Aromatics Elixir

**From 2014** How does a man go from proclaiming a fragrance to be his favorite, his life essence, for years depleting large bottles with alarming frequency, to a total purge and bitter dismissal of it? Aromatics and I had a torrid Last Tango in Paris love affair, if you could call it love. This is the story of my sadomasochistic obsession with her. I purchased my first bottle of Aromatics Elixir from Sephora in 2008, along with my first bottle of Angel, another Perfume of Contempt that has since distanced itself from me with reformulation. Aromatics had gotten my attention because my friend Monica told me it smelled like dirty pussy. After one sniff of the tester bottle, which gave the impression of patchouli and vinegar, I purchased 100 Ml and took it out to the car, where I sprayed a bunch on my arm. If you think the current stuff is strong, you should smell what it used to be like. It famously comes out of the bottle with a disturbing and addictive vinegar astringence that immediately renders you unable to smell it or anything else. There is a massive sour, soapy floral accord with jasmine, rose, and all the usual players petrified in a highly synthetic aldehydic chemical spill that prevents it from ever smelling natural. The chypre base smells how all the Estee Lauders used to smell when they had access to as much oakmoss as they wanted, with a distinctive dry, powdery "Lauderaide" that ran through all of them from Youth-Dew to Knowing but with a pronounced marijuana effect. Aromatics has a gorgeous, rich patchouli, which is the only thing that smells natural in this perfume that ironically was marketed to appeal to the first wave of hippies clamoring for "green" products. Estee Lauder created Clinique as the 70s-spirited "natural" branch of her cosmetics empire. Its phony Francophile name, like the pseudonym Josephine Esther Mentzer gave herself, was conjured for a sense of European glamour and authority. The employees were made to wear white lab coats in a charade of medical seriousness. Pristine still-life photographs by Irving Penn were used as advertisements and solidified the chic minimalism of the products. The products themselves were hyped for their lack of fragrances and suitability for allergic people. It's a lovely irony, then, that Clinique launched as its flagship one of the strongest perfumes of all time, which has a reputation for inducing severe allergic reactions in the perfume sensitive. Aromatics (the "Elixir" part of its name was added later) was marketed as an early form of aromatherapy and capitalized on the hippie fashion for single-note oils of patchouli and musk. Its first print ads were psychedelic sketches of a Cher "Half Breed" type in solitary D.H. Lawrence communion with nature, a popular 70s aesthetic that was also used for Clairol Herbal Essence shampoo and Eve cigarettes. Aveda, also launched in the 70s and later purchased by Lauder, appealed to a similar demographic, and is known for its products' distinctive Aromatics-like essential oil fragrances. A diluted companion cologne for men, Aramis 900, was released soon after. Customers have always complained about how strong Aromatics, sold only in a bluntly named, skunky "Perfume Spray" concentration, is, so Clinique salespeople were told to tell people it was meant to be sprayed and walked through, a method still proselytized by flibbertigibbets who are frightened of being noticed for their fragrance. My first real experience actually wearing Aromatics was in a film editing class at community college that took place in a small computer lab. I used about ten sprays of it, that was just the way I did things then. The nebbish professor looked sick mid-lecture and excused himself to go out to the hall. A Perfume of Contempt had been born. During my four or five years wearing Aromatics I got many compliments, mostly from those who liked patchouli, incense, and pot. After my first bottle there was a big change, and I began hearing comments about bug spray. Because of the reduced presence of oakmoss or the replacement of treemoss or whatever they did to it, it never entirely settled on skin, just got sourer and sourer. I told myself that it was still great, but I was in denial. I also steadfastly denied that it gave me a dull throbbing headache, even when worn in minuscule amounts, for years. Monica said that the original Herbal Essence shampoo, with its nefarious cocktail of chemicals masquerading as Garden of Eden naturalness, would strip your hair down to a straw-like texture, and it felt like Aromatics was doing this to my mind. Nonetheless, I went through four large bottles of it in as many years, two pots of body cream, one tube of lotion, one tube of body wash, one solid perfume, and three candles. My self-image was deeply entwined with Aromatics and its 70s strangeness. One of my crowning achievements was when a boyfriend bought his own bottle and wore it in lament even after I had broken up with him, to the consternation of all other faggots he encountered. Then one day I just grew out of it. I'd been wearing "old lady" perfumes that repelled men for so many years and had such a schizophrenic fragrance identity that I thought it was time to wear things that might make me more approachable and wouldn't make me feel vaguely ill. I pared down my collection to essentials and shockingly kept no Lauders, almost all of which I had owned and worn for years. I also had to finally admit that Aromatics had been destroyed by reformulation. It's still an interesting perfume and worth smelling as the most intact ghost of classical French chypre perfumery still available in department stores, despite its American origins. With the ban of essential ingredients, however, Clinique has seemingly streamlined it into a more conventional rose-patchouli accord in the Coco Mademoiselle realm while maintaining an approximation of the vinegar astringence Aromatics is known for. Like most reformulations, it just refuses to sit comfortably on skin because of its weak base notes. Aromatics has always appealed to women who are a little off, a little different, a little perverted: art teachers, French teachers, hippies. It inspires dogmatic loyalty in its users in the way Angel does, and when you meet another Aromatics lover it's like meeting another member of your secret coven. You instantly know more about each other than many people who've known each other all their lives. Aromatics and I learned dark things about ourselves through each other while it lasted, though. We went right up into the ass of death. She wanted to kill me by the end. She was going to shoot me, claim self-defense, and say that I'd raped her, but I got away. I have passed her on the street, but it took me a minute to realize who she was.

