Reptile

There is this concept of a "second skin" in perfumery, where a fragrance is more a complement to one's own personal space rather than a salvo of one's personal affect. Some argue that they feel cheated by such a scent as it denies the wearer the opportunity to enter spaces with a statement. This leads me to query the idea of a "statement" when I would argue that a subtle effusion can make an even stronger impression. There is that quiver that comes from being enticed by a scent, but it also feels just beyond reach, leaving you wanting more, making you fall in love with its elusiveness. It ends up being stored in what feels like a hallowed temple in the brain's memory center. To some, Reptile may elude in a way that leaves them baffled. It's almost a mirage, there, but weaving in and out of perceptual conscience. I love this about it. The copy's claim that it's a "beguiling and musical perfume for center-stage" resonates with me, but not in the way it's intended. This is no "electrifying" rock-n-roll sort of fragrance. It's more Eno than Fripp, an ambient experience where its tonality, built around one of the best uses of pepper-plus-cedar Iso E Super driving a vaporous brushed leather, is a compelling minimalism. I am reminded of a fog-machine: that sweet, ineffable misty aroma: an olfactory rendering of this fog creating a musky opacity in the air, rendering the wearer in a hazy daze. Like an apparition, it weaves in and out of perception. A Veramoss accord, salty, reminiscent of wet paper, and mineral-like, fashions Reptile into an almost haptic phenomenon, for me personally at least. Its impression of tactility comes closest to resembling its namesake, a textured skin, the furrows and scales, tiny crystals and blunted spikes, leading to a soft cotton exterior, only partially visible in the brume, but surely felt. It makes me want to receive a hot stone massage in a spa. The skin scent is a surface just dried, fresh, raw and slightly mammalian. I am absolutely smitten with this newfound "second skin," but let me clear (as the politicians say): you may be underwhelmed and then wonder what I was prattling on about. Beware, I urge you to try before you buy, and maybe, just maybe, it dovetails with your sensibilities as it has with mine.

Reptile is a really interesting twist on a few ideas I like from (largely) masculine perfumes gone by. I think it has more than passing nods to Balmain (that peppery one), Gucci PH1, some misremembered YSL Prive line one perhaps... (not doing very well here am I?) Hermes...maybe Equipage X Vetiver (less so the...) Tonka? Then something like Lancome Homme also? It has a mossy, earthy, scratch of vetiver cocooned in a hazy ginger and cardamom/nutmeg, pepper spice, evoking the incense smoke and supple leather as well but with the lightly soft base underneath which all these perfumes have giving that gentile, chanel/YSL/Guerlain chic. It's lovely. Has a bit more bite and almost verging on something edgy but not to the point of Nightclubbing which I still think is the most standout thing from the brand. The thing about this more recent rebooted Celine line is that they don't really standout massively from a creative point of view, other than being very well executed and such, and there will even be those folks who don't feel Repile has enough impact, or original ideas but I'm wearing it today and while it's not exactly a blissful, WOW, I need this in my life' experience, it's a very reassuring, firm hand on the perfumery tiller, type perfume, I'm enjoying it and it's impeccably conceieved and blended for me.

My friend and fellow Fragrantican Gretta sent me a generous vial of this stuff, about which I knew nothing, and wow. What an absolute beauty--and so distinctive. I don't think I would have been drawn to this perfume on the basis of the name, Reptile, because I have visited the Reptile House at the St. Louis Zoo, and as beautiful and fascinating as its inhabitants are, I do not want to smell even sort of like that. Despite my reservations, as soon as I sprayed Celine Reptile on my inner arms, I felt sheer delight. It smells like the listed notes, like leather and moss, in that order. Maybe you, like me, were a prepubescent horsegirl who thrilled to the scent of saddles and bridles and other tack, or maybe you, like me, simply enjoy the fragrance of fine leather handbags and other accessories, or maybe you, like me, enjoy the scent of peppery, smoky black tea and oak moss. You probably have your own perfectly valid reasons to reach for this subtle beauty, despite the unfathomable name. Wear this if you want to exude class without screaming how classy you are.

