Description
Opium (1977) by Yves Saint Laurent is a Oriental Spicy fragrance for women. Opium (1977) was launched in 1977. Opium (1977) was created by Jean Amic, Jean-Louis Sieuzac and Raymond Chaillan. Top notes are coriander, plum, citruses, mandarin orange, pepper, jasmine, cloves, west indian bay and bergamot; middle notes are carnation, sandalwood, patchouli, cinnamon, orris root, peach, lily-of-the-valley and rose; base notes are labdanum, tolu balsam, sandalwood, opoponax, musk, coconut, vanilla, benzoin, vetiver, incense, cedar, myrrh, castoreum and amber.
Coriander,Plum,Citruses,Mandarin Orange,Pepper,Jasmine,Cloves,West Indian Bay,Bergamot,Carnation,Sandalwood,Patchouli,Cinnamon,Orris Root,Peach,Lily-of-the-Valley,Rose,Labdanum,Tolu Balsam,Sandalwood,Opoponax,Musk,Coconut,Vanilla,Benzoin,Vetiver,Incense,Cedar,Myrrh,Castoreum,Amber
 Yves Saint Laurent){kind=link}
777_Vetal_777 – :
I just got my hands on a sample of the vintage.
All I can say is, it’s my birthday wish to get a bottle of this magical juice.
So vastly different and more nuanced than the current. Cinnamon, myrrh, incense, spices and viruses but none overpowering the others! I don’t often say ” masterpiece” but I’ll sa y it.
Masterpiece!
Sadly I cannot abide the current one which is 90% cloves to me and 10% church smoke and is heavy and just not me.
A moment of silence for this wonderful perfume. But will get a full bittle. Oh yes I will.
goshancik – :
Opium has changes a great deal over the years . I recently tested Estee Lauder’s Cinnabar , also recently reformulated . The new formulation of Cinnabar reminds me very much of Opium in the 1990s .
I think the latest formula of Ciinbar is one I will purchase in memory of how Opium used to smell to me. It is very rich and lasts a VERY long time if spritzed on my shirt.
vasigarik – :
Opium! Den of pleasure, carnal delights, ecstasy. Forbidden euphoria.
Blockbuster since day 1, Opium is (was) the unparalleled success of Yves Saint Laurent. Cleverly following the footsteps of Youth Dew (Lauder once said it was ‘Youth Dew with a tassel’), Opium landed like a bomb in 1977 taking the whole world by surprise. In a time with no social media and focus groups, Opium alluded to the thrill of the forbidden and the state of mind; guilty pleasure and erotic ecstasy via the heavy spice route sweetened with exotic flowers. The Opium den that Yves conjured and which caused an outrage in the Chinese-American population, banned in many Arab countries and sold without its name on the bottle in some European countries, was nothing but hedonistic pleasure in liquid form. Opium didn’t endorse drug abuse, something that was increasingly the theme du jour in the late 70’s, nor did it condone it. It simply alluded to the state of trance and sensuality one feels under the right circumstances. Opium was either understood and immediately adored, or rejected like the plague. True vintage Opium, with all its forbidden notes, ingredients and allergens is one of my most loved and cherished fragrances. Nothing, absolutely nothing comes close. And sadly, this makes it extremely hard to replace.
Long review/homage based on various bottles, splash and spray, from 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981 and 1993.
When Opium launched, Yves sought to create the complete opposite of Y, his debut fragrance which was a beautiful and elegant aldehydic chypre. He wanted a heavy, languid, extremely powerful and sensual oriental that would make women go crazy, and men completely surrender to its charms. He enlisted Jean Amic, Jean Louis Sieuzac and Raymond Chaillan and together they created a legend that catapulted to success before its official launch, resulting in stolen testers, ripped publicity banners, sellout within hours of hitting shelves, all the while causing a little dementia in the population. Oh, Opium!
Heavily reliant on cloves, carnation, incense, Mysore sandalwood, resins, myrrh, opoponax, adorned with orchids, rose, lily of the valley, jasmin, peach, plum, orris and mystified with labdanum, castoreum, bay leaf, pepper, balsams and musks, Opium was like the breath of a raging dragon. Deep reds, golden ambers, the flowers of fire; the flowers of life.
