Sweet William

I’m not going to lie, I bought blindly Sweet William when I’ve had found it for a good deal online. Today is the first time I am wearing it! What a pleasant surprise this fragrance turned out to be!! When I’ve bought Sweet William, months ago, I did it for two completely different reasons. Firstly, because it features heavily ylang ylang, possibly my favourite tropical flower at the moment and I want it in everything. Everything with ylang ylang prominently should be in my collection to brighten up my days. Smelling this tropical flower makes my soul happy... Secondly, because it has notes like fringed pink flower, galanga wood, tobacco blossom and ambrarome, which I have hardly, if ever, encountered in any of my perfumes. And to be honest, it’s unlike anything else in my collection! Smells very warm, sweet and exotic, powdery and balsamic, dense and intense, soft spicy and fresh. It’s a very different and unique perfume compared to all my other ylang ylang focused perfumes and I love it for that. It’s very versatile and easy to reach for most occasions, even though might seem busy or complicated having so many unusual notes. There’s nothing challenging in the way it smells like... More suitable for spring and fall season, the base notes are too heavy and warm for summer, hot and humid weather! Moderate to long lasting performance and moderate sillage. If anyone is looking for a unique take on ylang ylang (or a unique fragrance overall) in 2025, Sweet William is IT. It can’t get more different than this without being straight up unwearable! This scent smells like niche, but in a beautiful, floral way! And Carner Barcelona deserves more recognition/hype for creating such distinctive perfumes compared to most of the brands on the market, but still approachable for most people! And I mean approachable scent and price wise, top notch products!!!

This perfume is so unique - I have never smelled anything like Sweet William! The cinnamon note is very prevalent, and is the most prominent note throughout the opening and drydown. The carnation adds a very light, powdery sweetness, and the black pepper adds to the spiciness of the cinnamon. It's a tiny bit earthy with the iris. All in all, a primarily sweet-spicy fragrance, totally unique to my collection. This smells very comforting to me. Though I don't see it as an easy-going or everyday scent, I think it's so unique and cool. If you love cinnamon and want to smell like it but in a refined and cool way, this is the fragrance for you.

I grow sweet Williams most years as they dont just look great but also smell fab. This is a weak version of their scent. Nice but disappointing. I was expecting something more robust. I can see they have included plenty of notes to create the sweet william accord but strangely missed out the clove. If you like a spicy, woody almost resinous scent that's very unlikely to offend anyone then this would fit the bill. It has warmth but little sweetness. It's cosy and doesn't have a powerhouse sillage like for example Opium. It has moderate longevity and sillage at very best.

I get a nice spicy and fun carnation, with a touch of vanilla. It's warm, sweet but not as in sugary, sweet as comforting. There is a hint of powdery maybe from the iris and the pistachio. Does not project a lot, but it hovers densely close to the skin. I wish there was a little green but that's because I want it to smell like a carnation soliflore and it's more of a carnation perfume. Its sweet and intimate and a little old fashioned.

A dedication to gallant times (think Tudor and Holbein) when gentleman bachelors would sit to have a portrait painted. A red carnation would be featured in the painting to hint at the intentions of the model. Sweet William is a spicy woody perfume. Pepper, cardamom, cinnamon and tobacco are mixed with a few drops of rosewater, orris butter and a pinch of vanilla.

This one caught me by surprise; I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I do! The top notes were a bit peppery and the carnation came through with the ylang ylang a bit strong. But then the dry down is amazing! It is spicy, sweet, tender, and beautiful! I can't stop smelling myself. The projection and sillage are moderate, so this is a perfect every day frag 😍.

Innocent and light, but don't be deceived. It is potent and long lasting scent. It stays on my skin good 9 hours. Subtle king of summer evenings.

It’s a really nice soapy iris vanilla skin scent and the tobacco flower in the dry down is stunning. 10/10

Looking to sell my bottle. Few sprays missing. Uak shipping only

Sweet William is another sample that I never would have picked out for myself, but that I ended up liking quite a lot after giving it a proper test. The carnation note is especially lovely and lifelike in this one - or actually, I'm not sure what carnation smells like, but that one has been voted most prominent so I'm guessing that's where that wonderful, subtle, slightly nutty blossom scent comes from. And it sits so comfortably on its bed of soft spices, too; fragrances with lots of focus on spicy notes aren't usually what I prefer, but they're so mellow, so velvety smooth here that I can't help but enjoy them. The drydown is sweet and powdery and very nice as well. All in all it makes for a great, very wearable fall scent, totally unisex and with satisfying projection and longevity too. It's still not the kind of perfume that makes my heart beat any faster, so I'm not sure if I really need more of it now that my sample is used up. But I'm so surprised by how much I'm enjoying Sweet William that I might not say no to a decant if the opportunity presents itself after all...

