Byredo
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The mandarin appears with remarkable clarity, its brightness immediately tempered by the dry spice of cumin and coriander—almost as though you're smelling candied citrus peel dusted with Indian spices. This warm, slightly savoury top note has an almost creamy quality from the very start, with no sharp citrus edges to catch you off-guard.
The tobacco emerges gradually, not as sweetness but as a dry, slightly peppery presence that deepens the leather's grip on the composition. Labdanum blooms softly underneath, adding a golden, resinous warmth that prevents the tobacco from becoming austere, whilst the mandarin becomes increasingly abstract—less fruit, more dried zest suspended in leather and smoke.
What remains is predominantly woody and resinous, with the oud and sandalwood creating a slightly smoky, almost incensory foundation that feels both comforting and faintly austere. The fragrance becomes increasingly introspective here, its projection dropping significantly; the tobacco and leather fade into whispered memories, leaving behind frankincense's ecclesiastical dryness layered with sandalwood's creamy grain.
Night Veils: Tobacco Mandarin arrives as a deliberate contradiction—bright citrus playing against dark, smoky woods in what feels like a conversation between two opposing forces. Jérôme Epinette constructs this as a fragrance of duality: the cumin and coriander in the opening create a dusty, almost culinary warmth that immediately softens the mandarin's initial juiciness, preventing it from ever becoming fresh or cheerful. Instead, that citrus becomes almost candied, sitting atop a bed of tobacco and labdanum that feels less like a typical tobacco fragrance and more like the smell of aged leather bindings in a library where someone's been smoking a pipe.
The tobacco here isn't sweetened or caramelised—it's dry, slightly bitter, with the leather providing a structural backbone that keeps everything grounded and sophisticated. Labdanum adds an amber-like creaminess that prevents the composition from becoming austere, though the woody base of oud and sandalwood ensures there's never a moment of softness. This is a fragrance for someone who moves through evening spaces with intention: gallery openings that run late, dimly lit restaurants with heavy wooden furniture, or quiet nights spent reading with a glass of something warming nearby.
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4.2/5 (230)