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…
Wow! this one was interesting.
It starts off with a very powerful barnyard oud with a touch of cheesy smell.
However, what I didn’t expect was how many layers would unfold for this beauty.
It changes to a green scent with tea shooting from the background, then transforms into a citrus+barnyard+musk combo that just wowed me.
I thoroughly enjoyed this experience, and I can’t wait for others to try it too.
Wow this is really a heavy Chinese oud scent. I used to think that Yunnan was already a beast but hainan makes it look like a tame and calm scent.
The opening is such a blast, hard to find words for it. There’s indeed a bit of cheesy oud smell but once it has dried down, it turns into a cocktail of zesty notes, tea and incense, all complimented by that sexy oud note.
I’ve just applied a tiny test spray but it’s already super strong. Let’s see how this evolves with time.
My girl hates it but I’m in animalic Oud heaven right now 😆