Just as Picasso had his Blue period, Serge Lutens had his “Bois” period, and Féminité du Bois was its foundation. Féminité du Bois established a new “flavor” in women’s perfume: sharp cedar counterbalanced with fruit and spice.
Like the gastronomic rediscovery that salty and sweet go well together (hello salted caramel and bacon chocolate), Féminité du Bois’s honey- and spice-dipped shaved cedar feels intuitively right. Serge certainly thought so. He followed it up with a raft of Bois fragrances: Bois des Violettes, Bois et Fruits, Bois et Musc, Un Bois de Vanille, Un Bois Sepia, Bois Oriental and Miel de Bois. (You can feel Féminité du Bois’s vibe in Chêne, Santal de Mysore, Santal Blanc, and Cèdre, too.)
Féminité du Bois launched in 1992 under the Shiseido name before Serge Lutens fragrances earned their own label. (If you have one of the old brown bean-shaped bottles, it will be labeled “Shiseido Féminité du Bois.”) It was developed by perfumers Pierre Bourdon and Christopher Sheldrake, and its notes include Moroccan orange, Turkish rose, Atlas cedar, violet, beeswax, honey, peach, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, sandalwood and musk.
Despite its surfeit of cedar — the Serge Lutens website says the formula is 40% cedar — vintage Féminité du Bois is a rich, multi-dimensional fragrance. I’m lucky to have one of the brown bean bottles. From the get-go, Féminité du Bois shows her colors. First comes muted mandarin backed by mulling spices with a hit of cumin. Cedar is right there, too, and right away. It’s not a hint of cedar, but a shimmering, freshly split log. Then, ripe peach and rose soften the cedar just a touch — not enough to take away from the cedar’s raw tang. But they’re present.
All these notes add up to a definite signature. Féminité du Bois is bold, yet I find it easy to like. After half an hour on my skin, most of the heart notes have faded, and spicy cedar is all that’s left. That, too, vanishes within four hours or so, leaving just a trace of stubborn musk. Despite the prominent “féminité” in its name, Féminité du Bois is firmly unisex. In fact, I know some women who might reject it because it feels too masculine.
The latest version of Féminité du Bois, in the rectangular spray bottle, is definitely Féminité du Bois, no doubt about that, but it feels like a photograph of the fragrance instead of the real thing. I wore it dumped from a sample vial, and that might have made a difference, but to me it smelled less dimensional, flatter. It didn’t carry as mighty a cedar tingle; its peach wasn’t as velvety; and the spices didn’t prickle and soothe like the vintage version. Still, it was Féminité du Bois, and if you aren’t spoiled by having an older bottle, you just might love it as much.
Serge Lutens Féminité du Bois Eau de Parfum’s official retail price is $135 for 50 ml, but it’s less at some online retailers than others. For information on where to buy it, see Serge Lutens under Perfume Houses.
Hello, Angela. I remember smelling the original FdB back around 1992, and I secretly loved it but thought it too unusual to wear! Honestly, what an utter twassock I was! And it’s not even as though I had the excuse of youth and insecurity–I was already in my 40s, and I’m not sure I’ve ever been insecure about what people think of me. Anyway, I didn’t buy then, but quite recently did, and I can see that your description of a photo of a scent is absolutely right. I love it, but it’s not rich in cedar the way my memory told me it was.
Thank you for a great review. You’ve helped me crystallise my thinking around this perfume.
It’s a drag to regret a bottle you didn’t purchase–but then again, lots of wonderful perfumes come out these days. So there’s that.
I remember once trying on a dress and thinking it was too daring (it was a pretty conservative dress, too) and a friend saying, “What? You want to be on your deathbed and say you were afraid to wear a dress?” I’ll always remember that.
She was wise, and I hope you bought it. I’m going to remember her words when I approach bright red jackets next winter!
I did buy it! And you should buy a bright red jacket.
Great sentiment -totally agree! I remind myself often that I don’t want to look back on life with too many “if only”s. So maybe I need to go ahead with the purchase of FdB that’s been on the list for a while.
If the reason you’re on the fence is because it feels too daring, then I think you should definitely go ahead!
“”Twassock” What a wonderful word! What slang is that?
I’d love to know, too!
What a coincidence – wearing the old version right now and I’ve just commended myself for smelling very good today and wondered how the new version might smell, as I’ve never tried it
I remember buying my bottle of the original feminite on sale, I don’t remember the year, but my local perfumery was selling all the older shiseido stuff at a big discount as they decided not to carry it anymore. At that time, my perfume addiction was budding and so I decided a 50ml bottle was enough. They also had all kind of body product from the range and now I’m really sorry for not grabbing everything they had!
But you’re so lucky to have what you have!
