Un Bois Vanille Serge Lutens for women and men

Well, this is a difficult review to write because I’m a huge fan of Sheldrake. I’m trying so hard to like this. I was just sure I was going to love it and I have a great big bottle of it now.
All I smell is licorice and beeswax. I cannot even smell the vanilla. I’m sure it’s just me because other people have not said this.
I think that this really may be men’s fragrance that I can’t wear. That won’t stop me from trying! Lol.
I just can’t quite get past that licorice smell. It’s very sweet and I can see why some people would love this, but it is not a true vanilla at all. I said, I think that this is falling on the side of Manly for me.
Hopefully, I will update this later with more positive notes

It's really delicious aroma, but not too much. The heart of it made from caramel crust, coconut candy, melted vanilla ice cream and spices (maybe wormwood).
Also it smells like when you set fire to paper. For some reason it also seems to me that it smells a little like burnt wiring, especially at the beginning, and it's my favorite minutes of its life.
I didn't know that I love vanilla and burning paper so much!

It was a blind buy for me because I love vanilla and the rest of the notes also resonated, and I found it discounted.
Based on the notes, reviews, the house and the fact that this creation is over 20 years old, it is exactly what I had expected. Soft, dry vanilla and coconut against a woody background. A bit retro, quiet, feminine, warm, perfect for winter/fall or chilly evenings
it's not a modern gourmand playful-girly kind of vanilla, it's rather more mature
I don't get any baby lotion/sunscreen references, this is much deeper and the woodsy notes come through quite quickly
I'd say a must-try for vanilla lovers, it's very classy

This smells like sunscreen and pool floaties to me. It was better on paper. What I experienced does not resonate with the other reviews at all.

A very cool vanilla. I don't usually like vanillas, but in an air-conditioned room this is luxurious, rich and cool without being too intoxicating or tooth-achingly sweet. Nice. Would completely 100% recommend this vanilla for non-vanilla lovers like me! Still doesn't quite suit my usual climate, which is warm and humid, it's disappointing on the blotter and on skin back in my usual tropical humidity.
Soft projection and moderate longevity, perfectly unisex.

When I first sprayed this, I thought NOPE! I don’t know how, but they managed to make this smell exactly like Baby Magic or J&J baby lotion and I hate the smell of baby lotion. I don’t know why, but I’ve always despised that smell. I thought I was going to return it immediately but as it dried down the more appealing notes started to surface and it became more tolerable for me. I look at all the notes and think yes, yes, and yes! The only questionable note is the licorice. It doesn’t smell like licorice but somehow the combo with the coconut, anise, and beeswax are smelling like mimosa and baby powder. I layered this with Sunny Side Up and I managed to save it and make it more my style. I’m not really sure why it’s called Un Bois Vanille because I’m not getting wood, I’m getting mimosa. I’m not really getting coconut either, unfortunately. I’m on the fence about it now. I actually like the Mimosa in Not your Baby and that smells less like baby lotion than UBV. So, if you like that vibe, baby powder scents then I say go for it!

The lightest colored juice in my, so far four strong Serge Lutens collection.

The opening is entirely dominated by the beeswax note. Sweet, but fresh, light floral honey covering the waxy surface - these bees have being gathering fresh pollen from spring and summer flowers for their hive and have not been fed any sugar water.
Once the beeswax note starts to calm down, the bitter tones come out - people think "coconut milk" would smell like coconut flakes, hence why some reviewers in here are trying to mindbend themselves into feeling "coconut note" which isn't there - coconut milk smells bitter-sweet and slightly lactonic, which will be a better descriptor to the note that comes into play after the opening (mind that none of these are official notes provided by the house, aside from vanilla, black licorice and sandalwood, so we are all using our experience and not in small part our imagination here).
In the drydown, the scent goes into more of a smooth, creamy direction with the vanilla and sweet woods, but i am not ready to call it "balsamic" or "woody" yet - the beeswax and the bitter lactonic notes are still there, albeit much subdued.

This type of fresh sweetness for me wouldn't work the greatest during the winter chill or in the high summer heat - but for every other weather, it fits.
For me, this is a more unisex scent than the rest of my SL bottles - even the rose bomb that is Santal Majuscule.
This is not a "Sir Michael Caine in his 50s" type of scent, more of a "David Beckham in his late 40s (or even Victoria)"

All and all - another different, complex, multidimensional scent from a great niche house. Not for every taste, not for every occasion - but if it works for you it will be a gem in your collection.

I went at a local perfume store and tried it on paper.
High quality Vanilla, dark and resinous with a smoky background. Smells a bit like a candle and I usually do not like candle smell in a perfume but this one is very well done.
I will try to obtain a sample to test it on my skin.

This was not my cup of tea. It is very heavy on the licorice, which I don't hate, but it surprised me how heavy this fragrance was on the beeswax considering it being a top note. I adored the coconut and how they managed to not make it smell tropical and childish, but the note didn't linger that long and was overpowered by the beeswax and licorice. The woodiness combined with the beeswax and vanilla makes it smell like a candle or a soap bar, and I am not a fan of that. This is indeed an airy vanilla, but I wasn't ready for it to smell so dry. At least I enjoyed how it wasn't very cloying, and I was actually quite fond of the drydown since it smelt clean with a hint of woods and vanilla. Someone compared the drydown to Van Cleef & Arpels' Orchidée Vanille, and I agree that the base is similar. Maybe Orchidée Vanille would be good to layer this with...?

My kind of vanilla. Even at it's sweetest, during the opening, it is not cloying or sugary. I can detect the coconut, but again, it doesn't knock you out or give this a tropical impression. I'd say it mostly contributes to the lactonic quality of the scent, with wisps of raw coconut peeking through. As it dries down, other elements emerge and work cohesively, providing a base, and the woody notes that add the "bois" to the "vanille". I'm particularly fond of the sandalwood. I also love the addition of bitter almond.
Overall, I get the impression of a non-gourmand vanilla with woods and other notes that emphasize the nature of vanilla without making it particularly edible. I think it's beautiful and sophisticated, but cupcake lovers should stay clear if that's what you're expecting.

A real crush for this Bois Vanille which offers an intense, deep, sweet, almost dark and mysterious vanilla.

It has something "liquorous", "boozy", "syrupy" or at least that's the effect it gives me; quite difficult to put this sensation into words but it really reminds me of a thick and sweet liqueur in which black vanilla pods have been dipped, almost a potion.

It's a very beautiful vanilla which really changes from the vanillas I'm used to, which has character and which has its own universe; I need it!

I sprayed this lovely, soft, warm vanilla on my wrists before bed and 8+hours later I could still smell it. Surprising for such a light, airy vanilla!

This would be pretty for anyone wanting to layer with a sweet but not toothache inducing vanilla or to wear on its own.

This was a blind buy for me (great deal on sale) based on the note breakdown and I could not be happier! As a vanilla lover, this perfume is unique enough to complement my collection.

Such a smooth, well blended, inoffensive fragrance. Opens up sweet from the vanilla and beeswax, but dries down to a tonka/vanilla (not very sweet), a bit of coconut & almonds, all smoothed out by a creamy sandalwood...lovely.
After 4h it becomes a cozy close to the skin scent.
Unisex I would say.

I ordered a quarter-ounce travel sprayer from my fragrance-of-the-month club, and I can already tell that I'm going to use this up to the last drop and rue its absence, even though I have at least a dozen good vanilla-centric perfumes in my collection. As others have noted, this isn't similar to most of the other vanilla perfumes. It's a bit drier and woodier, but there is a slightly unctuous accord coming through that must be the beeswax and coconut--it gets creamy, but not nearly as sweet as, say, Libre Intense or Mon Guerlain Intense. I think of all my vanilla perfumes, it reminds me the most of Lalique Le Parfum, although that one has a strong sage note that is absent here. There is a touch of licorice, but I don't notice it nearly as much as I notice it in Lolita Lempicka Lolitaland, for instance.

I do understand why some people compare the scent to that of a candle, but that doesn't bother me. I guess I would rather smell like a scented candle than a slice of pie. Either way, if it's a perfume with more than a drop of vanilla in it, my husband will invoke the Pillsbury Doughboy. I'm getting just as much wood, wax, amber, and balsam, but your mileage may vary. If you're iffy about vanilla, you should probably procure a sample before springing for a full bottle. The travel sprayer size is good for me, since it often takes me a few wears to decide if I truly love something.

After several hours' wear, it is starting to remind me of Van Cleef & Arpels Orchidée vanille--it's not quite as sweet or as floral, but the bases are quite similar.

Update: wearing over the past couple of days in an attempt to use up my smaller amounts and decants, before they go off or evaporate, I am once again impressed by the longevity of this fragrance. It doesn't have much throw--my husband insists that he can't smell it unless his nose is practically touching my skin--but that could be a good thing for many people. I haven't worked in an office with other humans around for years, but when I did I occasionally upset one of my more sensitive colleagues. Well, I can't imagine that happening with this fragrance, unless you aggressively sprayed it on them, and only a truly depraved profligate would waste expensive Lutens juice like that. I can't let myself buy any more perfume this year, and I have already gone over my desired budget, but I will be genuinely sorry when I run out of Un Bois Vanille. I'll have to console myself with one of the dozens of other vanilla-woods fragrances I have, but not one is very much like UBV.

Update: Well, there is one that is very much like UBV, and that is Dua Brand A Vanillac Wood. The Dua "impression" is an extrait, so it has a bit more throw, arguably, but they are remarkably similar on the drydown. UBV is likely smoother and more complex, but I don't think many people would be able to tell them apart blindfolded.

I’m generally not moved by full on gourmands, but Un Bois Vanille is NOT a dessert smell to me. It is a gourmand, but it reads to me as perfume, not candle. It’s not cloying. On me the beeswax is prominent in the opening; it almost goes tropical floral, thanks to the coconut milk note. The licorice and sandalwood are sort of in the background to add depth and spice, while the sweet woodiness of the drydown comes through. This is not a typical vanilla. I’m highly considering a FB.

The best creamy toasted coconut macaroon smell.
Something just makes it veer more towards perfume than coconut cake though.
Lasts forever on my skin.
Perfect.

Obviously really sexy and gourmand and exactly what the name tells you. I bought this last winter and adored the scent but struggled with the longevity and projection. I felt like it would be unnoticeable after like...eleven minutes...and it would frustrate me to no end. I stopped wearing it come summer for this reason, and because it's definitely one for the colder months, but I recently picked it up again (January) and am shocked by how well it's doing. Was I just nose blind before? Or has it miraculously found its strength over time? Unsure. It's been several hours and the smell is so strong and amazing to me that I had to open fragranatica for the first time in a year just to talk about it. I'm really glad because I love this fragrance so much. I am someone who believes in signature scents and likes to wear one perfume at a time, and for most of the year it's Jicky by Guerlain, but this proves a beautiful supplement for the darker and colder days when the halitosis is hitting a little too hard and you need something that smells like a sophisticated yankee candle to keep you warm and cosy. Excited to see how my feelings develop over the next few wears.

