Ex Idolo Ryder

Peek behind the doors of London’s private members clubs, and sniff the rich tobacco that hovers over dark woods and boozy drinks in a haze of golden amber laced with expensive incense. That’s the inspiration behind Ryder, the newest release from Ex Idolo, a British artisanal brand. It is the sort of olfactory story that I normally love, but Ryder did not work for me, alas.

Source: Luckyscent.

Source: Luckyscent.

Ryder is an eau de parfum and the sophomore creation of Matthew Zhuk, the founder and nose behind Ex Idolo.  On his website, he describes Ryder and its notes as follows:

Inspired by the history of the members clubs of St James and Mayfair, Ryder is a juxtaposition of sweet tobacco and aromatic esters against a warm woody-amber accord. The fragrance is anchored by a sparkling and ultra-rare Omani frankincense. Although inspired by the past, Ryder is a modern and unisex fragrance; it is worth mentioning that although many of the members clubs started as male-only, a large number of them now invite women as well. To represent this, Ryder’s distinctive character has been enchanced with a heady, royal jasmine note.

LINEAR NOTES
Sweet pipe tobacco
Aromatic Esters
Resinous Amber
Dark woods
Jasmine
Omani Frankincense.

The Savile Club, London. Source: savileclub.co.uk

The Savile Club, London. Source: savileclub.co.uk

In case you’re like me and have no idea what an “Ester” is, it is apparently an organic compound where the hydrogen element has been replaced by an alkyl, like ethyl or methyl. I don’t know what any of that means, let alone what it translates to concretely for perfume notes. Not the faintest clue at all, but it seems to involve some sort of chemical manipulation.

Source: vk.com

Source: vk.com

Ryder opens on my skin with booze and cooked fruits washed in a smoky, woody-amber aromachemical. It feels like there are raisins and a few dark plums, cooked in a boozy rum and cognac mix, then lightly sprinkled with cinnamon. Labdanum’s chewy, toffee’d notes percolate throughout, followed seconds later by a sweet, fruited pipe tobacco that occasionally takes on a gingerbread undertone. It smells as though a few drops of ambergris are added to the mix as well, because there are the tiniest suggestions of a marshy, lightly salted, musky caramel lurker at the hintermost regions. All of it would be right up my alley except for the slightly raspy, smoky woody-amber aromachemical weaving its way quietly throughout. For reasons I can’t explain, it made my back teeth and jaw hurt, though that was nothing as compared to what was to come.

Ryder slowly begins to shift. The first tendrils of incense appear after 10 minutes, then become a real presence after 20 minutes. As they bloom, the lightly spiced, cooked fruits recede to the sidelines, then vanish completely 45 minutes into the perfume’s development. At the same time, the labdanum begins to expand, filling the air with dark, chewy warmth and richness, far overshadowing everything else in its path.

The discontinued Amber Absolute.

The discontinued Amber Absolute.

The result is a fragrance whose opening smells a lot like Tom Ford‘s now discontinued Amber Absolute, except with the addition of tobacco and significantly less incense. It also reminds me of an airier, initially boozy version of Rania J.‘s Ambre Loup which, on my skin, is heavily tobacco’d. The difference is, from afar, Ryder feels primarily like a mixed amber (labdanum laced with a little ambergris) bouquet. In contrast, Ambre Loup skews more towards the tobacco when you take in its full development. As for Amber Absolute, it has a good dose of incense, but the similarities are still striking nevertheless during Ryder’s opening. After 20 minutes, Ryder’s labdanum overshadows all the other notes to an overwhelming degree. If one were to approximate percentages for the breakdown of notes wafting from my skin, then roughly 80% of Ryder would be that one accord, if not more. The tobacco might be 8%, the incense 5%, the woody-amber aromachemicals another 5&, and the fractional remainder would consist of droplets of raisin-y booze.

