M/Mink Byredo for women and men

Love reading all the different experiences of this fragrance. For me, it smells like a men's restroom, specifically the urinal cakes. Funny how everyone has different takes on a fragrance.

Truly the female counterpart to YSL Kouros. I certainly would never wear it but I think it's an interesting scent to smell. Honestly if this one has come out back in the 1980s it would not even be considered controversial or weird at all lol.

I'm a sucker for a unique scent, and this is a real banger.

Abstract floral índole and pissy honey mix with aldehydic shimmer and dirty patchouli providing an otherworldly, crazy, whimsical affair. Something about the sci-fi audacity is remniscent of Uncle Serge's more whacko scents (Fils de Joie for example, due to the crepuscular honey-índole haze). Oh, and the incense is very Lutens-y, and provides a smoky base for the mostly high-pitched opening to settle onto.

Does it smell like ink? I'd say it does as much as Encre Noir does, but from a totally different angle. Honestly, they both serve some sort of inky element, but if I weren't suggested by the name and copy, I'm not sure of it would occur to me. But that's fine, I think they've done a stellar job with this perfume. It's by far my favourite Byredo and the only one of theirs I could be bothered to seek out.

I'm not sure when/where/if I can wear this, but I'll definitely rock it for myself of an evening, and perhaps will apply delicately in advance of going out to let it dry down before I take the metro!

Side note: this is the same sort of crotchy wee smell as in Sadonaso, but here it's a lot more bold, so for all those who complained that Sadonaso wasn't shocking enough, maybr this could sate your thirst.

Another side note: I'm starting to suspect that the sillage smells like actual urine with a little dash of urinal cake juice. Still love it though.

Call me crazy but I love this. I mean, I hate it. No, wait, I love it.

What an interesting scent. Just enough gasoline IMO. I’ve gotten a few compliments on it today and a couple strange looks. It take time and grew on me.

Context is definitely key for this one. Like a lot of the comments below have mentioned, this is a perfume best suited for the evenings when inhibitions might be lowered and a strong animalistic, musky and Ambery scent might be warranted. Don't even think about wearing this to the office unless your office is a barnyard or somewhere outdoors (Ha!). To me this smells slightly reminiscent of the woodiness/spicy component in DS&Durga's Pistachio. I haven't decided if I like it yet but these things take time.

I've managed to get my hands on a Swedish produced bottle of this fragrance, so I don't know how it smells right now, but oh boy is this a beauty!

Hands down the best Byredo I have smelled, the most complex and non-linear, kind of dirty, skanky even, but it still has that Byredo sterility they kind of go for in every release.

Starts with sweetened yolk, skanky ink and a pleasantly thin patchouli, throughout the day the honey shows through, and at that point it becomes a yolk stained fur scarf, very calming, without sacrificing any of the bite. The whole journey has a grounding warm human skin vibe to it.

I also love the design of the box!

I love this one.
To me its less feral as described a lot and more metallic, with that amber warmth only coming through once it dries and settles 1-2hrs in.

I do get how it could smell funky but to me it’s simply reminiscent of paris (and nights spent there) which is where i first smelled and bought it. It’s definitely sexy in a sweaty kinda way.

My signature scent ever since so i’m hoping the yearly rumors that it’ll be removed never become true.

Please note that I am not into animatics but somehow loved this!

I was at a Lucchese boot boutique at the beginning of December and I saw a beautiful black mink silk blend fur hooded coat that I completely feel in love with. I tried it on and wore it for about 10 minutes in the store while I was looking around and loved how it smelled. The animal hide rugs, the exotic leather boots and all of the suede and wool jackets smell great already and those scents completely penetrated the coat but scents penetrate mink differently than leather, denim or other materials etc…. It’s as if Mink gives a fluffy vibe to animalic scents and makes those scents even cozier and more luxurious. My BF asked me if I wanted it but I said no (it was way too expensive!) we went home and we both noticed that I still smelled like the jacket. A week later I kept thinking about that luxurious animalic scent and tried looking for the jacket online so I could purchase it via Klarna payments 😂 but couldn’t find it online so I contacted Lucchese and they informed me that certain specialty items were boutique exclusive only and never online. 😭 But my amazing BF went behind my back and purchased it for me for Xmas as a surprise gift and I’m thrilled. The coat still smelled like that but now with my current fragrance as well. Byredo M/Mink gives those animalic vibes and it’s not as dirty as some say; I know animalic isn’t for everyone but I love it somehow. I only have a sample of M/Mink but now I crave a bottle.

I have no idea what actual Japanese writing ink smells like, of course, but if it is this then I really don't see why anyone would want to make a perfume out of it. I was told it smells like "art gallery" and that's a pretty good description, it smells like you're wearing something to get attention or to make a statement rather than to smell pleasant. Starts out VERY sharp with what I assume is the "ink" note, and then that gradually fades away to finally leave room for an actually pretty pleasing dark wood scent, but the ink note is always in the background, and, well, it doesn't sit well with me. Got the full bottle because I got it for a gift for someone who didn't want it and decided to keep it, and I've never looked forward to wearing it, so I'm glad the bottle is finally over and done with - and as this has been discontinued after only a few years, I guess it WAS more of an art project after all.

There's a number of animalic perfumes by niche houses created with stopping power in mind (Corpus Equus, Afrika Olifant etc), and this is by far one of my favorites. A distinctly pungent, pheromone-soaked affair that still manages to be completely wearable, it errs closer to the complexity of scents by Prin/Strangers Parfumerie than anything else by Byredo. Finally they made a fragrance that impressed me, so of course they discontinued it.

sex, piss and musk -- one of the most animalistic and sexy colognes i've ever purchased -- absolutely sample before purchasing as it dries down differently on everyone... this fragrance smells best in cold/crisp weather and loves the rain. wear this at night or late afternoon, and absolutely not on a hot day as you will smell like a dirty bathhouse. when worn in the appropriate context (sex), it evokes something primal

Inflatable soap soccer field behind the sea with some urine and sweat mixed with water and soap surrounded by rusty iron fence


The dry down slightly similar to Provocative from Boadicea the Victorious

Fur and piss. I love it. More “mink” than “ink” to me.

I’m in the full wave of experimentalism. And, since this kind of attitude is hardly backed by the chance of sample-smelling, it’s always blind buying (was that the case with Secretions Magnifique by ELDO, and this is the case with M/MINK).
To be clear, I’m not one of those inexhaustibly worshipping Byredo fans.

So, back to us, this frag «is not for the uninitiated», as someone said before.

On paper and on my skin, it’s two different stories.
On paper, it opens strongly uric, pretty repulsive, to quickly turn into salty and floral notes (which then stay till the end).
On my skin, it’s pure ink (I used to work in publishing facilities, and M/MINK reminds me of the mixed smell of ink and solvents from the printing film developing machines). There’s a floral touch from time to time, but it’s subtle and powdery.
I can’t say it’s unwearable, but you must know precisely when and why.

This is not for the uninitiated 😂.
I wanted to try this one for a very long time but could not find a sample (discontinued) so I was lucky enough to win an auction for a full bottle. Before I tell you my impression, I want to preface my opinion with pet peeve of mine.

I am not one of these people that think every perfume they try smells like bathroom or kitchen cleaning products. It irks me when someone smells well composed perfumery and compares it to 409 or Ajax because that's the only other time they've smelled these notes, and the only way they can relate. Now that that's out of the way, I'm going to compare this perfume to cleaning products 😄. Men will relate to my impression of the opening. Full disclosure: I have no idea what a block of Japanese calligraphy ink smells like.

