Gueule De Bois Extrait De Parfum Spray

Warm, smoky and slightly unhinged in the best possible way, Gueule de Bois is the fragrance equivalent of last night’s clothes thrown back on the next morning. The name translates to “hangover”, which feels fitting for something this hazy, addictive and impossible to pin down.

Made by Versatile Paris as an extrait de parfum spray with a rich 25% concentration, it wears close to the skin but lasts beautifully on both skin and clothing. The opening is dry woods and cracked pepper, with smoky incense winding through it, before things soften into rum, amber and a syrupy warmth that feels slightly worn-in and familiar. Not sweet exactly, but comforting in that dimly lit, end-of-the-night kind of way.

Genderless, vegan and made in France, it’s the sort of fragrance that changes depending on who’s wearing it. Sometimes clean and woody, sometimes darker and almost boozy. One of those scents people ask about without quite being able to describe why they like it so much.

The bottle is compact enough to disappear into a coat pocket or bag, ready for mornings after, nights out, or absolutely nothing in particular.