Hello, fragrance-loving community! This is my first review of a perfume on this site. I have been utilizing the website for a long time to look up notes in the fragrances I find interesting. I have yet to find something as interesting or as mesmerizing as Aromatics Elixir. This perfume... Wow. Haha Where should we begin? I enjoy the occasional freshness of a squeezed lemon, pear, or grapefruit. Though I have sampled many sweet scents, they simply do not call to me like the layers of complexity here. Chanel No. 5 seems more potent in aldehydes to my nose than Aromatics Elixir does; nevertheless, I adore almost every aldehyde I have worn. Dolce & Gabbana Red Cap (EuroItalia version) is another that I find lovely and soft in the way freshly-laundered towels smell from the dryer, but it does not hold a candle to the softness of AE. Yes, the first spray today was quite strong, but I was expecting it. I adore patchouli and often wear actual patchouli oil as a lone fragrance - even in the summer! Daring and a bit scandalous in the muggy summers of the south, I know... I should also mention that I am 29, and I absolutely adore wearing Aromatics Elixir. Upon first spray, I gathered the wherewithal to sniff my wrist immediately. I do understand where some people detect a hint of urine there, but it eventually evolves into the hauntingly beautiful scent of rose petals on my skin. If you have ever smelled Tea Rose, you will know well the smell I am referring to. Add a bit of dry leaves and a dark forest filled with the soft lullaby of a crisp breeze that gently presses a cluster of fallen flower petals onto your naked skin and messy hair... there you have it... the power and otherworldly allure of this magical potion. I see a half-dressed, pale woman with natural curves brushing out her dry, dark hair with a wooden brush that she picked up off the dirt floor of her little hand-made shack in the valley of some disturbingly familiar residence. She pushes away at her untamed mane and glides blissfully over to an array of glass jars in the window to pluck up a handful of dried flowers and tie them up above the doorframe outside. She casually jots a few scribbles in a leather journal and tosses it onto a weatherworn table inside before returning to the night to stoke the fire for dinner. As she sits in the damp, night air, she revels in the freedom she has created for herself and closes her eyes to enjoy the warmth of the flames before her. From within the dwelling... a man of equal, carnal desire emerges to gaze upon her exquisite beauty and places a hand upon her soft shoulder. As she lifts her glowing eyes to his, he gently caresses her hands and guides her up to his level in the darkness. He places a warm, reassuring arm about her waist and folds a quilt around them as she rests her face in his bare chest. The exciting danger of her unknown freedom is accompanied by his earthy pheromones, and she feels safe in his calm strength of presence... The two live and dwell in the heart of humans and their beings. They sing songs of deep longing with voices torn by age. They cry into soft sheets of grass as they consummate their love in grace to the grave. In short, this is the scent of a woman who has found her place in life but always yearns to find the truth to that untimely question: why? It’s brash, but it’s not trash. I detect the scent of salty tears and of drowned herbs in oil tinctures presented to mend a broken soul of a loved one long since passed... or the yearning whimpers of a lover fallen to your kindness in the pleasure of your kiss upon his or her bare, sweaty flesh. This is an herbal remedy for the soul, alright. I find it just as tempting as a walk through crunchy, autumn leaves... as I find it as perplexing as a toxic relationship with a man or woman you love to hate and hate to love. There is a turmoil of baseless claims and shocking developments and yet... a heartwarming melody of endless passionate nights and hopeless apologies. It is the scent of an open casket and a face of someone you loved but is no longer there - tied to the feelings of grief and a realization that you no longer can be perfectly sure where they have gone. There is the smokiness of a dying fire and of a rose left rotting in a glass case. A calming embrace of a friend who feels your soul in tragedy... and the conclusive nature of a written motive from the heart of someone who never truly loved and lost. At least, that’s what I smell. It’s sexy. It’s mature. It’s maternal. It’s calming. It’s blissful. It’s seductive. It’s odd. It’s bizarre. It’s harrowing. It’s cold. It’s warm. It’s dirty. It’s clean. It’s lonely. It’s lovely. It’s tempting. It’s assuring. It’s pleasant. It’s astonishing, It’s earth. It’s water. It’s air. It’s fire. It is, in fact, a glimpse into the fragility and complexity of human existence through the lens of grounding scents of the world we dwell within. I find it speaks softly to the human condition. That is, however ironically, all.

