Passage d'Enfer

This is my first purchase in “L’Artisan Parfumeur” house and i really like it This perfume is a open door in a total different olfactive univers It’s cold and kind .. i feel the lily flower and a woody side with mineral hits. Imagine a lily incense stick that totally burn in a cold clean church built with big stones full of statues and stained glass windows This is what this perfume reminds me. It’s beautiful perfect for the winter unique signature scent

I read romantic reviews online describing "a mystical journey into a Gothic cathedral smelling of cold stones, serenity, white lilies, and spirituality." I try it, and I am completely stunned. It instantly reminded me of the Myrto cologne my grandmother used to wear 30 years ago, the 5-euro one from the supermarket, and she was a devout churchgoer. Being Greek plays a huge role here. In the West, church incense smells cold, citrusy, and like clean soap. In Greece, however, church incense is heavy, sweet, and smoky. My cultural background completely beat the marketing. I don't like it at all, but for the sake of the joke, I wouldn't put it among the worst. It's just that my grandmother was niche 30 years ago, for just five-euro

Damp cigarette ash from an ashtray, aldehydes, some pleasant woods lingering in the background, weak clean florals, and musks. It eventually settles into the clean scent of a drugstore soap. I mix it with De Profundis to turn it into a somewhat interesting fragrance;)

(Review of a bottle c. 2002) Passage to hell? Well, I’ve always agreed with Billy Joel on this one: I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with saints. If this is what hell is going to smell like, ship me off cap’n/God. Hell seems to be quite quiet, gentle, and a uniquely fresh and sylvan place. In sort-of typical LAP style Passage d’Enfer is pretty linear, delivering to you what they (and the pyramid) say that they are going to give you from beginning to end and top to bottom. It’s Giacobetti that makes this perfume stand out, and the ever so subtle ways in which she chooses to let the perfume shift over the course of its life; a passing smell would make one think that nothing has changed, but a deep and studied sniff will make you wonder “wait, was that note as far forward a little while ago as it is now?” Giacobetti has always been tremendous at this sort of thing, of making quiet perfumes full of immense detail and subtle characteristics that reward the patient, the sensitive, and the connoisseur types. First and foremost this is a myrrh and frankincense perfume that primarily evokes the resins of both, with slight and silky tendrils of smoke from both as well. Those of us of the Christian background/persuasion will note the smoke as being considerably less “hot” than what we were/are subjected to swinging around in a thurible while our knees ache. D’Enfer wants to focus on the citrusy, earthy, green, woody, hard and dehydrated resins more than the smoke. However, the dehydrated facet that frequently comes with resins is overshadowed here by another player. The addition of muguet to this composition is inspired. It adds a slightly watery, sweet white floral, and very fatty/unctuous quality that makes the myrrh and frankincense seem enormous - yet they are giants that never make a sound or stir despite their large size. The three of them, the muguet, the myrrh, the frankincense, sit there very quietly, and when you turn your back they shuffle themselves but when you revert your gaze the shift is so subtle you wonder if they’ve moved at all. The smokey aspects gain intensity in the “dry down” - such as it is - but they are augmented back to the mandate by animalic, gray musks that keep the “white”, the “clean”, and the “wet” theme from the muguet distinguishable. Passage d’Enfer seems so beautifully simple - maybe even deceptively or stupidly simple - that I have to marvel at it. It hadn’t been done before 1999 and I haven’t smelled anything that has pulled it off nearly as well since. Some might bemoan the lack of delineation between the myrrh and frankincense, preferring more photorealistic presentations of one or both, or the general linearity of the perfume, but, I will reiterate, I have yet to smell an incense perfume as detailed, comprehensive, and beautiful as Passage d’Enfer unless I am forgetting one, which seems unlikely. Regardless, it is one of my favorite incense perfumes ever created and I am happy to take this journey into hell with it - which seems to smell a lot like heaven.

