Catalyst

Lucky for me strong sents works with my chemistry, the wimpy stuff just fades away on me, and my chemistry works well with most perfumes that make them selves heard, and not be too over ower powerful or stinky. Catalist has been one of my wite floral sents I go to in summer and spring. I'm tipicaly an oriental sent Chick, so I also love the complexity of this Sent as well, I still get my heady musks and spices and woods, with ever emergeing flowers and fruits that blend them selves into this heavely aroma, that gets me noticed with lots of compiments a and, the sent is interesting and It makes me interesting and well as lushious, sweet aluring and just downright Beautiful.

Spiced Amber Floral, This Fragrance Is All & Has it All, Bold But It's Sweet Alluring, But Not Surgery, It's A Head Turner, You Can Wear All Year Long, It's Winter and Fall By The Crackling Fire Place, It's Spring & Summer In The Sunshine & Flowers, It's Not A Day Time Demure Sent, Not an Office Sent It's A Date Night Sent! It's Womanly, Warm, & Elegant But It's Compex and Va Va Va Voom!

OMG! I have to be honest and say that I bought this because it is so cheap and I can't resist a bargain. It is fabulous. Reminds me of Scherrer which I can no longer afford. The first note for me is black pepper and the a green metalic smell which then goes very oriental and sexy...definately a scent for a confident sexy woman not a girly girl.

THis is a delicious fruity floral!The sweet,juicy fruit melds beautifully with the gardenia and orchid.YUM! I love this part but what I love most is the warm,smooth,velvety amber drydown.So cozy,like a warm cashmire shawl.U can almost hear the wind blowing outside and see the dry leaves scurry by.Anyone could wear.

Sorry to say the only strong sent that was also a floral sent that didn't work for me was Gergio, becase it came off way to sharp from beinging to end and didn't mellow out, becasue it didn't have enough or had no grounding ingredients in it like woods and musk or powery elements to mellow it out.

Floral green with a bit of stinky herb's and stuff. A cacophony,yes....but it's fabulous. Most definitely unisex. If you can find it, you must try it.

i was surprised not to find Giorgio Beverly hills listed on the ,this perfume reminds me of icons on the top,and i happily and confidently added it !...giorgio came in 81 and catalyst a decade later...so it is the impostor..i ve already reviewed giorio beverly hills and its imitation zozo by the British company Milton Lloyd(which makes some of the best and most realistic dupes ever)..so do i really have to write another review ..about the exact same perfume.. in a different bottle.. and with a different name..?! first of all don't get me wrong.. i respect the house of halston tremendously.. and i love many of their fragrances..and hunt them.. and i think they make some of the longest lasting opulent.. strong.. perfumes.. that can be smelled from miles away.. if this doesn't bother you..certenely doesnt bother me..i personally love many perfumes from halston and i did purchase 2 catalysts.. its a great perfume.. that has presence.. substance... ....charisma..(infinite charisma) .... and dignity.... a full.. power house.. of the 8oies made in 93 ..catalyst is the type of perfume you want to wear to a new years party.. with family and friends.. its easily a signature scent.. people will remember you with either this or giorgio.. they are more or less the same.. catalyst begins with a pungent strong blast of ..hmmm i dont know.. its an explosion.. of bright ..floraly.. explosive.. accords ..that shock your entire being..and core.. and shake every sinew.. and vain.. in your body.. with ecstatic cosmic perfume energy.. its a moving bomb.. exploding at every direction.. not waiting to explode.. its exploding ..the entire time ..you are wearing it.. yet enjoyable.. yet strangely giving a mesmerizing aurora.. of bright.. clean ..crisp ..green ..aromatic ..velvety.. crispness.. and opulancy.. bright ..full.. green.. musky ..sexy.. ingratiating.. moving ..shattering.. confident.. long lasting.. silage is monstrous.. people in the other rooms will smell you.. its yet not that crazy annoying.. with all that depth of character.. its still bearable.. beautiful.. and surprisingly sexy.. and classy.. oh all this explosiveness.. and classy..?! its not as vulgar.. not as tame.. not as deep ..it all sings in higher accords ..these type of perfumes are so hard to explain in words.. you just have to smell either giorgio beverly hills or catalyst halston to know what i am talking about.. in my mind these two resemebel parties social gatherings of the high and fluent in the 80ies 9oies and resembles strong.. confident ..beautiful.. rich.. want to be seen..and smelled non shy ..talkative characters..slightly ego centic persoanlities.. slightly for over 40 although i never give age to perfumes ..i had a giorgio added to my collection when i was turning 13 !..didnt use it as much.. still to this day.. i dont use it as much as i should.. i don't know why.. maybe it has something to do with tits explosive qualities.. but i still love it.. and hold a special place in my heart ..and olfactory memory ..for it and all the special days i ve used it and mesmerized the stars.. oh wait a minute i know know why i don't use it as much i feel a little light headed and naucious after reviewing it on an empty stomach maybe that's why i am very sensitive to harsh scents and have a fragile git .. catalyst is for the brave of heart the strongest of all who can use montana by montan and paloma picaso and knowing el who love yeasatis and can handel amirage givenchy although i ended up in an er using amirage ..girgio is not as potent but do be careful use with caution for the faint of heart and nose ps i had a candle from giorgio beverlly hilss when i was in boarding school in richmond college and i loved it so much more than the actual perfume every time i smell either catalyst or giorgio i smell candle wax in a good way though