In the AI-generated pros-and-cons list above, I found this one, and it made me laugh so hard: “May be viewed as a punishment or a troll scent by some.” Because honestly, the first time I had to wear it was at a Truth or Dare drinking party after a Halloween zombie parade. On that day, I probably became the best-smelling zombie in the world (bite me if you disagree). So, for that one above, I’m torn — I can give it both a thumbs up and a thumbs down. Jokes aside: now I own it. It’s half of a tiny 25ml bottle I bought second-hand two years ago from a lovely lady at a bargain price (£10 plus postage). “No more than 2 spritzes,” she told me — and she was right. I usually only do one, behind my lower back. And it smells amazing. Here’s why the place of application matters: this fragrance is very special. Your nose will pick up different scents depending on where you are in its scent bubble. If you spray it on the back of your hand, even after it dries down, and sniff with your nose right up close, you’ll smell something aggressive. But if you’re a bit further away, it’s completely different. I guess this is true for many perfumes, and maybe that’s why we sometimes find that something smells great on others but not on ourselves. So, if you have such a fragrance in your collection, try spraying it behind your back. In summer, try behind your knees. You might discover a new experience and feel reintroduced to a scent that once disappointed you, but always smells great on other people. Back to this one — if A.E. is still too scary for you to try, even behind your back, try spraying it in a space. Yes, spray it in the air in a room. Leave the room, and come back 30 minutes later. You’ll understand exactly what I mean. The scent bubble is big enough for you to appreciate from a distance, and you’ll want your nose to stay just far enough from where the scent is sprayed. Also, I see people say this is a winter fragrance. But personally, I wear it almost exclusively in the heat, for several reasons: 1. It’s not fabric-friendly. It requires the warmth of your skin to develop. That means you want to spray it on yourself, not on your clothes. So you need enough skin space for it, especially if you want to spray it sparingly (which is what I always do). 2. Placement matters. I apply it behind my back, not behind my neck — behind the neck would still be too close to my nose. In winter, that area is completely under thick layers, so the scent wouldn’t have enough space to create its bubble. But in summer, when I wear garments like a little vest or a loosely fitted dress, it’s the perfect environment for this scent to develop underneath. 3. The opening behaves differently in heat. The aggressive opening develops much faster in a warm environment than in a cold one. And the opening, I guess, is what most people consider off-putting. In winter, it just isn’t warm enough for it to evaporate and move on. 4. Patchouli and herbs = summer nostalgia. I’m from East Asia — patchouli and herbs just scream summer to me. They feel nostalgic and smell like home. Last but not least, my grandma wore Elizabeth Arden and Chanel, and my mom doesn’t use perfume at all. So for me, it doesn’t read as “old.” However, I know men who wear this, and they smell completely elegant and dashing with this scent, so to me, it strikes a balance that feels quite androgynous.