Up to this day, words elude me when talking about Opium; I find it so masterfully blended, so true to its meaning, that I cannot (and don’t want to) analyze it or dissect its notes. It’s inevitable that some of them pass right under my nose and are easily detected, but Opium is such a state of mind that the real pleasure comes from surrendering to it. Yes, it’s spicy, floral, aldehydic and mysteriously powdery in the drydown, yes, none of what was used freely to create it can be used with the same abandon today, but why break it to pieces? If for nothing more, the pleasure is smelling it all day long and watch it’s evolution, how it caresses the senses and how it embraces the ones lucky enough to love it and adore it.
Opium is highly polarizing, and for most people, it stirs up memories; any kind of them. Good, bad, the ones who wore it, the elevators it permeated, the boss that doused in it…love it or hate it, this most recognizable magnum opus cannot leave you indifferent. Consider yourself lucky if only you can even smell it in your mind.
While Opium does not go bad, it does mellow with age. Vintage bottles still pack a punch with enormous sillage and 24 hour longevity, but they have lost the fresh sparkle that was there in 1977; they have mellowed and concentrated in a way that it smells richer and more dense. The patina of time, but still unbeatable.
And my personal opinion; up until the early 80’s, Opium was not reformulated, maybe only having suffered minuscule changes. It was so unbelievably expensive to produce that it was simply inevitable. By the late 80’s/early 90’s, the changes were a bit more pronounced but it was still itself. At the dawn of the new millennium, Opium started to suffer the consequences of cost cutting, change of taste and society’s evolution, and by 2005/6, Opium was not Opium anymore. L’Oreal simply murdered it completely, and what has been selling under the name Opium since then, bears nothing, zero relation but the name. It should have been discontinued altogether.
While future generations will likely never have the pleasure of getting to know this gem, anyone that has had the pleasure of experiencing it is extremely lucky. And I thank my lucky stars and eBay for allowing me to have the pleasure of dowsing in it. My sillage is free of charge; no thank you needed.
LightSpirit – :
I have this bottle, still in the box, that I received after my husbands grandmother passed away in January and I’m afraid to open it LOL I also inherited her 2009 bottle of Opium (as well as quite a few others) and I love the 2009 version. I tried a spray of it in July and almost choked but I am wearing it now that the temperatures have cooled. I wonder if I should even bother with the vintage one since I like the 2009 version right now…it’ll probably end up being very strong. Anyhow…
rgr600Unlogrere – :
Very mystical, very spiritual, and at the same time quite beautifully sexy. I can’t help but think that the most attractive perfumes ever made almost always fall under the category of orientals and present a meditative effect as such. I accept that we have long lost many beauties like Opium, almost 10 years ago. But works of art aren’t forgotten and it’s not possible to replace them with anything else.
Perfume is so much of a personal experience, and the thought of not being able to smell this someday hurts a lot… I invest my great hopes in the technology of the remote future, where it will be possible to create the exact clones of many classics as such from a single tiny drop (the “dna”).
Lyaisan – :
Opium, like so many other scents, has been diminished . It is still nice, but the spices are watered down a lot .
If you want to know what the old opium smelled like, get a bottle of Youth Dew . It s till is a heave spice scent that is deep and rich . It smells like rich incense. And it is also very reasonable in cost . On top of that it can be used to make other scents spicier . I have used the bath oil with other fragrances to make my own blend . It lasts all day .
There are very few scents with the rich notes like Youth Dew. They just do not exist anymore. If someone put a YSL label on Youth Dew and gave it a hipster name, it would sell for $150 a bottle easily .
I do miss the old Opium, but my Youth Dew reminds me of it more than the latest Opium formula.
ShaluniyInga – :
Opium is intoxicating and addictive. It takes a strong and powerful woman to wear this. Smoky, woody and spicy. As a child I belived that this was what Opium must have smelled like. A masterpeice and explosion of memories for me. I will never get tired og this one. Silage and longevity is a blast and lasts forever on me.