I received a small bottle of the perfume with a purchase on E-bay. The little bottle looks like the small picture above but is frosted. Beautiful! I came immediately online to buy a bottle, just knowing that it would be too expensive or hard to find. NOT!..very inexpensive and readily found. I was shocked to come here and read the reviews on this fragrance. I smell only beautiful white florals and amber. No peppery or spicy notes,no herb, no green or oakmoss...just sweet and beautiful flowers...definitely no cooking odors! It truly seems as though some of us are smelling an entirely different product than others are. I thought it must be because I have the perfume and maybe others were describing the EDT, but after checking the reviews again I can see that isn't so. Many describing the EDT are smelling exactly what I smell in this little bottle of perfume. Maybe just body chemistry? Have to say it made me pause before buying as I don't care for green scents at all and have never fancied smelling like kidneys cooking on the stove! Going ahead with the purchase as it is so inexpensive. Will be back to update on this after testing the EDT against the perfume. Edit: Okay, received my bottle of EDT today and there is definitely a very different smell to this. I get the bitter, mossy smell...and I absolutely smell curry! Not horrible, but not what I smelled in the perfume and not something I would ever really want to wear. Edit: This just needed to settle down for a bit. That bitter, mossy smell is gone within 10 minutes and I am left with the same beautiful smell I got from the Parfum.

Wooo! Yeah, this one is defo for peculiar tastes.. The first spritz is literally everything but nice..I got celery, coriander, nutmeg, even chicken broth at one stage..:-D After about 12-20 minutes it`s starting to change slightly and becomes soapy - yes, maybe at some stage tad bit similar to Giorgio, but still not entirely as Giorgo is sweeter and more cheerful with plenty of tuberose and gardenia. There`s a lot of orris and oakmoss here,and hyacinth, tuberose and gardenia stay in the background. I get no woods, just powder, flowers and oakmoss..When it dries down from this odd `stench` it actually becomes an old-school but interesting scent. Not `sexy`, not `granny`, not `nice`not `spicy` - very particular. There`s something dark about it, even though it`s not spicy.. Personally I regret buying it - even though it was cheap as dirt - as it`s not my cup of tea..or else it just doesn`t smell as nice on me as many of my other perfumes do..maybe it`s the concoction of the notes..Hard to tell. I won`t repurchase but keep it for later and see if it grows on me. EDIT: It`s getting colder so I went through my perfs putting away summer scents and found this one and sprayed it on - and alas, it suddenly smells appealing and very much suitable for the weather! Very soapy, green, the narcissus and orris are prominent. It suddenly makes sense to me, I will defo wear it now during this colder time of year, I find it much nicer than some of my other winter scents!