You walk into a freshly cleaned mens restroom. You walk up to the urinal, and there's a brand new urinal puck. You start pissing on this puck and you are hit with the overwhelming smell of the fragrance within, and some piss. That is exactly the opening of M/Mink. The aldeydes, patchouli and sea notes combine to almost mimic a strong, pine tinged citrus. You get a bit of piss from the honey and possibly musk.

In the mid it starts getting animalic. The urinal puck morphs into the chemical used in boat and RV toilets, but now it's fading. The feeling of being in freshly laundered clothes at the zoo. It's clean and dirty simultaneously. Into the full drydown and the incense comes forward with animalic clean musks and pinecones in the background. The incense is unburned and has a crunchy, granule texture.

Very interesting perfumery and a bit of a rollercoaster ride but I don't find it as challenging as others. There's a passing resemblance to the opening of Amouage Myths Man, but otherwise it's completely unique. If you can make it through the opening and mid, the drydown is excellent. Strong like from me.

Scent 7.9/10
Performance 6.8/10

Winner for weirdest wear I've ever tried, but my nose isn't the most experienced.

Sublime.

Ok. initially, right at the start, all I could think was that this smells variously like Byredo. You grasp the ‘dna’ of the house that’s for sure. From there, the slightly (I want to say fishy?) unusual smelling ink makes itself known. This comes alongside a very natural, almost green honey smell. Definitely not honey in the sense of a gourmand to my nose. The drydown is where things get even weirder… if you dwell on it for too long, the natural part of the natural honey threatens to smell faecal.

Would I wear this? Probably. Although I prefer my inks to be officey and metallic, like the ink notes in a lot of CDG perfumes.

Sex, piss & dirty public toilet - I have no other words to describe it. I wear it for sex.

Almost comically disgusting. I’m usually fairly patient in seeing how a scent develops, but this was way beyond my ability to tolerate.

Just FYI. Picked this up at a Byredo boutique a few days ago, it was no longer displayed and the tester is not out with the other bottles. Was explicitly told this is being phased out and discontinued.

Wow…
To me It smells like a stable…
😂😂😂😂😂
It’s so animalic…

-Wth is this scent.
-Fur and Piss in a bottle. (-)

This is so good and interesting. It's true that in the beginning you can smell something pissy, so much so that you'd expect to read civet or hyraceum in the note breakdown. But after a few minutes it gets a lot less animalic and a prominent incense and a minty patchouli combo is revealed. As for the incense, I kinda got tired of chasing after "the perfect incense": they generally just don't last on me, but not with this one. I really like Mink, but I wish it was available in the 12 ml format before considering committing to a 100ml bottle for 190€...

A few years later……AND THIS Is A MASTERPIECE of a scent! Not for everyone which I like even more! ❤️

My first job out of college was at a contract histology (tissue science) lab that specialized in making bone samples for pharmaceutical companies. The company had been around for a long time and there was a lot of old stuff sitting in the cabinets and shelves.

While waiting for assays to finish I would often poke around and check stuff out.

In one drawer was a very specialized kind of mount of an extremely large specimen, I assume it was a primate bone, maybe an arm or leg bone. It was essentially two pieces of plexiglass glued to two shaved parts of the bone. This 'sandwich' would be placed into an extremely large microtome and sections would be taken.

I don't know how long the sample had been in the drawer, but it was almost certainly a few years.

Because it was so strange I would take this sample out from time to time and look at it. The scent of the sample was so strong that even opening the drawer would allow it to leak out into the room.

The smell of M/Mink is nearly identical to that bone sample, or some part of it, I assume an adhesive or fixative used during its creation that was either still off gassing or had changed over the years.

As strange as it is, this aged, chemical aroma has a motivating, almost addictive property to it. The scent rewards small doses and overdoing it can really ruin the experience. Its surprising to me that it is often described as animalic as the only animal that I could imagine smelling like this would be a xenomorph or something out of Lovecraft.

On early sprays I got a fresh carrot/root scent, and then something like a rose (or synthetic rose) but after wearing it a few times those natural notes don't strike me anyone and it is this artificial note that dominates.

In spite of its strangeness by parter (female) enjoys the M/Mink on me as well.

(Purchased as a decant.)

Recently cleaned white tile bathroom in the 1980s. Aldehydes, something pink peppery and a touch of urine. Later on the honey comes out a little and finally incense. Not at all offensive or horrific like some people have said. I could imagine wearing this on a sunny clear skies spring day but i would not buy it.

I have no idea how they did this but the aldehydes seem to keep going and going until the fragrance is gone.

Printer ink... that's what it is, basically. But on skin, it smells oddly cool and sexy, if you don't spray too much. It smells like the room where the copy machine is... with a little bit of air conditioning, blowing. That's what you get.. that fresh, inky, cool, newly made-paper vibe.

To me this perfume reminds me of leather oud, a sharp unique scent! I wouldn’t use this for every day wear, but a great addition to my collection 🥰

I got worked out for nothing hahahaha.... So I tested this once when I was in Singapore, and I got the inky vibe right from the start, but I was using blotter when I tested M/Mink.... Then I read all the negative reviews on fragrantica, I was like, did it smell like a banyard??? did it smell fishy??? because those are not the feelings that I got when I sniffed it on the blotter.

Fast forward, I happen to know that this one is already discontinued, and there's an online shop that still had this perfume, the last one... I struggled months to pull the trigger and get it.... And when I saw the perfume was just sitting there unloved, I was like, I've got to get this, even if it's only to satisfy my curiosity....

And I was prepared for an olfactory assault when I got this... instead what I really get is the smell of ink, an expensive and vintage ink... The one Japanese uses on their calligraphy.... It's a wonder, it's exactly the feeling that I got the first time smelling it, it's not disgusting, it's not repulsive, and it's not really strange, well at least for me.... And I don't understand the barnyard reference, or the marine or saltiness in here, or blood for that matters hahahaha....

I think the difference on how we perceive M/Mink depends on our memory and the place we live. I don't mean to be racist, but I think Asian people will be able to appreciate M/Mink more, because we actually use the ink that becomes the inspiration of this smell... The smell is spot on. It's inky, it's vegetal, it's dark, it's medicinal, it's industrial, and so on.... For me, it could also be the scent of vintage vinyl records, something that could be released under Marc Antoine Barrois line... And if I love Ganymede, I don't see why I can't love Byredo M/Mink, so there it goes. I win again.

WOW. I blind bought this even with all the mixed reviews and ... WOW. This is a work of art. Seriously, it smells exactly like the inside of the McNay art museum in San Antonio. The opening is stingy and futuristic ....and I want more of it! Dry down is indeed a lovely incense. New signature for sure.

What I get is a humid laundry smell. I don't want to say fresh laundry because it's not one of those hateful "dryer sheet" smells. It has a warm-damp human tug, but it's usually not filthy to me. (Sometimes the topnotes have some serious Kouros-y snarl and I happily take some lashings from the funk. But this is a random encounter.) M/MINK is like you got soaked in a summer rain and then ran back to your vehicle, and turned on the heater, and then started making out. Clean dampness, saliva, wet hair, upholstery, warm air.

