Rien

very niche & very goth, i’ve smelled something like this many times but i cant remember what… but this smells incredibly smoky, so much so that its overpowering which is the most important thing to note. this is way better once it dries down and is a bit unbearable when you first spray it. honestly when i spray this i think of churches but with a sinner and southern gothic type of vibe

One thing I have to add about this perfume is that it's ETERNAL, I sprayed it two days ago and have since worn two perfumes over it, both of which disappeared, but I can still smell Rien underneath. What a beast.

To start off this scent is about incense, leather, and aldehydes. If you love incense it does not automatically mean that you will like this perfume. The incense here is very unique and unlike other incense fragrances. Also, the aldehydes are strong and add a unique character to the incense. How does it smell? = Church and wax candles. but not everyone will catch that church smell !!! An important fact Some people say it smells just like a vintage leather biker jacket or car tires, so be ready that this is a unique scent. A lot of churchy wax candles—a lot. To me, this is the most realistic church scent with wax candles.

I got a 4 sample ELDO pack and I have to say, for a cold weather fragrance, I'm bent on this and Attaquer le Soleil. Both have labdanum, and allegedly le Soleil has ONLY labdanum, but somehow the latter has a richer profile than Rien. I tested both seperately, and am now comparing them on each arm, and Rien is consistently giving new leather handbag while le Soleil provokes photorealistic images, which I will likely describe in it's own review. Rien is lit, smoky incense, fresh leather that has a separate smoky note attached to it, it's not an old smoker's leather jacket, to me these notes are each in their own bubble, and the freshness of the perfume keeps it that way. The freshness, I assume, is coming from the patchouli, aldehydes and pepper, but the prominent leather and incense keep it in the background. I'm not getting much rose or flowery notes, and the amber is cold and distant. It's slightly animalic, but I wouldn't describe it as fecal or "dog's coat" as some have. The woods are also less prominent to my nose, and the earthier notes are a ground-after-the-rain sort of freshness. It's a pleasant scent, but I would perhaps rather have it lean more into the leather, smoke and animalic elements, or more into the lighter notes in it's blend. As is, it is at a strange cross-roads, where neither takes prominence in a way I would like, but if you're one to like a well blended perfume, where the entire symphony is a scent of it's own and not a battle or chaos, then I assume you would like this aspect. It's definitely a milder/colder weather fragrance, and leans more masculine. I like it, but I'll likely choose Attaquer le Soleil over it.

Girl that sold me perfumes sprayed fragrance this inside a package box, i really liked the smell. Very rich n sweet quite leathery, so i bought it. Unfortunately it turned out to be very bitter, maybe its the patchouli ....

I am absolutely perplexed by this scent. On one hand it's almost chocking leather jacket soaked in gasoline and coated with furniture polish. On another it's earthy sultry tar on the warm body. Super easy to over do it but also feel like I can't get it out of my head.

Another Eldo banger blind buy for me..For this one i did no research..Opens insanely sharp and very similar to Kouros...I own both and tested them side by side..Kouros leans more animalic while Rien is sharper and way more synthetic...Whenever i move im in a cloud of a chemical gas,but something about it is addictive,like smelling petrol..It reminds me of a smell in a designer clothes store...Its obviously better than that description,it behaves differently when you test on skin in right weather with proper application..I wore this a bunch of times and only sprayed under the t shirt and on the back of the neck...I think this will shine in the coldest winter days..It can work in summer but 2 sprays max.My girl likes it and it surprised me because i expected no compliments..It lasts 12+ hours on skin and multiple days on clothing..Very vintage feel,great bottle and atomizer..A refined taste to say the least

I really REALLY like this perfume. Got it in a sample box of four and it's my favorite by far. It smells like a mix between a hippie record shop and a nice leather handbag. It does have amazing sillage, and you can still smell it after a shower.

Initially a pleasant and signature worthy combination of nostalgic rural village smoke, marzipan-wax-gasoline furniture polish Diava. Very soon, whiffs of urinal freshener and citrus bergamot or salt-preserved lemons (a classic Middle Eastern ingredient) are added, the moments of intenseness are then prolonged but the woods are missing and Im having hard time to identify leather base. After less than 5 hours in slightly warmer weather, the scent dies down, completely losing its initial strong projection, but the drydown is emeraldy-green, coniferous...

