Existence

This is a lovely ambery frankincense, lightly gourmand and aldehydic floral lily of the valley forward fragrance. And one totally safe for those who are sensitive to any indolic or skanky undertones of the flower. But instead a powdery touch. It’s super feminine (even though that should not stop any guy who likes this fragrance from wearing it). But this is a very delicately beautiful scent. Almost a little fairytale like. I could imagine Cinderella wearing this when she has been enchanted by the fairy god mother and on her way to meet the prince. (Most likely one of the main reasons why the prince got all mesmerised by her... 😘) Perfect for summer. But usable also during spring and potentially even all year around for those who make this a signature scent, (which is quite possible). The start is the most beautiful. It’s almost fizzy spritzy like sparkling champagne and through the sparkles comes the most authentic part of the lily of the valley which is very pretty. When it sets a bit on the skin the creamy and equally powdery ambery accord comes in and the lily of the valley is now united fully with the most beautiful frankincense accord that one has come to know and love about many Amouage fragrances. To me nobody can do frankincense quite like Amouage can. It’s fluffy and creamy and therefore balsamic in such a beautiful way. And together with benzoins and a touch of ambergris something romantically intoxicating is created. The lily of the valley is the perfect choice of flower as it helps keeping the blend sweet enough to avoid it going in any bitter or churchy direction but also not overly sweet. Instead the combination just gives depth. A different kind of depth than for instance an indolic floral note can do. Keeping the beauty of the fragrance while still keeping it from becoming childish or too cute... Due to the fact there are aldehydes in this it can be a tiny bit heady for someone sensitive to that. But nowhere near as bombastic as for instance Guidance is. Existence does project well. But not in an offensive way. In many ways this could be a perfect wedding fragrance. With ist uplifting and bubbly expression. But at the same time it’s elegant, but in a youthful and modern way. No doubt this will be a success for Amouage. Having said that this is predominately a beautiful fragrance and not a challenging or daring one or even mystical one. It is pretty much a sophisticated concoction of beautiful and fairytale inducing layers that give a bit of an outwordly experience of existence. Not a realistic and complex version of the same. As much as I love the frankincense and balsamic dance with aldehydes and powdery ness as the fragrance matures. I can’t help but still wish the initial experience when the lily of the valley gets to play first violin for a little while would last longer. As that is so incredibly captivating and uplifting. But that is nit picking. Overall this is the best of the newer releases from Amouage in a long time to me. The price is... well it is Amouage so criminally expensive. Even expensive when offered with a discount. But if you have the budget this is a good choice. But since it is quite a significant fragrance there will be others inspired by it coming along. Even though few of them will be able to compete with the frankincense that Amouage has. ❣️

This is one of those fragrances that completely disarmed me. Every time I wore it on skin, I found myself thinking, “Wow... this is gorgeous.” Today, I finally stopped trying to resist it. 💰💰💰💰 Existence smells like the most impeccably dressed woman in the room—the one who isn’t trying to impress anyone. Everything about her is effortless. Her clothes fit perfectly, her hair falls naturally, her makeup is barely there, and somehow she’s the person everyone notices. That’s exactly how this fragrance behaves. It’s undeniably clean, but not in the usual “fresh laundry” or “just showered” way. There isn’t a soapy sharpness or an overdose of white musks. Instead, it’s a luminous, velvety cleanliness with remarkable depth. The musk is soft and almost skin-like, while the frankincense and ambergris create an airy, mineral glow that lends the fragrance a quiet sophistication rather than an overtly incense-forward character. Lily of the valley brings brightness without becoming green or watery, and the rose feels like a sheer veil rather than a bouquet. Everything is blended so seamlessly that it’s difficult to pick out individual notes. What impressed me most is its restraint. Nothing screams for attention, yet people notice it. About an hour after applying it, I walked into work and a colleague immediately asked, “What are you wearing? You smell so good.” That perfectly sums up Existence. It projects beautifully, but it never invades someone’s space. It has presence rather than volume. This is elegance without effort. It’s polished without feeling formal, luxurious without trying to prove it, and unmistakably modern while retaining that unmistakable Amouage refinement. Some fragrances try to make an entrance. Existence simply walks into the room—and somehow everyone looks up.

