Timbuktu L Artisan Parfumeur for women and men

A fenomenal frag - a mix of incense, green mango, papyrus and pepper. Fabulous! A great fragrance for all seasons IMO.
And probably I have found my signature scent.

This is a mix of Kyoto and Encre Noire. I'm tied between these 3 fragrances and I don't know which one I prefer. I guess it will be Timbuktu.

very nice not your typical scent. This scent reminds me of clean smoke. its slightly spicy at first and the incense is in the background where all the smokiness is coming from. it has a mild sopiness all the way through but not a typical soap something more middle eastern smelling if that makes any sense.
i think of the scent as semi spicy,woody, smokey,clean,mysterious,artistic. nothing ordinary here quite the opposite. for me the sent becomes more smokey as it stays on the skin and there is a point where you only get the smokey smell which is very nicely done nothing is cheap smelling about the scent quite natural. do spray your cloths with this one it smells very nice ofcourse the shirt has to be a ceal ironed shirt.Its not the type of scent you rush out and buy i cannot call this a safe scent and please do not blind buy as this is very niche as a whole. this is a scent that has to be sampled on skin in your own time and must try a few different times. the sillage of the scent is good creates a little cloude around you no one more than 2-3 meters will smell it on you unless you over spray. On me the lasting power is a good 6-8 hours and very much a skin scent after that. I spray twice on the front of my neck one on the chest and two sprays to the shirt. the bottle is great, sprayer could be better but good enough. the scent is very crisp and clean. The picture i get in my mind is open space and smoke which is green. this scent does not smell like grass or anything but for some reason green comes to mind it must be the vetiver.


Scent 8.5/10

It is a very serious scent, very elegant. It opens up with very dry incense, slightly bitter, spicy, intense. Definitely not a scent that will make you go unnoticed. I see it more on an elegant woman wearing a fur in winter. On a man it would really be screaming "look at me!". Lovely, powerful, but not for me.

this scent is like a breath of hot, arid yet fresh air and cleanses the nostrils in an almost medicinal way. It's a beautiful fragrance which would be at home on a woman or man - I actually think I wouldn't be able to keep my hands off my husband if he wore this! It's spiritual and cleansing, almost a priest/priestess' scent. It brings the outdoors inside, and is clearly the most influential seminal scent for perfumers like Tauer, etc. and it does bring to mind 'L'air du desert Marocain'. I prefer this one as I find it slightly richer.

Translation of Edox's wonderful review:

Timbuktu is a perfume that opens, as I imagine, one day in Africa: with notes of smoky dawn, humid, but you can sense the solar luminosity given by citrus. Then comes the noon evoked by woods, resins, and the piercing sun evoked by the spiciness of the pepper, and later comes the sunset with vetiver and patchouli that become more complex still. The scent becomes almost eternal as a long day deliciously endless ... because, in a sense, already part of the NEXT. It is a fragrance where spices are beautifully worked, and in this sense was very innovative, because the fusion of these with the vetiver is a magnificent and intelligent work of the author. As had Mozart from the second act of his opera "Le Nozze Di Figaro" a duet that first becomes a trio, then a then a Quintetto Quartetto ..! (Here spices and vetiver, spices, vetiver papyrus, spices vetiver, papyrus, patchouli ...) and is only the natural elements we can reach the tops of the art sophisticated perfume is a bright, far deeper and more complex than it seems at first. It's a very intense fragrance, as well as a great power of Sillage and longevity. Paradoxically is clear and mysterious. He feels the adventure in it and comes like a wind, from time to time, to tell you in an intimate, a place filled with an abundance of nature and wild but inexorable pure clear at once. If there is something wild but in the sense of unpredictability, of purity and mysterious nature. A great new perfume for people who delves into the adventure of looking beyond the usual market products.

I've only tried this in a store, but here's my take so far: Light, heady, dry clear incense smoke with a hint of woodiness and vetiver. Do I detect a touch of cardamom in the smoke? Seems quite natural, not synthetic, like most modern scents. I can see this being worn by either men or women, but it seems a little more on the maculine side to me. Nothing quite like it. Luca Turin [I know, I know, and I don't always agree with him either] in his Perfume guide rates this 5* out of 5. According to Turin, creator Bertrand Duchaufour used a rare Indian essential oil named "Cypriol" to create the light smokey effect. It does seem fairlylinear to me, so theire doesn't seem to be a huge change from top to base over the approximate 10 hours I've thrice tested it. Sillage has died down from the initial projection, but it's still maintains a definite presence. All in all, a fantastic creation!

