Broken Theories
Kerosene (2015)

Bonfire amber. Broken theories, ideas ablaze. The thick smoke of a wet wood campfire whirls through the trees of a balmy conifer forest. The smoke is opaque with grays and blacks, tarry, piney, sticky and a touch sweet. There is a bit of oud in here but it’s not fecal, animalic, hay like, leathery, or medicinal, it’s straight woody, which actually does a lot of behind-the-scenes work to give the smoke accord plenty of body. The smoke strings down to touch the base, but by the time the dry down arrives it has mostly broken up into pungent and earthy cured tobacco and spices nestled on a bed of very light balsams and vanilla.

I get compliments every time I wear it; people tell me it smells amazing, but that curiously doesn’t coincide with many wanting to actually wear it. I think the outsized and outlandish smokiness is probably a lot more challenging for wearers than the occasional passers-by. If you’re looking for a wood smoke amber that is unabashedly so, look no further.

"Broken Theories" takes a notably different opening approach compared to some of the sweeter fragrances within the same line. It presents itself as more transparent, woody, and less dense and sweet in comparison to scents like "Followed" or "Blackmail." The oud note in "Broken Theories" remains unobtrusive, projecting a predominantly woody character, while the incense and tobacco notes take center stage.

This fragrance shares some DNA with "Blackmail" but also exhibits distinct characteristics. "Blackmail" leans toward vanillic and ambery notes, delivering sweetness, whereas "Broken Theories" leans more towards dry woodiness, with only a subtle hint of vanilla, lacking the pronounced sweetness found in its counterpart.

Performance-wise, "Broken Theories" offers decent longevity, though it may not match the powerhouse performance of the sweeter offerings. The combination of woodiness and spices in this fragrance evokes a sense of familiarity with "Bois d'Encens." Although it's not a direct clone, the light spices and dry woodiness create a reminiscent feeling. "Broken Theories" carries a vibe that wouldn't be out of place in the Armani Privé lineup.

While "Broken Theories" boasts higher quality than many designer exclusives and comes at a more affordable price point, it might underwhelm those who were impressed by the outstanding performance and flawless execution of the sweeter fragrances in the same line. However, if you're seeking a straightforward, dry woody scent with hints of incense, tobacco, and subdued spices, "Broken Theories" fits the bill. If sweetness is more to your liking, "Blackmail" would be the preferable choice.

I still went with a full bottle of Followed but give this a sample.

Broken Theories speaks directly to my fantasy of trekking home through snowy woods towards my rustic-but-architect-designed log cabin, in Fair Isle leggings that miraculously don’t make my legs look like two ham hocks in a sack, a Golden lab at my side, and the pink-tinged winter sky above my head tilting slowly towards indigo. A thread of sweet, tarry woodsmoke – from a far-off campfire, perhaps, or even the wood burning stove lit by my husband, Mads Mikkelsen – hangs in the cold, crisp air.

Pause and there is the heady scent of scattered forest homes gearing up for the night. Someone is revving their jeep to check if the winter tires are ok. Someone else is smoking a cigar while peeling an orange. Someone is smoking vanilla pods in their shed for some fancy artisanal market niche I’m not aware of. There’s an illicit coal fire in the mix too – not terribly environmental, the neighbors bitch, while surreptitiously gulping in lungfuls of the familiar charred scent of their childhood like junkies.

But the best thing about these aromas in that they are too far off in the distance to distinguish as one thing or another. Sandalwood, leather, oud, tobacco, vanilla, woodsmoke, burning sugar, dried kelp, and tar all melt down into one delicious aroma that is definitely more a collective of environmental ‘smells’ than perfume.

