Description
Oliver Creed created this masculine fragrance in remembrance of his Tibetan mountain-climbing expedition. Himalaya conveys the magnificence, beauty, power and eternity of the unapproachable mountains with snow-covered peaks.
The flacon for Himalaya is unique among the Creed collection for its metallic exterior, which resembles both a mountaineer’s canteen as well as the shiny surface of ice on mountain rocks.
The fresh, citrusy opening offers notes of grapcefruit, bergamot and lemon. The fragrance takes an oriental turn with a heart featuring sandalwood, all on a base of musk, ambergris and cedarwood. Himalaya was launched in 2002. Himalaya was created by Olivier Creed Sixth Generation and Erwin Creed Seventh Generation.
oljka210 – :
This is a scent with completely glacial characters! Yummy and fresh, in summer it’s a sure shot!
erelloche – :
I’m a big fan of creed ..Faves include Milliseme Imperiale,Original Vetiver, Silver Mountain Water, Royal Water, Vigin Island Water(love scent,but not performance) & appreciate Erolfa.. Sampled this fragrance & someone said it smelled like cat piss..Nuff said
advalaype – :
Not as outright dated as GIT but still depressingly dated. Like a grey, red and black bedroom set from Argos c.1991 – a weak and short-sighted take on what masculinity means in 2018. I won’t even finish the sample.
DaphLoota – :
Really feel let down by this , for this price it’s not great at all
moulik – :
Creed Himalaya reminds me of a yellow version of Green Irish Tweed.
It opens up with the citruses and later turn into the usual Creed base of musk and ambergis.
As most of the reviewers already said this scent is very clean, safe and fresh.
I think it has a moderate projection and a good longevity on my skin (12h+).
When i wear this I keep go back to smell it as it has an interesting factor despite of the fact that it is clean and safe.
docenter – :
I love this one so much, and definitely think it is underrated. It is not one of those classy Creeds, but the one for adventurous personalities. Just as viking, this is perfect for hiking as well as for metropolitan casual lifestyle.
If I had to use only one word to describe what I get from this, it would be determination (to reach the peak of the mountain, or personal goals in your career).
Scent: 9/10
Performance: 7/10
Versatility: 9/10
konstantin2781 – :
If you love this fragrance, buy Al-Rehab Sultan instead. A very cheap alternate and share the same fragrance DNA with more silage and longevity. just like SMW & Al-Rehab silver.
alexar01 – :
There is a cold watery vibe in this fragrance. It is metallic, ice-cold and silver that is reminiscent of the cliffs in Himalaya. Nice scent.
smitvesson9 – :
This one is far above the criticism.
One of my all time favs. Classy, fresh, addictive, easy to wear. Excellent longevity. Familiar ingredients in a unique proportion.
egorishe – :
I thought this fragrance was rather safe or wanting as well.
I wanted to smell of stone,cold water,wildflowers, and a cooling quality, like a ice or frozen flanker.
Instead we get a fragrance that is a little bit of everything, safe, non offensive, does not smell special.Why then would I be compelled to spend high end niche prices for this ?
I recommend the formulate this and add the scent of stone, some very bright lavender and some unique water element like watercress.
3 to 4 hours longevity and fair to poor projection isn’t good either.
Nomad 101 – :
Lovely fragrance, very subtle, soapy and light.
Worth the money..?? Probably not but still a great fragrance. My wife loves it on me
akimov24058058 – :
This one is tough for me. I totally agree that, when I think about it, this does, in fact, remind me of a classy older lady. On the other hand, if I turn by brain off, I simply find it extreme pleasing. I know I like something when I still find myself enjoying it at the end of the day, as opposed to some scents that become annoying and distracting after a few hours.
As for notes, I think it’s mostly the bergamot and ambergris that I get after dry down, which is why I like it. Hard to find a longer lasting bergamot note. This one is nice because I find it to be a little darker and rounder than most. After 8plus hours it turns into a lingering ambergris-only scent similar to GIT, which I find completely enjoyable in its own right.
I don’t like big intrusive scents, so for me, silage is more than adequate. Could do with a less powdery heart (source of the old lady-ness), but it’s a definite winner as long as I can get over my preconceived notions of the type of person it reminds me of.