This, to my nose, is a fragrance that truly differs when aerosolized vs when dabbed onto the skin. Since the Serge Lutens' square bottles (whatever they're called now, I know them as the "Export Line") come with both the option to attach a sprayer or use as a splash bottle, I have tried both application methods at length. And yes, while the scents largely end up at the same place, the path to get there varies quite a bit, and I think explains some of the reviews here.

First, I will briefly explain what I smell when spraying: a quite screechy, play-dohy vanilla with shrieking wood and coconut running through. It lacks the depth of what you would expect from a Serge Lutens fragrance, and seems to be a straightforward Vanilla-Coconut-Wood.

However, by dabbing this fragrance on your pulse points, you are met with a truly wonderful mix of coconut sugar cookies, vanilla, and something slightly salty (the licorice). There is a touch of those very classic Serge Luten's spices at play here, and keep the fragrance from going entirely gourmand. The vanilla is much less prominent here, and is very smoothly blended. It also is not as loud (of course, depending on whether you're dabbing out a whole bottle's worth, or being a bit more conservative). As it dries on the skin, a wonderful, slightly animalic, honey/beeswax gives the gourmand scent a bit of "texture."

In the end, after letting this sit on your skin for a bit, you get a very nice "salty" vanilla and honey poured over white woods. But, if you want to skip the synthetic, play-doh aspects, skip the sprayer!

Woody Coco Vanilla. To me it's predominantly coconut butter, though I smell a lot of wood too, especially in the opening. Sweet, on the edge of gourmand. Beeswax gives it an interesting facet. This vanilla is not trying to please anyone, it expects being appreciated for what it is. Not a love for me so far, but I suspect this might be a grower.

I was so excited to test this but the opening is just giving me hard-core fabric softener 😭 Sadly it's a no from me

Un Bois Vanille is a sweet coconutty woody vanilla, which I find very pleasant, comforting and beautiful in its simplicity. It is very easy to like but it does lack the depth and richness of some other masterpieces of Serge Lutens. I still consider it one of the best vanillas I have ever smelled.

First impressions (on paper):
Hmmm smells very coconutty. It’s giving Yankee candle. Let’s see how I feel about it later.
Edit 1:
Just put it on before I went to bed, and I gotta say this smells very sickly sweet coconut vanilla. The beginning it smells like toothpaste or something aromatic in there. Hmm.. it could be the licorice. It’s also intimate even with moisturizer.
Edit 2:
Ooof the guaiac wood in this and licorice is not working with me. I’m kind of getting some plasticiness on my skin.
Edit 3:
yeah compared to my other vanilla perfumes this is a no. I think that licorice, guaiac, or coconut is giving an aromatic plasticyness that I’m absolutely not messing with. Why is it smelling like butter that is almost rotting. The very dry down is woody.
Edit 5:
Ooo you know what this reminds me. If you love bake by akro you might like this. Not the same AT ALL, but they have that same on the edge of being too sweet for me, and too airy. As for me I guess I like my vanilla with more of a bite to them.
Edit 4:
I've used it all up, and I have to say I'm still having the same feelings I had before about it. It's still giving a burnt plasticines on my skin.
Edit 5:

Summary:
Smells like: Lolita Lempika (-Cherry + Synthetic Coconut +licorice)
Family of: Goumands (Nothing else smells like it)
Sillage: Moderate-Intimate

Verdict: Pass- I love interesting gourmands, but this one missed the mark for me.This is a translucent vanilla that reminds me of a buttered croissant with no nuttiness, and some aromatic plasticyness. I’ll use the rest of my sample, and be done with it.

name change suggestion: un play doh vanille ??

this is overall quite nice - it's a honeyed vanilla almond with kisses of coconut and musk. a comforting clean scent for after a shower/before bed. but for some reason the beeswax note gives play doh af on my skin and it really sticks out. it's reminiscent of the weird plasticky taste i get at the back of my throat when i smell cacharel's eden (but WAY more bearable lol). i just wish there was more woodiness to balance out the sweetness and give it some pizzazz, but i think it's my fault for setting my expectations too high.

i guess my other main issue is the longevity, as this only lasts ~1 hour on my skin before it's gone. tbh my little roll-on vanilla bean perfume oil by kuumba made outperforms this designer creation. this will have to be reserved for at home enjoyment bc it's just not strong enough to wear outside.

overall, i think i'll use this until it runs out, but i certainly wouldn't repurchase. (i would even be willing to part ways with it prematurely if you have something interesting to trade - dm me ;p)

Warm, tropical: Palmer's Cocoa Butter, warmed coconut oil, hints of almond and a plastic-like smell reminiscent of makeup products. The woods, tonka bean and musk help to add more depth and atmosphere to Un Bois Vanille; this adds a serious element, setting it apart from sickly sweet or overly vanilla fragrances.

I could see Un Bois Vanille being worn during any season; it has a depth that fares well in Fall and Winter, but also a tropical feeling that translates well to the warmth of Spring and Summer. This fragrance was much more basic than I had imagined it to be. This is not necessarily a bad thing. This is a fine example of a solid sweet vanilla perfume.

This smells like plastic and like a crayon and then like coconut.

EDIT: Oh wow. I left this on my shelf for 3 months and something incredible happened. This turned into a profoundly delicious vanilla cocoon. I love it. I am blown away by its transformation. When I sprayed this months ago it was a scrubber, but now it’s beautiful.

Perfect vanilla fragrance for anyone wanting a sweet but not gourmand scent. For men who want to take a dip into the sweeter side of things, I think this is perfect.
The beeswax note MAY come off as crayon for childish noses (JK).
Great for a cold winter day and evening out.

Overpriced Cheirosa 71.
A coco butter lipbalm smell.
The drydown is bearable.

For a long time I wanted to try this one since notes seem right in my alley and when I did I was disappointed.
When I smell it immediately reminded me of Vanilla Wunderbaum car freshener.
Like reviewer below mx88 I can say the same thing that it smells synthetic and cheap in my opinion...

I really enjoy vanilla, but this gives me a headache the longer it's on my skin. It's a rough, sickening, and synthetic vanilla. Think cheap candle and car freshener. There's something in there that seriously reminds me of benzene with a hint of car shop metal. This should have been called Un Benzene Vanille.

Dry,, slightly hazy vanilla and beeswax, perfectly blended and wonderful, unfortunately with very weak projection, on me just skin scent...

Un Bois Vanille, or "A Vanilla Wood", is a lovely vanilla scent with a hint of woodiness. I used it during a weekend in a cabin by the lake, and it was perfect for cozy fall nights by the fireplace.

This fragrance stays close to the skin and doesn't project strongly, giving it a more intimate feel. It's surprising that it was created 20 years ago and is still popular today. While it's a good scent, there are now stronger and more projecting vanilla fragrances available. Nonetheless, it is still a timeless choice for cozy and close-to-skin vanilla scent.

One of the best vanilla perfumes. I think Byredo tried to make something similar with Vanille Antique. This is coconut, vanilla, burned caramel and a warm woody scent. It is well balanced. It is suitable also for warm weather because of the coconut. Smells high quality and very sophisticated. Just use in moderation, too much and it does get heady. One small spray works best. 9/10

It took times to review this perfume for these reasons:

- I have tried earlier older formula and it was SO amazing. This is as well but I wish I never smelled the old one.

- I was waiting if this will change after letting it sit for a while but it didn’t yet. I was waiting for some depth from the old formula. Maybe after one year or so.

Yet, this is one of the best vanillas. What do I love the most in it, is the natural Vanilla smell which is not too sweet even if I think there is Beeswax as well. Secondly I love that heavenly smoky cloud from burnt woods over Vanilla. It’s gorgeous. Some may find this a little bit powdery as well. An older formula was mysterious and darker but this one is more linear and bright with it’s somewhat simple clean musky base.

Un Bois Vanille is a mature Vanilla, not girly juvenile stuff which you can’t take seriously. This works even with a suit, especially creamy white or light beige colors. It matches with the softest Cashmere jumper hugging you in the chilly autumn evening.

Serge Lutens only mentions Mexican black Vanilla, Sandalwood and Liquorice in their site and they never offer “a full list of notes”. Coconut, Almond, Benzoin, Tonka Bean, Musk and Guaiac Wood pop out in many sources and it all make sense but honestly I don’t detect any of those separately.

Although I get more spice than I'd like, it's still a great vanilla base and I find myself reaching for it often. Layers nicely too. Pleasant.

Soooo addictive once you wear it and understand it. Wow, it's uniquely beautiful a' la Serge Lutens. I feel that some reviewers forget that Bois is wood, so I feel this is what they smell when they are getting a burning note? I think it's beautiful. To me this is a eyes roll to the back of my head sent. A love for me. ❣️

I truly wanted to love this one since it is my first niche fragrance ever, but it smells like straight vanilla incense to me, the cheap one you bought at a chinese dolar store. the woods here are extremely musky, like burnt. The vanilla note smells ok, you instantly know it is good quality so it rescues the perfume a little bit. Overall, I do not hate it but it is not my favorite either.

I got a vintage year 2015 batch XSP38 X bottle to sell, new and sealed.
Contact me if you want it and you can also buy it on eBay (166376678392). Worldwide shipment.

Coconut like vanilla, leans feminine. I wouldn't want to smell like this, but this smells delicious!

I don’t know what else I can add to this beauty that others haven’t said. It truly is one of the most gorgeous vanilla scents I’ve smelt. I love it . I have about 25 bottles of various Serge Lutens perfumes. One of my favorite perfume houses. If you love this one you must try Santal de Mysore. It’s the most breathtaking perfume I’ve ever smelt. A bottle is very expensive but it’s so worth it. Try to get a sample. You’re welcome…..

Not gourmand on me even though my skin tends to amplify sweetness. This is too powdery and musky to be edible. It also has a strange metholated top note along with an animalic mid that I don't enjoy. I prefer woody and/or smokey vanillas and this is not it. Decluttered.

Not your typical vanilla, it is bitter, herbal, nutty and has just the right amount of sweetness to balance it all out.

Un Bois Vanille is such a happy & cozy vanilla fragrance. She's perfect for a fall/winter romantic night staying in, snuggled by the fireplace with some boozy hot cocoa. This fragrance makes me feel so fuzzy, warm, and cuddly. But make no mistake, she's not juvenile despite being fuzzy. There's the perfect amount of elevation in her juice without being too bold.

Any vanilla/gourmand lover will come to adore her.