I love blind buy perfumes, it’s exciting and the joy of not knowing what to expect. The first spray and impression was a well balanced blend of powder, aldehydes and floral. And ode to vintage fragrances, a modern take on vintage fragrance DNA. Chic, elegant, classic and vintage. Looking at the accords list (should be ordered from bottom to top instead) you may think this was going to be something warm, spicy, like in style to an autumn fragrance but no, it’s more like giving a hug to your grandmother after not seeing her for a while. Some freshness at the mid drying point, a little spiciness along strong floral. Just a pretty fresh fragrance. Carner Barcelona is an amazing house that we should consider more. It’s a year around fragrance perfect for spring and to wear during the transition from summer to autumn. Somehow in the same category of Citizen Queen from Juliette has a gun, but different. If you like powdery clean fragrance try this one!

I was disappointed in this fragrance. At least, I was in the opening, which was almost repellent. I love a spicy Oriental, but there's something in this opening that's very off-putting. The blue ginger? (Galanga) The pepper? I tend to think it's the pepper, but I'm not sure. The drydown is nice. Very nice. I smell carnation strongly. It reminded me of the carnations boys gave to girls in high school when I was a young lass, age ago. I would sniff mine all day, so I know that scent. I see here it is not listed in the scent pyramid, but from whence I got the perfume, it is listed as the #1 note, which makes sense. Anyway, it's a wonderful, nostalgic scent and I like it a lot. The performance is only moderate though. Brief trail, slightly longer longevity. I'm glad I only paid club prices for this. I won't be buying full size, but I'll wear it occasionally, for the nostalgia of the carnations.

I love the scent of Dianthus Barbathus, a.k.a. Sweet William... I have been grown up in the garden with gorgeous, white field of Sweet Williams, among roses, peonies, zinnias... We had exactly that aromatic species of the Sweet William. In fact, I was on verge of to give it a dislike. For your explanation: yes, it smells like Sweet William... together with a strong, odd synthetic note, which totally ruins the experience for me :( I was originally so happy that I found a perfume with this note :( Edit (19/7/2022): It seems that the perfume works better in a warm environment. That synthetic note dissappears and you are left with a true Dianthus smell. Which I love. So I am now considering buying the bottle. This is one of those true spring scents. (I have Byredo La Tulipe and Frederic Malle Iris Poudre for this season).

This is a very pleasant scent with a vibe of previous perfume era due to carnation dominant note along with ylang ylang. Usually I don't like scents with strong ylang ylang but this is different. Pleasant, safe and wearable. It's not an old school scent but it's a modern-classic. I was hesitating from trying it due to its name "Sweet William", I was expecting an overly sweet & feminine scent but it's not. Totally unisex, suitable for mild weather, fall, spring and cool simmer evenings. Dominant notes are the big Carnation along with ylang ylang, intensive spiceness from the pepper, mild and well balanced cinnamon, mild iris & cardamom, faint vanilla. There is also a faint powderness. Longevity is moderate but the projection is soft to moderate. Try it if you love carnation.. Great vesatility.

bought a decant because my son’s name is William, and i couldn’t pass it up. unintentionally layered this over alien goddess tonight and it’s giving an inexplicably nostalgic vibe— it’s making me think of the 90s and i’m not hating it. 1997 at the Aqua Center in the town where i grew up. can’t begin to tell you why.

A mild floral with delicate spice undertones, smells more like an EDT. Dosen't project well so not worth the money .

Its probably a good scent, just not mine...it reminds me of this monstrosity of Carolina herrera L'Air Du Temps but very tuned down....but similar...its a bit old fashioned for me

Sweet Willliam starts out sweet and spicy and reminds me of a ginger fruitcake type experience but then I get something vegetable in the background, something like celery root or cauliflower (something root vegetable-ish). It is too jarring for me to have the sweet and spicy fruit-cake with vegetable notes. Its like eating those gluten-free chocolate chip cookies back in the day when thet were made with chickpea flour... it was sweet and almost yummy but then there is that bean/vegetable taste... no thanks! This might be fun for those who like this type of play on scents that dont belong together. Sometimes it is my thing too so give it a try before buying so you know if it is definitely your thing.

I love carnation and the smell of sweet william flowers and I love a lot of these notes (crazy about cardamom, ylang, rose water, iris) but this one does not work for me. The opening is spicy but I find the whole thing fairly soapy with an odd plastic note. I like a lot of the other Carners I've tried, so this is a rare miss. Strong and long lasting, for me unfortunately too strong and long lasting.