First sample: This smells almost exactly like Bal d'Afrique on my skin. I do like Second sample: I don’t get any associations related to the name, but this is definitely edgy and cool. It gives me that model off duty type of feeling. This is definitely something a star would wear. Completely unisex, to me Reptile is similar to Bal d’Afrique with less vetiver and a touch of non-smoky powdery vanilla mixed in. Perhaps my mind is creating ghost notes here, but that’s what I get and I love it. I can wear this regardless of season, but would likely skip it on very hot summer days... Although, the name would suggest otherwise, so I may give it a try. P.S. I used to work in a biochem/genetics lab when I was in college and had to deal with hundreds of frogs. Reptile is not even remotely close to any of the scents I had to endure in the process. P.P.S. I think the powdery vanilla note that I and others are smelling is the musky leather which is so soft and gentle that it doesn’t even smell like leather. Sample three: I’m now nose blind to this

Based on the name, I was expecting something more aggressive, weird, and offbeat (and more leathery). I actually feel like the main structure kind of reminds me of some elements of Cartier's L'Heure Fougeuese--namely a combo of coumarin and Evernyl (meant to impart an oakmossey feel) all over the gauzy-orris Celine veil. Lovely and pleasant. Pepper and the vetiver are most evident in the opening in addition to a slight sweetness. In fact, something in this evokes the vetiver-coumarin-ethyl maltol-floral "filler" chemical combo that produces Vetiver Tonka. Even though I was expecting stranger, the sort of moss greenness makes sense with the aesthetic of the scent. If you liked the idea of Fougeuese, but found it just a little too weird and salty/skin-like, this might appeal! An interesting lovechild of the aforementioned Cartier and Hermessence scents that manages to be offbeat enough but agreeable and wearable. Tempted to get a 15ml!

I'm addicted to this perfume, partly because I never feel like I understand it. The opening gives me whiplash. In the blink of an eye, it goes from barbed and spiky (a huge spray of black pepper) to soft and yielding (woods, oak moss, leather). It's so strange that my brain demands I spray it again and again, just so I can understand what happened. I don't think I've ever worn a perfume so often for a specific millisecond of the notes progression. I like the perfume after the opening, too, but it quiets down a lot. And, in its own way, continues to elude me. Half an hour in, it's so light and minimalist that I have to put my nose right up against my wrist to check that it's still there. But when I do smell it, it's still its own weird thing: musty, mossy, slightly salty. Reptile speaks in its own distinct voice, even at a whisper. Strange all around, and I haven't been able to find anything else like it.

I really love it, maybe the most out of the entire Céline collection. It took me a while to understand what this perfume reminds me. I finally got it -- the dry down of Hermès Caleche once all aldehydes of Caleche evaporate (I have several Caleche bottles, EDT and EDP("soie") but in vintage versions, so I compare to those). The two -- Reptile and Caleche have almost equivalent dry-downs. Longevity is about 5-10 hours depending on the distance you name. Not a mega projection but is always there, very subtle. I fully agree with Rosenoir below -- once you spray it, it disappears only to appear a couple of hours later, and much more for others than for you. A perfect office scent. Overall -- I am buying now the bottle, juste hesitating 100 or 200ml...

Reviewing a sample from 2025. Reptile was launched in 2019. This is no ordinary reptile rather this is a beautiful irridescent creature. Opening with cedar and incense notes then softly spiced refined leather and a musky floral accord. The dry down is mossy with a sense of vetiver and powderiness. Beautifully blended. Whoever created this deserves accolades. Quality- excellent 4.5/5 Unisex Performance- decent sillage, moderate longevity. 3.5/5 Unfortunately this suffers from the same poor performance of all the Celines. Stunning mossy/leather fragrance which is totally unisex and versatile but suffers from poor performance - comes across more EDT than EDP. One of my top three fragrances from Celine . This deserves more hype! 8.5/10

In my opinion, this is the best high humidity scent. Perfect for a really rainy day. Very mossy, earthy, wet leather, peppery with a little bit of cedar. I saw a guy on here that said it smelled like a disected frog, I have never done that but I feel like it would match. Overall a great fragrance, but it's not very strong, I get 7-9 hours on my skin, wich isn't very much for my skin (most fragrances last more than 20h on me). The whole celine line is very light and I do not wiew that as a problem. But since it is light, I consider the pricing a little high. I would do 4 sprays, two on the neck and one on each shoulder. 7.5/10 because of the price I recommend trying before buying for sure

I've heard people I trust rave about Céline (I'm looking at you previous reviewer on your podcast wink wink), so I got the sample pack. They're all very well done, but there's nothing that makes my heart flutter. It's like they're trying to outchanel Chanel. Which, why not! But aside from the funny playdohey Dans Paris (absolutely not what it smells like dans Paris, I live there - piss, piss everywhere... and fag smoke) making me chuckle a bit, I feel nothing about these perfumes. I'm wearing Reptile, which is a dramatic name for something which essentially smells like I wore (insert vetiver perfume name) a few hours ago or even yesterday and am now left with a creamy remnant.

