Zebrano Wood
Note Profile
About
Zebrano wood is the striped African timber of Microberlinia brazzavillensis and M. bisulcata. Woodworkers agree the freshly cut wood smells bad in a specifically animal way. The Wood Database calls it "a cat box that should have been changed a week ago". Woodworking Network calls it barnyard-like and says the smell fades once the wood is dried. In perfumery the name is used differently. Parfumo lists it in 8 fragrances from 2003 to 2013. Perfume reviews describe a dense, dry hardwood, sometimes creamy, sometimes leathery, and never animal.
Scent Profile
In perfume, Zebrano Wood smells of a dense, dry hardwood, austere rather than aromatic. Some wearers find it creamy, close to sandalwood. Others find a leathery edge as it settles. The raw, freshly cut timber is a different story. Woodworkers compare it to a barnyard, a horse stable, wet dog and a cat box overdue for a change. A damp, stable-floor earthiness runs under that animal note.
ScentWheel
Read off the wheel, not a label applied to the note.
ScentArt
Origin
Zebrano is a timber, not a perfumery raw material. No supplier publishes a zebrano essential oil, absolute or aroma chemical, and the wood is not known to be steam-distilled or solvent-extracted. No source says what the perfumery note is made from. One reviewer judged it a synthetic close to sandalwood, and another called it a fantasy note. The odour evidence for the timber comes from woodworking trade and community sources describing sawdust and freshly worked boards.
Usage in Perfumery
Parfumo lists it in 8 fragrances from 2003 to 2013, and says it often runs through the whole fragrance. It sits beside other named timbers such as mahogany and okoume, or under florals. Pierre Guillaume Naiviris (2010) is the clearest case: it lists only two notes, African red iris and zebrano wood. Estee Lauder Beyond Paradise and Salvador Dali Dali Wild also carry it.
Similar Notes
Perfumes featuring Zebrano Wood
A selection of reviewed perfumes where Zebrano Wood appears prominently.
No perfumes featuring this note have been reviewed yet. Check back soon.