Bois Tabac Virginia is a woody Eau de Parfum built around a smoky vetiver, resting on a delicate and rounded blond tobacco base. This fragrance reinterprets the idea of the fern scent by offering a fresh, unisex, and elegant aroma that evokes the refined masculine perfumes of the 1920s while remaining very modern.
Created in 1967 by Yuri Gutsatz and remaining unreleased until 2018, Bois Tabac Virginia was reissued by in-house perfumer Maxence Moutte to introduce this lesser-known facet of the Maison’s archives to a new generation of fragrance enthusiasts.
Bois Tabac Virginia bottles are mechanically refillable; the design is intended to encourage reuse.
Bois Tabac Virginia opens with a classic aromatic accord revisited, where lavender, sage, and geranium bring a green, clean, almost barbershop freshness, immediately tinged with a woody depth. This introduction gives the impression of breathing the air of a fresh forest at the start of autumn.
In the heart, vetiver unfolds: dry, smoky, slightly earthy, yet pierced by light from the petitgrain and warmed by ylang-ylang and cistus, giving it dimension and an unexpected softness. In the base, cedar, sandalwood, incense, patchouli, and a touch of ambergris create a warm, woody, slightly smoky foundation, where the blond tobacco appears as a velvety veil, subtle but very present in the overall impression.
The imaginary setting of Bois Tabac Virginia is the Virginia Arboretum in the state of Virginia, USA: a New World garden planted with trees, paths, and gray wooden benches. One strolls there at the end of the day, when the air begins to cool and the scents of dry leaves, wood, and damp earth rise from the ground.
In the text inspired by Clara Feder, an elegant figure dances in the evening breeze, wafting scents of vetiver, lavender, petitgrain, cedar, and patchouli toward the passerby. Bois Tabac Virginia captures this precise moment: a meeting between American nature, the olfactory heritage of the 1920s, and timeless elegance.
Fascinated by vetiver—partly inspired by references like Guerlain’s Vetiver and his discovery of vetiver plantations in India—Yuri Gutsatz wanted to give this material a new twist. Rather than a classic vetiver, he imagined an accord where vetiver blends with blond tobacco, like an evening around a campfire with friends, reminiscing about the past.
He created Bois Tabac Virginia in 1967, a few years after returning from India and even before the official founding of Le Jardin Retrouvé. The fragrance remained in the archives until 2018. During the Maison’s revival in 2017, Michel and Clara invited the community to vote on fragrances from Yuri’s formulas. Bois Tabac Virginia, marked as a “red dot,” came second but generated so much enthusiasm that it was ultimately reissued. Maxence Moutte reworked it to meet current standards and clean beauty principles while preserving its vintage woody fern style.
“Such a delicious fragrance. As its name suggests, it is very woody, but in a fresh and green way. It has almost a certain sharpness and freshness, just like a forest on a cool autumn evening.”
Seducianne, Fragrantica
Bois Tabac Virginia is for those who enjoy dry woody fragrances, elegant ferns, and characterful vetivers, without necessarily seeking something strictly “masculine” or “feminine.” It will especially appeal to fans of vetiver, subtle blond tobacco, and smoky woods.
Bois Tabac Virginia is most at home in autumn and winter, when its woody, smoky, and tobacco notes resonate with the cooler air and more structured clothing. It can also be worn in the transitional seasons when you want something more pronounced.
It’s an excellent choice for:
Some describe Bois Tabac Virginia as “very woody, but in a fresh and green way,” with “a certain sharpness and freshness, like a forest on a crisp autumn evening.” Others emphasize the balance between vetiver, lavender, tobacco, and woods, giving a sense of cleanliness, gentle smoke, and slightly damp earth.
This fragrance is often recommended for those who enjoy classic vetivers but want something more complex, more textured, with a tobacco and resinous dimension that makes it particularly interesting and memorable.
TEXT BY CLARA FEDER INSPIRED BY BOIS TABAC VIRGINIA: Virginia Arboretum, Virginia, USA
In this New World garden, you walk along the path laid out by skilled herbalists. It is late. Emerging from a grove of trees, you hope to reach the gray wooden bench ahead, but a movement to your right catches your attention. It is an elegant, joyful figure dancing in the evening breeze, wafting scents of vetiver, lavender, petitgrain, cedar, and patchouli toward you. How you wish you could waltz with them.
Bois Tabac Virginia smells like a blend of smoky vetiver, aromatic lavender, green geranium, and velvety blond tobacco, resting on a base of cedar, sandalwood, incense, patchouli, and ambergris. The overall effect evokes a fresh forest at the end of the day, with a hint of gentle smoke.
Yes. Although it falls within the tradition of ferns and woody scents often associated with so-called “masculine” fragrances, its modern structure and rounded tobacco make it very wearable for anyone who enjoys this type of scent.
The original text presents it as “more masculine than feminine,” but in practice, it works very well for anyone who enjoys dry woods, vetivers, and blond tobaccos. It is more a matter of style positioning than a real limitation.
With its strong intensity and a base of woods, resins, and vetiver, longevity is generally very good, especially on hydrated skin. The sillage is noticeable but controlled, leaning more toward elegant woodiness than excessive projection.
It is especially recommended in autumn and winter, as well as for occasions where you want a serious, structured fragrance: work, interviews, important meetings, or evening outings in more intimate settings.
Spray on pulse points (neck, wrists, inner elbows, behind the ears) without rubbing. You can also lightly mist your clothing (after testing) to extend the woody experience. Well-hydrated skin helps to round out the vetiver/tobacco blend.
There are no ready-to-use refills, but the bottles are mechanically refillable. You can transfer the contents of a 50 ml into a 15 ml to refill a travel size or a favorite bottle, which helps avoid accumulating multiple containers.
The composition follows the Maison’s clean beauty principles: organic alcohol, no added colorants, no preservatives, no UV filters, all while respecting the standards of high perfumery.
The garden behind Bois Tabac Virginia
Smoky, woody and refined, it weaves fiery vetiver, aromatic herbs and mellow blond tobacco, like an evening walk between Virginian woods and New World porches. Bois Tabac Virginia was created in 1967 by Yuri Gutsatz and reissued by Maxence Moutte.
