Bortnikoff is a perfume house founded in Thailand in 2018 by Dmitry Bortnikoff, an architect by training and a perfumer by calling. What sets it apart happens before the formula is even written. Much of the oil in its perfumes is distilled by the house itself, building on Feel-Oud, the oud and sandalwood distillery its founder co-founded in 2013. Every composition contains 95 to 100% natural ingredients, and most are extraits.
Dmitry Bortnikoff, from architecture to perfume
The house sums up its founder in a single line: an architect by profession, a perfumer by calling. It publishes no fuller biography, and we stick to what it says. The descriptions of its perfumes name him as the author of the compositions, and he is the one who chooses the materials, starting with the ouds.
Several perfumes grow out of moments in his life. Dmitry Bortnikoff has travelled to Laos more than twenty times. He keeps the memory of a calm land, ancient monasteries and misty mornings, and Lao Oud was born from it, like a walk through Vientiane along the Mekong. Oud Maximus is dedicated to his son, Maxim. Other compositions draw openly on cultural references, such as Sayat Nova, named after an eighteenth century Armenian poet and troubadour.
For part of the catalogue, he works in tandem. The Entry Level Collection, the house's introductory line, is signed with Christian Carbonnel.
Feel-Oud, distillation as the starting point
In 2013, five years before launching his house, Dmitry Bortnikoff co-founded Feel-Oud, a distillery specialising in oud and sandalwood oils. Oud is the oil drawn from agarwood, a resin-soaked wood that is distilled at length to extract a dark, highly concentrated material. Our article what is oud covers its origin and how it is made.
When the house came into being in 2018, it built on this know-how. Bortnikoff distils much of the oil in its perfumes itself, combining nineteenth century distillation methods with current techniques. Part of the materials in its formulas therefore comes from its own production.
The distillery leaves its mark on the pyramids. Oud Monarch lists a Co Chang oud from Feel-Oud. Oud Maximus brings together two, a Purple Co Chang oud and a Sri Lankan oud, both from Feel-Oud. Amber Cologne mentions a Sri Lankan oud bearing the Bortnikoff name.
A perfumery of natural materials
The house states 95 to 100% natural ingredients depending on the perfume. The ouds come from Laos, India, Sri Lanka, Borneo or Papua, the sandalwoods from Bengal and Indonesia. The product descriptions often name the origin. Lao Oud pairs a Laotian oud with an Indian oud. Sayat Nova combines three, from Laos, Bengal and Trat. Siberia rests on a Burmese oud, Yuzu Cologne on an oud from Trat.
Blending several ouds in one perfume is a recurring choice. The description of Lao Oud presents its Laotian oud as softer than the Indian oud that accompanies it. For Oud Maximus, the house says it developed its own technique to tune several ouds with a set of rose oils, so that the high oud concentration does not overwhelm the rest of the formula.
One consequence of this approach shows up when you wear the perfumes. Natural materials vary from batch to batch and react to the skin. The description of Sayat Nova points it out: its natural ingredients bring out different nuances with each application.
From one perfume to the next, there is also a recognisable way of handling oud. It is rarely left on its own. White flowers and roses soften it in Oud Monarch and Oud Maximus. Cocoa, coffee, rum or vanilla pull it towards gourmand in Lao Oud and Sayat Nova. Animalic notes, civet, castoreum or musk, return in the densest bases. Even the house's colognes often keep an oud or ambergris in the base.
How the collection is organised
The Bortnikoff catalogue is divided into several lines, which differ in subject and concentration:
- the Ouds collection gathers compositions built around a specific oud, from Lao Oud to Oud Kinam;
- the Main collection explores florals, chypres and orientals, from Sayat Nova to Siberia;
- the Elixirs are three perfumes presented in 30 ml bottles;
- the Colognes offer lighter, fresher scents built around citrus;
- the Entry Level Collection, signed with Christian Carbonnel, opens the door to the house with four perfumes;
- the house also makes attars, alcohol-free perfume oils.
Most of the perfumes are extraits. The colognes are the exception, with extraits de cologne and one eau de parfum. To understand what these terms change on the skin, our article on the difference between extrait, eau de parfum and eau de toilette explains it all.
Bortnikoff perfumes at Passion Parfum
The perfumes below are grouped by the house's collections. The notes quoted are those on our product pages, and every perfume is also available as a 2 ml sample.
The Ouds collection
Lao Oud starts from a rare oil acquired in Laos, which Dmitry Bortnikoff describes as honeyed and floral, as deep as an Indian oud but softer. Pink pepper and magnolia open briefly. The heart of beeswax, cinnamon, chamomile, Peru balsam and cocoa is warm and honeyed. The base brings together the Laotian oud, the Indian oud, coffee, vanilla, tonka bean, guaiac wood and a touch of birch tar. The house presents it as the richest in oud and coffee of its collection.
Oud Maximus is the densest oud in our selection. Bergamot, sweet orange, jasmine sambac, pink pepper and cardamom in the top, then a heart of five roses, including May rose, Himalayan rose and gulab attar, with magnolia, frangipani, clove and tonka bean. The base blends four oud oils, an Indian oud, oud roots from Trat and the two Feel-Oud ouds, with civet, musk, Tolu balsam, vanilla and birch tar. One spray is often enough.
