Oakmoss Accord

[Gwydion]

OAKMOSS ACCORD
Oakmoss is a lichen that grows on the branches and trunks of conifers and deciduous trees. Oakmoss' scent can vary, depending on how it is grown and which tree has housed it. Generally, it is deep, earthy, green, moist, and tenacious, though oakmoss grown on pine trees may possess a thinner, sharper scent. Some extractions smell vaguely leathery, and some are velvety green, while others can be dry and woodsy.

In perfumery, oakmoss is considered a base note, and it is often employed as a fixative. It adds depth, a sense of grounding, and solemnity, and acts as an anchor for more capricious notes.

In bottle: Yep that is oakmoss: Mossy green and vaguely masculine, one of my favorite base notes. Wet: By itself, you can start to pick out components of the accord, but they still read as a united whole. It's little juicy, very sexy in an aftershave/men's cologne sort of way. Dry: Exactly the way oakmoss smells on the drydown. Slightly powedery moss, with the more complex elements burned off.

[Cinder and Smoke]

So first a disclaimer: I neither have a very refined nose, nor do I have any idea what oakmoss is actually supposed to smell like.

However, I quite like this scent. It doesn't really smell like moss to me. Rather, it's a very light and clean scent that reminds me of fancy bath soaps, but not the 'grandma' kind. It's green without being too sharp or overpowering, and I think it's a nice break for when your nose is a bit tired of super heavy, dark scents. It does seem to get a bit powdery on the drydown, but not too badly.

[ladymeag]

Yep, oakmoss. This is the scent that is responsible for the green depth in some of my favorite green-forest-y scents and also responsible occasionally for their soapy scent deaths.

 

In the bottle - I don't know how to describe this but green and fuzzy. It's like ... if green velvet was a scent.

 

On my skin - First whiff is soapy. This is common for me with unaged oakmoss scents. Underneath that soapiness, I can get a hint of the deep woodsy goodness that it might become in a year or more. I tend to like this better as a basenote (but oh do I like it as a basenote,) so I'm going to hang on to a decant's worth but don't feel the need to hoard it as I do with other single notes.

[Lani]

Green, woody, sharp, dark, and very masculine. I love oakmoss, and I really like this single note. It's quite strong, and there is a tiny hint of soapiness, but I really don't notice it unless I'm really looking for it. This would be a great scent for a fancy party in the dead of winter.

[SophieCedar]

Wet: pine, cypress, tea rose, dark aquatic note. Not the Oakmoss I'm used to.. but very intriguing indeed. The version I aged since I was a wee 16 year old was very leathery.

 

Drydown: mostly tea rose and a dark aquatic note with a touch of vetiver on me. Murky, sullen, contemplative, heavy, dark. It keeps getting muskier and muskier... and browner.. and deeper. Wade through the wet phase and you have a magnetic load of awesome...give it time. I'd advise any fan of the lab's Ambergris Accord SN to snag a bottle and age the hell out of this!

[mymymai]

ITB: This is a woodsy, smoky, leathery, and slightly floral oakmoss. I have to admit, I wasn't expecting such complexity out of this single note.

 

Wet: Yes, this is rather leathery, although there is a slightly sharp pine-quality faintly underneath he earthy greenness.

 

Dry: It's more leathery than green now. It's masculine, but in a positive way.

[theseagrows]

hmm this wasn't like i expected it to be, but many of my absolute favorite bpal's have oakmoss as an element, but for some reason, in those, the aquaticness of this accord doesn't come out much. this is much more aquatic than i was anticipating, giving it more of a clean feel. i can't really do aquatics, truth be told. this reminds me of shampoo or a sweet, herbal shower gel. kind of reminds me of the really old herbal essence shampoo from the 70s or 80s. i think i'd love this scent in a shampoo! just not sure i will get much wear out of it in general.

[MCS4096]

I waited for reviews of this one anxiously. Until it became available and I was made aware of it, I didnt realize how many blends I own have oakmoss as a component. Once I read a few reviews I knew I had to order it.

 

So glad I did! This is one beautifully complex SN.. Sweet, salty, floral, leathery, green, almost citrusy at times... just amazing.

[zankoku_zen]

Heavy, deep, masculine aquatic.

 

Oakmoss, to me, would actually make a very effective male scent.

 

Simple, masculine, aquatic.

[theredkilt]

Salty, mineral, herbal, green scent.

 

This blend will shine on my skin in the summer heat.

It reminds me very much of Eau de Paco Rabanne Pour Homme.

Edited December 10, 2013 by theredkilt

[milo]

A green, fresh scent. More unisex than feminine or masculine. You could layer this one quite nicely, I think to add a bit of an airy, green quality. I agree it would be nicer in the summer months. I'm glad I got to try this, I finally know what oakmoss actually smells like!

 

eta: It kind of reminds me of the Ambergris SN as well. There's a salty ocean vibe about it.

Edited December 26, 2013 by milo