Good edgy chypre. Powerhouse 80s frag through and through, long lost sibling of Kouros and Antaeus. Insanely good value as well, would be a no-brainer for me if it wasnt redundant to my collection. Shame ELDO has been putting out mostly slop for the past 10 years, this is one of their foundational piece and proof they once had the sauce.

There's a relatively small number of fragrances that I don't like. There's even fewer that I hate, a term that I reserve only for those scents that make me retch or, at the very least, physically uncomfortable. This is one such fragrance. I have a dog and as every dog owner knows, you have to pick up after them. Quite a lot if you're not an antisocial psychopath who leaves their dog's number two on the sidewalk for others to step in. If you are reading this and you are such a person, sincerely and from the heart, fuck you. But that's beside the point. Unfortunately for dog owners, we are confronted with the smell of our dog's deeds. For me, this is the worst part of having a dog. Often, when cleaning up after your four-legged friend, the smell hits you, especially on warm days. The physical reaction that this triggers in me and in many other people is comparable to my physical reaction to Rien by Etat Libre d'Orange. It makes me physically ill and actually angry. I had to throw away my decant and take the trash bag away immediately, because the smell of it was lingering everywhere the decant was. It is so ridiculously strong and aggressive that it's aggravating. This perfume is the most revolting, offensive and depressing scent I have ever smelled, not limited to fragrances. If anyone would wear this around me, I would pay them a significant amount of money to keep at least twenty meters distance from me. It evokes feelings of sadness in me and even the smell of my dog's doo doo isn't able to do that. Of course, every nose is different and different people like different things. If you enjoy this fragrance, I'm happy for you. It is however, really, really, really not for me. 0/10.

it seems counterintuitive but this is the only scent i want to wear in the heat of this summer…it remains so true and clear

I wear my sadness, or nothing at all. I’ve developed a rather spiritual relationship with Rien. It’s the first fragrance I’ve encountered that I find beautifully sad. Mind you, I’m not suggesting that as a flaw. I hadn’t realized it before, but sad fragrances are necessary. Most of my favorite perfumes are dry, fresh-spicy, and generally suited to daytime wear, yet I am not a cheerful person. Where my usual fragrances tend to help me rise above myself, Rien serves both as a space of comfort and a form of protection. One review I came across compared the scent of Rien to the smell of a funeral, and I cannot think of a better description: the leather interior of a hearse (vividly so), combined with the distinctive scent of those intimidating yet reassuring perfumes worn by ladies of another era. In my mind, Rien fuses both images into one. That is the magic of this creation. Rien smells divine, yet it is not welcoming. It feels intensely warm on the skin, yet it does not invite companionship. That is the beautiful paradox I find in this potion. So when I take my dog out at night, pepper spray in my pocket, Rien helps me feel better—more assertive, more armed. It speaks for me (Rien is very vocal). It says: I am not here to joke around. I’m not your fake baddy Paco Rabanne guy, nor your vanilla-scented buddy, I might be fragile but I cut like a sharp broken glass. Likewise, when I’m feeling blue, I usually avoid wearing perfume so as not to stain it with difficult memories—except for Rien. Rien embraces darkness so completely that it magnifies it without disguising it, and that is brilliant. I have not smelled the Intense Incense version, and I’m not convinced there is much point in altering a creation that is already perfect. Besides, a single spray of Rien lasts until you wash it off, so there is hardly any need to aim for something even more intense. I should also note that, with France currently enduring a historic and seemingly endless heatwave, this is a fragrance I greatly enjoy in hot weather. It never becomes cloying and actually develops remarkably well in the heat. That said, like any very powerful perfume, I would not impose it on others—and if someone finds it overwhelming, then they are already standing far too close to me. Off with them!

For many, this would be the definition of a niche scent.

