Comme des Garçons — Comme des Garcons Series 3 Incense: Ouarzazate
Essence
Ouarzazate is one fifth of Comme des Garcons’ celebrated Series 3: Incense, launched in 2002 - a conceptual quintet in which each eau de toilette evokes incense as used in one of the world’s great spiritual traditions, named for a city central to that faith. Avignon stands for Catholicism, Zagorsk for Russian Orthodoxy, Jaisalmer for Hinduism, Kyoto for Buddhism and Shinto, and Ouarzazate - named for the Moroccan gateway town in the High Atlas, its name often glossed as “the Desert Fire” - for Islam. Composed by Mark Buxton, it is the North African, sun-baked entry: less a literal mosque-incense than an impression of an arid, spice-laden desert town. Within a series that is justly regarded as a benchmark of modern incense perfumery, Ouarzazate is the sleeper - the one most often overlooked in favor of Avignon and Kyoto, and the one reviewers find hardest to pin down.
Scent Profile
Ouarzazate opens bright and aromatic rather than smoky: a peppery, herbaceous burst led by black pepper and pungent dried clary sage, with anise and a “minty tea” or green-tea facet that several reviewers single out as its signature. critical coverage described the start verbatim as “very invigorating, with herbal notes from the clary sage accented by lemon and a spicy-pepper blend,” concluding that “Ouarzazate is the sleeper scent of this series.” The incense here is soft, dry and luminous rather than burning - “cold and warm at the same time,” as one wearers reviewer put it, more the impression of unburnt frankincense resin than smoke. As it settles, nutmeg and a labdanum-driven warmth emerge, the composition turning browner, drier and slightly sweet, with musk and a touch of vanilla rounding the base into a near-balsamic woody drydown. Of the five, it is among the least overtly “incensey” and the most cologne-like and wearable.
Performance
Soft. This is the near-universal verdict: Ouarzazate has poor-to-moderate longevity, frequently cited at three to five hours before it becomes a skin scent, with low-to-moderate projection. The wearer discussion reviewer “oh_hedgehog” summed it up as “distinguished to extinguished in 3 hours flat.” A few report better staying power, but the series as a whole - Ouarzazate and Kyoto especially - is known for fleeting performance, in contrast to Avignon and Zagorsk which several users report lasting far longer. The uplifting, sparkling opening is widely felt to compensate for the brevity. A recurring wearers tip: CdG’s own “2” EDT, and even Le Labo Vetiver 46, are described by some as performance-boosted cousins sharing much of the same dry-pepper-woods-incense DNA.
Wearing Context
A cool-weather, daytime, contemplative fragrance - “relaxing, reverent and calming,” in the words of one reviewer, the sort of incense you wear to take a breath rather than to project. Because it’s the most cologne-like and balanced of the five, it’s also the most office- and crowd-friendly: one wearers reviewer noted it “would actually make a great mainstream men’s fragrance… balanced, subtle but noticeable… a fragrance that straight men wouldn’t be embarrassed to wear,” intending that as a compliment. Fully unisex.
Comparisons & DNA
The dominant comparison - made independently by many wearers - is to Andy Tauer’s L’Air du Desert Marocain: both are North-Africa-inspired, both share that dry desert air, spice and labdanum, and both pair incense with a balsamic base. The consensus distinction is that LADDM has a stronger, sweeter amber base and far better performance, where Ouarzazate is woodier, drier and quieter - making them natural daytime/evening companions. Within the Incense series, it is most often grouped with Jaisalmer as the two “sweetest and most approachable,” and is felt to share a drydown with Kyoto. Where Avignon is the cold, gothic, pure-frankincense reference and Zagorsk the pine-and-incense Russian forest, Ouarzazate is the warm, peppery, herbal-desert outlier. The performance-boost recommendations point to CdG 2 and Le Labo Vetiver 46 as same-family alternatives.
Reception
Ouarzazate is the connoisseur’s quiet favorite within a universally respected series - admired precisely by those who take the time to wear it on skin. critical coverage captured the arc: on a paper strip “the least interesting,” but “on skin it is considerably more captivating, and it now ranks among my favorites… the sleeper scent of this series.” wearers and wearer discussion wearers sentiment is strongly positive (wearer discussion shows roughly 94% positive), with the major caveat always being performance. The whole Series 3 is treated as a landmark of incense perfumery - Bois de Jasmin’s Victoria has repeatedly held the series up as a high point of the genre. Within the line, wearers polls consistently rank Avignon first and most beloved, with Ouarzazate a divisive middle-to-lower pick for those who want more smoke, but a top choice for those who prize its unusual herbal-cologne take on incense. Detractors find it “weak, safe and uninspiring.”
Versions & Reformulation
No specific reformulation of Ouarzazate is documented in the sources, though the published note breakdowns vary between sources (wearers lists green tea, guaiac wood, jasmine, red berries and Kashmir wood among the supporting cast, while the brand’s own breakdown is leaner - nutmeg, pepper, clary sage, cashmere/wenge wood, incense, labdanum, musk, vanilla). The Series 3 fragrances have remained in production as 50ml EDTs and are also sold as candles and incense sticks. As with the rest of the CdG line, the broad wearers grievance about Puig-era dilution applies generally rather than to this scent specifically.
Acquisition Notes
Ouarzazate remains available as part of the ongoing Series 3 line (50ml EDT) and through CdG boutiques and stockists like Dover Street Market. Because performance is the main risk, sampling is strongly advised - and a sample also lets you decide which of the five suits you, since they diverge sharply. The pronunciation (“war-za-zat”) trips people up and is part of why it gets overlooked relative to Avignon and Kyoto. The black cylindrical flacon with burnt-sienna lettering and a silver cap is part of the series’ austere, art-object presentation. For incense-curious buyers, the five-piece Series 3 sampler is the smart entry point; for those who already know they want a dry, peppery, herbal-desert incense rather than a smoky church one, Ouarzazate is the pick.
Notable Facts & Lore
- The conceptual framework is the great hook: Series 3: Incense maps five world faiths onto five cities, treating incense as the universal material of worship.
- Ouarzazate represents Islam and North Africa, named for the real Moroccan town - a famous film-production hub at the edge of the Sahara, long associated with caravan trade routes.
- The name is popularly glossed as “the Desert Fire.” Mark Buxton’s authorship is sometimes confused in older sources (critical coverage initially had to issue a correction confirming Buxton for Ouarzazate and Duchaufour for Kyoto).
- The series is frequently cited as proof of CdG’s early mission to bring genuine avant-garde conceptual perfumery to a wide audience - and Avignon, by Bertrand Duchaufour, became the breakout reference incense of the entire genre.