Oof, I'm not a fan. This reminds me a bit of Eau Premiere by Chanel - the ylang and the vanilla I guess - but without the aldehydic sparkle that makes that one so lovely. I don't get any of the spices; it just feels very flat, soapy, and powdery to me. I don't hate it, but I just feel like there are better ones available in this genre; ones that have a bit more of a spring to their step.

It smells like (to my nose) soapy carnations sitting next to a spice rack with the peppercorn container left open. It is neither old fashioned nor modern, simply a floral perfume that I wish I hadn't bought.

Oh lord... this is revolting. It's like pepper and powder. I just about have a migraine and need to get it the F off my skin. 2/10, don't recommend.

Oof. This is really stinky. I wouldn't call it light and easy. I think it's the ambrarome that's producing a screeching smell.

Welp, well, I finally found a fragrance that activates my gag reflex... What could have been a vintage-y, slightly powdery, slightly spicy floral is totally offset to my nose by a tangy, metallic undertone. Feels so unnatural. My guess is that this is the interaction between the ylang-ylang and pepper/cinammon/galanga. Yeah, I hate it.

I surprise myself at what perfumes I pick out at the stores they are never the notes I typically go for. In fact carnation is on my "not my note" list. But this blend is great, I don't get the old lady vintage vibe from this carnation. It's sweet but not sickening, and I'd really really like to think I am getting the galanga but not sure about that. However it is somehow a bit exotic a bit tropical - perhaps the lyang (and hopefully the galanga!) As someone who loves the galanga in Tom Yum soup I'd like to think it is responsible for the exotic twist in this. *Oh I read the description and it now makes sense! All these exotic / tropical originated ingredients - that always gets me going :) I won't be buying this however. Despite it's exotic charms It doesn't grab my soul and make me scream "I must have this juice right now and buy two back up bottles straight away" like (most of) the ones I own did :D I think this one would need a slightly tarter twist to woo me. Some lemongrass, or a stronger galanga.

Simply beautiful. Even though floral perfumes are produced in their droves, this is not like anything out there. There is a purity and soapy element to the floral aspect, and mixed with gentle spice it doesn’t smell overly floral , but quite classic . If I had to say what it reminds me of , it’s a very distant elegant cousin to L’air du temps in a contemporary way . High quality , excellent silage and longevity. It’s very uplifting and bright. I was not expecting to love it as much as I do . After the 1st spray of the sample I purchased the full bottle , as did 2 friends . Worthy of testing for sure !

Although unisex, I would say it goes much better with a man's PH, it smells very unique on my husband, unlike anything I've ever smelled before. We picked it up in a small shop in Santorini as upon smelling it, he immediately said it reminded him of his grandfather (although it's far from vintage or old smelling). It's also a bit camelleonic depending on the weather, it really blooms in the summer and closes up in colder days. A very special scent, strong on the cardamon and cinnamon, it does not lose it's complexity in the dry down. Awesome quality from Carner overall!

Bitter sweet spices. Cinnamon, cardamom, carnations, and slightly powdered black peppers. Iris, tobacco, and roses. The cardamom, and black pepper are mixing things out in away that makes it overly spicy as i begin to sniff woody notes as well. It's ok, not really expressing the nobility times and searching for love!

Unfortunately on my skin, the carnation does take the old lady route. It reminds me of old ladies sitting in church surrounded by incense. It's a pleasant fragrance, but nothing wowing. Although, I haven't seen too many successful floral-spicy fragrances. Carnation really just isn't my thing

I was hoping this would be a true carnation with the vanilla notes, but it's not that. What it is is a very lovely peppery floral like a cross between carnation and creamy smooth jasmine. It wears light but not thin and dries to a soft floral vanilla. I like this a lot.

This reminds me of being a teenager when I was up to no good in Hawaii. Maybe it’s the natural tropical floral smell. Like walking by blooming bushes. Or smelling the plants in a beautiful tropical hotel lobby. Not strong or over the top, but natural.

I agree with s.pelligrino. Generic, soapy, nondescript flat floral at first. Then it warms up on the skin and I get a tiny bit more ylang, carnation, and cinnamon, but so far it doesn’t have much more to say.

Thanks for the honest reviews, especially nsmlov. Your mention of L'Air du Temps told me everything I needed to know. I absolutely hate that fragrance. I won't waste my time or coins on this one.

To my nose, it smells like tiger balm without the menthol freshness. Add a tad of a chamomile - like note. It’s not for me.

Clean & soapy .. perfect mix of iris & yellow floral with hints of vanilla ... 10/10