Simply Clinique

Wow. Alright, so... Simply is extremely strange, and not in a bad way. It’s very unusual (I wouldn’t expect a fragrance with a note of soybean to be anything but!), yet incredibly familiar all the same. I couldn’t pick out any of the notes if I tried, save for the dewy sweetness of the melon — it all melts together for a shower-fresh fragrance that doesn’t veer too squeaky clean. It brings to mind a facial cream or lotion marketed as “unscented” but it still totally has a scent, you know the type, but with better longevity and more of an edge than that. Kind of addictive, I can’t stop sniffing my wrist. One spray is more than enough, crazy sillage. Evocative of its era — I’d probably have guessed it was released 5, even 10 years prior — yet still entirely wearable now, and would probably garner more attention than it initially did, if only it were rereleased today. I feel it could work in any season, though I could be wrong, and I’ll definitely be trying it out when things start to thaw. It also reminds me of something I had when I was around the age of 12 — I can’t remember what for the life of me, but it’s giving me nostalgia for those final moments of childhood innocence before the massive speeding freight train known as the teenage years slammed right into me. ‘Simply’ put, I love Simply. I don’t know how often I’ll be wearing it — it’s certainly a fragrance you’ve got to be in the mood for, it creates a vibe, you won’t forget that you’re wearing it — but I wouldn’t be surprised if my mini is gone sooner than I anticipate. It really is a shame that this is out of production.

This smells absolutely nothing like Tea Escape. I really have no idea what similarity 14 people appear to have seen because the only thing they have in common is both being feminine perfumes with vanilla and musk and both having a sort of savory rice/nutty quality to it. But otherwise, they really are nothing alike. I do like this a lot! But it smells very much of its time. I would definitely guess late 90s to mid 2000s if you asked me blind when this was made. I think of watermelon candy, powdery melon mochi, doll heads and play-doh, but elevated. But still definitely dated. There's something about the tropical baby powder accord of this that I feel was literally everywhere during the time. A similar fragrance that comes to mind is Liz Claiborne Mambo, but this is a more classy and less Escada summer fragrance-like take on that kind of 2000s powdery-floral-fruity scent. There is something very unique about it, and it feels retro in a way that demands you to wear it with some brown gauchos or a hibiscus print sundress... it's so aggressively 2005! But I'm not a huge fan of how much the powdery aspect of this fragrance dates it. If someone would bring it back and modernize it a bit, emphasize the nutty soybean accord and tone down the baby powder part that reminds me of Love's Baby Soft, I'd buy it in a heartbeat, but as it is, it's a little too of its time, for better or for worse.

Surprise, surprise! I actually enjoy smelling like soy milk. Who'da thunk it?!? Clinique Simply is strangely common and unusual at the same time. There's not a single thing special about the smell of soy milk. No more or less so than other kitchen staple. Yet it doesn't fit neatly into the world of perfumery, either. Except, in this fragrance. In Clinique Simply, the common, everyday NON-note becomes unusually appealing. The soybean note here is savory, a soft spiciness added. It's not salty at all though. Sometimes the two go hand and hand for me. I'm not presented with any sweetness, despite the melon which I can detect and the listed florals which I can not. Instead, the melon provides a slight watery/aquatic accord. Which is appropriate and welcomed. The longevity is typical of Clinique, it lingers nicely on my skin. The projection is typical of Clinique, staying within your circle of friends. The uniqueness (despite the potential to be otherwise) is not very Clinique-like at all. I depend on Clinique to remain middle of the road. Clinique Simply just happens to be where the road takes an unexpected turn for the best.

This smells very similar to Julianna’s Perfume Scarlet Letter, which is a clone of Mugler’s Alien Essence Absolue. This is a warm, cozy scent. Best in cold weather, or chilly rainy days. This scent profile is synonymous with cozy cashmere blankets and cuddling down with a blanket to read or watch a movie. This type of scent evokes such an emotional response from me. I remember in 2004, when it first debuted. I received it in one of those inexpensive pouches you could buy with another purchase. I live in northern New England, it was October/November... chilly, damp weather. Ever since then, going on 20 years, I have had this one. It’s my fall and winter comfort scent - I, personally, cannot imagine wearing this in hot, or even warm, weather. Edit 11/22/24: So here it is - a rainy, chilly November day and I still immediately think of Clinique's Simply. I was looking at the "this reminds me of" (and I know I put my own, above) - but I realized that this really is so unique. After 20 years since it's release - I have yet to find a fragrance that competes with this one.

