Nuit d’Issey was released in 2014, a woody, leathery masculine from Issey Miyaké, which the house announces as an ode to wood. Dominique Ropion and Loc Dong built it on a contrast: grapefruit and bergamot in the opening, a leather accord backed by black pepper and vetiver, and a base of incense and ebony softened with tonka bean and patchouli.
Grapefruit and bergamot
The announced opening is built on two citrus fruits, grapefruit and bergamot, which the house wants biting and sparkling. They give the fragrance a bright entrance, at odds with the nocturnal setting staged by the advertisement.
Leather, black pepper and vetiver
The following register carries a leather accord, backed by black pepper and vetiver. The house adds spices and woods it does not name, and presents the whole as an ode to wood, sharp and clean.
Incense, ebony, tonka bean and patchouli
The base brings together incense, ebony, tonka bean and patchouli. The first two carry the announced dark facet, the other two the almond sweetness and damp earth that round out the leather.
What the label declares
The label only publishes the regulated allergens, and they already outline the fragrance. Limonene, citral, citronellol and geraniol sign the citrus facet; alpha-isomethyl ionone brings a powdery iris, hexyl cinnamal a soft jasmine.
Coumarin overlaps with the announced tonka bean, eugenol a clove that the accord does not mention, linalool a floral lavender. Two UV filters and BHT protect the juice and its color without adding anything odorous.