Gardenia-Tuberose-Coriander-Carnation! If this combination appeals to you, what a delightful blind buy. If not, stay far away! On first sniff I felt I was smelling green celery overlaid with white florals. Very much an aromatic scent rather than a sweet floral and calculated to please chypre lovers more than floral admirers. That said, I ADORE a good. green chypre!!!! Catalyst is one of the best bargain green fragrances I own. My vintage bottle is powerful and expensive smelling (to me). I realize this is one polarizing note pyramid and not for the faint of heart. Not a blind buy for the timid, shall we say? But it made my day! Oh, and for those who love lilac, there is a charming hint here also, along with orris. <3 Five stars. Update: I should note that I'm beginning to better understand Catalyst. She smells like an Estee Lauder, classic release, though not a dupe of any. I have and LOVE vintage E. Lauder Knowing. This is a cousin! She is white floral with greens instead of rose based, but very much of the same blood line. Uncompromising, womanly, and seductive in an old school way entirely.

This is the CRAZIEST perfume I've ever had...or maybe I have the craziest chemistry. Thought I'd try this, as I found an amazing price for it. Put it on and...OH MY GOODNESS! Well, actually not,because to say it smelt loathsome is an understatement!!! Looked at the reviews, and agreed with michelle.p.stpie and Bettynoir. Chemistry, I decided. I've been busy, so didn't scrub that stinker off. And...guess what. Now, some 2 hours later, this is yummy!! A real flower, fruity bodied, singing, sweet, light fume. NOT girly...summer flowers and fruit in a real garden joyous. Wow!! Now, I just have to remember to put this on 2 hours before I go anywhere. So yes, my chemistry did play havoc, but I totally get how wonderful this must be for those with a normal reaction to the playful perfume. Lucky, lucky them to have this diamond in their arsenal!

Tuberose, green gardenia, perhaps lilac...so many notes, yet the overall impression is Grassy. Loud and in your face, but a small spritz will last forever. The strong coumarin or fennel note not listed here could be a deal breaker ( like for cocobean ), as it makes this scent into a polarizing aromatic floral. It took me some time to adjust to this, but used sparingly I have succumbed to it's unique qualities. Recently saw a reference made to this in an article. They had it paired with red lipstick and a one shouldered black velvet gown near a rocky beach. To me it is more like a chilly spring wind breezing in new growth of flowers. Perfect in February!

I too dont detect any vanilla at all but i really like this perfume. Its very very strong at first but i dont mind that because i know it will settle into a warm 'ambery' hue. It is very flowery but the amber makes it less girl & more womanly. I totally agree with Barbiot in that it does smell a great deal like first by van cleef & as its a fraction of the price of First i shall be popping back to the perfume counter to buy another one whilst they have it on offer of £4.99 in a clearance. Bargain or what. If anyone can find a perfume thats smells just like D&G BY please please please tell me, not that im begging or anything, Lol.

Like Betty Noir, I bought this blind as well. It is SO very sweet and very strong! I do not detect cumin in it, but rather Lilly of the Valley, and it is very strong Lilly of the Valley. My daughter told me, "Mom, you smell like an old lady, like Grandma". I wanted to send it right back, but the dry down is OK, I can live with it and if I wear just a tiny spritz and mix it with one of my "Clean or Water" parfums it works. That may sound a bit drastic, but it works for me. I've even gotten compliments on my mixture. I shall not buy Catalyst again. But I'm open to trying anything that the Halston noses create. Lara517

Much more of a GREEN floral than a fruity floral, and not very sweet either. I find this fragrance unnerving in the summer months, redolent of celery and oddly harsh gardenias. But in winter it can really bloom with a delirious spring freshness. In time I ignored the opening vibe of celery entirely and concentrated on that clear toned vibrancy of springtime. The cheapest end-of-winter treat! Verdict: Highly original, niche type scent. You must love strong, old fashioned divas and greens to qualify. :) Very much a love or hate fragrance.