When you're good at what you do. You can make you're own Kouros and Habit Rouge. Then combine them and get Rein by eldo. This is a 1 to 1 parts combo of those fragrances. Aldehyde and musk bomb! The bottle should have miniature caution tape printed on it. It's a big intimidating smell. Not many are ready for this. It's overwhelming. I put two sprays on to go play darts last year and people are still complaining about the lingering smell. I offended the whole town, family and friends were checking in on me after hearing about it. People are afraid of this stuff. Many people speak of the leather in here which I can barely detect. It reminds me more of heavily perfumed floral alters of sandalwood incense. Headshop type potent spicy floral sandalwood incense. Use caution when wearing this, someone is likely to speak about it to others like you committed some horrendous atrocity with malicious intent and enjoyed it. I'm using artistic liberty and being hyperbolic to add emphasis. I adore this scent personally. It's super potent too. A little goes a long way. 50ml is plenty. It's hard to put a dent in when one spray is so strong. Some days it's just too intense. People do eventually come around to this.

Super strong leather and incense. I sprayed it on my arm at the perfumery, let's just say I could still smell it after showering and washing my hands. Definitely not a safe blind buy, it's extremely controversial. I wanted to get it, but almost non of my friends nor family liked it. It smells like a witch's hut. I adore the vibe, I adore the scent profile, but it's not wearable at all, I just can't seem to find an occasion this perfume would fit. If I ever became a witch, this would be my signature scent.

Intense leather, incense, animalic musk. Beast projection. Very long lasting. Too sharp and masculine for me to wear alone, but a teeny tiny dab adds some pleasant spice to other perfumes.

Cardinal-esque fragments embedded in a dense and vaporous blackened birch-like leather. Formidable. The aldehydes give the fragrance a unique airy twist. As it settles Rien, for me, evokes the scent of Chinese lacquer boxes, and I am honestly surprised to see that no one has mentioned a lacquer or varnish note. I found the scent more interesting than likable at first but have since come to find it intoxicating when the mood strikes. It's been years since I've smelled Black Tourmaline but I am making a connection ("feels like" rather than "smells like"). This might appeal to those who appreciated that fragrance.

This smells like a biker's jacket straight from the laundromat.. not for me but i appreciate quality

I wrote a review on this years ago, and left the bottle at the back of the cupboard for all this time. It’s been macerating since. It’s has finally (finally!) morphed into how I remember my first bottle of this to be. Good things come to those who wait?! The edges are round now. A seductive leather-incense perfume.

A cool chick, dressed in fake leather that she’d bought at a cheap, second-hand store. With her torn fishnet stockings and combat boots, she exuded an air of toughness; the black whip she wielded at nights is a hint she is a dominatrix at an exclusive BDSM club downtown. The clean scent of her slightly musky skin was coated with powder, the palest of pink roses, a touch of iris, and a sharp sweetness. The pale delicacy of it all contrasted with the feral meow of the raunchy cat smell that lingered under the fake leather, and with the incense that she loved to burn. When men asked her name, she would coldly reply, “Rien.” Rien is a leather and aldehyde fragrance and these are the motes I distinguish: Incense, rose, leather, iris, labdanum, galbanum, styrax, oakmoss, patchouli, amber, cumin, black pepper, aldehydes. It opens on my skin with aldehydes and a nuclear blast of black-green. The green note smells as sharp as galbanum (not as smooth as Lie has mastered to use in more recent compositions); but despite the pungent, bitter acridness, you can feel the oakmoss with its traditional musty, grey mineralized feel of lichen. It’s an extremely cold note that has a mineral and metallic clang to it, along with a salty quality that obviously carried over to impact the aldehydes. The grey-green moss is also infused by incense, though it is not the usual dark, black, smoky kind. This is more like the mentholated, medicinal, almost anise-like tonalities of myrrh, but without its cold, white, High Church feel. The overall combination feels as sharp as the crack of a black-and-green leather whip across raw flesh. There are subtle flickers of a pale, pink rose and of a slightly powdered iris hiding fearfully in the base. More defiant is the feral meow of the civet, sounding like a cat in heat as it lets off a sharp, bitter, animalic note: interesting. As for the leather, it is intentionally very latex-synthetic: think of bondage leather, whips, and rubber outfits. My very old bottle contains the evernia prunastri; now banned, it is a grey lichen which grows on trees and has an intensely dank, pungent, fusty aroma that can also be salty and smell like tree bark. To conclude: Rien’s combination of aldehydes with plastic leather remains the dominant feature, but the oakmoss recedes a little. Slowly rising to take its place is the patchouli, resulting in a discordant dusty-musty-soapy-patchouli combination. IG @alexolympia6

I wish I could experience the first time I smelled Rien again. I have never before been emotionally moved by a fragrance this way. This triggered some deep nostalgic emotion for me. It's like a play in 3 acts. The blast of leather that fades into incense then to peppery rose, it was a childhood memory - riding in the backseat of my father's thunderbird to a funeral, sitting in church, being hugged by aunts wearing sophisticated scents, then sitting among all of the flowers in the funeral home. It is extremely personal, I crave it.

