Kayu

The darkness here is not black but soft like cashmere, dusted with powder and marzipan, with a bitter oud that gives it weight. KINETIC Kayu constantly changes sides: clean then earthy, sweet then dry, smooth then rough.

Rosemary and Italian mandarin open the Eau de Parfum airily and neatly. Their aromatic freshness slowly descends into fluffy vanilla, but the initial purity lingers above it for a long time.

Guaiac brings a rounded, balsamic wood, and Virginian cedar dries its edge. Omani frankincense then heralds a change: brighter woods begin to sink into a much denser shade.

Christian Carbonell places a blend of natural ouds from Trat in Thailand and Udomsai in Laos at the center. The agar is pungent, slightly bituminous, and almost impenetrable, a direct homage to the regions from which the precious wood comes; kayu means "wood" in Indonesian.

Tonka oud strikes with marzipan sweetness, while musk and powdery notes cast a soft dust over everything. On the skin, the mandarin is lost, but the contrast between bitter agar and sweet tonka remains deep and vivid.

Kayu is not an oud for someone who only wants dry darkness. It is Trat and Laotian oud in a powder of marzipan, vanilla, and Omani frankincense — wood that begins to shine in the darkest part of the formula.