Hugh Jackman's signature scent. Enough said. ;)

Timbuktu es un perfume que se abre, como me imagino, un día africano: con notas de una madrugada ahumada, humeda, pero en la que se intuye la luminosidad solar dada por cítricos. Después llega el mediodía evocado por maderas, resinas y el punzante sol evocado por el picante de la pimienta; más tarde llega el ocaso con el vetiver y el pachuli que lo vuelven más complejo todavía. El perfume se vuelve casi eterno como un largo día deliciosamente sin fin... porque, en cierto sentido, ya forma parte del siguente.

Es una fragancia donde las especias están maravillosamente trabajadas, y en este sentido fué muy innovador, pues la fusion de estas con el vetiver son un magnifico e inteligente trabajo de su autor.
Como contaba Mozart con respecto al segundo acto de su ópera "Le Nozze Di Figaro" ¡Primero un duetto que se convierte en un trio, después un quartetto luego un quintetto..! ( Aquí especias y vetiver; especias, vetiver papiro; especias vetiver, papiro,pachuli...) y es que solamente con los elementos más naturales podemos llegar hasta las cimas más sofisticadas del arte

Es un perfume luminoso, mucho, profundo y más complejo de lo que parece en un principio. Es una fragancia de una gran intensidad, así como de un gran poder de sillage y longevidad. Es claro y misterioso paradógicamente. Se presiente la aventura en él y llega como un viento, de vez en cuando, a contarte de una manera íntima, un lugar lleno de una naturaleza exuberante pero clara pura y salvajemente inexorable a la vez. Si , tiene algo de salvaje pero en su acepcion de impredecible, de pureza y de misteriosa naturaleza.

Un gran perfume diferente para gente que se adentra en la aventura de buscar más alla
de los productos usuales del mercado.

Timbuktu Opens very dark with incense and spices, but nothing exaggerated, where over time, acquires a certain soapy character but nothing overdone. This particular fragrance seems to me a much less intense version of L'air du desert marocain, making this a much more versatile and unisex fragrance, but without the mysterious and powerful personality of Andy Tauer's creation.

i luv luv luv luv timbuktu, keep smelling myself!!!

I need to wear this a few more times to decide what do I think of this fragrance .

I must confess: I don't get it! While I love most of the Bertrand Duchafour's creations I still don't understand Timbuktu. I find it to be nondescript, way too abstract. I think about it as a smell instead of a finished perfume. It's way too complex (maybe?), and although I've been trying it several times and posticipate my final review for several months I still don't like it.

Timbuktu opens smoky and bitter with incense and berries and I've to admit it's very interesting in this phase. Then it starts to evolve into a complex spicy / fruity / vetiver / resins phase where things get real messy and way bizarre (in a bad way). It's like if Mr Duchafour wanted to gather together all the aspects that made his previous releases great, with a cacophonic result.

Timbuktu definitely has the Duchafour's hallmark, it's immediately noticeable, but IMO it's way too far from his better compositions such as Avignon, Kyoto, Jubilation XXV, Sartorial, Calamus, Sequoia...

Rating: 6.5/10 (sorry, I don't like it)

Timbuktu is a very bitter woody fragrance. I get no mango or berries - just straight up incense, woods, pepper, and patchouli. A dark smoldering fire sort of like Chanel Sycomore, only with less vetiver. Luca Turin gives it five stars, I think it's just okay. Nothing special. Timbuktu might be better when layered with something. The sillage and longevity are very good.

I love the opening, which is an unexpectedly sweet mix of candied rose petals, incense, a pinch of spice, and patchouli. It smells exactly like something that I recall from long ago, maybe a sweet flavored with rosewater, or some kind of rose-scented incense, but I can’t identify it with certainty.

About an hour into the drydown, there appears a slight fruity note that must be the mango, but it’s short-lived. Overall, the scent is linear, lasting 4-6 hours. Not great longevity, but pretty good for L’Artisan.

In any case, Timbuktu is a drop-dead gorgeous incense/patchouli fragrance that’s far removed from the church version of olibanum. It is going on my “buy a large decant or bottle” list partly because I love it for itself, and partly because it evokes such a vivid olfactory memory for me.

