Floral
Spicy
Woody
Notescardamomcarnationcedarwoodchypreclovescuminjasminemuskroserose oxidesandalwood
Tags
#beast
#clean
Style
unisex
This monster of an “anti-perfume” is simultaneously clean and dense, the olfactory interpretation of the building material. Aptly encased in a grey concrete bottle, this eau de parfum is an astonishingly diffusive blend of sandalwood, rose and spices, with a powerful smoothness that mimics the material's satisfying surface.
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
In a daylight-filled workroom of bare tables and hard surfaces, Concrete supplies the tactile softness the setting lacks. Its smooth sandalwood and metallic rose suggest a composed, deliberate presence, while the spices give that restraint a quiet warmth. The scent reads as spare in style, not faint in the room.
How to wear
Mild to cool weather gives the dense sandalwood and warm spices room to unfold. Start with one or two sprays on skin: the pronounced diffusion means a light application can still carry into the surrounding air. In warmer conditions or close shared spaces, reduce the dose rather than layering it heavily.
Who it’s for
For those drawn to smooth sandalwood but less interested in conventional woody richness. Concrete suits a taste for spare design, metallic floral accents and warm spice, with a clean surface and substantial presence. Its appeal lies in the tension between softness and industrial severity.
Release year
2017
The nose
Nicolas Beaulieu composed Concrete around a deliberately reconstructed sandalwood accord. His approach balances the wood’s smoothness with spices and jasmine, while rose oxide introduces a metallic interruption. He privately associated the composition with the working name “Santal Kerala,” reflecting its sandalwood-and-spice inspiration.
Collaborators
Christian Astuguevieille shaped the fragrance’s conceptual brief as creative director. Inspired by New York’s concrete streets and raw urban materials, he asked Beaulieu to dismantle and reinterpret sandalwood, creating a softer scent that would challenge expectations set by the industrial bottle.
Comme Des Garcons’s story
Comme des Garçons treats perfume as a medium for questioning familiar ideas of beauty and luxury. Unconventional materials, unexpected associations and deliberate contrasts matter more than traditional fragrance categories. Concrete expresses that approach through the destruction and reconstruction of a familiar woody scent.
Concrete’s concept
Concrete began with the contrast between a hard urban material and a surprisingly soft fragrance, rather than an attempt to reproduce cement’s smell. Its concept unfolds through three stages: dismantling sandalwood, rebuilding it with rose oxide, and introducing the house’s characteristic spices.
Extra info
The bottle incorporates actual concrete around glass, with a hand-finished surface that varies from bottle to bottle, and is packaged in bubble wrap. Despite its name, the fragrance’s central subject is reconstructed sandalwood rather than the smell of wet pavement.
Notescardamomcarnationcedarwoodchypreclovescuminjasminemuskroserose oxidesandalwood
Tags
#beast
#clean
Style
unisex
This monster of an “anti-perfume” is simultaneously clean and dense, the olfactory interpretation of the building material. Aptly encased in a grey concrete bottle, this eau de parfum is an astonishingly diffusive blend of sandalwood, rose and spices, with a powerful smoothness that mimics the material's satisfying surface.
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
In a daylight-filled workroom of bare tables and hard surfaces, Concrete supplies the tactile softness the setting lacks. Its smooth sandalwood and metallic rose suggest a composed, deliberate presence, while the spices give that restraint a quiet warmth. The scent reads as spare in style, not faint in the room.
How to wear
Mild to cool weather gives the dense sandalwood and warm spices room to unfold. Start with one or two sprays on skin: the pronounced diffusion means a light application can still carry into the surrounding air. In warmer conditions or close shared spaces, reduce the dose rather than layering it heavily.
Who it’s for
For those drawn to smooth sandalwood but less interested in conventional woody richness. Concrete suits a taste for spare design, metallic floral accents and warm spice, with a clean surface and substantial presence. Its appeal lies in the tension between softness and industrial severity.
Release year
2017
The nose
Nicolas Beaulieu composed Concrete around a deliberately reconstructed sandalwood accord. His approach balances the wood’s smoothness with spices and jasmine, while rose oxide introduces a metallic interruption. He privately associated the composition with the working name “Santal Kerala,” reflecting its sandalwood-and-spice inspiration.
Collaborators
Christian Astuguevieille shaped the fragrance’s conceptual brief as creative director. Inspired by New York’s concrete streets and raw urban materials, he asked Beaulieu to dismantle and reinterpret sandalwood, creating a softer scent that would challenge expectations set by the industrial bottle.
Comme Des Garcons’s story
Comme des Garçons treats perfume as a medium for questioning familiar ideas of beauty and luxury. Unconventional materials, unexpected associations and deliberate contrasts matter more than traditional fragrance categories. Concrete expresses that approach through the destruction and reconstruction of a familiar woody scent.
Concrete’s concept
Concrete began with the contrast between a hard urban material and a surprisingly soft fragrance, rather than an attempt to reproduce cement’s smell. Its concept unfolds through three stages: dismantling sandalwood, rebuilding it with rose oxide, and introducing the house’s characteristic spices.
Extra info
The bottle incorporates actual concrete around glass, with a hand-finished surface that varies from bottle to bottle, and is packaged in bubble wrap. Despite its name, the fragrance’s central subject is reconstructed sandalwood rather than the smell of wet pavement.