Knowing Legacy

Firstly, I strongly recommend exploring these fragrances as standalone creations and not as replacements or supposed improvements on the originals. Side-by-side comparisons will almost always lead to disappointment if you're deeply in love with the classic versions. So, I would recommend putting those aside and judging these Legacy versions as homages that stand on their own merits and characteristics. Ah, Knowing Legacy. She seems to be a bit challenging for some folks, but it may be my personal favorite. Knowing Legacy is the fragrance version of the hot goth girl with black or maybe red hair, red lipstick, and fancy metal case where she keeps her clove cigarettes. She doesn’t give a damn if you like her. Fortunately, liking her is easy to do, because she has a cool personality–even if unconventional. There’s nothing typically designer here. Indeed, Knowing Legacy is the most “niche” out of the series. It almost gives me hope seeing a designer house doing something unique and artistic–something they’ve done little of for years now. Admittedly, the opening is a bit abrasive. It’s pitch black rose and a cacophony of notes that assert themselves in a borderline impolite fashion. This phase is “Band-aid-y” according to some people. Niche fans know this sometimes punishing opening phase well and that patience is key! What comes next is still bold, but better balanced, singular, and irresistable. On me, it is rose, with dark earthiness, amber, and a hint of raspberry. I just love it. It makes me wish I still smoked clove cigarettes. The performance is moderate, with a scent cloud that doesn't stay heavy for long.

This perfume is STUNNING! You definitely can smell the Knowing but it’s much more voluptuous and complex and way sexier. I was never a huge fan of the original but this Legacy version, I’m obsessed!! To say this smells “nothing like” Knowing is an exaggeration. Does it smell exactly like it? No, it absolutely does not...and for me that is an improvement! This is Knowing gone niche, it feels retro and modern at the same time, smells much more luxurious, and it’s smokier and more full bodied. I know people get very attached to their fragrances and don’t like even the slightest bit of change but Knowing is probably no longer flying off the shelves and the company is looking at ways to reinvent some of their classics so they can keep producing them. All 5 of these fragrances are spectacular and the only real issue is the price. Going up $200 a bottle is significant and this will clearly not be welcomed by most people. If these had been $180 vs $280 I would have bought all of them. I think they have priced these WAY too high for most customers to even consider which is a pity. But the fragrances are glorious and Knowing is possibly my favorite of all of them.

I used to own a bottle of the original Knowing (parfum and EDP for each), a huge honeyed fluorescent rose on a woody Chypre base. Elie Roger created one of the spectaculars in the 1980s, a descendant of Sinan (Jean-Marc Sinan). But I didn't particularly like it, mainly because it was so overpowering sometimes that I felt shamefully suffocating (I'm definitely not a fan of strong silliage). So when I knew Frederic Malle was in charge of directing Knowing, I was very curious if he might draw inspiration from his own Portrait of a Lady? Turns out: yes, but just a bit. In my opinion, Knowing Legacy is a decent expression of the original idea, still retaining the honeyed rose-animalic-woody chypre structure. And Bruno Jovanovic did remove many of the baroque decorative details to achieve an overall more handsome, dry and crisp finish. If Portrait of a Lady leans towards ambery oriental, containing more dry spices; then Knowing Legacy is certainly a delicate rose Chypre, with an ancient resinous powder that beguiles the passengers. In a nutshell, I think Knowing Legacy might also be renamed as Knowing - Handsome fierce.

As someone who was already very familiar with Knowing, I was curious to smell the Legacy flanker. Original Knowing belongs to a very specific clade of aldehydic-like Chypres alongside Paloma Picasso, though Knowing is more of a rose Chypre while the PP is more yellow floral. Magie Noire is quite different but also has the same energy as these two. Original Knowing smells like the forest floor, with roses and red berries around, but also intensely soapy and perfumey. It has a marked 'clarity' to it despite its heavy patchouli base. Knowing Legacy smells very similar to original Knowing, but the berries are amped up, there's a hint of a little extra spice, and that sense of 'clarity' I mentioned is largely gone and replaced instead by a very earthy, slightly heavier patchouli note. It's nice (just as the original was) but I find it does little to improve on what was already a complete concept.

I have now given each of these in the Legacy Collection a proper wearing, and Knowing is far and away my favorite! I haven't smelled original Knowing in decades, so I don't have a basis for comparison like I did with the others, but I can say that Knowing Legacy does not smell vintage -- it smells new and cutting-edge. The patchouli/vetiver/sandalwood/amber combination gives a gorgeous accord, not quite like Byredo Accord Oud, but reminiscent of it. Any gender can wear this and smell wonderful. Like another reviewer said, I also am not detecting raspberry.

