New Niche Fragrance Review: DSH Perfumes Matsu + Japanese Architecture Draw

The Golden Pavilion, or Kinkaku-ji for my new Japanese friends

Kinkaku-Ji (Golden Pavilion) in Kyoto, Japan

It is interesting how much Japanese culture and art have impacted perfume. There are many perfumers who have spent time in Japan and found inspiration for some of their best fragrances. One of those perfumers who fall into this category is Dawn Spencer Hurwitz. Ms. Hurwitz first used this background to create what is probably my favorite of all her fragrances Bancha. It is a cleverly constructed tea perfume which contains no tea, which I think is sort of an interestingly Japanese kind of aesthetic. Her latest release is again inspired by her travels in Japan and again smells like a note that is not present in the ingredients.

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Matsu, which means pine tree in Japanese, is the name and it is that titular note which seems very present until you find out there isn’t any pine in the note list. When I spoke with Ms. Hurwitz about Matsu she told me that she was after a fragrance that combined the atmospheric and the architectural. I told her when I wore it I felt like I was like meditating in a Japanese pavilion with the smells of a pine forest surrounding the structure being brought to you on the breeze.  To create this combination of atmospheric architecture Ms. Hurwitz would use Iso E Super as the source of the woody structure and that turns out to be an excellent choice as that does provide the architectural pavilion for everything else to come as the breeze carries the smells of the surrounding atmospheric forest and nearby pond.

ginkakuji

Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilon) in Kyoto, Japan (Photo: Jake Davies)

There is an inherent spicy facet to good wood used in construction and in Japanese construction cedar is the main building material. If Ms. Hurwitz had chosen to use a regular source of cedar I think she would have rendered Matsu too delineated. By choosing Iso E Super she instead does pick up that spicy aspect and uses the cedar as an accent almost as an olfactory illusion to draw your senses in that direction. I have always found an inherent minerality deep in Iso E Super and that is also apparent in the early going of Matsu to me, too. Now that I have settled down in my pavilion and centered myself it is time to open my senses to see what I can sense. In the early going Ms. Hurwitz uses a fabulous bergamot to attune my nose to search beyond the obvious woods. Once I begin to do that I find the green accords of pine, foliage, and water lily. Because this is a pine accord and not pine itself there is an opaque freshness that feels like it is coming from a distance. The same goes for the water lily accord as it again uses a combination of notes to bring semi-transparent floralcy on the mist off the water to my nose. Ms. Hurwitz fills in all the remaining interstitial space with a green leafy accord.

Dawn

Dawn Spencer Hurwitz

Matsu has overnight longevity on me but to be really honest it is the Iso E Super which I mostly smell the next morning. Matsu, all together, before it ends up there developed for 8-10 hours on my skin with modest sillage.

There is a mischievous part of me that wants to combine Bancha and Matsu and have an olfactory Japanese Tea Ceremony on my skin. Thankfully that thought is fleeting because Matsu deserves to be appreciated all on its own. I know that for this Sunday morning I am going to spray myself liberally with Matsu and close my eyes and imagine the scene from a Japanese pavilion while sitting on my deck.

Disclosure: This review was based on a sample of Matsu provided by DSH Perfumes

Thanks to Dawn Spencer Hurwitz and DSH Perfumes we have two draws. For our US readers a 10mL EDP spray bottle of Matsu. For our international readers a 10mL rollerball of Matsu oil. To be eligible I want you to use your imagination and imagine you are meditating in Japanese Pavilion and leave a comment telling me what you smell. Please identify if you are US or International. The draw ends on July 10, 2013.

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

–Mark Behnke, Managing Editor

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49 comments

  • Claudia says:

    I smell beautiful cherry blossoms when meditating in Japanese Pavillion. When i think Japanese fragrances I think light and soft, green and aquatic. Relaxing. US reader and thank you for the draw.

