Kyoto & Ouarzazate are two of the five fragrances in the Incense series by Comme des Garçons, which was released in 2002. If you are not familiar with this series, see yesterday's review of Avignon & Jaisalmer for an introduction.
Kyoto pays tribute to the incense culture in Japan, where incense is a traditional part of both Shinto and Buddhist practices, and in earlier times was also used a time measuring device. Kodo, the Japanese incense ceremony, originated in Kyoto. Like the better known tea ceremony, it is a combination of social gathering and art form. During the ceremony, the incense woods are heated at a low temperature, so that the aroma is released with little or no smoke.
The Kyoto fragrance has notes of vetiver, patchouli, amber, incense, cypress oil, coffee, teak wood, cedar and everlasting flower. While this is not a sheer fragrance by any means, it is not as heavy or dark as the notes might indicate. There is a little burst of coffee in the early stages, but once that calms, it is a very peaceful and relaxing scent centered around deep woods; I find it the most meditative of the five.
It is slightly green, with earthy undertones from the vetiver and patchouli. The coffee struck me as an odd touch at the start, but a lingering hint blends beautifully with the woods in the drydown. The incense is cool, but it is not the unforgivingly cold incense of Avignon, and it is only mildly smoky. It is a simply gorgeous scent, although again as with Avignon, it is perhaps more masculine than some women will care for.
Ouarzazate is situated at the foot of the Atlas mountains in southern Morocco. The name translates as "the door to the desert", and the town is both a popular base for tourists entering the Sahara desert and the home of the largest movie studio in world (parts of Lawrence of Arabia, Alexander, and Star Wars were filmed here).
Incense has been used in Northern Africa and Greater Arabia since ancient times; frankincense was once the most precious commodity in the world, and at the height of the trade along the Incense Road linking Egypt to Arabia and points farther east, over 3000 tons were traded each year. I have not been able to discover much of interest about its place in modern Moroccan culture except that its use seems to be ubiquitous, and perhaps a part of everyday life more than something that is reserved for religious ritual.
The fragrance notes for Ouarzazate are incense, pepper, nutmeg, clary sage, wenge, musk, vanilla, labdanum absolute, and Kashmir wood. It starts off very invigorating, with herbal notes from the clary sage accented by lemon and a spicy-pepper blend. As it dries down, it gets very mild and quiet, and is joined by lightly smoky notes of incense and woods, with the barest hint of dry vanilla.
Ouarzazate is the sleeper scent of this series. It has a more muted presence than the others, and when I first tried it on a paper test strip, I thought it was the least interesting. On skin it is considerably more captivating, and it now ranks among my favorites.
For buying information, see the listing for Comme des Garçons under Perfume Houses.
Tomorrow: Incense series Zagorsk
Update: Kyoto was developed by perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour, Ouarzazate by perfumer Mark Buxton.
Note: Kyoto image is Kinkaku, or Golden Pavilion, which is the shariden at Rokuonji, the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, in Kyoto, Japan by Fg2 at Wikimedia. Ouarzazate image is The Kasbah. Ourzazate [cropped] by jsemidey26 at flickr; some rights reserved.
I love incense. Damn. I can feel yet another LuckyScent sample splurge coming on. How does one pronounce 'Ouarzazate'? In my head I'm hearing 'Warza-atty', but that may be laughably wrong!
Sorry, that was 'Warza-ZATTY'. Oh, for an edit function!
My most favorite (Kyoto) and my least favorite (Ouarzazate). I love love Kyoto. I actually agree with someone (you, R?) who said that it is similar to Pomegranate Noir, only without any fruitiness. Mmmm
I have no idea! In my head I'm hearing oars-a-zot, but obviously one of us is laughably wrong 🙂
It would be nice to be able to edit!!
M, it wasn't me at all — will have to try them together now.
Oh, Robin, do those both sound heavenly. Later today I will be searching eBay for samples of these! Thanks for the review on those.
War-za-zotty? The Kyoto sounds like just my thang, but should probably try them all… sigh. My poor credit card!