I sprayed this in my friends hair and I couldn’t stop smelling it. It smells like burnt hair (ik weird) and vanilla. Idk how to explain. Comforting yet mysterious. So good and strange. There’s a poem i think that goes like “burnt hair and chipped teeth, ripping off my angel wings” idk where I heard this but it stuck w me and everytime I smell this perfume I remember of that poem. Really lovely but not a crowd pleaser in my opinion

I held on to Un Bois Vanille for ages despite not liking it very much and today I’m so glad I did. After a very stressful morning this warm, coconutty vanilla with its calming woody depth fairly leapt out of the box to bring me some peace. Seemingly gone is the too-strong honey/beeswax note that put me off before, and gone is the cloying scented candle smell I’d once experienced. Beeswax, sandalwood, tonka, almond—all notes that can easily ruin a perfume for me—are just whispering so I barely notice them. And the crazy thing is it’s probably too warm for this today but it’s doing good things to me, so I’m looking forward to trying this in the fall.

Un Bois Vanille has the same DNA as Santal Majuscule just brighter and with more vanilla, coconut and beeswax, it's nice but I still prefer Santal Majuscule over Un Bois Vanille

Love this vanilla!!!

Delicious and defiantly a lovely perfume I like to have in my collection. On opening the scent is very heavy on the coconut for me and drys down to a subtle vanilla. This a good quality, complex vanilla fragrance. I do wish the projection was a little stronger for me it is very intimate. For me this leans more feminine.

This was love at first sniff for me. On my skin it starts with coconut and ends with vanilla. On my clothes I smell mostly beeswax. The sillage is pretty good. I sprayed it four to five times on my clothes this morning, and that for me was overspraying. I was smelling beeswax all throughout the day--easily 12 hours, and the scent is still there, so it has excellent longevity. I haven't found anything else like Un Bois Vanille. I'm glad to have it in my collection.

Vanilla taken to perfection. Not a candy-sweet, artificial vanilla, but the real thing, of the best quality, blended masterfully. This would really shine in the winter months, and I suspect it would make a great base for layering. I don’t enjoy vanilla scents, I find them too sweet and headache inducing, but this is beautiful. Smooth, mature, and natural.

A fragrance that just wraps you up like a comforter in a coffee shop that melts the worst of the world’s evil into its warmth and milky amber hue.

Very nice vanilla layered on a coconut bed, with richness and weight behind it. not a basic vanilla scent, it has content.
Will vary depending on your skin

Also I get a hint of animalic, like civet, but its not listed

I didn't expect this to be a fruity vanilla, but I definitely smell plum or some fruit in here. Possibly raspberry or lemon?

Un Bois Vanille is lovely. It starts very heavy on the coconut, but let it dry down and the vanilla and beeswax become the stars. Licorice (a note I sometimes struggle with) balances the sweetness, while the sandalwood, almond and tonka are soft in the background.

Projection is intimate to moderate and longevity is moderate. It's a scent for you and those close to you.

I find this one really interesting on my skin. The vanilla note is lovely, not synthetic smelling or too overpowering. It balances very well with the beeswax, which is surprisingly fresh yet deep. It does somewhat lean into smelling like leather cleaner at points but I actually quite like it, I dislike leather notes on the whole but this reminds me of leather without being it. It becomes powdery and warm smelling after a while, it's warm, sweet but balanced out with spice and freshness. Definitely has me interested in trying more from this brand.

What a beautiful resinous vanilla fragrance, this house never disappoints. Yes this sits closer to the skin so it’s more intimate. A beautiful date night fragrance. I love it and am happy to have it in my ever expanding Serge Lutens collection.

This stuff is like a journey into a forest full of honey! Being a vanilla addict, I bought it blindly and it did not disappoint. The opening has a scent of vanilla blended with honey, beeswax and caramelized goodness. It's like getting lost in a beehive! There's a hint of licorice that balances the sweetness and adds a smoky note. As it dries, the vanilla fades into the background and honey and coconut milk emerge. It's not too powdery, more creamy and milky, with a touch of almond and warm woods to give it some strength.
it will always be with me.

it smells like burned Vanille and it's so divine but I am not sure if I wanna smell like that. I would prefer my bed smelling like this.

A sensual and gentle scent.
However, coconut is stronger than I expected.
Coconut > Vanilla > Sandalwood.

I have found in Serge Lutens perfume house a group of fragrances that are less complex , not hard hitting , resinous, spicy and more wearable . I truly appreciate Serge’s artistry and uniqueness. I’m in awe of his mastery but I don’t feel I could pull off his quirky , well received masterpieces and this discouraged me from buying those fragrances . Not for the faint hearted and I’m in that group.

In the last three months , I have amassed 8 bottles and counting . I can’t get enough of his simpler and softer fragrances. I would like to believe there is a market for this group .

Upon sampling Bois de Vanille , I realised that I’m not a fan of gourmand notes being at the forefront of the fragrance .

I like vanilla notes as the base notes of florals such as with Serge’s Datura Noire which I have and prefer .

But Bois de Vanille is way too sweet for me , which of course is just my taste. I can see this being a much treasured vanilla scent for others .

Vanilla candle. Possibly the safest blind buy from Serge Lutens

I expected this to be something... more. I mean, it's fine, but I expected this to be richer, denser, something. But it is a more a usual vanilla extract, the coconut is more akin to regular coconut smell, rather than the just the creaminess (as in hypnotic poison, which I guess it's closer to what I was expecting, rather than sunscreen-y)
And the beeswax. I'm not quite fond of the scent, and I expected it to be more of something to give texture and a tinge of the scent, rather than something that is so easily percieved, or at least for it to be a bit better blended... but this on me reads pretty much vanillin, coconut and beeswax. That's it. A pity, I expected so much from it... It's such a raved about vanilla, and ended up being a letdown.

A masterpiece. Vanilla, woods and beeswax. It's warm, it's comforting, it's sweet but not cloying.
I get a hint of tobacco at some stages, which I don't love, but it's faint enough to sit in the background.
I could see myself wearing this in winter but it's beautiful in the heat of summer too.
10/10

Un Bois Vanille smells like fall in a bottle to me. At it's simplest it's a woody vanilla, but it's not at all simple. It is smokey and spiced with a waxy sweetness through out. The sweetness is very slight but because of the beeswax it still feels rich and a little heavy. I don't specifically smell the coconut milk, but it seems to add a smoothness to the composition. The woods are more burning wood than fresh-chopped or dry wood.

There is something perfectly fitting wearing this outdoors on a crisp fall day. It blends so beautifully with the fresh air and if you close your eyes you can imagine you are walking through the woods even if you are inthe middle of the city. Because of this, I always think of this as a fall scent. It works just as well in the winter, but there is something magical about wearing it in the fall.

Un Bois Vanille is a straight up unisex fragrance for anyone that likes an interesting vanilla. I am surprised to see that so many people here have voted it as more feminine because I would love to smell this on a man as much as I enjoy wearing it myself. Reading some reviews, I think that some people get a lot more sweetness that I do. Perhaps that's why some find it more feminine leaning. My bottle is the currently available black label bottle.

The performance is excellent. It lasts forever on clothes and easily 8-10 hours on skin. The projection is also solid. It projects to al least arms length for most of the wear and a bit beyond for the first couple of hours. I find it too heavy if I overspray. I would suggestion starting with a light spray (2-4 sprays) and add a little more if needed. I tend to wear 2 or 3 sprays and add an extra 1 or two late in the day, if I want to wear it well into the night.

Serge Lutens is a pretty reasonably price niche house. The retail pricing is quite reasonable anf the deals at discounters can be excellent.

I smell the coconut, vanilla and almondy notes. This is the first Lutens fragrance I've sampled, it is truly a very beautiful perfume and I instantly enjoy it. I get the beeswax but it is not a cheap candle ish one, it is like a very expensive candle hahah...

Smells good on everyone I’ve smelled it on. Definitely a cold weather fragrance. Smells like a smoky, complex, tonka vanilla. Sometimes I pick up the beeswax. I am really picky with musks and I adore this fragrance. It’s in my top 3 fragrances of all time.

A bit of a let down next to the other deep, moody Serge Lutens fragrances I'm currently testing.

The vanilla in this is soft and warm, smoothed across a pleasantly scratchy base of licorice and almond. However, there's a sharp edge of something synthetic in here, perhaps the mix of beeswax (a note I'm not super familiar with) or coconut (a note I often dislike) with vanilla.

I'll give this another shot but I don't anticipate I'll change my mind.

Edit: I think the decant I got from fragrancenet was in a dirty bottle or just needed some time to settle. Either way, the synthetic note is gone now. It stays woody and amber sweet from the opening, amber richness and fullness without being overly gourmand.

I was expecting more "bois" in this fragrance. I'm getting a warm fluffy sweet vanilla, with a little bit of olive brine to it. I don't reach for it as much as Scents of Wood Vanilla Bourbon, or Spiriteuse Double Vanille, or Commodity Gold. But I'm wearing it today for a lunch meeting, since I can't imagine it overpowering anyone's meal or offending anyone.

this fragrance contains a lot of my favorite notes yet I don't really care for it. I usually love vanilla, beeswax, almond and licorice and usually like coconut too so I expected to love this fragrance but I don't. I don't hate it but don't like it very much either. Serge Lutens Un boise Vanille smells identical to a scented vanilla+coconut candel i have so maybe this is what Keeps me from liking it. I love gourmands but Un Boise Vanilla isn't a gourmand to my nose. it's not delicious and foody. it's syntethic smelling just like a vanilla candel. unfortunately I can't detect much almond or licorice or powderyness here.
it shares the exact vanilla, coconut DNA as Alexandre J Oud Vanilla but that one has an added oudy, leathery masculine heart which adds bitterness to this sweet game and makes me dislike it even more.
اگه کسی این عطر رو میخواد(برای خرید یا تبادل) پیام بده. تو پروفایلم توضیحات بیشتر رو گذاشتم

Oh man, this is the next one on my must buy list!! I don't know what took me so long to test this but this is amazing!!! I have Vaniglia De Madagascar by Cocoapink (an indie brand that I adore) and the two are very similar. The sillage on this leaves a lot to desire for my beast mode frag heart but I don't care. I need this pronto. I don't get the similarity to Alexandre J Oud Vanilla. That was very leathery and I returned it. I was worried that there would be an oud or leathery note to UBV because of the "this reminds me of" fragrances. I hate oud and leather and I can't tolerate either even in the smallest amount. I get no oud and no leather, thank God. I give this an 8 out of 10. IMHO, this is a safe blind buy if you love vanilla. I haven't met a Lutens fragrance that I don't like. This included.

For the first hour or so I smell cat pee. Am I the only one getting that? It made me so self conscious because I stupidly sprayed it directly on my skin and clothes to test it the first time. My fiancé couldn’t smell the cat pee note though. And once it went away it was absolutely divine. Not too gourmand. Smokey, waxy, and lovely. I just can’t get past that smell though. If it lasted for only a few minutes maybe, but an hour or two? Yeah, I can’t. I’m still searching for the perfect smokey sweet fragrance that isn’t vanilla-cakey/syrupy sweet.

