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.

Love at first sniff. If you love liturgical incense like me but want something "bright" and fresh, this could be the one for you. For me, this is "frankincense-y" spring in a bottle. I really love what Quentin Bisch has done here. I can see why this might smell like a very abstract departure from other resins heavy Amouage releases for many people and therefore disappointing, but not for me. I have many types of frankincense resins at home that i burn occasionally. I have the raw resins and i also have the flavored resins which are usually coated with powder of different notes (Lily of the Valley, Pine, Vanilla, Gardenia etc). This smells exactly like the Lily of the valley powdered resins i have when they're burning. At first spray, a piercing smoky liturgical incense will make itself known, reminding you that you're still in Amouage lands and assuring you that you won't be drifting too far after all. The opening is very lily of the valley dominant, with a good dose of a very bright pink rose. Both blend so well with the incense. The mixture is intoxicating. The scent basically stays that way until the late drydown when a slightly animalic ambergris starts sneaking in, mixing with a soft balsamic sweetness from the benzoin. The sweetness is reminiscent of honeysuckle in some ways, even though it's not. What a beauty. I know what my signature scent this spring will be!

Unique, light and yet robust. Opens with a bright, fizzy, pop-rock style of aldehyde - candied and sparkling. Moves into a gauzy white smoke, embroidered with pink rose notes and a glorious peekaboo lotv note. It’s there and it’s gone and it’s back again. At times a caramelised and slightly chewy woody note weaves in and out through the white smoke and you will feel like it’s gone. It’s not. She’s a fine cloak blown behind you by the wind that when you change direction, is experienced again. Excellent longevity. Not overbearingly loud but present. For me, while at the outset I get rose notes, it’s by no means (with my chemistry) a rose dominant fragrance - it’s definitely LOTV heavy - seconded by the resins and olibanum. I’m currently wearing during winter, this is a cool toned fragrance and I think it’ll wear really freshly, in the heat. But is really crisp right now too. The colour of the bottle and cap suits this scent really well. I’ve not smelt anything like it and I’m enjoying getting familiar. Update July 2025 (winter): this one of of my Amouages I only reach for in Winter (like Crimson Rocks). She is crisp, airy and clean. If I add too much heat the amber becomes incredibly sweet and is heavy which I don’t enjoy in high heat or high humidity. Late autum through to late spring for this baby.

Stunningly ethereal, and glamorous. It is a pretty dewy rose with a tiny vibe of Quentin Bisch’s signature Akigalawood. It may not listed but this run in the same vein as Guidance and Purpose, there a bit of that pickled smell like Purpose (could be because of Mystikal) and a bit of Delina in a rosy behavior. It is gentle than Guidance. The lily of the valley and rose are dancing hand in hand, I can smell both of them almost vividly and separately. A lot of roses. Sweetly fresh, and light, but with grainy frankincense to provide lots of complexity and depth. I bowed to Shalimar Parfum, gave a ring to vintage Diorissimo and had a fling with Guidance. I skinny dipped with Oud Satin Mood Extrait. I handed my mother a J’adore, and held hands with Atomic Rose. I had a heartfelt affair with Epic Woman. I took Passion Rose to parties, stripped naked to Obsession EDP, and snuggled in warm embrace of Memoir Woman. I had a honeymoon at NYC with 724 and almost wrote a vow to Honour 43. Amouage Existence, IMO is a poised and emotive fragrance and perhaps is one from the house that I would say it’s their most “sparklingly pretty” fragrance.

I got a sample of this, and my first impression was that it was definitely not for me. It was loud, sharp, intensely green, and the Lily of the valley felt completely over the top — almost on steroids. It was simply too much. But then the dry down arrived... and she emerged as this beautiful, playful, joyful scent. Suddenly I couldn’t stop smelling my wrist. Somewhere along the way, she quietly cast a spell on me. The sharp edges disappeared, and what remained was stunning. Light green, soft yellow, white florals — this smells like the month of May in Scandinavia. The days are long, the sun is finally warm, but the air is still crisp. Spring after a long winter, when everything blooms all at once. And somehow, despite all that life and movement, she never becomes overwhelming. She is the woman who happily rides her bicycle to work. Jumps rope with the kids. Full of laughter, sunlight, energy, and effortless elegance. I am genuinely surprised by this one, but I think I’ve fallen completely under her spell.