Secretions Magnifiques would be a better name for M/MINK than the Etat Libre perfume. Better yet, "Lover's Spit." (You know that song and music video? Exactly.) This has a clean, warm salivary quality and it does evoke old high-school makeout memories. Clean but human, sexual but not dirty. The genius thing is that one part of my brain is at a loss to penetrate the smell and describe it. Another part implicitly "gets it." And even another part can appreciate with great respect how the notes coexist to make this smell. I do get the incense (a very subtle Messe de Minuit or Mecca Balsam kind of incense, but not quite so mildewy and without *any* citrus), and I get the translucent fattiness from the aldehydes (think Marilyn's neck in those old No.5 ads), a waxy sweetness from the honey, and a Thunderstorm/Dirt/Odeur 71/54 kind of ozonic, atmospheric, hot printer paper smell. Or is that steam from a shirt press?

It's weird! With great respect and relief, I say that it's a weird smell. I've been disappointed so much lately by fragrances that have been hyped for their filthiness or strangeness. This one is solidly odd.

But I also think it's quite alluring and subtle and a great option for musk-o-philes who are drawn to the sebaceous funk in Kiehl's (but not the bright juicy florals), the shroominess in Bruno Acampora, the costus in Ambilux/Ambiguite, or the drydown of Kouros. BUT! With the dial turned way down, because M/MINK does not perform well for me.

If it performed the way I expect something called Eau de Parfum to do, then it'd probably crack into my tops. Really. But it's like, soooo subtle after the first few seconds. Heartbreaker.

I'm disregarding my initial review of M/MINK as I did not give it a far chance. To be honest, I way over sprayed it, and this is a fragrance where you have to very carefully apply it. Spray too much and you and everyone around you will hate it. To be fair, this is a very challenging scent and not meant for the average consumer. The notes are polarizing and you either hate or love them. If (and that's a big "if") you like chemical smelling things (i.e. Liquid Paper, Sharpie and dry erase markers, chlorine, gasoline) then you may appreciate M/MINK. It has that certain chemical attractiveness that some will find appealing. Lightly sprayed and when smelled from a distance, this comes across as very unusual, distinctive and somewhat elegant. This has a clean antiseptic feel with a slightly musky animalic quality. Maybe like sweet gasoline if that that makes any sense. I bought a bottle and don't regret it for a minute. Its an original piece of work, and as a fragrance collector, it is a worthy addition to my wardrobe. Not to be worn everyday, but for that special dressy occasion this will make you stand out from the crowd. Thumbs way up, but again not for everyone, but that's what makes this so special.

I have no idea how Byredo achieved it, and I honestly do not care. M/Mink is the olfactory way of samurai. It smells like writing a haiku on a rice paper scroll in your best calligraphy ink, lighting an incense stick in front of the house altar, picking up your sword and going to your death. The sky is dark, the shogun is dead, but your honour is yours and your spirit is that of a warrior. Sooty black ink, cold metal, sacred incense and steely reserve. Wow.

Stays super long, projects mildly.

.

Wow. I will give most things a "try." This has very strong sea notes, plus something dead, and the smell of a bathroom drain. I can *almost* get an inky smell, but I really have to focus. I understand why this scent is polarizing. Personally, I won't be able to put this on my skin, and that is disappointing. I like to try challenging scents. But I am physically repulsed; it is causing me to gag. Even the test paper had to go outside of my home.

Upon first smell I was expecting something far more offensive based on what I’d read here prior to purchase. It is musky of the uric type and stuffy, underneath are florals which lift it and perhaps a cedar of the pet bed variety. Very much a vintage mink, executed with perfection.. very niche, baroque, gothic almost, artistic and unique. I love it for all of those reasons, I don’t know how wearable it is but there’s a lot to like imo

Dude, with a name like that, what could go wrong you know? lol. Already conjuring images of the ancient fur coats I smelled as a kid, Mink was going to be a tough sell. And I should have been suspicious enough when even the Byredo rep issued a stuttering warning before spraying it.

Well you know what, bring on that little dead fox thing my mom never wore but drowned in moth balls anyway because man that's a wealth of pleasures right there compared to this heap of rejected humanity. I can't really imagine that there was any other intention here other than to celebrate the minutae of bodily processes because that's all I smell.

In the 90's Metallica had an album that featured an up close image of a sloshing mix of blood, piss, semen, and vomit as the cover. That pic stung the eyes, just looking at it you could smell the tinny, sour, salty refuse. They called this album "Load". If Byredo could only borrow from Metallica because Mink is the true Load.

insecticide! If dead animals wore perfumes it would be mink and Acca cappa by fior!

One of the two most disgusting perfumes I've ever tried, and I had a tester (I didn't just had a whiff on a paper blotter, I wore it for a day). It has a terrible animal smell, something of a cat's glands (frankly, cat's ass) and butchers, and of pine rosin used for soldering. I can say, there might be something good in this perfume if used very diluted (there was something that might be beautiful after maybe 16 hours and it was almost gone).

I don't know what's in here but it's utterly repulsive.

I LOVE byredo perfumes, but this one contains a certain note that literally burns my nostrils from first spray. Maybe it's the aldehydes mixed with the sea notes?
It smells exactly like alcohol lathered cheap animal hides.
The amber/patchouli have no chance to peak through.

Anyway, I don't recommend wearing this to job interviews or dates as it's an extremely 'particular' scent. (lol)

It's not delicious, not masculine, not feminine, not sweet, not sour, not powdery, nor refreshing.

Try before you buy. Or blind buy at your own risk.

A lamb covered in blood after he fell off the cliff, ocean waves sweep over him as he lie wounded and helpless on a black rock. Explosion of blood and cured meat.

I was in the Byredo store on Wooster today to buy more Mojave Ghost and smelled this one while I was thumbing through their selection. There is a prominent civet/ musk note that's very reminiscent of Muscs Koublai khan, and the manager said she's heard that before as well. Anyhoo, I'd love it for all seasons, both genders and in any weather, pungent and animalic, it's a love for me.

Love this one. I can see why it isn't for everyone.

It doesn't contain musk (according to this site) but damn is it musky. It's an animalic honey note that gives it this muskiness. A bit sweet, but not overly so, despite the prominent honey note. Probably the aldehydes balancing the sweetness out, but maintaining the honey smell. It screams honey, and it's for the honey lover (like me). Together with the patchouly, it becomes a little earthy and doughy, which gives it this skanky, sexy, animalic muskiness.

Also, in my opinion, this fragrance has a slight gourmand vibe to it. No, it isn't gourmand, but there is something in the honey note that makes me a bit hungry, or craving something.

As with the smoke/incense, it's rather spicy than smoky. I love it. And it's a performer. 6 sprays easily give me 6-7h, which is fair enough, since I get really bad performance from most fragrances, let alone a Byredo.

I sincerely do not understand how such interesting notes of m / mink aroma in themselves are SUCH. This is probably the only fragrance of my collection, which causes not only mental rejection, but absolute rejection on the physical level (the same reflex as in 1 comment of the fragrance). I bought a bottle of course from perfume curiosity, after reading reviews on fragrantics. The more such controversial reviews, the hotter my interest in the fragrance, as it was with the ELDO Secretions Magnifiques (which, as it turned out on my skin and perception, is not as scary as it was "painted"). Byredo M / Mink is an AROMA OF EXTERNAL CIVILIZATION, perhaps it might have smelled from Martians or even on some distant planet, where there are no living creatures either, only geysers volcanoes, poisonous fumes or something in this spirit n. I don’t like This is an expression, but for me personally, Byredo M / Mink is a perfume nightmare, brain and soul removal, every sampler that I prepare is a torture for my sense of smell :-), I can not even understand what combination of notes gives similar. I'm just sure that the whole pyramid is not represented. But I am not surprised at the lucky ones for whom this fragrance sat down with heat and honey, in fact this is the very beauty of this selection, on the skin of different people is revealed in different ways, and the perception is different for everyone. Bravo to the creator, this is definitely a perfumery masterpiece, which I, personally, presented to alien aliens on Earth as a sign of galactic friendship!

p.s. as usual, such aromas are indelible and looped to a complete coma (if you do not like it) or to full nirvana (if you are lucky). I put a great perfumer for originality.