Timbuktu together with Dzing! I really want to buy those two!!!! Definately to wear during winter and I wouldn't mind the warmth of them, since they are not very striking on the nose!
Lovely Timbuktu! Describes women of nature with a lot of self-esteem!

it is definitely a men's fragrance..it is georgeous, sexy, aphrodisiac, creamy smooth spices and incense..good work for Lartisan perfume house, a shining star among other many very nice scents of the same house..Reminded me of Kyoto and passage d'enfer, but smoother and less incense..

Other reviewers have said everything there is to be said about this. I love it, too, and had to put in my two cents' worth. Unisex I think. Warm, spicy, and slightly different from anything in this olfactory group I have ever smelled - maybe because of the papyrus and Karo Karounde, neither of which I am familiar with. Blissful.

Edit: I did have a different experience with the drydown from other reviewers. It was extremely long-lasting on me (a rare thing), about 12 hours, but for the last 6 hours or so it became a rather soapy lemon! with all the warmth and spice having travelled off somewhere else, and in the end I was happy to have my shower and put on something else. This didn't alter my opinion of it as a tantalising, intriguing perfume, and I think in the long term this is destined to become a classic.

Timbuktu opens with spicy bitterness, woods and incense on me. it's quite a masculine fragrance that makes a statement.
After awhile, it toned down a bit, but the scent developed this soapy, almost clean character.
As much as I find this perfume beautiful and high-quality, I can't get out of the feeling that I've smelled this before. It's like a cousin to L'air du Desert Marocain, but Timbuktu is a more "conventional" relative. It is also more wearable than it seems.
I recommend to try this out, even if for the sake of comparing it to other fragrances of the same genre.

Absolutely gorgeous. Spicy but subtle, warm, smoky, alluring. Smell your shirt a day after having worn this stuff.....fantastic.

I got a sample, undeterred by people saying it was very masculine. After all, most of my favorites are decried as too masculine (Chanel No 19, Tabac Blond, Midnight Poison). However, on me, they were right. It was too masculine on me and not sweet enough in the top and middle. When it hit the base, the benzoin stepped in beautifully and I really enjoyed it. It was like a rugged man who held me at arms length for three hours, then made mad, passionate love to me- and that thought reminded me of my husband, so I tried it on him. It was perfect on him. He LOVES it. And this is not a guy who wears perfume. He doesn't spend money on anything, lives in rugged boots, thinks cologne is wussy- and here he was telling me I could buy him 100ml of Timbuktu! And this was AFTER he saw the price. Total delight and shock on my part. They are a perfect fit and I love them both, especially together. I will steal a squirt every now and then from his bottle- Timbuktu smells too good not to!

I am completely head over heels when it comes to Timbuktu.
It might seem, in fact, dry, but also has a juicy, mellow edge, a little vegetable-like, due to the mango. It is multifaceted and amazingly manages to be essential and liquorish, airy and earthy, wet, sweet, fresh and invigorating at the same time. In the first stage pepper predominates on my skin, and this is the moment when it is really dry, due to the combination of pepper and cardamom. The "dry line" is continued in the middle notes by the papyrus, while, simultaneously, the liquorish, dense juicyness of mango takes floor and combines lovely with the awakening smokiness of incense. The late stages of middle notes are dominated by lovely, spicy and sweet incense that leads us smoothly to the base, where it meets its soulmate - myrrh. At the same time patchouli and vetiver give the composition a wet airyness.
I can't really describe this stunning composition to help you imagine it, because it has a specific quality that I would call "African" even though I've never been to Africa. Timbuktu makes you feel like travelling through the most beautiful exotic land, the one from your dreams.
If I was to compare it to a mass pefume, I would say it has maybe - maybe something in common with Envy for men, or Red Delicious for men, but more exotic, surprising, deep and unique. The incense is very similar to Kenzo's Flower Oriental - sweet, smooth, and, well...oriental :)
On my skin the staying power was not bad but it's not monstrous. About 5-6 hours (it's an EDT).
I think it's exquisite on a guy, but may be intriguing and sensual on a woman, too. However, I would prefer to have a man near me wearing this all the time that to wear it myself - I think it gives a man a charm of freedom and mystery. On the other hand I imagine it needs a very special woman - an exotic beauty, tall, proud and freespirited

In sum - try it if you can, and big thumbs up, Master Bertrand!

This is...I can't even find words. This is such an amazing scent. It's so warm and mistical. It's spicy, extremely dry. It almost smells as dry as the air in the dessert at noon, when the sun is burning the sand up. There is this extremely cozy, wonderful myrhh scent together with resins and everything is so well blended together.

I'd love this on a man.