Velial – :
I generally love orientals and I have tried so many times over the years to like Opium. I tested it again recently, decades after I last tried it and found it instantly memorable, but still not for me. The first notes are delicious – warm and spicy, then I find it’s followed immediately by a really unpleasant hit of something sour and musty – to be honest like urine! So to sum up, Opium reminds me of a once beautiful, decadent, but now somewhat decaying elderly great aunt, who is now just a little incontinent.
spellbound – :
one of the best orientals for women
along with
Shalimar
Tabu
Obsession for women
Aerohopleneriupl – :
I grew up during the time Opium came on the market. A big success despite its high price, the fragrance was in common use.
A few of my richer high school friends wore it, and fashion magazines often remarked on the effect Opium had on men. It was supposed to make them soon, in case you’re wondering.
At my first job two women wore Opium. They were the executive secretary and the assistant to the executive secretary. One was in her late 40’s, the other in her early 20’s. Both were highly coiffed blondes, both wore a lot of make up. Upon entering their office one was hit squarely in the face with a tsunami of Opium. It wasn’t bad but it was very strong.
Nobody in my family wore Opium. My mother’s and sister’s taste ran towards Anais Anais and Chloe. I was too young for women’s perfume and too poor for fancy stuff like Opium.
The reason I’m going on about this is because the small Opium bottle I recently bought smells absolutely nothing like the fragrance I remember. Maybe it’s the reformulation, but there’s only a hint of the rich and spicy scent I recall. Whatever is in my bottle certainly doesn’t resemble the Opium from the late 70’s. The depth and power is gone, and what’s left is mildly spiced.
Why are classic perfumes reformulated? And why are the reformulation so different from the originals? I’m not a fan of classic Opium, but new Opium is a mess.
karamian – :
ive just revisited this fragrance, having decided to shun modern stuff for a bit
askar_kz95 – :
Let me know when Elon Musk starts retailing time machines. I have 2mm left of this.
valeron6868 – :
OMG…it may be too soon as I received my proper early vintage Opium only today but so far it is wonderful.
More to follow!
kost2608 – :
I finaly managad to get a full bottle of this beauty. I was so excited before I tried it to find out if it is so different from the new version, which I like a lot. And I must say that I really smell the difference. Especially the beginning is very different, when it settles down there is a bit of similarity, but the drydown is different again. The original has more incense and more spices, it is an untamed beast. The new verssion on the other hand feels like the beast which has already been tamed, which is not so loud and is appropriate for modern people, which cares what people think about it. I really can understand why it is such a legend, very sexy, intoxicating and definitely addictive. Love it.
kanaz – :
I just received my new old stock, still sealed original formula Opium today, 7/14/18. WOW! Exactly how I remembered it! Warm, spicy, sweet, deep, rich, exotic and intoxicating! Now, I still actually like the current 2009-current formulation…but the original wins!
From looking at the bottle and box, I would say my bottle is from the mid to late 1990s, possibly very early 2000s. Still smells as fresh as day 1, and nothing really compares to original opium!
I put one spray on my wrist, and it has been 3 hours since applying….scent has softened and mellowed but still going strong. Yup, one spray! It was never overwhelming, but I have always loved Opium so I knew it is not a “shy” fragrance 😉
Current Opium is a 7/8. Original Opium is a 10.
tgstalker – :
I’m sorry to say that I like the new formula better. I just received a vintage EDT, and I feel like I’m wearing Old Spice. There’s no depth, only strong spice and musk.
ralexay – :
Review for the pre-2009 Edt:
My absolute favorite, Opium is everything good on earth. It’s the sexiest, most attractive scent I’ve ever smelt. It’s the one fume appreciated by everyone, adored by many. Not because it’s popular, but because it’s such a well done, real perfume.
I can’t forget the ad with Sophie Dahl, it’s apt top to toe. Opium is burning hot, smoking hot… It’s so goth, so elegant, classy, extra-ordinary.
This scent makes me feel so serene, peaceful, sexy and powerful. It makes me feel like a rock star, and that I can take over the world. It makes me feel like a real, true witch whose good spells always work beginning right after the moment they are cast.
I love Opium, I am in love with Opium. It deserves its name, it makes me forget anything and everything that which is not good.
svetik23 – :
Bought a vintage bottle online. It never fails to bring a smile to my face. Pure joy.
aven – :
I just received my vintage used 1994 Opium EDT.
I know it’s not supposed to be the best version of it because by that time there were already a few reformulations on its back, but I find it really, really close to the new EDT (2012) I already had.
