Description
“Emotions and places are sometimes inseparable. The evening approaches. Revived by the powerful rays of the sun and the Mediterranean breeze, the city comes to life. The encounter must take place at
the top. Excitement is inevitable. The party will be epic.”—Atelier Cologne
The magical city of Barcelona made its mark on Atelier Cologne‘s creators. While at the Majestic Hotel & Spa Barcelona, the classic elegance of the suites impériales in which the brand’s founders stayed, coupled with the grandeur of this vibrant city gave birth to the creation of this new Cologne Absolue.
Musc Impérial by Atelier Cologne is a Woody Floral Musk fragrance for women and men. This is a new fragrance. Musc Impérial was launched in 2015. Top notes are Calabrian bergamot, Spanish clary sage and black currant; middle notes are lavender from Provence, Andalusian fig and leather accord; base notes are Indian ambrette (musk mallow) and Virginia cedar.
kizyn – :
I tried this on my skin today. It opens with a very natural smelling fruity herbal combination that I think is dominated by fig. At first it is a little astringent on my skin. Then little by little black currant and other notes come into picture and balance the scent towards a very chic fresh fruity composition. The dry down is very pleasant and certainly is reminiscent of Creed Aventus. Alas, it is very weak on my skin. I get little projection and after a couple of hours I can hardly smell it.
It seems like, we have a trend of creating chic fresh fruity scents in perfume industry following Creed Aventus launch. This perfume is very nice but I’m hesitant to pay the price tag. I myself, will go with Nuit d’Azar Rituals in case I wanted to buy a fresh fruity scent composed around black currant.
Xtatick – :
As fruity as CDNI without the smokiness, and as citrusy as Cedrat Boise but with a little leather
sanek11 – :
OMG the number of compliments I’ve received when I’ve worn this fragrance. A compliment EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
For me, this is not as much musk as it is fig and cedarwood. Two of my favourite notes, and the reason I adore Philosykos by Diptyque. Musc Imperial and Philosykos are however not that similar, as both have their own moods; MI is more fruity thanks to the blackcurrant, while Philosykos more green and dry thanks to the fig leaf and coconut. MI is what I want to smell like, Philosykos is what I want my home to smell like.
Only thing to complain about is that I easily get olfactory fatigue from this and can’t smell it on myself after multiple hours while others still can.
joni0 – :
Bergamot and black currant in the opening sadly relates this to Aventus. Guys, it is a phenomenal combo, it doesnt mean everyone is trying to copy.
This is actually super nice. Dry, leathery musk with woody and I guess a fruity facet from some fig? Main notes to me in the drydown are leather, musk mallow, figs, and cedar. Super nice, one of the nicest non-citrus frags of the house.
KELEVRA – :
Musc Impérial is a fresh beauty with a sense of confidence and intrigue! It opens up with a similarity to Creed Aventus, but then evolves into a green fig and woody Mediterranean vibe that gives it its own character. Very nice fresh scent! I’m glad to have it in my collection and will be wearing it in the spring and summer for sure!
Leocesh – :
Fragrance -Musc Impérial Atelier Cologne
Bottle from – 2016
Musc Impérial opens on my skin with a clean,fresh,citrusy and a bit green and herbal fruits laying on top of a creamy fig.At this point,in the opening,Musc Impérial is very similar to Aventus by Creed,but the similarities end there. Soon enough,refined leather with a nice touch of lavender starts to emerge and bring some elegance into the game.
This all leads into a musky,woody,leathery and creamy base with an astonishing touch of ambrette and with a wisper of cedar.
Longevity – 7/10(7+ hours)
Silage/Projection – 7,5/10(moderate projection and silage for the first 2-3 hours)
Weather -For more or less any time of year.Best in early autumn,spring and summer.I personally wouldn’t wear this on a really cold winter days.
Versatility – 9/10
Age – 19+
Compliments – 9/10
Scent – 9/10
Main notes according to me – fig,black currant,bergamot, clary sage,ambrette,leather,lavender.
