beautifully decorated at Christmas time in our region. I've never been there myself, even though I make a point of going every year. I don't think I've been able to find that all-important peace and quiet since I've been living here on the Eaves. There should be a nativity scene there with all the figures: Joseph and Mary, donkey and ox and the baby Jesus.

This little chapel borders directly on the forest. I imagine the area covered in deep snow as I breathe in the scent of Boreal. And then I enter the chapel in my mind and perceive the fine, balsamic-resinous incense, the burning candles and everything feels so wonderfully contemplative and calm. Just as Theodor Storm puts it in his poem: resting for once before the chase of life, which we all know so well.

Yes, this is indeed a piece of contemplation in a bottle. A green, fir-green incense fragrance. It could actually be the big brother of my beloved Incense Water by Perfumer H. Only with Incense Water, the season cannot be directly determined in my opinion. With Boreal, it's winter. Christmas time. If you like incense, you'll love Boreal.

In keeping with the contemplative time of year, this is not a loud and excited fragrance, but rather presents the peace that we should all find now in a wonderful olfactory way.

I wish you all a wonderful, peaceful and relaxing festive season!

Your Polly

Thanks for the testing opportunity goes to Schoeibksr.

10/18/2021

7
Pricing 8
Bottle 8
Sillage 8
Longevity 8
Scent

Landshark321
522 Reviews

Landshark321

Minty, resinous, green, semi-dark pine

Pineward Perfumes Boreal is my third sampling from the house, a 2020 release in their initial year, described as a mix of pine needles, mint, cedar, resins, moss. Like Bindebole, it’s a fittingly cold weather-reminiscent pine-rich scent that fits with the concept of the house as described on its website by perfumer/owner Nicholas Nilsson. The mint aspect predictably fades a bit within the first hour of wearing but remains a part of the blend, which, with its high concentration (31%) and dark green juice, is appropriately strong, even from the dabber, even if perhaps note quite as strong as Bindebole. Frankly, Boreal’s greenness and the minty tingle associated with some outdoor plants makes it a bit more realistic and familiar than Bindebole, even.

Another immediate comparison that occurs to me (as a way of describing Boreal) is something midway between Dasein Winter and Winter Nights, with a good balance of darkness (resins), brightness (mint), and greenness/woodiness (pine). Within the house, it’s a touchy mintier and brighter than Bindebole, which leans darker/woodier/more resinous, overall. Still (and I hope this continues to be the case), it’s nice to have two great entries in the house that have similarities but different emphases, with Bindebole perhaps being the night to Boreal’s day.

Pricing is consistent throughout the line at $135/80 for 37/17ml and again, the performance is very strong.

Bravo to Nick on these fragrances—I’m really impressed with the line through my first three tries of Pineward, and the concept seems so perfect for the cooling weather in the US.

8 out of 10

03/09/2021

9
Bottle 6
Sillage 7
Longevity 8.5
Scent

Floyd
290 Reviews

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Floyd

Top Review 57

Mammoth Lakes

Sometimes in the morning, mint blows in from the sea as mist over the Sierra peaks. Like crunching cool cotton, the clouds creep down the waterfalls that connect Mammoth Lakes, from one lake to the next, seeming like tracks of giant feet trodden into the rock, a staircase of ponds amid the forests, their waters resin-dripping images.
If you follow the course of the lakes down the valley, the mint mists become lighter, the trees increasingly visible, you hear the crackling of pine needles in the warming rays of the sun, floating herb-green resin pearls rise from the earthy bed of soft mosses. Then there's the smell of bark that wears the fragrant woods in your hands, the shimmering veils of balsam and camphor, traces of turpentine now and then, they just sometimes sharpen the floating edges, like the cool spicy cedar.
From afar, it all seems like incense bustle, a few hours you've been out, in a picture as high as the sky, as still as Mammoth Lakes.
¡@!*
Pineward Perfumes, based in Utah, is entirely dedicated to the scents of dark virgin forests beyond any civilization. Nicholas Nilsson uses mainly highly concentrated absolues in his alcohol-based perfumes. He explicitly does not produce the fragrances in limited quantities, as he does not want to create any buying pressure or hype around his brand. "Boreal" is still his brightest creation. As light green as the liquid itself, as ethereally clear as Canada's forests and yet as warmly spicy as the conifers of California.

https://www.allmammoth.com/attractions/

02/28/2021

6
Pricing 8
Bottle 4
Sillage 4
Longevity 7
Scent

Drseid
819 Reviews

Drseid

Helpful Review 1

A Very Fine, But All Too Brief Walk Through The Forest...

Boreal goes on skin with an herbaceous aromatic mint underpinned by coniferous pine before quickly transitioning to its heart. As the composition enters its early heart, the coniferous green pine takes the fore with the aromatic mint leaf remaining now in support, pairing with stark, natural smelling aromatic cedarwood. During the late dry-down the mint vacates leaving remnants of the now subdued pine supporting the natural cedar that takes the fore through the finish. Projection is minimal, and longevity below average at 5-6 hours on skin.

Coming off my impressive sample of Christmas Wine from Pineward Perfumes yesterday, today is the next randomly chosen vial from the sample bag, Boreal. The posted notes for Boreal sounded wonderful on paper save for the mint, which before wearing the perfume had this writer puzzled whether it would work with the rest of the notes. Now wearing the composition I am happy to report it actually does. The closest approximation I can use to describe the mint, is the fragrance of aromatic mint leaves in Moroccan Mint tea, for example. When you add them to the coniferous green pine the combination surprisingly blends together rather well, with the natural smelling cedar adding a hint of sharp supporting bite to balance the mint. The late dry-down is a bit of letdown in comparison, as the pine and cedar tandem while pleasant is extremely subdued... too subdued for my tastes. The biggest disappointment with the otherwise impressive Boreal, however, is its ho-hum performance metrics. The perfume is more of a personal journey, as projection is very poor. That in and of itself could be a positive depending on the wearer's objective, but the below average longevity isn't. Too bad. The bottom line is the $128 per 37ml extrait bottle Boreal is a "very good" 3.5 stars out of 5 rated effort that smells great but drops the ball a bit in its relatively poor performance, still earning a solid recommendation to coniferous lovers.