I like this a lot but can see why others wouldn’t. It’s certainly not for everyone. It’s very potent and not something most people would wear nowadays. I think if I wore this in public I would get some pretty unflattering comments. I wear this to bed sometimes. It’s a very peculiar smell that’s for sure. It doesn’t remind me of chanel no 19 in the least. It kinda reminds me of Chloe narcissus mixed with Givenchy l’interdit vintage formula. It’s a keeper for me. 7.5/10

Just got this one in today 3/2/13 and it does contain tree moss and oak moss not stated here but on the box. It does smell dated, but you can smell the florals in the mid notes and drydown. A mere $7.49 for 3.4 oz. I've smelled worse. Not bad for the price. Notes according to Perfume Intelligence are top notes of jonquil, tuberose, rose, jasmine. Heart notes are muguet, cassias, and violet. Base notes are sandalwood, patchouli, musk, and oakmoss.

for the vintage EDT: on me, a warm and sensual scent, floral and woody, but not heavy handed (unless you overdo it!). This is great for day or evening and a little goes a long way so it's a great value. I don't get all the celeric notes that others mention, but rather a crispness that I find appealing, maybe the citrus. For a thrift store find, I kind a feel like I hit the jackpot! I'll keep this one and wear it in cooler weather.

Reminded me Fabourg 24 by Hermes. I have both. They are not dupes but relatives. Catalyst is softer. If you like Fabourg you probably will like Catalyst. Great cheapie! I paid $3.00 (three dollars USA) for 100 ml on eBay March 2019 LOL The two most prominent notes for me: wood and narcissus. I had ZERO vanilla in my bottle. P.S. Review is for modern EDT.

I forgot about Catalyst! I remember it being very sharp and biting. It reminded me of this cough medicine I used to have to take as a kid. Even with all that, I still kind of liked it. Could never stop sniffing it. Quite unique.

Definitely woody with some oakmoss in there; hyacinth, narcissus, orchid and tuberose with sandalwood and cedar. The main florals are orchid and hyacinth. Sharp, green floral with lots of oakmoss.

a very, very dry green and soapy one , like N°19 ( perfume) under steroids...much personnality with a kind of austerity . Could be easily be worn , both , by men and women

It reminds me of the horrid bad oil smell of Passion but for some reason I like Catalyst. And they are selling it everywhere these days for next to nothing.

old-school fragrance. really! totally vintage

I think I can understand now why I only paid $8.00 for a brand new boxed, cellophane wrapped 3.4oz. bottle. The opening is dreadful. I also thought the bottle had spoiled. Eventually very soapy florals reminiscent of laundry detergent come through; but there is an underlying scent running beneath that smells like Jalapeno or some other pungent pepper. Definitely a food odor. It distracts from the laundry detergent smell. (Maybe that's a plus.) Could be the peach note clashing with the other notes. I'm not sure, but whatever it is I don't like it. I'll give this another try another day, though I honestly can't even bear to think about it right now. Came back to add this is nothing like First by Van Cleef & Arpels. First is a masterpiece. This is Tide laundry detergent.

Oh, I wanted to like this so badly because I really love that bottle! Sadly, this fragrance is NOT for me. I completely agree with darlingbuds...for the first 15 minutes or so, the top notes are extremely sour and rancid. I can't even explain how it smells to my nose, it's just so awful... Then, all I get is carnation. Maybe just a touch of tuberose. Then the musk...sandalwood, and some cedar. Where are all those other lovely floral notes listed? Not on my arm! This carnation is not a pretty one...it is warm, yes, but warm in a sickening, rotting way. Not a fresh floral way at all. I honestly can't recommend this to anyone, unless you love carnations...and even then, you've been warned! :)

This is very similar to Fleur d'Orlane. It has the same flat, powdery lilac like note, which Narcisse also has. I believe it's meant to serve as a component of 'daffodil." Catalyst's lilacy powder is combined with green notes and a musky base. The musk is laundry sharp, where fdo is softer, with a bit of vanilla. Catalyst's green note is harsher and doesn't last to the drydown like FdO's. Fdo's is a more recognizably quality galbanum. Catalyst is fruitier, where FdO is floral, but that lilac powder runs through both to the drydown. UPDATE: Uh, yeah, somehow I'd never sniffed Estee Lauder's Beautiful. Tested it the other day. Catalyst is a Beautiful dupe.