Dystopia in a bottle. I... I think I love this.

When I tried it at the shop I felt intrigued and repulsed in equal measure. There was just enough ink there (a smell that I've loved all my life) as to insecurely request a sample. I'm glad I did, because this is the type of niche style I've been getting more and more into lately: a modern, wild, non-perfume fragrance.

The opening is an unmitigated disaster for me: unsure as to what the actual smell is. For some it smells like urine. I'm not so sure, but it IS pungent. Fortunately it evolves quickly.

The evolution and eventual dry down is what I love about M/Mink. It's like an inky AnOther 13 by Le Labo (another fragrance I love). I'm unsure of the sillage and projection of this (probably moderate), but the longevity is great.

In case it's not clear by now... buyer beware. It's a bold and unusual, futuristic fragrance. This is what the robots will smell like after they come for us post-singularity. Definitely try on skin, if you dare.

Unusual.
Sweet, dirty, dusty. Leather? Something Acrid.
Wearable? Yes. Winter/Fall.
Do I love this? I do. Not sure why - on paper it would be something I dislike. Then I put it on. I wait 10 minutes and then the magic starts. Smoky, animalic balsamic heaven. The dry down is Amber-Like - sweet and smoky.

This is one that I would call daring, and that many others definitely would also. In fact, I would probably call it tame in comparison with what many (even here) would call it. I don't see what all the fuss is about with this, but I do see what some of it is about. On the few occasions on which I have worn this I have felt like a piece of furniture that has just been heavily polished.

I would have thought there is oil of Cypriol in this.

Have you ever expressed your dog or cat's anal glands? A necessary but grotesque part of pet ownership. Well, this perfume smells exactly like the discharge from said procedure. Absolutely fecund and repugnant. My cat sniffed the sample vial and opened his mouth in truest insulting cat fashion.
If this smells quite nice on anybody, they must be magic or have that rarest of chemistries. My hat is tipped to them.

Old catholic church. It's weird... and interesting. I actually really like it but it took a while. There's definitely an animal stinkiness that's offputting but also intriguing. Also salt, metal, calligraphy ink, and a dusty patchouli. As it dries down (yes, the ocean funk can be a bit eau de public bathroom in the beginning) it moves from briny stink to more of a dirty incense. There's something of a really, really old dusty church, unused and pretty much uncleaned for decades if not centuries. While it's reminiscent of some Comme de Garcons ink fragrances it's got a very different feel, more earthy and organic than any CdG's I've smelled. I'd say it has more in common with Salvador Dali pour Homme with it's dirty antique store vibe. It's no surprise that it's so polarizing; if modern fragrances are obsessed with being clean and inoffensive, M/Mink is a big f-you to all that. Antiquated and strange.

Opens harsh and metallic. Then yep it smells like ink.

Has some kind of headache inducing aromachemical screech (is it ISO E?)

Why would anyone want to smell like this?

I don't think these comparison to inorganic compounds, like metal, sea salt, or toner, are accurate. This IS metallic and salty, boy is it salty, but it's very, very ORGANIC. Which is exactly what makes it so gross. It's like nose burning urine, the floppy, savory flesh of some grotesque dead sea creature, nothing you'd mistake for man made or sterile. It's perhaps the grossest thing I've ever smelled outside of a public bathroom.

Although I must admit, I believe the opinions on this to be somewhat dictated by culture and upbringing. I'm born and raised in America, my mother is born and raised in Eastern Europe. Our palettes and preferences for food and scent differ. I hate this, and actually likes it, and she's not even one for complex or challenging scents. I suspect that those of Eastern European or Scandinavian persuasion would like this a lot more than anyone else.

Dirty diaper washed up on the beach.

Quite possibly the worst fragrance I've ever smelled.

M/Mink is fascinating to me I don't find it that odd or weird like a lot of people do. The opening of M/Mink is where it smells like ink the most the blend of honey, patchouli and incense are responsible for that ink accord to my nose it's very strong as if you were to stick your nose into a bottle of ink. After about two hours the incense note fades into the background leaving the honey and the patchouli behind. The mid part of the fragrance is where the sea notes and the aldehydes emerge to my nose here is where M/Mink show two opposite sides to it the dirty, dry side that comes from the honey and the patchouli and the clean, sparkly side coming from the sea notes and the aldehydes. The base mainly consists dry honey it's the the driest honey you will ever smell nothing sweet here with a slight touches of patchouli, sea notes and smoke. Both projection and longevity are huge.

M/Mink is one of those fragrances that works as a protection shield to those who wear it (meaning people won't bother you) not because it smells bad but because it's hard to understand since it's full of contradictions where sometimes it's super nice and clean and other times it's dry dirty. I think if M/Mink was a person it would be a very misunderstood one but it would also be more than happy with the few who understand and love it. Just because someone is different doesn't make them bad.

Lol @ the negative reviews on this. Off the bat I love how this smells. To me it is all about the patchouli, incense and sea notes. It is supposed to resemble the smell of ink and my oh my I guess I'm a sucker for ink smell. The one time I wore it, I was at the pool just vibin' and my friend said to me "jeez how much perfume did you spray?" hehe, I wore a lot of it and boy was it pumpin'. This is a very unique fragrance. If you like unusual, daring scents then try this. It is a scent with balls. If you like Straight to Heaven from Kilian you may like this (my scent memory took me there). Try it.
Instagram: @fucci.bless
TrustYourNose™

This fragrance is truly an abomination. The scent encompasses the whole of the men’s restroom. Bleach, ammonia, urinal cakes, and indeed, urine itself. The scent to me is aggressively clean smelling, not in a pleasant way, but like literal cleaning solvents and chemicals. My friend said it reminded her of gay sex… As a gay man I can tell you it inspired no sexual feeling in me whatever. The idea that anyone could truly wear this unsettles me to my core. The only person I can think of smelling this way is Patrick Batemen.

super sexy best ever top beast

M/Mink is to me the anthesis of Bal D'Afrique. Where Bal D'Afrique is a saint with fruits in her hands, this is the devil carrying a knife, ready to stab your back.

The combination of notes ends up smelling like rubber and burned wood. It's dark but not complex. I'm shocked no one has mentioned Marc Jacobs Bang, as they smell very much alike in my opinion.

I tried this because of the conflicting reviews and I have to say I hate it. To me it smells like a mix of shoe polish and really really strong old wooden furniture. It lasts and lasts forever on the skin, which is a shame because it's such a strong, off-putting smell. Unique but not for me! Couldn't wait to get home and scrub this off my wrist.

I wanted to like this after reading some of the comments it has received, but I have to agree that it smells like pee on a leather jacket. I certainly respect the byredo name and the attempt to create an original fragrance though.

What a fragrance!
I honestly do appreciate this fragrance as an art, however, I would never wear it (again), nor would I suggest any of my friends wear it.
It is elaborate and emotional. Animalic and savage.
Imagine being attacked by a dirty dog, in a handsome garden on a hot summer day with blood everywhere.

What an interesting fragrance. I really enjoy the scent of M/Mink, but preferably on a blotter or someone else. While I can just about wear it myself, it seems to sit better on the male of the species. This is probably the biggest incense frag I have been able to handle without wanting to scrub off. The notes, listed above are present but I needed a little more floral to come out, in order to be very comfortable with wearing M.

