Explicite

I am exploring (and is some cases re-exploring) peony-rose centric fragrances. I bought sizable decants of Ex Nihilo "Explicite" and Ex Nihilo "Lust In Paradise." I also purchased Profumum Roma "Dolci Pensieri." So, Explicite is a near total love at first sniff. While not as heady, dense, or complex as Amouage "Guidance," Explicite is definitely reminiscent of Guidance. Guidance is and will always be my forever fragrance. Of course, Guidance also has the gorgeous, nutty hazelnut accord throughout, which Is not present in Explicite. Explicite's opening is quite spicy thanks to the pink pepper and nutmeg notes. The perfume quickly develops with a beautiful floral blend that seamlessly merges with the spicy opening. Rose and peony are most prominent to my nose. Thankfully the sharp and spiky note usually accompanying rose fragrances is never evident with Explicite. The perfume continues unfolding with minimally sweet praline and a luscious, creamy, sandalwood and vanilla base accord. If I did not own and love Guidance and Guidance 46, I would possibly purchase Explicite. Also wish to add, Explicite has limited silage and weak-to-moderate performance, characteristics I've come to expect with Ex Nihilo fragrances.

Sweet, flowery, gourmand, spicy- this is one happy playful perfume. It lingers between seductive fresh pink flowers, and candy shop cuteness. But it's thick, think consistency of a syrup, not a watery innocent floral-sweet fragrance. There is something very alluring about this one, I couldn't stop sniffing my hand when I first tried it! What comes to mind is an intersection of Flamenco Ramon Monegal, Hibiscus Mahajad Maison Crivelli, Magnolia Rosae and indeed Gold Immortals Ex Nihilo (minus the BR resemblance the later one carries). Projection is almost embarrassingly good, you feel you kind of overdid it even though you sprayed only 3-4 times 😄. Obviously a winner in my book!

Explixite is lovely. Pepper and nutmeg, later amber add an interesting touch to the praline, peony composition, it doesn't smell too cloying or too floral, the notes are so tight, they are not easy to feel each of them separately. Very well balanced, interesting, has a charm about it. I agree that Ex Nihilo knows how to make modern Parisian perfumes, no vintage feelings, most of them smell very "now", but still contained and quite an acquired taste, not overblown as sometimes modern perfumes can be. Not for gourmand enemies as this is still quite sweet and sweetens drying down. +

This fragrance is one of the most stunning creations among all the Ex Nihilo's fragrances. It is spicy, sweet, ambery, and super-dense floral. It is way more feminine than Gold Immortal and Brompton Immortal. The praline note is also smooth and does not smell like Baccarat Rouge 540, which is absolutely crucial to me: I dislike Baccarat Rouge 540. It is quite a blended scent, and it is very difficult to detect one of the notes in a good way. The longevity and silage are perfect:8-10 hours.

I get the spicy nutmeg, stems, florals, sweetness, wood, vanilla, amber, even a tiny tinge of smoke... But I don't get oud unless people are interpreting the smoke as oud. This a pretty complex perfume. Leans slightly feminine only because the floral aspect but I think a man can wear this no problem unless you despise these florals. But I think the masculine facets offset it to an extent even though they're clear as day. And even though they're clear, they smell very high quality.

I totally get the comparison to Guidance, but if you put one on each arm and really study them in each phase, they're really different. Overall, Explicite is a softer (compared to Guidance that is), smoother sweeter scent while Guidance is more sour. Once you get into the deeper dry down they become less alike. I really love explicite and I'm going to wear the entirety of the sample I got and live in it before buying a full bottle.

Testing this and it smells nearly identical to Impadia which makes sense since Jordi Fernandez is the perfumer on both. I'm not a fan of Impadia nor am I a fan of this. All I get is an overwhelming synthetic woodiness. And some sandalwood that has a pickle vibe. I would say that if you like this scent profile, definitely go with Impadia because it's the more affordable option. They really do smell the exact same.

I’m a bit confused by reviewers saying this has a masculine dry-down. It’s unabashedly feminine to me, but not girly, this fragrance would be out of place on an ingénue type. The juiciness fades but the sweetness stays. This is my favorite amber-heavy fragrance currently. The peony doesn’t exactly announce itself, but it’s doing some heavy lifting here, in my opinion.

