Vanilla CO₂ & Oud
Note
Composed by Joshua Clover
Dark vanilla doesn't need much sugar when worn with cocoa, opoponax, and Cambodian oud. PHIL JULIAN Vanilla CO₂ & Oud is an extract of calm depth, creamy on the surface and firmly woody underneath.
Pink pepper, rum CO₂, and elemi provide a warm, spicy opening. Then cocoa absolute, cocoa butter, and vanilla CO₂ create a dense, bitter-creamy heart without the impression of ordinary chocolate.
Joschka Klee places benzoin and opoponax alongside cocoa. Their balsamic warmth connects the vanilla extract with darker resins, so the composition unfolds slowly and without sharp transitions.
On the skin, Cambodian oud and sandalwood give structure to vanilla absolute, tonka, amber, labdanum, and musk. The oud is present throughout, but with time it becomes softer and more deeply embedded in the creamy base.
If you want airy vanilla or a playful dessert, this will be too resinous and serious for you. It's also not an extract for someone who expects aggressive animality from oud; here its job is to support and anchor.
Towards the end, cocoa butter remains on sandalwood, with vanilla enclosed in labdanum and Cambodian wood — a dark cream that doesn't melt, but slowly sinks.
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