My oh my! It's quite funny reading the reviews on this one. Anyway here are my thoughts:

1. It stands out, yes, in a very unpleasant way. It sure will turn a lot of heads but probably people think you're having a very bad day.

2. Patchouli + incense + aldehydes + sea notes: opening a closed wood case fills with animal urine and sweat.

3. If you like it, I guess deep inside you like to play "dirty"

4. If you really like this, I suggest you try Musc Bruno Acampora, much much better in term of animalistic scent.

This is a mess. I'm not going on about the notes bc I don't care for this fragrance at all. Smells like someone's house who just gave up on life and pisses their pants on the couch. It's rancid smell highly suggests one samples prior to purchase. This house is great though, this is just their lost soul.

I bought this perfume without smelling it first even after reading the mixed reviews because I was sure I would like it. I have used a number of Byredo candles and love them all and I enjoy incense scents. But I have to say this perfume does not work for me. Like urine on concrete on a boiling hot day. It frankly made me nauseous and I retched every time I smelled myself. I thought it would develop into something unusual and beautiful, there is some potential there, but it never did, smelled like wee the whole day. Having said that it smells nice enough in the air and I spray it in my room and that's nice but it's an expensive room fragrance.

Really! is this really that bad?
i really wonder about the hype of disliking this fragrance here! i'm not a fan of Byredo but this one here is quite different! and to be honest i was completely afraid to try this because of that dislike hype!

In easy words, it's more like a medical vibes, something like a nylon manufacturing, or a devise you just opened from a brown paper carton covering a vacuumed nylon bag! i can't smell the honey, aqua, and i can't smell anything artificial. all i can smell is an amusing quality notes.

This fragrance is very interesting, neither stinky nor filthy & it is for the nylon, freshly made devices essence lovers :)

One of those love/hate scents.

I DON'T UNDERSTAND ALL THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS HERE. IS IT DIFFERENT? YES! BUT THERE IS NOTHING OFF PUTTING .I THINK ITS LOVELY AND I WANT A BOTTLE.IT REMINDS ME STRONGLY OF MY CLASSROOM WHERE I TOOK OIL PAINTING. I GET A LITTLE LINSEED AND TURPENTINE IN A GOOD WAY. LOVE

I get this. Its supposed to be daring and different and there is no doubt in my mind that is it. Is it wearable? That I can't say. I get the dirty kitty litter references and there is a strong dirty vibe to this. It starts off pretty shocking, ink with kitty litter and a hint of ammonia. Even the saleswoman who was unfamiliar with it made a face when she asked to smell it on me. Her reaction was natural and her expression was priceless. The dry down is softer and I get a dusty clay, dry dirt mixed in with sweet chalky baby aspirin. I appreciate it, but I wouldn't necessarily want to smell like it. For anyone adventurous, I say go for it. You won't forget it.

Absolutely outstanding. This is the ugly duckling in my collection that I view as a swan!
It's the "dare to be different" fragrance that isn't conventionally pretty or pleasant but..I'm a huge fan and this is very special.

The biggest tip I can give you is...WAIT!! If you spray this on your hand in a shop, don't sniff your hand immediately or...at all. Let this develop and come to you, then you may see the beauty I do.

It opens with a very powerful animalic note, very unpleasant most of the time, but that's not what it's about. Wait for the magic of adoxal to weave it's spell. It has an incensey animalic tone, and it feels dry in texture. It's slightly waxy, otherworldly and addictive.

The adoxal in this scent does it's job wonderfully on me. It's meant to make things smell like fresh laundry and when this settles, these are the wafts I get. It's like clean laundry, infused with incense, a floral tone I cannot describe at all, and just a whole bunch of weirdness.

The other trick with this is not to over spray. it works it's magic if you don't over do it. Again..a little bit...and wait!

The drydown unfortunately for me is not so great (only because I hate honey in perfumes). This takes all the worst parts of honey (clover honey in this case) and it smells like an unpleasant honey that's slightly verging on urine. YEP! Sounds absolutely awful doesn't it? But thankfully by this stage it isn't radiating off of your skin like a beast.

Still...get to know this fragrance and appreciate it for what it is and it's MAGIC! I've had more compliments on this than people saying it's horrible!

Certainly, there's a lot going on here, and I know it's not without its devotees. Personally, I prefer not to smell like a cat's litterbox, but to each their own. Makes me wonder if I could bottle some sort of litterbox accord and peddle it on the internet for hundreds.

I'm not averse to weird, complex, animalic and dirty 'avant garde' scents. But at least Secretions Magnifiques is interesting. This just smells like piss.

ink for pen with some animalic, pardon human, note. the name is very indicative especially for a sicilian guy :)))

Well M/Mink is one of the best surprises I've had this year. I blind bought it, almost as a dare, to see if it was really as shocking and strange as the hype made it out to be.

I'd have to say, it is, and it isn't. Don't get me wrong - This is certainly not your average fragrance. It is however, still perfectly wearable, masterfully crafted and utterly enchanting.

M/Mink opens with an inky matte sweetness, animalic, metallic, incense, salted black manuka honey and shimmering cold aldehydes.

As others have noted, it's quite linear, not a lot changes. The first half is dominated by a slightly sour incense playing out over velvety, dry, dark honey and patchouli. Patchouli is a note I often struggle with, but here it is simply stunning. Black-green and tarry, thick and rich. As time wears on the incense softens and the dry, dark honey comes into play bringing with it a surprisingly dirty animalic note. This animalic honey is what keeps M/Mink grounded in reality, offsetting the otherwise industrial feel and tying the whole shebang together wonderfully.

Overall, the impression is one of cold, dark grey velvet. Classy, slightly gothic, a little aloof and austere. I don't know what all the fuss is about honestly, I've smelled fumes from Kerosene and even Slumberhouse that are far more 'challenging' than this.

Performance is excellent. Sillage is loud for the first two hours or so and settles nicely to the lower end of moderate for the rest of the wear. Longevity is outstanding. It hums away for an eternity as a bizarre skin scent.

Worth a try if for no other reason than to experience a heavily animalic frag that isn't based around musks. An eccentric genius of a perfume. Completely unisex. Enjoy on cloudy, brisk days, when dressed in black and feeling arty.

The first time I smelled this perfume, it was on a female co-worker of mine. My first impression was that it smelled classy and sophisticated, and also like nothing I've ever smelled on anyone else. That was one of the intrigues I had for buying this perfume; given the high price and the unfamiliar designer, I assumed that none of my peers would be wearing this scent. Also, it smelled wonderful.

I bought the 3.3oz bottle of M/Mink from Neiman Marcus for $220 plus tax (free shipping). When I first sprayed it on myself it was as most people have described it; strong, overpowering, spicy, etc.

HOWEVER, this is most definitely not the kind of perfume you need more than two sprays for. My guess is that if people are offended by the smell, they are using too much. It is certainly very potent upon first spraying it, but as it rubs off on my clothes, and my hair, and the scent grows softer, it smells AMAZING. The first time my sister smelled it on me, she had the same impression I did. She said it smelled high end, and classy. I would also say it is more feminine than masculine.