This is great. At first i got harsh white florals that I hate they always seem cloying or synthetic but 20 minutes in it became very soft and blissful. Not getting any incense, it rather smells like black pepper and it's light in the background. Mediocre longevity strong projection

"Passage To Hell", or as Google Translate recommends "Hellish Passage"... I live in Canada, I went to school in the U.S., forgive my French... Yet L'Artisan Parfumeur claims this fragrance was named in homage to the brand's historic headquarters located on the rue du Passage d'Enfer in Paris in the 1970s. Regardless, there is nothing hellish about this fragrance, actually quite the opposite. Passage D'Enfer is THE church fragrance to me, without a doubt. Avignon is THE church incense with Cardinal and Full Incense right behind it. But Passage does something different, somehow with its blend of incense and lily it was the first fragrance where I felt like I could truly say "This smells like a church." Not church incense, a church. Specifically a Greek Orthodox church in Center City, Philadelphia. So it goes without saying I instantly fell in love. The fragrance that I would consider Passage's cousin would be Relique D'Amour. Relique is quite a bit lighter and considerably more green. Relique is like sitting on the steps of an old church on a spring morning, Passage D'Enfer is the scent of being in an old church where the wood is soaked in years of incense and flowers. There seems to be a lot of issues for others with the performance of Passage. I thankfully do not experience any of these issues. For the first two hours I get more than decent projection and amazing sillage. Around the fifth hour its pretty much a skin scent and by eight hours it's completely gone. That's more than fine for me. If I can get five hours of "good" wear out of an absolutely BEAUTIFUL fragrance, I'm happy. While I absolutely LOVE this fragrance I would suggest sampling as I can see how it may be challenging for some. This is not a summer freshie nor a delicious gourmand. This is a fragrance that I feel most people will either love or hate. As for me I'm a lover of Passage D'Enfer. For the sake of transparency and authenticity I really want to write a complaint or two out about Passage but honestly I don't have any. I don't think it's "the best fragrance ever" but I certainly do think it's the best at replicating the smell of a church, specifically an Orthodox church. So order a sample or blind buy this fragrance. I don't care. But I do suggest you check out Passage because I love it. - 10/10 - Summer Nights, Spring, Fall. Early Winter - Location/Situation: Center City, Philadelphia, October, 9AM... Liturgy. The chanting of hymns, the rhythmic shaking of the incense censer, the smell and feel of the old wood, and the icons that look into your soul and urge you to look into theirs. You look at the ceiling where a huge icon of the Theotokos looks at you with motherly love reminding you that you never have to suffer a passage to hell because of the Gift that her body brought into the world. She urges you to climb the ladder not suffer the downward passage. - Song: Gethsemane - OM

wow! just a bunch of nothing

So I ordered a sample of this on Etsy and I’m honestly not sure if I got the right one? It smells nothing like I anticipated or how others describe. It smells like clean and I am getting no incense or wood :( I reallyyyy wanted to like this

I am in love with this perfume so I am devastated that I can barely smell it when I wear it. Even immediately after application I have to hold my wrist up to touch my nose :( I'm profoundly jealous of the 76 of you who experience the sillage as "enormous"

I basically concluded my incense exploration when I got my nose on this one. Everything I love in a fragrance is here - clean, soapy and understated. This does lean more feminine than what I normally go for but I love it nonetheless.

This is not just a perfume, it's a bottle of calmness, sadness, spirituality and memories (all in a good way). I come from eastern Europe and, like some reviews already mentioned, it reminds me of Orthodox Church. However, it's not only that. It's a scent of a old wet stone. Wearing this, I imagine myself sitting at the stairs of a church or at a bench at a graveyard, looking some for poetry inspiration, but the slow and calming rain is starting to fall. And that's the essence of this scent. That's when the inspiration comes. I also developed a strong connecting between this fragrance and a loved one who recently passed away. Don't get me wrong. It doesn't smell like death or anything like that. What makes the connection are the florals. This is probably due to lilies and so many flowers present at the service. So, when I mention death, I want to say that I put this on when I want to distance myself from the world and remember that person. I wouldn't go for the EDP version as the EDT's longevity is good enough and the notes are more simple, as they should be in this case. I only dislike the name as it may be misleading. The bottle is ok, but the new red label also wants you to thinks about enfer (hell). I would just leave it plain white, like the florals. I also bought another, more "gothic" perfume recently, that sounded like it will be a stronger version of this, but it's not. It's Opus 1144 by Filippo Sorcinelli. If only the juice was put in that bottle, black with a cement/stone cap, with that name, it would be a pure ethereal perfection in a bottle that also shows that.

