A rare specimen can be found today in the Duft-Tagebuch, namely the niche fragrance brand Nomenclature with their latest creation red_wood. Of course, the futuristic label with the synthetic fragrances was already represented more often in the Duft-Tagebuch, but compared to other brands less. The last article on Nomenclature is now three years old again, which may not seem like much at first glance, but in our fast-moving times it can be half an eternity.
When I think that my youngest will already be four years old next week … Awesome! With children, you notice very clearly how the years go by, how quickly time passes and how fleeting it is. Soon you realize how many years you’ve been alive and wonder how it could have happened so quickly and almost unnoticed. I suspect that I’m not alone in this … Or am I? 😉
Our today’s protagonist named red_wood, on the other hand, revolves around a living being that is clearly more constant and long-lived than we humans, that has already existed on this earth for several million years and that can thus be seen as a resting and calm antipole to the frenzied time I just propagated: the sequoia tree.
A short botanical excursion
The giant sequoia – or in clever “Sequoiadendron giganteum” – belongs to the conifers and can reach an average height of almost 100 meters. They have an elongated habit with a narrow crown and a long, extensive trunk that is often branchless to a considerable height. The red-colored wood and distinctive bark gave the sequoia trees its English name, redwood. The giant sequoia can be found and admired in famous national parks such as Yosemite or the National Forests – sometimes only single specimens, but in some places entire redwood forests can be found. By the way, Stuttgart’s Wilhelma also has a few specimens that were planted there in the 19th century – for anyone interested who has never seen one of the wooden giants and is up close.
“One is mystically transported to another plane of existence, to another dimension, just as the redwoods seem to be outside of time and outside of our ordinary thinking. The redwoods, once seen, leave an impression or vision that is remembered forever. It’s not just their incredible size or color that seems to change before our eyes, no, they are not like other trees we know, they are ambassadors from another time.”
John Steinbeck, American author – 1962
The oldest specimens, such as the famous “President”, which stands in a protected area in the Sierra Nevada in the US state of California, are more than 3000 years old. So the designation “ambassador from another time” is quite conclusive and true.
red_wood – Nomenclature
Perfumer Frank Voelkl has once again taken on the creation of a fragrance for the brand Nomenclature, since most of the creations of the New York label around the duo Karl Bradl and Carlos Quintero go to his account. Besides, Voelkl is also known as a perfumer for other brands such as Aedes de Venustas (also founded by Kurt Bradl), Le Labo or Kilian, to stay in the niche fragrance segment.
For red-wood Frank Voelkl uses the fragrance notes juniper berries, eucalyptus, bergamot, star anise, cyclamen, rose, allspice, lily of the valley, suede, patchouli, musk, cedarwood and labdanum (cistus). The press text emphasizes the synthetic fragrance Norlimbanol, which smells intensely of woods and carries amber-animal nuances.
There’s no wood like red_wood
This much in advance: red_wood is not of the cozy variety when it comes to scent. Immediately after spraying on, you’re right in it, in the scent, in an intensely woody atmosphere in which tingling juniper berries unite with menthol-like cool eucalyptus, bedded on exceedingly dry wood. Really dry. Almost latex-like features show up. Elusive spices shimmer in the background. I think I perceived the coolness of the star anise in the course of the appearance of eucalyptus and juniper in the top note.
These are also still very subtly sniffable in the background. Allspice brings a slight spiciness to the lush and still dominant woody notes, which have that shimmer I find so often in synthetic fragrances. Gradually, soft suede and earthy patchouli join the woods in red-wood, calming the scent a bit and making it a little warmer – also thanks to a touch of musk powder and a knife tip of labdanum.
Elusive, ethereal and radiant, red_wood is an exceptionally dry woody scent with a consistent freshness and coolness that only warms up a bit in the finish. A creation without sweetness that pays homage to the raw material wood. By the way, the name redwood fits great, because I feel the fragrance actually shimmers in sienna red, a color that I personally associate with warmth though. Nomenclature, however, proves that they also exist in cool. A must-try for fans of the New York label and for all who love spicy-fresh woody scents.
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