Reviews of Bois Rouge by Tom Ford

Just for a second it reminds me of CK Obsession for Men, but it goes into its own direction. It has a distinct 70s/80s masculine dark vibe. Opens up with a beautiful citrus, then goes straight into the dry woody cedar note, leather backs it up. It has a beautiful spicy smokiness. Nighttime fall/winter only.

Also this is a cousin to Japon Noir, except this is more woody and dry.

This one always flew a little under the radar, sitting in the shadow of Japon Noir from the same original lineup. This is a potent composition of smoked leather, resinous woods, and ambered patchouli. It's beautiful in the cooler seasons, and one of my favorites from the house.

Finally wearing the discontinued Tom Ford Bois Rouge, a bottle that I blind bought earlier this year, a great deal and purely by chance–considering it's a discontinued fragrance from the Private Blend line that's generally difficult to come by–having read good things about it, and those good things are generally true.

It's spicy, woody, semi-animalic fragrance that feels both a little antiquated and right-on-the-nose as far as contemporary scent profile. Its note list consists of bergamot, florals (jasmine, lily of the valley), patchouli, woods (cedar, sandalwood), amber, leather, vanilla, and vetiver. It's provocative while being harmonious, with patchouli, leather, and vetiver giving things a kick vs. the freshness of bergamot and the relative comfort of the florals, amber, vanilla, and woods. I enjoy its density and again how it harkens back to more classically masculine powerhouse fragrances while simultaneously being a modern unisex multifaceted creation.

It's an outstanding performer, really quite great and consistent with the Tom ford Private Blend releases of the late 2000s, albeit not as much of a powerhouse as Tobacco Vanille, Noir de Noir, or Amber Absolute. And while it's in the same vein as Japon Noir–another discontinued Private Blend from the 2000s–in terms of its spicy and slightly animalic character, Bois Rouge is not quite as provocative overall, I'd say, despite being a little bit easier to wear than Japon Noir. The comparison is warranted, though.

I'm quite impressed by Bois Rouge and glad that I have it.

8 out of 10

I am a little baffled after wearing Bois Rouge and comparing its listed notes with what I smelled. My perceptions are also rather different in its details from what most reviewers assess this scent to be. I primarily find it to be a spicy, woody scent with prominent leathery undertones. I find an accord of woods and leather that isn't far removed from Bel Ami or Declaration. I find Bois du Portugal mentioned, but they are somewhat different in my books due to the nature of the spices. While I am not able to isolate individual spice notes in the Creed, Bois Rouge smells of something that distinctly hints at cumin. On my skin, Bois Rouge lasts an appreciable six to seven hours with moderate projection for about the first three hours.

Bois Rouge isn't anything special, but a decent, commendable woods fragrance in an overcrowded genre. I find it to be a tad synthetic smelling at times (as is usual with Tom Ford Private Blends) as opposed to something like Bois du Portugal or Bel Ami which possess natural elegance. Bois Rouge has some mild smokey aspects that add a dimension of interest. Bois Rouge sits at the cross roads of the leathers (Bel Ami) and woods (Bois du Portugal), but is much less distinctive than something like Declaration that occupies the same niche in my books. Overall, Bois Rouge is more likely to appeal to Tom Ford collectors than discerning enthusiasts.

It is nice, but is nice good enough?

3/5

Atypical, pleasant, and thought-provoking are the main descriptions I'd give to Tom Ford's Bois Rouge scent.

Woody-oriental-leathery-sweet-green is the vibe I get from BR. Requisite bergamot opening leads into the funky forest of fragrance sensation that closely resembles TF's Japon Noir. Earthy, sexy, sublime EdP that defies immediate definition, BR feels smoky, oily and mossy as well, with tasteful dashes of jasmine and patchouli.

I read some reviewers liken aspects of BR to a soiled rag soaked with mechanical oil; I agree with that assessment, but I'm glad that this is not the dominating essence of BR...just a daring quality that takes it to a new direction (I got a similar vibe from Bulgari's Black, which has a candlewax and smoke thing which smell odd on its own, but it is a contributing aspect that shapes that scent into something much greater).

Moderate sillage and okay longevity. Worth checking out for its atypical quality; opinions may differ on whether it'd be wearable, man or woman, and that would require an in-person test spritz.

Probably one of the weirdest TF private blends if not the weirdest. It has the skeleton of Japon Noir but has this sweet woody band-aid ish hypnotic thing going on. I guess it's sandalwood. I don't get leather at all...I'm at a loss for words on this one, it really is very hard to describe and not in a good way. Not sure why I ended up buying this one...probably because it says Tom Ford Private Blend on the bottle and is discontinued. Unlike Japon Noir though, which is one of my favorites, this one barely gets any use at all. This one like Japon Noir isn't masculine or feminine, it's just plain weird! Sorry I know that isn't doing it justice or helpful, but I don't know what else to say lol.

A nice, old fashioned sawdusty sandalwood, dusted with cinnamon and pepper, passing through a green phase before drying down to a careful vanilla and ambrox. There's also a weird synthetic chemical smell over everything that kind of reminds me of the smell of a band-aid. Perhaps they were trying to simulate a pinch of oud, or maybe it's a tribute to the late 70's woody chypres that drowned in weird waxy plastic synthetics. Either way, the smell isn't bad, though I'd MUCH rather wear BDP or Santal Noble for my retro sandalwood fix.

