Even if you didn’t know it at the time, you’ve probably sensed the aroma of hinoki perfumes. This wood, derived from cypress trees, is known for its citrus and slightly balsamic notes, and has long been a fixture in Japanese public baths. More recently, however, wood has found its way into everything from cult hand soaps to high-end perfumes, including Scent Onean influential fragrance created by Comme des Garçons for the magazine Monocle in 2008.
Almost two decades later, Scent One remains a highly regarded interpretation of the genre of woody perfumesa formula that Frederick Bouchardy, founder of fragrance design studio Joya, calls “the great silent influence” behind his clients’ interest in the hinoki. At Joya, where Bouchardy helps brands like DS & Durga develop new ideas and collaborates with everyone from A24 to The Grateful Dead, Scent 01 is a frequent reference point. Bouchardy has a good nose for this kind of thing. “In a sense, we are trend forecasters because designers and artists come to us to fine-tune their vision into a fragrance,” he says. And according to him, it makes sense that we are seeing more and more new hinoki products in the market.
Genderless beauty brands like Koa and Non-Fiction emerged on the market during the pandemic, capitalizing on the transportive and calm-inducing qualities of hinoki and presenting them in bath gels and creams. Japanese skincare brand Tatcha made its first foray into body products last year with a line of hinoki items that lean into the “forest bathing” vibe. In the fragrance space, hinoki has also seduced the team at Boy Smells and been a muse for Douglas Little, the flamboyant perfumer behind Goop’s infamous vagina-scented candle.
Bouchardy sees the resurgence of hinoki as a longing for the comfort of natural vegetation, also evoked by perfume notes perennially popular such as sandalwood, cedar and the palo santo. He describes hinoki as a slightly more mercurial wood—light and spicy at times, heavier at others—that lends itself especially well to unisex perfumes. As a woody note with elements of fruit and herbs incorporated, it’s a great transitional option to get you through the last stretch of winter, although it offers a journey to greener, quieter pastures all year round.
To help you find your happiness, we have put together today’s most vibrant hinoki perfumes.
What are the best Hinoki perfumes?
- Scent O1: Hinoki by Comme des Garçons
- Hinoki Fantôme by Boy Smells
- Dirty Hinoki by Heretic
- Hwyl by Aesop
Scent One: Hinoki by Comme des Garçons
Scent One: Hinoki by Comme des Garçons.Courtesy