2007dda – :
Himalaya is a lesser mentioned offering from the House of Creed. I can certainly entertain the opinion that this might come off as dated, unoriginal or just plain boring for the most part, but I tend to disagree…
To me this a classic, clean, and an infinitely masculine fragrance that all men can enjoy. I love it for its quiet and reserved nature.
If Aventus is a yellow Lamborghini, than Himalaya is an Audi RS7, it may not turn heads and scream “LOOK AT ME”, but its gets the job done just as effectively. It’s clean and timeless and that’s all it needs to be.
You can find it easily on discounters for a half decent price so the MSRP is not the biggest issue at hand.
The performance and projection leave much to be desired that much I can agree with, although not terrible it could be better. I will be purchasing a 100ML soon.
Crisp white dress shirt and khaki pants, hit the neck a few times with Himalya and you’re set.
-Sidenote- this comes off as a more mature/gentleman like version of “Fierce” by A&F.
333aleksandr – :
Himalaya is an underrated gem from the legendary House of Creed. At first sniff, my thoughts were that this scent was generic. It took me a few wearings to get it and it definitely grew on me.
With Himalaya, it’s all about the sillage from the dry-down. The signature creed ambergris/musk/sandalwood dry-down mixes with a bit of pepper, vetiver and citrus to push out masculine sexiness to anyone that’s lucky enough to pass you by. If I put my nose right up to my skin, I can even detect a bit of tonka bean, which gives this scent just the right amount of sweet powderiness.
Himalaya is not at all daring, but it does have artistic nuances to it and of course is very high quality. It would make a great signature scent and is incredibly versatile in the sense that it can be worn at any time of day with any outfit.
I get 10-12 hours of longevity with 3-4hrs of projection, which to me is excellent! This one definitely makes my top 3 list of masculine Creed fragrances and will be a dumb-reach for me for years to come.
kes11 – :
Himalaya is quite fresh and has this very clean and somewhat cooling impression. I knew I gave this one a bad rap years ago, and revisiting that very same sample, I give this one a lot more credit. Still not bottle worthy in my opinion, but it is a very soothing scent which I find would be perfect for spring time. The reason I would not buy it, is to me it feels to simple. I’m not saying it smells cheap, but I like fragrances with a bit more depth. It kind of smells like shave foam. This is a scent a man could wear hoping out of the shower and is also very office friendly. It has similar vibes to Viking and my favorite; Green Irish Tweed, but Himalaya lacks that spark. I give Creed kudos for releasing a great scent, just not one suitable to find it’s way into my collection.
piti192 – :
Buy Viking. These two are similar, but Himalaya has a soapier quality, not sure what gives it that. This one smells like my grandma, but I can’t say she smells like everybody’s, for me this one is ruled out. Not a bad scent, just can’t wear it myself for the association.
dadaprawnCymn – :
Imagine a creed-quality azzaro chrome with more depth and slight slight floral/herbal clean powder resembling mountain snow and that’s about as close as you’ll get imagining it without smelling.. very mystical like
jura_12 – :
So simple and basic. The scent is very 90’s classic generic but impossible to copy for a reason: creeds high quality signature drydown recipe. The fragrance gives an instant cold/snow breeze feel with the initial blast. Very nice and high quality.
It is gentlemanly soapy scent. Starts with some citruses and few minutes it turns into heavy musk with some sandalwood. One of the best citrus / fresh fragrances that are suitable for winter and cold weather due to the heavy dose of musk and the added woodsy notes. Although projection is moderate but the longevity is seriously excellent especially on clothes.
Paco Rabbane XS has similar vibe as well as the musk accord of narciso Rodrigues men fragrances but Himalaya exceeds them by million miles in terms of quality.
arxiv29 – :
I’m surprised there aren’t any herbs listed in the notes! Himalaya doesn’t just smell citrus-y to me–it smells spicy and green, somewhat bitter and definitely woody. Maybe the deep aromatic smell can be attributed to the ambergris? This is one of my favorite fresh colognes. I think it’s a bit pricey for what it is (ugh, Creed), but it’s definitely a high quality smell if you love fresh, spicy scents. I feel comfortable wearing it as a lady, it smells casual but sophisticated, perfect for days you’re wearing a sweater.