I won’t hold you: if you ever smelled laundry detergent & thought, “oh! That smells so good”, “this is nice. I’d wear this.” You may go ahead and blind buy EXISTENCE. This is the TIDE of laundry detergent. It’s not soft, not a skin scent & it is so lovely in the air! It does remind me that AMOUAGE is an ARABIC perfume company because of how strong this clean scent is & how I smell something of incense that mixes perfectly with the detergent smell. It is very light incense but I smell it. This is not for someone who wants you to guess that they have a nice smelling body wash & natural smell. This is for the person who uses TIDE AND DOWNY. And they get dressed to the song, “SO FRESH, SO CLEAN”. If you use TIDE, DOWNY & dryer sheets- PLS DO NOT OVERSPRAY THIS! MEN! EXISTENCE is unisex! Please go pick this up. I want to smell this on you all this summer. You won’t need a lot & this will be so sexy on you guys. I just LEARNED THAT THIS IS ANOTHER QB MATERPIECE. You say QUENTIN BISCH, I say QUENTIN THE BEAST!

I can appreciate how this might not be for everyone. This is quite niche IMO - it's a unique take on a clean fragrance. The LOTV gives off such a sharp and clean smell without going too soapy while the frankincense adds a beautiful incense smell to the fragrance but in a cold way. In fact, that's how I would describe this fragrance: cold. Imagine the most clean LOTV, a little soapy and cold-smelling fragrance paired with a cold incense/frankincense smell, and there you have it. I personally love it but it was not a love at first sniff for me. I had to take my time with this one. What a beauty! I have nothing else like it in my collection. I do wish there were some woody notes in the base, to ground it a bit more but other than that, this is one I'll enjoy year round. In fact, this is going to really shine in the Spring and Fall but I think it can still be worn in the Summer. I'm not sure how it will hold up in the Winter but I'm eager to find out. This is a daytime fragrance IMO, and safe for work too.

My love for this beauty was instant. There was neither mixed feelings of hate than love, or love than hate as with more fragrance we have encountered. This was to my profound disbelief... and that is rare.. it’s completely Love. I summoned all my olfactory senses and close my eyes, smell it repeatedly and still none of the sniffles nor sneezing which is pretty common when I smell perfumes occurred. Now this fragrance is strong, the sillage and projection is outstanding. So I presume my nose taking this very well has to do with my brain and senses connecting this smell as absolutely deliciously divine. It’s a dopamine hit. The LOTV is creamy almost vanilla sweet on my skin. Strangely the ending smells more amber like and there’s traces smoky resin but I’m in a hot tropical climate so the sweat on my skin probably mix and altered it a lot. On the clothes it smelled much more stronger and last for days. Got so many compliments from this perfume from strangers so that’s interesting

Yeah this thing is perfect. Super aldehydic and white floral forward. It smells like a more modern dia 40. This thing is an actual masterpiece, and I need a bottle of it. Amazing amazing amazing. Edit: I’m wearing existence on a rainy night and I am enjoying this whole atmosphere so much. It’s rainy and dark outside, and I’m inside smelling like a sparkly aldehidic bar of soap+ some signature amouage DNA. Existence has an unforgettable character. It has this realistically cooling and “wet” quality. Loveeeee this stuff! What is hilarious to me is how much my brother with the most boring and basic masculine taste loves this perfume. I own over 20 amouage, and he thinks all of them are utterly disgusting. However, when I purchased a sample of existence, I caught him sniffing his arm all day 😂 I believe that speaks about how beautiful this perfume is, but NOT blind buy safe. Edit: I bought him a sample of it because he likes it so much

All of these polarizing reviews. My turn Existence takes me back to the scent of my second grade teacher. She smelled of lily of the valley if I could get what she wore then I would. The accuracy of that feeling of being in her classroom is the perfect match to this fragrance. Loving, fun, high energy, witty, bright, strong , and an everlasting feeling is what this fragrance brings to me. I’m thankful for its creation. I understand how it’s polarizing but out of all my amouages it’s not the highest on the list. Careful with the sprays it is very strong but it’s beautiful. I blind bought it the first day it came out but I did my research and knew I would love it and was right. Amouage fragances are more of a feeling than just the scent. They all tell stories that takes you places. So before you judge their fragrances so harshly at first finish the story it’s telling you after a few tries and see what it tells you.