OVERALL, given how little of the perfume you actually need to use to achieve a desirable scent, I'd say, you really are getting what you pay for: a quality, excellent smelling perfume, that has GREAT longevity, and if you use as little as you need, you'll have the bottle for a long time as well.

i went into this perfume fully expecting some kind of monstrous ooze-being á la 'the blob' to erupt forth and assimilate me - however, what did greet me was... something that my nose couldn't quite make sense of, but intrigued me. pleased me! it was animalic, yes; slightly marine-salty, fresh and sharp, sort of waxy... beeswax! this smells like completely de-sweetened beeswax, almost candle-like, (i remembered in smelling this, as a child, i was taken to a candle-making factory and able to make my own - perhaps that's where i get the association!) a little of the unprocessed honey, (a black, viscous honey - indeed like ink!) and some lemon-y frankincense for good measure. i can indeed see the connection to ink in a weird way; it has a wet stickiness to it which is uncanny, possibly caused by the patchouli / honey that is giving this impression, though personally i find what connotations i have to ink to be sweeter / even more floral-ish. it's a world away from anything in comme des garcons 2, in my experiences, at any rate!

i find this entirely pleasant anyway. it is strange, and i can see why it divides opinion, but really? unless it dries down *very* quickly on my skin, or the initial impression is 'blink and you'll miss it', i get none of the connotations to 'dirty water' or 'cat urine' or anything vaguely human for that matter on my skin. later on into the drydown, the honey becomes slightly more sweet and the incense dies down, leaving a hint of freshness resting in salty beeswax with hints of the patchouli showing through, giving it an earthy edge. on my skin, it's almost... strangely edible at this stage, like some dense, sticky, mildly salted, honeyed concoction. i don't honestly know quite how to describe it, but i love it!

lasting power is excellent with two sprays, though it tends to flit in and out of presence quite a few times. trying it on in the morning i could clearly smell it, albeit softly, after 12 hours. it is a soft perfume though; as i said, after the first hour or two, it tends to come and go in bursts and quiet wafts, but nevertheless it was still there. my personal view of a beauty!

This is a case where the perfume is very true to it's name,

Someone made a comparison to printer toner, that's about as accurate a comparison as you can get.

Sharp, inky, metallic, but addicting

almost like sniffing cleaning chemicals from under the sink
(do NOT try this)

at one point it did remind me a little of the smell of my friend's ferret.

Been using this alot the past few months and the only one who seems to like it is myself haha. I think it's super gorgeous, it is sort of crude and simple in it's construction in one way but i loooove it's boldness, it really puts me in a great mood and I'll keep using it, works great all seasons but definitely a daytime scent. Very unusual, bold, great longevity and silage, quite linear. I'd never wear it to anything formal where people come together because I don't want to offend. But its really a masterpiece! It's like a picasso painting, an uncompromising genius.

It smelled so amazing on my skin at the store.

Unfortunately, M/Mink did NOT translate in the real world. It was sharp and overpowering at work--one person actually recoiled in horror!

I wear alot of unisex fragrances and I prefer that neutrality. This one--although initially really exciting and cool--is much edgier than I am.

Instantly set apart from the pack - this is lone wolf howling after a casual kill. The chase was set not in darkness, but in bloodless menagerie tangled in pulsing white electrical wire. The adoxal seemingly subverting and extending simultaneously. The prey willingly offering a free taste. Amber and honey add subtle lusty afterthoughts.

If you are getting bored at the smelling outpost, I'd suggest indulging this bold concoction.

Byredo's M/Mink is often described as foul, metallic and unwearable. Even the sales assistant shied away when I went to spritz this fragrance onto my skin. She said that it was created to smell like ink and blood, but funnily enough all I smell is a rich blend of earthy, green patchouli, smoky incense and syrupy honey.

I do get the ink reference and I like the artistic vibe that this fragrance gives off. Unique scents are hard to come by in a world where generic fruity florals flood our market. I welcome such scents like M/Mink with open arms and hope that more scents like it are soon to come.

M/Mink smells like a cross between Le Labo's Patchouli 24 and Serge Lutens' Miel de Bois to my nose. All three of these fragrances are hard-hitting and unforgiving. Patchouli and honey in their most potent form can be a little shocking, and such a blend can smell 'inky' and damp. It's the high concentration of these notes that is turning so many people away from this fragrance. If you tell people that what they're smelling in M/Mink is blood, they'll start believing it.

I find M/Mink brave, dramatic and funky. It might not be the easiest scent to wear, but it is sure to make a loud statement. It has introduced a new fragrance note to me, adoxal, a synthetic compound that is supposed to smell a lot like lily of the valley. And while I don't smell anything remotely floral in this composition it has managed to open my eyes to new and modern perfumery.

Not super impressed by other Byredo scents, this one blew me away, potent stuff, very animaistic and to my nose, also a powerful rhubarb, is anyone else getting that? I dont much like sour notes but this one is fantastic!

10/10

Edit: I just bought it today, 3x12 cl (0.4 oz) for 110 USD in Stockholm and love it love it love it love it! It's just a dream!!! I can wear quite heavy orientals so for me this will def be a quirky casual day scent, wouldn't use this for clubbing or dinners. No idea how others might react to it but you know what? I really don't care! :D La Tulipe is supposed to contain rhubarb and I tried that in the shop but that one's too girly to me and in M/Mink I definatelly pic kup lots of r-h-u-b-a-r-b (maybe that's the component some refer to as urine), resin, metal and incense...something god knows what animal, maybe that's the sea notes making it just slightly sweaty-- I'd call it SEXY. Powerful it may be, but still it's clean and very modern. I suppose this might smell like ink, certainly theres similarities with solid blocks of watercolours and it sure is black. Black and dry. Can't see this scent wearing well with girly, bright, flowery clothes. Glorious!

M/mink gives you two choices.  Read the story and believe the myth, or smell the perfume.   I'd recommend smelling perfume.  It's wonderful.

The story goes that, in lieu of a traditional brief, the perfumer was asked to translate a block of solid ink into a perfume. I’m cynical enough to believe that this sort of premise is intended more for its ex post facto story value than for any actual artistic impetus. The block of ink might have been a motivating factor in the conceptualization of mink, but it is a fallacy to believe that the perfume continues to be 'about' ink. For the wearer, the ink bit is just a back-story.  After the fact, such stories actually make a perfume appear contrived or a producer pretentious, and to get hooked into this sort of narrative even before you’ve smelled the perfume is limiting for the wearer.

Please don't get me wrong. I'm a fan of Mink. I simply disagree with everything I've ever read about it starting with the PR from Byredo. I don't find it linear. I don't think it's an assault on the senses. I don't find it anything like Sécrétions Magnifiques. It does share a cool, object-like quality with Comme des Garçon 2 Woman. While it does have a matte sweetness to it that suggests an inky quality, this is just one of its many abstract attributes. Like Bvlgari Black by Annick Menardo, M/mink is a successful creation of a new, beautiful scent that neither imitates a botanical scent, nor attempts to to offer you a recognizeable fragrance.

from scenthurdle.com

What on earth is this, so discusting. Like someone hadn't take a shower for a long time, smelling so dirty and nasty.

Just smelled this at Barneys NYC yesterday so the experience is still fresh in my mind.. The first whiff literally made me wince my nose and face up in agony, and ask what the hell was that??!! It smelled disturbing almost unnatural like a female Werewolfs vagina in heat. Or maybe a sweaty horse after running at a big race..Animalic is an understatement whew!! But like a train wreck or a public beheading on live TV, I couldn't turn away.. I kept going back to this seemingly primitive scent.. Guess what? It became lighter, a little more bearable, and dare I say more intriguing with each passing half hour..I don't think I would ever purchase this, but I did ask for a sample for the shock value.. There is something tempting and alluring about this smell like forbidden taboo desires ..I both recommend and forewarn, but experience for yourself.. You too will either howl at the moon in torment or bliss..