stalcon – :
خوشبو، شیک و کمی الکلی
———–
Scent & Qualiy: 8/10
Longevity: 7/10
Sillage: 6/10
Creativity & Uniqueness: 7/10
Affordability: 3/10
———–
Overall: 6.2/10
Факел2 – :
To those that say this smells like something their Aunt would wear I would question the authenticity of your bottle. The opening may lend slightly to these comments regarding this being a “feminine scent”. The lemon and other citruses up top quickly die down and the true stars of the show come through; Sandalwood and Musk. Every now and again I can detect the Ambergris and a slight hint of cedar but it is mainly the Sandalwood and Musk (which isn’t a bad thing at all).
Performance & Longevity – the jury is out on this one. As with other fragrances, olfactory fatigue may play a role in the fact that I can’t smell this on myself throughout the day. I will say that, in my experience, this scent lies somewhat close to the skin and will stay on my skin in its dried down state for over 12 hours.
If you were on the fence about this one, I would say go for it. It’s a fairly safe and pleasant fragrance. I bought blind and am not disappointed.
Entexynehef – :
This is better than people give it credit for
Floopylit – :
I often ask my little brother for his candid take on a new fume. His reaction to this was so strong, I considered taking another shower to remove the scent. He said it reminded him of the middle aged women who used to shop at Robinsons in the late 80s. Lmao! I let it dry down a bit and went to have lunch. Glad it was a free sample with the GIT shower gel I ordered for my buddy. On a positive note, over lunch I perused Creed’s women’s scents and ordered three different soaps for my mother as a belated Christmas gift. So it all strangely worked out.
Vladimir24rus – :
It seems for me, Creed’s start to grow on me after several wearings. The funny part is, I initially don’t care for the fragrances.
I thought this was way too musky…and I am not a musk lover.
But after the 2nd wearing it started to grow on me. I started to smell more and more citrus and a hint of woods.
After the 3rd wearing, I was looking for a bottle.
The citrus was much more prevalent. By this time, I could point out the grapefruit. I am also not a big grapefruit guy, but this grapefruit is done right….of course…only Creed.
I now get grapefruit, and a musky-powdery vibe…like a cold citrus. It smells so good….like some have said, a great after shave, however, its very high quality.
Creed’s are very adventurous to me. They always paint a picture.
Overall:
– Scent – 8/10
– Longevity – 7/10
-Sillage – 6/10
Bottle worthy for the right price.
sitamociato – :
It cracks me up when I read a man’s review saying this smells too feminine. So if you’re a man and you’re wearing this, high five. That’s for being secure in your manhood. And here let me slap you another one.. high five. That’s for smelling like pure money.
jlw723Bessinepome – :
My surprising favorite from the House of Creed, the masters of “safe” and “well liked” masculine fragrances. This very bright and energizing powdery citrus woods perfume is an ode to the fusion of energies of man and nature and combines notes of bergamot, grapefruit, lemon, mandarin, nutmeg, cedarwood, sandalwood, vetiver, pepper, ambergris, musk, and tonka bean. The result is a very masculine rugged beauty much like the peaks of its namesake. Don’t be put off by the horrific rather cheesy silver metallic bottle it comes in. This is probably as masculine as perfumes get without starting to become a bother for people around you. Perfect for safe events that require discretion and understated masculine elegance, believe it or not, this may be a better and cheaper alternative to the nice but amazingly overhyped Aventus from the same house.
s-1 – :
I forgot I had a 5ml tester of this. I used the shave soap named Himalaya by Henry Cavendish. The smell was intoxicating. It didn’t last long on my skin but for the 15 or so minutes that it did it was really nice. I looked up Himalaya and found this one by Creed. Found a 5ml tester on eBay and used it a bunch at first. It was pretty similar to the shave soap. It’s very perfumy tho. My kids said I smelled like grandma. It is very sweet, and seemed to last a solid 6 hours. I tried it at work and it wasn’t appropriate for the environment I work in. I couldn’t in fact find a situation where it would shine. Not sure what to say about it other than probably test first if you’re curious. I’m glad I did, at the price point it’s not something I’d buy again. I paid around $15, used until I was satisfied it wasn’t for me, and recently found it and wore it again just to see. It definitely has a grandma vibe to it on my skin. Also not one to bury your nose into, enjoy the sillage if you like it but not one I’d imagine most people would enjoy to get up real close and personal and have this in their face. Hard to review cuz I’m rather indifferent towards it so to end it, sample it!
