Comme des Garcons • Incense Series Kyoto • Fragrances

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Kelzilla on 10/4/2012 9:57:00 PM more reviews by Kelzilla

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Red   Eyes: Green    

I was excited by the prospect of this series, though only Jaisalmer and Ouazazate hit the mark with me, and I refuse to buy even those because of their unforgivably minute lifespan. That's a dealbreaker for me with higher-end fumes. If I'm paying, you better be staying.

Having been to the titular town, I can't say I'm reminded of it by the notes apparent here, and there are basically only two or three; stock white cedar, vetiver and distant, synthetic sandalwood. I know my conifers; I am surrounded by them every day and if they smelt like this, I'd probably have committed suicide by now. I have very forgiving, non-sweaty skin that takes EDP like a dream and it still can't save this; it's a very lineal confab and unfortunately that line is headed downhill at a fairly fast clip into toilet-bowl pine and hippy car seat covers.
I might add that I've never been to a Japanese temple that smelt anything like this, and I SNIFF THE PILLARS, dammit. It just doesn't. The thing that comes closest in my mind is my great grandmother's very blackened incense brazier after ten years of retirement from active duty and the same amount of furniture polish.

Ironically, it's the most persistent of the four in this series that I've tried, and the least attractive. Medium sillage. I am also bothered by the sturdy but budget looking canister. That thing is naff.

Not a masterpiece. Check out Serge Lutens FEA instead.

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debrsl on 3/29/2011 12:02:00 PM more reviews by debrsl

Age: 44-55   Skin: Dry   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

An incense with depth. Very nice. Not too masculine; could easily and happily wear this when I'm in the "must have incense!" mood.

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*TOP REVIEWER* alba75 on 3/3/2011 12:38:00 PM more reviews by alba75

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I have read reviews about the series "Incense" and have been intrigued with it. So I purchased the samples of "Kyoto" and "Zagorsk" from the luckyscent.com. It is a wonderful online retailer, which offers samples of fragrances, thereby helping its clients to avoid making an expensive mistake.
Overall, I would say that Kyoto accurately reflects a mysterious atmosphere and solemn serenity of a Japanese temple. The smell was smoky, woody and subtle at the same time. It is like a smoke from incense permeating in the air. Alas, I found this perfumes too masculine.

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*TOP REVIEWER* tessture on 11/23/2010 2:06:00 PM more reviews by tessture

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

Obviously this one doesn't work for everyone. get a nice complex incense that primarily reminds me of Sandalwood in the Japanese manner. It's a good wearable Comme/Garcons incense, which is the first, as their others tend to be harsh and too woody on me. This one is very nice. Dunno about Luca Turin's opinion and don't care. Snobs always annoy me. I do agree that Comme des Garcons tend to be overpriced, though. Still, based on the scent alone, I really like it. Will I be buying it? No. Too expensive, so only three lippies.

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SwedishGirl26 on 10/13/2010 7:17:00 AM more reviews by SwedishGirl26

Age: 30-35   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Green    

Love this? Please,be smart&buy "Incense" by Matthew Williamson instead - for a near fraction of this overpriced Kyoto. Matthew Williamsons smells niche & exklusive. Compare these two & save your money!!! Differences between the two? YES = The only difference is "Incense" by Matthew Williamson smells much more refined, niche, and expensive!

PS: Luca Turin, perfume-guru of "The Guide" likes "Incense" by Matthew Williamson too!!

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qoo77 on 9/10/2010 7:26:00 AM more reviews by qoo77

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

Not sure what this is, the out of this world descriptions compared to the actual scent does not match up for me.

This is definitely not the soothing, gentle and hypnotic fragrance of the incense sticks I miss from my trips to Japan.

Just a bad cologne masquerading as it, muddled with a lot of other notes.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Artbabe on 8/16/2010 5:16:00 PM more reviews by Artbabe

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Curly, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

This is my HG fragrance. Smooth, fresh, like sitting in a forest and listening to trickling water. One of the few fragrances I have that I love year-round and can wear any time, it's simultaneously calming and energizing. Also, I love it from first spray to drydown to when it's barely detectable-- every phase is perfect. I think many of the previous reviewers have described the notes better than I.

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*TOP REVIEWER* FeeFee34 on 6/28/2010 1:01:00 PM more reviews by FeeFee34

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

It was the concept, name, and reviews of Avignon that initially attracted me to CdG's Incense series. After carefully reading through the notes and descriptions, however, I decided that while all sounded fascinating, Kyoto seemed the most promising of the bunch for me. And now that I've sampled it, I think it's nice. Very, very nice. Hauntingly lovely, in fact. I smell incense, woods, and pine, and I definitely agree that this is a cool, meditative, ascetic fragrance that remains fairly linear on my skin (which I personally like). I would love to have a bottle of this around, to sniff from time to time. I could see myself wearing this on a stormy winter morning. But for my day-to-day life, I simply don't see myself wearing this at all. I'm much more interested in scents people tend to describe as "sensual," "warm," "comfort scent," etc., and that's far from Kyoto. Kyoto is quite lovely, but perhaps too dry for me. Also, I want to add that incense in perfumery is a bit of a problem for me, since I LOVE the smell of headshoppy stores and street stalls that reek of actual incense, and I simply don't feel that the smokey, waxy quality is ever accurately mimicked, with Kyoto being no exception. There's something slightly medicinal about the incense in Kyoto, something that reminds me of using nasal spray when I have a stuffy nose. Nevertheless, I find this a beautiful fragrance and would want to have it around for the sheer sake of having it around.