I love Broken Theories and really want a bottle. But the sweet woodsmoke-campfire genre is a crowded one, and bitter experience compels me to be clear-eyed about where this fits in the pecking order. First of all, let me admit that Broken Theories smell very, very indie, and by indie, I mean it smells like a number of popular woodsmoke perfume oils from companies such as Solstice Scents (especially Manor, Manor Fire, Grey’s Cabin, and Inquisitor) and Alkemia (especially Smoke and Mirrors and Fumé Oud à la Vanille). I’m fine with the association but all the same, the indie vanilla-woodsmoke theme (a) does tend to smell a bit samey from brand to brand, (b) is gummily (albeit enjoyably) indistinct, like several woodsmoke stock oils or ‘house notes’ thrown into a jerrycan, and (c) doesn’t carry quite the same degree of elegance as a masstige or luxury perfume featuring woodsmoke, e.g., Bois d’Armenie by Guerlain or Bois d’Ascèse by Naomi Goodsir. That I smell this type of ‘indie-ness’ in the vanilla-woodsmoke aspect of Broken Theories makes me hesitate.

However, I can think of many other perfumes – some of them luxury, some of them prestigious indies -that Broken Theories beats into a corner with a stick, and on balance, that tips the whole decision into the yes direction. For example, while I like Fireside Intense (Sonoma Scent Studio), it is too bitter-smoky for me to wear on the regular without me feeling like I am wearing a hair shirt. Bois d’Ascèse has a similar problem, in that there is a harsh woody aromachemical in the base that makes wearing it a chore – there is no such problem in Broken Theories, which beds down the tougher smoke and oud-leather notes in a balmy vanilla softness that feels as comfy as those fantasy Fair Isle leggings. And Broken Theories is infinitely preferable to the popular By the Fireplace (Marson Martin Margiela), a perfume whose sharp, burnt sugar and viscous campfire or wood aromachemical makes me physically nauseous.

Broken Theories is, however, not as good as Jeke (Slumberhouse) or Black No. 1 (House of Matriarch), other perfumes with a strong campfire or woodsmoke element. But it is cheaper, lighter, and easier to obtain. It is roughly similar – both in quality and execution – to the wonderful Winter Woods by Sonoma Scent Studio, and by process of elimination, I guess I’ve narrowed it down to a choice between this and that.

Conclusion: Broken Theories is one of the best woodsmoke scents on the market today. But it only makes sense if you don’t already have a plethora of other woodsmoke scents to fill that particular niche. My fantasy self and I will be having words. (Edit: I broke down and bought a bottle)

Between the searching and the need to work it out
I stop believing everything will be alright
Broken
We are broken

I'm walking uphill being turned around and 'round
Secret in motion when my feet are on the ground
Broken
We are broken

This is nice. It's starts off as a smokey incense and then eases down into a lovely vanilla-tobacco which stays a little smokey. I guess the nearest comparison, which others have made, is Tauer's Lonestar Memories, but where LM is more on the rough / outdoors side, BT is polite and very much more indoors in the same way that CdG's Incense series is, and stays very close to the skin. It's a really well crafted combination and one of my favourite tobacco fragrances so far.

A smoky impression of burnt woods greets me in the initial moments. With time the aroma of a burning pipe tobacco of an unimpressive quality arises, but more incense-like smoke than actual discernible specific tobacco fumes develop on me then.

In the drydown touches of orange and whiffs of grapefruit are transiently present, with more sweetness added in by a vanilla note; at times it becomes a bit like a vanilla-flavoured pipe tobacco. The vanilla is much less vivid that Tom Ford's Tobacco Vanille on me. Woodsy elements develop further down the track, with a somewhat tangy oudwood being complimented by a weak sandalwood in the background. All these seem to have been the victim of an incendiary attack, and the smoke, still modified buy the incense component, remains dominant throughout.

I get moderate sillage, excellent projection, and right hours of longevity on my skin.

A smoke-incense composition for winter or the open camp fire, which is done quite well on the on hand, but on the other it lacks development, and many on the notes, some of the very synthetic, are pushed too much into the background by the overwhelmingly dominant dyad. Al least it is not another rose-oud product... Some aspects remind me of Tauer's Lonestar Memories. Overall 3/5