Oud Monarch is inspired by the ouds once reserved for royal courts. Magnolia and frangipani open on white flowers. The heart of May rose, Himalayan rose, cinnamon and tobacco warms the whole. The base pairs the Merauke oud and the Co Chang oud from Feel-Oud with cocoa, vanilla, labdanum, civet and castoreum. The flowers soften the oud here without hiding it.
The Main collection
Sayat Nova is a gourmand oriental. Apricot opens, tempered by narcissus. Rum and vanilla form the heart, the sweetest stage of the perfume. The base brings together three ouds, from Laos, Bengal and Trat, over an oakmoss that gives it a classic foundation. A good choice for anyone who likes sweet scents and wants to discover the nuances of several ouds at once.
Siberia plays on the contrast between cold and warmth. Bergamot, orange, black pepper and pink pepper evoke an icy dawn. The heart combines benzoin, vanilla, oakmoss and a Siberian musk deer note, called kabarga on the product page. The base of cedar and Burmese oud stays dry and meditative.
Chypre du Nord follows the structure of the chypre, a genre born in France in the early twentieth century. Bergamot and orange in the top, peach and nutmeg in the heart, then a base of oakmoss, benzoin, tonka bean, birch tar, cedar and musk. The peach stays velvety, and the nutmeg keeps it from turning sweet. It contains no oud.
Musk Khabib is built around musk, which the house wanted frank and full bodied. Bergamot, cardamom and nutmeg open on a spicy accent. Ylang-ylang, cedar and Tolu balsam make a creamy, resinous heart. The base of musk, ambergris, vanilla, tonka bean, oakmoss and vetiver has an earthy foundation. It is a long way from clean white musks.
The Colognes
Amber Cologne is an eau de parfum, whereas the two other colognes presented here are extraits de cologne. Lemon, bergamot, white and pink grapefruit, sweet orange, cardamom and frangipani open on a juicy top. Jasmine sambac leads to Virginia cedar and sandalwood. The base of ambergris, Sri Lankan oud, buya oud and vanilla adds warmth without dimming the citrus.
Yuzu Cologne has the shortest pyramid in our selection. Yuzu and elemi in the top, ambergris and Siam benzoin in the heart, Trat oud and vanilla in the base. The tart yuzu and the resinous elemi form a clean freshness, which the oud then anchors. An extrait de cologne that works well at the office.
Cologne de Feu pushes citrus towards gourmand. Litsea cubeba leads a top of bitter orange, bigarade, blood orange, tangerine, lemon and petitgrain. The heart of jasmine tea, raspberry and peach sorbet is fruity. Cedar, sandalwood, guaiac wood, crocodile wood and oakmoss close on a woody base.
The Entry Level Collection
Tiger Blue, composed by Dmitry Bortnikoff and Christian Carbonnel, starts from the image of daybreak over the sea. Grapefruit, lemon and ginger give a lively opening. Violet and magnolia bridge to the amber and labdanum of the heart. The base of ambergris, musk, vanilla and benzoin lasts a long time. A citrus amber to wear from spring to autumn.
Where to start with Bortnikoff
To discover the house's oud without going straight to the densest, Oud Monarch is a good way in: white flowers and cocoa round out its base. Lovers of gourmand scents will head for Lao Oud or Sayat Nova, which show how Bortnikoff pairs oud with coffee, rum and vanilla. Oud Maximus is for those who already know oud and want to hear it at full power.
If oud does not appeal to you, Chypre du Nord and Musk Khabib show the other side of the house, classic and woody. For a daytime, warm weather perfume, Yuzu Cologne or Amber Cologne stay fresh while keeping the amber signature of Bortnikoff. Tiger Blue is a good compromise between the two.
With perfumes this rich in natural materials, wearing one on the skin for several hours tells you far more than a blotter. Every perfume is available as a 2 ml sample, shown on our samples page, and our guide to 2 ml samples explains how to go about it.
Frequently asked questions
Is Bortnikoff a niche house?
Yes. Bortnikoff is a niche perfume house founded in Thailand in 2018 by Dmitry Bortnikoff. It distils much of its own oil and composes perfumes containing 95 to 100% natural ingredients.
Who composes Bortnikoff perfumes?
The founder of the house, Dmitry Bortnikoff, an architect by training, composes the perfumes. For the Entry Level Collection, which includes Tiger Blue, he worked with Christian Carbonnel.
What is Feel-Oud?
Feel-Oud is a distillery of oud and sandalwood oils, co-founded by Dmitry Bortnikoff in 2013. Some of the house's perfumes list ouds from it in their pyramid, such as Oud Monarch and Oud Maximus.
Where do Bortnikoff's ouds come from?
The house uses ouds from Laos, India, Sri Lanka, Borneo and Papua, among others. The product descriptions often specify the origin: Laotian oud in Lao Oud, Burmese oud in Siberia, Trat oud in Yuzu Cologne, and three origins combined in Sayat Nova.
What is the difference between Bortnikoff's extraits and colognes?
Most of the house's perfumes are extraits, dense and very long lasting. The colognes are lighter and centred on citrus. Yuzu Cologne and Cologne de Feu are extraits de cologne, Amber Cologne is an eau de parfum. They often keep a base of oud or ambergris, which makes them last longer than a classic cologne.
All of the house's perfumes are gathered on the Bortnikoff page. To learn more about the materials they are made of, visit the Perfume materials page, and to discover the other independent houses in the shop, see the Houses and Creators page.