I see that this must be a love or hate kind of scent. I don't understand why there has to be bashing of other perfumes when giving a review though. Someone said it smells like the horrid bad oil smell of Passion. I LOVE Passion so I ordered this on EBAY. I will test it out when it arrives and give my review. Hoping to love it! It arrived today. Fried kidneys and curry??? Not on me! I smell lily of the valley, tuberose, lilac, pepper, and some oak moss (maybe a slight hint of curry). I find it very intriguing and I really like it! I don't think it smells at all like Passion but I sure wish it did!

Oh dear. I bought this blind and ten minutes later I can't get rid of the smell of curry on my wrist. Is there cumin in this? Normally I don't mind spicy but this smells like a Balti dish in the 1970s with a whiff of cheap aftershave over the top of it. Don't get me wrong, I love spicy food and I love spicy perfumes, but I don't like it when the two smell interchangeable. This is a real stinker I'm afraid!

I got this today in the post. I really wanted to buy this after reading through the comments about it. thinking it was going to be a beautiful sent as indicated by the beautiful bottle a purchased it. I opened it to take a sniff... I was blown away of how horrible it is it reminds me of something bad for some reason. My mummy loves it though. Smells like chemicals defo for older people im 18

I tested Catalyst today and found it an overwhelming spice and herb assault! I got cumin, curry leaves and something like celery seed. If it was cooking in a pan in the kitchen it might be very interesting - maybe as the base of a creole type dish - but on my wrist it was just horrible. A total scrubber - and as is the way with scrubbers when I added water it only got stronger.

I just have to add to my previous review and say I am very surprised that there are supposedly so many floral notes in this. Floral is something I did not get at all. I usually love hyacinth and lily of the valley notes, but these were not remotely discernible to me with this scent. Maybe sandalwood, but nothing else apart from dry wood and harsh spice.

Not for me! Celery & curry powder! Yuk...very old fashioned perfume.

Note to self, do not blind buy flankers.

Catalyst Halston For Women reminds me of a combination of &/or in the same realm of Giorgio Beverly Hills For Women & Ted Lapidus Rumba & Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds & A spicier version of Ysatis. It's bold, long lasting & vivacious. It's currently widely available at discounters & online, affordable & a gem that still shines brightly. In its' day, this would have been considered a daytime scent for dates & events. Not office safe. These days, I would consider this more of an event scent such as weddings, celebrations, clubbing & evening scents where you don't mind being noticed. I still enjoy wearing this scent & am grateful that I don't get a headache from wearing this compared to Giorgio. My DH gifted me Giorgio Beverly Hills For Women when we were first going out & then married. So glad because this sunny scent puts a smile on us both. The shape of the bottle reminds me of a silhouette of someone in an evening gown or a palazzo evening pantsuit & the color of the liquid matches the vibe of the scent. (I don't really get the Quartz Molyneaux scent reference in the Reminds Me Of Section above because Quartz Molyneaux smells more like Noa Cacherel to me). I would like to know who the perfumer/nose is & they need to be included too. Update: I also smell Narcissus. Halston Catalyst For Women is a strong floral fragrance. Much like Lancome Tresor & Poeme fragrances are full out bouquets of fragrances. To be worn with joy & pleasure!

Like Lizzykay, I also bought a bottle of this at a bargain price and I'm really disappointed! I'd read reviews of it on and off for awhile and thought it sounded interesting, the bottle looked nice and I have Halston Sheer, which is a good perfume, so I was curious to try it. Imagine my disappointment then to find, when it arrived in the post, that it smells very synthetic and chemical'ish. I can't detect any individual notes at all and it just smells like an artificial, pongy mess! It also smells very "cold" and even astringent. I've smelled perfumes like this before though on older women but they just smell unpleasant and synthetic so I can't understand why anyone would want to wear them. In fact, I disliked the smell of this perfume so much I couldn't even bear to spray it on myself so I just sprayed it in the air, which was bad enough! Tragically, the smell lingered too and wouldn't disappear for ages so I wouldn't even use it as an air freshener!! This actually reminds me of Kouros, the men's fragrance, which I also dislike intensely!