I adore Kyoto! I agree with you that is meditative and calming, but I also find it somehow sexy. I hadn't noticed a similarity to Pom Noir, which I find too fruity for my tastes; but M says “without the fruit,” hmmmm ( I gave my sample of PM away, so I can't test). I don't think I gave Ouarzazate a fair chance, because I was so taken with Kyoto and Avignon, but i still have the little sprayer, and will retry soon (you make it sound delicious).
BTW, I just found this on the web: “Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you how to pronounce “Ouarzazate”. Imagine that you've had one cocktail too many at the local watering hole (I know it's a stretch for all you readers out there, but just try to imagine what it would be like) and some fool is trying to tell you about the location of the next bar. Of course, you can't really hear them, so you loudly slur “Where's zat at?” And that's how you say the name of this little burg in the sand. “
K, hope you will find a cheap set of all five, they really are worth trying!
With apologies to the credit card, all five are worthy of a try at least…and my credit card is still praying for a nice coffret of 10 ml bottles 🙂
J, LOL — great description of how to say the name. Will have to go knock back a few stiff drinks & try it out! Do try the Ourzazate again and see what you think. It was not love at first sniff for me, but I really adore it now.
Oarzazate was the scent that first got me interested in this crazy hobby. I remember testing the incense series a few years ago at the MOCA in Los Angeles. I ended up torn between Kyoto and Ouarzazate and chose the latter because I had recently travelled in Morocco had had a magical experience which included time in Ouarzazate (pronounced WHAR-zah-zaht). I agree that it's the most subtle of this series and I think it often gets the short shrift from scentophiles. I find it very intriguing on the skin and it garnered frequent compliments from women.
Ah, so glad to hear from someone who has actually visited Ouarzazate (and knows how to pronounce it). Can you tell me if the scent actually evokes the town in any way?
Great reviews, R! Like you, I found Ouarzazate rather uninteresting on paper, but when I tried it on the skin, I was smitten. Such a beautiful, unusual fragrance.
R, Can´t say anything about Quarzazate, I just smelled it on a paperstripe & it didn´t impress me. But I´ll revisit soon.
Kyoto is, like I already wrote yesterday, my favourite of the line. I think that´s due to the fact that it´s a combination of woods & incense which makes it more wearable for me. You´re right that some women may find it too masculine & but since I like to wear masculine scents when I´m in the right mood, that´s no problem for me 😉
V, it is just lovely, and possibly the easiest to wear of the 5.
S, do try the Ouarzazate on skin, you might be surprised. Kyoto is gorgeous too though!
R, does CdG ever release coffrets? Reading these, I honestly don't know what to try first. And I think I'd love them all. Avignon sounds perfect, but then along comes Kyoto. What to do?!
I can't say that it evokes the city exactly, but it evokes the moroccan desert more than, say Chergui or the Andy Tauer scents, which are more cosmopolitan Moroccan scents that smell of the souk or the inside of a royal palace. Ouarzazate is dry, peppery, herbaceous – it makes me think of the sahara, but I may have constructed the association in my head.
M, to my knowledge they never have, but hope someone will correct me if I'm wrong. Really wish they would! Buying the set in decants from ebay is one option, I guess.
Thanks, I sort of assumed it was meant to be a desert smell, but never having been to Morocco I didn't know if there was some other association with these notes.
Kyoto is so pretty. Weirdly it reminds me of a more contemplative Czech and Speake Frankincense and Myrrh. There something rather soothing about it to me, and yet, it is not a comfort scent either.
Agree that Kyoto is very soothing…but seriously, C&S makes a Frankincense & Myrrh??? I really don't know the line well at all. Must investigate.
Does anyone know who is the nose behind the Comme des Garcons line? And in particular, Kyoto?
Thanks!
No one nose behind all CdG scents, but Kyoto is by Bertrand Duchaufour.
Thank you, Robin! I couldn't find this information anywhere… Where did you find it?