yfnfkmzv – :
This scent takes me somewhere really far in my mind, where it almost sucks to come back
valera13 – :
Michael Jordans fave. This is also my fave from Creed besides Pure White of course. Very nice classy cooling musk with Bergemot. I always get complements when I wear this. This scent makes me feel Presidential like Obama would wear it.
farfy-kun – :
Well, it’s clean and old, as a teenager I can’t use it….
kzq658speagoessenda – :
There are a bunch of Creeds that do not smell any different from one another after a couple of hours, and Himalaya is one of those. Himalaya employs some citrus and creates brief ‘chilly’ moment of freshness. It is also very safe, which means that no aromatic or herbal overtones are present. A soft, fresh, woody phase follows that has a hint of sweetness, and this is the point from which onwards it is similar to Millesime Imperial, Green Irish Tweed and Silver Mountain Water. There is a metallic aspect, especially in the beginning, which is similar to that of Silver Mountain Water, but Himalaya doesn’t have any of the ‘shrill’ demeanour of the former. The dry down is woody-musky, with bare hints of sandalwood and ambergris.
Himalaya is competent and never vulgar. However, it is not as compelling as Green Irish Tweed, and is rather generic, and both sillage and duration are slightly less than that of Green Irish Tweed. Its lack of any distinguishing character is perhaps attributable to the fact that it seems the ideal fragrance to market to casual purveyors of faux-luxury. The bottle is hideous.
2.5/5 (neutral)
megaslan – :
The musky tone is pleasantly enjoyable here. The sandalwood rounds it up to sweet woody scent.
vaerling – :
I get “perfumey fresh laundry” from Himalaya. Too perfumey for most guys so if you’re male maybe get a sample/decant before buying a bottle. For the ladies, this is a very classy, fresh scent. There are many of this type of scent out there but Creed’s take is superior to the others and everyone knows it. But again, this is not male or even unisex. Comparisons to silver mountain water below make no sense to me. They are completely different scents. Projection is good and better than some other Creeds.
gerasimov_vany – :
This fragrance is very underrated. Maybe we should keep it like that.
It has the usual Creed bergamot scent, but with a nice musk and fresh wood notes on top.
Somewhere down the line, I smell something sweet and cold.
Himalaya projects well and lasts a very long time.
domer – :
Impressive smell, bright, fresh, zesty, pure…
I am impressed by the smell of this one. I’ve now tried a few Creed fragrances and think that Himalaya can compete with the famous ones. I get an opening of juniper berry and bergamot (with citrus: presumably grapefruit and lemon). The sandalwood, ambergris and cedar wood make a great base. It seems simple, yet it delivers a really good punch and is interesting. I don’t have a point of reference to compare it to designer fragrances, but I will say that I am yet to be disappointed by a Creed fragrance. I also get the inspiration for this fragrance as the mountains of the Himalayas. This smells like how you would imagine iron rich mineral water from a mountain stream to smell like. Ultimately, I do think it’s a good fragrance, and again, as with all Creed fragrances, it’s up to you to decide whether to invest and purchase or not.
bellmond – :
Only for hipsters and I like it that way great creation smooth and elegant musk done right underrated- extremely 9/10
raduga733000 – :
A good fragrance from Creed that seems to fly under the radar.
Good, clean scent. I like the name. It makes me think of snowy mountains when I smell this stuff on myself; the name just plain fits the way this stuff smells, as it’s crisp and clean like rocky snow-covered mountains. Add to that some musk.
Preferably worn on the colder, late days of fall and cold days of winter. Cuts through the cold quite nicely. Seems like a strange one to wear during the warm/hot seasons.
A nonchalant “It’s ok” from me.
kubik11111 – :
Maybe I’m smelling a different fragrance…
A bar of soap? Sure, the best ****ing bar of soap you have ever and will ever smell in your entire life! Seriously, this stuff is incredible (and criminally underrated).
It could be my 21 year-old inexperienced nose talking but this is my favourite Creed. It’s masculine, fresh, unique, and so dry and powdery that it’s guaranteed to make the ladies thirsty.
