Tom Ford describes this fragrance as a "lush and unconventional mélange of exotic Asian ingredients. Rich and luxurious, it is a fragrance with irresistible complexity."
Plum Japonais fragrance notes
Head
- Saffron, Cinnamon Bark
Heart
- Everlasting Flower, Sawara Cypress, Ume Plum, Plum Liqueur, Camelia Japonica
Base
- Agarbois, Amber, Benzoin, Fir Balsam, Vanilla
Where to buy
Latest Reviews of Plum Japonais

I only had decants of this one but gave some away to my girlfriend, since I think it leans a bit more feminine. If I had to buy a scent with this profile, I would go with CDG's Floriental, even though it smells a bit more synthetic with the oud they use. I think that one has more complexity than this one.
I know some will miss this one due to its discontinuation. If you've never smelled it, I don't think you're missing out on too much. But I will say this was one of Tom Ford's better smelling scents.

There's welcome complexity to this on paper, but on my skin it's all candied, fruity sweetness.
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Reminds me in the opening as having a similar feel to Jubilation XXV. Plum and blackberry are both dark fruity in a similar way. But as they dry down they smell nothing alike. The drydown of this one has the same candle smoke scent that Dior Homme Parfum has in its base. This final phase lasts.
This is an interesting fragrance that smells really good in all phases. While I'm not really all about the chemical that makes that drydown smell, I do not begrudge its use. Many find it pleasing. An overall constructed fragrance that seems to be more composed than many of the Private Blends I've tried. Thumbs up.

The combination of fruit and spices actually reminds me less of Japan and more of two of my favorite "Arabian style" dried-fruit/spice fragrances: Serge Lutens' Arabie and Zoologist Camel. All three have fruit, spices and animalic/oud notes. However, each has their unique strength among those notes that comes through. For this it's definitely the plum, as the name suggests. Doesn't have the greatest longevity but neither do the two others I've mentioned. With this being on the higher level pricing tier for Tom Ford, I don't think I'll ever get a full bottle, but its really nice to try.

It may be unisex but its so soft and creamy it immediately conjures up a voluptuous female with impeccable class and taste. If I smelt this on me and on my clothes it would start to irritate me with the politically correct nuances surrounding this type of fragrance. Toxic masculinity?! Why not ask women what they want. No lady wants a metrosexual male. The PC lobby should be hounded out of the village borders sprayed with this stuff but only after they are made to pay for it. Then the joke's on them.
This does not even stand level with the ankles of Amouage Journey Man. --and there you have it. Amouage know exactly where they are coming from . They use man and woman in their titles appropriate to the fragrance.
Fragrance: 6.75/10
Projection: 7.5/10
Longevity: 7.5.10

Now I smell the floral sensuality, the deep booziness, the succulent fruitiness, the exotic harmony of saffron and cinnamon that swaddle you in that aura of intrigue, and the dark carnality of oud, resins, and balsams that make you seem so bottomless. Girl, you got stories to tell, you got your sh*t together, you lookin like a slice of fine a la mode, and you ain't takin smack from NOBODY. This is the aroma of a dark eyed beauty you lock eyes with across a smoke filled parlor of a Parisian jazz club, puffing softly at one of those long cigarette holders and delicately tracing a gloved finger along the rim of her martini glass. With a single glance she tells so much but reveals nothing, and when you join her at her table, it feels as if you've known each other forever - everything's already been said. She speaks three languages, she writes postmodernist novels, she's an accomplished playwright. To some she seems haughty, but there's a melancholy behind her eyes that inexorably draws you to her. The night is young, and she proposes that you find someplace quieter to chat. As you open the door, the icy cold winter air wafts in and mingles with her perfume, and in that moment, as the lights of Paris sparkle in the night sky, you know that you're hooked.
Quite unisex, but leaning femme. Performance is great, with powerful projection and sillage but moderate longevity. One of my all time favorites. If you want something that smells truly EXOTIC, give this one a sniff.

Edit: I don't know if this has been reformulated but my latest decant (from scent samples) smells much darker than I remember - much closer to framboise noir from shay and blue. Lacks the cleanness of Tom ford for men extreme and is a lot less similar than I previously thought. I get something almost oud-like which I'm not a fan of and I'm sure wasn't there before. A real shame.

This scent feels rich and expensive throughout but the beginning is a little more playful and casual than the more serious drydown.
While projection isn't the strongest, the longevity is great, lasting all day.


The plum blossom is fresh and fruity, with green piny goodness dominated by the cypress and fir, the bright and dusty cinnamon opening things up along with the earthy saffron. Sweetness is provided by amber, vanilla, and styrax, but not to the point of making PJ a bona fide oriental. Cedar adds its distinct woody starchiness that accents things, not dominating.
PJ has decent longevity and okay sillage, and overall it has a slowly expressive, mysterious depth to it which hearkens me to close my eyes and explore.

The Quality in this is in the overall smell. The longevity is Above average.
Nice skin scent from the 2hr mark and stays like a sweet woody smell for quite a while after the 2hr mark, so I think this is bottle worthy for a pleasant lighter change.
Overall Scent 8.5 - 10
Longevity 7 - 10
Sillage 5 - 10