First experience was an explosion of sweetness. A bit too much for my liking.

Mmm vanilla with an overabundance of dry sandalwood!!! I thought this was going to be the lamest perfume in my serge lutens sample set but I was wrong. The sandalwood and tonka notes kind of remind me of Guerlain's Samsara.

I can't speak for others, but this lasts all day on my skin. Warm, vanilla and beeswax. On me it's sweet but not sugary. One of my favorite vanillas.

Thought this would be a safe love for me as a vanilla lover (ok, not really, I just said that for effect because no Lutens is a safe blind buy hah!) but something about the mingling of the beeswax and coconut puts Un Bois Vanille squarely into sickly sweet territory for me. It's weird because this is absolutely a yummy, warm composition that seems to melt into one's skin but something about it is massively off-putting to me. As I've said, it's actually quite lovely but you must love the waxy honey coconut scent, which I do not.

Un Bois Vanille is very captivating, in a particularly appetizing sense, particularly in the opening, but it dries down clearly feminine to my nose, and this comes from someone with a very loose sense of gender in perfumery.

What I get is a lovely coconut opening, lactones coming together with benzoin, a powdery vanilla and sandalwood to create the impression of a fluffy marshmallow. As time passes the woods really take over, with heaps of caramel-like benzoin, sandalwood (javanol among other compounds I believe) predominating and some incense cutting through with beeswax and powdery facets coming into the picture as well.
This further evokes the scent of a roasted sweet, a smore with molten marshmallow starting to crystallize and grow a bit charred on the sides.

In the dry down the benzoin and sandalwood feel 'overdosed' in a way, overindulgent and overwhelming, but it definitely feels thematically appropriate with 'vanillic wood'.
For a similar yet more masculine alternative see Lubin Korrigan, sandalwood taken to a smoky cream liquor territory.

Waxy vanilla candle. Not my taste but i appreciate the originality and the creativity of this.

07/11/22 edit: I think this has grown on me. Even when compared to Art & Materials Guerlain line, this holds its own. I would easily take this over something like SDV. This is so much more interesting and fun to wear.

Magnifique vanille gourmande très pâte d’amande un parfum d hiver Pour une température froide réconfortant à éviter pour les pays chaud à forte chaleur c’est insupportable donne des nausées// hivernales 8,5/10

Ahh yes this is very very nice. One of the most beautiful vanilla scents I have smelt in a very long time. Then not even an hour in…..it’s gone. Not even a skin scent. It breaks my heart …..Why oh why did you have to go and sell out, Mr Lutens? Your fragrances were a thing of beauty, perfume art. But you sold out to Shiseido and they greedily and selfishly reformulated all of your beautiful fragrances, butchered so many. What a shame. Serge Lutens was one of my absolute favorite perfumers.. But I won’t be repurchasing any of my perfumes when I finish them. I have about 16 bottles of all my favorites and a few back ups. So I’m good for quite a few years. I will never understand why such talented perfumers who seem so passionate about their craft, out of nowhere just sell out. Estée Lauder and Shiseido are the worst. They have ruined all of the best perfume houses. They reformulate perfumes with cheaper alternative ingredients and use many more synthetics and accords. So they can make much more money. And consumers always notice and we are pissed off. The only way we can fight back is with our pocket books. Just stop buying. When they lose money, they will understand that we will not put up with it. I have moved on to smaller Niche houses like Papillon and MDCI, Kerosene and the lovely Francesca Bianchi. I’m also really loving Areej Le Dore but this perfumer is not for the average consumer. He uses mostly naturals, animalics and ouds, So you have to like very challenging fragrances. I absolutely do.

Love the smell, but it barely had any sillage and it disappeared after just 30 min. sad

It smells like a coconut vanilla custard. Too foody for my taste...

although this is a pleasant smell, it is wayyyy too sweet. And I’m a fan of gourmands. Literally made me nauseous I had to sell it 🥴

Beautifully mixed spicy vanilla <3. I did not expect to like, got a free sample after shopping at Serge Lutens's website and was pleasantly surprised. It opened up as a licorice and fennel(?) nonsense, but after an hour it opened up its mellow, only slightly spicy vanilla heart. It kind of reminds me of Initio Absolute Aphrodisiac which I love, I believe it UBV could be its decent dupe.

Woody and lightly spicy coconut milk and vanilla extract. Lovely shades of anise and licorice, definite waxy effect, that beeswax is prevalent.
Perfect for autumn & winter, can get away with it in spring.

Unsure if it's full bottle worthy. First impression is it's good. Smells like a cinnamon cookie or maple syrup with some spices. A little waxy like a candle or car freshener.

I can see similarity to Creamy Vanilla Crumble yet this is more harsh to my nose. Where as CVC has a beautiful softness yet loud projection. The lasting power to my memory for Un Bois Vanilla is ok. I do find CVC drys to a Vanilla rich and decadent. I see many similar voted are Middle Eastern scents. Very deep and sensual. I can definitely see that. I will give this one a retry maybe a travel spray. Seeing I have CVC It may be nice to layer and give a hard edge. I can also see this or CVC layered with Escapade Gourmande to give a crunchy sugar coating. Mmmmmmmm, yum!

on me, it opens very oud-y and woody, especially when i spray it closer to my skin. can’t say i’m a huge fan of this opening, but it develops into a deeper, woody vanilla throughout the day, which i am definitely more fond of.

when the initial spice and woodiness fades, Un Bois Vanille ends up smelling quite similar to Montale’s Sweet Vanille, which i’m a big fan of!

overall, i like it.

Un Bois Vanille is very pretty. It smells like cookie dough on my skin. I get vanilla and almond sweetened by beeswax and coconut. The wood, licorice, and benzoin notes serve as a backdrop and add soft spice and texture. Personally I'm not smelling the musk note and it is probably used to add an air accord to the heavier notes. My first thought when I sprayed UBV was that it would make for a lovely candle fragrance. I really think it is beautiful but it has limited wearability in my perfume wardrobe. I'm enjoying wearing it around the house for the time being.

Softly spiced woody vanilla with a little liquorice. The beeswax is more of a waxy background note than the in your face waxy honey note that you get in Hiram Green's Slowdive, but it works far better in this context than if it was a more honey note. I also get a kind of soapy bubblebath note to it after a few hours.
I wore on a sunny 25C day, for a long walk where I got quite sticky, and it stood up to this and still lasted and projected. Can't wait to try it in colder weather too. Another great fragrance by SL.

love the experience, it' perfect for my skin and also for hot weather. This perfume is really giving me summer vibes.

I was so excited to test this as I've been aware of it's fabled position as one of THE notable vanillas. When I uncapped my little sample, one of many vanillas I got from Surrender to Chance, I thought, wow! Is this it??!! Have I finally found you? My ultimate vanilla frag? My perfect match?! I hastily dabbed it on my wrists and neck and the testing began. The verdict? I liked it but on my skin it very quickly transformed from the initial smell of a bright and maybe floral vanilla to this formidable combination of beeswax and coconut, with something underneath like a touch of molasses? I was so thrown. "Un Bois Vanille" was supposed to be about woods and vanilla but at least on my skin that's not what happened. I'm wondering if I missed something and feel like I need to give it another go to see if I get a different impression, but for now, I have to say I think Lutens should've called this "Cier d'abeille (beeswax) et Noix de Coco (coconut)."

Opening of this perfume makes me sad, probably because it reminds me of beeswax candles, cloak of a priest and cold marble floor in empty church although the scent is warm. Later it becomes more coconuty and comforting but lonely like laying down after shower on soft clean bed but you're home alone. Not for everyday and not for going out mood for sure for me.

ambery spicy fruity vanilla. the amber, licorice etc were too strong for me

Certainly a fragrance anyone can appreciate regardless of age or gender. I’m getting mostly vanilla, beeswax, licorice. Not as wood as expected. The coconut vibe is there too but not as great as vanilla and licorice. Love it!

I’m glad I didn’t blind buy this. It pulls too sunscreen-like on me, and I do make an association with a scented candle. I may try it again in cooler weather to see if we mesh better then. For now, I’ll leave it alone.

Update: So, I ordered a bottle of this and am waiting for it to arrive. I retested and enjoyed it.

This perfume smells like guerulian la patite robe noir mixed with Prada candy. It smells like Dr Pepper and powder . It smells nice but is not very strong at all. ,

So I heard a lot about this one over the years and vanilla being my favourite note, I needed this in my collection
recently I was able to buy it but just in time for that, I came on here and read the reviews for the new formulation and the reviews have really scared me into believing it is a whisper of what it used to be
I have chosen to not buy that and instead went for a bottle of angels share
I wish they'd bring the old formulation back and if and when they do, someone let me know so I can get it

The pre-reformulation version of this is my holy grail vanilla scent. Deep, woody, just the right amount of sweetness, rich without ever feeling cloying to me.
The newer scent is recognisable, but has a somewhat shrill synthetic sweetness on top. Doesn't seem to have the same depth. My "love" rating is for the original, but I do like newer one - though with so many vanillas on the market it doesn't stand out much.

Vanilla! Coconut! a thick waxy background! The licorice note is unexpected and keeps it from becoming cloying. Very gourmand and juicy with a slightly bitter, resinous note. Unfortunately, as it dries, the vanilla and licorice disappear and the wax and the coconut stay behind, in a mix that smells like an old candle (old because not very strong). If you want to smell like a coconut/vanilla candle, this is it. Not bad, but it's a candle.

I am incredibly disappointed in this fragrance. My country doesn't carry this perfume and I had to order it from the UK branch Of Serge Lutens online. Tax and shipping made this a VERY expensive purchase, but I had been buying samples of this perfume for some time and I knew how it smelled on me. I loved it. Imagine my surprise when I spritzed from the bottle the first time; not only it smelled strongly of alcohol but the perfume was gone in under 15 minutes. I tried a second time and the smell was gone in 5 minutes. I'm still in shock, this never happened even with cheap perfumes. And sadly onward looking for a perfect vanilla perfume.

Sweet waxy vanilla, almost honeyed, with some sweet wood. I sampled this in a store and was immediately lovestruck.

Only downside is that it seems to have poor performance. I barely can detect any of it on the test strip I took home from the store and it's barely been 2 hours. Apparently this fragrance was reformulated, which explains why it performs like a wet fart.

Disappointing, since this is one of my favorites from this house. Dua has a clone of this so I might try it out and see if it at least performs better because I love this DNA.

There are so many interpretations of vanilla to choose from when selecting a perfume. Un Bois Vanille definitely differs from others I have sampled. Whether that suits you or not will depend upon your tastes and objectives (and how it works with your body chemistry, of course).

First off... the beeswax. This fragrance has a definite, waxy quality to it. On me, it lasts for most of the life of the scent (even through the majority of the drydown phase). It's the first thing I notice when applying the perfume. This makes it stand out from other vanillas I have tried, and I find myself attracted to the novelty of it.

