MATIERE PREMIERE
ENCENS SUAVE EXTRAIT
2024
PERFUMER
Aurelien Guichard
amber
Coffee
Incense
Vanilla
Benzoin
Labdanum
An extrait flanker to Encens Suave EDP (2019). Part of the first 5 Matiere Premiere Extraits: Santal Austal, Radical Rose, Crystal Saffron, Falcon Leather & Encens Suave.
‘One common creative approach for all the Extraits de Parfum:
– a higher perfume concentration
– a higher dosage of the central main ingredient
– the addition of a guest ingredient to bring a new facet to the note’ – Matiere Premiere
‘I love the ambery, gold and brown hues of an incense rock. With this amber note made of resins, a classic in French Perfumery, I wanted to amplify the impression of warm richness in Encens Suave.’ – Aurelien Guichard
As with Santal Austral, I had worn Encens Suave EDP before, but not well enough to write a review for it. I remember liking it and finding it the most interesting scent-profile in the (relatively generic) Matiere Premiere line-up at the time. Over the years, I’ve come across this style of incense more often, but I still feel that it’s a unique and interesting scent profile. One that I can appreciate, but not fully love (that’s down to the style, not this specific take on it). This extrait somewhat tackles that issue.
You get a brightness from the start, with sparkling textures. It reminds me a bit of lemonade at times, mixed with that almost medicinal incense-sweetness. It’s that juxtaposition of fresh and sweet that makes it hard for me to get fully comfortable with this style of incense fragrances, but I’m always intrigued by it. This gives me the sensation of drinking cola, but at the same time more green and floral, and more vanillic.
The extrait in particular, as I think all 5 Matiere Premiere extraits that launched at the time of writing, seems sweeter. And definitely seems sweeter earlier on in the wear. With the EDP, I remember not getting much of a specific coffee scent and I still don’t get that in the Extrait, but I know that others do smell it. Instead, it becomes an almonst fully ambery vanilla scent in the drydown. Like Casamorati Lira‘s vanilla, with an incense twist. Easier for me to get comfortable with than the average incense.
Overall, I think it’s a good, dynamic incense fragrance, with a nice amount of sweetness; it doesn’t get cloying. I don’t remember the EDP to the point that I can make a proper comparison.