But at least 80% in the first hour would be labdanum laced with tiny slivers of ambergris, and that makes Ryder’s opening skew extremely close to Amber Absolute in profile, too close for the fragrance to feel very novel. I’m not the first to make the Amber Absolute comparison as you will see later. That said, on my skin, the similarities are ultimately short-lived and Ryder becomes something quite different. Plus, even in its opening hour, I think Ryder has fractionally more involved, thanks to the pipe tobacco which adds an ephemeral quality to the bouquet, even if it’s a shimmering ghost that hovers behind the thick wall of amber.

Kephalis. Source: Givaudan.

Kephalis. Source: Givaudan.

At the end of the first hour and the start of the second, the balance of notes completely changes and, with it, Ryder’s profile and character, too. The aromachemicals suddenly bloom, pushing aside the labdanum in a reversal of roles and becoming the dominant focus of the scent. They have a smoky, raspy scratchiness that smells like Kephalis mixed with a cypriol (on steroids) and at least one of the woody-amber synthetics, something like Ambermax. But the Kephalis or Kephalis-like element leads the charge. It is an ISO E-like cousin with a tobacco-woody profile that Givaudan describes as follows:

Kephalis is a very versatile and rich product, used as a long lasting heart/basic note. It blends well with floral notes (jasmine, rose, violet, lavender, etc.) as well as sophisticated amber, woody-aldehydic, tobacco and masculine creations.

Cypriol or Nargamotha roots. Source: herbalplantslanka.blogspot.com

Cypriol or Nargamotha roots. Source: herbalplantslanka.blogspot.com

Cypriol (or nagarmotha) has a woodier profile but can also smell very smoky. As Eden Botanicals succinctly explains on its website, cypriol oil has an aroma that is:

Woody, deep, with smoky notes of leather. Adds a distinctive and interesting note to masculine or unisex perfumes.

Like Kephalis, Ambermax was created by Givaudan and comes in a 10 or 50 version, both of which have strongly woody facets. Givaudan describes it as

a powerful, fusing and substantive rich ambery note with some woody cedarwood facets. […] Ambermax is a perfect fit to our existing range of ambery-woody notes including Karanal / Okoumal / Amberketal / Ambrofix and can be used across all categories.

I don’t know precisely what is in Ryder and whether it includes these things or merely related cousins. I wrote yesterday to Mr. Zhuk to ask specifically about the Kephalis and cypriol, but have received no reply as of yet. All I can say is that Kephalis is frequently used for a tobacco note in perfumery, and its smoky, tobacco-woody harshness is extremely similar to what is wafting from my skin. Others find Kephalis has an almost ISO E-like tonality or vibe, which fits with comments made by two Basenotes posters about what they smelt in Ryder.

Source: vimeo.com

Source: vimeo.com

For the next 10 hours, Ryder pulsates out Kephalis-like tobacco wrapped up with raspy, scratchy smokiness, along with desiccated, singed woods and a leathery, smoky amber-woodiness. There are faint curls of incense in the mix, too, but they’re swallowed up by the various forms of dry, aromachemical smokiness. As is often the case with Kephalis (or Kephalis-like chemicals) on my skin, the tobacco feels like an abstraction of “tobacco” rather than the real thing. There are no spices, booze, cooked fruits, or jasmine. Just a Kephalis, cypriol, and aromachemical mix that gives me a migraine whenever I smell Ryder up close for too long. It also scratches the back of my throat which begins to hurt more and more with every passing hour; it starts to burn by the 4th hour, then feels as though a knife has scraped it raw by the 8th hour. From that point forth, I tried to avoid smelling my arm as much as I could, but I was masochistic enough to want to see whether Ryder would ever improve.

Photo: my own.

Photo: my own.

Unfortunately, for the longest time, any changes which occurred were merely fractional in nature. Roughly 3.75 hours in, there is the merest hint of labdanum clawing its way back from the periphery. After 6.5 hours, it has progressed enough to soften a few of Ryder’s raspy, scratchy edges. Not a lot, but a few. By the 7.75 mark, the labdanum manages a comeback, rounding out the tobacco and woody-amber synthetics with a stronger touch of toffee’d sweetness and golden warmth.