I've been wearing this 2 days in a row (all day) to really get to know it, so I guess I'm on my 5th or 6th wearing of M/Mink as I type.

I can see how it's jarring to some people. The 1st time I tried it (sample) I was reminded of a ferret's fur, musty with a semi sweet touch, like after you feed a ferret its vitamin oil supplement. I must've been getting the honey there but sadly, I've never gotten it since that 1st try.

Nowadays I'd put the note pyramid like so:

***very intensive: sea notes, aldehydes
**intensive: patchouli
*noticeable: incense

and that's all I get. In 3 words M/Mink is cold, musty, and salty on my skin, though there's an oddly cooling/fresh aldehydic quality that makes it seem a contradiction to this musty saltiness. My boyfriend described it as 'almost ammoniac' upon initial application and he's not wrong.

Pleasant? I suppose that's in the nose of the beholder. I found myself craving the smell, haunted by it after the first 2 samplings. Since acquiring other salty scents this one doesn't seem so unique, but it's worth sampling if you want something briny and different. I do wish that mysterious honey would come back... I think I'll hold my 12ml until warmer weather and see if that brings out the magic of ferret fur again (I love that smell).

[Edited 11/10/14]

Like the aftermath of a train wreck, still smoking from the metal on metal carnage, you want so dearly to look away in disgust but your sick sense of curiosity compels you to keep looking. Staring, actually. This is the effect of M/Mink. At first you're repulsed. The second and third sniff totally screw with your mind and make you think, is it really that bad? Subsequent sniffs make you wonder, what the hell is that? I can't stop myself from going back for more because there's something beautiful hidden beneath such an ugly exterior. If MMink was a person, it would be a repulsive dirty old man with a kind old soul and bright personality. Like him, don't run from this one either. Honeyed smoke and earthy patch smothering floral aldehydes, strong marine notes and gentle florals. So odd, so unique, so captivating. This could very easily be a signature scent. Not for the faint of heart or crowd pleasers. Try it.

Love it.
It's a hate it or love it one.
Upon the first sniff, there was something that reminded me of ink and steel. Maybe a little rubber.
Industrial was the word that came to my mind when trying it.
But this is a fragrance for a person who knows what he likes and is proud of that. It's definitely not a crowd pleaser. And little boys look away this is not for you, this is for a man, a confident man. Maybe a little sinister man. A bad boy. A rebel.

Smells like you are in a wooden cabin on a hot summers day, and you've peed yourself.

I must say, that I really get a kick out of the reviews for this fragrance!

I'm sure it's revolting to many people, especially the initial opening, though I'm not sure why the first wiff is being compared to cat urine?
I've had several cats and have spent time around big cats and this doesn't smell like that to me at all.

Instead it smells exactly like squid/octopus ink to me, but sharp and dirty.
Maybe like spoiled ink from a calligrapher's ink well too?

That said, that's probably what BYREDO intended, resulting in a very unique and controversial, musky scent. If you hate the opening, then it's best to leave this fragrance alone.

But if M/Mink both disturbs and intrigues you, like it did me, then in an hour or so, you'll be treated to a strange and wonderful sexual, musky, lightly-sweet/skin-like scent.

Probably very different than other musk/incense fragrances in your collection, but you should sample this first.

I would say this is best saved for sensual encounters and not for regular wear.

I love this and wear it most days. Very unique and original but remember - this fragrance is all about the dry down!!

Yes, the opening does smell of urine. Everybody is correct about that. It's a rancid smell that someone on here compared to the bear pit at the zoo. Good comparison! (However this is actually the ink note that this fragrance is based on and raw ink does smell urine like, so it is intentional and I think very well done) So try to think INK not PISS!

So be patient and get past that initial urine shock and see the amazing transformation. For me this is one of the best dry downs out there. After non-sweet honey, I get a warm peppery and very masculine fragrance that is modern, subtle and clean. It's not over powering at all so it will only be noticeable to those in close proximity to you. It's certainly not a fragrance that fills to the whole room.

I put mine of 30 mins before I leave the house and am officially urine free when I step out the door : )

what the fuck is this? very strong smell of paint and cat urine, as this evolves smell will soften even so, does not mean it gets better.

this one smells like a Tom Waits song, primal and passionate, twisted, a forgotten rusty junkyard in a ghost town along route 66, rusty metal, mould ink, the smell of distant rotten memories, you might like it but lots of people will say you smell strange, I love this scent for what it is..a bum trip!

I haven't skin tested this one, but when I sniffed it on paper today I must say that it instantly brought a not very clean urinal to mind... It smells like old urine, but sweet and slightly spicy. Strangely, I like it! It is one of those weird and interesting scents... I don't know if I want to smell like a urinal but I definitely have to try this one on skin and see what it does!

78) Mink-blowing
This is one of the few perfumes that you absolutely have to know what you'll smell before you try. Forget the notes because what counts is the overall effect, you will dive your nose into an inkwell. For those who have experienced pens and the small ink cartridges can remember how the taste was because we all have ink in mouth one day or another.
It's this first blast that I love.
The fragrance evolves towards musk. Finally It is mainly what smell Mink, a powerful musk who go softening to a light musk.
This aldehyde structure on animalized background has always reminded me of a 1920-30' classic now convulse with foaming at the mouth. A kind of art performence where the artist finished naked rubbing on a 19th century canvas after drinking few bottles of Guerlain.
I like

Sexy, bestial printer toner.

I love it!

Once, I put this on before I went to sleep and it woke me up twice in the middle of the night to demand 'what's that incredible smell?'. I loved the disturbing opening, but as it waxes and wanes, there is something very comforting too, in that way its like a child's battered comfort blanket or a well loved, chewed up dogs toy - a totally gross object of profound love and attachment. // If I had to choose one word to describe it I would say 'devestating' : the word itself itself ambiguously positive/negative, dramatic, powerful.

I own a full bottle of this. I wear it sometimes. It can serve as a complete companion, if, for example, you don't want to go see that Michael Haneke film by yourself. Or read House of Leaves all by your lonesome. I thought I loved this, but it was a trick. I catch a glimpse of this out of the corner of my eye, worried it is a strange man in my apartment only to realize it is me. And I have done this to myself. And I will, again and agian. Unsettling, and I only have myself to blame.

M/Mink is an animalic metallic aldehyde monster, and I can't pick out many other notes. It's the kind of fragrance this leaves a taste at the back of your throat, almost inducing a headache along the way. Unusual, yes, but not something I could live with. I'm very surprised that this is a unisex fragrance as I think it's far more suited to men. It's far too very masculine for me.

I realy want to buy this scent, to wear it and to enjoy in its complexity and overdose of aldehydes (adoxal). But I can't for the sake of the people around me. Literally.
This perfume is meant to be enjoyed by other niche perfume lovers (like most of you said, it truly is niche in the niche) and by yourself.

To everybody else this is very revolting scent. Only the beggining indeed, but this scent is pretty linear and I personally have to wait a lot to get to the beautiful sweet and gentle drydown that lasts forever.

For me, this is pure art in perfumery and that blast of animalistic and strong ink notes (even protein like in Blood Concept +MA) in the beginning is the point of this fragrance.

Like I said - I love it but I don't see purpouse in buying it if I can't wear it. :(

This perfume is modern, "niche in the niche", there is nothing similar to this. I realize it has lots of negative comments and most people do not like it - and I am not surprised; this perfume is "difficult" and demanding. In my mind and perception of this frag, it is strong ink in the beginning, then white flowers in ink (mostly lillies), later still ink with some incense. Really weird but also catching other people's attention - both negative and positive comments. It is a freak frag for brave men.