(Bottle c. mid-1980s) Hey! We have an example of Estée Lauder being able to make a beautiful perfume via a different brand that they own...! Now, granted, this happened more than 50 years ago, but the novelty is still very noteworthy even this many years on. No less noteworthy - certainly more so - is just how good this perfume is. For one, this still has one of the best chamomile accords of any perfume I have ever smelled. Once the bergamot and galbanum dispenses, which happens very quickly in bottles prior to the early 2000s, the gently honeyed, hay like and grassy, pale yellow floral of chamomile rings true. Additional depth is not needed at this point, but rose and coriander come into play anyway to add to the breadth instead. The cool woody character of the coriander gives the honey character levity, while the rose makes the pale yellow floral character more saturated and vivid, turning it almost gold. It makes me want to open my bag of pure, dried chamomile flowers I use for tea and give them a big whiff but I won’t because I do not want to be disappointed by a comparison to the real thing. As time slowly marches on the rose becomes more prominent, powdery and elegant. With the spiciness it comes across nearly as an ultra-vivid carnation, helped by a headiness also becoming more apparent and growing. Then finally, here it comes, the heady and unctuous muguet flanked on both sides by a properly indolic jasmine. The jasmine is also allowed a bit of its citrusy and green facets here, but the star is that creamy and savory muguet. Then comes the surprise, which is that Aromatics Elixir - an oak moss/chypre or amber bomb it is not! This is where it steers clear of many of its predecessors and affiliates by focusing on a clean, musky, earthiness of dried top-soil patchouli and floral musks. Some resins, balsams, and a touch of animalics live here too but it is inarguably and determinedly trying to be cleanly earthy without resorting to oak moss - and it does so utterly beautifully. Every time I smell this heart to base transition of Aromatics Elixir I can feel my muscles relax, my heart slow down, and my mind empty in ecstasy. And this is where I must detract a bit from others who laud this perfume, rightfully so as I do. It is strong, yes, and it projects and sillages like warfare going off, yes, but it is still restrained. The Lauder compositions of the relative period it is so frequently compared to have a brash American confidence to them, largely thanks to the oak moss and animalics, in conjunction with heavier amber facets in some case, that will control a room without asking permission. Beautiful though they are, they do not know how to not announce themselves nor to not be the focus of attention. Aromatics Elixir will stand in the middle of the room, all eyes on it, without saying a word. That clean, ethereal, radiant character is like the sun shining through the window of the room - impossible to ignore but not trying to take anything from anyone either. It’s the stunning beauty that everyone has noticed but no one wants to work up the courage to talk with to find out why they are so quiet. It does not matter if you are a man or a woman, work up the courage to see if Aromatics Elixir will hang on your arm. Now.

Aromatic Elixir is among the legendary fragrances of the 20th century: instantly recognizable, profoundly polarizing, but for the right person, simultaneously intoxicating and grounding (if that somehow is possible). In 2020, it seems that more men might be gravitating to this beauty, perhaps since the mainstream women under the age of 35 are terrified of anything that isn't sweet, edible, light, and fresh. AE is none of these: it makes its presence known, shows a depth that it is rarely found even in the most flossy of current niche fragrances, and has qualities that immediately make the wearer feel wrapped up and comforted (even if its over-application comes at the expense of the wearer's company). For this masterpiece of modern perfumery, a light hand is critical: sillage, projection, and longevity kicks the hineys of 98% of fragrances in existence. AE is one of my all-time favorites, so forgive me if I gush, but from its very opening of aldehydes, chamomile and clary sage, you immediately know that you are in for a ride, but thankfully, not a bumpy ride. Its opening deceives the wearer into think this might wear a bit lighter, but give it about fifteen minutes and the florals, patchouli, woods, and moss just bloom (Gucci has NOTHING on this kind of "bloom."). The florals are evident but not foofy or feminine, they are rather narcotic and yellow. Carnation and rose are indeed most evident, but ylang-ylang is quite apparent as well, lending a ripe floral quality that makes this stage of AE more unisex than feminine. However, it is the base that anchors it all which makes this so memorable. It is the hallmark of AE, and merely listing the notes does not do it any justice, it must just be experienced to understand. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts, after all, and here it is just its own entity, with no one element yelling over any other. It's a harmonious chorus. I must stress again that this is not for the faint of heart, and it may seem like more of a "dare" for someone and a horror story for others. Alas, time shapes tastes, and unfortunately tastes in scent have really gone in a less dynamic and complex direction, as evidenced in the many designers saturating the market with insipid or even offensive bilge containing overdoses of tonka, ambroxan, and iso e super. Older designers such as these, even reformulated, are something to relish while still in production, because the general public isn't really showing much of a shift back to these kinds of fragrances any time soon. Perhaps the niche crowd or those more passionate about fragrance, but I am afraid to say, something like AE's days are numbered. Grab bottles while you can. I just bought another (a 100ml) for spare change at one of the Lord & Taylor locations going out of business here in the northeast. God I love Aromatic Elixir. See also: Aramis 900, its lighter, rosier sibling that was marketed to men, which is also phenomenal. Bernard Chant = utter genius. 10/10