Honestly, I wasn’t the biggest fan the first time I tried it, so I can see where some of the ‘meh’ comments are coming from. I would have given it a ‘like’ back then, but my girlfriend loved it so I kept going back to test it out. I like it more every time I take a whiff. It’s one of those scents that will make you go back to your wrist with those obsessive, subconscious wrist-nose movements.
Give it a few tries and I doubt you’ll be disappointed.
Pchelll48rus – :
This is yet another very royal fragrance which consists only of exquisite and handpicked lemons found in a golden basket in a noble mans bathroom.
синий – :
Opens with a fresh laundry, citrusy, musky, soapy and cold cool air scent, with subtle hints of what may be a light sweetness here and there.
The dry down is the best part when you are left with just the seductive musky smell, it may not be a projection beast but it definitely is pleasant as you can smell it on yourself and others can smell it if they may be in close proximity to you.
kopiwm – :
First off, I’m a big fan of the House of Creed. I bought this after getting my bottle of Creed Aventus. I smelled it once before ordering it. I’ll be honest, the top note, the metallic note in this that sets it apart is the only note that I don’t like. It definitely smells like the name it bears. You spray it on and it does make you think of a mountaintop. Olivier Creed did a wonderful job with this one. I’ll have to agree that it does have an old school charm that reminds me of the old Colgate shaving cream. An old barber shop appeal. Even though I don’t care for the top note on this one I really like Himalaya overall. I’ve received compliments when wearing it too. It’s a nice classic fragrance.
whitehourse1 – :
I received a sample of this just after buying a 120ml bottle of Green Irish Tweed a few months ago. For some reason. I just don’t want to wear this. Never even tried it on my skin. I’ve smelt the vial and while it does smell nice, I’d never pay any attention to this. I wish I had a sample of SMW. something I’ve been dying to test out. Himalaya is my least liked scent in the entire Creed collection. I’d even go for a sample of BdP right now.
rassypeve – :
It starts off with beautiful, green, bitter-sweet scent, projects a lot, and stays solidly there for a good 4 hours. I get bitter-sweet whiffs constantly. Then it calms down (but still very noticeable) and stays there for another 4 hours before becoming skin scent.
My conclusion: A nice scent with impressive performance of 8+ hours. Give it a try, if you like bitter-sweet stuff.
NekludovaOlesya – :
While I appreciate, even adore, the house of Creed, this is one of my least liked fragrances from them.
It’s not a bad fragrance at all, but in this case, the high price is simply not worth it – mostly because of the very poor longevity and sillage. Himalaya turns into a skin scent after 2 hours.
It has similarities to Egoiste and XS, so if you like the note breakdown, I would suggest to go for either one of those and save the money to buy a better Creed; e.g. Green Irish Tweed or Silver Mountain Water.
neulovimyidzho – :
This reminds me of Platinum Egoiste somewhat, but the Chanel has this ‘colder’ feel to it. I’m not sure which I prefer more between the two. Both are kind of metallic and have that dryer sheet vibe. I’d say Himalaya is muskier, and the ambergris base that warms it up – it will definitely be familiar if you have worn Green Irish Tweed in the drydown. Himalaya is like the unfinished beginnings of other Creed fragrances, and probably the most simplistic of them that I’ve tried, although I do enjoy it quite a bit. I like it more than the seemingly far more popular Silver Mountain Water, at least.
Vuffifyiftila – :
A nice fresh and very musky scent. I got pretty impressive performance from my sample of this so i am surprised to see the average marks for longevity & projection. Mine was verging on beastly! I do like this one, but not enough to shell out over £160 on it, since this seems to be one of those Creeds that rarely get discounted by much. Nothing really bad to say about it though and another good piece of work from Creed.
ewqen16101975 – :
Creed Himalaya … The icy mountain winds
Creed Himalaya starts very fresh icy powerful citrus green cologne which has a good similarity to Chanel platinum egoiste.
The dry down is very icy Sandalwood with a hint of green cold creed.
Any fan of Chanel platinum egoiste will appreciate creed Himalaya they have the same powerful soul that impact you with power and freshness yet being very masculine.