I mean, I can’t hardly smell any difference.
Is it possible that a 1994 version could be so close to the new EDT, or maybe I was scammed?
The juice is certainly original since it’s longevity and sillage are great, but maybe they refilled the old bottle with the new product? I really smell no difference with the 2012 formulation.
EDIT: after a couple or hours of application I think the smell of this one is sweeter, more harmonious and less harsh than the new EDT.
I also feel that the sillage is a bit weaker than the new one.
So, maybe I got a fake after all? Anyway I saw some comments here saying that they also feel that the new one is stronger than the old EDT.
I’m really confused, since I wanted the beast sillage more than anything (I have a perfume-eating skin).
offifuccexuby – :
I have a bottle from the early 90s, and I am sure it hardly compares to the original,it is a beauty nonetheless. Initially it started with aldehydes, now my bottle has lost much of its top notes. My review is more for the heart and base notes really.
It starts off with orange, jasmine and yla ng ylang on me. Immediately sweet and heady. Slowly the notes of cinnamon and coriander come to play. Oh the coriander note is such a surprise, smelling dusty and grassy all at once. It balances the sweetness and sets the stage for what follows. I get incense, sandalwood and some vanilla. It remains a sweet scent on me with some spices peaking in and out.
This is a magical fragrance, that is sexy and yet sweet. No skank or indoles in this juice. As an Indian, a lot of the notes used are familiar day to day objects, but the combination is delicious, surprising and intoxicating. I find myself sniffing this oh so often whenever I wear it. This gets me a tonne of compliments.
I wore this on my wedding day, with jasmine in my hair and it was just such a perfect blend of sweet, sophisticated and sexy.
rookeftferb – :
Has everything except opium.
mouppogyVog – :
Fans of real vintage Opium should track down a vintage bottle of Dana 20 Carats Cologne, which can still be found on ebay- sometimes for decent low prices. My 3oz 20 Carats cologne was $16.
I have vintage Opium EDT, plus the recent EDT and a special edition red bottle EDP. 20 Carats comes so close to original Opium.
Just the 20 Carats cologne tho. The EDP of 20C is quite different.
EdudgeFeava – :
I began wearing this in the late 70s, when I was in jr high! It is absolutely addictive. Heavy, warm oriental spice and musk and smoke and vanilla and amber and incense – Opium is spiritual *and* sexy. It is heavenly decadence. Opium transports me to a magical, elegant but comfortable place, where nothing sucks and never has. It’s an incense-y room of silk-covered floor cushions, with antique wall tapestries, and it is always l’heure bleu – that magic electric blue sky of early evening or almost dawn.
I recently talked my BF into getting me a vintage EDT mini (less than $10) from ebay, and it arrived a few hours before my day suddenly got really bad. I happily sniffed at it (w/o opening it) many times. I later got so spacey, shaky and weak I needed to go back to bed, but first I dabbed a tiny bit on my throat so there’d be something good while feeling bad. That’s the only time I’ve gone back to bed while feeling sick as a dog and smiling! I awoke a couple hours later, feeling (and smelling) great. 🙂
Many of the original Opium ads were in French, and I carefully tore out a particularly good one from a copy of Vogue or Harper’s Bazaar for my 9th grade French class. I figured my teacher would agree it should grace her bulletin board. The model was (of course!) sleek and elegant, with dark hair slicked right back, smoky eyes and lush red lips. Her dress was black velvet, with wondrous beading at the neck. She held a good-sized bottle on the flat palm of her hand, near her solar plexus.
Madame Lombard was nonplussed – she liked the image, the French on it, and the designer well enough, but the name was met with strong disapproval. I explained that it seemed to me a most appropriate name, given its seductive, exotic, heady, sultry, opulent, intoxicating nature. She must have smelled it during our discussion. Thinking back, it’s surprising that 9th grade me could be so earnest but not pushy, and maturely articulate enough that Madame Lombard changed her mind! She smiled, and put it right in the center of the bulletin board, where it remained the rest of the year. I do hope she smiled again when it finally came down.
Madame Lombard, you were the best French teacher Ever, and Opium is like no other scent – Ever.