There's something with Amouage perfumes that make me dislike them when I first try them and then I get hooked after the second test and buy a FB. It already happened with Love Tuberose, Blossom Love and Guidance. Lilac love had me on the first take. During that exploration, I rated Existence THE WORST from them, probably because of the sharper opening, but all I had to do was to test it separately and it moved straight to THE TOP as soon as it got to the middle notes. To put it simple, to me, it smells like sand, dirty rose and "dusty" frankincense ("clean" would be the one many associate with spirituality and church, like me). This is not an "ethereal" intimate and quit scent. It's loud, noticeable and bold, but still not over the top. It is also very unisex. I adore it on myself as a female, but I would love to smell it on a man too.

This is stunning. None of the notes or 'this perfume reminds me of' suggestions could have prepared me for how beautiful this is. Upon initial application its fresh, aquatic, sort of a white tea variety scent. I didn't expect it to stick around because of its fresh qualities in that way that citrus scents don't. But as it settles you get that lily of the valley and rose. I don't smell rose when I put my nose to it, but I smell rose in the air around me. Its clean, but also a little fruity and floral. Its not soapy, or laundry detergent clean, its some sort of mystery third option haha. If I had to criticize it, on ONE wrist where I sprayed it but not the other, theres some sort of note that turned just a LITTLE sour. On ONE wrist it lost a little of its freshness. No idea what caused that!

The first time i sampled Existence i was immediately put off by the overwhelming soapy facet of this fragrance and i thought no this is not for me. But I was quite intrigued by the positive reviews on this perfume so i gave it another chance and boy am i glad i did! Obsessed! Existence has now become one of my favorite scents ( yes i now own a full bottle that i am thoroughly enjoying!). That's why it's so important to give most especially complex fragrances several tries before making a decision. Existence is a sophisticated clean feminine scent. It's not intrusive but you and people close to you will know you wearing something nice. So if like me your 1st thoughts were 'no way'! I encourage you to give this another go... you just might discover your new obsession...

This wasn’t a love at first but now I’m obsessed. I love this so much! The lily of the valley is prominent and I don’t get sharp, soapy aldehydes the way I do with something like Chanel no 5. It’s hard to describe but on my skin it’s like an almost syrupy lily of the valley (if that’s even possible). I layer it with Blanche absolu and/or valaya/exclisif for a super fresh and clean scent. I’ve been complimented several times wearing it. It projects and lasts forever. I’m sometimes confused by ppls reviews. I don’t like boozy fragrances so I don’t buy, test or review them. So why buy or try a fresh/clean/soapy fragrance when you don’t already like that scent profile, rate it poorly and complain that it smells like soap or laundry? Makes no sense.

No words can be enough to describe this art in form of fragrance. Immediately I smelled at Printemps in Paris I was sure I wanted this badly, it was for sure my best souvenir from my annually vacances. Is aesthetic, sophisticated, well done rich smell. I do understand that as everything in life can't be liked for everyone, of course, each person has yours preferences. UPDATE: today 04/27/26 it was my first full wear to work.. insane longevity I did spray one in each wrist an one spray on each side of my neck and 1 spray on my back... At 8am and is 9 am I still can smelling nicely, I'm considering not shower (I'm joking 🤭🤭). At this point I'm regretting to not bought a backup bottle. My best fragrance purchase ever.

This is a masterpiece. There is nothing else like it. Sparkling, crisp, fresh, green, and clean aldehydes and lily of the valley in the opening with the slightest sweetness from a ripe pear note - I sense this- and delicate tendrils of soapy rose dance on the wings of the most stunning frankincense. The tension between this ethereal opening crispness and the GORGEOUS warm true ambergris and labdanum in the dry down is mesmerizing . And, what a performer! With room-filling silage- I prefer not to overspray- and exceptional longevity, Existence is a major presence without being skanky or overbearing. It’s also a head turner and compliment getter. This is niche perfumery at its apex. A modern classic.