According to New York Times’ first (and only) perfume critic Chandler Burr, it smells like: - “The scents of black pepper and crystal meth.” - “At once edible and thrillingly poisonous.” - “A guy before us in a python jacket and toting a gun.” - “An opaque, dangerous-looking, vulnerable-feeling man in liquid form.” According to Celine artistic/creative/image director Hedi Slimane, it smells like: - “A glittering olfactory kaleidoscope of all the rock stars that I have photographed and dressed for the stage over the past 25 years.” - “An elegant top note, while immoral and poisonous notes build in, leaving an addictive patina smelling of powder, incense, stardust and glitter.”

Yesterday I was at the Celine boutique in my city, I tested all this line, only 2 got my attention and took samples of them to try at home. Now I’m testing this on my skin. I can get the Capochard similaritis , but there was a closer one that I took 1 mnt to tell what it is, it is Nude by Bill Blass, yes, its strange how the memories of my sister’s wedding kept flashing in my head like a shower! It was her wedding perfume at the start of 90’s.... I can classify it as a modern reformulation of Nude!!! To that degree I trust my memories. I think of purchasing it just for the sake of the similarities with that unique scent that has never being copied.

Reptile is not as well known as other Celine fragrances but in my opinion, it’s the best of the line. Now initially, Reptile was not my favorite of the Celine lineup. But I spent a long time with the Celine discovery set before deciding on one to buy for myself. And after taking the time to make that decision, Reptile became the clear and obvious winner for me. It is mossy, cedar, peppery perfection—something I kept wanting to smell, and I never tire of it. It’s unisex, probably leans a little masculine but I personally don’t care how a fragrance leans as long as I love it.

If you like slightly sweet but hate gourmande but you want to smell refined, powdery, soft green, soft moss & with whisper of soft spice, this might be for you. One of baby-ish skinscent that i would compare to Fleur de peau & Diptique's L'eau papier. CELINE produced refined young boss vibe scents who are confident & modest. It has tendency to smell like matured. Upon testing, just like my initial reaction to fleur de peau, i almost puke on weird pungent scent but when it settle on my skin, it smells effortlessly clean woody musky vibe, i also smelled cotton here.

This one grew on me. It wasn’t my initial pick from the Celine line but I received a sample with purchase so I got to test it at home... It’s multi faceted and that’s what draws you in. The scent is rather gentle, elegant and subtle for a leather dominant scent. The opening has a slight animalic note that adds interest. It dries down to a powdery woody musky scent that feels like ‘second skin’. It’s very wearable and suitable to most occasions. You could probably wear it in summer as well? Which is rare for a leather perfume.

can't believe nowhere here salt/saltwater, and ROCKS/pebbles are mentioned!! it smells like a big rock on the seashore, cooking up in the hot sun. Then there's the vegetal and subtly minty moss, a sexy leather vertically splitting the experience, a very vague touch of cologne/shaving cream making it instantly masculine... but it's so mineral and salty to me. Very good longevity, projects just enough, and it's pretty sexy and unisex. Good both for evenings and daytime

It does become a skin, arm's lenght, scent very quickly, but I think that's the point. Reptile is supposed to be a second skin type of fragrance. The inspiration is a rock star's leather jacket. That being said, the scent itself is absolutely beautiful. Linear, sofisticated, well blended and chic. Although it's a simple profile, there's nothing quite similar to it on the market. I'm glad I bought a full bottle and I love it when I take whiffs of it through the day.

Testing my sample; this is a buttery, well-worn, very well-loved leather jacket that, through time, has absorbed the scent of the oakmoss-forward fragrance its owner wears repeatedly. There's soft hints of peppery woods and something vanillic, which really drives the 'well-worn' aspect home. Every season except for summer, too hot then. Intriguing but comforting, I'd absolutely get a full bottle of this.

top note: you just woke up in a fresh, untouched part of earth, i.e. adam and eve heart note: you're exploring this new land and come across moss, but moss is an animal, an extremely cute animal, and a freshly born, ultra-cute moss baby just cuddled up and gave you a kiss base note: you think you're in a five star french hotel lobby but slowly you realize you're in a very high end nursing home

Scent is near perfection: perfect blend of moss & leather without being awful ( it is not an easy task), very green & yet not too green : a walk in a mossy forest with refreshing air. Very fresh & invigorating in a unique way. Longevity is piss-poor for what they are charging. Projection is not great but i don’t think this perfume is meant to be projected to a wider area anyway.