j'ai acheté ce parfum car comparé à giorgio beverly hills que j’apprécie,euh ou est giorgio dans ce parfum ? nulle part évidement,au départ odeur étrange curry, curcuma on se sent plus dans une cuisine que dans une salle de bain lol,cela ne dure pas,vient ensuite une odeur de cologne désuète puis une odeur de fleurs blanches plutôt discrète le parfum s'installe dans cette odeur et tient jusqu'au lendemain sur les vêtements pas désagréable plutôt vieillot(je n'ai rien contre les parfums old ladies je serais même plutôt addict,mais là ça sent la maison de retraite). Pour conclure,rien de transcendant,assurément je n'en rachèterais pas. Expérience étrange et non concluante du début à la fin. Comme on dit,tout reste subjectif, juste une petite indication pour ceux qui aiment, mieux vaut s'asperger une bonne demie heure avant de sortir pour éviter de sentir la cuisine indienne et obtenir la vraie odeur de ce parfum.

When I was a kid we had this neighbor who would fry up kidneys for his breakfast on Sunday mornings. On first spray of Halston's Catalyst, the immediate and inescapable onslaught is that of the sizzling kidneys:acute, somewhat rancid, ureaic. Seriously, it's that bad. Wavering, however, underneath that initial drastic note was something appealing. I waited. Approximately 14 minutes later, the reek had made its exit and a warm, steady stream of carnation and some musk lay on my arm. I don't exactly know where to lay the blame for the abysmal first act (the peach? but it's so animalic...), but if you can wait it out (or not leave the house) for around 14 minutes, you'll have something worth the price of admission. Perhaps here the wearer, not the juice, is the true catalyst. My only other complaint is that the guys' version gets the cool little test tube bottle and holder.

This is pretty strong! I wasn't able to try on my skin when it came in the mail (cheap ebay, NIB) so I put a couple sprays on my pillow. WHOA. Potent. Be careful with this, and maybe apply to just skin because it really holds onto fabric and projects. I do get the celery/herbal vibes. Haha. Totally. But it fades, and I'm familiar with those kind of notes from other vintage green/mossy/floral scents. This most reminds me of Charlie Blue. Catalyst smells familiar. And I think it's Charlie. But it also has floral/soapy/powder- which brings to mind Jontue. If you put those 2 together- you get Catalyst. I found a 100ml for $9.50 total, but I'm not sure how much I'll wear/love this. However, it's well worth the money. It's a green-floral-soapy-mossy-earthy-herbal typical 80/90s scent. Nothing sweet here, nothing fruity, sort of dry. I have the EDT. Batch code: 5HA3- June 2015.

thank you kelleybelle! i like to think that the forums of fragrantica are a democratic space with room for all opinions and the realm of the fragrance is surely a place where opinion is often different and divided as made obvious by the thousands of reviews we read here! the world of perfume is surely one of the most subjective with each of us entering with a bouquet of experience and expectation - often picked from childhood and carried with us through life made up of memories, moments and magic that we hope can be recaptured and resurrected by the art of perfumery! it doesn't always work and i try not to judge in haste and i can read here that others may be of the same or different opinions - each to his own - it makes life more interesting and it is wonderful to have the perfumes of our planet to explore - how lucky and grateful are we?

I hated this when I first sprayed it smelled way too green and celeriac ar first but a few days on now I think spraying it has mellowed it (it was a sealed in box vintage version with actual oak and tree moss extracts listed on the carton). This is actually a very green floral scent with rose and orris. It smells like a blend of Oscar, No19 and EL Private collection and it has a definite yellow pollen like daffodil note which gives it a 90s quality. This lasts all day and dries down to a work appropriate day time scent. It just needs a bit of breathing space in the beginning to let it bloom from the sharp green herbaceous beginning. There definitely is a peppery jalapeno/green chilli bite or even a curry like cumin for the first few moments but it blends into a wonderful expensive green floral expensive orris smelling scent.