A, it is on my “perfumers” page, and sorry but I don't remember where I got the info. I really ought to keep a reference so I know where every citation comes from, but I can barely keep up as it is 🙂
hi I am from Ouarzazate … OUAR means ” NO” …. ZAZATE means “NOISE”
OUARZAZATE means NO NOISE
And that is true it an calme city .. in the South..
Hi and welcome! “No Noise” is a perfect match with the scent, then, thanks for letting us know.
I've been getting into this series recently and today i sampled Kyoto on my wrist. I like this one but it's kind of sweet as a dry down on me so i'm not sure this is going to be my favourite. I tried Avignon (on paper) and it smells like, well, incense lol. I mean it smells like what i remember as church incense. Which is good, but at the same time not sure if i want to smell like church incense. I have also briefly tried Jaisalmer and that seems to be my fav so far but again it was on paper so not sure how true the scent was. Oh decisions, decisions sigh..
Do give Avignon a try on skin — it's got a lovely warmth and you might be surprised!
They did a coffret of 50 ml bottles last year, but I'm still waiting for the “travel size” coffret 😉
So today I tried Ourzazate and *swoon* – it's just soooo lovely. Oh god, how does one decide between these lovelies? So tomorrow i'll try Avignon on my skin and try and decide. So now i have it narrowed to down to three 😆 Jai; Avignon and Ourzazate *swoon*
Ouarzazate is the one I actually find that I reach for the most!
I am new to the site. I just signed up to create an account but have been following the site for months now and I LOVE it. I'm a fragrance vendor for Coty Prestige and the info that you guys give me is invaluable to my everyday work. I just broke down and ordered samples of CdG Avignon, Kyoto, and 2Man. I am trying out the Kyoto right now and I ADORE it. It reminds me of a sweeter, more green Tumulte (another recommendation that I got from the site and one of my favorites). I am this close to breaking down and buying a bottle. I can't wait to try out Avignon and 2Man!
Hi and welcome! Interesting comparison to Tumulte, I should try them together. But do try the rest of the incense series before you buy — really, all 5 are very good.
Thank you for the welcome! I love the site, it is simply amazing. I just tried Avignon, which I like but it doesn't have the lasting power on me that Kyoto has. I have to try 2Man and I intend on buying Ouarzazate and Jaisalmer samples tomorrow. Which one do you like the most? The consensus seems to be either Avignon or Kyoto from what I've seen.
I think Avignon & Kyoto are best. I wear Ouarzazate the most though — there is just something very relaxing about it. The other 2 I “respect” more than like, really.
I ordered samples for Zagorski, Jaisalmer, and Ouarzazate so I can say more about them very soon… 🙂 I tried 2Man and, although initially pleased, it faded very fast to a nondescript musky woods very similar to Calvin Klein Man. I don't think I'll need that one. Kyoto, on the other hand….[reaches for credit card]
Sorry you didn't like 2 Man! Sounds like you'll be buying something either way 🙂
I'd love to try Kyoto because I still haven't! I am lovin' my bottle of Jaisalmer though. My boyfriend loves that one too, so I have to share my bottle. But well he has to share his bottle of Dior Homme with me so it's aright.
Do try it…it's great stuff!
I got my samples today for Ouarzazate, Jaisalmer, and Zagorsk. I tried Ouarzazate first. I like it very much, it is a little sweet due to the vanilla, the smoky incense is wonderful, and it stays very close to the skin but the sillage was not very good on me. I was a tad disappointed in that but it is a beautiful fragrance.
Watch out for that Ouarzazate — I at first thought it was the dullest of the bunch, then it was the first one I bought 🙂
I do like Ourzazate but I still think Kyoto is my favorite. If I had my druthers, I would buy all 5!
Just received my bottle of kyoto this morning & it's my intro to CDG. All i can say is OMG!!!! it's absolutely gorgeous & i'll be doing my best to keep the bottle hidden from my partner….he can't stop smelling me lol
Congrats on your buy, & glad you love it!