Kedsroorm – :
My 80-something grandmother has been regularly wearing Opium since it first came out. It smells soft, cozy, warm and so beautiful on her. I always have a bottle on the go but usually reserve it for dress up occasions. It love how it smells on me as well, but it has a much more sexy, assertive vibe on my skin – so not something I normally wear to work. Nonetheless, it is one of my all-time favourites. When I wear it, I can’t help but sniff my wrist throughout the day to savour the different notes that become more discernible and prominent over time.
giv130 – :
This smells like what Amber Waves from Boogie Nights would wear, and I mean that in a really good way. Seventies glamour in a bottle. Blood red lipstick and midlength black dresses with a deep v neck. It also is very much like it’s name, both because it’s addictive and it actually does smell like opium smoke, sweet and spicy. Extremely alluring, and the vintage really is where it’s at. My bottle from the early nineties is still perfect, has not turned at all. It smells just like it did in my childhood and I love it just as much, if not even more.
briuzga – :
i found a partial sample of opium at a white elephant sale. i am not 100% sure it’s the vintage one, but i think it might be. my mother wore it , and i’m fairly sure this is the same scent. it’s dry. a bit smoky, powdery and spicy. i love carnation/smoky/clovey scents so this one’s right up my alley. at first it’s a bit too much, but after it begins to dry down, i am really liking it. i imagine this would be great on a colder evening.
ratat45 – :
Opium is one of those perfumes I wanted to love. I wanted to love it so bad that I kept trying, and my efforts have paid off, seeing as it is now the only thing that will do when I’m in a certain mood.
Minis of vintage Opium aren’t exceedingly difficult to come by, mine is from the early 80’s. It’s very obviously meant for dabbing, but I have transfered the juice into a fancy silver decant with a golden crackle texture that almost looks like some kind of snakeskin, because dabbing never gives me the right feeling. Half a spray to the center of the neck nauseates me, I spray it between my boobs. This way I get wafts of it from under my shirt. Also goes well with a plunging neckline for nighttime, as was in fashion when Opium was released. It is also the perfect companion for cigarettes and heady drinks, though those kinds of nightclubs are nearing extinction in my corner of the world.
In the opening I get about a minute of overripe bananas, then spice rack, and in somewhere between 15 minutes and half an hour (depending on if I’m writhing around getting all hot and bothered or just sitting at the computer), I can actually detect nuances. It smells of another time. It smells of late nights at a desk with a bakelite phone, thick-rimmed glasses and a typewriter, followed by a hedonistic excursion when the sounds of the night outside become too enticing to ignore.
79041836024 – :
I have recently acquired a bottle from 1995, not quite the legendary original, introductory version, but outstanding in its own way.
This is bold, powerful, and persistent. It is not just warm, but hot and pulsing. It practically lives on the skin, undulating in rich radiant waves of oriental spice and resins. The powder and vanilla show up in the drydown, but that faraway fantasy spice market—complete with aged wooden stalls, wind-beaten cloth awnings and centuries of smoking incense—lasts through the long, long life of this fragrance. Burning, exotic, delicious.
I find it absolutely invigorating. It really makes me stand up straighter, and speak a little louder.
Approach with caution, this is liquid fire.
Vovchik5 – :
Dense, powdery oriental. It’s like someone put an incensy, balsamic top over a 1970’s aldehyde/ vetiver base. Very indolic; sexy but not skanky, like warm, musky skin. The aldehydes give it something of a leather note but it’s a soft, suede type of leather, not leather like cowboy boots. Personally, I don’t have any associations with Opium since apparently no one wore it around me during the 80’s. To me this smells quite niche; I could see Serge Lutens, or even Amouage, producing something like this. Thoroughly unisex… in fact, this one might work better on men. One can definitely make out a through line from Shalimar through Opium and down to current orientals like Ambre Sultan. A tremendous, admirable classic. Luxurious and confidently sensual.
fedriccvbz – :
“For Opium’s 1977 launch party, Yves Saint Laurent rented a ship called the Peking to sail New York’s East Harbor, with Truman Capote as its captain. The boat was draped in rich red, gold, and purple, while an enormous statue of the Buddha rounded out what the media would describe as its “Oriental theme.” The Los Angeles Times would report a Studio 54-esque atmosphere: “More people were snorting cocaine in the bathroom than ingesting 13,000 oysters, clams, and mussels on the disco deck. People were actually having sex on a lower deck.” Diana Vreeland was on board the ship, and model Jerry Hall, who began dating Mick Jagger around the same time, was the face of the ad campaign”
I think this says it all 😉
fxjfm – :
This is the perfume I love so much.