Chypre is my favourite perfume genre and I was worried Knowing would be redone to death. It is done beautifully, less animalic, less loud, more smoky and more leather, a superb skin scent. Moved more towards all gender side, which I like.

I don't know what the original Knowing smells like but this is giving modern-retro leather-chypres of the best kind—from Amouage to Carthusia Numero Uno!

Just got this and I'm not disappointed! Its beautiful! My Mother's signature scent. This one is an amazing revamp!

This doesn't smell anything like Rochas Femme! Wtf. I swear, I love you all but I feel like you're intentionally driving me insane. Knowing is one of the few Legacy releases I'm familiar with and it really isn't all that different from my vintage bottle. No, it isn't as loud and it's missing the beautiful moss and sometimes nuttiness, but in passing I'd still swoon. It's great to be able to pick out fresher notes vs my vintage bottle. On my skin, rose is just a supporting player, background. As a rose fiend, I'd love to get the prominent rose many others get but it's never been there for me in either version. This becomes a beautiful patchouli and amber player, with vetiver making an earthy accord. Knowing is a chypre but for my purposes it is a beautiful dark earthy musk. I wouldn't mind either a man or a woman straddling me with this on.

For me, Knowing has always been a powerful chypre with big balls, the one that inspired American businesswomen of the 80s, following the example of Alexis Colby, to open doors with their feet. Knowing Legacy, if it has retained the enthusiasm of its predecessor, then in a much more delicate and gender-fluid manner. It sounds just as put together and dry, but in a manner that is much more wearable today. I am not a fan of chypres, but I was able to appreciate the elegance of this scent. I recommend getting to know it!

I like this. Knowing original is great but honestly offensive today, I wouldnt wear it out and about anymore because it would just upset others and maybe even upset myself. Knowing Legacy has the right ingredients but it dries down to earthy patchouli, but still recognizable as Knowing.

As both an Estée Lauder and Frédéric Malle fan, I was eager to try the new Legacy collection. The concept of this collection is a reinterpretation of Estée Lauder's classic scents by Frédéric Malle via master perfumers using high-quality materials (and increased prices). I was assured by the SA that these new versions were not going to replace the originals, and I should hope not. Knowing is my personal favourite Lauder, being a rich, rose chypre that belies its price. In my opinion, there is little room for improvement, and indeed, I like Knowing Legacy significantly less than the original. KL is a leather scent instead of the rose-chypre I expected. It is a heavy scent rather than rich, and feels more masculine compared to the old-world ladylike glamour of the original. It is dry in texture, the leather slightly animalic, with woody notes appearing alongside it early on. It feels oud-like to me, but mild. There is a light fruitiness that gives it a little lift up top, fresh and slightly sweet. Some powdery rose emerges after a while, but it is muted, a far cry from the full-bodied, luscious rose of the original. Some patchouli adds earthiness to the base, giving a chypre quality to this scent, but there is no comparison to the rich, animalic, mossy chypre accord of Knowing. KL becomes musky as it dries down, with powdery rose and leather lingering until final fade. It most closely resembles Knowing here. Sillage is moderate and longevity is long-lasting. It is masculine-leaning in my opinion, a transeasonal day-to-night scent. A surprisingly masculine leather scent, KL is not bad in its own right, but there's no comparison with the original. An inferior, almost unrecognisable (and much more expensive) variation of Knowing, this feels ultimately pointless. My favourite classic Lauder is my least favourite Legacy. If it ain't broke... 2/5.

Very intimate. Almost no projection. I agree with another review that it enters a band-aid phase. About an hour in. Quickly went to woody, rose, powdery. Not detecting raspberry on my skin, BUT did detect a fruity note on scent strip paper. Also, way overpriced!!!

This has nothing in common with the original Knowing whatsoever. It smells like a bounce drier sheet to my nose with a bit of raspberry. Not really digging this "legacy" line. This "Knowing" is for people who don't even like perfume. It is for people who are obsessed with smelling like clean clothes straight out of the drier. Edit: I have and like perfumes that are laundry "like" but they still smell like perfume. This new Knowing takes that idea and takes it literally. This is wayyyy to literal! Edit again: I still don't get the business decision here. I am a HUGE EL fan. Look at my collection. I have lots of EL Perfumes. There are tons of the reformulated classics on the market for peanuts compared to what they are charging for this new again reformulated line. Estee Lauder was known for creating BIG perfumes that smelled like perfume. Now are we to expect laundry detergent from them from now on? Is this really their way of attracting a younger audience? If they had bothered to take care of their classic collection in the first place instead of putting them in those dreadful bottles they may have sold better! This seems too little too late and not executed well either. Edit:2/8/24 Testing this version of Knowing again tonight and I stand by my review. This is just dreadful. Laundry soap. I don't get the leather accord others say they are getting. I do get a shitty Tom Ford like take here. That man's take on leather is BS. I grew up around leather. My mother was a leathercraftsman and we had horses on our farm. I know what leather smells like, untreated and treated. And Tom Ford's leathers are not good. Let's say I'm not a fan of his fragrances. I've never tried Mr. Malle's fragrances but what he has done to EL classics is BS. Fire the man now.

