Hot Stuff: Demeter Mahogany and Fireplace

I should start by saying that I don't know what an actual chunk of mahogany smells like and I probably couldn't differentiate between mahogany and any other dark aromatic wood. But as it turns out, that's okay, because Demeter's Mahogany isn't just a chunk of wood: it's a men's cologne.

A very simple, stripped-down men's cologne, mind you. It opens woody and it stays that way, but it has a slight citrus tinge to it and a ripely fruity quality as well as a spiciness, both subtle, both of which may be inherent in real mahogany, for all I know, or may be added to round out the scent. After that, it's just wood wood wood. If you like simplicity, if you don't demand that every scent you wear be a three-act play, then Mahogany is a terrific choice for everyday wear: unisex, of course, but it veers masculine and lasts for hours, so it's perfect for men who think they don't like to wear fragrance.

While I don't have any experience with mahogany, I have lots with fireplaces, and Demeter Fireplace is an excellent imitation of one, that piercing creosote smell alongside ashes, smoke, and flinders of charred wood. (Ages ago a company called Smell THIS! had a Campfire smell that was kind of nauseating, as if someone had tossed an inner tube on the pyre: Fireplace manages steer well clear of that burning-rubber smell. It's an indoor fire, not a burning rubbish heap.)

And, as you might have guessed, Mahogany and Fireplace layer incredibly well, as if they were two halves of a complete scent. The wood rounds out the smoky-fire quality and tamps down its more aggressive elements, so instead of smelling as if you deliberately wanted to smell like a fireplace (an occasional hazard with the more literal Demeters), you smell like you've been working outdoors. It's a manly aroma, no doubt about it, and a particularly enticing one.