parfums*PARFUMS Series 2 Red: Palisander (2001)
by Comme des Garçons

Reminds me of my elementary school years.

Rubber eraser on a wooden table -- albeit a fairly exquisite one that has just been washed with soap.

Fairly heavy and heady. Am I the only one here who thinks it has a "Luctor et Emergo" thing going on?

Peppery woods with a hint of the soapy note that is myrrh. Very well constructed. Very heavy. The notes bounce around so nothing is ever present which makes this amazingly interesting. Sometimes the woods come out, then it's spicy then it's soapy and then back to woods and then it's soapy again. Only I do not like the myrrh note but otherwise an outstanding scent.

What an odd little bird Palisander is. I am not sure that I would have even known it was a "wood fragrance" had I not read up on it before purchasing and even now, I am still perplexed by it. Palisander is, in a word, shy. I reapplied it several times in an effort to coax up any sort of discernable smell. All I really get from it is a soft whiff of a new cork board or a new rubber eraser which I think is due to the myrrh. There is a faint wood smell too but overall, Palisander is an unusual delicate little fragrance that doesn't smell like much of anything.

Here are the notes, courtesy of The Perfumed Court: red wood of the Brazilian palisander tree, red Virginia cedar, Japanese red chili peppers, Iranian saffron and Yemenese myrrh.

Palisander is a complex scent. It has a lovely woody opening, with a fresh green note. Some heady hints of myrrh and saffron start to emerge. The aromatic incense notes dance with the cedar wood notes. The myrrh continues to develop. It is a bit sweet and powdery, but that just adds an elegant note to the wood. The dry-down is lovely. I like this a lot.

Palisander is a unique and superior wood fragrance. I’m not sure I like the saffron background note in the opening, but that’s a very minor complaint compared to the excellent wood tones provided by the Brazilian rosewood with strong support from the Virginian red cedar. The Brazilian rosewood brings a uniqueness and delicacy that I find intriguing. The rosewood does a beautiful job of mellowing and enriching the cedar, which is a beautiful note, but cedar can get thin and a tad annoying as a long lasting straight note. I really enjoy the way this fragrance doesn’t shout at me (or anyone else, for that matter) yet it competently delivers its rosewood and cedar message. The incense in the dry down is softly lush and the dry down has excellent longevity. I’ve liked this fragrance from the first sniff, and I love it more every time I wear it.

To be honest I was expecting more from Palisander. Fresh, spicy, woody.