Oh Waou!! This is so beautiful...sweet, classy & sophisticated. Peony, vanilla, sandalwood, praline & amber are what I smell. No pepper or spiciness. Just beautiful. Blindbuy safe in my opinion, there is nothing offensive about this. Very easy & pleasant on the nose. If you love Santal Blush (Tom Ford), you will love this.

The first time I smelled this it didn't sit right with me at all. But as time passed, I found myself longing for that same scent profile. Just sprayed it on my hand, and wow, I'm head over heels! It's such a sophisticated blend of woody florals, giving me that feeling of being the belle of the ball at a gala.

This is the first time I wish I would've gotten 100 ml instead of the 50ml because baby this is powerful; this is magical; this is luxurious. It smells like fresh white roses from the florist instead of the grocery store kind with a creamy latonic undercurrent just gorgeous. I'm so in love.

One of the perfume come crosse very unique unusual. Sweet floral woody sexy attractive I smell oud but very very tiny which good for me I’m Not into strong oud . This perfume amazing I already ordered my bottle and I’m into venumim kiss . Oud vandom as well

This is an interesting scent. It smells like Asian caramel bubble tea with 100% sugar. It smells like something I would drink with a good meal and it keeps me addicted. Pretty long lasting and smells even better after I sweat in the gym.

Wow sexy scent, sweet flowers with amber and sandalwood, Ex Nohilo knows how to make a modern Parisian x oriental scents. I love Ex Nihilo, one of the most elegant Parisian houses.

I love this perfume! If you like gourmand sandalwood fragrance, then you’ll love this perfume. It lasts all day for me and the projection is amazing!

I like this one the most of the Ex Nihilo line. Unlike Fleur Narcotique, it's got some presence. Lovely and might be full bottle worthy for me.

Very Glamour,intense and sophisticated perfume. I love it for winter days! Sillage: 8.5/10 Longevity: 9./10 Scent: 8./10 Overall: 8./10

One of the best creations by the brand so far....

Looking for a partial/bottle if you have one!

Explicite by Ex Nihilo is another gorgeous fragrance created by Jordi Fernandez. Every fragrance he's created for Ex Nihilo has been a hit. They're all 8/10 or over. This fragrance opens with a spicy burst of pink pepper, adding a playful and slightly fiery edge before melting into a creamy heart of praline. The sweetness is balanced beautifully by warm amber, which gives the scent a soft, resinous glow. As it dries down, sandalwood takes center stage, wrapping the composition in a smooth, woody warmth. While the scent profile is captivating—both sweet and sensual—it lasts around 3-6 hours on my skin, making it more of a short-to-medium wear fragrance. Ideal for cozy evenings or casual daytime wear, but may need reapplication for all-day longevity. I rate this 8/10.

Explicite is an intensely sweet, floral and feminine perfume which I think is fantastic. It opens straight away with bright pink and white florals of peony and lily of the valley, with a soft, delicious darkness lingering in the base from the praline and amber. There’s a gentle spicy kick as nutmeg and pink pepper introduce themselves, resting on a clean woody base. Overall it’s the florals that dominate this scent, the sweet praline and Amber are present but they are but supporting accords. This is a very feminine fragrance and I’m surprised Fragrantica lists it as unisex. I think it smells wonderful but wouldn’t wear it for myself, and find it’s quite overpriced for what it is unfortunately.

To me this is very strong and cutting/piercing to my nose i'm getting sharp Oud but don't see it listed in the notes here. Would have to check on that but I've already removed this from my wish list. The notes sound amazing but that strong sharp Oud is killing it for me. I can see how someone said they got a headache. I am not someone who is afraid of Oud, i generally like Oud i feel like, just not this. From the line I love Sweet Morphine.

The fragrance leans feminine, i can clearly smell the praline and peony with multitude of floral element and Hashish which i think comes from the pepper nutmeg with the praline. Ironically it has the smell of Hashish in a more authentic way than black afghano does. The base is ambery sexiness The fragrance shares something with fleur narcotique for sure, But it is more sophisticated

This smells like another perfume (niche but pourable with some Arabic heritage), can’t really pinpoint what it reminds me of, but I’ve smelled it before hundred times. Very sweet Oriental spicy amber fragrance. Nice but quite heavy. Also reminds me of Outlands by Amouage a bit.