Source: wallpapergallery.info

Source: wallpapergallery.info

Finally, exhaustingly, by the 11th hour, the rasping chemical cocktail pipes down to tenable levels. Ryder is now mostly an amber scent laced with a more natural tobacco and more normal, gentle smokiness. It remains that way until the start of the 16th hour when the fragrance turns into delicious golden softness, flecked with beeswax and drizzled with a honeyed sweetness. And, yet, Ryder still was not done with me. I’m an insomniac, so I was up for the entire 24 hours that Ryder lasted on my skin before I finally had enough and washed it off.

Photo: "Controlled Burn" by Kevin Cooley. Source: indulgd.com or http://indulgd.com/controlled-burns-by-kevin-cooley/

Photo: “Controlled Burn” by Kevin Cooley. Source: indulgd.com (Direct website link embedded within.)

It took some effort to endure to that point, and I certainly never managed the first few times I tried the fragrance. This is a scent where quantity made a significant difference in masking or showing the aromachemicals right off the bat. The more I applied, the more the lovely boozy and labdanum-ambergris bloomed in the opening and the longer it took for the chemicals to kick in. The first time I tried Ryder, I dabbed a light amount on the top of my hand, and practically recoiled from the abrasive, smoky woody-amber blast that greeted me. There was no labdanum, let alone booziness, rich pipe tobacco, or spiced fruits. All I could think of was Kephalis and cypriol (which I hate) wrapped up with black smokiness and desiccated woods. After 30 minutes, I scrubbed. It took some effort to get the blasted thing off my skin, a sure testament to the power of the aromachemicals within. The second time I tried Ryder, I applied more, roughly 2 small smears, and this time, there was some labdanum, booze, and pipe tobacco to go with the hideous melange, but not a lot. I lasted 2 hours before I could bear it no longer.

The version of Ryder that I’ve described in this review occurred with 3 large smears equal to roughly 3 small sprays from an actual bottle, or something a bit more than 2 and half large ones. The fragrance opened with 4 inches of projection and about 6 inches of sillage, but scent trail grew as the materials interacted with my skin. After 40 minutes, the projection was about 5 inches, while the sillage had expanded to about a foot. (Even at lesser quantities, Ryder wafted quite a bit in the air around me, much to my dismay.) When the amber accord began to return around the 6.5 hour mark, not only did the fragrance’s notes began to soften, but the projection did as well. Ryder was now about an inch above the skin, and the sillage much closer to the skin. However, Ryder didn’t turn into an actual skin scent until almost the 9th hour. My skin holds onto aromachemicals like mad, in addition to amplifying the sillage and projection of any fragrance that contains a hefty amount of them (which, in my opinion, Ryder does, unfortunately). That is probably why I had no difficulty detecting the scent when I brought my arm to my nose even after the 15th hour. In terms of longevity, as I said earlier, I gave up after 24 hours with Ryder and scrubbed it off.

Source: footage.shutterstock.com

Source: footage.shutterstock.com

Ryder generally receives positive reviews on Fragrantica and Basenotes. The former has more comments, so I’ll start there. Basically, people find Ryder to be a wonderful amber-centric scent with rich pipe tobacco, that is then laced with frankincense. A few people talk about the smoky woods, and two posters detect traces of jasmine in it as well. “Kxnaiades” writes:

As a sweet, dusty amber burning on a pyre of smoky wood with a generous helping of spicy frankincense, Ryder sits neatly in the unisex zone. Jasmine and tobacco are perceptible but not key players in Ryder, actually I didn’t pick them out till after looking at the note pyramid. Vanilla tends to smooth rough edges and create a creamy amber for me but Ryder remains rather rugged throughout. Sillage is average and longevity good. I love 33 but I like Ryder, my adoration for HG Ambre Sultan remains unshaken.