  • Ferris says:

    In my meditation, I can envision smelling Japanese cherry blossoms, honeysuckle, and burning incense (sandalwood) in particular. I am in the US. Thank you so much for this wonderful draw!

  • Lisa N says:

    Ah, autumn grasses, faint smoke and tatami mats. I’m in the US and hoping to see Japan some day.

  • StephenJohn says:

    Straw from the tatami mats, hinoki pine, frothy matcha tea, sandalwood and kyara incense, and a drift of perfume from the osmanthus bush in the courtyard.

  • Alissa says:

    This is not easy for me, especially tonight, as my thoughts are scattered and there’s more noise going on in my head than usual, but I’m giving it a shot. I’m imagining the smell of warm, dry, light-colored wood: like pine or oak, mingled with the smell of polyurethane, which is a scent I actually like (in small doses). It reminds me of the turpentine smell in a painter’s art studio. There’s a stillness to the air, so the scent of the peonies and lilies outside and within the pavilion, stays present the whole time I’m there. There’s also a tea and clove, faded incense scent that lingers in the background; it’s not fresh, but has been burnt so frequently, for so many years, that the air stays perfumed by it.

    Okay… Am I designing a perfume here, or am I just getting carried away? I don’t have the talent of Ms. Hurwitz, so I don’t know how to approach the ‘architecture’ of these scents, without writing a novella, so let’s leave it at that.

    It does sound like this perfume would be nicely complemented by Banchu though, doesn’t it?

    I’m in the good ol’ U.S. of A.
    Thanks for the review, and, of course, the draw.

  • Greg Shi says:

    I can imagine the fresh, vibrant cherry blossoms in the air. With a gentle and relaxing summer breeze. I also smell nature at its finest, with grass and trees surrounding me.

    I’m living in Canada. Thanks for the draw.

  • Devon H says:

    I smell…green tea, faint cherry blossom, a whiff of yuzu, maybe something slightly inky like calligraphy ink. I’m a US reader, and thank you for the draw! 🙂

  • Rebecca Morgan says:

    Hinoki pine, the sweet smell of peony flowers, cool water, wet earth, sun-warmed gravel and a faint waft of kyara incense…
    Takes me back to a warm spring morning spent drinking tea with my dearest at the Japanese garden in Cowra, Australia, a very happy memory.

  • StaceyW says:

    I am imagining the scent of cherry blossoms wafting in from outside and the deeper scent of incense burning nearby…in the U.S. and thanks!

  • Chapeau Clack says:

    Tranquility, above all. Tranquility, carried on soft, transparent wafts of scent. Watery, grassy, the smell of wet earth and roots or the delicate fragrance of rain streaming down the wooden roof of the pavilion. Kyara incense, lacquer, straw, occasional wafts of rice steam and the unmistakable tannic “scentsation” of tea. Ozone and Hinoki pine.

    Thanks for the opportunity, and I’m outside of the US.

  • Jackie b says:

    I am smelling damp fallen leaves and a waft of sandalwood incense. Then the steam from the green tea I am drinking.
    I am international.

  • Mujo says:

    Imagining sitting in a Japanese pavilion I smell the woods of the house and furniture, the light incense burning while meditating, the fresh mountain air trough the window accompanied by a mixture of flowers from the garden and the pine trees of the woods.

    I’m an International reader.

  • MariaA says:

    Wow, I can really picture myself in a Japanese Pavillion with that description. The smell of cherry blossoms and the sound of running water is what comes to mind first! I would really love to travel to Japan and experience all that !! I am an international reader!! Thank you for the draw and the journey!!

  • Lucasai says:

    I meditate in the Japanese garden.

    I smell the green freshness of a cut grass, a warmth of a sunny sand from a zen garden, a sweet floral aroma of sakura blossom, it has a slightly waxy finish. My body feels a slightly damp soil I sit on and I get wafts of bamboo and water from a koi fish pond.

    I’m international, in Poland.