Rien is an absolutely perfect piece of olfactive art. Nothing more to say than for you to get your nose on it and experience it yourself. Never has a fragrance made me feel sexier. Woof!

I have two perceptions of this fragrance. First one is smell of the carting place - nothing but burnt tires. The second one is incense, but not those pleasant spa incenses, this is a very heavy dense burning incense smell as if priest decided to burn the church down and started with the incense. I am a fan of incense fragrances, love Celestial Whispers by Maison Margiela, but this one is really unwearable. Also quite strong - can't even imagine the Intense version of this. So if you want to smell like those meditative spa incenses - this is not for you, trust me.

i’m in church and the priest is swinging the big incense chain so fire

Reading reviews made me expect Rien to smell a lot weirder and more off putting than it actually is. Don’t get me wrong, it’s very unique, in the sense that it’s basically a 80’s masculine leather chypre with a fuckton of nag champa. It’s definitely animalic, but it’s not because of the cumin, it’s very subtle, instead, this features a big dose of civet like musks and aldehydes on top of oak moss and patchouli. You’d be right to compare this to something like Kouros, and if that gives you a “public restroom” kinda vibe then this will definitely do the same thing, but it’s mainly the opening I’d be worried about, it does get more incense forward and potentially more palatable as it dries down. Overall, I’d say that this is actually a great fragrance and I certainly wouldn’t mind being next to someone who’s wearing this, but an 80’s powerhouse with stoner vibes is as far from the mainstream as you could possibly get and I understand why it’s so confusing and polarizing. It’s a massive middle finger to modern trends and I can respect that, even if it’s not necessarily something that I would want to wear myself.

Smells like someone’s recovered the detritus from my long-lost leather school pencil case - some bits of rubber, pencil shavings, a few bits of broken plastic ruler - then lightly blowtorched the resulting heap, along with the pencil case itself, before dumping the lot in a vat of No. 5 that’s been left on a radiator for an hour or two. But - at risk of lapsing into Fragrantica review cliche - in a good way. Starts out strong, birchy and pleasingly harsh but quickly softens while remaining powerful, and with plenty to watch as time progresses. Sadly no fecal or animalic notes for those amongst us who enjoy the finer things, but you can’t have everything, and we at least get some cumin. If you only have space for one of the two, this may well be the one to opt for, especially if you worry about Diane from Accounts and her allergies; that said, I find that this and its big daft goon of a brother, Rien Intense Incense (qv), inform one another. To smell one is to find new corners in its counterpart.

I used to keep a plastic water bottle in my car to discard cigarette butts in. The water at the bottom of the bottle slowly turned a darker shade of shit as the summer grew hotter and the cig butts stacked. Each time that bottle was cracked open Rien was unleashed.

One ambiguous “Jesus Christ” remark in a cold Midwestern university library was all it took for me to realize, that this is a beast performer. I’m currently self-isolating. One spray, max; you’re killing it with two. I think the intense version is redundant, because this performance is insane. It probably won’t suit younger generation at all. Clearly this shows me that perhaps I don’t need the projection and sillage I thought I would. I still have to catch a bus on the way home. I am afraid to go home.

Well, it's an old fashioned, aldehydic, leathery fragrance that brings old Chanels from the 70s-80s to mind; In short, not my cuppa. It lasts a long time though and it gets slightly better with time (1-2 hours after spraying) so I hope to use it as a base for layering other scents on top to make them last. It was a blind buy based on the notes and descriptions here and I was hoping for an incense perfume, but incense is not a note I detect myself. Oakmoss instead rules this one, at least on me. Oh, and I had two people who smelled it on me and suggested that I never wear it again as it's too vile :(