The drydown is a bit musky,woody,leathery and creamy and I get some -ambrette,leather,fruitiness and cedar.
Emotions -positive,elegant,class,sophisticated,timeless,clean.
Occasion -For more or less any ocasion.
Could be a nice signature scent.You’ll get compliments with this one.
nvg715InsuffBooni – :
یک عطر با رایحه ای دلپسند و خنک برای انتهای بهار و تابستان.بوی انجیر ان بسیار جذاب است.ته شباهت های با کرید اونتوس دارد.
lol100 – :
This is a really nice fresh and green fragrance. Last a long time. It is more masculine in my opinion, but can be worn confidently by a woman also. It has an alluring smell that makes you want to come back for more.
I think it is along the lines in similarity to Creed Aventus and Hermes Un Jardin Sur Le Nil. They all have a familiarity to them.
ARLNES – :
I recently received seven Atelier fragrances. I am not very familiar with the brand an am excited to try these and share my thoughts.
Musc Imperial is green and herbal but fruity and slightly sweet at the same time with a musky base. It leans masculine but that’s ok with me. I like woody aromatics such as this. I would love to smell this on my boyfriend too. A winner in my book!
epr172speagoessenda – :
I may be in the minority, but I actually enjoy this more than Aventus. Maybe it’s because I’m a woman and this fragrance is has more traditionally feminine and unisex notes compared to the masculine Aventus. This is like Aventus with the zingy pineapple toned down, as well as little to no birch and ambergris. Instead, Musc Impérial feels smoother, not sharp, but rounded and gently buffed down with the milky fig and soft leather. It’s also greener smelling than Aventus, probably due to the sage and fig leaf notes.
This does indeed have the same structure and feel as Aventus, but with different notes. Aventus opens up much more zesty, bright, and fruity, whereas Musc Impérial does have a bergamot tanginess but it is muted by some creamy fig. This basically smells like a mixture of Aventus and Philosykos by Diptyque, two contrasting fragrances that happen to be among my favorites.
assonserogyh79361 – :
without any doubt one of the best in all atelier cologne.smells 70% like aventus. i have both and they are really similar but aventus is 2step better in all features(scent,quality,project,…).start with fresh fruity note and after while turn to woody notes.7/10
این عطر بدون شک یکی از بهترین های آتلیه کولون از همه حال است. بویش تا حدو بسیار زیادی شبیه کرید اونتوس هست. من جفت این عطرها رو دارم و بسیار خوب تفاوت ها و شباهت های آنها را می فهمم. عطر کرید از همه لحاظ دو پله بالاتر از این است . عطر ماسک ایمپریال با بوی میوه ای تازه شروع می شود و مثل کرید در ادامه به بوی چوبی ختم می شود. یه بوی همه پسند داره. ماندگاری خوب و پخش بو متوسط حدود 4 ساعت رو داره.
bodycount – :
I think the reason this is my favorite Atelier Cologne and in my top 5, is because I love great fig fragrances like Philosykos, but this is so much more.
This would be my favorite fig fragrance, and I have tried most of them. MI has so many aspects that are enjoyable, all in one. I like it for myself, and it’s an attractive fragrance, plenty of compliments.
I think the greatest fragrances have contrasts, light and dark, fresh and warm. Musc Imperial has a slightly bitter green fig with a smooth ambrette/ leather accord, very aromatic, balanced with a fresh and fruity bergamot, black current.
I could tell how my girlfriend reacted to this new fragrance that she thought it was an attractive fragrance; I think because of the leathery ambrette musc accord, and the crisp exotic fruity accord.
Musc Imperial is my solid signature fragrance now, better than Aventus!
For chilly Fall and Winter it won’t be my signature, but still enjoy it occasionally in colder weather.
How many people would use Aventus as their signature fragrance if it was 1/3 the price?