Notes: incense, cypress oil, coffee, teak wood, vetiver, patchouli, amber, everlasting flower, Virginian cedar

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ghoulnextdoor on 5/30/2010 7:14:00 PM more reviews by ghoulnextdoor

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Red   Eyes: Hazel    

This is probably my favourite scent in the world - it’s austere and meditative and calls to mind a dark prayer in a cool, shadowy forest temple.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Wyrmiax on 2/21/2010 10:37:00 PM more reviews by Wyrmiax

Age: 44-55   Skin: Very Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

Lovely dry wood/incense scent, very meditative, very calming--you just want to breathe deeply and close your eyes when you sniff it. If you love Tam Dao, Passage d'Enfer, and Ava Luxe No. 23, you will like this. Gets a bit warmer as it dries down, but remains "cool" (but not cold) throughout.

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*TOP REVIEWER* brookebaird on 1/3/2010 1:04:00 AM more reviews by brookebaird

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Blond, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Green    

I love how this scent has such a quietness about it. It's not typical of a incense/woody fragrance genre that have a tendency to be bold and overpowering. This is sublte, stays close to the body, and is light enough to wear to work.
The fragrance has a cedar note which gives it a tiny bit of sweetness. It balances the incense perfectly. The incense is not smoky, headshoppish, or overly "churchy". It can easily be worn on either a man or woman. This is a must try for someone who is just learning to explore non-mainstream fragrances.

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Whiffnotes on 11/6/2009 12:28:00 AM more reviews by Whiffnotes

Age: 36-43   Skin: Other, Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

Finally, an incense scent I like. Subtle but deep. Better than Lacroix' Tumulte for men. Definitely worth a buy!!

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*TOP REVIEWER* proximitythe53rd on 10/14/2009 10:57:00 AM more reviews by proximitythe53rd

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Green    

Kyoto is a great fragrance for a peaceful mood (whether you have one, or you're trying to move into one). The incense is of the meditative sort. The woods are calming, but it isn't sleepy or cozy-smelling.
If you don't like cedar, you probably shouldn't bother, because there is a prominent cedar note in Kyoto.
When first applied, this fragrance is quite strong and clear. It might even seem to be a bit "too much" but it quietens very quickly, and if anything, I think it's lasting power is a bit lacking. Though the incense smell in the opening is a smoky one, the fragrance soon takes on a more transparent quality, as though it's rewinding time to before the smoke. There isn't much sweetness to Kyoto, but the cedar does carry a hint of sweetness with it. Because of the lighter lasting power and fairly low sillage, it's actually not a bad choice for an incense/wood fragrance in warmer weather. I consider the smell unisex, though some may interpret it as masculine as over-sweet perfumes marketed toward women glut the market.
Kyoto lands just outside the mark for me - it's very close to being what I'm looking for in a good incense fragrance, but it's just not quite there. I would love to smell it in candles, room fragrance, or on a loved one. When my decant is gone, I am likely to buy another, but I am unlikely to opt for the full bottle.

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ethan1481 on 9/16/2009 12:32:00 AM more reviews by ethan1481

Age: 25-29   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

I rarely finish an entire bottle of a perfume. This one .. I am on my second bottle now. Ironically, I am not really into incesy, woody and spicy scents at all. However, Kyoto really revolutionises my senses.
Incense scents are very complex and hard to describe when they are all put together in one perfume. But IMO, Kyoto is the best in the entire series 3. It's a very unique blend of incense and woods. It's like the first time you enter a japanese temple. Furthermore, this is totally unisex, but I think it fits guys better than women. People always say good things about this perfume when I wear it.

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*TOP REVIEWER* fpih on 5/14/2009 5:17:00 AM more reviews by fpih

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Hazel    

I just tried my first perfumes from Incense series: Kyoto and Avignon. I must say that my vote goes to Avignon. Although most people here say they found Kyoto the darker of the two, for me it was the exact opposite; Kyoto is brighter, more feminine and easier to wear where Avignon is dark and musty. However, Kyoto disappears quickly on my skin and has almost no sillage compared to Avignon. I don't get a citronella smell but a pine note from it, that I really love; in fact I like the begining of Kyoto mostly. Alas, while it does have a decent lasting power (4-5 hours), it is a scent that stays too close to skin so that it's mainly undetectable by others. So right now, I'll have to pass....