  • ringthing says:

    I’ve not been to Japan, but after closing my eyes and really concentrating I smell: driftwood, maple leaves, incense and rice paper, the kind used in baking. I’m in the US, and thanks to all for the draw.

  • Elia says:

    I think of cherry blossoms, hay, fresh grass and a bit of an ozonic element.
    I’m in the Eu
    ty

  • Eva S says:

    The first smell that comes to mind is that of new tatami mats (I wish I could have a room with tatami mats a home!) and also the scent of the green frothy tea used in tea cermony.
    I live in the EU, Sweden.

  • Cynthia says:

    In my pavillion I smell piine, resins, labundum and a whiff of insence. Thanks for writing about one of my favorite perfumers. DSH has so many scents I am crazy for.

  • Ellen Covey says:

    If I were meditating in an open Japanese pavillion, I imagine I would smell fresh evergreen leaves, old wood, green, earthy moss, and a subtle waft of incense like my favorite Seiun by Nippon Kodo. I’m in the US.

  • leathermountain says:

    In USA, but traveling now to a fantasy of a Japanese pavillion….
    The air is dry and clean, only lightly scented by the smell of sun on stone, wood, and water, low-key but ancient. Breaathing deeply in meditation, I detect a hint of… is that an orchid? A crystal-white phalaenopsis. It has no smell, yet I breathe it in.

  • Meg O. says:

    Aloeswood incense, miso (if there’s a kitchen area), cedar, soil, and pine. I’m in the US and thanks for the draw!

  • Deanna says:

    I’m in the US and studied Japanese film in college and have wanted to visit Japan ever since! I can picture myself in a courtyard garden, sitting on a bench, where I smell dry cedar from the structure at my back, and the slightly damp, woody bark and blossoms of the flowering trees surrounding me. Mmmmm….

  • wefadetogray says:

    I am in the US
    I dream of a Japanese garden on a daily basis. I think I will smell serenity, moss, greenery, fresh water, dew, moist, damp grass, perhaps some heavy warm rains approaching.
    Thanks for the draw!

  • cdb73110 says:

    I imagine a tranquil smell of the pine and cedars as the light breeze carries the scent across the crystal clear water full of colorful koi. A hint of jasmine tea from the cup beside me. Also, catch something sweet from a mystery flower near by. As the sun heats up the pavilion it gives off sort of a slightly incense smell from the wood used to build it.
    In the USA and thanks Dawn for a great draw.

  • Michelle U says:

    As I am meditating in a Japanese Pavilion I smell the rain, The humid smell combined with the sweet smell of sakura. It’s that kind of green floral beautiful smell, so natural, calm and soothing.

    Thank you for the draw! Wish you all the best!

    I am an international reader! ^_^

  • breathesgelatin says:

    I’m in the US.
    I’ve never been to Japan, but the smell I associate with Japanese gardens is fresh florals like cherry blossom, lotus, and water lily.
    Thank you for the draw!

  • Sue H says:

    Meditating in a Japanese pavilion, I smell the soothing, smooth scent of agarwood and sandalwood from kyara incense, accompanied by a humid breeze redolent of moss and reeds from the nearby koi pond. There is a subtle hint of sweetness and rice powder from the mochi stand outside, that mingles pleasingly with the green, fresh grass scent of matcha being prepared in a tea ceremony.

    I would be very excited to win a decant of Matsu. Thank you to CaFleureBon and Dawn! I am in the US.

  • Nemo says:

    I smell cherry blossoms (I don’t actually know exactly what they smell like, but for some reason I expect them to smell a bit like lilacs, but fresher) and sandalwood incense, and the smell of clean, old wood that has been polished by countless bare feet. I live in the US.

  • Francesca says:

    I’m meditating in japanese Pavillion in close proximity to the Snow Monkeys in the mountains of Jigokudani, Yamanouchi, Nagano Prefecture, Its snowing outside and I smell cold concrete, slightly metallic. There’s a brazier with coals, mineral & smoke and a light hum of Agarwood, the precious incense of the temple. Rarely burnt but its a special celebration of the buddah this day. temple smells of cloth and humans, clean..and fir lingers in the doorway before being comandeered into the other smells. If I stretch my imagination I can smell the Monkeys, yes the animal ingredient was really needed here..