I thought my review isn’t going to talk about Aventus, but I’m going to talk about Aventus.
What makes it like Aventus ?
It is the black current and musk. The musk or ambrette (musk mallow) is a plant extract that smells musky with a metallic tone.
I think Aventus may use ambrette for their musk note. Aventus and Musc Imperial have a distinct metallic tone that makes these two fragrances similar, and the black current, fig accord is mimicking a fruity pinapple.
It took me a while, but I am picking up on the fig note. After ambrette musc, it is the second most dominant note, and it is a very good quality fig note. The fig is well rounded, bitter green leaf, fig tree, and fruity fig.
After using this for a week as my new signature frag, I thought I will spray Aventus on my other hand and compare. Wow! I will not be getting Aventus any more. Musc Imperial has more punch and pizzaz. The sillage is stronger. The fruit accord in MI has a slight bitter green quality from the fig I guess, which I like, but some will not. This is more mature and complex than Aventus, the quality of notes is equal, and longevity is at least as good if not better.
I think the 30 and under crowd will still prefer Aventus.
The more I use this, the more it is becoming it’s own fragrance. It is more green than Aventus, I am getting some leather making an accord with the musk, and a bit of lavender softness.
PS, just remembered this allso smells like Hermes Un Jardin Mediterranee. MI is more natural with better quality notes than Hermes.
Rating: 10/10
God bless. John 3:16
borunov-boyko – :
Oh how I adore this unisex doozy. It definitely leans masculine which could explain my love affair. This is invigorating and delightful; bright and happy. This is a crisp early autumn day to me with the woody/fig/ leather predominance. Spillage is quite nice as well- powerful enough to be noticed but not shocking. The drydown reveals bergamot with an ever so slight sweetness all while still emitting the leaver and wood.
This is a beautiful composition. I cannot image anyone being disappointed with this. This could easily be a musk lovers signature scent.
inwar – :
So, I spoke to Evan at the NYC store wondering if I should purchase this as I have heard that this is so similar to Aventus. Evan gave me his take on this fragrance and here are my thoughts after my purchase:
Musc Imperial has the Aventus…..ish…ness; Albeit a great fragrance, it does resemble Aventus in a non-pineappley, less sweet Aventus kind of way.
Musc Imperial Atelier is a MINTy, fresher, DRYer, yet GREENer, a little creamier, also smoky-LEATHER-ish type of based fragrance.
Aventus is fresh, zesty but leathery, sweet yet smoky, fruity with a citrusy touch.
Perhaps some differences, BUT a HUGE huge deal of similarity!
Another great Atelier fragrance!!
svbaron777 – :
After intially smelling that I was like wth are all those people talking about, doesn’t smell like Aventus at all. It smelled like a slightly sweet, juicy musk x leather x fig combo with fresh spiciness to me. The opening is good, but nothing special. After a few minutes to 30 min it starts to transition into something more soapy with the same initial opening notes I smelled.
Then I forgot about this fragrance and suddenly started to smell something amazing, something smoky. I smelled Aventus. Or at least almost-Aventus. After 1 – 2 hours the drydown smells almost exactly like Aventus. I understand why everyone said that this smells like Aventus. The projection from half an arm length distance smells like it, but if you get closer the Aventus smell fades a little.
The drydown stays pretty long and has also a pretty good sillage.
Overall a pretty good fragrance. I mean who doesn’t like Aventus?
Levsha1 – :
طبيعي ترين بوي مركبات اما نه غير قابل تحمل تركيب شده با بوي چوب .يك رايحه شيك. يك دنيا با كريد اونتوس متفاوت است.ده ها بار دلنشين تر ارامتر و…. است.
megamegamega – :
An ultra-masculine fruity musk with an off-putting blackcurrant/sage/lavender aftershave accord. Comparisons to Aventus are apt. A strong dislike for me, and easily the worst Atelier I’ve tried.