EN Existence is like a gentle cloud of fragrant lilies of the valley, ascending towards celestial stillness. Its opening notes are the crystal clarity of lily of the valley and rose—subtle, weightless, yet distinctly recognizable. Then appear delicate strokes of incense and labdanum—smoky, profound, wrapping the fragrance in a soft strength. The base of amber, benzoin, and white musk warms like the muted light of a setting sun. Despite its floral presence, this is not a strictly feminine scent. It is a true unisex creation—purity without gender, presence beyond clichés. Its longevity is striking. On skin, it lasts endlessly. On fabric—longer still—thanks to aldehydes that leave a trail like sunlight glinting on silk. Existence is not just a perfume—it’s a meditative state. It seems to whisper: “Stay light—yet unbreakable.” ⸻ IT Existence è come una nuvola delicata di mughetti profumati che si solleva verso una quiete celeste. Le sue note iniziali sono una cristallina purezza di mughetto e rosa—sottili, impalpabili, eppure perfettamente riconoscibili. Poi emergono pennellate di incenso e labdano—fumose, profonde, che avvolgono il profumo in una forza morbida. Il fondo di ambra, benzoino e muschio bianco scalda come la luce ovattata del sole al tramonto. Nonostante la presenza floreale, non è un profumo esclusivamente femminile. È un vero unisex—purezza senza genere, presenza senza cliché. La sua persistenza è sorprendente. Sulla pelle sembra infinito. Sui tessuti—ancora di più—grazie agli aldeidi, che lasciano una scia come riflessi di luce sulla seta. Existence non è solo un profumo—è uno stato meditativo. Sembra sussurrare: «Resta leggero—ma incrollabile».

I'm starting to think Quentin Bisch is currently in the prime of his career. Everything he has released lately has been exceptional in my opinion. I was very hesitant about Existence, mainly because of the aldehyde mixed with the Lily of the valley. I was skeptical because these particular fragrance notes are a little bit vintage and sometimes can make a fragrance appear older than it really is. However, I had faith Quentin would re-create a composition and turn it into something refresh and young. Not only did he do that, but he also gave it a bit of a seductive quality. That is his signature that makes it almost impossible for other perfumers to replicate. Existence has a familiarity to it. I'm not exactly sure what that is. It could just be the notes themselves. There is a post mentioned below that referenced a bit of sweetness within the composition. I agree with that. It's very delicate as is the entire composition. Consideringly feminine. There is a quietness here. Sitting by yourself in your backyard right at the end of dusk and into the night. There is no motion in the air. Everything's quiet. It's just you. The beauty that comes from that is what is encapsulated in here. If you let it come to you. You have to ask for it to come in. This is the complete opposite from breaking the door down. Existence is just that. Existence. Letting yourself be. The calmness within that. If you can get yourself in that frame of mind and then experience this fragrance on your skin at the same time, you fully understand the true art of Quentin and his work.

I wrote a review on this back when it first came out as I blind bought it immediately upon it’s release and sold it just as fast because I thought something was sour about it. Well, now a year later I have to say I’m a little addicted to this and it no longer smells sour to me. It’s actually quite beautiful and I should have given it more time before judging it. To quote Rick M J’s review below, “I just think the longer you have this on the more you appreciate everything about it” and that has been my experience too in trying it a second time around. I ended up finding my way back to it after smelling it on a test strip in store and it was better than I remembered and I couldn’t get it out of my head all day as the scent filled my bag that I had the strip in so I bought a sample of it this time to truly test it more before repurchasing and it’s really gorgeous! I think when I first smelled it I wasn’t too used to a heavy use of lily of the valley in scents so it threw me off and now I’ve been liking that note more and more as I’m trying more frags with that note in it heavily and Existence just hits the spot. It’s fem, clean, floral and fresh and concurring with a lot of other reviews, it does draw compliments, quite a lot actually. Men seem to really love it. Happy to add it back into my collection and glad I gave it another chance. I lowkey missed the bottle in my collection for the color alone ngl lol. Performance is great as well.