For the most part, I get burnt sugar (also intriguing and pleasant) and vanilla, but if someone asked me whether this was a gourmand, I would hesitate to classify it as a full-blown, heavy-duty member of the gourmand species. It leans sweet on me, but not *quite* as sweet as most of the perfumes usually found in that category. It's not a candy-sweet sugar rush in a bottle. The lingering sweetness of a pastry might be a better analogue. That said, it's definitely not "sugar-free" or airy and weightless -- there is substance here.

Here and there, I can pick up hints of bitter almond and a smidge of coconut, but they always remain in the background. The coconut never turns into suntan lotion/beach; it always retains that "bakery" feeling. Occasionally, during the middle phase of development, I catch whiffs of what almost smells like a lightly floral honey (which I like... surprisingly, as honey notes and my skin do not always agree). It pairs well with the beeswax.

Sadly, I get very little in the way of woodsy notes when wearing UBV -- which was a disappointment as, based upon the name, I somehow got it into my head that this perfume would smell like eating angel food cake while sitting on ground, surrounded by trees. Try as I might, though... I don't smell any wood. So much for preconceived notions. :)

Of note: I happened to wear this on a day when I was visiting a home which contained a cat. Said cat woke up from her nap, and I greeted her. She proceeded to sniff the areas of my skin where I had applied this perfume with great interest. I've worn a lot of different scents around a lot of different felines, and this is the first time *that* has happened. (Since anything with four legs and fur generally receives a starry-eyed gaze of pure adoration from me, the notion that UBV might be given an enthusiastic "two paws up" by someone's pet is worth additional investigation on my part.)

I'm not convinced it's FBW, as I already have a few vanilla-heavy fragrances that I prefer, but I'll definitely continue to test it out in different seasons/temperatures and see what happens!

Nice scent but it barely projects off my skin.

Give this one some time, it didn’t grab me right away but I slowly began to understood it. While this is a vanilla fragrance, it is so much more than that. Waxy, smoky and not overbearingly sweet. This vanilla has been tamed by the sweet animalics of beeswax and tropical quality of coconut.

It does remind me of a high end vanilla candle, as mentioned the beeswax does actually add a waxy quality to this fragrance. Recommended to anyone looking for a well-rounded fragrance, even if you don’t like vanilla.

In the shocker of the century, I find Un Bois Vanille very woody😅. Overall I find this a very soft, woody, leathery, slightly smoky, slightly spicy, warm scent with a subtle backdrop of vanilla holding it all together.

Overall a tad too woody and dry for me. Plus I get the occasional whiff of tar which I believe is due to the guaiac wood.

Not blind buy safe if you’re hoping to indulge in coconut, beeswax, or a powdery vanilla.

The licorice and beeswax were there at the opening, but 30 min later were nowhere to be found. Pity, as those notes added a bit more interest.

I really love the scent of Un Bois Vanille, but it’s too shy for me. I wish it was more intense

Selling my almost full bottle. Sprayed only around 5 times. Im based in europe, text me if you are interested. :)

This to me is a very masculine vanilla. I get mostly vanilla, licorice and woody notes. I also get some spices that might just be the licorice and beeswax together. It reminds me of somebody cooking a savory meal with lots of spices while also baking with vanilla. Kind of a weird combo. Not for me.

Un Bois Vanille serves as a vanilla-dominant flanker of sorts of the excellent Féminité de Bois, according to Luca Turin. I don't get much similarity between the two, apart from the rich woody notes that play a more central role in these perfumes rather than simply being a by-the-book addition to the drydown. Either way, BV is a really good vanilla-dominant scent - warm, smooth and just the right amount of sweet.

BV opens with a sweet honey-coconut accord, bolstered by a surprising hint of anisic liquorice. Thankfully administered by a delicate hand, it isn't cloying - instead it just delivers pleasant sweetness, rich yet somehow light. This opening paves the way nicely for the vanilla note, which unsurprisingly takes centre stage. It is smooth, rich and creamy, sweet without smelling overly sugary or synthetic.

As it develops, soft woody notes come to the fore - rich and realistic, they ground the sweetness beautifully. Soft spices, progressing from the anise in the opening, emerge. The almond note emerges, taking BV towards gourmand territory. There is also a wheat-like note in there, which, while unexpected, serves to complement the spicy-woody-vanilla accord perfectly. Here, this scent is at its best.

As it dries down, vanilla becomes almost the sole note on my skin, with a hint of woodiness in the background. It is sweet and fairly linear at this stage, lasting for a long time before fading to a musky-vanilla skin scent. Sillage is moderate and it is long-lasting overall, as is often the case with vanilla-dominant scents.

One of the nicest vanilla-dominant scents I've tried. Sweet and feminine, but features high-quality vanilla enhanced by well-chosen notes and interesting accords. Delicious. 4.5/5.

Serge Lutens Un Bois Vanille (2003) - beeswax waffles - The first time I wore #christophersheldrake ‘s perfume, my kids shouted “waffles!” And trying to find the scent gravitated towards me and I could even see their mouths salivating! But this is exactly what it smells like. Honey, Beeswax, Buttered bread on a base of Vanilla, Tonka bean and Sandalwood. Incredibly realistic and delicious.

Love this! I wish I got a bigger bottle instead of the 50ml. Don't know why I waited so long to get this. It's a sweet vanilla but there something a bit smoky, woody but very creamy at the same time. Could not stop sniffing myself and got alot of compliments also.

Cookies and sadness. This is very gourmand; the vanilla is much more sweet and prominent than I expected; it makes me feel like I'm mixing vanilla extract into my second batch of cookie batter while the first batch is in the oven. But there's also something distinctly melancholy about this. I might even venture to say it's depressing. Behind the sweetness there is a powerful, oppressive gloom. It's almost like you are looking back on a once-fond memory from childhood that is now tainted by something you've learned as an adult; it's painful nostalgia and the stark realization that you will never experience the happiness of childhood again.

I have a small splash miniature of this which I use very infrequently. I have a small amount on my knuckle. I always think that this is a little underwhelming, that this is nothing more than a simple vanilla but it is a little more than that. It's not much more, granted, but it is extremely enjoyable. The opening is a tiny bit wheaty and sort of reminds me of the opening of Jeux de Peau, and it quickly develops some of that coconut and licorice thats mentioned in the note pyramid. At times, it's a bit nutty also. There's some of that sandalwood and tonka mentioned. It's made up of a lot of these warm, delectable base notes that converge as a beautiful comfort fragrance. I highly enjoy it. I may never purchase it, but the sample will be loved and used well.

On myself, this is mainly beeswax, creamy coconut milk and smokey vanilla. There is a border between the coconut and waxiness of the beeswax being synthetic plastic wipes. This scent also reminds of of Unknown Pleasures, which I preferred a little more to this one.

Selling my full bottle of this fragrance. (I‘m based in europe) Text me if you‘re interested :)

I still own the the old formula, with only a few ml left unfortunately. It’s such an amazing smoky vanilla tonka perfume. It doesn’t take you to a happy place but to a dark, mysterious vanilla forest. One of my all time favorites.

It's coconut, deep reminds me of cocobello. For a fresher Coconut vibe with a zing try Debaser. I'm unsure if this is wearable in summer. I have so many on the wishlist I find this too close to molecule, br540, dark black sugar vibes. A mix between coconut molasses, and licorice with vetiver.

Mirabile smells similar more so than Seminalis. Try Seminalis for the same vibe; it's better for summer this for winter.

Update: I bought a fb. Even though the picture showed white label its black.. so I will be returning this. Upon further test it reminds me of cupcakes. You've let your tolddlers decorate with a galore of toppings. The lasting power sucks. I put this on with Blossom Love. Blossom Love is knocking my nose off. I'm burying my nose in my wrist for this and nothing...

I'm wearing No°2 by Rosendo Mateu, and I sprayed this in my elbow decant from fragrancenet. This is cloying sickeningly sweet smells cheap.. I don't like it. I will update as it may not be hot enough. So far it smells similar to 71 by sol or vanilla by coty... At first spray I got a synthetic pink sugar cotton candy Kids fragrance vibe. I like quality over quantity or favorable notes. I was about to talk myself into liking it because of what it should smell like lol. Weird, very weird!

Update: molecule, gingerbread, persimmon cookie type. Not tropical coconut beeswax. Which I anticipated for months...it's really pretty licorice airy vibe. Great for winter, I was just hoping for a summer balm. Lol... 8ml decant for sale; check my page.
Discontinued?

This smells very similar to Shalimar edp, I’m surprised not many people have mentioned it. It has that same vibe, and I really dislike Shalimar.

I was expecting something very different from this perfume (given all the hype on youtube), is just very mature, too coconutty and powdery rather than vanilla. Is just okay

This is the scent for a person you think you've figured out but actually you don't know anything about.

I agree with reviewer below this starts off like a coconut vanilla suntan lotion scent.

The dry down is a vanilla and woods - it is pretty sweet.

Unfortunately I don’t get much of the beeswax - I love Miel du bois so I was hoping for more honey.

There isn’t much projection. Very close to the skin. Decent staying power on skin and hair.

It is a very pleasant, nice vanilla scent. However, it is not worth the price. I feel if u want a coconut vanilla wood scent there are so many other cheap options.

It's very 'meh'. Is it vanilla? Not so much. It's more of like a coconut lotion smell with some burnt caramel notes. Elegant, coconut sun lotion, a tad old-fashioned.
It's not unpleasant by any means, it's just not for me.

i love it it’s so creamy and smooth and sweet it smells like caramel 🥺🥺🥺🥺 it’s sweet without being cloying omg omg i love it

This is rich true foody vanilla perfume that does not go into play doh or cake batter territory. Starts off w/ a boozy vanilla extract then goes into that mixed w/ coconut extract. Am I baking cookies? Nope, just wearing a perfume that will get your husbands attention right away. Beeswax and licorice come in a bit later and adds character, depth and a grownup quality that a usual vanilla/coconut perfume would lack. The beeswax gives it a waxy animalic texture and licorice adds subtle sweet spiciness. The dry down is a slightly burned sugar, caramelized and very delicious. I have trouble w/ vanilla perfumes that are gourmand all the time. I always find something wrong w/ them. I'm glad I took a chance on this and while it is a gourmand it is grown up enough for me to like it.

The beeswax in this is so sticky, so round and profound and delicious, I almost bought it from just testing once.

Thank god I didn’t. But for a good one hour my wrists smelt probably of the best vanilla frag I’ve possibility ever smelt. However now, a decent 2.5 hours later, it’s completely disappears. Not even skin close. Gone.

Such a shame. This is an incredible vanilla.