the most cold and crisp scent that has ever warmed me. Aromatics Elixir is, aptly, a potion of fragrance notes that are uncoordinated on paper but completely cohesive in execution. herbal and green notes give way to the earthy and inky tones of oakmoss combined with incense and resinous woods to supply a most honest take on earthiness in perfume. the shadows that this scent is hiding are, ironically, the bitter and astringent facets of verbena and chamomile that, when paired with the warmth of the patchouli and vetiver, are the most domineering parts of the entire composition. spray it on a paper or in the cap and you don't grasp the full complexity of the makeup. Aromatics Elixir must be trusted with time and patience (and, most importantly, a miserly application lest you choke in a cloud of overwhelming greenery) before the true and haunting realities of the perfume are filched into focus. in the challenging and, admittedly, unpleasant silage of the first half an hour of this perfume, therein lies a most truthful replication of nature and its habits. perfumery like this reminds one how difficult a first impression can be, how the moment you meet a person is hardly a reflection of the whole of the relationship. how could you know that the person to whom you run whenever you need a deep breath that feels warm instead of cold would be that person to you when you met them in the smog-filled streets of your hometown? what honestly makes you think that the first thirty seconds of interaction will truly make or break your chance with the love of your life? I was not initially struck by Aromatics Elixir, but found it irresistibly alluring among a wall of mediocre modern releases and, in an act of trust, allowed her to be vulnerable with me. once she stopped hiding her nature behind those bitter herbs, I found myself running to her in times of change and in need of comfort. if my perfume is an honest reflection of who I am, let it be Aromatics Elixir: bold and audacious, yet particularly difficult to stomach.

"Aromatics Elixir smells like a grandma perfume.” I find that comment irrelevant and quite lazy. I understand the emotional weight of scent memories and personal associations (it's precious) — but instead of brushing it off with clichés, why not ask ourselves why A.E is still considered as one of the most iconic floral chypre ever created? That kind of longevity doesn’t happen by accident. My grandmother wore simple rosewater and orange blossom water. She always smelled like a fresh Mediterranean garden. So this kind of scent doesn’t evoke any dusty memories for me — What I feel with A.E. is something entirely new and entirely mine. Last year, out of boredom in an airport, I was browsing the perfume section when I was drawn to this very dark liquid — Aromatics Elixir. I sprayed it, and something happened. I felt my pupils dilate, like in a film. It was physical, almost primal. Since then, I’ve fallen into perfume the way one falls in love. And I’ll say this: I don’t care what this fragrance reminds other people of. I wear it for myself — wherever I want, but lightly. I never overuse it. These days, we’re expected to endure a flood of trendy, syrupy perfumes that cling like noise. So I see no reason why others can’t handle the presence of a bold, legendary scent like this one. I don’t find it dark or overwhelming. To me, it’s rich, thick, complex and voluptuous. In autumn and winter, I wear it with a long white cashmere coat, a silk scarf, and high suede heels. I feel elegant, composed, confident. This isn’t darkness to my noise — it’s refinement. When I close my eyes and smell it, I feel like I’m walking across the wooden stage of an empty theater, its floor steeped in the dry scent of sandalwood. It’s cold. The silence is thick, almost alive. The air carries traces of bitter chamomile and earthy patchouli, like dried herbs forgotten in the wings. Somewhere in the shadows, a faint whisper of incense lingers — like a thought refusing to die. This is not a place from the past. It’s an inner sanctuary.

This perfume is meant to be listed in a history book. It reminds me of the roaring 20s for some reason. I absolutely love it. However, my taste is fragrances is quite specific. This perfume smells extremely vintage. Like a body powder from the 50s or something. Realistically, this perfume reminds me of my grandmother and my great aunts that are all deceased. May their souls rest in peace Above. This perfume reminds me of being 5 years old, watching my late family members getting ready. Doing their big, curly hair in little pin curls or rollers. Applying red lipstick. Applying body powder and after shower cologne. Wearing pantyhose and a knee length skirt. It smells like history. It smells like growing up. This perfume is not a recommended blind buy. Tbh, it smells old af. I mean that in the best, most beautiful way possible. It honestly kind of reminds me of the Spanish line, Maja. Beautiful. Aromatics Elixir is not for the faint of heart. It will transport you to the roaring 20s. It smells strong, green, resinous, and very floral. All of the fragrance notes and fighting one another to be on top. However, none of the notes can easily be pinpointed. It smells like a sexy 45 year old woman. It smells deep, sensuous, and aging. For an older woman, it’s gorgeous and perfect. I spray this on myself or on my pillows when I want to reminisce on the good old days. When I miss my grandmother. Whenever I miss the distant memories of sitting on the bed, watching my aunts get ready in their vintage outfits and red lipstick. This perfume reminds me of a rum and coke. I love it so much. I will always repurchase and I do not care if it’s not for everyone, if it can be cloying, or if it makes me smell like I’ve time traveled from the 1940s. I simply don’t care. This perfume was a part of a beautiful era and reminds me of my loved ones. It’s mature and sexy. I love Aromatics Elixir.