“Deadidol” gives the one negative review on Fragrantica, writing:

I wasn’t into the first Ex Idolo release, but I saw the appeal as the scent was a reasonably well crafted drunken rose. This one is a step down in that the construction and the effect are both mediocre. It’s basically Tom Ford’s Amber Absolute merged with Dior’s Fève Délicieuse. Fold a creamy coumeric note in with a debilitated Amber Absolute and add a touch of dried fruit-like tobacco and that’s about it. Sweet, cloying, and forgettable; it’s your standard, predictable “modern masculine” sugar-cakes scent. Pure, unadulterated bro-nip. [Emphasis to names added by me.]

"Javascapes" by Photographer Daniel G. Walczyk. Source: Behance.net (Website link embedded within.)

“Javascapes” by Photographer Daniel G. Walczyk. Source: Behance.net (Website link embedded within.)

His comment is one of the 3 reviews on Ryder’s Basenotes page. The other two posters really love Ryder, raving about its honeyed sweetness, booze, amber, and richness, laced with “Whispers of a ,Non ISO E Super, Wood and a beaming sliver of Frankincense.” “Pure Caramel” is one of those Basenoters, and I’ve taken the liberty of formatting part of his single-sentence post into paragraphs for reasons of space and more succinct viewing:

My first response to this was: [¶] This is Buckwheat Honey, then Mead! [¶] As the base of the fragrance lays down on my skin, the perfume becomes familiar. I have spent the day, in the Pastry shop, of my employer, working with, superb quality Butter, Vanilla, Winter Fruit, Cognac, Honey, Molasses. It is Christmas.

It is a scent that is at once, slightly cloying, enormously comforting, vaguely alcoholic. [¶] This subsides and what arises, is a counterpoint to the, wet, moist, sugary, fattiness. [¶] Whispers of a ,Non ISO E Super, Wood and a beaming sliver of Frankincense, heighten, incise the honeyed richness. [¶] I fail to identify the alleged Jasmine, so would categorize this fragrance as Masculine, not Unisex in intent.

For “Nefertum’s Muse,” Ryder was very similar in nature, although she noticed “a mere whisper” of jasmine in addition to the “woody nuances that are NOT ISO E Super,” and only got 8 hours in longevity. Her review reads, in part, as follows:

I sampled Ryder last week, loved it, then ordered my full bottle. I should say that I also own 33, which I love. [¶] Ryder is all about quality ingredients.

The notes listed are spot on. I definitely smell jasmine, although the few other reviewers for this don’t detect jasmine at all. It’s not bold, just a mere whisper is how I would describe it. Tobacco/boozy-liquor fragrances are one of my favourites and I get some really wonderful not-too-sweet pipe tobacco. The first time I smelled this I said “ahhh” and could almost imagine sitting in a London members club with fine cognac and pipe smoke. Somewhere in this I smell leather, but that may be just my fanciful mind taking over.

Like Purecaramel noted, there are woody nuances that are NOT ISO E Super, which I couldn’t imagine. [¶] Tendrils of frankincense intertwine with pipe tobacco smoke, then glide around the glowing warmth of amber to wrap everything up nicely. This is fairly linear, but I don’t mind. Longevity is quite good, lasting about eight hours on skin. [¶] For overall quality, I give Ryder a 10. I have no regrets buying this one.

A Basenotes thread on Ex Idolo’s 33 also includes two passing comments on Ryder. “The Beck” wrote: “I thought it was good, but it didn’t inspire me enough to buy a bottle, or even a decant. Surely not the equal to 33.” “The Hawk” said even less, merely “Quick test of this one today… So close to Tom Ford’s Amber Absolute!”

If any of the fragrances mentioned above appeal to you, then you should try Ryder for yourself. The vast majority of people do not share my issues with aromachemicals, can’t detect them, or don’t care if they do. Don’t go by my experience with Ryder unless you, too, dislike a large amount of powerful synthetics in your fragrance and prefer a more natural smelling scent. To be clear, I have no issues with synthetics when they are well-balanced, well-blended, and in moderated amounts such that the overall result smells natural and lushly rich. I don’t think Ryder does.