Gusrydjb – :
How broken is your nose to compare this to Creed Aventus !
This is a dry cedar wood fruity musky fragrance
The fruit note is almost like apricot or peach blended with a nice clean mask
csyjr2005 – :
I Ike this scent well enough–but I would not buy mainly for one reason and that is it skews masculine. I actually wear a lot of heavier wood and “masculine” notes, but this just seems more like something a guy would wear, one that while it does not have all the notes of a fougere wears like one, so Ithink it would be great on some (certainly come ladies can pull this off too if you like the limey-fig notes). I love lavender, but mixed with the other notes, I’m not a fan. I cannot say whether it is like the Creed or Aventus. However, the quality of the notes is sound; it does not smell synthetic to me as some Ateliers do. Longevity and silage are decent, not great, not terrible. 5-7 hours longevity, but the last 2 are skin scent.
Talachka – :
اول که این عطر رو اسپری میکنید یک بوی خاک مانند همراه با بوی خوشایند مرکبات متوجه می شویدولی من خودم دقیقانفهمیدم کدوم میوه مرکباتی در داخل این عطر بکار رفته بعضی از دوستان بوی انجیر رو هم ذکر کردند که من اصلا بوی این میوه رو متوجه نشدم و بوی یک نوع گل خوشبو رو هم من حس کردم ولی اسمش نمیدونم چیه در کل عطر خوشبویی هست ماندگاری تا حدود 6 الی 7 ساعت روی پوست من داره ولی فکر میکنم پخش انچنانی نداشته باشه یا شاید شامه رو خیلی سریع پر میکنه که من زیاد متوجه پخشش نشدم برای من که 200 میلی لیتر این عطر خریدم چیز خاصی نداشت به نظر من ورساچه پور هوم با قیمت خیلی کمتر از این و پخش و ماندگاری بیشتر از این و بازخورد خیلی زیادش که من تا حالا نزدیک 8 تا برای دوستان و همکارام گرفتم خیلی بهتر از این هستش ولی باز هم این سلیقه شماست برای خرید این عطر ولی خب بوی مرکبات در این عطر خیلی طبیعی است که توی عطرهای دیگه شاید این طبیعی بودن شما کمتر ببینید
Roman_Volkov – :
Yum! Thanks to my good friend no-fi, I’m testing some more Ateliers now. This is fig juicy, fresh, musky and herbal all at the same time on my skin, light and well rounded. What a contradiction but still so endearing and so wearable! I have no idea what Aventus smells like so can’t draw any comparisons there but this works really well with my skin, it’s sweet and sexy as hell yet a little restrained by the musk and I love it.
abeheably – :
Tony nails the review here I think. I was a little gutted this was another Aventus type scent because Atelier have some really good offerings in the main.
It’s not a clone though and is slightly classier after quite a loud intro you do get an emerging blackcurrant & fig smell as apposed to the pineapple and hint of masculine tones (maybe clary sage?) in the opening. Again reaching the same conclusion as Tony this is a pretty pointless fragrance, it’s good quality but doesn’t have the balls of Aventus or even clones. I hate to nay say because loads of fragrances smell similar and that doesn’t render them obsolete. However the Aventus trend does tend to be a popular one at the moment, I can forgive Royal vintage but sadly not these latecomers.
WASA – :
An invigorating black currant and sage fresh scent. And unlike so many others fresh scents, the citrus is in the background rather than the forefront making it somewhat unique especially mixed with the creamy fig.
YES — it has an Aventus vibe, but it’s much brighter and accessible. I prefer this for summer because it lacks the smoky birchy vibe.
This may be my favorite scent ever. The one con? Longevity may be the poorest of any fragrance I’ve used in some time. Any tips for making this last longer or project more are certainly appreciated.
Coolakoff – :
Musc Imperial is a fascinating freshie, and the name doesn’t give much of an idea of just how musky it is, because it isn’t that musky on my skin. Certainly musk is in the mix but it’s more in the background for me.