It is such a shame, that this formulation of Opium is very uncommon to find in stores today. The new formulation is bearable, but nothing compares to this one… Recently I looked online and it is so expensive!
I remember spraying this perfume from my mother’s dresser whenever I went for a night out. Very different from the more modern scents, but I admire all the notes it gives off- incense, jasmine, sandalwood… A marvelous combination. YSL is a genius.
On another note, brian.fitzgerald’s review is wonderful… Although I am Italian I enjoy singing Bulerias, Spanish gypsy songs and they all evoke Opium.
vitus68 – :
just smelled the original. absolute scrubber. i feel terrible i couldnt handle it. i douse myself in shalimar, in current formulation of opium, coco chanel,paloma picasso, you name it all the beasts. but this was absolutely violent. i wonder if it was maybe off… it was a scrubber. nasty loud evil. not sensual. was it off? i love opium. i dont get it. the original was a nasty bitch. – im crying
i cant stand youthdew either, so maybe theres a connection there with the vintage opium that the now reformulated opium doesnt have. what is it i dont like? i cant believe i got kicked out of the oriental camp.wtf??
rassamaxa – :
Oh my God, what is that, is this created by a human being? 🙂 two different smell, when I smell up close you get kinda harsh carnation but what it comes to your nose from a distance is unexplainable for me, well blended coconutty oriental madness. My vintage bottle got YSL perfume corps label on it, probably one of the first formulations. Almost the most magical scent for me among the thousands of scents that I’ve smelt. It was a blind buy for me but I just realized how lucky I am. Speechless…
JNDER – :
Simply the best. I am looking to purchase ANY vintage Opium, Youth Dew, Cinnabar or Dior Poison-ALL MUST BE VINTAGE!!! perfumes AT ANY TIME. Message me and let me know what you have and asking price. Please note, I am in Canada!!
crd357Unlogrere – :
If I should say just one fact about Opium 1977 /the most important one/, I have to mention that this perfume is so invasive and absorbing that it makes you believe this scent has become an integral part of your bloodstream. And you can´t get rid of it. But who cares?
Using Opium 1977 isn´t just a pleasure. It´s an attitude. It´s a lifestyle. And every time I look at the bottle it makes me sad, even if I wear this perfume only exceptionally. Why do all good things come to an end so soon?! One day I´ll deeply miss this excellent composition of smoky and heavy incense, piquant carnation & plenty of spices and resins. I´ll miss it much…
P.S. Nothing compares 2U…
yurii19 – :
I have the original. I get more compliments on this from men then anything else I wear. Enough said!
lsa78 – :
This is just beautiful, the most wonderful Oriental I have ever smelled.
Two years ago I had the opportunity to smell the wonderful iteration from the early 80s, warm, comforting, mysterious and animalic, almost oily and round, and had to find one.
I was able to find an affordable one from the mid 90s, similar to the tall bottle above.
The version I have is less round and less animalic, very much more incense. The most prominent at first in this one is the incense and resins, and a dusty, almost old orange (it works here). Then the notes start to sing, spices and woods and lots of clover and cinnamon.
It’s, as everybody knows, a beast of sillage and projection. I am not brave enough to wear it for work. But when going out to gardens, or antiquing or at medieval fairs or walking through a touristic city, I do wear it and it is perfect.
I still want the late 70s – early 80s version. But I love this one too.
coquette708 – :
Vintage Opium EDT has got to be one of the top 10 fragrances of all time, at least to my nose that has sniffed somewhere in the realm of over 1,000 perfumes. My bottle is similar to the one above, a tall, flattened oblong pillow, but with gold trim on the cap at the collar and covering the top, and a lot more bamboo leaves on the glass (see image 17/25 in the slideshow above). This is dated somewhere between 1986-1993.
I owned a couple of bottles of this beauty after I was first introduced to Opium in 1992. I was 18 then. Little did I know that it would ruin me for every Oriental perfume in my future. Vintage Opium eau de toilette really is the benchmark. Additionally this formulation looms infinitely large over the softer, sweeter, weaker iteration of the EDP released in 2009.
