Comments on: Home fragrance: Papier d’Armenie

By: anon

anon — Sun, 16 May 2010 09:58:56 +0000

I have just returned from the US with a little booklet of wonderful Armenian papers recommended to me by my Aussie/American girlfriend who said that she used them to relieve to rhodesian ridgeback smell in her house over the long cold winter. I have brought them back to try and lessen the fermenting rankness emanating from two little pugs. I am stunned to read the price. I paid about $25 from a trendy perfumery in Chelsea. I won’t be caught again but my entire family absolutely love them. They remind me of a beautiful hotel in Paris that I recently stayed at. How heavenly!

By: Zazie

Zazie — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:18:21 +0000

I stumbled on this lovely review some time ago, searching for information on Guerlain’s Bois d’armenie.
I got intrigued and am here to report on the different burning papers (original papier d’armenie and SMN carta d’armenia), just in case anyone else coming on this page has the same curiosity!
The Pd’A is less than half the price for three times more burning strips than the SMN, and the smell is incense/vanillic, a bit bitter and sweet while burning, and a bit powdery-sweet once the burning is over.
The papier d’armenie (4,5 euros) seems pretty much thin and streamlined compared to the SMN (12 Euros), which is truly magnificent, in my opinion. I still haven’t tried BdA, but if a perfume was made like the SMN scented strips, I would buy a stock.
The SMN strips are the same size but thicker, and out of the box the smell is quite flowery and diffusive. But as they burn, they throw a wonderful smoky/balsamic/resinous/powdery/slightly-floral cloud, that all good perfumista is bound to enjoy. They burn much slower than the PdA, and their scent is much more powerful: half a SMN is enough to scent nicely my house (which is small), while I need at least a couple of PDA strips to reach the same effect. That’s already a factor of 4. And the Pd’A fade quickly.
I own both Pd’A and SMN Cd’A, and enjoy both, but for once the different prices are totally justified.
Thanks to Kevin, I discovered this new way of scenting my house: if like me incense sticks bother you after a while, and you love candles but you start coughing when they burn, scented strips will make you really very happy, at a fraction of the price of a good candle.
I’m now curious to try the FK burning paper (those for his own house, and those he made for the original Pd’A line)… I got anew addiction, and for one, it is not too expensive!!!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 13:04:13 +0000

Either that or I just had so little on that I couldn't smell it properly, LOL…but a bit of patch doesn't usually bother me.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 02:39:44 +0000

Thanks R. I'll get my hands on a sample. I hear this has noticeable patchouli in the dry-down…so it must be good if you can even THINK of wearing it a second time, K

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 17:07:26 +0000

Hope A will come back and answer you too, but butting in to say that the Guerlain doesn't strike me as too feminine for a man to wear. I got the tiniest sample you can imagine so only have the vaguest impression but I would call it only middling-sweet, and very well done. Want to get another try on skin before I decide if I want it (or would pay for it) — it is lighter than I expected.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 16:52:22 +0000

Thanks. I was wondering what about the SMN papers distinguish them from the Papier d'Armenie: size, intensity of aroma, etc. (They are at least four times the cost of Papier d'Armenie.) I guess I'll have to get some! I must smell Guerlain's BdA too…from many descriptions it sounds a tad sweet for my tastes…veering toward the “feminine?” Kevin

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 15:57:37 +0000

I have (and love) the Santa Maria Novella Carta d'Armenia Burning Papers, though I cannot compare them to the French version, but I do sense deep, resinous benzoin in them as well. I don't burn them usually, but use them as scented bookmarks. Guerlain's Bois d'Armenie is a gorgeous, gorgeous perfume, but it does not live up to the deepness or intensity of the CdA — it's more of a cuddly, cozy vanilla-incense-resin scent.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 02:28:15 +0000

I got the raw benzoin at a local pharmacy (in Seattle); they have a website so let me know if you are interested in buying from them. See the link in my “KYPHI” post of last Sunday for the traditional way to burn benzoin, wood chips, etc. There is an easier way to burn it too: Save the small metal container of a votive candle; clean the container of wax; place the container on a flat electric stovetop burner on the lowest heat setting; put a bit of benzoin inside the cup. Keep watching the benzoin so it does not “burn” or start to smoke. You may also want to place a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil under the metal container…between it and the burner. K

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 02:13:31 +0000

Kevin, how did you obtain your raw benzoin? And what method did you use to burn it?

Very interesting post!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 20:23:21 +0000

Well, when I get past prototype-stages and into some kind of production, I'll need product testers. But that's quite a way off yet. I am still experimenting and collecting materials, learning (and most recently, have been very fortunate indeed in gaining some private “tutoring” from two very skilled working perfumers).

As for raw materials, I've been getting some supplier samples from the aforementioned perfumers, as well as buying online. I might check about the raw “tears”; I'm sure it won't be hard to get hold of.