The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
XXI Bois De Cedre Et Vetiver arrived in 2018 from the atelier of RPL, a house that numbers its compositions with Roman numerals, placing each release in a quiet sequence of its own. The title reads almost like a place name, Bois de Cèdre et Vétiver, Cedar Wood and Vetiver, two materials that anchor the entire drydown of the composition. Nicolas Bonneville is listed as the perfumer, and the formula leans on a tight grouping of spice, wood, and amber accords that gives the juice its structural clarity. The Roman numeral XXI marks its place in the house's numbered catalogue, an ordering system that reads like an index of composed moments. The juice itself lives up to the naming convention.
What makes the structure interesting is the unusual weight distribution. Nutmeg, cinnamon, and mandarin orange give a brief warm-spice opening, but the heart lands immediately on woody notes, vetiver, and amber, pulling the cedar character forward from the start. The base then extends with musk, sandalwood, moss, and tonka bean, layering the smooth against the earthy. The result is a composition that smells like its base notes from minute one, with the spice acting as texture rather than transition.
The evolution
The first thirty minutes are surprisingly loud for a composition this restrained on paper. Cinnamon carries most of the opening alongside nutmeg, which adds a woody warmth that gives the spice accord its backbone. Mandarin orange sits underneath, briefly lifting the top before it disappears entirely, leaving behind only the faint memory of its citrus brightness. By the end of the first hour, the composition shifts into its heart. Woody notes and vetiver take over completely, and the amber accord arrives as a soft resinous hum rather than a sharp announcement, settling in alongside the cedar rather than competing with it. From the third hour through the afternoon, the sandalwood and tonka bean build a smooth creamy layer that holds close to skin, while moss adds the green-woody bitterness that prevents the base from turning sweet.
Cultural impact
XXI Bois De Cedre Et Vetiver is a cedar-forward composition that treats its two title ingredients as the structural core rather than as supporting players. Wearers describe it as office-appropriate, the kind of scent that reads as deliberate without drawing the kind of attention that demands explanation. Its dry, material-first character suits colder months particularly well, and community voting on fragrance platforms shows a clear seasonal skew toward fall and winter wear. For a house whose catalogue unfolds one numbered release at a time, XXI represents one of the more cedar-dominant entries, a composition that wears its title literally.
The House
RPLRPL PARFUMS is a Copenhagen‑based perfume house that blends a traveler’s curiosity with a disciplined design ethic. Founded in 2012 by Rupert Peter Landendinger, the brand releases scents under a numbered system that hints at a chronological narrative rather than a seasonal calendar. Each fragrance carries a concise title – IX Ambre Ottoman (2017), I Jardin Byzantine (2019), XVIII Tubéreuse (2016) – and a modest concentration that invites daily wear. RPL’s catalogue balances amber, oud, vetiver and floral accords, offering a quiet alternative to louder market trends. The house positions itself as a laboratory for scent stories, inviting collectors to explore a line that feels both personal and historically anchored.
The Creator
Nicolas BonnevilleNicolas is passionate about natural raw materials, a devotion that has been inherent to him since childhood. He travels the world to follow harvests: India for jasmine sambac, Italy for mandarin and bergamot, Florence for iris, Tunisia for orange blossom.
