Maison Martin Margiela Under The Stars

There's something almost ritualistic about Maison Martin Margiela's Replica line, each scent tied to a specific memory, and Under the Stars, released in 2023 and composed by Meabh McCurtin, captures the hush of a night spent close to an open fire under open sky. Perfumer Meabh McCurtin built this eau de parfum around smoke, resin, and warm spice rather than anything sweet or loud. Aromatica carries the Under the Stars decant in Bangladesh in all available sizes, so getting acquainted with it doesn't require much commitment.

Fragrance Notes

Top: Black Pepper Essence, Cinnamon Leaves Essence

Heart: Cypriol Essence, Virginian Cedarwood Essence

Base: Oud Infusion, Labdanum Resinoid, Leather Accord

Full note breakdown on Fragrantica.

The Scent

The first thing the nose registers is pepper, dry and a little sharp, immediately warmed by cinnamon leaf rather than the sweeter cinnamon bark used in most gourmand spice notes. That contrast sets the tone early: this is spice as heat, not spice as dessert. Within the first twenty minutes, cypriol pushes through, bringing a smoky, almost campfire-adjacent quality that anchors the name of the fragrance in something literal. Virginian cedarwood follows close behind, dry and pencil-shaving crisp, giving the composition a structural backbone rather than a soft one. As the top notes fade over the first hour, the oud infusion starts to surface, and here is where opinions genuinely split. On some skin it reads as a clean, slightly medicinal oud with almost no barnyard funk, closer to agarwood incense than a traditional Middle Eastern oud. On other skin it turns darker and more animalic within a few hours, picking up real depth. Labdanum resin arrives in the dry-down and softens the wood without sweetening it, adding an amber-like warmth that feels more like glowing embers than vanilla. The leather accord shows up last, subtle rather than dominant, closer to a worn saddle than a fresh jacket. By the time it settles, the composition reads dry, resinous, and a touch smoky, spice up top giving way to wood and warm leather underneath. The transition from black pepper to cypriol to oud is smooth, no jarring gaps, which keeps the whole thing feeling deliberate rather than segmented. Maison Martin Margiela Ideal One works a similar smoky oud-and-musk thread into its base, though its Skin Fusion concept pulls the warmth closer to skin instead of out toward an open fire.

When to Wear

This belongs to cool evenings, camping trips, or any gathering that happens near an actual fire pit, autumn and winter suit it best. It works for a quiet dinner outdoors in November or a late-night conversation on a rooftop once the heat breaks, and it pairs naturally with the rest of the Maison Martin Margiela collection for anyone building a wardrobe of memory-driven scents.

Who Is It For

Someone drawn to dry, smoky compositions over sweet ones, who would rather smell like cedar and embers than vanilla and sugar. It suits a wearer who prefers spice and resin to florals and wants a scent that feels lived-in rather than polished.

If you enjoy By the Fireplace, another Replica release built around warmth and smoke, it sits close in mood and is worth comparing. For a more classic take on the wood-oud pairing, Oud Wood shares the same dry, cedar-forward backbone. Browse the full Maison Martin Margiela collection at Aromatica.

Available as an authentic decant in Bangladesh at Aromatica in 3ml, 5ml, 9ml, and 15ml.