In theory this sounded so intiguing. In application, it's a bit off.

The initial breath is almost bracing pepper. It's not harsh, it's stimulating/fresh.

It really begins as a deep mellow scent with a stirring blend of pepper, cardamom and warmth. I don't know if it is the papyrus but it's a resinous type of depth.

I know incense is listed but it's not incense in the traditional or common sense. It's much more grassy/earthy/fresh, like burning fragrant grass outside. After which, the Karo Karounde starts to emerge (it's a very strong floral that's essentially somewhere between Jasmine & Tuberose with its own woody & grassy notes to it) in addition to a distinct vetiver note and at this point it is a haunting perfume that does spark a sense of wonder because it is such a beautifully foreign and otherworldly scent that is so unlike anything I've experienced irl. In this moment the perfume is without a doubt tranformative and simply stunning.

Unfortunately it is very short lived which is absolutely tragic considering what it had already accomplished. Within 15 minutes the Karo Karounde is so overwhelming it's nearly impossible to smell any other note. It's so strong that it set me off into an Asthma attack. That single note is relentless and the jewel that was, is long since gone, never to return again. I'm not disappointed, I'm sad because it really is THAT amazing in the first 15 minutes.

After purchasing La Chasse Au Papillons Extreme today, I was blessed with a sample vial of Timbuktu. Yes!!! This is one that a man should have!!! I love everything about it. Is this my favorite incense fragrance? I think so!!

Here's a tip-off, though: for anyone who finds this too masculine on their skin or needs a brighter version, Keiko Mecheri's Oliban will suit you nicely. I'll have to compare these two side-by-side now. But my bias goes to Timbuktu... Wonderful execution...

UPDATE: I tested those two samples side-by-side. As my bias suggested, I now have Timbuktu in my possession.

L'Artisan Parfumeur TIMBUKTU is much more of a dark oriental woody perfume than a chypre thanks to the dominant incense which tinges all of the other notes with a deep smokiness. This is a good winter weather perfume, with a heavy presence, sillage that expands as it becomes heated by the skin, and excellent longevity.

I am not so sure that this fragrance would wear well in Timbuktu, Mali, its inspiration, but it certainly does succeed in conveying the aura of mystery associated with a far-away, unknown place. If you like dark incense (think YOUTH DEW or LA MOME), you should give this one a try.

I think this would be a great masculine scent- it smells rich with the cedar and incense being prominent- it's very clean with no jarring notes. Absolutely beautiful; the drydown is close to the skin but amazing when you catch a whiff..exotic but not too spice market!

This has an inky smell to me. Not bad, but can get a little cloying.

Scent of VOODOO:-) The gentle and easy incense gives blissful feeling of calmness and comfort. Wonderfully!!!

I bought it a few months ago and I absolutely love it. In my skin it's fresh and lasts long. My mother loves it too and uses it sometimes. Definitely, one of my favourites.

Wow, this is a subtle one. At first sniff it reminds one of some classic fragrances such as Aramis, it but soon develops its own character. That said, to me it's definitely male scent.

Everyone should at least try this most unusual fragrance! Even if you don't generally like this type. This is a fragrance you will not soon forget. I sniffed this one out of my mini and but the cap back on. I went thru all the others and then came back to this one again. I must say I'm deeply attracted to Timbuktu! It's deep, heady and erotic. The papyrus smoke, incense and spices are intense and dark yet arousing. I initially think of a campfire in the middle of a jungle. All the aromas of the vines & woods making for a trance inducing dance experience around the campfire. I sprayed this on each pulse point. A little hit my jacket. 3 days later I wore the jacket and kept getting this little wave of smokey goodness every time I would move my arm. I just had to smell my sleeve ever so often. The intriguing scent taking me back to that campfire in the jungle and the trance induced state. I am definitely smitten with this one!

Owch! Another gem. Apart from Dzongkha (which I now in love with ) this smells similar at top/heart- kinda in dry, spicy scent. Very thick spices, I think papyrus is very prominent (I think papyrus can ruin floral scents like Aloha Tiare, but inside woody fragrances it's very exotic and distinctive note). Spice like top remains for long time and I thought it wouldn't bring any surprises.. then I smelled my wrist. Erm, now I understand why 'chypre' stands after woody- I really thought that L'Arte somehow managed to break through from depths of my skin and show me it's beauty all of a sudden (I wore a drop of L'Arte yesterday on my wrist). Nah, it's still Timbuktu, that want me so much to fall in love with it. Scent developed on my wrist is now more deep that it was and more reminding me of something and evoking fantasies with swirls..
Here you see a neverending red sand, you are tired and look for some place to rest. Then you discover village and without paying attention to visual details you rest, and all this smells like Timbuktu. Indeed, very mysterious and African. If you love to travel and want to explore many places you would love this for it's adventurous spirit.
Ah, yes, lasting power is good.