Okay, I rarely buy the reformulation line because eight out of ten times, it is just the standard formula that has been sent out before proper maturation but something has clearly happened here. It is almost unrecognisable in places. There is a bitter green phase that has vanished and a barbershop aspect too. It moves far more quickly to drydown. The change is enough that it no longer resembles Aramis Devin which it used to be its fraternal twin. I do not think this happened suddenly but in incremental steps. I remember it from back in the day, I have a travel size from a decade ago and a bottle I bought this week. To my mind the scent has progressively shifted. It is less the hippy rose chypre-barbershop deal that it once was and more an agrestic version of Magie Noire with a twist of Aramis. The dilution rate seems weaker too but does not seem to affect performance. If I had bought it really wanting the original, I would have been heartbroken. I actually really like this iteration but that was sheer luck. The current version is like sitting in the long grass on a hot summer day, wearing an old school rose fragrance you sprayed on a few hours ago. You can smell the horse you were just riding, the leather from the tack, long, warm, dry grass all about you. You can almost smell late afternoon sunlight in it. It's a remembrance of a distant, bucolic youth for me. I cannot fault the performance in either projection or longevity. That remains the nuclear beast it was. If you are a woman who likes the original Aramis, the dry downs of both bear some similarities to each other.

I found AE after scoring a bottle of Le Labo's YLang 49 super cheap (€70). I enjoy Ylang 49 so much that I started looking for other similar scents. As this was such a cheap option (found 10ml bottle for 2 Euro) decided to blind buy to test. Wow is this similar. What's even more wow is considering that some people pay over 200 Euro for a Le Labo scent when something this similar can be had for like 30 Euro. I wouldn't rebuy Ylang 49 at full price ever knowing I can have AE even though they are not the same. It's close enough and just as strong that I could live with both but would obviously choose the cheaper option. Are these feminine? I guess you could say that but as many have mentioned on here, men can easily wear this as well. I somehow find this to be a super comforting smell and enjoy it from first spray until hours in...it does really last and last. I also agree though that you could smoke out your office if you work with others in close quarters. Buyer beware. Update: so a couple days in and after some wears, I now know exactly what some reviewer below meant when they said there is a urine smell to this. I initially didn't understand but once I discovered it, I can't get it out of my nose. Now I can't wear this as all I'm getting is this odd urine odor. No idea how this only "appeared" to me after a couple wears which I initially really enjoyed. Thankfully a very cheap "experiment" gone bad.

I am back from a long slumber where I wasn't wearing much fragrance al all! And what best way to celebrate being back to the pleasures of the nose than wearing a strong, unapologetic, oakmoss bomb? I am reviewing the current formulation (2024), perfume spray. -- Immediately after drying, this scent is dark, dirty, oily, with that almost fecal quality some leather perfumes have. Unashamed, sensual, not for everyone at all... but I love these kinds of fragrance. Reminds me of Diorissima, but more down-to-earth, less chic. Upon further drydown, it gets rounder and less dirty, but still sensual and unisex in that old-fashioned chypre way, strong on bitter woods, oakmoss, sandalwood and a dry-ish patchouli (not as green and herbal as some other patchoulis I have smelled, more "dried up herbs in the sun" or almost smoked herbs). The orris root and floral notes, for me, come and go in a sort of powdery embrace, wavy and hypnotizing. I don't notice the citrus notes much. The geranium and chamomile are quite noticeable but mixed in with the other notes they become complex. As it dries down even more, in my experience, the vetiver comes to the front. A sour and dry vetiver. Delightful. And lasts quite a long time, possibly 12 hours or more! It does smell like a scent of the 70s in the best of way: a dark, leathery, unashamed chypre. Not for everyone, but evidently it is for me.

Ho un aromatics elixir degli anni 70, uno degli 80, alcuni dei 90, 2000, 2012,2011, 2015, 2020 etc... quindi posso fare il confronto fra le varie edizioni delle varie epoche. Anni 70 era fantastico, una pozione medicinale, inizialmente pungente poi fiori dolci e cerosi,senso di benessere, pulito, calore,spezie piccanti,poi legni e muschi di quercia pesanti,incenso. Anni 80 più muschio fin dall'inizio,odore di terra bagnata e foglie secche, fiori bianchi e rosa, incenso, molte spezie iniziali piccanti, poi le versioni anni 90 in poi sono molto simili fino al 2009. Dopo di che la fragranza viene addolcita e si sentono altre note, sfondo di salvia e mirra, accenni di benzoino.. L'ultima del 2020 è veramente distante da quelle di lancio anni 70/80... sa di strano, piccante su fondo di rosa e palmarosa, incenso, salvia, si muove veloce e arriva alla fine rapidamente lasciando una nota che sembra tabacco e salvia. Le versioni anni 90/2000 si somigliano molto e non vedo differenze notevoli ma con quello che si trova adesso è veramente diverso. Per me questo profumo è più meditativo e solitario che non una fragranza per la vita mondana, non è per la discoteca ne per il bordello, non è maschile ne femminile ma molto unisex. Non per gli amanti della vaniglia e delle cose fruttate e di roba da mangiare di oggi, anche se a mio parere funziona bene per contrasto.