Smells exactly like my mother’s Serbian Orthodox church — incredibly photorealistic. The first time I smelled it, I was instantly taken back to the priest swinging the censer during mass. Or holding a funeral. As someone else mentioned below, this is beyond niche. It’s not easy to wear and should be considered as a piece of art rather than a wearable perfume. But it is incredibly beautiful, in all its churchiness.

A lot of reviews are describing this scent accurate to my experience: a quiet empty church. There is incense but it's not very smoky and the lily is in the background giving a soapy aspect (I dislike lily notes). The combination makes an old but clean scent that is unisex, seasonless, and feels not of this time. A very introspective or meditative scent- like how a nun's quarters would smell. It doesn't project and sits close to the skin, which is somewhat fitting. It feels intimate. Very different and unique compared to what's out there!

beautiful goth faerie vibes, i love it. it’s cold incense (no smoke) and lily. not weird enough to offend anyone, its actually suuuper clean so it would be perfect for someone who enjoys interesting, ethereal, witchy scents but also wants to smell very clean. that being said it’s also not generic or boring, it has a very nostalgic feel to it, almost melancholic. i used to layer Do Son and Fleur de Peau and they had a similar nostalgic, dusty vibe, but it was tuberose centered instead of lily like PeD. my only wish is that it was stronger and lasted longer, the longevity is the biggest con for me.

incense scented bar soap but it’s beautiful

This fragrance is completely outside of trends, it belongs to its own category altogether. Not just niche in the commercial sense, but niche within niche, like removed from the idea of perfumery as something decorative or wearable. If we think of transcendental scents, some move upward (light and celestial), while others descend into darkness. This one does something else entirely. At a certain point, it stops moving up or down and begins to loop, it's outside the duality altogether. Can you wear this to a grocery store? Yes and no, and I will explain why. It’s often described as meditative or spiritual, and while that’s true, even suggesting it for religious ceremonies feels slightly obscure given the name. Still, that’s probably the closest context. Not as a celebration of hell, but as an acknowledgment of something beyond the physical, or a reminder that experience can exist outside the body, outside desire, outside performance. This is not a scent for attraction or identity, it's more a scent of reverence and stillness. Or maybe of respect for life, for mystery, for whatever sits just beyond what we can articulate. It's probably a signature scent of someone who embodies such awareness, and has a detached attitude to life (and death). So not necessarily ceremonial, if you whole perception of life and life experience is informed by the transcendental realms. If that's you, you can wear this to a grocery store, as you are aware of all. If you're not aware, don't wear this at all, not even to places where it would fit.

I agree with the crowd, the lily wasn't prominent. My sample's sillage wasn't profound, and for some reason (I think my skin chemistry), it smelled like BO and had me panicking, because I had just taken a shower. I'll return with more thoughts once I've used my sample up.

Il mio Passage d'enfer è del 2011,con i tappi dorati. E' un profumo adorabile che parte freddo,pieno di fiori candidi,come dei mazzi di gigli appoggiati sul pavimento rosso di mattoni di un qualche edificio non ben definito. Poi si oscura e diventa affumicato, come se arrivasse una nebbia nera fumosa.. Incenso olibano che non si limita a ricordare una chiesa come ambiente ma porta verso rituali ben diversi anche se non definiti.. L'immaginazione è la cosa che un profumo dovrebbe stimolare, far viaggiare la mente e aprire spazi inesplorati. Passage d'enfer lascia libera la mente di vagare e immaginare

Passage d'Enfer feels spacious, like an empty church, quiet and solemn, almost austere. It's dry and woody, with a pervading haze of incense and the delicate, cool presence of lilies. The musk, however, doesn't really work for me. It brings a clean, fresh quality that overshadows the other notes, and makes the fragrance feel closer to men's cologne territory.

