Borneo Zen

Wow! This is reaally beautiful! I’ve put two sprays on: One on the forearm and another on the neck. At first it kind of reminded me of Tibetan Musk but then straight away the jasmine, musk and maybe the oud take over. I’m not really good at picking up notes as i’ve not smelt them seperately but I’m truly amazed.

Superb blend and after a few days easily my favorite from the house with many gems. I have the Borneo Zazen EDP from the Classics set and it is the original version amped up in every way. Borneo Zen is so much more, a sparkling Jasmarine shining through in the early stages and achieving crescendo status later interwhined with the seductive Tibetan Musk. A remarkable achievement.

Borneo Zen is quite striking in its simplicity and beauty. A huge departure from the other current releases, this is a fresh, tenacious floral perfume through and through. Jasmine and Japanese rose blended together in harmony with fresh green Oud, and whispers of musk and ambergris. The experience is akin to sipping a steaming cup of jasmine/rose hip tea on a breezey spring morning.

I’ve been dying to try Borneo Zen and have a small sample of Borneo Zazen. I really love the crystal clear jasmine note in the Borneo Zazen. At first smell, Borneo Zen is deeper, smoother and is just beautiful. Hope I get a chance to order more of this.

Sharp. Piercing. Like looking in the sun or the iridescent blur of exhilaration. The entire time I expected the soft, round edges of jasmine to comfort this adrenaline rush of opening notes, but no such luck (or is it ALL the luck?!) There are breezy honeysuckle and grounding muguet facets, but these impressions are fleeting compared to bright, sharp jasmine. I know there’s more to it, be it citrus, fruit, or the Iranian oud Ensar features here… or a combination of them… but it’s nothing overt—more of a minerality, the way the taste of iron has a shrill earthiness and terroir adds dynamism to wine.

After 45-60 minutes these are still the impressions, though slightly muted by an acquiescence to musky sandalwood. At first I was so enthralled by the brightness of jasmine I clung to it throughout the transition—but soon relished in the creamier, more sultry notes of the flower. After over two hours the segue from jasmine to sandalwood is a mirage, as both materials ebb and flow through each other… until furry sandalwood is the dominant remaining note.

The effect of the musk on the sandalwood is beautiful, adding sweet fuzziness to what was most likely a deliciously robust vintage oil, while the oud maintains its mineral edge until the finale. Extremely well-pronounced at every stage of development with clear respect for each individual material.

Borneo is the home of one of the oldest rainforests in the world and zen in fragrance is simply a scent with a contemplative nature – or a fragrance that instils a feeling of peace or calm. In this roundup, we’ll be looking at zen moments in life and pairing them with the perfect scent to compliment them. Don’t buckle up because it’s going to be a rather relaxing ride!

A ride through a calming tropical rainforest surrounded by flower gardens like jasmine, rose, sandalwood, and violet. You can also detect citrus coming along the way which is supported by beautiful musk and oud.

This is truly a combination between two of the most sought after perfumery ingredients in the world.

On a very dull day, Borneo Zen has enough zest to wake you up and seize the day.

I truly feel, and always have, that this is a masterpiece of natural perfumery. As an Alchemist and perfumer myself, to say that I’m in awe of what you do and have been doing is a gross understatement. Much respect to you. The quality of ingredients used here and the combination transports me to another place and time. Olfactory astral travelling in a bottle. At peace and ONE with the Universe. Zen is a very appropriate label. Jasmarine note is still just…wow!!

Borneo Zen arrived today and I couldn’t wait to try it. This is a completely different experience than I was familiar with the original Borneo Zen or more recently the muscled up edition Borneo Zazen. In fact this could have been named something completely different. A very intoxicating wear from the start, rare Irian Oud (Green Papua) oil mixed with Jasmarine per notes listed has that earthy core that EO Green seemed to achieve but it doesn’t stop there as it is much more as I am receiving an education on this complete fragrant journey.

This is amped up to the nth degree with Mysore sandalwood, Tibetan Musk, Green Papua and the sensational Jasmine or Jasmarime working its magic as it had in the past with the Original. Whereas the original was sparkling and fresh this has a more meat and potatoes approach as this is seems to give you another layer of skin.

Four hours in the potency is evident. Sometimes a pinch of this and a pinch of that does work as this one has really shocked me in a good way. A very reflective wear.