I’m not a fan of aromatics elixir right out of the box. For me this perfume has to age before it gets good. I buy my bottles second hand from people who have had their bottles sitting in their house for a long time and the juice is nice and dark. Mmmmm absolute perfection!🙌🏻 the yucky aldehydes are gone and the scent becomes so so thick and sweet and dirty! Just how I like em😏😂 Side note: the “aged” bottle of aromatics elixir is my husband‘s favorite to smell on me because of that dirty, naughty patchouli. HOWEVER if I spray a brand new bottle of aromatics elixir on my skin, he doesn’t believe me that it’s the same perfume. He absolutely cannot stand that “brand new bottle” smell. He says it’s disgusting. So that just goes to show what time can do to a perfume🤓 But seriously. To all the haters out there, I completely understand. I used to be one of you. I hated this perfume. But that was because I didn’t understand it. Years later after trying it again, I fell in love with the journey it took me on. Now it’s one of my ride or die top favorites of all time. It’s so funny how our noses can change over time😋 This smells like a woodland fairy. Her hair has twigs and leaves in it, and her dress is made of flowers and moss. Her feet are muddy from running through the forest barefoot. It’s magical🧚🏻♂️

Starting off with a moment of comparison with Mitsouko: Mitsouko is fruity and perhaps a finer more feminine chypre, sweeter and slightly bitter but the fruitiness is unmistakable there. Aromatics elixir is heavier and thicker with patchouli but dries down to an ultimate autumnal forest fragrance that is luxurious, plush and irresistable. Imagine wet forest soil, the piquant scent of dried leaves, resinous woods and a beautiful chamomile tied together by patchouli. It could require some nose training if you recently sniffed a lot of sweet fragrances. It is absolutely mystical, aromatherapeutical and addictive. Edit: i love to wear chypres after i've worn sweeter fragrances for a while and most of all on rainy spring and summerdays. I usually wear Mitsouko for those days but i have extended my collection with a few others among which aromatics elixir. I am familiar with it bc of my mom. Anyway i've been wearing it for two days in a row for work now and my vest is saturated with it. And my oh my this is the most perfect aromatic plush luxurious fragrance cloud i'm surrounded by. So delicious!!! And very clean to my nose also. Just very aromatic🤩😍 I ordered the deodorant and body lotion as well. This makes me feel sophisticated and mature in a gentlewomanly way 💚

I bought a tiny bottle of the edp just to remember my Aunt Rita, who passed away in 2020. This is such a distinctive fragrance, and one tiny spray brought me straight back to Grandmother's bathroom, getting ready for church, in the Alabama 80s. I am a die-hard patchouli lover, and have a difficult time finding more complex frags that wear well on me. I have long been a fan of the Indigo Wild brand of soap (Zum Bar) in the Patchouli scent. I remember, a few short years ago, Aunt Rita smelling this soap and adoring it. I was slightly surprised, because she skewed more Classic, less Free Spirit in her outward personal style expression. Her personality was another matter... Miss Most Charming,1968 Autauga County High School. I think about her vivaciousness all the time, and her laughter. Eventually, probably largely as a result of much lurking on this site, I put two and two together and realized Aromatics Elixir was probably my kind of complex patch-based frag. Not sweet like Mugler's Angel. Super herbacious, yet soft, and not sharp. I haven't reached drydown, as I sprayed only ten minutes ago, but I'd be shocked it it was unpleasant or just vanished. Lotta bang for your buck in my opinion, obviously the nostalgia-factor makes me hopelessly, blissfully biased.

I bought this the first time with money I got to my confirmation. I was 13 years old, it was in 1990. I had been fascinated by scents and perfume since I was a little girl and this was my first really expensive perfume. Well, 25 Deutsche Mark for 10ml perfume were a real fortune for me in 1990...I had tried Aromatics Elixir before and was flashed. Couldn't get it out of my head. The shop assistant tried to sell me something else, she told me this would not be the right scent for a young girl. No chance. Even years laster the assistants wanted to sell me "younger" perfumes. Aromatics Elixir is staying with me for 27 years now. I always own a bottle and use it from time time. Even if there are more than 500 other scents (yeah, my perfume madness has grown up with me...) this one is my calm down scent, the perfume for my soul. A six years old girl in the primary school, where I work, hangin at my neck, sitting on my legs, whispered: "Mrs. ***, today you're smelling like you!" That's it. The bottle I own is vintage, I think, the 45 ml perfume. The liquid is darkened, but it still smells wonderful, hasn't changed. One spray and walk through. I also own a eau de toilette which is much weaker. What a shame they water the old perfumes down...

