FRAGRANCE DU BOIS
SIRENE

2024

PERFUMER
Nanako Ogi

cherry
pepper

incense
lactonic notes
oud

benzoin
cistus
moss
labdanum
cypriol

‘Sirene embodies the essence of mystery, sensuality, and empowerment. Beginning with a captivating burst of cherries, a bold declaration of feminine strength that demands attention. At its core, a melody of incense weaves a dance of elegance and intrigue – an invitation to a journey of self-discovery and personal growth, encouraging you to unlock and embrace the Sirène within.’  – Fragrance du Bois

Sirene is a story with two acts for me. The story begins a lot nicer than I expected, or better yet, more to my taste than I expected. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have the happiest of endings.

Looking at the bottle, the marketing and some of the notes, you wouldn’t be crazy to expect a super feminine leaning, youthful, light and fluffy scent with the lactonic notes especially. Sirene is not that, at least, not to me. I’ve heard a lot of people call if feminine; I would at the very least say I was surprised at how substantial, dense, even a bit smoky this was. I think it is 100% unisex, the way a rose-oud is.

Even when I smelled it on paper a while before the release, I was surprised at how rich it smelled. When wearing it, this still holds true. It’s cherry, but quite a hefty and vibrant fruitiness. Like a mix between cherry and blackcurrant; with some acidity, some darker edges, some bubblegum aspects. Cherry fragrances have been overdone in this era, but I was pleasantly surprised initially. Towards the mid, it started smelling more like a bunch of familiar scents, but not any one in particular. I’ve seen Sirene compared to Creed Carmina, and I definitely got a similar vibe from it instantly as well; I think it’s a good reference point. Sirene smells at least twice as well made and the textures and feel of it is I find far superior to Carmina.

As it starts to dry, it becomes more creamy. I get images of a (forest) fruity yoghurt or candy, but it is still substantial. The fruits become softer, but they are not bright and light. I thought about a comparison to Atelier des Ors Pink Me Up, but Sirene feels more mature. I think it’s closer to something like Ormonde Jayne Arabesque; there was even a moment where I was reminded of the soft fruitiness in Amouage Jubilation XXV, albeit that Sirene is a more accessible fragrance up to this point than the Amouage by a margin.

So far, so good. I was impressed actually. Sadly, Sirene, like so many others, nosedives into the drydown (looking at you Love Delight). Sirene gets almost cloyingly sweet; sugary. Multiple people remarked on this going into Baccarat Rouge territory; I don’t really agree. What this does in my experience, is to go into a generic, overly sweet rose-oud like direction. Something you’ll find among the weakest of Terenzi or Montale. Middle Eastern inspired perhaps. Totally dominating the entire drydown and all the positives I mentioned earlier, about it feeling mature and not as generic as it could’ve been, are thrown out the window.

Again, more substantial than I was expecting. This drydown lasts on my skin, it’s sweetness sticks to skin and that cheap sugary edge ruins the experience for me as it honestly started to get on my nerves several hours in a little bit.

So close. So close.