GOLDFIELD & BANKS
SILKY WOODS ELIXIR
2023
PERFUMER
Olivier Cresp
ambroxan
fig
fig leaf
rose
clearwood
orris
saffron
cypriol
peru balsam
tolu balsam
vanilla
guaiac wood
musk
australian oud
oud assafi
Silky Woods Elixir is a different take on the popular Silky Woods DNA. I wore the original in the same week and revised the review for that, which you can read here.
Elixir is a very different story from the first chapter. Greener, more forest-like. The fig is very prominent and in particular the slightly bitter rucola-like fig leaf instead of a fruitiness. It doesn’t fully remind me of another fragrance, but perhaps something along the lines of the opening of Houbigant Figuier Noir is an indication. In comparison, this leans more traditional masculine to my nose from the jump and doesn’t instantly register as a vanilla scent, the way the original does. In fact, if I were to smell this blindly, I would never guess from the opening that this was a flanker to Silky Woods. Although, it shows its familiarity underneath and that becomes more and more noticeable throughout.
The milkiness of the fig starts to come through after some minutes and blends well with the growing sweetness. I remarked that I never found the original as creamy or milky as other reviewers have stated; to me it’s more transparent and sugary. In this Elixir, I feel more of a lactonic facet. That being said, it’s still much more green and woody, and less straight-forward gourmand or vanilla. What comes through more is the darker woody elements, with the sweetness being more of a team player, than an all encompassing blanket. I also don’t find the saffron-leathery aspect to stand out here, unlike in the original.
It’s a nice scent and less generic than the original Silky Woods. However, as someone who doesn’t love that leafy green element, straight away, this was less up my alley. I grew to like it more as it evolved, but it would never make it to be a favorite of mine.
Credit where credit is due. I think it’s a bold move; while I have heard mostly positive reactions to Silky Woods Elixir, I would not consider safely recommending this to lovers of the original, especially women. If you don’t mind green and you want to double down on the woody/oudy aspects of this DNA, the Elixir offers an interesting change up. In a field of flankers that do the bare minimum to stand out, I think at least, Goldfield & Banks took a chance with this one that is praiseworthy, even though it misses the mark for me personally.