Sexy check
Masculine check
Fresh check
Clean check
Feeling very strong check
Fresh from the shower check
Scent. 9.9/10
Longevity 8.9/10
Creed Himalaya …. I am powerful like the icy mountain
55Razo55 – :
Very, very… and I mean very similar to XS by Paco Rabbane (the original not the flankers). Citrust fresh and musky, if Himalaya smelled like that I would move there. The dry-down though is different than XS.
Scent: 9/10
Longevity: 6/10
Sillage: 7/10
Cost: 3/10 (simply because you kinda get the same with XS at a fraction of the price).
Overall: 6.25
Good frag – same vibe as XS by Paco Rabbane really. Not worth the price.
kaq048Bessinepome – :
I wish the dry-down was as lovely as the start.
ру46 – :
Well I’m not sure i have smelled anything like this before. Although the first impression gets you like its a very generic fragrance but NO it is NOT!…
The more you use it the more you will get involved in it. The dry down is somewhat similar to Paco Rabanne XS but not exactly same like XS and what i love about this perfume is the top notes that stays on my skin for a very long time.
It start with Mixture of Citrus/Lemon, Mandarin and Wood with a good hint of musk but blended so well that you will love every single bit of it no matter if you are into Fresh fragrances or you are into Oriental woody fragrance. The dry down is prominent with Cedar, Patchouli and Oak moss.
Every-time i wear it, i get alot of compliments and for better longevity and more silage it is best to be worn in Autumn night time.
8 out of 10 for me.
Kuzmich – :
This gets such poor reviews and I’m not sure why. Creed wasn’t going for a groundbreaking release. They were perfecting the genre. This is totally a scent that people could bring back. This doesn’t smell like a common scent people wear anymore. This and platinum Egoiste are the best two in this genre. Either one is going to get you complimented. When you people say it smells generic, what does it smell like? Platinum Egoiste? Kinda. But that’s about it.
Don’t overlook this one. This is nostalgia in a bottle. Its timeless and very safe. It’s not that this one smells better than anything else, it’s the fact that it reminds people ages 20-24 of their dads colgate shaving cream. We always adored that scent growing up. That scent disappeared as we got older. When women that age smell you, it’s going to remind them of that scent. The scent that they were unintentionally taught was masculine. Bringing that scent back projects a dominant male presence, which is attractive to women.
kopalkarnk – :
Smells generic. Unfortunately not something I’d opt for.
alexsnake – :
MbBuona,tonificante, ma per me nulla di speciale.
Ricevo comunque sempre molti complimenti quando indosso un creed..sia da uomini ma sopratutto da donne.
..sara’ forse l’ambra grigia che accomuna la maggior parte dei profumi di questa casa? Mistero..
Aroma proletario ad un prezzo troppo alto.
borisich63 – :
Fresh, musky ,citrusy and yes, it gives icy feel..unique?no..this is my least favorite Creed fragrance,because i don’t smell uniquenss, and richness like other Creed i’ve smelled, i like it but not love it..longevity just okay for me, there’s better alternatives out there (and cheaper)
7.2/10
proffsashach – :
Fresh, musky ,citrusy and yes, it gives icy feel..unique?no..this is my least favorite Creed fragrance,because i don’t smell uniquenss, and richness like other Creed i’ve smelled, i like it but not love it..longevity just okay for me, there’s better alternatives out there (and cheaper)
7.2/10
cvbn – :
Himalaya goes on like an ordinary citrusy fougere. Then something smells watery, and then the crushed stone, which is not so unique or pleasant.
This is the most ordinary and borring fragrance of the 10 or so Creed’s I have, or sampled. Creed being my favorite house.
So maybe I saved someone $7 bucks for a sample.
I wouldn’t buy it if it was $30/ bottle.
Rating 5/10
Merry Christmas. John 3:16
kuy641speagoessenda – :
I think too many people are judging this on first impressions without actually allowing it to settle. I used to dislike it but I finally bought a bottle. Once it settles after 20 or so minutes it’s actually a beautiful fragrance.
