![(From left to right) Kenzo Homme Marine; Loewe Aire Anthesis; Maison Francis Kurkdjian Aqua Media Cologne Forte; Calvin Klein Eternity For Men Reflections; Issey Miyake L’Eau d’Issey Pour Homme Vétiver; Amouage Purpose.](https://luxuo-com-production.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/2023/09/RGB_MF_August0059-copy-1.jpg)
It has been long believed that the scent of wood engenders a sense of comfort, so much so that the Japanese have a name and ritual to match for the olfactory phenomenon. “Shinrin-Yoku”, translated roughly as “forest bathing” is the practice of spending time in a forest and immersing oneself in its atmosphere as a method of self soothing. In the context of fragrances, however, woodiness takes on darker, more sultry alter ego.
![Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Aqua Media Cologne Forte uses a musky wood to balance the lightness of bergamot, verbana, and jasmine. Shop it here.](https://luxuo-com-production.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/2023/09/BeFunky-design-4-1.jpg)
Sandalwood promotes a sense of calm but is also used to entice and seduce when distilled into a bottle. Once used in money spells and to soothe inflammation, Patchouli is used as a sweetener of sorts to increase a fragrance’s intensity. We often imagine woody fragrances to be rich, warm and spicy, but waters are running crystal clear this fall.
![Despite the olfactory transparency of wood, ginger, and sage, Issey Miyake’s L’Eau d’Issey Pour Homme Vétiver has surprisingly strong sillage. Shop it here.](https://luxuo-com-production.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/2023/09/BeFunky-design-5-1.jpg)
The definition of transparent, “allowing light to pass through so that objects behind can be distinctly seen”, leads to the common misconception that opacity levels in a fragrance correlate to sillage strength. This is only true sometimes. Rather, we can think of fragrances like we do of a painting where the ingredients act in a similar way to coloured paint.
![Calvin Klein Eternity For Men Reflections joins the Eternity family with classic notes like sandalwood and oak moss with a slight aquatic undertone which lends it a sparkling transparency. Shop it here.](https://luxuo-com-production.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/2023/09/BeFunky-design-2-6.jpg)
A transparent fragrance works more like a glaze instead, where light can shine through each layer without any one ingredient overshadowing the another. In contrast, ingredients in a more opaque fragrance tend to stack over each other until a singular, strongest ingredient stands out to the olfactory senses.
![Amouage Purpose](https://luxuo-com-production.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/2023/09/BeFunky-design-6-1.jpg)
One should not belittle clearer wood fragrances to be thin or weak, as they often strategically make use of synthetics which can enhance sillage and longevity. Amouage’s Purpose contains Mystikal — a clearer-smelling version of frankincense that radiates gently on the skin while providing depth to airier adjacent ingredients like bergamot, papyrus and rose.
![Shop Kenzo Homme Marine here.](https://luxuo-com-production.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/2023/09/BeFunky-design-7.jpg)
Meanwhile, the “watery” notes in Kenzo Homme Marine adds a crystalline clarity to what would otherwise be an overpowering blend of vetiver, ginger and clary sage.
![What does the House of Loewe smell like? Apparently, it’s sandalwood, peony, pear and a unique "LOEWE accord" that’s slightly herbaceous and tangy. Shop it here.](https://luxuo-com-production.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/2023/09/BeFunky-design-3-1.jpg)
In a more pellucid manner of speaking, a question to posit to those keen to try their hand (or rather, nose) at woody fragrances might be: “Do you want a fragrance that smells good or a fragrance that makes you smell good?”
Yet, there are perhaps no clear answers when dealing with the enigma of how we perceive each other on the neuro-chemical level. After all, how good a person is perceived to smell often starts from one other thing — himself as the main ingredient.
Photography Daryl Tan
Styling Manfred Lu
A version of this article was first published on MENS’ FOLIO Singapore.
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