  • Merlynn says:

    I live in South Africa and have never been to the far East! I should probably be thinking Kyoto by CdG but I’m thinking something more airy like Dzongkha, iris, vetiver and papyrus! The scent is clean, still and somewhat severe. All clean lines and angles.

  • DianeM says:

    I’m smelling trees, rocks, and a crystal clear babbling brook. Thank you for the drawing!
    I’m in the US.

  • DSH says:

    Thank you Mark and CFB for this incredible review of Matsu! 🙂 It’s so clear that you fully feel the inspiration and vibe of not only the fragrance but my quirky sense of “Japanese aesthetic”. I just love everything about this review – right down to the BRILLIANTLY imaginative way to enter the draw. How fabulous to read everyone’s fantasies. Wonderful!

  • Monica H. says:

    Meditating in a Japanese Pavillion… I imagine the breeze carrying notes of incense from nearby temples, the clear and transparent smell of matcha rising from the cup in my hands, smell of dried bamboo leaves rustling in the wind, faint waft of cherry blossoms fluttering down from the tree, all tied together with the slightly damp soil and hinoki pine!

    International, Dawn thank you for the draw and I love that picture of you smelling the cherry blossoms =)

  • Yash says:

    Meditation in a Japanese Pavillion evokes wafts of burning incense, smoke from ritual burning dry sticks and the light gentle scent of cherry blossoms floating in water filled copper plates laying around..
    I am an international reader and I cannot wait to try this new cration by Dawn- noone does spiritual like her!
    Thank you for the draw…

  • Fazal Cheema says:

    I will definitely smeel Sakura Blossoms if its Spring or the wind that breeze through bamboo trunks

    I am based in US

  • Dana says:

    Closing my eyes I detect smells of moving water, cedar wood, burning incense, and lilies. Incredibly peaceful. I am an U.S. reader and Matsu sounds wonderful.

  • Gypsy Parfumista says:

    US resident.

    While facing east, I feel the wind on my face and catch whiffs of forest, hints of fading incense smoke, cool green hinoki wood and the sheerest scent of delicate petals floating about me…as the rising sun cups my face in its warm soft hands!

    Your own personal tea ceremony on your skin? LOVE THAT!!

    Thanks again for a wonderful draw…and I just have to say there are few (if any) modern natural/mixed media perfumers today as prolific, yet artful and articulate, as Dawn!! <3

  • Maureen says:

    I’m in the US.

    I imagine that meditating in a Japanese Pavilion I would smell the woods of the room, incense and tea , a lovely garden and mountain air. I would feel the sun and warm breezes on my skin and would be at peace. Thanks for the draw.

  • Sophie says:

    I smell fresh crisp air, Hinoki, sandalwood incense wafting followed by hojicha tea, tatami mats and the ikebana flowers.

  • PatriciaC says:

    Wet wood and moss, incence with smoke, almond blossom and a slight water scent-I feel a slightly cool breeze from the shade trees. I live in the U.S. Thanks so much for the drawing, sounds heavenly!

  • Vick G says:

    I can imagine the fresh, calming breeze. With the gentle smells of nature and cherry blossoms. Thanks for the draw!

    I’m international.

  • Valerie says:

    I smell moss, incense, and a twiggy earthiness all in various hues-some brighter some less, calming my eyes and mind. I am in the US

  • mim says:

    usa
    Hmmm…
    Meditating on the scents my breath draws in….woody-straw smell from the room and mats, my own fresh clothes, faintly spicy old wood, burnt incense, and a breeze that smells mostly like wet rocks and moss and water plants, with some fresh tree smells too..

    Love the idea of a tea ceremony medley! Thanks for the review and draw