It is absolutely a divine blend. I was a little taken aback from the original composition of Borneo Zen which I very much enjoyed but this took that foundation to the nth degree absolutely stunning.

The Jasmine or Jasmarine shines throughout the composition but really kicked in on the drydown. I spritz a couple sprays around 11am and I still received comforting wafts in the late evening hours.

You have really hit the mark lately on all these compositions from EO 1 Assam, Tibetan Musk, Iris Ghalia and C&P Tonkin I can’t reach for any other brand at the moment. Completely captivated by these elusive and rare blends which really sparkle for a better word in all these compositions. Bravo!

What struck me first was pure oud. Earthy, wet, leathery, nutty oud. That time at least. You see, the beauty of Borneo Zen is that it changes every single time you wear it. One time it started almost fecal. Another time purely musky. Whichever side you happen to find one thing is for certain – Zen really is the most appropriate word for this attar. Take a deep sniff and literally feel the perfume change in front of you and calm your mind.

Borneo Zen is LOVELY, my friend buried her nose in my wrist yesterday numerous times. She was crazy about it. I love it as well. For some reason, I smell gardenia in the top notes, even though it is not supposed to be there as per the description.

By all the divine in this universe, you have me completely mesmerized with Borneo Zen! The first sniff was like a gentle kiss in the morning, alluring and simply magic. Never have I smelled a perfume with such well-balanced ingredients. For a long time now I have been looking for an all natural, high-quality fragrance and I came across a lot of niche designer fragrances, with mostly ridiculous price tags. Unfortunately, I had to learn, that even in the very expensive scents, there is a maximum of 18% pure essential oil. Ensar Oud however not only uses all natural ingredients but moreover works with the highest quality possible. And that sure makes a tremendous difference in the olfactory experience. Borneo Zen is a masterpiece, plain and simple. It’s sensual, alluring, captivating and most of all addictive.

I’m sure you’ve heard it all but I have to say I am jealous of you as a perfumer because of this one.

My wife adores the scent of jasmine. Sambac in particular. We used to have a garden in the front of our house in Thailand and quite often the jasmine flowers that lined the garden would bloom alongside birds of paradise and in the evening and early morning our carport was filled with the most beautiful natural perfume. I’ve been trying to create a perfume for my wife that captured this experience and you, my friend, have accomplished that with Borneo Zen. I am truly grateful that you are able to provide us with a reminder of a great experience.

Very nice jasmine used in the composition and just the right amount of rose, just a pinch I’m guessing.

Also, I finally know what the fuss about the difference in synthetic and natural musk is. Completely different. I mean, there is the tiniest, harshest part of real musk in the chemical version but I actually despise that scent. I enjoy natural musk. Soft, powdery but not too powdery, citrusy, salty, all very smoothed out. None of that fill-up-the-room abomination that is synthetic white musk. I actually purchased a full bottle of this for my wife without previously smelling it. She put a drop on and said, “This smells like the perfume I’ve been looking for all along.” I smiled and said, “I know.”

I absolutely adore Borneo Zen. It truly has won my heart. Subhan’Allah I almost want to believe that it was composed especially for me. A beautiful, deep musk with ripples of jasmine, hints of blossom and what even seems like honeysuckle. The oud and musk are very delicately balanced. The muskiness comes through the oud very well, but neither scents compete nor intrude on each other. Almost like the oud and fragrant night flowers are dancing together on a hot summer’s evening. A fine, subtle, sensual scent. I call it romance captured in a bottle.

Each time I wear it, I do wish that it would last even longer. Although more than often, the most marvelous natural experiences whether we see, feel, or smell are transitory by nature. The fleeting splendour of the sunset before it’s overcome by the night, the brightness of stars before daylight breaks, the appearance of snow before it melts, the radiance of the moon before it retreats and the beauty of flora before it wilts. Like so the charm of this sublime perfume lies in its transience. You want to devour it before it fades… till the next swipe.

First impressions of Borneo Zen were ZING! Wow, where does that bright intense 3-dimensional Jasmine’y floral come from! Ensar’s coinage of ‘Jasmarine’ is no less than perfect to describe this. Almost hallucinogenic to me! Perfectly balanced against that gentle, almost elusive spicy musk… What a blend this is! So balanced, so invigorating, absolutely fabulous!

Words almost can’t describe how dynamically and powerfully even the slightest swipe of this elixir presents itself.