I have never smelled the original and now I’m scared to try, as I adore the new version. I wouldn’t mind if it was more intense, but it’s still one of my absolute favorites. I find it very easy to wear and like and it’s basically a comfort scent for me. A wonderful perfume, I never want to be without it.
That’s wonderful! There’s no reason to seek out the old version since the new one is so good on you.
I feel the same way about it – my first niche purchase and my first and longest love. Though I have always wanted to smell the original, and understand that the modern version may not match it, I do wonder if spraying makes a difference. I’ve never dabbed the Serge version, and have always found it to be reasonably strong, especially on my scent-eating skin. It might still come in second, but for whatever reason, when it’s up against its predecessor, I have a feeling that spraying it would give it a better showing.
I can make you a decant in a spray bottle if you’re ever interested, Angela.
Dabbing and spraying can definitely make a difference, which is why I mentioned it. Thank you so much for offering to make a spray decant! As long as I have my old bottle, though, I’m good.
I smelled it for the first time in 1992 and found it very surprising and different from any other perfume I’d smelled. I love cedar so it was an instant love. I still have 2 of the old version. Have tried the new and while it is wearable, it is definitely not the same.
It really is terrific. And it’s so perfect for autumn!
Reading this reminded me that my decant is pretty much out, and I really should get more. I’ll bet I can get a pretty good deal on Amazon. I’ve never smelled the old version, but I really like the current one.
It’s the perfect FdB weather here!
Angela, thank you for reviewing my old time favorite. I’m lucky to have the old Shiseido FdB in pure perfume form as well as in EDP.
One dab from the stopper of the small bottle of parfum will take your breath away. The spices and cedar are amped up significantly more than in the EDP. I think I may still have a couple of milliliters only and probably not enough to decant and send you to try.
Otherwise I would have.
You’re so kind to think of me! Reading your description is good enough, though. It sounds amazing.
I’m wearing the new one today.
You smell great!
Wearing the old version today, because it suits the rare non-rainy fall day here. Delightful, and the difference with the new is really one of texture…
I should say…best Salvation Army find ever, and makes me sad I can’t replace it. It is a cashmere hoodie, pulled from the cedar chest.
An amazing thrift store find! I’m green with jealousy.
That sounds like my read of it exactly.
I loved the original. The peach and honey were bright and fresh. But, I didn’t buy it because it was marketed for women.
When the Lutens version came out “for men and women” I jumped!
I “like” the newer version. I don’t love it. Too bad.
Too bad! I hope you’ve found something you like even better to wear instead.
Oh I did get it anyway! I do wear it from time to time. Just because it not perfect doesn’t mean it’s bad! Lol
My motto in life!
Ah ha! Shiseido FdB was one of my ‘signature’ scents in the 90s/00s. I had the body lotion, too. FdB always had a little *something* (I’m terrible at picking notes) that I very much adored but that facet would only occasionally pop up. It was a bit of a hide and seek for me. I found FdB a bit thin otherwise so I used to combine it with Coco – another big love – to add a bit of ka-boom. I’m anosmic to musk so that’s probably why I feel many scents lack that extra inch.
Then FdB suddenly wasn’t on the shelf anymore which coincided with me stopping using perfume completely for years. I was then flabbergasted to realise ‘the original’ is now a cult must-have or some such with people asking astronomical prices for the curved bottles. I’ve sampled the SL version but the rebranding and inane price hike put me off it. Bah. FdB used to be a lot more mainstream and affordable.
Cedre reminds me of FdB quite a bit, except for the bubblegum opening. It’s different enough to be a separate fragrance and close enough to what I used to love. And I l spike Cedre with Shalimar now
You are a master mixer of fragrances! And you clearly love a scent that packs a wallop. I’m sensing a big personality here…
wow, layering FdB and Coco, that must be something! I have to remember to try it next time I reach for either of the two. Btw, both have been my absolute favorites for years too
Report back, please, if you do try it!
You had me until “cumin.” We aren’t friendly. How sweaty is it?
Initially, it’s definitely evident, but the cumin disappears pretty quickly. I find it more spicy than sweaty, if that helps. But it’s there!
E-mails show that I bought my vintage Shiseido 1.6 oz EdP in January 2010 for $64.90. I think I decided to go for vintage the Shiseido version because it cost less than the new Serge Lutens. I also knew that particular ebay store was reliable and liked the bottle better.
It’s an amazing perfume but I almost never wear it. I tend to go for Bois de Violette or La Myrrhe instead. I always feel like going a bit sweeter or more oriental; always more or less something. I wonder if SL felt the same, and that’s why he did all those variations?