No longevity issues for me, don’t find it similar to the Paco Rabanne either
zzz290Negeltzex – :
I did a dab sample to the wrist. I agree with those who say citrus/woody/soapy, a bit musky too – not to my tastes at all (and I don’t even register it as “pleasant”). I have no idea why anyone would wear this even at low prices, but again that’s because I’m thinking pine, spices, tobacco, gourmand, leather, sandalwood, resins, etc. For hot weather I’d go for scents along the lines of Blenheim Bouquet, but of course I’m not going to argue with the “women love this so I have to wear it” crowd, as that is irrelevant to me even if I believed it.
maloy270793 – :
If you were looking at the notes thinking : it doesn’t smell like I’d expect – Creed also lists mandarin, nutmeg, pepper, tonka and pinkberries in their note list , so maybe that will make more sense.
Its like Royal Water in a way : a basic idea that has been taken to a really refined level. Wear it for a while and you will notice: there’s a lot more to it than it first seems.
It goes on with a slightly soapy citrus effect, then I got a layer of vetiver, then it becomes harder to describe. It does somehow manage to create a bit of a “cold fresh air” vibe, once the full blend kicks in. Not sure how they did it. There are hints of fruity, floral, a kind of minty slightly metallic cool, and some woods. Musk and vetiver thread their way through all of it in varying degrees. All of it smells great: natural and balanced.
Projection is mild, longevity good.
The blending is great, as usual. The idea is not new of course – it works a safe well known path, and the performance is moderate. Because of this, it’s going to be an obvious target for the usual “why pay that much for this”. That’s up to the wearer.
As for Creeds in general, I suspect most would see it the same way I do: very, very nice, but in sort of a “it’s my 6th favorite Creed” kind of way.
sobaka2000 – :
Creed is using some bad and strong pheromones. Erolfa, Himalaya, Tabarome smell very bad to me. All of them have those synthetic “Ambergris” that destroys the whole fragrance. To me the fragrance smells disgusting and unwearable. It smells like an over salted dish.
ShetinKinalekse – :
Before I start this review, I must admit to a few things, and you will probably be expecting a “having said this” U-turn at the end of my preface, which is exactly what you will get.
I admit to having trashed Platinum Égoïste for being a completely nondescript fresh fragrance to my nose. I further admit to being undecided about whether or not to like the house of Creed, with their “imperial” image and their price policy in the way of unconditional love. Finally, I admit to having developed a fascination for fresh fragrances that manage not to smell like all the other summer fragrances out there.
Having said this, it will be a challenge to justify my fondness of Creed’s Himalaya. When I first smelled it a few years back, I immediately passed on it, filing it under generic-fresh, a category that comprises probably 75% of all current fragrances in major department stores marketed towards men.
It would be wrong to say that I came to appreciate Himalaya for its hidden uniqueness once I became more aware of the subtle nuances that elevate some fresh scents above the mass-market mess. While I would confirm that my nose gradually became more tuned to such subtleties, Himalaya continued to underwhelm me with its citrus-and-musk combo.
It was not until I started acquiring fragrances for my collection which prototypically represent a particular genre that Himalaya caught my attention. This meant selecting perfumes thematically and to sniff out the ones that did the best job at doing what they are supposed to do. For instance, this is how I came to own Aqva pour Homme Marine, as it won my award for the scent that most radically represents the aquatic genre (I plan to review it shortly).
Himalaya, as I came to realize, perfectly represents a different genre within the fresh domain, a genre I will label ‘pristine snow’ for lack of a better term (suggestions welcome). Where aquatics ideally evoke images of either chlorinated swimming-pools, adventureous dives in tropical waters or briny waves breaking on the shores of Scotland, ‘pristine snow’ scents smell like cold mountain air, mittens covered in ice, or patches of snow dragged inside, slowly melting on the tiles of an entrance hall. Yes, frozen water has a smell.
Essentially, what distinguishes these fragrances is a cold sensation in one’s nose, often coupled with what many perceive as a metallic nuance, although it is sometimes not clear whether a metallic design makes us think it smells like metal or whether the designers were inspired to give the fragrance a metallic package due to its olfactory impression. Himalaya’s bottle has a metallic look, as does the lid on Platinum (!) Égoïste, a fragrance that has sometimes been described as having a metallic vibe and one which I would now tentatively place in the ‘pristine snow’ genre.
Another candidate in a metal bottle would be 212 Men, but its floral and grassy notes make me think of vegetal greenness. As a rule, anything on the market that