What a pity. Today my friend Amy and I tested all the "Legacy" fragrances against the previous iterations. In this case, we compared the "Legacy" Knowing against the formulation I have, which is the one currently available in stores, in the rocky-looking flacon with the black plastic cap that fits on like a puzzle. Amy and I agreed that this was the least recognizable "Legacy" edition yet. On first spray, the Malle-updated version smelled harsh; Amy thought it smelled like chlorine, and I think it just smelled much fruitier than the version of Knowing that we know and love. It's simultaneously sweeter and more acrid, whereas the earlier version is a gorgeous mossy rose, a crisp chypre whose fruit notes are not as assertive. (Legacy Knowing reminded me more of Amethyst by Lalique at first--but not as good.) It does resemble the version of Knowing that I have about an hour into the drydown--it's easy enough to tell them apart on the test strip, but they smell like flankers of the same perfume, not two totally different perfumes--but I still prefer my non-Legacy edition. And how perverse it seems to refer to something as a "Legacy" when in fact it is the exact opposite here. A real legacy would be preserving the creator's original scent, at least to the extent possible given IFRA regulations and other practical factors. You preserve a legacy; you don't reinvent it. This is a reinvention, and it's obscenely overpriced. Stock up on the blocky two-ounce bottles while you still can.

Smells nothing like the OG imo (ok, maybe a very slight nod to the original). My sister wore it back in the day & I loved it on her & scent memory is strong. I never wore it & haven’t smelled the recent formulation but I do think others are going to agree with me on this. What I do smell here is leather. I know it’s not listed as an ingredient but when you see EL’s descriptive picture of this it shows rose, red berries (not black currants or raspberries lol) & a piece of LEATHER). I thought I was tripping until I saw this. WTH Estée Lauder? When I think about it though that’s a much better approximation (the picture) than their written description. It’s not a floral chypre.

I ordered the Discovery Coffret from EL. I am so disappointed that I could cry. This in no way resembles anything like the original Knowing and the only resemblance to the new non-legacy version is that the Legacy version smells even more like plastic to me. I tried it at work and dislike it so much. Even Poison Hypnotic cannot cover it up. The plastic is still shining through. My friend smelled it and very innocently and sincerely said "why would someone want to smell like this?". I cannot answer this question. Get it together EL.

This review will be pointless for many because 1. I have never smelled the original classics so can't make any comparisons. 2. I do not like heavy rose scents so this is already a no-go for me. With those disclaimers out of the way, I have tried the discovery set of the legacy collection and for me, I dislike this one the most. It smells like a mix of smoky burnt wood, a slight bit of oakmoss and then a dark rose on my skin. If that sounds enticing to you, please try it! For me, I just don't enjoy this scent profile at all.

Oof. This is the second of my full Legacy set that I gave a full test. I am really, really struggling with these fragrances so far. The best way to describe this fragrance is stronnnnng rose incense that lasts forever. On final drydown, like hours and hours later, I could pick up on a buttery, soft orris. This part was pleasant, but it took too long to get there. The fragrance gave me a headache. I will probably not pick this one up again sadly. On to the next one!

How they dare to call this Knowing? Knowing is a gorgeous, opulent, rich, elegant chypre fragrance. The honey, ambery base is exceptional. This one is a thin, simplified, modern fragrance, which has nothing to do with the original apart from some woodiness. I wouldn't pay 100 usd for this, 280 usd, no way. Most probably it will disappear faster than it appeared.

Was the one I was most excited about and the one I was most disappointed by. I love the original Knowing and I smell a reference to it in the base here but the opening and mid are a very modern, typical fruity leather that has none of the depth and sensuality of the original. As many mentioned, they're barely related.

This is so different from OG. I get the feeling that except for Estée Legacy, each one in this line has been formulated to be more unisex.