If you don’t care about performance, if you don’t care about sillage, if you want to spend $150+ for 50ml of perfume that barely sticks around but you want the most incredible warming, sensual, creamy vanilla scent on the planet. Get this.

I still might tbh.

This smells like Pink Sugar/ Bath & Body Works Body Mists or a Victoria's Secret Perfumes/mists! Young perfume, 2 sweet for my nose! Not a fan!

Fantastic vanilla, one of the best I've tried. I wanted a vanilla that was sweet and comforting without smelling too gourmand, and this is it. I wasn't a fan of Ellis Brooklyn Bee, not sure if it was because of perhaps too much beeswax for my liking, but I did not find it pleasant. But in Un Bois Vanille, the beeswax helps to anchor the fragrance and keep it from going too much into gourmand territory. This is perfect for fall/winter, it is so cozy. I love it on its own, and it is phenomenal layered with Chergui. I think it would be great layered with other scents as well. My only regret is discovering this gem, as well as other SL offerings such as Chergui and La Fille de Berlin, so late in the game when it is no longer sold in the US :(

A really smokey woody vanilla.
Totally unisex, I was surprised to see the votes for feminine leaning as I find it very woody. I guess it is sweet due to the vanilla, but it’s a natural sweetness, like real vanilla rather than anything sugary.

Edit: now I’ve tried more Smokey scents and more unisex fragrances, I can see how some would find this sweet. However it has a woody depth that definitely makes it unisex.
And the coconut!!! This is an amazing vanilla coconut scent that doesn’t smell synthetic at all, has no beach vibe at all, and none if that sickly sweetness of Mancera Coco Vanille or Holidays. It’s just lovely.

Want a full bottle. Great vanilla maybe best.

The scent has a calming effect, I would not wear it outside, but it's satisfying to wear at home because it's so comforting. The vanilla in here is not sweet at all, and the beeswax note is very prominent. I don't get any licorice, so if you don't love that note don't be afraid to give Un Bois Vanille a try.

This smells mostly like beeswax to me. Not a fan.

High quality, beautiful, well-blended but absolutely not for me... I do not like the beeswax note/the resulting "waxiness"/balminess of the perfume but that's on me. I can tell that it's well done but yeah just not something I'd wear. Only a safe blind buy if 1. you love vanillas and 2. you don't mind beeswax.

not a fan of vanilla or sweet perfumes but strangely really like this one it is creamy and vanilla but with a bit of depth which is nice and i don't think it is overly sweet like tabacco vanilla and other vanillas

“Scenes from the Forest”

Me and UBV have been buds for a long time. At first, about 15 years ago, I bought a bottle, used it up, loving every moment, thinking it was the best vanilla ever. Then the in-between years came. During these years I only liked edgy incense, moss and dark smoky woods. Things no one else actually thought smelled good as I walked past, but I adored and was in the dark phase. It’s been a long time since I had a bottle of UBV, but I’m back on vanillas and sweet scents so we’re reunited but it smells different now. Now I smell the beeswax and honeycomb so prominently. UBV seems to only hint at vanilla after it dries down, and it becomes much more about the idea of honey & beeswax. It does not smell like honey to me, but more like all things related to honey; tranquil things in the forest, I imagine all the little critters and parts of nature that must exist for beeswax and honeycomb to come into being. Now I see how UBV is so natural and evocative. UBV isn’t really about vanilla extract at all, it’s tree bark, bees, honeycomb and beeswax. UBV is a scene, a feeling, a natural state of being in the world. UBV was well before it’s time in 2003. I’m now giving Uncle Serge credit for an exceptional fragrance which I had originally dismissed as a good vanilla, but easy and pedestrian. Now I think it’s phenomenal. And I’ve tried and had all sorts of vanillas over these past almost 20 years.

Happy 18th Birthday Un Bois Vanille. You’re still amazing. 10/10 #SLUBVForever

This transports me back to when I was a child when I'd stay in my grandma's country home. When I couldn't fall asleep, I'd get up and she would heat up a cup of milk with honey for me. Innocent, magical, and incredibly comforting.

Waxy, lacquered, sweet woods and liquorice. Like the forest from Hansel and Gretel.

The most mature vanilla scent in my collection. I'm taking my time with it, I'm waiting for the moment to fall in love with it (for now I say it's a strong "Like")

In the opening, I smell strong wood and licorice, which TBH is a bit off-putting for me, however, in 10-20 mins, the harsh notes start to melt down, the vanilla, coconut and beeswax start to play peekaboo. When they blend together, it creates a deep, soft, calm yet mysterious atmosphere. It doesn't try to please the crowd, it sits in the air, entertaining itself gracefully, the smell of maturity. Dry down is vanilla coconut heaven

suikerspin, eetbaar zoet, maar beter dan alle andere intens zoeke vanille parfums die ik al geroken heb. dit ruikt nog altijd naar eten maar het is draagbaar

This perfume may be my favorite vanilla. It checks off so many boxes, slightly sweet, warm, but balanced and not too far one way or the other. I definitely get the sweetness of beezewax but I think the licorice, guaiac wood, and sandalwood ground it enough to not be too waxy (waxy that borders along plastic). Normally, I can't do coconut notes, (they just don't smell good on my skin) but I don't get a whole lot of coconut here - its balanced out by the other notes. This has been my bedtime scent for the last month but I will wear it daytime come colder weather. It is just a beautiful slightly woody vanilla and will most definitely always be in my collection. A lot of reviews have surprisingly noted the coconut note - I just don't get it to my nose but every nose is different. I get the smooth almonds, tonka and vanilla, elevated by the licorice, guaiac and sandalwoods and a bit of benzoin. If you love vanilla but one of the other notes is putting you off from trying it, I say still try it - I find this scent beautiful.

unfortunately doesn't make a strong impression on me or anything close to a departure from a traditional vanilla scent

Ugh, too much of a coconut at the opening. BIG NO for me. What happiness I didn’t get full bottle.

First impressions (received my sample today): The top notes smelled like marzipan and something burning (but like in a good way), as it dried down I kept thinking 'What does this remind me of?', lo and behold, (I think!?) it's a woodier, muskier and less sweet Lancome La Nuit Tresor Nude. The coconut is very strong on me in the drydown in Un Bois Vanille (it dominates it) so that might be why (also, I personally get precisely zero rose in Nude).

I like it, but don't feel like I need it as I have about 130ml of La Nuit Tresor Nude.

I have been on a Serge Lutens kick as of late and I really really really wanted to love this one. In the boutique, it smelled lovely on paper. The perfect balance of woody and sweet and vanilla. However....once I sprayed it onto my wrist in order to see how it performed on my skin, it opened with a promising waxy honey vanilla, then very quickly the coconut made a brief (too brief) appearance and then within 20 minutes it dried down to a powdery sweet almond. It stayed like a powdery almond for the rest of it's 3 hour stint on my skin. I could detect no vanilla once it dried down - only sweet almond. Nothing like on the paper. It was not bad, it was just....meh. Alas....it is not for me :(

I love vanilla in baking goods but never liked vanilla-dominant fragrances because they tend to be over the top sweet. Un Bois Vanille is a welcome exception. Because of its non-sugary nature, UBV reminds me of Dior Addict. Although the notes are completely different, they stand together in my mental perfume map. If you like DA, you may like UBV, too. For me, it was a successful blind buy.

I ADORE this scent, but it has absolutely zero lasting power on my skin. Total bummer.

If you told me my fave fragrance in the Serge Lutens discovery kit would be Un Bois Vanille, I would not have believed you. I truly hate vanilla-dominant frags (the only exception is Hanae Mori, which lol is not even really vanilla).

And I will admit it's a like and not a love from me, but if I remove my own tastes from the equation, this is a masterful vanilla scent. I get vanilla, coconut and beeswax as the most prominent scents for sure. It's a nutty, waxy, realistic vanilla and I like it. My issue with so many vanilla frags is they either smell like vanilla extract or they smell like vanilla icing, and that sweet spot for me, is somewhere in between.

I still would not call this vanilla for the non-vanilla lover; I do think you must love vanilla to wear this (hence why I cannot), but I appreciate this well-crafted fragrance!

One of the best Vanilla fragrance I've tried so far! More crowd pleasing than Double Vanille by Guerlain and more value for money as well. Its right up there with Fève Délicieuse being one of the best gourmand fragrance. However, it may remind you of a nursing room which can be quite off-putting for people who are in charge of changing diapers. lol

Nevertheless, 9.5/10

This is like a one night stand with Prince Charming... except he doesn’t send out a guard to find my missing slipper the next day - he just pitches it in the trash bin. It smells like a dream, but it disappears within 30 minutes, never to return.

I like vanilla perfumes in general, and I blind bought Un Bois Vanille. It is a smooth vanilla, but on my skin it is much less sweet than I had imagined in my mind. I pick up the woody notes very clearly, together with the licorice and beeswax. I cannot smell much of the coconut. Overall it feels quite unisex, and a good one on days when I do not feel like wearing something too loud, too sweet or too feminine.

I got my Serge Lutens un bois vanille today and i like it allot😎It is unisex,i Get som Sharp notes in there with the soft and warm vanilla😍So,all in all a Good buy😎

Fancy Middle Age Lady!

Wearing coconut sun lotion on the beach layered with Vanilla! Well thats the picture this Fragrance is giving me!

Imagine a Lovely lady in the summer Sun! Wearing that coconut Sun lotion! And on top she wears some Vanilla oil or Something?

I Mean its aight! Thou i must say i expected more from Uncle Serge

its a lovely 7.5! Ladies it might be your Next Thing!

Another vanilla I'm in love with. Starts out maybe a little sweet leaning but quickly goes to a smoky, honey, coconut - with some woods. Much less sweet with longer wear. I've used up the two small samples I had and can't wait for more. I find this warm and comforting and complex and it gets better the longer I have it on.

i have just received a very reasonably priced 10mL decant of the original formula, and this is merely a first impression, so i may add more later...

this scent is nothing like i thought it would be! it doesn’t really strike me as a gourmand, which is a little disappointing, but it’s still a beautiful (and highly unisex) fragrance. sort of feels like a slightly more avant-garde interpretation of the Hallmark store. quite heavy on spice—i imagine this must be the combination of sandalwood and licorice, although it reads more like cinnamon/nutmeg/incense to my nose. extremely powdery and waxy, but more like natural beeswax than a candle. reminds me of my mother’s sewing kit when i was a child, in which she always kept a little cake of beeswax that she would use to thread her needle. it’s sweet, but not sugary, and i sense more talc and amber than vanilla. the sillage seems rather intimate, but that might be more appropriate for this particular scent anyway. i’m a little surprised that it doesn’t carry more power because it does leave a slightly resinous film on my skin where it’s been sprayed. so far it’s a like rather than a love for me, just because i was expecting something more creamy, potent, and edible, but it’s a beautifully crafted spiced rum skin-and-sweater scent that will be perfect for the fall and winter. alas, my search for the beastly strong vanilla cake fragrance of my dreams continues...