I am smelling cardamom even though it's not listed. To me it smells spicy (nutmeg, cardamom) with a sweet base. The florals aren't detectable. More summer-appropriate imo.

Smells like transparent smokey roses with the stems on a base of soft spices and woody vanilla. Nice one. Too xxy for me but I loved my sample. -

The opening is intoxicatingly sweet, sexy, and feminine. I absolutely love it; just smelling the bottle makes my eyes roll back in my head. The nutmeg really does it for me. Sadly, it only takes about 20 minutes for that opening to disappear and be replaced by a spicy, woody, masculine scent that I would love on a boyfriend but absolutely hate on myself. I see This is Her and Delina Exclusif in the “reminds me of” section and I agree with both. This is Her has a similar sweet, woody spice, which I also find suffocating and scrubbable after a few minutes. Explicite also has the same dreamy sweet vanilla incense vibe as Delina Exclusif but the dry down is completely different - all amber and sandalwood instead of sour lychee and vanilla. Clearly not for everyone, don’t blind buy.

Based on the notes I thought this will be my favorite parfume from the EN discovery set. Also usually I love the fragrances from Jordi Fernandez, but unfortunately the sillage is very weak, I almost can not smell the parfume at all. The issue is not with my nose, I can perfectly enjoy the other fragrances from the set (especially Gold Immortals which is a huge masterpiece from the same master and although I smell the similarities between the two, Explicit has just not been created on the same quality level as Gold Immortals in my opinion. I am sorry this would be a nice parfum but the sillage and the longevity are not good at all, especially in this price category. It can be also that my skin is just not compatible with this fragrance.

this is such a pretty girly scent not juvenile but definitely young and flirtatious. it’s not a scent that you’ve never smelled before but it’s very well blended and high quality smelling perfume. I can see the Guidance comparison where Amouage is dense and thick Explicit is more airy. It doesn’t smell like Gold Immortals either it carries the same dna but the vibes are totally different. Explicit is fun and sweet. Gold Immortals is more serious. maybe the difference between a date and an event. it’s not my favorite scent profile but such a pleasant fragrance for elegant girls who love spicy ambery middle eastern type of scents.

The opening is so sweet and elegant, but the drydown is very disappointing. It smells like oud and not in a good way. I wish they would’ve blended this better or got rid of the sandalwood in this fragrance. It’s too much. The opening is my favorite! Why can’t perfumers just keep fragrances linear? Baccarat is a linear fragrance and look how popular it is! Sometimes the ppl love sweet and simple. Anyways, if the entirety of the fragrance smelled like the opening I’d be a huge fan, but the drydown is a big no for me. Sigh.

Explicite is okay, it's VERY sweet. Like overpoweringly so. I can't handle too much of this scent, and it does hang around all day, so be careful with application. It smells like hyper sweet peony and praline. It's not unique, I've smelled Middle Eastern fragrances with this exact scent profile. There is something woody in the base to ground the fragrance, but overall, it's just too sweet for me.

At first sniff it gave Mugler Angel...after a few minutes it reminds me even more of Good Girl Blush Elixir, minus the patchouli, which ultimately ruined it for me after a couple weeks. This is better. But not my style.

Got a strong BO smell in the opening. It’s died down since and I actually like the dry down but the memory of the BO is still there so I’m psychologically finding it difficult to like this

Good thing I bought a sample along with the bottle of Explicite, because this is getting returned lol. This is why I don’t usually blind-buy but did here. It actually reminds me more of Byron Parfums The Chronic Blue because of the prominent spices and ambery sharp musk present. But there’s an animalic (oud?), pissy thing from the beginning completely thinning out any floral, praline notes I was hoping to get like in Greenwich Village. This also isn’t sweet like that or Kayali Sweet Diamond Pink Pepper (both compared?). My expectations were for this to compare at least 3/4 of the way and be a vanilla, spicy, fruity, sweet, airy marriage of the two, that I could wear in warm weather. Alas, disappointment. Too bad the color scheme of GV clashes with my collection to add, although it’s very beautiful. The performance isn’t even the same as the two. Even though this smells better in the sillage, it dries down to a molecule musk and becomes close to the skin. I would’ve preferred this to be thicker in consistency but it seems only Greenwich Village has mastered the sweet spot for having some density while avoiding being syrup-like for this fruit-praline profile. Very unisex and clearly intended for those who want something masculine but then a pinch of florals were thrown in so it could maybe also appeal to those who want something feminine. Like an afterthought. I’m sure those who don’t like gourmand or sweet fragrances would love this.