Soapy floral. Carnations, jasmines, lily of the valley, musk, hiacynth, oakmoss, cedar, sandalwood, and hints of narcissus all blended within soapy frame. Too much soap that settles to soapy jasmines with carnations, musks and roses. This is the transition from animalic of the 80s to the cleanness bubbles soaps of the 90s. Didn't like it. Edit (27th April 2018) The more i use it the more i examine a new thing within! The tuberose, the hiacynth, and the carnations are dominating over orris butter, & i believe the annoying note were lily of the valley, while it didn't went to that soapy direction this time! it went on a complete floral direction including narcissus, and musk. Surprisingly i find it interesting!! it differs from the first time i tried it!

This one to my nose opens up like Giorgio of Beverly Hills "type" scent....then that aspect leaves quickly and becomes less BOOM ! than Giorgio. I get pronounced tuberose/gardenia...then the under notes fill in to take it to another direction.My bottle is waaaay vintage...due to the box being used/older looking shape. The juice has darkened a bit too.The dry down is very nice. Remarkable..???...NO. But for the price...I would say not bad at all. It kinda "grows" on you. It is pleasant,not over-bearing or cloying. Classic type scent for sure.Also..my nose is missing the "orris/iris in this..??...maybe due to age of scent...??? 6.5/10 for me.

There was a time when I was in my 20s and I wore this... volupté... and design by Paul Sebastian. Not all at once. At different times. And when I look back, my 20s was a time of so many bad decisions and learning the hard way. I really think this was part of some of those bad decisions, hahahaha but I wouldn’t have it any other way and I’m tempted to buy a bottle of this just so I can smell it again, laugh, reflect back on those times... and be happy that I’ve learned from my mistakes. But I suppose if I buy another bottle maybe I haven’t learned? But the nostalgia!

run to the hills perfume pixies! - this is absolutely ghastly on skin - save your coin and just take some cotton sheets and soak and dry in urine a few times until brown and then set fire to it and rub the charred remains on to your skin - truly vile - on skin it comes on like chernobyl but thankfully doesn't last - on paper it is the darkest green but still unforgivable! is it just me i wonder? i can't get past the urinal in "red door"!!!! be warned - catalyst is surely a joke? -i think one of the worst perfumes i have ever encountered!

I have this fragrance, at the back of my collection, my husband gave it to me as a gift for no particular reason, which was nice. The fragrance itself was not nice at first, but I wore it as to not seam ungrateful, it settled into something bearable. But. Have to say every second person told me that day I smelt beautiful. So I eventually worked out that less is better and to apply it a good 30min prior to leaving the house, I now have grown to love the sharp peppery notes, celery seed and carnation. And value for money.

I got this as a gift from my brother. Hmmmm, I got mixed emotions on this one. At first a strong, bitter smell that hits you in the face. I really don't like it; it seems like something has been stored for a really long time. But when time passes, it leaves a woody, spicy, flowery, musky smell. Very elegant and grown up. I agree with Darlingbuds...you should wait to leave the house so that you and the rest of humanity could enjoy this exotic smell. It's really strong...not a fav., but I don't hate it.

I bought Catalyst at a bargain price from a reputable shop and though well impressed by the bottle I don't think much of the fragrance. Looking at the notes it is meant to have, maybe I got something else entirely. I don't get floral. Just chemicals and a rather sharp herbal. It is slightly better in warmer weather as the sharpness is nearly a citrus tang. But there's no sweetness to it and it just is not pretty at all.

Catalyst-this one is sort of bitter-green perfume. I define notes as sandalwood, musk, and oak moss some heavy flowery smell, although, it is not as annoying as modern expensive perfumes, that you want immediately scrub, unless it disappeared themselves. This perfume stays on you a few hours in a row, and don't disturb you, and it is already a good sign. And perhaps, after a while someone will like it on you.

I'm with BettyNoir. I'm scratching my head, looking at the notes listed, and wondering, are we talking about the same scent? This smelled horrible on me. I'm glad I just got a sample. For openers, this smelled like fried kidneys and curry. Then, it smelled like grass and mildew. Sexy? Well maybe if I want to attract "Swamp Thing" who likes fried kidneys and curry! (>_<)