Ebano by Botanicae

Ébano is the playfulness of Botanicae’s elixirs. Instead of standing out on its own, the opening wraps and dusts the heart notes with a chocolatey, earthy, and slightly smoky touch that’s noticeable from the first spray. It’s not a classic three-phase pyramid, but a two-part journey: the opening and the base. The red fruits are barely noticeable. At the half-hour mark, the scene shifts to woods and balms, where the vanilla is accentuated without dominating. Opening the bottle is like breathing in the dust of a car on a sandy road, with that cocoa scent; then, after half an hour, you step into a grove of resinous trees that soften the chocolate. It lasts about 7 hours on skin and up to 9 on clothes. It projects about a meter for the first hour, then by the second hour it’s down to 5cm. It’s very versatile for many seasons, though it avoids extreme heat. As always, test niche on skin before buying.

Maybe since you were little you picked flowers for perfumes, or maybe you’ve been wearing the same signature scent for 24 hours a day for 14 years. Maybe you opened up to Chanel No. 5 in the 2000s or got used to Intense Café. Maybe you remember your first whiff of oud. But with Ebano, there’s no turning back: it’s irresistible and gives you the urge to run off to an exotic destination without being judged. There’s a before and an after. It opens spiced: cardamom and cinnamon in full force. Then tobacco takes over, but as it dries… it becomes intoxicating: dark chocolate, sandalwood, myrrh, gardenia, and orchid.

Starts with lots of incense and pepper, and my nose picks up a herbal vibe that isn’t on the list. I don’t detect the red berries, but soon a dusty cocoa and myrrh emerge. Then, a couple of hours later, the vanilla and resinous notes take over, with a very subtle touch that’s not oak but rather oakmoss. The projection is good for the first 2-3 hours. It lasts 5-6 hours on my skin, but lingers much longer on clothes. I tested it against other sweet incense perfumes, like Zara’s Bohemian Oud and Venice in the East’s Mystic Incense. Those two are very similar, with a more ecclesiastical, dominant, and drier incense. Ébano is more gourmand, creamy, and complex. It turned out to be a really addictive scent for cold weather, ideal when you want incense without it taking over, bathed in sweet notes. Although I don’t own anything from this brand yet, I hope this joins my collection for next fall. Scent 9/10, Longevity 5.5/10, Sillage 8/10, Value 6.5/10, Versatility 7/10, Packaging 7.5/10. Would I buy again? No, I didn’t purchase it.