NOTE: sillage, longevity, and overall aroma are vastly improved by layering it over a base of natural tonka bean oil! i’m learning to love this fragrance. the full size is out of my price range, but i’ll buy more decants in the future.

Really glad I did not blind buy. After sampling this I do not feel this is full bottle worthy. I get an initial strong balsamic note. I definitely smell coconut and then something oddly metalic in the initial drydown. It goes to skin scent very quickly. I've read that newer formulations are weaker and this would fit the description. All in all, just a non offensive, non sweet, basic vanilla that disappears on me in half an hour for a very steep price. I really like this house. Surprised with this experience.

I saw a Youtube review that described this as a non-sweet non-gourmand vanilla so I was expecting it to be non-sweet. Imagine my surprise when the first thing I smell when I put it on is Cotton Candy Bubble Yum. Yummmmmmm. It definitely smells mainly like vanilla to me, yet not like most other vanilla perfumes I've smelled, because it doesn't make me want to eat it! 😅

It doesn't smell actually burnt to me, as some are saying, though I can imagine how the cotton candy-ish note would read that way to some. It is starting to get less sweet and more woody as it is drying down. I found this fell a little flat in winter weather, but it's smelling richer in warm weather. I think for that reason it will a nice option for fall!

If you like oil perfumes, something similar but less sweet is Alkemia’s Encens à la vanille.

I got some Un Bois Vanille several years ago and loved how warm and soft the scent was. Very much vanilla and beeswax on me, but not cheap candle vanilla. Recently got a new bottle, in the black box/label, and the smell is much weaker and does not last like my original bottle, which, for the price, is entirely unacceptable. It is still lovely and welcoming, but I am going to have to find something that either lasts longer at the same price point or is much less expensive. I feel a bit ripped off on the new bottle, even though it was on sale because it is inferior quality to the previous blend.

This opens as pure vanilla, but has lovely darker undertones--beeswax, coconut, bitter almond--to make it darker and less sweet. This even has a tiny amount of black licorice to lessen the sweet end, and this is about the first time I've ever had licorice where it's not overwhelmed the fragrance.

This is about as nice a vanilla as I've ever smelled--much less sugary and frosting-like than Eau Duelle, for example (though they share much in common). This might still be too sweet for some, but if I wanted to go with a mostly vanilla fragrance, this would absolutely be the way to go.

I love gourmands. This fragrance is just up my mature alley. I’m not one who likes Aqualina Pink Sugar, I’m older so I need mature. Anyway, this has hints of almond, coconut and beeswax. I love anything with those notes in them especially almond. I will wear this year round, it’s not to heavy for spring by any means and sits close to skin by the 5 th hour but still going strong longevity is phenomenal. I sprayed this on at 7 am and I can still smell it going strong heading into the evening. Unisex for sure again not Pink Sugar by any means. Pretty much a boozy vanilla.

Recommended

Salted almond on a bed of vanilla whipped cream!

It's a relatively heavy, more for fall/winter, night > day kind of scent. I'd prefer Atelier's Vanille Insensee or Diptyque's Duelle, as they are lighter, softer, fluffier, and more icecream-like. Serge Luten's interpretation of vanilla is a BEAST compares to those two.

So I am wearing this right now. A friend of mine sent me a decant. I am a vanilla scent lover so I am enjoying this. I don’t smell coconut at all which I’m actually happy about because I’m not a fan of coconut if it’s not used correctly. I don’t like smelling like the beach or suntan lotion. HOWEVER... I’m just not seeing how this could be unisex. If my husband had this on I would be like 🤔 all I smell is feminine but as mentioned, it’s all body chemistry and everyone smells differently. I don’t think I’d go buy a big bottle but I will enjoy this until the decant runs out.

Edit: I’ve been wearing the perfume for about and hour and there’s practically nothing left. I hate when that happens.

I have to give this one 15 minutes or so to settle, I get a ‘public loo’ scent in the initial blast. It does quickly mellow out to be a prominent burnt coconut and then eventually settles to a dry vanilla. It’s not overly sweet to my nose. I had high hopes for this as I like all the notes and I bought this out of intrigue. It smells nicer in the air than if I smell my skin directly. When side by side to other vanilla forward fragrances it never comes out on top. For me the beauty in this fragrance is definitely in the dry down - half an hour after initial spray.

Liz-frag's review about it smelling like vanilla-honey candles is spot on. It has sort of a waxy fragrance to it. I really like it. While I consider it an easy to wear fragrance for myself, I don't think it would be for everyone.
Serge Lutens fragrances can be somewhat challenging for some people.
I don't think this smells anything like Van Cleef and Arpels Orchidee Vanille but everyone has different chemistry and sense of smell.
I really liked this when I first got it but it has grown into a LOVE.
It is definitely more of a fall and winter cold weather fragrance but I think it would work on cool spring or summer evenings.

I used 6 sprays on my skin and it lasted around 8 hours. Sillage is around arm's length for me.
I enjoy having this in my collection and am still unsure if I would repurchase when gone just because there are so many fragrances I want to try.

The first time I smelled this scent I thought it was « uriny » but it’s quite the lutens DNA after all.
During the day it evolved in different ways , this perfume has a storyline !
It goes from really sweet to sharp woody , to this soft comforting candle scent that a lot of people don’t like .
But THIS moment convinced me to buy it , I HAD to buy it .
I thought it was smelling like my friend’s mom when I was a kid that was living in a house that was looking like a decoration magazine .
I discovered it was vanilla and honey candles ! Do I want to smell like candles ? Absolutely if they are so nice !

Despite the notes, and I can't put my finger on it, there is something about this fragrance that reminds me of a bathhouse.

-Opens with straight-up cough syrup note.
-Largely a linear scent.
-Reminds me of Van Cleef & Arpels's Orchidee Vanille
-Overly sweet and synthetic to me.
-Not fbw. (-)

***Warning: Take my review with a grain of salt--I may not actually be reviewing this fragrance***

I smelled this on paper before Christmas (in Sephora), and it was dynamite!

So, when I saw a (trusted) person selling a decant of it, I snapped it up. Sadly, however, it's really not good! Now, it could be my skin, or maybe she had a fake and resold it. But it's NOTHING like what was sprayed on the card at Sephora!!

On my skin it started off extremely alcoholic (not rubbing alcohol, but like 100-proof rum/whisky/moonshine/etc), and ends up smelling like cheap candle wax, possibly scented with sandalwood and fake coconut. On clothing, it's I've spilled amaretto and coconut cream on myself.

I get no vanilla, benzoin, or tonka, and no licorice, no matter where I apply it. So, either something is wildly different in batches between this sample vs the bottle I smelled in store...or...it's not actually Un Bois Vanille I received, and which I am reviewing. :/

Classic woody vanilla with a touch of toasted caramel. Delicious on a man or woman. Complex enough for niche lovers, and univerally appealing enough for mainstream perfume buyers.

Cosy, calming, soft and a very delicate smelling perfume. Perfect for both early mornings and late evenings at home. Weak sillage, people around you wont be able to smell it on you. Stays close to skin, so I would consider it as a skin scent. Delicous perfume.

This is a waxy, creamy coconut vanilla made for waxy coconut haters. Hear me out. I really dislike coconut in fragrances when it comes in as a sunscreen note. But this fragrance, it smells like an expensive boutique coconut water scented candle mixed with the creamiest vanilla you've ever smelt. I absolutely love this! It is a very acquired and specific audience but I think if you want a unique vanilla - this is it! Words that come to mind are creamy, waxy, smooth, soft, cozy.

Longevity is 6+ hours on the skin, silage is moderate.

Overall 7.5/10 - not worth paying premiums for it but if you can find it for a good price, I think you'll enjoy.

starts off slightly harsh at first due to bitter almond and licorice root.. a heavy vanilla begins to be felt afterwards. has a pleasant use..

I was expecting something in the spirit of "memoirs of a trespasser" (woodsy smoky vanilla) and got "gold sugar" (boring old vanilla) :(

IF YOUR SKIN AMPLIFIES VANILLA: I put off buying this several times because my skin has a tendency to amplify vanilla…and if the vanilla isn’t well-blended with the other notes and/or my skin disagrees with the type of vanilla used, it goes full-blown zombie-rock-putrid on me. For people like me who have trouble with vanilla because of this reason, I’m happy to report this one can be a winner for you, as long as you like the smell of vanilla (I assume you want a vanilla like I did, or you wouldn’t be reading about this one). For anyone who amplifies vanilla, I assume your results will be similar to mine. For people who love vanilla frags and whose skin does NOT amplify vanilla, my review may not apply to you.

ON SKIN: Upon first spray and the first hour or so, I get warm creamy vanilla that is somewhat sweet but not oppressive 90s designer frag/cheap bathroom spray/ body cream sweet. It is more like the sweet vanilla you smell relative to something expensive – the faint smell in a high-end department store during the holidays (but not a holiday smell), the smell of a hotel lobby that charges a car payment per night for a room, and yes, even a ridiculously expensive candle you may have smelled and wished you had a perfume that smelled like that (but this perfume doesn’t smell like a candle, if that makes sense). It smells of dense sweetish vanilla and something almost balsamic grounding it (I get nothing woody or powdery or honey-like during this initial phase). After about an hour, as it settles I can smell a hint of a woody base coming into play… a hint of sandalwood and resinous wood, not a dry wood like cedar and not powdery and not smokey. It isn’t obvious because it is just grounding the vanilla and keeping it from joining a VS catwalk or turning into a night at the local strip club. I don’t consider this a gourmand, but I do agree with reviewers who have indicated this is more like the expensive vanilla of men’s fragrances than the lighter super sweet vanilla that tends to mixed into many women’s frags. Think the vanilla in TF Tobacco Vanille as opposed to the vanilla in the TF Orchid line (I use these as an example because I can wear TV but cannot wear any of the Orchids).

ON CLOTHING: I still get a very strong vanilla, but it isn’t quite as vanilla forward on clothing. The vanilla smells more grounded on clothing, and the underlying wood/balsamic is more obvious. I still don’t get smokey/boozy/honey in the mix though. I have a new bottle so that may be why. If you don’t want the vanilla amplified as much, clothing is the way to go. Plus lasts a lot longer. My scent memory tells me on clothing this is reminiscent of Yves Rocher Bourbon Vanilla…or was it Vanilla Noire…anyway, it has that slightly dark undertone with the vanilla over it.

LONGEVITY: It lasts about 8 hours on skin (and even then I can smell it as a skin scent) and remains fairly linear. On clothing at the 8 hour mark it is still going strong. I consider this a cozy Fall or Winter frag, but more for staying in and reading or snuggling in front of a fire (or a tv…Netflix n chill?). It’s a lovely cozy scent with about 6 inches of projection until it starts to fade. Recommend.

