Dior Bois d'Argent vs Ex Nihilo The Hedonist Extrait

By price per millilitre these are two of the most expensive fragrances in our range: €5.25 and €5.50. That's where the similarity ends. Bois d'Argent is honey with iris and incense, The Hedonist dry wood with citrus. So this page is less about which is better and more about what you actually get when you move up into this price class.

Property	Bois d'Argent	The Hedonist Extrait
House	Dior	Ex Nihilo
Concentration	Extrait	Extrait
Top notes	honey	bergamot, grapefruit, ginger
Heart notes	iris, vanilla	akigalawood, cedar, lychee
Base notes	ambergris, ambroxan, incense	vetiver, woody notes, patchouli, tonka
Main accords	amber, honey, iris, powdery	woody, citrus, fresh spicy, aromatic
Gender	masculine	unisex
Longevity (community rating)	7–8 hours	7–9 hours
Sillage (community rating)	Moderate, close to the skin after two hours	Moderate
Full bottle	€420 / 80 ml	€275 / 50 ml
Price per millilitre	€5.25	€5.50
Decant 5 ml	€37	€30
Decant 10 ml	€70	€52

Bois d'Argent is dense and unusual: honey up top, iris with vanilla in the heart, ambergris and incense underneath. Its accords include an animalic one, which means it isn't a drawing-room fragrance — it's one you either get or don't. The Hedonist is its opposite in character: bergamot, grapefruit and ginger up top, akigalawood and lychee in the heart, vetiver with patchouli in the base. Dry, bright and much easier to wear. According to community ratings they're close in longevity, both around eight hours, and neither fills a room — which at this price surprises many people. If you're choosing between them, you're not choosing between good and bad, but between a fragrance people will notice because it's unusual and one you'll wear every day.

Why are they so expensive?

Because both are extraits in small bottles: Bois d'Argent 80 ml for €420, The Hedonist 50 ml for €275. We don't know the cost of the raw materials and won't cite it as a reason — what we can say is that the ratio of price to longevity is worse for both than for many cheaper fragrances.

Which is easier to wear?

The Hedonist. Citrus and wood make sense to everyone, while the honeyed iris with an animalic edge in Bois d'Argent needs an experienced nose.

At this price, is a decant even worth it?

More than anywhere else. Five millilitres cost €37 and €30 respectively, a tenth of the bottle — with a €420 fragrance that's the difference between a test and a gamble.

Which is better for summer?

The Hedonist, no question. Bergamot, grapefruit and vetiver are summer notes; the honey and incense in Bois d'Argent gain weight in the heat.