Old wooden house smell. This is the darkest fragrance that a lady can wear. But it's very well suited for gentlemen as well, given the right scenario to wear it. It opens smoky and floral, which is a very interesting combination. It has decent projection, so you will get people's attention quite fast. Sample before you buy, because this is by far not a crowd pleaser.

It smells like the lobby of a five star hotel

Passage d’Enfer feels like stepping into an old stone chapel after rain, the air laced with incense, soft lilies, and pale woods. There’s a calm warmth beneath the coolness. It’s serene, soapy, and quietly spiritual. It’s the clean girl’s take on incense. I just wish it projected more and lingered longer. IG/Tiktok: @wilddew_vibes

Lilies, incense, wood. Unusually bright and fresh, green. Slightly spicy. Wonderful fragrance.

“…You who walk with such a sorrowful face, showing pain, eyes turned downwards, where do you come from, with a pale face as if you were the very image of compassion…” A small church in a forest clearing, known in old records, yet mysterious and somewhat forgotten. On its benches, long-forgotten prayer books and a bowl of rosaries still hold a scent. And the scent sings "In honore sanctis"… steeped in sorrows, prayers, and hopes that purify. No, this is not the passage d’enfer. Not the gates of hell, nor a path to hell— but purgatory, the one that is a sure road to paradise. Faded frescoes reveal a saintly face with raised hands, eyes gazing toward the domed ceiling where floral paintings peek through the plaster. Braided ornaments on the windows, with no glass—just direct contact with the sky at dusk. And rain drizzles like tears of those left behind, after grief has passed. The garden in front of the church, miraculously, is still alive. I pick white lilies. Countless bouquets burst from my arms and I carry them to the altar— or to what’s left of it. It’s always like this… what is most sacred is unclear and must be summoned. With scents. They call the loudest, their echo travels, and all that’s left for us is to close our eyes… and wait. This is incense that has seeped into the walls. The deeper the dive into oneself, the stronger the scent that rises… as if our own spirits are drawing it from the plaster. Yes, a meditative and personal scent. But around us dances an aura of smoky white lilies, whose heavenly fragrance pierces most beautifully through the smoke in the morning. If I apply it at night, incense dominates. On the skin for a few hours, it fades, only to reappear again… on clothing, it lingers for a day or two. Solemn and elegant, yet very gentle and pure— the incense of redemption. Accompanied by white musk, innocent like bedsheets washed in a stream. There is no struggle with animalistic spirits here, no burning. I hear an aria from Bach’s cantata: "Was mein Herz von dir begehrt..." What does my heart desire from you?

I do adore this but ever since I saw a review saying it smells like pencil shavings that's all I can think of... I even get the slight metalic-ness of the graphite???? regardless this is still a gorgeous perfume hehe

Adore this. On its own it's so beautiful but it's also just amazing for layering. I've tried it with a few perfumes from my collection that I don't use as much and it really works well at making those so much more wearable for me. Today I've layered it with Chinatown Bond No 9 and it's dampened down the floral sweetened beautifully so it's not as sickly sweet. Such a good buy.

Finally, a lily scent that an incense lover like me can enjoy! I love how cold and alluring it is in the opening. I only have a miniature, so I do not know if longevity is the issue in general or if it's just my 5 ml bottle. I will see if layering it would help because this scent is so nice, I need to make it last.

The freshly-washed, gossamer robes of the ghost that wanders your manor

At first smells eerily similar to Chance Chanel, my usual professional scent. Dries down into a beautiful incense, still reminiscent of Chance but now quite independent. Very pretty fragrance that's less "churchy" than Heresy or Eau Sacree, but perhaps that makes it more wearable. Quite woody with noticeable white musk, and the lily comes through nicely, giving it a bit more of a feminine touch. But that same touch makes it smell more like an old, faithful churchgoer than perhaps the church itself.

Soapy medicinal grandpa. Doesn’t smell churchy to me. Kind of a let down… booootttttt