Unfortunately I also pick up a synthetic Oud. Before I looked on Fragrantica, I thought berries and Oud. And neither are listed. Maybe it’s my sniffer, but I don’t pick up a specific note other than the two that aren’t in it. I can surely detect the candy sweetness, but nothing specific. And Explicite is a headache inducer. The first 10 minutes are challenging and I can understand the polarizing reviews below. But the drydown is only a smidge smoother. For some reason I have the feeling of a discount handbag store, where the bargain shoppers’ perfume is mixing with the knockoff handbag smell. It’s all very synthetic....and unnatural. Ok, I know that sounds harsh but better to be honest than to lead anyone astray. Pardon me while I scrub this one away. My two favorites continue to be Viper Green and Devil Tender from Ex Nihilo.

I was encouraged to try this one. I'm so confused why many reviews mentioned oud...I didn't get any, real or synthetic. Opens with candied fruty floral: light diluted peony, lily, maybe lily of the valley, and some yellow flowers Dries down smells like if you have rank armpits but mask them with a fruity floral deodorant. And I think it's a weird scent design (of the whole brand) stemming from the differentiation concept, being reputed as having a sandalwood base because the results of it is that sharp, dry opening like synthetic white oud and its volatile quality of the scent like having tons of IsoE...I just don't dig it. So scents from this brand don't leave intoxicating sillage, although they do project during the first few hours.

Well, there are sweet perfumes and then there is this... I never understood how can someone get a headache from wearing a perfume until i tried this one. I really wanted to like it because i love Ex Nihilo in general(Fleur Narcotique was my wedding scent) but unfortunately it hit me too hard with its very strong opening/middle notes. Not sure what, but something just doesn't blend well in this perfume. I could constantly smell some weird candy that made my stomach turn. Deff, don't get carried away by the nice notes and try before buying.

Opening smells like a sweet and peppery wood (probably the nutmeg?), with the slightest hint of peony. It reminds me of being hugged by my grandmas classy friends growing up. Mature. The dry down is straight sandalwood and nutmeg for me in a very old spice way. Glad I got a sample but won’t be buying a full bottle. Strong sillage and longevity. Not for me. Leans masculine.

I have to agree with hadassa's review. On my skin it starts totally feminine fresh peony and honey(even though it not listed in the notes), then dries down to a masculine woody scent. It's very high quality, but not my cup of tea.

creamy, smells like delina's more lactonic distant relative. somehow manages to simultaneously be too childish and too mature. evocative of rococo architecture and pastel pink+blue combo. marie antoinette would've eaten it.

The praline note was turned somehow sour on my skin on the initial spray. But then it did dry down to a very faint sweet somewhat skin-like scent. Not worth it for me.

Someone below nailed it when they said this has a musky-animalic dry down that is characteristic of some niche fragrances - this absolutely ruined this one. Reminds me of Gritti Dame de L'Île (which actually has animal notes and ambergris in the notes). It's that woody, iso e super, leathery musky smell that is immediately headache-inducing and leans into body odor depending on your skin chemistry. I don't get any florals. I had high hopes for this one!

For the price I expected something amazing. However, the scent fades within 3 hours to nothing. The lily note is overpowering every other note. It is almost headache inducing to me. I would not buy this in a full bottle nor do I recommend blind buying this.

This is a strange one. It is different and, in a way, beautiful. Not sure if it's pleasant enough though. The opening is harsh. There is a very strong hairspray note mixed with nose-burning "oud" accord. When this burst of smell calms down, it definitely gets much prettier. Interesting, that it's not only both fresh and sweet, but also has a very dark edge. It smells of a man and a woman being together, as if her perfume mixed with his perfume, shaving foam smell, and his body odor (in a good way). There is something mentholated going on. The sweeter element of it smells like cocoa powder or dark chocolate a little bit, and the fresh accord is a very pleasant abstract cross between peach and peony. Strong woodiness in the background gives this perfume a backbone. The hairspray/shaving foam note mellows out but persists. It is strangely refined and special, and surely signature worthy. It is haunting and sexy. Again, it is surely an acquired taste. I think it can make a fantastic masculine, all the sweetness notwithstanding. Both sillage and longevity are around average or slightly about average.