Photo: AP. Source: Dailymail.co.uk

Photo: AP. Source: Dailymail.co.uk

So, I shall stick to Rania J.‘s fantastic Ambre Loup for my rich tobacco-amber fix, Nobile 1942‘s complex Rudis for my journey into a London private club with boozy drinks, amber, smoke and leather, and Jovoy‘s Psychedelique for another trip to a rich gentlemen’s club via boozy cognac, amber, spicy patchouli and creaminess. Ambre Loup, in particular, is a luxuriously dark but perfectly modulated foray into tobacco, labdanum, and smoke on my skin. It’s denser, chewier, darker, almost just as long-lasting on my skin, and much cheaper for the same size at $149 for 50 ml versus $185 for Ryder. It may be as linear as Ryder, but I found it to be a seductive, totally addictive, luxurious scent. And, at no time did its synthetics make me recoil in horror or leave me with a sore throat that felt as though someone had taken a grater to it. So, for me, Ryder is a total pass.

As a side note, I want to say that I had really hoped to love Ryder, not only because its notes are right up my alley, but also because Mr. Zhuk is a very charming, down-to-earth, self-deprecatingly witty, nice chap. I know he puts his heart and soul into his creations, but I can’t overcome my personal difficulties with powerful synthetics in very large doses, and I can only write about how things smell like to me. Most people have none of these issues, so try Ryder for yourself if you love fragrances with pipe tobacco, amber, boozy sweetness, incense, smokiness, and dark woods.

DETAILS:
Cost & Availability: Ryder is an eau de parfum that is available only in a 50 ml size for $185 or £120. In the U.S.: You can find it at Luckyscent and Twisted Lily. At the time of this review, Luckyscent is sold out of samples, while Twisted Lily is back-ordered on bottles for a week. Outside the U.S.: In Canada, Etiket carries Ex Idolo, but only 33 is shown on their website, not Ryder. In the U.K., Les Senteurs and Roullier White sell Ryder, and offer samples. Roullier White ships to the EU. In Paris, it’s carried in-store at Sens Unique. In Moscow, it’s sold in-store at Aroma Teka. For other sites in the US, Canada, London and Europe, you can check out Ex Idolo’s Purchase page. However, I noticed some of the retailers mentioned do not list the brand on their website at this time, like Hungary’s Neroli. Samples: several of the sites above sell samples. Surrender to Chance does not have Ryder at this time.

18 thoughts on “Ex Idolo Ryder

  1. When I saw the words Iso-E-Super relative I knew this was not for me. The notes sounded so nice intially, too. I will try Ambre Loup though. It sounds wonderful!

  2. Ah, I’m awaiting a sample of this one, as it’s right up my alley, too. I’m sort of relieved to hear it’s going to irritate me, as I really (really) don’t need another full bottle of something with amber, honey, or tobacco notes. Finally bought a bottle of Ambre Loup last week after a using up two hefty samples!

    I wonder what makes some of us so sensitive to these aromachemicals. I find my distaste for them grows larger the more fragrances I try and as I learn more about perfume. That makes me wonder how on earth folks in the industry can work with them day in and day out. Have you any thoughts on this? I’d love to hear them!

    Thanks, once again, for your in depth review. I’ll sniff along when I get my sample, though now I’m not looking forward to it! Cheers!! 🙂

    • Heh, I thought you succumbed to Ambre Loup a while back. As for Ryder, well, maybe you’ll be pleasantly surprised now that your expectations are low. Given the fact that your distaste for aromachemicals is rapidly growing, I’ll be interested to see your reaction to it. I hope you have an easier time of it than I did.

  3. When I first smelled this I had hoped you would like this because of the notes listed but then you hinted that you already smelled Ryder and unfortunately wasn’t a thumbs up. Damn I said. What an incredibly sensitive nose you’ve got to those lovely synthetics K. Grr.

    I may test another sample. I really lime it but won’t buy a full bottle. I love Ambre Loup (I still have my empty vial on my bureau to remind me) and Rudis which are absolutely fbw. 🙂
    Thank you for the review and I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you.