OH! well - NOT even close to Absolute Pour Le Soir by Maison Francis Kurkdjian - besides being a hard fragrance to appreciate ( i am a big fan of the absolute poir le sour) - but i must confess - MINK is just a pure stinker! theres a inky-incensy accord that i like but am overwhelmed by the odour of dead flesh which is just off-putting - i find this to be very nauseating but for its daring endeavor ill give it 10/10, though only 2/10 for the scent itself, What a Yuck Factor!

The weirdest fragrance that I have ever experienced! It has the nastiest opening and one of the most stunning drydowns and it lasts forever. All in all, I like it :-)

Mink is beautiful and tasty as old school ink for fountain pens ;-) I remember when during classes in the primary school we were using the Chinese blue ink called Hero that have same dirty, incense like smel. But in the Mink the honey is also applied to make fragrance very unusual. From the start to the end it is really different than any perfume I had before so it was must have for my collection. First of all this creations was made for incense lovers. But forget olibanum, Hindu incense or something you can categorize as church or temple smell. This is extremely dry already burned resins or herbs that are a litle sweetened by wild honey. In my opinion perfume don't evolve to much, so the same aura stay around you unchanged for many hours. However this is extraordinary fragrance that can be categorized as niche in the niche group - same as incense by Sonoma Scent Studio. If I would to compare to something I know from the past the closest is the Diptyque L'eau Trois but supported by teaspun of sweet honey. So I love it... Mink will have special place in my collection, hopefully it will never be discontinued as L'eau Trois was unfortunately.

I don't find the opening of this to be revolting at all. Perhaps different noses have radically different takes on adoxal. To my nose, the opening is smooth and sweet, a dark and inky floral. Adoxal allegedly smells of lily of the valley in dilution, and I can sense a lily type sweetness and smoothness in the opening that joins forces with the immediately noticeable honey note (a dark and unsweetened honey as mentioned by others) and the equally dark patchouli note.

The patchouli deserves special mention in this fragrance because it is very dark and has that typical patchouli earthiness and dryness to it while simultaneously not being so thick and full bodied as natural patchouli oil. The body that is cut out of the patchouli note is filled with the notes of incense and honey, and a pine-like note that I believe comes from the frankincense/labdanum duo(I know it's not listed, but I sense a strong natural labdanum note here).

As one who works on my own blends with only natural oils, I don't find M/Mink to be 'disgusting', 'dreadful' or even all that dirty. It's just very natural in a way that few scents are - it leaves intact some of the rough edges of these natural notes. Thus, it's more challenging than many scents around, but I think that some of the other reviewers allegations (eg: worst scent ever) are to be taken with a grain of salt. At least, don't let those sway you from so much as trying the scent.

The scent isn't strictly linear but conversely there are no radical shifts in its development. As the sweet, dark and inky opening fades the heart presents more of the incense and labdanum combo. The incense and labdanum are smoldering - warm with hints of smoke. At all times the fragrance has a dark and billowy veil of patchouli and ink enveloping it. The honey/beeswax flits in and out of perception. It too is always there, but at times it is shrouded by the incense, at other times it and the incense unite into a truly beautiful and downright sultry, sexy accord.

My only qualm is the pine-like aspect persists a bit longer, or at least a bit more prevalently than I would prefer. I'm assuming this was done to keep the texture from becoming too smooth or gentle, but it occasionally crosses over from being a textural counterpoint into being marginally grating. A minor qualm though and one I can live with.

I should note that my girlfriend immediately took to the scent. She loved it on me from my first sampling, and she got a chance to smell it just moments after application - so not everybody finds the opening appalling!

There's really no other scent I can compare this too but for a rough idea of what it smells like, imagine a cross between Kouros (the honey/incense elements) and Rive Gauche PH (the thickness and dark patchouli/anise element). I wouldn't necessarily say that M/Mink is barbershop-y, but it has that same kind of thickness to it, and one of my first thoughts on my first sampling was the distant relation to Rive Gauche PH.

BEEWAX
at the limit of unwearable
but i like it
It begin with bee wax and incense in a aggressive way.
after a while the smell rounds off itself till to become very nice
not church incense.
byredo is accustomed to create hard-sharp-bold scent

Ugh.

Pine disinfectant mixed with bitter, metallic bilge water and noxious drain cleaner. There's no fur, hide or musk anywhere in here (it would be a blessing). Come to think of it, anything 'Fecal' would also be a relief.

Without question this is the most obnoxious, offensive smell I've come across in 20 years of fragrance sampling... and I'm a lover of unusual, daring experiments and bizarre combinations. I've also go to say that this smells like a concentrated, grotesque version of the bitter, metallic, Byredo house note amplified a million times into a monster.

A perfumery disaster IMO, completely unwearable, antisocial, expensive and horrible in the extreme!

wow... not for the faint of heart.

Opening strongly animal (zoo-animal) and, dare I say it, fecal. If you can lock yourself away from other people for the first 30 minutes, it does dry down into something more 'normal' in fragrance terms, actually quite ok, musky and resinous, a bit of charcoal ink, although always with the lingering memory of horse stables. But that opening.. not nauseating exactly, but close. They call it adoxal; god knows what it is.

Would recommend using a small amount, if you must. It *is* wearable, but I won't be wearing it much myself, mainly out of consideration for others. Actually, now I recall it, there was a Welsh sheep farmer I once knew who smelled like this all the time; I kept wishing he would have a shower. He would be amused to think that self-styled sophisticates in places like Stockholm and Berlin were now striving to emulate him.

This is a weird one! I usually love weird scents, but with this one I can't really decide. It opens with a blast of "I don't know what the hell is that but it makes me wanna puke" (rancid adoxal?) mixed with "bodily fluids?"and "animalistic secretions?"...who knows??? I guess is the completely desweetened honey note that smells more like beeswax. Very dense, sticky, almost animalic (in a bad way). Absolutely disgusting and seriously disturbing to my nose. The weirdest part is that the drydown is simply amazing with a warm and meditative inky-frankincense note. It never happened to me that I really hated a perfume opening and totally loved the drydown. My solution could be that I spray it on my clothes and then I wait one hour before to wear them so I can avoid the initial brutal blast! BTW incredible lasting power!

Rating: 8.5/10 (for its uniqueness)
4/10 (for my personal taste)

NOTE: This is a fragrance to experience. Love or hate type of stuff but whether you'll like it or not it deserves its status as one of the most daring compositions so far.

Have you ever been too a circus arena with the big predator cats running around in the middle circle with its wood shavings which are drenched with cat-urine and sweat? That is precisely what I get from the opening of that frag...who wants to smell like that ? But it s a brave creation indeed. HOW do they do it?? unbelievable and only for the brave at heart !! That one is surely unique, quite different from the Ajmal Al Shams special edition but they re sure in the same liga.. so try and sample it if you dare:grrroooaaarrr!!

The drydown is on me absolutely stunning - all the notes here listed in a very sensual and unique blend. Honey and incense very intriguingly done. But whats with the initial blast? I get something like dirty water and animalistic notes overkill at once, actually I find it revolting. Lack of scrubbing possibilities was the only thing that kept me from scrubbing this one away the first time I tried it. The wonderful drydown made me retry it since. The initial blast will keep me from getting it.
Bravo for the bravery, I appreciate the challenge that tickles my brain and senses in an unpredictable way. Very good stayingpower.
Curious about others experiences and reviews!