Essential Parfums Bois Imperial Extrait

Description

Bois Impérial Extrait is Essential Parfums' nocturnal reimagining of its best-selling Bois Impérial, the eau de parfum Quentin Bisch built the brand's reputation on. At double the concentration, the same spicy-woody skeleton turns darker and denser, less an everyday wood, more a low-lit, seductive one.

How It Differs From the Eau de Parfum

• Concentration: Extrait de parfum vs. eau de parfum, roughly double the aromatic oil load.
• Character: The original reads bright and peppery up top; the Extrait leans darker and more resinous from the first spray, built for evening rather than daytime wear.
• Who it's for: Reach for the Extrait when you want Bois Impérial's DNA with more weight and staying power on the skin.

Scent Character

• Woody: 40%
• Oud-Effect: 20% (Akigalawood, a captive molecule engineered to evoke agarwood; no genuine oud material)
• Spicy: 20%
• Floral: 10%
• Fresh: 10%

Translation: a dark, spicy-woody fragrance with a smoky, agarwood-like edge, nocturnal and grounded, not a fresh daytime wood.

Fragrance Pyramid

Top: Nepalese Sichuan Pepper, Thai Basil, Black Pepper

Heart: Rose, Atlas Cedar, Vetiver

Base: Akigalawood, Fir Balsam, Labdanum, Patchouli

Performance

• Longevity: Strong, roughly 7–9 hours on skin.
• Sillage: Moderate-to-strong, noticeable in the room without overwhelming it.
• Projection: 2–3 ft for the first hour, settling to arm's-length in the drydown.

Best Occasions & Season

• Fall, winter, and cool spring evenings
• Evenings and night out: dinners, dates, cold-weather events
• Unisex
• Skip for: hot summer days or office settings where a lighter scent is expected

Concentration & Provenance

Concentration: Extrait de Parfum
Perfumer: Quentin Bisch
House: Essential Parfums, Paris, founded 2018 by Géraldine Archambault
Lineage: A 2024 nocturnal reinterpretation of Bois Impérial (2020), the brand's flagship bestseller

Try Before You Commit

Not ready for the full bottle? A 1mL sample is enough to test how the darker Extrait wears on your skin before committing.

100% Authentic

Every Essential Parfums fragrance at Venba is 100% authentic. Backed by 200,000+ orders fulfilled, a 4.9-star Trustpilot rating, free US shipping on orders $100+, and hassle-free returns.

FAQ

Is Bois Impérial Extrait men's or women's?
It's unisex, a spicy-woody composition built to wear well on any skin.

How does it compare to the original Bois Impérial EDP?
Same spicy-woody DNA, but darker, denser, and more resinous, a nocturnal reinterpretation rather than a simple concentration bump.

What's the longevity and sillage?
Expect roughly 7–9 hours of wear with moderate-to-strong sillage, noticeable without being overwhelming.

What is Akigalawood?
It's a captive aromachemical used across niche perfumery to create an agarwood-like woody-amber effect without using real oud. It's what gives this Extrait its smoky depth.