It starts out with a piercing Jasmine note tuned to the highest possible frequency. A deep good benzoin Rose joins in whirling and spinning into the mix. Resonating with this unexpected floral-like accord, the accompaniment of oud is balanced and almost a musical background, a perfect match for the mystical musk. It is almost hard to believe that a mere two ingredients can come together so harmoniously and symbiotically making so much more in the joining than either one was by itself! This is Synergy.

I have been really enjoying Borneo Zen today, and have noticed the deer musk has become more pronounced since I last wore this parfum. Beautiful notes. Borneo Zen wins the award for best composition. A delicate and refined musk note that develops into something that is akin to a floral note. Very different from the conventional perception of ‘musk’. I can’t believe people waste their money on conventional perfumes and mukhallats, this is far superior.

UPDATE: For all who are curious about musk, Borneo Zen is the way to go. I don’t know how Ensar did it, but the perfume perfectly exemplifies a muskiness that is all too addictive for me. It plays with rose and jasmine, has an incredible vivaciousness and sweetness, and also a most mysterious citrus note which Ensar dubbed ‘jasmarine’. Very accurate! It’s my favorite perfume, by far.

FOLLOW-UP REVIEW: Borneo Zen is a true musk fragrance, the perfume of days past. Who makes perfumes like this anymore? This is a rare find, and I honestly would buy tolas of this oil if I could! This perfume ranks among the greatest fragrances I have ever smelled, even greater than some Oud oils.

The scent is surprisingly sweet. The rose eventually harmonizes with the musk and creates a most exotic and uplifting sweet-rosy-musk aroma that you will not be able to get enough of. I have worn this perfume many times, and every time I wear it I can hardly keep my nose away from my wrists. And I still haven’t gotten enough of that beautiful musky rosy aroma. But to really appreciate its sweetness, you have to realize the role of jasmine. And the the fact that the ratios of all the notes are perfect, from base to middle to top. What a composition!

This perfume is by no means ‘oudy’. Pink Papua is oudy. Borneo Zen is musky. All I can think of and smell when I am wearing this oil is musk, musk, musk, and rose, with a token of gratitude to jasmine. I do not know what has happened to the Oud in this perfume, except that it has melted into the fragrance, and given it that subtle touch of wonder and exaltation. It ‘shades’ the perfume with its lightness and sweetness. After all, perfume is alchemy. Ultimately, all the individual notes have undergone an incredible transformation. And musk is one of the greatest servants of this process.

This oil is irresistible. I feel as if I could wear it day after day without tiring of it. To my surprise, the aroma is so rich and otherwordly that I do not experience any olfactory fatigue. It is new with each breath, and even each breath does not seem to fully know the aroma. It reaches for more every time, but the fragrance remains ever elusive. – Neeshee, HI

I have purchased four bottles of Borneo Zen in the past few months. THAT in itself is saying something, given that I am by no means wealthy. I never want to be without this perfume, so I am stocking up on a lifetime supply before Ensar runs out. It’s such a mindblowing, beautiful fragrance.

Ensar created an absolute masterpiece when putting Borneo Zen together. Beautiful, beautiful MUSK (oh baby!), sandalwood, Oud and florals. Oh that musk comes through so smooooooth! HEAVENLY. I can actually feel the stress leaving my body and mind after applying Borneo Zen and inhaling several times.

Borneo Zen is simply magical stuff, everyone’s mouth seems to drop when they smell it because it’s so mesmerizing.

I have never received so many compliments on ANY fragrance. Sillage is excellent. I was grocery shopping last week and a woman who was way at the other end of the aisle came running over and said she had been following the trail left by the perfume so she could find out what it was and get it for her boyfriend.

Without a word, I’ve had random women come up to me and try burrowing their noses into my neck where I’d applied Borneo Zen. The same thing even happened to me once when I wore Borneo Zen to church! If you are wearing Borneo Zen and hug someone, be prepared for them to not let go right away. My girlfriend says I can only wear it when I go out with her now.

I’m so glad that those around me enjoy this fragrance as much as I do. Borneo Zen is a little bit of heaven on earth.

I have to thank you a thousand times for creating this truly unique perfume. Borneo Zen is fabulous! It contains its individual ingredients in such perfect proportion that it becomes a unified scent which makes it difficult (at least, for me) to realize all the notes. Your description has greatly helped me to understand this mukhallat; the jasmine, rose, sandal and musk… But then again, maybe I shouldn’t think too much and try to decipher this glorious scent, but simply sit back and enjoy it. I loved the Thai Tabac, but I love the Borneo Zen even more!

