Green Wood.

Green Wood arrived in 2019 from DSQUARED², designed by perfumer Daphné Bugey. The fragrance line began in 2007 with He Wood, a scent built around raw timber and woody accords. Green Wood arrives as the next step in that conversation with the forest. But where earlier releases leaned into timber's warmth, Green Wood pushes the green. Bugey reached for santolina, an aromatic herb most houses avoid. The result is a fragrance named for the forest but built from something sharper, something that doesn't apologize for being alive. The choice of santolina suggests a deliberate move toward the living plant rather than processed wood notes, creating a scent that feels immediate and verdant.

Santolina is the tell. Also called cotton lavender, this Mediterranean herb carries a camphoraceous, almost sage-like quality that most men's fragrances sidestep entirely. It's too raw, too natural, too much the plant itself. Daphné Bugey chose it anyway. The top of Green Wood opens green not because of citrus water or synthetic marine, but because of a real plant that smells like the Mediterranean garrigue in summer. Combined with lemon and Bourbon pepper, the opening creates an aromatic freshness that breaks from the typical citrus-watery-blueprint.

The opening hits sharp and doesn't wait for permission. Lemon and santolina arrive together in the first minutes, the citrus bright, the herbaceous edge cutting through almost immediately. Bourbon pepper threads between them, adding clean spice that lifts without bruising. As the citrus softens, vetiver enters the composition, bringing its earthy, slightly smoky character. Cedar follows closely, warming the heart and adding dry woody presence. The resinous notes keep aromatic continuity rather than swinging toward sweetness or darkness. The drydown is where Green Wood earns its name. Ambroxan and cypriol take over as the woods deepen, creating a woody presence that sits close to the skin with a musky undertone that stays intimate. Projection is amazing, blasting off from the first spray and maintaining that presence as the fragrance develops through its stages.

Green Wood sits among bold woody aromatics. It shares territory with Lalique Encre Noire, Lalique Encre Noire Sport, and Bvlgari pour Homme Extrême. What separates Green Wood from several of its comparables is the green factor. Where Encre Noire carries ink and smoke, Green Wood carries the living plant. Santolina is the differentiator, an unusual ingredient that introduces qualities found in Mediterranean garrigue rather than typical masculine fragrance conventions.