Elixir

I bought this blind purely because I liked the notes (A*Men and Black Phantom are fragrances with a surface similarity that I enjoy greatly, though admittedly I don’t wear them that much) and my signature scent (Penhaligon’s Tralala) is a boozy gourmand) So I thought it’d be a pretty safe blind buy, having loved Peter’s Dendera and enjoyed his candour on his channel (he’s forever begging people to sample first instead of plonking down cash for a full bottle, and also constantly shrugging off the possibility that his tastes might not be everyone else’s). Also I had watched the couple of review videos there are on YouTube for Elixir and they were positive, and all the allusions to Biscoff biscuits and waffles made my mouth water. So having received it, does it live up to its expectations? If I was yearning for a close relation of Black Phantom I think I would have been disappointed and I can’t lie, for a moment I was. It did not have the startling complexity of Dendera upon first spritz (and can one really expect it to?) But one thing’s for sure, it delivers on its promise of being a semi-gourmand Cedar was at the forefront and perhaps being a bit too assertive, But I’ve learnt that with natural perfumes the first spray from the bottle is never the whole story and very often the shifts occur in quick succession depending where they are sprayed. Five minutes later and I was shrouded in a Biscoff/cappuccino duvet and feeling absolutely delectable. This of course would have been ridiculously juvenile if a third photorealistic impression did not intervene, and that, curiously, is of Saphir’s Medaille d’Or shoe polish; for any guys who enjoy spending a quiet afternoon polishing up their precious brogues you’ll know what I mean. Among its ingredients are beeswax and turpentine (from pine resin) and quite emblematic of the oldy-worldy Gentlemanly sartorial arts of pocket squares and boutonnières. This progresses, for a Chinese guy brought up in Singapore, from the shoe-shine chair to the Sinseh. That undeniable terpenic and salubrious aspect of American Ginseng, an odorous root that claims to cure a litany of ailments and wafts out of every Traditional Chinese Medicine hall with the same vehemence of Fierce out of an Abercrombie boutique. I’m not sure if it’s because all tree-based extracts are essentially terpenes (and cedar and sandalwood are in this) but there’s something that definitely creates that impression - something faintly anisic and solvent-y, a penumbra of maturity on an otherwise callow sunlit sugary shore. This combines with the rather prominent rum ether to create a treacly base that lasts and lasts a good 24 hours, and I’m a sweaty person. Also, since rum is a derivative of sugar, it is a wonderful use of a natural material to stand in for an otherwise saccharine, one-dimensional synthetic, and provides the background hum of a vanilla fragrance without apparently there being any actual vanilla in it at all. I’d say, if you’re looking for a great caramelised cakey vanilla, this could be it. So all in all, great stuff, whatever your choice of tipple. Works a treat on bed linen (at least for me). I only wish we had seasons here because I can imagine this would be extra cosy in winter.

This is in my top 5 strongest fragrances. Amazing coffee and alcohol notes. Love that the company is from Yorkshire which is also where I live. I own 3 fragrances from Centauri, one is new and isn’t listed here yet. Definitely get Dark phantom though and at the moment slightly prefer the Killian

As @SmellsLikeIDontKnowWhat mentioned, the fenugreek lactone is WAAAY too overdosed. The opening is beautiful, it smells like a barrel of whiskey, brandy... gorgeous. But the caramel furanone lasts forever, I really don't wanna smell like curry (actually I don't wanna smell like anything) for 24 hours.

I am a huge fan of Peter's work but this one doesn't work for me. It also is honestly too strong. Even a shower can't get rid of this smell. God help you if you get it on clothes.

Insanely intense caramel scent, not that I don't like caramel, it's just SO STRONG

Testing through this house after seeing some positive YT reviews. For me this one is like a mix of the olfactory experience when visiting a whisky distillery and smelling the rough alcohol wash along with cognac barrel and a touch of toffee and a sniff of coffee. The scent dries down to a pencil shavings and alcohol scent. For me, it’s rough, it would be nicer if it was smoother and a touch sweeter. The alcohol note is persistent and not pleasant to my nose. The coffee that’s there is a bystander to the abrasive alcohol notes and the slight sweetness and woods that come on the dry down. This was compared to Black Phantom (or in the same ballpark), for me, it’s not. I wear BP, this one I probably won’t spray again.

This may be the strongest perfume I’ve ever smelled. Caramel syrup overload, homofuraneol/maltol vibes, maybe some coffee pyrazines and nuttiness, lots of sweetness and stickiness. There’s a faint woody/amber frame. One tiny spray on a paper strip scented a huge room, and the residue stuck to my finger even after many many washes. Next time I handled the blotter and sample vial with a plastic bag. It feels too sweet, too sticky, and not pleasant. Cloying.

Caramel bomb with an absolutely rank cedar note—maybe it's something about the booze/cedar combo, woodchip hell. I found it to be reminiscent of Black Phantom, as others have mentioned. Beyond their obvious similarities as rum/caramel/coffee gourmands, Elixir's off kilter cedar takes the place of the earthy note which makes BP so alluring. After drying down more, the cedar/booze parts way to a treacly caramel/brown sugar (my gf compared it to a yankee candle : ( ). For what it's worth, this one has some staying power (reappeared while working out today 48 hours after application, having outlasted 1 shower. From a distance, (i.e. smelling the vial...) there's something here... but I would love to never smell this one again.

It’s a disaster And yes probably either a one note scent or the caramel note is 90% of the juice The power on this is associated with poisoned air that contaminates your lungs and throat I sprayed a strip and it stayed in the room for the whole day until next day afternoon It’s not for humane consumption and frankly while overdosed smells like Indian food Even if you prefer nuclear performing scents this one is way stronger which is not to be used around people

This is a Sotolon bomb, the molecule that gives fenugreek it's aroma. I sprayed this once and my wife could smell if from upstairs, she thought I was cooking curry. The smell lasted on the back of my hand for 4 days! Not something I want to smell of.

Saw Demi Rawling talk about this on TikTok so I ordered a sample. When it came, I could smell it radiating out of the packaging. Sprayed 5 sprays on skin, wrists and neck. Went into work and evryone was saying the place smelt like syrup and pancakes, it lasted the whole day. Went home showered, could still smell it. Woke up around 3am and all I could smell was syrup and pancakes. Had another shower around 7am and I walked in my room and it was all I could smell. I’ve come to work the next day and people can still smell it on me. I’ve got strong perfumes like ombré nomad, hibiscus etc and this is the strongest one I’ve ever had. I have no idea how to feel about it

opens up very unpleasant. the cedar is super aggressive, loud and sour. its so strong, its hard to focus on any other ingredient, cedar is the only thing I can smell. why did they amplify it so much?? completely unwearable hard pass

So are more people coming through and marking it as a hate/intimate/female/very weak/overpriced because they don't like the person who made it, or because it's what they actually think? Fragrantica users are so damn juvenile.