Bois Impérial sample: 3ml wear test and 4 originals to try

How Bois Impérial unfolds

Quentin Bisch composed Bois Impérial, a unisex perfume from 2020. The first spray is basil and Timur pepper, which reads green and peppery rather than sweet. The heart lists vetiver and woody notes, which gives the opening something earthy to settle into.

The base is akigalawood, patchouli and Ambrofix. The listed accords sum it up as woody, aromatic, warm spicy, fresh spicy, earthy and green.

Read from top to bottom, the plan is simple: green and spicy at the start, vetiver in the middle, a dry woody base underneath. That is why one spray on paper tells you little. What you want to learn is how the basil gives way to the vetiver, and whether the base suits your skin once it warms up.

What the community votes say

On longevity, community voters choose long lasting first and eternal second. On sillage they choose strong first and enormous second. Those are voters' reports, not a promise about your skin.

Voters pick it for spring, summer, autumn and winter, and for evening, day, office and night. The votes do not tie it to one season or one part of the day. A 3ml decant lets you check that in your own week: a cool morning at your desk and a warm evening out can change what you notice.

Strong sillage is the point to test early. Start with one spray, see how far it travels in a small room, and add a second only if you want more.

A five-day wear test with a 3ml Bois Impérial sample

Sixty-odd sprays are plenty for this plan, so no single wear has to settle the question. Judge the perfume an hour in, once the basil has made way for the heart, and note the base later.

1. Day one: wear it alone. One spray on clean skin, then leave it. Write down the basil and pepper start, give your first verdict at the one-hour mark, and record what remains in the base late in the day.
2. Day two: do it again. Same spot, same hour. At the one-hour mark, set your notes beside day one's and ask whether the vetiver and woody notes feel balanced.
3. Day three: pair it with Grey Vetiver. One perfume per arm, the same number of sprays. Check both once they have settled and note which you would pick up, instead of judging from the openings.
4. Day four: swap sides. Wear the same two again, reversed, so neither arm always carries one of them. Keep the day's notes separate before you decide.
5. Day five: go back to your favourite. Wear it somewhere you really go, such as the office or an evening out, then read your notes and ask if you would pick it again.

The comparison with Grey Vetiver sets two originals that both list vetiver, one in the heart and one in the base, so your notes show how each one differs and which you prefer.

How far each decant size goes

Treat the 3ml as the finding-out size. It covers the five days with sprays to spare, so you can repeat a wear and still wait the hour before judging. It answers one question: do the basil, vetiver and akigalawood suit you?

A 10ml decant holds about 200 sprays and suits weeks of regular wear once it has earned a place in your rotation. At €2.67/ml for the 3ml and €2.33/ml for the 10ml, the larger size is the better value per ml if you already know you like it.

Every size is on the perfume samples page, and what a perfume decant is explains the format from the bottle to the atomiser. If you are weighing the original against bottles from other houses, the Bois Impérial Dupes 2026: 6 Clones vs the Original guide sets those bottles against the original; here we stay with originals you can decant.

Four originals to sample after Bois Impérial

Pick the next decant by where you want to go: saffron and mineral notes, citrus and pepper, grapefruit and vetiver, or something salty and marine. Each of the four is its own original with its own published notes.

Ganymede by Marc-Antoine Barrois

Ganymede dates from 2019 and is a unisex Eau de Parfum from the same composer, Quentin Bisch. It starts with saffron, violet leaf and Italian mandarin. The heart holds Chinese osmanthus, immortelle and akigalawood, so it shares one ingredient with the original's base but starts somewhere very different.

The base is mineral notes and suede. Its accords are mineral, warm spicy, leather, woody, oud, musky, metallic, powdery, floral and fruity. Voters put its longevity at long lasting first and moderate second, and its sillage at moderate first and strong second. They pick autumn, and evening and day. Choose Ganymede when you want akigalawood under a saffron and mandarin opening.

Castley by Parfums de Marly

Castley is a 2025 unisex Eau de Parfum. Bergamot, black pepper and ginger open it. Neroli, petitgrain and pink pepper form the heart, over a base of akigalawood, benzoin and labdanum.

Its accords are fresh spicy, citrus, woody, warm spicy, oud, aromatic, amber and fresh. Voters rate its staying power long lasting, then moderate, and its projection moderate, then strong. They choose spring and summer, and daytime. Choose Castley for akigalawood with a bright citrus and pepper top and a resinous base.

Grey Vetiver by Tom Ford

Grey Vetiver is a 2009 Eau de Parfum listed for men and composed by Harry Fremont. Grapefruit, orange blossom and sage open it. Nutmeg, orris root and pimento make up the heart, and the base is vetiver, woody notes, oakmoss and amber.

Its accords are woody, aromatic, earthy, citrus, fresh spicy and mossy. Community voters pick spring, summer and autumn, and day wear. Choose it when you want the vetiver of the original's heart brought forward to the base, with oakmoss and amber, and grapefruit on top instead of basil.

Le Sel d'Issey by Issey Miyake

Le Sel d'Issey is a 2024 Eau de Toilette listed for men, and it is a third Quentin Bisch composition in this guide. Sea salt and ginger open it. Seaweed and vetiver sit in the heart, over cedarwood and oakmoss.

Its accords are marine, woody, salty, aromatic, aquatic, earthy, fresh spicy, mossy and fresh. Community voters pick summer and spring, and day wear. Choose Le Sel d'Issey if the vetiver and woods interest you but you want a salty, marine direction rather than a green and peppery one.

Which decant should you choose?

Stay with the original if its basil, vetiver, akigalawood and patchouli are what you came to explore. Choose Ganymede for saffron and mandarin, Castley for citrus and pepper, Grey Vetiver for grapefruit and oakmoss, or Le Sel d'Issey for a marine take.

Use the 3ml to compare how each perfume unfolds, about 60 sprays each. Once one wins, the 10ml decant of about 200 sprays carries you through weeks of wear. For more perfumes that suit more than one person, see our guide to unisex perfumes worth sharing. 10ML is not affiliated with or endorsed by Essential Parfums, Marc-Antoine Barrois, Parfums de Marly, Tom Ford or Issey Miyake.

The bigger picture: Best perfume for women 2026: 23 picks, classic to new and Best perfume for men 2026: 23 picks, classic to new.