I have had a small bottle of this for YEARS and I am finally down to just the tiny little bit left in the bottom. It still smells fresh, sweet, cozy and gorgeous, so I figured it was high time I wrote a review for this beauty. Let me start by saying that I would wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone that needs an unassuming lighter fragrance for an office setting, because this one is clean and gorgeous without being cloying or overpowering in the least. As noted above, this is more linear. You pretty much get the same fragrance from the first spritz well into the 6th hour (yes, it might be light, but it lasts quite some time). So I'm smelling light white flowers, vanilla soy milk, a light musk, and a background of melon on me. It never deepens or changes, but remains a soft white creamy cozy scent the entire day. I really enjoy the vanilla + soy milk notes, they really do work. If this scent were a color, it would be ivory. I am really considering buying another larger bottle now that my mini is almost gone. This one is just THAT good.

Simply is a really nice fragrance but not at all what I was expecting. I am told that this was created with mother's milk as the inspiration. Perhaps the comfort factor--yes, but the scent of Simply is not hugely reminiscent of human breast milk. Simply starts out clean and fresh in a soy milk type of way, but not really creamy like the commercially produced soy milk we buy to drink in the western world. More like the water that whole soy beans or a fresh block of tofu sits in to soak. There is an obvious licorice-like note that appears, maybe anise as it's a little woody and earthy. And some soft delicate flowers, jasmine I think. That 'aquatic' tofu water and anise accord creates a cozy and fresh feeling, almost like salt air on the beach teasing your hair on a crisp fall day. The anise note could be too overpowering if sprayed with a heavy hand as this has some pretty good sillage and lasting power. Simply is pleasurably enigmatic when sprayed gently and close to the heart.

It was one of my few successful blind buys. I wasn't sure if I'll like something with soy, but actually I love it. In the first 2-5 minutes I feel the white flowers (but there isn't anything headache-inducing edge here), but then Simply is a quite linear fragrance. There isn't aniseed in? Hardly believe it. Whatever gives this 'anise-feeling', it makes the scent very fresh and airy. The soy is absolutely recognizable and gives to Simply a warm milky quality. The smoked woods are interesting, too: I can feel the vibe of IsoE Super here, am I the only one? It lasts for several hours on my skin, with low-medium sillage, but I can catch whiffs of it time to time while moving. All in all I love Simply, because it's warm and airy at the same time, a comforting and uplifting little gem, that's gone:(. If you love it and want something similar, you can try Jo Malone's Vanilla&Anise, too. It has the same effect (at least on me), maybe a bit warmer.

This is seriously DIVINE!!!! 😭 Reasoning to why this was discontinued baffles me, the scent itself is elevating, pure, dewy UGH just sublime 😫 Nothing on the market as of current even comes close to how it smells, lasting power is amazing and so is the sillage. the frosted bottle complements the scent perfectly! It's like a cantelope smoothie with a little alcohol on a nice summers day on Park Avenue in the early 2000's and the temperature of the drink is fogging up the cut crystal glass flute that it was served in...there is nothing juvenile about this fragrance. If I could have one perfume resurrected it would be this, hands down! We can only hope that someday Clinique will reintroduce this into their line, until that day comes I'll treasure this for as long as I may live. I've only got 50ml out of a 100ml left as I begged my nanna to have it 😂. Most important 50ml in my collection. Truly a gem, I cannot say enough good things about it!