This perfume is hot to open: fiery cloves that make your upper lip prickle with sweat coupled with a wisp of delicately sweet incense. The myrrh resin in this perfume is gloriously dark but not heavy and lends a little bit of a smooth leathery character in conjunction with subtle brushings of castoreum. There is also just hint of aldehyde that add to this perfume’s substance.
The sandalwood is soft and rich, lashings of radiant opoponax are hypnotic and spiritual. The transition has a cooling effect, rather the reverse of a traditional warming on the skin and drydown. Opium EDT is hot to open but then undulates with waves of sensual, mellow ecstasy that feel like a cool rush. Yes, a cold shower is in order!
Clove does indeed have a therapeutic cooling, anti inflammatory effect and is used medicinally to numb the body. Indeed it has this effect in Opium where the aroma is completely arresting. Aromatic. Cleansing. Purifying.
Opium is adorned with bushels of soft, spicy carnations in the drydown, accented with seductive jasmine and a hint of rose. Some fleshy peach tones linger in the bottom with tomes of superbly smooth sandalwood and the aroma of darkly spiced woody vanilla and musky labdanum.
The quality and purity of ingredients are well preserved even in this quarter century old bottle. The exquisite synthesis of notes is so much more than the sum of their parts.
This perfume. She is the matriarch of all spicy Oriental perfumes. Unrivalled. Untouchable.
For a spellbinding theatrical review of Opium as performed by Salome, please read Kafkaesque’s tribute — the essence of Opium.
rifat164 – :
Opium is reserved for a special subset of women. In order to represent, you must be “of a certain age”, you should be affluent or at least able to appear so. You must have refined tastes and enjoy the finer things in life. Opium captures this all. When it first came out, oh so long ago, it must have been groundbreaking. That name, that glamour, that decadence.
Here’s the deal:
Nowadays, Opium will never seduce a man from the younger generations unless he’s into gilfs. For decades, Opium has been claimed by grandmas, great aunties, schoolmarms, and church ladies.
To recap: it’s a masterpiece, but to me all I smell is a grandmother holding a baby at a grand cathedral during a funeral mass.
Frendili – :
This is by far the most amazing fragrance! I started wearing it in the 80’s. I can always identify it on the rare occasion someone else is wearing it. I tried Coco, Obsession, Cinnabar…nothing gets me like Opium! Love!
Ricco – :
I remember in the 1970s my Dad came back from a business trip to Paris with a bottle of Opium for my Mom. It smelled heavenly.
Deroxmwdem – :
I’m wearing the vintage formula eau de toilette version from a mini bottle. I bought this size because I have zero experience with this scent and was a little nervous trying it out after reading some poor reviews. Well I just want to say this is SO lovely! I keep getting these gorgeous wafts of spice-tinged, creamy, almost gourmandish wafts of fragrance. At first I was confused and kept checking myself to make sure it was me I was smelling, lol! The fragrance morphed from first application and I had no idea it would change into this. This does not smell dated to me in the least. In fact in risk of being hit with tomatos I feel this is more wearable than my sig scent Youth Dew. This perfume reminded me of youth dew upon first application when wet, but the dry down! Pure yummy heaven! This doesn’t smell heavy to me at all but my tastes are a bit strange. I like some heavy hitters. 🙂 I am very curious about the Eau de Parfume and will look for a decant of that sometime soon. This is a love for me, thumbs up!
Smur – :
I have this and also the edp collectors edition in the gold bottle and personally i find the new one stronger and fresher sillage on my gold bottle is a monster
clolecype – :
Creamy spice, warm sands, hot breeze in a desert. This scent is fall in a bottle for me. Luxurious and superb! If you like quieter scents this perfume is not for you. It gives a battle cry!
kaa1972 – :
I am not, at this moment in time au fait with the ways of writing about fragrance in a manner that is helpfully descriptive as well as succinct. But I can say this.
I grew up in house where Opium was sprayed for any occasion on all females in the family. Its the perfume that I compare every other perfume to. Now everytime I see these plasticy fakey fake impostor “Opium” bottles I get visibly angry.
Im just waiting for the day when someone in store tries to tell me that today’s Opi