Hi.. I just tried all of the incense series and while they are terrifice, I think Quarzazate is softest and most beautiful. I also enjoy Kyoto and truly love Avignon. I like Zagorsk, but it disappears almost instantly on me. As for Jaisalmer, it just way too much cedar. It actually gave me a headache. I also wanted everyone to know that Tobi is have an amazing 25% off sale including CdG scents. The promotion code is on the basenotes boards.
Tobi sells the incense series for $62 and with 25% they are only $46.50!!! An amazing bargain for such high quality fragrances!! The price was soo good I bought my three favorites, and given my recent obessive spurgle I really don't need any more perfume right now, but it was deal I couldn't refuse!
That's a great deal, congrats!
I went to the CdeG London store today, after a visit to Ormonde Jayne. They are within three minutes walk of each other!! Ormonde Jayne store is tiny and wonderful. The service at OJ was exquisite, relaxed, unpretentious and generous with their samples. I walked out with a candle for my mother's birthday present. Then I popped into CdeG to try out their range, having only read reviews on this website. The store was an entirely different experience………obviously it is a department-style set-up with different floors and different brands – and the SAs are all very young, gorgeous and skinny. It had a younger, hipper vibe and a wee whiff of pretension about how cutting edge they were! And the SA's hover a lot. At one point, I had two of them standing two feet away from me, watching my every move as i sampled. It was unnerving. They weren't unfriendly about it, but it was a little controlling! Were they jockeying for the commission?!?!
Anyway – the incense series rocked my world, and i knew i had to buy one! After much deliberating and testing on skin, I narrowed it down to Avignon and Kyoto. In the end, Kyoto won my heart. The dry-down of Avignon is quite beautiful, but it was too successful at evoking the inside of a catholic church – a little too aloof and holy for me! Whereas Kyoto's spiciness and warmth made it more exotic and unfamiliar.
These scents strike me as an amazing combination of wearable and unusual. Which is perfect for me! Once Kyoto runs out, i will try Avignon and Jaisalmer again, and see which one is next……..!!
Truly, Robin, your reviews were spot-on and once again guided towards a great scent experience.
What fun!! Other than the hovering SAs, that is. But would love to see the London store, the NY one is rather small, and quite the opposite when I was there — hard to find anyone to help you at all. Congrats on your new Kyoto!
I'll be better prepared for the hovering SA's next time……!! Location-wise, it is perfect – close to Ormonde Jayne, two stops away from Harrods/Harvey Nicks/Annick Goutal's boutique, lots of great cafes and designer clothes shops nearby. (I cannot afford any of those, but it's nice to wander inside and enjoy Alexander McQueens architectural shoes!)
RE: Kyoto. I am enjoying it so much. Also, my Japanese friend smelled it on me yesterday, and said “Aaaaaaaaaah! This is – wait! This is – what are you wearing?!?! I KNOW this!!! This is Japanese!” She immediately recognised what it was, without me telling her! It seems from the comments on this blog that the Russians loved Zagorsk too – so CdeG have obviously been successful in replicating these aromas if the natives are transported home when smelling them!
Oh, how cool that your friend “recognized” the scent — that's neat!
I tried Ouarzazate on my skin for the first time – until now, only admiring from afar on tester strips. Sadly, it doesn’t last for as long as Avignon, and is much more delicate and close to the skin. However, it is simply gorgeous and I want it as my new summer scent! And it actually lasts longer than Passage D’Enfer, which is a plus. And it’s cheaper.
It is pale, but has pretty good lasting power on me — yeah, definitely longer than PdE.
I just tried the incense series today. Kyoto is probably my favorite, with Ouarzazate coming in a very close second. I really love both, and I would easily wear either of them. Avignon and Zagorsk have to duke it out for 3rd.
Both Kyoto and Ouarzazate last well, though Ouarzazate is much quieter in the end. It’s been almost 6 hours since I sprayed them on, and I can still smell Kyoto decently up close. Ouarzazate is still there, but I have to search for it.
Jaisalmer is easily my least favorite because it just makes me think of Thai food, though I know it’s supposed to evoke India. I get some lime and ginger and crushed coriander seeds in Jaisalmer, so I think that’s where the Thai food association is coming from.