eh già, questo profumo è strano assai, "weird" direbbero gli anglosassoni; neppure pare possibile che la clinique possa aver commercializzato un esperimento così audace di profumeria, atipico al punto da far pensare piuttosto ad una stramberia di nicchia. inusuale, innanzitutto, è la concezione della sua struttura: non la solita piramide "testa-cuore-fondo" ma uno sviluppo verticale di tre diverse fasi -chiara, confortevole ed intima- ugualmente importanti. i primi sentori sono freschi e sì, piuttosto chiari, di fiori bianchi e leggeri uniti ad un accenno polposo di frutta; quindi giunge una fase di morbidezza quasi cremosa e, oserei dire, materna, con il latte di soia (assai raro in profumeria). Infine, l'assestamento su toni affumicati e legnosi richiama un'intimità da baita alpina. bello il concetto, notevole la sua realizzazione: ovviamente è già fuori produzione.

I bought this at the airport in 2004 on my way back from grandfather's funeral. The lady recommended saying it has the smell of soya milk, asking "do you like soya milk?" I thought this lady is nuts, I like to drink soya milk not smell it. But she was just trying to push the latest scent and being 19 I was too shy to say no. I sprayed it, said no thanks because at that time everyone was wearing Stella McCartney and Coco. I was wearing Classique which is not a subtle scent. I walked around and loved the dry down, it felt like a warm hug. Something very comforting about it. I went back got the bottle and lotion spray. I had searched for it a few years later and it was discontinued. I don't think it stayed on the market for even 3 years. I need to repurchase if I can find a bottle somewhere.

There is something about Clinique Simply that makes me just want more of it. At the same time there's something about it that I don't really like. Intriguing! On my skin it's a powdery, sweet but at the same time very refreshing scent, with spicy notes in it. One of few perfumes I can't describe in words, at least I can't name the notes in it. The top notes are not my favourite part of it, they seem a bit sharp, it's the heart and the base that makes my heart sing. Worth waiting for. Before I bought it (years ago) I tried it on on one arm, and Victor & Rolf's Flowerbomb on the other arm. As I was leaving a boutique the clerk ran up to me to ask what perfume I was wearing; "it's wonderful!". I still wonder which one of them she meant, or if she liked the mix. I ended up buying both!

Revisited this now that the weather is cold (I tried it for the first time in the summer and was lukewarm on it. I strongly disagree with the votes calling it a summer scent) and I absolutely love it now. In my opinion, this is truly a cold weather scent. Its plasticky, powdery melon candy qualities feel less synthetic in the winter and feel more warm and cozy, but in a truly surreal way; an aquatic simulacrum of a "warm" fragrance. Fans of Dior Dune will know what I mean when a fragrance that is aquatic can feel surreally "warm". This is, spiritually, its more demure kid sister. I'm glad I gave it a second chance! EDIT: This, layered over a smoky incense vanilla like Memoire Liquide's Encens Liquide - wow!

Summer test, skin. I dont overly like the opening, I get a bit of a semi tea feel though not horrible off tea. Cool melon, powder but still dewy. A smidge of a fresh green, ever so small. Dewey and shower fresh background. You know the scent if you smell a gently dusty sweet flower I'd a florist, well I get that, and the background cool humid (?) Fresh misty amazingness. That describes a big feel of this scent. I thjnk there is a milky liquidy ... something, but that'snot quite it, I've never tried soy bean before. I'min the dry down phase, its icey as I sniff , and a sort of hazey nice non edible sweet. Gosh it's good on the breeze. You would need to like aquatics to go for this

This is one of the weirdest fragrances I have ever smelled. It was not love at first sniff. I almost threw it after the first spray. It smelled so green and so cool that I thought I was smelling some iced tea with honey. I was expecting something milky and slightly vanillic and I was so disappointed. However, I really love the concept so much---the bottle, the color scheme, the box that I sprayed it again then another time. Now I am hooked. It kind of reminds me of Happy without the citrus notes. It smells like watermelon + mint + milk and it's amazing how it lasts while remaining lightweight. Not an instant love, but wow. Note: Soybeans? I get no soybeans at all.