Since this is one of my favorite fragrances, I ended up doing some research into the batch codes. I tried 4 batch codes, and they open up differently: EX 43103 — caramel-floral. Praline and peony. Lactonic. The best batch. My second 50 ml bottle. EX 43113 — caramel-floral, with a light note of sandalwood and nutmeg. I had a 7.5 ml bottle and would not repurchase it. EX 43044 — this one had strong sandalwood, so I had to part with the bottle. I do not like it. EX 43(144) — I hope I am not mistaken, because I went to the boutique specifically for this one, applied it there, and got sandalwood again, which I do not like. I do not like this batch as well. The fragrance in the first batch is magical. It is the Explicite I fell in love with, and probably the way it was originally meant to smell. It is clear why the reviews vary so much — apparently, we are trying different versions of the fragrance, and they really do differ a lot from one another. EX 43103 is the best and my absolute favorite. It is bright, floral-caramel, and lactonic. The fragrance is simply incredibly feminine!!!

I'll start by saying, Fragrantica is amazing for info but also take it with a grain of salt. This fragrance is not a safe blind buy! From reviews, there is a lot of mixed ideas on this. This scent is going to play super nice or super nasty depending on your skin chemistry. Certainly opens sharp with some kind of oud in there along with the pepper (it made me go "what the hell?". Quickly it starts to dry and thats where the florals come in. The oud sits in the back the whole time but is present, at least to my nose. The sweetness helps balance it out. This is a super seductive scent. You get wiffs of femme florals and vanilla. The amber and sandalwood keep it from going too far down the sweet/femme lane, oud gives it some girth. This is stunning. Not sure if it is just me, but the "reminds me of" section is wild! I have to say I do not own anything that smells like this. Great projection and performance. Certainly worth sampling if you are looking for a sexy floral with some edge.

Unfortunately all I get from this is oud, sandalwood, more oud, wood chips, and tobacco - it's nice and everything but I suddenly remember why I avoid oud. Smells like Sundays at the Baptist church down the street, like just a sucker punch in the face of INCENSE. If I didn't know any better, I would think this is a men's scent because it is just SO STRONG and there really is nothing feminine about this at all. I would be terrified to spray this as just dabbing it is overpowering everything else I sampled - you could probably clear a room if you weren't careful. I guess if you're an oud person, I highly recommend this. I don't think oud smells good on me so, hard pass. Makes me feel like I am about to sprout chest hair.

The opening of this is spicy in a slightly gourmand way. I like the nutmeg. As the florals come in, lily takes it in a *very* mature direction. Sometimes peony can come off like rose, but it stays fresh here. I love the sandalwood that Ex Nihilo uses; it’s creamy and doesn’t veer off into pickles or pencil shavings. The amber in the dry down maintains the vintage feel. I’m confused by the reviews saying this is similar to Guidance or Impadia- I don’t see any resemblance. This is almost like a much older sibling to Gold Immortals. I 100% prefer Gold Immortals. Overall, I can appreciate this for what it is. But at the moment it’s not my style. I might revisit my sample in the future.

This fragrance is a real showstopper. It’s sweet, sexy, and just a bit fruity, with a warm and enticing kick from the nutmeg and pink pepper. The praline adds a nice, nutty sweetness that blends perfectly with the smooth sandalwood, making it feel cozy and comforting. The floral notes of peony, lily, and Petalia keep it fresh and feminine, but it’s not your typical light, airy floral—this one has depth. The vanilla adds a soft, milky sweetness that’s both playful and comforting. Honestly, this perfume feels like the popular older sister in a bottle—bold, vibrant, and definitely more hot pink than pastel. This smells different on me than guidance!! I don't know!

To be honest, this is not for me since the powderiness stands out a bit too much for my liking, but even I'll say this is seductive as hell. Some youtuber somewhere is probably saying "My boyfriend just goes nuts when I'm wearing this perfume!" The nutmeg gives it a cozy spiciness and the vanilla + praline + amber combo give it a nice sweetness. It's also not heady or heavy to my nose, almost a bit fresh though still deep and sultry. I love sandalwood but I'm only getting a faint powdery woodiness from this. I'm glad I sampled but this is not on my wish list, maybe give this a go if you want a fresh but spicy/cozy date-night scent.