My experience of it is a mix of Creed’s Aventus and Virgin Island Water, the fruitiness of blackcurrant and the sweetness of fig almost coming off as a pineapple and coconut mix. I’m pleased by the fig in that respect, as it’s usually not my preferred type of sweetness, but it works very well here. Lavender is a listed note and could certainly be part of the mix, keeping it clean, but I don’t get much of it. The base of cedar and musk is a safe cushion for the fragrance to dry down to, though on my skin, Musc Imperial doesn’t evolve all that much. It remains the harmonious blend of citrus, blackcurrant, fig, and musk.
This is certainly more of a warm-weather fragrance and is not such a strong performer that I’d use it in the winter, but it’s very pleasant for casual wearing year-round, performance notwithstanding. It’s more on par with the freshies than the stronger fragrances like Oud Saphir or Rose Anonyme.
Musc Imperial seems to have temporarily disappeared from the market, and that’s perhaps because it’s in the exclusives line and Atelier Cologne itself only has the 30ml size in stock. Through YouTube I learned the pricing is $85 for 30ml, $150 for 100ml, and $225 for 200ml, so it’s in the range slightly above most of the Atelier freshies.
I’d certainly recommend checking this out as a potential alternative to Aventus, not because it smells truly like Aventus but because it’s similar enough that some are bound to like it more than Aventus.
8 out of 10
bokderkus – :
Another version of Aventus but with a twist. A fig note appears hours after applying. It’s a bit strange to me but what the hell. A decent composition but with multiple cheaper clones of Aventus already available this has no place in the fragrance world.
crerbarsels – :
Massively overrated already. Fig opening with a base that fails to emulate the balance of Creed’s Aventus.
Smells decent but unimpressive and unremarkable.
MikaLurkin – :
I thought it was a very good launch of Atelier Cologne, which already had a few a bit bland, as it somehow.
It is a perfume that opens with citrus and bergamot and is quickly mixed with a fruity tone, which gives blackcurrant and especially the fig, which I think is the keynote of the fragrance and endures throughout life the same.
In drying a very soft leather note subtle and sometimes hard to detect appears.
All on a soft background woody and musky.
Especially at the start and at some later time (even less) in which the leather is perceived, it reminds a little to Creed Aventus, being more rounded Atelier and less sharp edges, as less shrill, but this makes it perhaps something less flashy, more understated and quiet. No smoking Aventus aspect, I personally do not like too much and generally think it is better achieved than Creed (yes, you read it correctly) and with better price…
This Musc Imperial, is a perfume to apply with joy, many sprays, the style so typical of the brand, type “Eau de Cologne”, but with a 15% concentration (equivalent, more or less, an Eau de parfum).
Longevity is very good, and can be detected in the skin more than 8 hours later, although the sillage, after passing a very good 2-3 hours is rather short and more close to the skin.
Maybe a bit expensive (195 €), well, it’s really expensive, perhaps too much for what it is, though it comes in the form of 200ml, with 30ml gift in a steamer trip another fragrance to choose, with the housing customizable leather.
I see very versatile, perhaps better for hot weather, summer, etc .. and for all types of use, such as office and even party. Versatile enough and totally unisex. Come on, like almost everything of this brand, I see it as an appropriate and very distinctive fragrance, but above all, designed for a regular wear, daily use, office, etc … In my opinion, it could well be the perfume “signature” for many people and I’m totally agree with @bet85
Excellent !!!
k.a.r.i.n.k.a – :
It’s like a summer version Aventus. AC Musc Imperial = Aventus Sport to my nose.
tozz – :
Starts out bright and masculine similar to Aventus. But then it turn completely unisex. Its very safe. I think it could be wonderful signature scent. I like it so far. and it lasted me a good 8 hours plus. I get the musk, nothing animalic though. The lavender and citrus helps keep it clean and safe. I hardly get any leather in the background.