This is beautiful on my skin - smells like lightly spiced milk & honey with a hint of vanilla candle vibes when it dries down. The only thing I'm not a huge fan of is the licorice note that comes in within the first 15-20 minutes then goes away.. made me think that I had an expired bottle or something but I don't mind it as much because the licorice doesn't stay long.

This lasts quite a while on me, I'd say 7 hours or so and I sometimes get whiffs of it throughout the day. I'm an oversprayer when it comes to this, but it's light enough and not too sweet so it doesn't become cloying. I'd wear this on colder days because Un Bois Vanille feels cozy, warm and comforting.

On paper, smells nice, altough it has a burnt smell to it. However on my skin it becomes an old lady sandalwood scent, with a synthetic sugar smell, no vanilla at all. Still would not rate it as unisex. Also the vanilla does not smells too real for me, smell like synthetic just like in Montale Sweet Vanilla. It is a nice sweet scent dont get me wrong, but who smelled real vanilla will be disappointed.

Agree to disagree with Rannek's comment below (and above). Un Bois Vanille is definitely unisex.

I would even say it's leaning a bit on the masculine side that's probably why many women here are not feeling it for themselves since it's not a very feminine soft/sweet vanilla. It's sweet but not candy sweet and not a gourmand either. Un Bois Vanille is a bit dark, a bit bitter, woody, smoky, resinous, waxy...It's pretty but also a bit dirty. It's playing on both sides so we get a perfect balance between bright and dark, that's why it's very unisex to my nose.

Glad I own a Palais Royal vintage bottle, I'm actually on the hunt for another one. New bottle (white one, not sure about the black) smells pretty much the same but less strong with less longevity.



⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of 5

NOT UNISEX. I need to stop reading these reviews, totally useless. Who says this is unisex is not know what unisex means.

I wasn't as impressed as I expected to be with Un Bois Vanille...Sure, this is a nice, perfume. But I am a vanilla perfume lover, and this one doesn't make my top 5 faves. As soon as I applied this perfume, I knew I had smelled something similar before. Then I saw the similar fragrances others had listed, and saw Prada Candy. Yep! Un Bois Vanille reminds me lots of Prada Candy. Candy is the chocolate version, Un Bois Vanille is the vanilla version. Nice, but too gourmand for me and just not worth the price tag. I am happy enough with my small decant, and have no desire to have more. Nice perfume, but nothing that justifies the hype in my opinion. A must-try for vanilla lovers I suppose.

Opening:
I strongly get beeswax, licorice, and coconut with slight woody vanilla.

Middle:
Woody vanilla with some beeswax and coconut and slight musky tonka

Dry down:
Soft burnt woody vanilla and ever so slightly waxy

The opening is a bit much for me sometimes but give it like 30 mins to calm down and it becomes much more pleasant.

L: 3-6hrs
S: moderate, then skin scent
My favorite time to wear it: Fall and Winter BEDTIME

Personally, not many occasions to wear this but such a unique and beautiful scent.

Gorgeous composition of masterfully blended sweet vanilla, coconut, licorice, honey and woods. Deep, dark, thick, and creamy, this scent conjures the enchanted woods in Hansel and Gretel. It's moody, mysterious, and pure magic in a bottle!

I bought a sample of this fragrance in hopes to find a more refined vanilla that the ones I usually wear. On my skin the first layer is a woody vanilla with a hint of smokiness then, a honey citrusy kick. The dry down just coconut.
I didn't get as much vanilla as I would like, but is a fragrance I will wear during the summer.

The burnt beeswax smell in this destroys the scent for me. I think it was an attempt to make the scent unique and distinct that failed. Instead it sort of polluted the whole pyramid. It's so strong that it is there from beginning to end. The vanilla is there and even the coconut; however, both are drowned out by the honey scent, which almost gives off a urine smell. It's pungent. I would say buyer beware on this one. Smell before you buy.

for me it's so much like Zafeer oud Vanille Alexander J
They're both "vanilla and wood" scents.
in summer days it's hard for me to feel any kind of difference.

I've got 2009 bottle. It is definitely not girlish vanilla, probably not even gourmand.

I feel burned vanilla, coconut and tonka base. I also can recognize licorice. Honey is more like a burnt honey.

It is deep, slightly bitter and a bit on a masculine side. True niche.

I'm glad I got a decant to test this one. The opening is harsh like a fruit scented Vick's Vapor Rub. The dry down is much improved, but still no vanilla. This one is a hard no.

I tried this one and unfortunately did not work for me whatseover. I saw all the great reviews and the gourmandy notes look right up my alley. I did not like the coconut, I did not think it smelled particularly like vanilla, and the sillage and longevity were abysmal. I don't mind short-performing fragrances or skin scents (I like Jo Malone!), but this wasn't noticeable even after an hour on me. The fragrance was completely underwhelming. There are many other wonderful vanilla offerings out there.

A nice, light, sort of refreshing summery feeling vanilla. Probably the most "unisex" fragrances I've tried, it doesn't venture off into either direction of gender ideas -it's not too sweet, not too woody or incensy... it's right there smack dab in the middle, balancing a very natural palette of summer notes. It's really lovely and soft. 7/10

A tamed down version of Pink Sugar on drydown- spot on

this perfume is feminine and calming without being overly sweet.nice sophisticated vanilla. I always get compliments when i wear it

A vanilla beeswax candle that has been snuffed out. Gorgeous. It’s a grown up vanilla, slightly acrid and not overly sweet. I’m no longer a huge vanilla fan but this would be a must own if the longevity was better. It is fleeting, a candle burning at both ends.

Unfortunately, this has been reformulated and though still recognizable, the sweetness has been dialed way up and the dark smoky woods are all all but gone.

Arbre Magique.

I had a sample of this fragrance and I could not escape the association with that tiny vanilla tree hanging from the mirror. Un Bois Vanille does not seem to develop following its dry-down. To me, it smells childish.

Honeycomb, vanilla and guaiac wood.More of a honey perfume, from my point of view, though.

I mostly smell these notes: honeycomb, vanilla, tonka bean and guaiac wood. I think there might be some benzoin warming everything up, some sandalwood too- especially in the drydown cause it gets veeeery smooth.

I can't smell ANY coconut or almonds.Just a tiny amount of licorice in the opening.

I have been looking for a vanilla fragrance that does not have that designer DNA (something that feels unique and offers complexity) but is still appealing without being sickly sweet. I saw that un bois vanilla was recommended by many fragrance influencers and is generally held in high regard in the fragrance community. I actually blind bought it not knowing what direction all the notes would go (licorice, honey, woody notes, vanilla, etc.). It definitely isn't a vanilla combo I have tried before, but I immediately was so glad I bought it. The opening depends on my body chemistry, which is really interesting. When I was outside and "hot/sweaty", it had more of a burnt sugar with vanilla, but after a cool shower the licorice and honey come through and I get less vanilla.

For the person who is looking to buy this but isn't sure...I hope the following helps: This is a vanilla for a mature individual as it doesn't have that "girly" appeal, yet it is completely unisex. It is not sickly sweet and it is wonderfully blended with a soft wood/honey background that maintains the integrity of a sweet vanilla but without the artificial nausea-inducing sweetness. Yet, it is sweet enough that it almost gives the feel of a warm dessert out of an oven. I also do not get the smokiness that others describe, yet perhaps a bit in the dry down as the sandalwood becomes more prominent. It's a mature and elegant vanilla and I would love to smell it on a man as much as on a woman it would intrigue me.

I'm starting my second bottle of this.

It was the first niche perfume that I owned, the first more "complicated" vanilla that I had gotten my hands on.

As someone who is a bit of a vanilla/gourmand whore, I can say with absolute conviction that this particular vanilla scent is at the top of my "to wear" list.

Also, it's one that I've gotten many compliments on in the past. And even if there isn't a compliment, I can pretty much guarantee that anyone who is within arm's reach of me does end up leaning in to get a whiff of me. It really is THAT good!

Yep, it's sweet. On the bright side, the musk and wood keep it from veering into headache territory. It does have some projection, but not enough to knock your neighbor over. The initial spray is mainly sharp and woody, but the vanilla does make its grand entrance fairly quickly. It gets a little waxy, but then it warms up and becomes what I refer to as a "coconut covered donut." And what a sexy donut it is! It stays warm and creamy right up until the very end.

This is certainly one that I would repurchase again.

wow this is sweet. i get a lot of coconut, some vanilla, tonka and licorice in the beginning. then it smooths out a bit and gets much more silky with some honey, almond and a bit of woods way in the back. after awhile i believe i get a soft musk as well. it's pretty syrupy on me, in addition to vanilla and a strong coconut the honey and licorice really amp up the sweetness. i think this would probably be better to try in winter, but it'd probably be too sweet for me then too. though this smells good and i might like it on another person, it's a bit too gourmand for me.

I agree with the reviewer below me. This wasn't a love at first sniff for me, but every time I wear it, I love it more. It's a smoky vanilla with a honey/beeswax touch. I like the sandalwood in this. It is full bodied as other Lutens scents are, but sometimes I layer this with other scents.

Smoky, balsamic vanilla with coconut. A fragrance that I like more and more after spray it on me. Imo unisex.

Pure smokey vanilla, loved it ❤️!

I wish I loved it because of the presence of vanilla, I really can't stand it!

Nice vanilla (not synthetic nor sweet) however Un Bois Vanille is way too smoky for me to the point I find the fragrance unpleasant.

I've been testing this out for the past couple of days and am not sure how I feel about it. The first 30-60 minutes remind me very strongly of the sort of root-y, smoky, almost medicinal part of Givenchy Hot Couture, with some dry vanilla instead of Hot Couture's (sometimes overwhelmingly) sweet fruit. After that, it morphed into something that reminded me just as strongly of Lush's American Cream.

It's maybe too early to tell... but right now, I'd say this falls into the category of "wouldn't be mad to receive a bottle if someone gave it to me, but not running out to buy it." I already have a good few 'not-too-sweet, creamy vanilla + X' that I really, really love (+ spice = Givenchy Organza Indecence or L de Lolita Lempicka; + herbal = American Cream; + wood = Le Couvent des Minimes). I can understand the appeal, though, and I think I'd probably be more excited about Un Bois Vanille if I didn't have these other options in my collection already... but since I do, I'm not.

This was a blind buy for me, based on reviews and i have to say, i am really disappointed. I love vanilla but the smokey/ woody smell is just too overpowering for my liking and it stays through to dry down. I also find the beeswax too much. Its is a scent that I don't enjoy in my perfume.
It does however seem to last hours on the skin. I think all i can smell is smokey honey, beeswax and vanilla. I plan to sell it as it is quite headache inducing for me.

Reminiscent of a waft of smoke from Grandfather's pipe. Rich vanilla incense, liqueur and honey. I love it on cold rainy afternoons. Wish it didn't disappear so quickly.