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kelly32 on 2/18/2009 10:40:00 AM more reviews by kelly32

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Hazel    

I finally had a chance to try a few of the CDG Incense series. When I was trying to pick out which ones to sample, several people mentioned getting Kyoto and Avignon as both were very different. Wow, that is an understatement! When I first put it on, I immediately thought it was pleasant and very, very familiar to my nose but I couldn't put a finger on it. Then it hit me, it smells like a citronella candle and like a few other reviewers, I got Deep Woods Off. Don't get me wrong, it isn't an offensive odor and the drydown is much more refined with an incense blend and less citronella. However, I wouldn't purchase it as I work outside now and spend much of the summer already smelling like this! I found Avignon to be much more unique and would be interested in testing the others in this line.

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1fatcat on 12/2/2008 2:07:00 PM more reviews by 1fatcat

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Blue    

This is one of my favorite fragrances of all time. My hb likes it too, so we fight over it.

It smells light, incense-y, and a little medicinal. Very clean. But the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It's just indescribably good.

I became aware of it, when, in a restaurant in Chicago, I smelled the most divine scent I've ever smelled on our server. I'm really shy, but I had to ask him what it was. When he told us it was Kyoto, my friend and I drove straight to the store after lunch a bought several bottles right then and there.

My only complaint - I don't feel like it lasts very long. You end up using a ton of it, and it's a little expensive to go through a bottle a month. But it's worth it.

People are always stopping me or my hb to ask what we're wearing.

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*TOP REVIEWER* pook555 on 8/11/2008 10:26:00 PM more reviews by pook555

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Brown    

This fragrance is a definite winner for me! I bought this and Avignon unsniffed and for once, I feel vindicated since I love them both. While they are similar, Kyoto is more smokey and dark than Avignon to me (but in a good way). I actually love both, but think I prefer Kyoto just the slightest bit more. It has to be the smoke factor - perfectly smokey, slightly sweet with a touch of green coffee thrown in, it's absolutely amazing and I can't get enough of it. Plus, the sillage is pretty good too. I wasn't brought up around incense either (like the reviewer below) so I have no preconceptions when it comes to that (if anything, my dad had some whacky preconceptions about incense and incense-like scents so I grew up incense free - and what a shame that is!). I also have never (and will never) go camping (I'm just not the camping type LOL), but I love the idea of campfires and pine forests - and Kyoto captures this perfectly. I imagine a gorgeous Japanese temple made of cedar, filled with incense and serene monks, in the middle of a lush and beautiful forest on top of a mountain - and that's Kyoto! Bug spray? Nah, but there is a small period of citronella like scent at the beginning - so maybe that's what other people are smelling? When I was younger, I had a folder for my trapper keeper (remember those) that had a gorgeous aerial view of a lush pine forest. It was stunning and I remember staring at it and wanting to be there (and not in school LOL). This is Kyoto! I love this stuff - it makes me want to visit Japan :) Beautiful, beautiful scent - and somewhat unisex but leaning toward feminine (and Mr. Pook555 will not be getting this LOL).

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jemimagold on 7/1/2008 1:26:00 PM more reviews by jemimagold

Age: 36-43   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

It is inexplicable why, in the sweltering days of summer in Houston, Texas, I have had an urge to explore Comme des Garcons' Incense and Wood Series. It makes no sense and moreover, I did not grow up around incense (I'm not Catholic, Buddhist, Russian Orthodox, etc...) or any forests of note so these are not reference smells for me but wow, I am certainly enjoying these perfumes!


Comme des Garcons' Kyoto is the "prettiest" one of the incense series, an austere bunch of scents. It is most similar to CdG's Zagorsk but Kyoto is a wee bit more girlish and fruity incense whereas Zagorsk is uncompromising warm wooded incense. Another observation is that Kyoto is similar style-wise to CdG's Ourzazate in that they both start off powerfully and then gracefully scale back to become almost minimalist fragrances.


If it weren't for today's energy prices, I would crank my air-conditioning way down, pull on a cozy sweater, spray on Kyoto and luxuriate in it! Winter can't come to the Gulf Coast fast enough.


Here are Kyoto's notes, per The Perfumed Court:incense oil, cypress coffee, teak wood, vetiver, patchouli, amber, everlasting flower and Virginia cedar.

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Debeh on 6/27/2008 2:25:00 PM more reviews by Debeh

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Silver   Eyes: Hazel    

I am working through my sample of Kyoto, hoping to find one of the CdG incense series to love. So far, this is my favorite: the incense feels quiet and somewhat green compared to the church organ blast of Avignon. I don't get any of the multi-layer notes mentioned below - to me all the CdG seem pretty linear, but maybe it's because I'm just dealing with a few drops at a time. A very pleasant incense scent, but not FBW for me.

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