I saw a mini of Simply on ebay the other week and bought it on a whim thinking I wonder if it's like I remember.. well it is. How many times did I go spraying it in the shop in 2004 when I first fell for it, knowing full well that I'd spent all our money on the wedding. Not now sweetie.. your time has come and a full bottle will be mine. Tragically unique, and gone before it's time, Simply fell (like Kingdom and others), to the mainstream mediocre. Time has been kind to her, and she can still be found for now, although I fear she will never be resurrected. Creamy soft, fluffy pillows of vanilla and anise surround me. Happy happy times.

I looooooooooooove this perfume. I wish Clinique would bring this one back! There is absolutely nothing like this on the market. Nothing. I understand the love-hate for this fragrance. It worked amazingly with my chemistry and always made me feel beautiful when wearing it. My friends and colleagues told me I left the loveliest scent trail everywhere I went. The men used to tell me they purposely walked by my office to get a whiff... the highest compliment for a perfume. I’d buy 10 bottles of this if Clinique would release it again!

I can appreciate how this perfume would attract or repel - I think it is a love/ hate type of scent. Either you find it smooth and inviting, or you would find it nauseatingly buttery. I believe name SIMPLY is rather apt, because when you get the first whiff of it, you get an "honest" type of perfume. It is warm, creamy and yes, milky. It is a well behaved scent; it stays the same for hours - and gives off the same vibe. Simply stays close to the skin - like a comforting, soft blanket.

A friend of mine was travelling abroad and I gave her a piece of paper with a perfume name. She came back and delivered my perfume. She gave me the bottle and I said that there was a mistake cause I wrote Clinique Happy. Then she showed me the paper with my handwriting: Clinique Simply. When I tried it, I was really overwhelmed. In my skin it developed a smooth woody and spicy scent that made me feel clean and powerful. I SIMPLY loved it!!! What a HAPPY end for a mistake. ;-)

Purchased this in 2003, and it instantly became my signature. Something I could wear daily, day or evening. It's more of a daytime fragrance, I think, though. Warm and soft, completely inviting. I used to get so many compliments on it. I have been out of this perfume for years, and desperately wish that Clinique would bring it back. Such a comforting fragrance - I'd get spontaneous hugs while wearing it. It's like a hug! Sweet soy and soft woods...O how I miss thee!!!

uplifts my mood I think it's more of a high-value one. Beautiful, delicate fragrance, and delicate i rather do not like, but this one has something in it that delights. Soy notes. Milk. Although does soy really smell? Almost no aroma. There are also people who write about mango that occur. Pleasant on a daily basis spring / summer time. Maybe there is no "scream", does not say hey! I'm here! Very diplomatic, I would say.

i have the best memories from this perfume...my best summers..warm,smooth..so poetic and romantic..so fresh and sweet...i am so disappointed that i can't find it anymore..i wish i can find a way to buy it again..if someone knows something about it i would be greatfull!!i still have my very first bottle,and every time i open it,i can still smell it...simply the best!

I totaly disagree with susiegrj.I find simply quite a different than usual aroma.I had it from 2004 and i find it very nice ,floral soft and powderry.The body lotion is sweet reminding me fields of flowers.The soya bean gives the sense of smelling the countryside after a heavy rain.It is great for my taste ,but ...hey..it is me i am talking.

Well, another one of my all time favorites that many seem to dislike:) To me this is utterly unique. Creamy, fresh, comforting, lightly spiced and overall just an ahhhhhh fragrance. Like an anise-scented milky tea. This one you need to let develop on your skin as it becomes creamier the longer you wear it. Sadly discontinued....

This was my signature for YEARS. Nothing but compliments any time I wore it, often people burying their face into my neck to smell it more (not strangers, that would be weird...). A friend told me it smelled like me. Apparently I am a bit melon, a bit anise and a bit creamy. There is nothing like it. I miss this so much *sobs*

This one is my FAVORITE from the Clinique Line. Simply is a lovely fragrance! It definitely could be one's signature scent. The initial notes are very sweet and settle into a warm, inviting scent. It's clean and ANYTHING but ordinary. If you're sick of the traditional, boring floral fragrances, this one is for you!