    • I think what Julie said above holds true for me as well: the more one smells, the more sensitive and finely tuned one’s nose becomes to particular notes. In my case, unfortunately, that includes a rising sensitivity to and awareness of the more powerful synthetics. My skin really does something to them, and individual skin chemistry is definitely a factor in all this as well.

      • Yes, ever since I was a kid, my mom
        would say something about skin chemistry and certain perfumes her friends liked and wore which were horrible on her. Funny I just remembered she always detested musks, but I have a feeling it would have been WHITE musk. lol According to a highly esteemed perfume critic, there is no such thing as skin chemistry. Hmmm. :/
        This is way off topic but I found a site selling some colognes/perfumes that I haven’t found anywhere despite looking everywhere for them; I’ve found Basala, my Black Jeans I wore in the 90s, a Lagerfeld also. I believe there are some hard to find women’s perfumes too. I saw Bal a Versailles though I’m sure that is *the* reformulation. I’ve emailed them, just waiting on reply.
        Lord that Opus 9 (from Planet 9) was pretty baaad on me. I think I smelled rotting flowers and [this sounds weird I know] road tar??? lol As I was wearing O9 I felt as if it was coating my nose and throat.

        • P.S. I forgot to include that I have found some samples on Luckysent I’d like to try: new Penhaligon’s Halfeti(sic), 2 Mazzolaris and a couple by Anatole Lebreton.

  4. My nose is really weak or my skin really eats perfume more than even I was aware. I find this to be fairly lovely but very soft. Six sprays ay close range on the back of my hand and I still have to get my nose pretty close to smell it. I certainly don’t get anything raspy from this. I put Ambre Loup on my arm and it blows Ryder away. God, I had forgotten how wonderful Ambre Loup is. That warm blast of cigar tobacco with a whisper of the faecal about it. To me Ryder is nice, polite, and inoffensive but I don’t feel it is quite worth the price they are asking.

    PS Pre-ordered my bottle of Salomé yesterday. They say it should be in the country by the middle of the week.

    • I had had the impression you loved Ryder? Did your feelings change over time or the more you wore the scent? It sounds like you bought a full bottle, given the 6 sprays. Speaking of which, SIX sprays and it was merely soft on you?!! Lucky devil. With 6 sprays on my skin, those chemicals would have ballooned into a mushroom cloud visible out to space, and I would probably have keeled over. lol.

      As for Ambre Loup, I quite agree, it is outstanding. Even putting the issue of chemicals aside, it blows Ryder out of the water. And it’s much better value for what you’re getting, too.

      • I do like Ryder. My complaint is with it’s strength. I’m a heavy-sprayer and still find it hard to detect after several hours, even on clothing.

        After reading your review I busted out the Ambre Loup and wore it to work today. I was serving a party of four and they said they really loved what I was wearing and asked what it was. The ladies in the group were mad for it. So I wrote it down for them. Five minutes later one of the gentlemen had gone on line and ordered a full bottle. I love it when that happens.

        Last week I was waiting on a large corporate event and I had all the top execs at one table. Before dinner one of them said “We’ve all been discussing your fragrance. You smell so good. What are you wearing?” Answer: Le Labo Oud 27.

        • Chypre mousse, hedonist and Ambre Nuit invariably provoke that kind of response from others when I wear them 🙂 I just ordered a sample of Ambre Loup….

  5. This is SO interesting. I FINALLY got my sample of Ryder. I haven’t had it on an hour, but was trying to figure out something about it. I said to the hubby, “There’s something weirdly and unnaturally dry in here.” I had forgotten you’d written this review and googled it to see what notes were in here. Ha! I’m getting that aromachemical thang right away. Let’s see how I’m doing in a hour. I’ve already worn one migraine-inducing frag this week (and amazingly, I can not for the life me remember what it is), so I hope I don’t have another one. But, in spite of the crazy raspy dryness, I am enjoying this quite a bit. However, I do not need another tobacco amber fragrance in my collection!!

    • I’m glad to hear that I wasn’t the only one who detected the aromachemical clamour, and the “unnaturally dry” quality. How was it after the first hour on you and as it progressed?

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