Birkholz
Birkholz
75 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The cardamom and cumin ignite immediately, delivering a peppery spice that feels almost medicinal before the grapefruit cuts through with tart brightness. The iris emerges simultaneously—green-tinged and woody rather than powdery—creating an immediate tension between citric snap and earthy warmth.
As the grapefruit fades, the woody trinity of cedarwood, sandalwood, and cashmere wood reveals itself as the dominant force, wrapping the iris in a cocoon of warm timber. The lily of the valley provides a gossamer counterpoint, though it's perpetually threatened with extinction by the woody surround, whilst the powdery accord gradually softens the spice's sharper edges.
What remains is a quiet, creamy woodiness—predominantly sandalwood and cashmere wood—with the iris now fully integrated into the woody base rather than distinct from it. The fragrance becomes increasingly intimate and skin-like, a soft woody powder that lingers as little more than a tender suggestion of the initial intensity.
Iris N' Wood arrives as a deliberately unsettling proposition—a fragrance that treats iris not as a powdery, genteel floral but as a woody accomplice in something altogether more austere. The cardamom and cumin in the opening create an almost culinary warmth that immediately contextualises the iris as something earthy rather than ethereal, whilst the grapefruit adds a citric astringency that prevents any drift towards softness. This is iris behaving badly, stripped of its traditional femininity and pressed instead into service as a structural element within a woody framework.
The cedarwood and sandalwood form the true backbone here—they're not supporting players but rather the primary narrative. What makes Iris N' Wood compelling is how the lily of the valley attempts to introduce a whisper of green freshness, yet finds itself perpetually overwhelmed by the woody-spicy architecture surrounding it. The cashmere wood adds a subtle sweetness without ever allowing the fragrance to become gourmand or approachable. There's a powdery quality that emerges gradually, softening the spice-wood collision without domesticating it.
Add fragrances to your collection and unlock your personalised scent DNA, note map, and shareable identity card.
4.0/5 (291)