The name Zen speaks clearly to give you a hint of this oil’s traits. Perhaps a warning not to operate heavy machinery would be better than a hint, because like all the finest of fun things, this one might interfere with coordination and send you into dreamland. Upon smelling this, You are brought to a new, hitherto unknown place in your mind. Blood begins rushing in your ear, your pupils dilate, your senses are alive! This is bright like the world’s finest Jasmine. Mysterious Layers of Leather and Cognac combine to form a new experience that small inadequate words like ‘fragrance’ or ‘perfume’ could never appropriately describe.

Borneo Zen arrived. So nice, since I am leaving tomorrow for Vienna for the rest of the week, and I finally got to smell musk. It has nothing to do with synthetic ones, the smell for me is neither animalic nor unpleasant at all. Not sure I can pinpoint musk exactly, but I get a good general idea. I think it gives me a slight euphoric feeling after deep inhalation for 15-20 seconds. It is pulsating, or slowly undulating…

Just a short note from Vienna. I finally sampled the famed Frederic Malle perfumes. Of 10-15 scents I tried, four went on tester strips and only two I had the desire to spray on my skin. The experience was a disappointment. Both of them smelled flat, bland and synthetic. It seems that my experience with your oils has changed the perception for good.

I have a friend who used to sell essential oils and perfumes ten or twenty years ago. I gave him my Borneo Zen bottle to smell without telling him anything and he instantly recognised musk and said it was a fine one!

In my mind, smelling it paints a picture of a Japanese winter scene. Snow on the grounds. A hut in the distance with smoke raising from the chimney. Next to a lake. Its surface frozen with ice. And amazingly, a cherry tree on the shore in full blossom, with fragile warm pink flowers.

Speaking of Borneo Zen, this is one of the most amazing fragrances I have ever smelled, hands down. I’m not one that’s into too much sweetness, but Borneo Zen and Pink Papua are otherworldly (figuratively speaking). Borneo Zen has a jasminy accord that has captivated me along with the musk which is noticeable at intervals. My wife said this is a pleasant aroma and she is someone who uses perfumes like Guess etc. Now she just told me that because of Oud Yusha, d’Angkor, Pink Papua and Borneo Zen she is totally into oud and will not be wearing that stinky stuff anymore…

I can’t express my thoughts the way I would like about Borneo Zen, so all I will say is, Zen it is! Very friendly mukhallat, which I am not allowed to wear outside the house… haha!

Very mellow and aromatherapeutic. Once the sandalwood tempers down a bit it’s very smooth sailing, especially as the oud comes out. If anyone else had composed this it would have been either too sweet or two spicy. It’s a very interesting composition and I’m still carving out a place for it in my mind, especially since it seems to change on the skin of its wearer as it’s worn: If you asked me to describe it I couldn’t. I was happy to see that it wears well in public and has legitimate cross-over appeal to whose more Western in palate (e.g. certain family members).

The moment I put it on my skin, I could just see that it has the sandalwood as an ingredient. That yellow sheen is just joyful. The first blast I get is spices including saffron & sandalwood. It stays there for around half an hour. Then it gets very floral and airy. I enjoy this phase a lot. It will actually leave a trail of aroma behind you and unlike other oils, your companions can enjoy it too.

Wow, definitely the most unexpected. Floral and brilliant! An oud I could wear in the summer! I read one review of it that said “addictive” and I can definitely see why. Hard to stop smelling your wrist with this on. It’s just very, very enjoyable.

I love it! It opens with the rubbery/olive oil-like astringency of oud, but not forceful at all. And it introduces nicely the mothball-like indolic glory of jasmine. There’s also the subtle animalic warmth of musk underneath. Combined with the at once indolic yet delicate jasmine, it actually reminds me of civet. When the indole becomes quieter later on, the gently honeyed animalic warmth feels like a velvety mattress placed on a sturdy oud bed, on which the jasmine and rose petals fall asleep into a tender sweet dream.

The oud here is such a gentleman! Nothing like the forceful bulldozer in many western designer fragrances! The oud here can be felt and manifests its rubbery and woody characteristics that I come to associate with this material, but also blends harmoniously with the whole blend.

What I can tell you with certainty, and you will laugh, is that every time she wears Borneo Zen it increases my paranoia level about others noticing her. I don’t have that effect (problem?) with anything else.