Hainan 2005

How do you capture a scent that doesn’t exist? How do you evoke the memory of a now-gone aroma? In other words, how do you experience the past?

Most perfume lovers never ask themselves these questions. Neither do most perfumers.

Most people go with what’s in front of them, with what’s available. Perfumers use what… everybody else uses. People buy the perfumes that… everybody else buys.

If you’re reading this, it means you’re searching for what’s not in front of you, for the un-unavailable. Perfume nobody makes and few even know about. Your nose relishes nuance and rare scents, hoping to discover a small crevice in a massive abyss that hides a gem.

It’s been almost two decades since the oud in here was distilled. The small portion of it we previously offered sold out five years ago. And I’ve not encountered another oud like it since – nor have the oudheads who, till this day, ask me about it.

But it’s not about returning to the past for its own sake. It’s that the past lets you gaze at a 1,600-pound Vorombe titan, the chance to meet Mozart or find out who Shakespeare really was. The chance to smell wild Hainan oud that smells worlds apart from the mass-produced CO2 stuff coming from there today.

But let’s take the metaphysics even further: This perfume doesn’t just let you bliss out on wafts of wild Hainanese agarwood. It brings the past into the future by imbuing the scent of musked-out Royal Kinam with notes reminiscent of the empire of the East, including yuzu, pepper, white tea, and mandarin, and combining them with EO’s signature blue lotus, beeswax, and orange blossom.

NOTES:
Hainan 2005 (Wild Sinensis Oud)
Tibetan Musk
Hyraceum
Jasmine Tea
Orange Flower
White Sagebrush
Chinese White Tea
Mate Green Tea
Sichuan Pepper
Bitter Orange
Blue Lotus
Mandarin
Beeswax

Now, about the composition… the most replete way to experience this perfume is to take a swipe of Hainan 2005 and smell them side by side. That’s because I didn’t just list Hainan 2005 as an ingredient in order to make a sales pitch. No, my dear friend…

Oud makes up 50.2% of this perfume! #Only@EO

The blast of Hainan 2005 hits you as if you took a swipe on one arm and then walked into a Chinese zen garden fumigated with yuzu and jasmine. If you’re going to get a bottle of the oud (a limited quantity available here), you’ll experience this first hand: the perfume absolutely ooooozes out that zesty old-school sinensis.

And as for the carrier, it’s loaded with hyraceum and an insane concentration of Tibetan musk that, if you were to include these in the calculation (as other perfumers do), you’re getting a 60% concentration perfume. That’s TRIPLE what most consider extrait de parfum levels… i.e. one spray of Hainan 2005 is like three sprays of even the most concentrated perfumes you’d get elsewhere. And I assure, you those sprays’ compounds won’t be 50% OUD, either!

Again, I didn’t just use vintage Chinese musk pods to fit the theme. No sir, I added a heavy shot exactly because Hainan 2005 might well be the muskiest oud you’ll smell in your life. Sinensis, tobacco, that kinamic bite drenched in red feral musk – if there was ever an oud destined to be drenched in musk, it would be Hainan 2005.

I’m blessed to have such a rare oud to work and I used without abandon to create a perfume that showcases the oud’s exquisite power for in full force for you to indulge in.

Featured Testimonials…

When I sniff Hainan 2005 first time, it is surprising me a bit, especially the opening. Such a pungent, musky and animalistic start of the scent journey. It does not look like what the note list told you. When you looked at the note lists, nothing shows any hints of such wild characteristics. There are several types of tea, a lot of soft florals mentioned in the note lists. Even though a friend thought it similar to Chinese Exclusive when he had a look at the note lists. However, they are totally different, differing in scent profile itself and also no similarity on the theme.

Hainan 2005 shows off its strong fermented characteristic, similar to smell cheese in raw. Donot get me wrong. It is not smelly at all. It is coming with a noticeable sourness, ginseng root vide and also mandarin peel note. After you get used to its opening, in the middle note, you will feel an entirely different zen feel from Chinese teas, mate and bitter orange. Blue lotus, Sichuan pepper and sandal gives the scent a soft touch of creaminess. Vetiver offers a slight layer of earthiness to round the composition. Till this moment, I totally fall in love with this scent and cannot stop sniffing myself again and again. It is so zen feel.

When it turns down, all fabulous factors of Hainan 2005 oud will be pushed to the front. Resinous, sweet, green floral and vintage orange peel vibe, it is so refined because around half of the composition was contributed by oud oils. It is definitely another perfume I will wear to sleep.

—Yisean Z / Australia