That’s an interesting idea. I sort of saw FdB as a “base,” like a type of musical chord, almost, that the other fragrances played on. (And I love Ly Myrrhe! What a beauty.)
I love Feminite du Bois so much that I consider it my signature (together with Jicky). The first time I smelled it was in London in february 1993 since we didn’t have Shiseido in Sweden back then. I remeber walking the dark streets smelling ny wrist being blown away by that fantasy wood note (which is mainly Iso E Super, not proper Atlas cedar). It felt like opening a secret wooden box filled with the strangest, most exotic objects. It took some time being comfortable wearing it, though. I was uncomfortable with the word ‘Feminite’ by then. Which is strange because I had no problem wearing Jicky since my late teens.
The four Eaux Boiseé fractions (Bois de Violette, Bois Oriental, Bois et Musc and Bois et Fruits) were released simultaneuosly with the opening of the Palais Royale flagship store. They were, together witg FdB, the only things sold there until the release of Ambre Sultan and Rose de Nuit. In a way the whole store was originally like a tribute to Feminite du Bois. When you consider the colour scheme of the Salons du Shiseido Palais Royale it actually makes sense.
Luca Turin got it sligtly wrong in his and Sanchez’ Perfume Guide naming Un Bois Vanille and not Bois Oriental as one of the itterations of FdB, but Un Bois Vanille was released later in as part of the export range.
Thank you for this information–and story! I’m glad you got over your initial discomfort wearing it, because it sounds like it really does suit you.
It sounds like the longevity on you Angela is not fabulous? That’s what I’ve noticed on a the few occasions I’ve tested FdB.
I’m not disappointed really – the sweet/spicy/cedar combo is not one I enjoy especially, though I wish I did so I could join the love! Thanks for the review. Strange that this has not been reviewed on NST already.
Yes–given how assertive it is, I was surprised that it didn’t go on and on. But that’s fine with me.
Every once in a while I stumble over a classic that hasn’t been reviewed. NST has been pretty thorough, though. I’m always amazed when I think I might review something, then find out it’s been done.
How wonderful, I’ve been just getting FdB back into rotation again as fall was coming in. It is also a semi-signature for me, our love affair began in 2005-2006, at Christmas. It was also a clearout, and a fragrance forum that made me seek it out . A dept.store in Budapest was having an insane Shiseido clearance, so I gifted myself that Christmas with a 100 ml Eau Timide, a gorgeous maroon rollerball pure perfume pen with 8 (1,5 ml I suppose) refills and a 50 ml edp (plus an Energizing Fragrance which I later gave away), and it STILL did not add up to the price I am seeing bottles on ebay today (horrid, horrid). I’ll never forget that night, travelling home from work with my treasures, from train to bus, in 10 inches of snow, just before the Christmas break, and being soo scared they’d break:)! They didn’t though. It was a lucky find, and when they ran out, completely smitten already, I bought another 50 ml edp, about 7-8 years ago, when it was still available, and I have about 10 mls of that left, but I also have some of the new version, and though it is not the same, it’s definitely a great tribute. I am very happy to be able to still get it, in any form actually. Sometimes I even layer them. It’s my fall go-to, and my formal event scent, and my hatetheworld-leavemealone scent as well. We are a perfect match. She’s tough where I’m weak and smooth where I’m prickly. I could’t be without her. I also love Bois de Violette, and Orientale, and keep meaning to try the Fruits version, though I’m a bit scared that it might be similar to Arabie… ? Which is a bit too much even for me.
And just a hint for vintage bottle-lovers: the old 50 ml edp spray is refillable. The top sprayer screwes off, just like the export range new bottles. In case You run out and like the old bottle better. Just sayin’:). I think when my vintage is gone, I’ll keep a ml in a phial and refill the bottle with some reissue, I love that bottle with all my heart.
Thank You Angela for a very timely review! And sorry for the long babble, nostalgia does this to me:).
I love your story! Thank you for sharing it. And thanks for the great tip about refilling the old bottles, too.
The current FdB is flatter and faint and more cedar than I’d like. Cedar, for me, should never be prominent, it’s a wood to line rich people’s closets.
Sonoma Scent Studio Femme Jolie is way better
That’s the trick, though–cedar is big here! I agree, Femme Jolie is lovely.
I remember smelling this in the 90s, at a Shiseido counter. It was a terrifying experience. It smelled not like a perfume in normal sense, more like an actual woman, in the flesh, glittering with sweat, standing in front of me. It was way too much to handle, for me, at that time. I have since purchased a mini bean bottle of EdP, because I love the bottle itself, but I have yet to tackle the scent itself and figure out how I feel about it now. As scary as the vintage was, the idea of the new, de-fanged version does not appeal to me much.
Maybe it’s time for another try! Just a dab on the wrist…