This was the first perfume I ever bought myself! Used yo be my signature scent, and I remember everyone always complimenting it. I miss this so much, was never able to get anything even remotely similar 😭😭 wish it would come back on the market (not reformulated into something "new") 🙏

This was my very first ever fragrance love. I fell in love with it as soon as I sniffed it and I will forever be heartbroken that it was discontinued. There never was a scent that made me so happy, comforted, and was "me in a bottle" like this one. I will always love you Simply....!

i remember the opening notes were melon then pepper, and the dry down was a soft licorice smell. Was warm and fresh at the same time. This was a very nice scent, my sister introduced me to it. I have never encountered any perfume like it. Its definitely unique.

My all time favorite, I have half a bottle that I'm clinging on to like crazy. I join the club of fans begging Clinique to bring it back! Meanwhile if someone ever finds anything similar, please please add it in comment here.

This is my most wanted right now!!! But in Thailand it is no longer available. I have to find out. I'm not sure in a duty free there is still available. Someone please tell me. Thank you.

I absolutely love this perfume it's super fresh and sweet and refreshing, I used to wear it in my 20's and just ordered a 100ml off of amour fragrances in Canada

Like mothers milk. Beautiful warm creamy skin. Can be worn anywhere anytime and men love it. I can't believe it's gone

dont exactly know how to put it,, but it makes me feel clean, innocent, and comfortable!

I loved it! Such a pleasant, warm and soft smell! A pitty I can not find it any more.

I love this one, it’s so subtle and liquorish. Very delicate and one of a kind.

i absolutely adore this one. it's so soft, smooth, sensual and clean :)

Warum wurde der Duft aus dem Programm genommen? Ich verstehe es nicht.

. I was dissappointed that is was discontinued. WhY !!! tell me why.

i am CRAZY about this perfume.. unique, warm, clean, loveable..

it is simply a smell of love for me, I love it with all my heat

I miss this one Like crazy, it needs to be made again ASAP!!

I wore this one quite a bit in the early 2000s. At the time, I was very interested in ballroom dancing. I remember getting lots of compliments on this from dance partners. However, one time my boyfriend became quite angry with me, because some of it transferred to his hands while we danced, and his eyes became very irritated after he rubbed them. That did not deter me from wearing Simply, because I liked it a lot. I was working at a Clinique counter when this was launched. I remember that our educators told us that the creator of Simply had his newborn in mind when he composed it. Evidently it is reminiscent of the top of his baby's head? Or that it is comforting in the way that a baby's smell is comforting? Something like that. I do think it was a very unique perfume, and I don't think there is a facsimile for it. Edit 1: Did a search of perfumes by notes, and Simply is the only result returned when using the six notes of Simply. So it IS unique... . Edit II. Stumbled across this in an article on skank from The Guardian dated December 2008: "Clinique Simply reproduced the aroma of breast milk emitted through a baby's pores." Edit III: L'air de Rien by Miller Harris is supposed to smell like baby head also. (And many other things--very skanky and otherwise). Judging from its notes and wild and crazy reviews, however, I cannot imagine that it has much in common with my Simply.

My mother found and gifted me a big bottle of this perfume last year so it's special. It's warm but light and fresh at the same time. For me the melon takes center stage with a very lactonic base. I can get what the perfumer was going for with the motherly scent. Definitely something unique and probably an acquired taste for some....which is why I can understand it being discontinued tbh. I liked it right off and it's only grown on me since. Not sure you could ever find this to test but not for everyone so blind buying a bottle wouldn't be wise. Happy I have it. Edited to add: I've been wearing this more since it turned cooler and I'm ADORING the the dry down way more than before. The slight musk and subtle hint of melon mixed with what is now a much more prominent vanilla is crazy good. And the scent last on my clothes for days. Edited update again; Still mixed feelings on this scent. It's better in cooler months and I still enjoy the dry down. But it's back to just a 'like' again. Huge props for it's uniqueness though.

