The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Michel Almairac spent decades composing for global houses before his sons, Benjamin and Romain, opened Parle Moi de Parfum in 2016. Cedar Woodpecker 10 was one of the first expressions of that new chapter, a fragrance built for men who display their unbridled addiction to woody notes. Michel understood exactly what that devotion requires: intensity without brutality, depth without darkness. Cedar delivered the first. Iris gave the second.
Cedarwood provides the structural backbone, dense, resinous, alive with warmth. Iris root, aged for three years before extraction, brings the powdery violet lift that prevents any single cedar species from overwhelming the composition. The result is a woody accord that reads as both assertive and refined. Not masculine in the obvious sense. Elegant in the way that matters.
The evolution
The opening is all cedar, sharp, aromatic, with an almost citrus-like brightness that doesn't appear in the official pyramid but arrives anyway, like a stranger who turns out to be welcome. That initial sharpness softens within the first hour as iris announces itself, powdery and velvety, transforming the fragrance from bold to composed. The drydown holds the line: cedar warmth layered with iris elegance, intimate and close, lasting six to eight hours depending on skin. What lingers is not power but presence.
Cultural impact
Cedar has held symbolic weight across cultures for millennia, in ancient Egypt it represented protection and divinity, while Native American traditions associated it with purification and strength. Cedar Woodpecker 10 arrives during a revival of woody fragrances that challenged the sweetness dominance of the 2000s. By centering on cedar rather than cedar as a supporting note, the 2016 fragrance helped define a generation of understated, masculine-leaning scents that valued quiet confidence over loud projection. Parle Moi de Parfum, founded by brothers Benjamin and Romain Almairac, positioned this scent as an entry point to their collection, making sophisticated perfumery accessible to newcomers while honoring their father Michel Almairac's legacy of craftsmanship.