A mere shadow of the original, and frankly nowhere near as good. I am very disappointed in the whole Legacy line because on paper it is a brilliant idea: Take classic iconic fragrances and update them with high quality ingredients with skilled perfumers and give consumers something they will be willing to fork over serious money for. I don't know how Estee Lauder got this concept so wrong. I've tested them all and Knowing is the worst one. We all know Knowing is a ground breaking cypher with beautiful full bodied green and woody notes capped with luscious florals. The Legacy update is musky, heavy and can't even be called "pretty" smelling. They took out the civit and oakmoss and tried to add this weird powdery musky note to make up for it. It's like taking a banana split recipe using expensive toppings, but leaving out the banana. It just doesn't work. Also, something in this fragrance coats the back of my throat whenever I sniff it, even on my skin. None of the Legacy line selections are easy to wear, they are all very challenging. Lauder last major launch was The Luxury Collection, and it had some okay fragrances in the line (along with some losers) but now can be found a Marshall's for a fraction of the intended retail price. The outlets sell them at 75% off. I can see the Legacy line going in the same direction. Lauder got rid of Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Kors, DKNY and Zegna fragrances for a greater focus on higher end selections. Business wise this may have made sense, but creatively, they are not holding up to their end of the bargain. EL is defiantly going in the wrong direction and it's sad to see.

I have been a Knowing fan since the beginning - I've gone through several original bottles as well as some of the newer ones. I always though the newer ones were OK - not bad for a chypre trying to stay true to form. Modern Knowing bottles (ones that still looked like the original but were newer) of the last decade so still smelled like Knowing but with an ever so slight musty dry down compared to the bold original. This Legacy Knowing has been the biggest disappointment of all that I know about Knowing. Just call it something else because it is not the wet oak moss blackcurrant that associates me to Knowing. This smells like it has liquid smoke in it. It's just sad and so am I.

As a longtime Knowing fan, I was looking forward to checking this out. I can remember getting preview sample of the original Knowing when it first came out, and loving it's in-you-face and mine qualities. I still continue to wear it today but with a much lighter hand, as it can be a but too strong for today's noses. While it's true this has been updated and has a more 'niche' feel about it, the one thing that it's missing is the overwhelming femininity that the original had. Seriously, you had to be a WOMAN to love and appreciate this, which is why it's still around today. Knowing legacy is like the great granddaughter of Knowing. There's hints of the original, but they've been overtaken by the new and the current and only those acquainted with the original can still detect the great beauty that was.

I really like this. Having said that, I think classics are classics for a reason: the original idea was absolutely bad ass. Someone said to consider these as “standalone creations;” I agree. A stunning, incense-laden chypre, but not the same as the original. I guess “inspired by” is how I would describe it. It’s striking and beautiful, and is a modernized twist on a classic (I also feel the same about White Linen), but I don’t think these are going to run nearly as long as the original formulae. The original is so much more refined and while it’s not a wallflower of a fragrance, it’s also not sharp like the Legacy version. The price point absolutely kills it for me, I’m like, “no, and hell no.”

It seems appropriate that the three noses behind this collection would take turns drawing from their own previous creations. Private Collection, for example, smells similar to Anne Flipo's Synthetic Jungle for Frederic Malle Editions. This time it's Carlos Benaim's turn at the drawing board, and while Knowing Legacy opens with some distinctive notes, I can't help but feel I'm smelling Rotano (Maison D'Etto) in the dry down. Which makes it curious that despite all the comments regarding leather below and the definite scent of horse – presumably the Styrax mentioned on Estee Lauder's product page – there is no mention of this accord in the above notes.

I had high, high hopes for this one because I have a profound love for the OG. This starts with blackcurrant cough drops. Loud and dominating. Then there is generic synthetic berries. Not the fresh, juicy type too. Finally, maybe, a hint of Knowing, but the beautiful mossy-rose is not there. Just a shadow of her former self. Imagine a young teenage girl putting on very heavy make-up that covers up the beautiful features that she inherited from her mother. You wouldn’t recognize her for who she is but if you look hard enough, maybe, just maybe, you could. I am sad.

As others have noted below, this isn’t a reformulation or “restoration” of Knowing, but a whole other beast entirely. The OG is my reference rose chypre, all serious but sensual, conveying both intelligence and self-possession. When spraying this “Legacy” version, though, I’m slapped with a Tom Ford-esque black leather car interior that’s been slathered in raspberry, with only a lightly recognizable wisp of Knowing on top. Yes, this version is still serious, but it’s got a dark edge that almost reads as sinister. It’s not bad, but it’s not Knowing.

I don’t remember the scent of original Knowing but this one in Legacy line has the most vintage profile. My mind draws pictures of 80s beauty ads, particularly by Estee Lauder with Isabella Rossellini. And sheer black tights with kitten heels. It starts opulent, expensive and old-fashioned but then turns to scent of cheap Indian incense sticks. Like decent streets of downtown were filled with numerous Thai massage spots . But I like that twist.

I had high expectations after reading the notes. According to the description of my country, there are many more complex notes and fruity explanations. However, this is not rose chypre, but rather a heavy and dirty animal smell. I am disappointed. I think it is clearly quite different from the original Noing. I will have to get the original Knowing.