My real problem with Bois Rouge has to do with its concentration. Something in there (I think it's that plasticky aldehyde) is ratcheted up so high that it knocks out my nose, leaving me smelling nothing when I sniff myself. Meanwhile, I occasionally catch whiffs of very strong sillage, so I know it has kept going. Personally, I find this style of building perfumes very frustrating, and so I'm lowering my vote to a neutral in protest.

From the begin I get, after a brief moment of harshness, wood and mild smoke and that is what remains. On my skin the wood develops nicely, but close to my skin. Longevity is not great - about two hours.

On my skin, this smells like a greasy rag from a mechanic shop. It's smokey for sure, but the oily rag odor kills it for me. I think it's too smokey, to be honest.

No bueno (for me). I much prefer BdP by Creed.

Bois Rouge reminds me of Creed's Bois du Portugal. Both have a similar wood accord, which is the central theme. The differences are that Bois du Portugal is highlighted with a sharp lavender and has better projection. Bois Rouge has a smokiness not found in Bois du Portugal. I think this Tom Ford is quite pleasant and deserves more than it has received to date.

Bois Rouge surprised me as an unusual leather fragrance on my skin. It`s interesting that it doesn`t seeem to be a dominant note from the reviews i read, but on me the leather is the key aroma. It`s a dry leather with a suede touch, something like a new leather jacket aroma, but less dry. I get a fast citrusy opening, followed by a metallic flowerish aroma, and then what dominates on me is a dry, ambered, woody leather. It`s not a strong one, it haves a light projection and sillage, but a fair longevity on my skin. Sounds elegant, and it`s one of my favorite citric leathers at this time.

I'm afraid I couldn't last until the promised two-hour nirvana -- the powder and amber and vanilla were making me a bit nauseated.The comparison to various other fragrances (BdP, Habit Rouge, etc.) seems apt. Bois Rouge is vaguely classical but nondescript, like the perfume mirror in which you see whatever you want to see. I can imagine it generating a lot of tangential associations, none of which are really exact fits.

I believe Bois Rouge is misunderstood and not well tried out due to the price. The comparisons to Bois Portugal are remote at best. Creed's juice has a chewy vegetable like nature to it and just smells old and tired to me. Bois Rouge is another Tom Ford that asks a lot up front. The inky opening can be intoxicating if you're ready for it. If you're not, it's a long ride to get to the next part of the journey; about 2 hours later, you'll find a heavenly luxurious incense woods that rivals the Amouage offerings like Epic Man and Jubilation. This part of the dry down lasts for many hours and is incredibly far superior to Bois Portugal. Due to this exercise in patience Bois Rouge requires, it's not an easy thing to judge, and surely not a daily wear. I scored a free 4ml sample, and bought another off ebay and I'm pretty much set for life. I'm happy to add this to the arsenal.

I'm with SirSlarty on this one -- I picked up Bois de Portugal. Actually, I picked up quite a big of Habit Rouge in the opening, but the drydown was almost identical to Bois de Portugal. For the price difference, I'll just buy testers of Bois de Portugal.

Opens with a crisp citrus accord (bergamot?) and then dries down into a base of cedar, sandalwood and patchouli sweetened by some vanilla, a little amber and to my nose maybe even a little cinnamon.Unfortunately this scent stays fairly close to the skin, not unlike some of its brothers from the Private Blend. It certainly doesn't project in the same fashion as something like Tobacco Vanille does. It is however a very gentelmanly scent, in the same vein as Guerlain's Heritage (EdT), Habit Rouge (EdP ), or Creed's Bois du Portugal. However I'm not sure I prefer it over them.I hesitated to give it a thumbs up, since projection and sillage are such large factors with scents, especially with this kind of price tag.

I have some serious doubts about this being unisex. I would take a seriously brave or butch woman to pull this one off. That being said I think I'd like this on my husband. Maybe. I get an inky accord in the top notes I hope goes away-being just sprayed I'll have to wait to find out. I do get the medicinal quality as well. Like opening a new package of bandage wrap. Other than that I get the wood note. I have it, I know where I have smelled this before. The smell of a tree being cut down by a chainsaw: the fresh cut wood that is "hot" from the blade cutting into it and the scent of chainsaw oil and maybe a little gasoline. When I was young I was around someone who did this and I know the smell. That's what Bois Rouge reminds me of. I'll give it a neutral because it's a little out there for me. I wouldn't consider this a scent one should smell like unless you're a lumberjack.

Smokey tea with a slice of lemon...then settling into a smokey, spiced wood. Very comforting, dry and warm. For me, it leans toward the masculine, although it is completely wearable by either gender.

A light spice and sweet woods not too unlike Bois du Portugal. I get some vanilla in the base and gives it a gourmand twist.

The open was satisfying and acceptable but nothing I got excited about. It was decent and pleasant, but forgettable. However, I really don't like the midle. It turns sharp, medicinal (not in a good way like a good oud), and "cheap" if that makes sense. The drydown is actually quite nice but I can't fight all the way through just for a 'nice' end result. I LOVE the private blend series and have plenty on my top list, but this one fell very short. I don't hate it, but I wouldn't buy it compared to the rest in its class.

A woody and spicy scent of the strong and boozy variety, like liquid wood concentrate. It almost has a gourmandy quality of cherry, marzipan or bitter almond. Quite original!