Unusual smell - full dark, heavy, wet green, animate notes of peppers, sweetes of cardamon. But in base incense and musc together smell as grey soap, but smell fine. Exotic, heavy, multidimensional, such... african chypre. Hard, but fascinating. As Mitsouko Guerlaina. Fine. On man skin smell very men's, on woman - unusally, exoticaly. Very excistes me.

Timbuktu is one of those scents I appreciate, even worship, but cannot love. It just won't let me in. Dry and woody, with smoky incense, lots of myrrh and vetiver, a touch of mango so subtle I would never have sniffed it out, and just enough pepper and cardamom to add spice but not flavor: this is a recipe for true love.

But Timbuktu always lives at a cool distance from my skin. It seems to follow me, maybe it even wears me-- more than I wear it. Like a gorgeous seducer with a fear of intimacy, Timbuktu is great for a flirt, but disappoints when I come back for more.

The sillage and lasting power are excellent, and it has a brief but impressive development, starting off with a sparkle, and moving quickly to a sustained chorus of clear, distinct, yet harmonious dry notes.

A masterpiece that for me is just not The One. For incense I prefer the warm, animalic Jubilation 25 Woman (Amouage), or l'Air du désert maroccain (Tauer), which I think of as the big-hearted cousin of Timbuktu.

Exotic spices, dry woods, incense. Very very nice, and not unlike Olivier Durbano's Black Tourmaline, but much easier to wear, lacking the often harsh wood edge of Tourmaline. Easily unisex. Dries down with a resinous edge that I adore. Wish the overall experience lasted a touch longer though.

Such a pretty opening! Timbuktu takes me to a magical place, always far away on the horizon, a place to be half remembered and half dreamed.

Incense and spice, but never the heavy spice that makes, say, Serge Lutens Arabie such a terrifying experience in wind and curry, no this is delicate, subtle and light, a fantasy of grasses and woods brought by nubian traders, rolled in Egyptian papyrus and added to myrrh and cardamon. If this was a spell, it would work on me!

Sadly, like many spells, the effects are powerful but short lived. These notes disappear quickly, and benzoin is all that stays on my skin, pleasant enough but not extraordinary, a little rose-ish. I must give it another go sometime but for now, I am disappointed at the lack of hold, or I would be really tempted.

After reading all positive reviews for Timbuktu, I ordered the fragrance through the Internet. When it arrived, I wore it right away and it has become my my signature scent. This will be the fragrance I would save and take with me if my house would burn. It's pricey but it's worth it. I don't smell this fragrance much here in Honolulu, Hawaii.
I'm so glad I have it.

It seems like Timbuktu is quite popular now. :) And it does deserve it. One of my favourites from L'Artisan. It is something melancholic about this fragrance and it is deep and mysterious. Like the smell of handmade paper that have been dried over the smoke of holy insence and secret african spices. Not a warm, loud oriental, but a secret, quiet one... In my european ears the name of Timbuktu always have make me want to go there, but I´ve heard it nowadays nothing but a sleapy little african town... but this fragrance makes me want to go there no matter it is a sleapy little town or at the point of it´s power and glory. Maybe thats why the fragrance is melancholic? It reminds of the past greatness and mourning what is now lost? I do hope that after all, they still have secret rituals and burning holy insence.

It is dry, airy and absolutly delicate and well put together.

No matter who you are, this is a must try!

Of all the masculines I have been sampling recently in search for potential gifts, and even, I confess, just for me, Timbuktu may be the most alluring. There is something about the woody note in this scent that keeps my nose firmly pressed to my wrist. This wood is creamy-smooth, bone-dry, and without a hint of bitterness. And this scent is an absolute must-try, must-buy, all out winner.

I have fallen completely in love with this scent. When I wear it, I feel transported, powerful, magical, and incredibly sexy. It smells almost earthy to me, with the spices blending together perfectly. I absolutely adore incense scents, and this is without a doubt one of my top two (my other favourite being Andy Tauer's L'Aire du Desert Marocain). I have a feeling that Timbuktu and I will go a long way together.