This is actually quite nice and I was super skeptical by looking at the notes. The description contradicts itself as it does have a top, middle and base note pyramid. It was a heavy licorice when I first sprayed. I thought I was going to hate it. Very surprised the soy bean translated to an anise smell to me. Then if I smelled lightly I absolutely got the newborn baby smell!! I guess this was the intention of the creator and it’s absolutely true. I thought it was a gimmick, but when I just lightly waved my wrist in front of my face I could smell a newborn baby. I also only used one single spray on my left wrist. I am surprised it’s lasting so long. The licorice was soon gone and it became a lot of melon. But almost melon rind. I am really enjoying this melon. It has been a few hours and the woods and vanilla are coming through. It is a skin scent by now and gentle and comforting. I only have an extremely small spray sample bottle, but I will continue to experiment and enjoy this.

I can't believe I have not reviewed this one yet. Simply was a purchase I got in 2004. This was pre-Fragrantica when my dresser top contained 6 fragrances on a small mirrored tray. When I joined Fragrantica I added about 50 fragrances to my collection and Simply..well simply vanished under all the others. I got it out of a box tonight and sprayed it. It smells just like it did when I first got it. What attracted it to me then and now is the total comforting feeling I get when I smell this. I see spice as the main note.. well only note. What I get is a complex warm spice, hint of anise and something else I cannot pinpoint. I think even though this is a spice scent it would be wonderful for warm weather as it's so soft and gentle and comforting. I am in love with this number and it has been such an under rated fragrance. Many don't even know about it. I would suggest adding this beauty to your collection if you enjoy light anise and total comfort.

I’d love to own this one again. I know exactly what the other commenters mean when they say how much of a cosy, relaxing fragrance this is. I get the liquorice note others mention too, in fact until reading the listed notes today, I had always assumed it absolutely WAS one of the key notes. It’s hard to describe when to wear this scent. It’s not one I would wear to please others, it’s more of a self care “I’m wearing this for me” fragrance. Just out of a relaxing bath, candle on, maybe slip into fresh pyjamas on Sunday, that type of fragrance. Just writing that reminded me they also used to do a candle in this line and now I wish I had that too :( - sigh. I still have the body moisturising spray from the set I had and it still smells great considering it must be about 15 years old lol. I’m scared to use it though because I know when I finish it and it’s gone - it’s gone for good.

Its a very strange smell, minty but milky, creamy...just weird and I can never decide if I like it or not. I put it away for a couple of years and then want to dig it out, maybe smell it in the bottle but its a VERY specific mood that I have to be in to wear it and its definitely a signature scent. Its not like anything I've come across...maybe it reminds me of the bottom of my mothers purse when I was a little kid. Thats it, she used to carry wrigleys spearmint gum and the old formulas of lipstick in the eighties had that waxy smell and one of her perfumes spilled in her bag once, I think it was Anais Anais...but that and paper and money, coins everything else kind of reminds me of this scent. Very childhood oriented. Not sure if I want to smell like this memory in a bottle....

I got this through a swap here and I have to say it's very unusual. I like the dry down better than the top notes. I've been testing it now for 2 days and it's so different from anything I have that I will stay with it for now and enjoy it. It's a simple and calming fragrance. You definitely have to like the smell of soy to enjoy this one. It's so simple, think soy, mild and vanilla! that's it! It's one of those fragrances that's so different from anything out there, that you want to keep giving it a chance to see if you grow to love it.

I had this when it first came out and my nose was stuck between liking it and not really being sure. I know my my now more mature palate would enjoy it. With the rise of niche and interesting and challenging scents this would be a hit. A less gourmand and more aquatic Blanche Bête type scent. I let it go due to not wearing it. But have seen it come up for auction locally. Will see if I can get lucky and acquire. At the time I got the juxtaposition of the freshness against the comforting almost lactonic soy and vanilla. I’d love to retry.

Now, that's an unusual perfume. The first time I smelled it, I had the hiccups! Yes, I' m serious! The same thing had happened to me with the Givenchy Amarige. I thought "That's a strange reaction". This was the reason I bought it. LOL! I really like it. A summer perfume, with a distinguised character, persistent, yet quiet, soft, creamy, like a chantilly. There's no other perfume like it. It reminds me of the moisture after the rain in May: waiting for the summer by wearing a shockingly simple, but extremely elegant perfume.