Let's get something straight. The ORIGINAL VINTAGE AE (early 1970s to maybe mid 80s)was heavenly. If you hate this fragrance, it is because you are smelling the newer formulations from after the horrible change in maybe the 90s. That reformulated version smells horrible - like cat pee and rotten herbs. I thought i got a bottle of "mistake" at the clinique counter. They said to exchange it. I did. Fir another bottle of "mistake". The original was like catnip for people. It was heavenly. The way you would think a magical woodland elf would smell - like woods and green and island patchouli with pepper, and gardens of flowers. I found it by following someone in the grocery store who smelled so good - and asked her what perfume she wore. Then when I wore it, I got the same reaction from anyone bold enough to ask (and I was asked quite a few times!) The change? No more Oakmoss (too many allergic reactions) no more genuine musk - just that horrible synthetic that gives me a huge headache everytime. And civet - well, I can understand not being cruel to animals with that AND the musk. But can't they come up with better synthetics than the ones that smell like drugstore horror? RIP VINTAGE Aromtics Elixer!

Riprovato stamattina per vedere come è ridotto. È snaturato completamente. Da fragranza amara,incenso,coriandolo,austera e meditativa dal fondo secco e pieno di patchouli e muschio è diventato dolciastro e liscio,sa di rosa con un tocco amaro ma è irriconoscibile. La cosa bella è che vado a provare i profumi attuali con indosso le versioni vintage così da fare il confronto immediato. Hanno ridotto la grande profumeria a un' industria dolciaria di biscotti vaniglia creme puzzolenti di stile la vie est belle e poison girl. A questo proposito,sono venuto in possesso di una boccetta di aromatics elixir di fine anni 70,colorata di arancio ambra. Rispetto alla schifezza di adesso questo era veramente una favola. Denso e oleoso, inizialmente ricorda un unguento medicamentoso,pungente,mistico,poi si sviluppa e cambia ma è magnetico,sembra un antico rimedio,una pozione,nemmeno le versioni degli anni 90 erano così buone. Si sente che i 700 ingredienti usati erano naturali,che il profumo è stato creato da qualcuno che aveva conoscenze sia esoteriche che aromacologiche,perché questo meraviglioso profumo oggi rovinato e irriconoscibile,era qualcosa di strepitoso.

It’s funny to me how long winded people get with this one. It’s complex and I’ll give you all that but it’s also a deceptively simple melded together masterwork that has survived in the singed noses of 90s babies everywhere. I started wearing this after my grandmother passed away. It was her signature and I didn’t know what perfume it was when she was living— only three years later in an Ulta did I raise this patchouli Frankenstein to my nose. I’ve been wearing it ever since. I tend to dominantly pick up chamomile, sage, jasmine aldehydes, patchouli, oak moss, and this very pungent grass vibe. Medicine. Soap. Balsam. What is it? It’s very 70’s funk and I can imagine this with wood paneled walls and those awful button up jeans easily. It smells shockingly summer friendly and I live in the south so this is not a light thing to say. I think it’s probably the grassy aldehydes. My mother hates this perfume on me nearly as much as my brother loves it and says it smells comforting. And I think that’s part of the magic of Aromatics Elixir: it is evocative and memorable whether or not you like it. For those looking to smell inoffensive look elsewhere.

Sometimes you want a perfume that doesn't smell like.... Well... Perfume 👌😉 This is it! Elixer is the perfect description. After a long day working I love nothing more than a good old soak in the tub and then a couple of spritzes of this absolute gem! I'll then fire on my walking boots and head off out with the dogs into the hills and woods. This is the perfect fit.... The opening reflects the clean, fresh soap of an indulgent bath. I mostly sense the chamomile and clary sage - these have a gorgeous calming effect on the soul. Once out and about... The dry down begins and the gorgeous woods and patchouli reveal themselves - wafts of brilliance enveloping me and utterly in sync with my surroundings. It's mossy, it's a wee bit spicy/fresh and ever so slight floral notes push through now and again... Not big yellow florals ... More dainty, little alpine like florals which grow in the clearing. It's an absolute tonic! One thing I do note - it needs to be on skin to fully work it's magic. A spray inside elbows and nape of neck and a teeny wee half spritz in chest area will cast the spell perfectly 💚