High Frequency

Initio is one of those houses that are shrouded in mystery, and it translates that into its fragrances. Over the last two or three years I delved deep and long into the world of Niche Perfumery, and I think I reached a depth where it was difficult any more to find or research more challenging houses past that of the offerings of Papillon, Malle, Gaultieri's Orto Parisi and Nasomatto, Crivelli, Xerjoff and Tauer, to name but a few, and yes through the process of elimination of hundreds of bottles in order to find that elusive 'perfect and usable' collection I got rid of OfG, Side Effect and Rehab, but Initio alongside it's sister company PdM both were able to stand that test and I still love them, but more so Initio. This was I think my 2nd Initio frag, I now have Blessed Baraka, Absolute Aphrodisiac and Paragon, and I love them, and they sit there in my top ten favourites. Straight off the bat, this hit me as feminine leaning, and reminded me of the original Poison by Dior many many moons ago, and as a child remember my Mum wearing Poison, and possibly that is why I feel this as a comforting fragrance, one that I wear to please "me" as opposed to please the crowds, and it does both so wonderfully, and I can not see me parting with this at all Anyhow, the reason for my first paragraph was because the point I was trying to get at was that although Initio technically sits in the land of Niche. However to me it sits on the fence between designer and niche; none of their fragrances are challenging, all their fragrances are crowd pleasers to an extent, they mostly all share a common DNA which is pleasing and comforting irrespective of how the fragrance evolves. To me all their fragrances are very well blended and rounded off with no sharp edges, they are winners no matter from which walk of perfumery life you come from, or at least thats how I see myself and the majority of perfume lovers reviews. And this fragrance is no exception, and I feel that even at their steep price, they are worth the risk of blind buys. I think Rehab was the least liked, OfG just didn't have a place in my collection, and nor did Side Effect, even though I consider them amazing, Blessed Baraka holds the number one sport in my Initio collection, followed closely by this one. I think once you smell this, it's like one of those frags, that it's a no brainer to just have as a stateple in anyones collection, if that makes sense? I do not have the artistic verbal capacity that many of you have, and therefore I leave the descriptive art to those more learned in the ways of creative description, and I shall end my driving waffle there :) I wish you all great fun in the journey of perfumery, and don’t forget that it's not about finding that perfect fragrance or collection, it's the never ending journey that's the joy, so relish in that journey whilst your travels take you to lands that only exist in our imaginary eye, God bless :)

If there is perfume niche brand out there that knows how to deliver, it's Initio. Every offering from this house is a work of pure genius and art combined. I might add that I don't dislike Psychedelic Love as much as I dislike other powdery scents out there and that's saying a lot. Now, High Frequency! What an apt name for a fragrance with an amped up Almond note that I have come to realise is my absolute favourite even above and beyond the beach-y coconut-ty vibe I often find myself gravitating towards. Perhaps, my olfactive senses are elevating. Whether it is that or not, it can be said for anyone just starting out in fragrances to connoisseur, this scent is perfection, at least to me! Right from the beginning it envelopes you in a cozy warmth that doesn't leave you start to finish. The robust almond note makes its presence known with oomph over a bed of earthy freshness which I am assuming comes from Hedione. This scent becomes you. If you are an almond scent lover like me, this one is a no brainer. It is not a rollercoaster ride morphing into different identities through the top, mid and base which is what I love. I want my fragrance to grip me and stay that way just like I want it to captivate a blissfully unaware passerby leaving them with a mystery about who might be more alluring the wearer or the scent itself. Only microscopic thing that I wish was better is that is that the sillage is low. The longevity is moderate so I find myself sniffing my arm constantly as this is so addicting. I am so impressed with Initio. The next one to try on my list is Absolute Aphrodisiac cause the other scent note I am completely impassioned by other than almond is the immortal Vanilla!

High Frequency is one of Initio’s more playful yet psychologically “engineered” fragrances, built around the idea of emotional impact rather than traditional structure. It centers on a magnolia note paired with almond, which creates a creamy, slightly sweet floral profile that feels almost addictive. Unlike heavier Initio releases, this one is airy and uplifting—more about mood elevation than dominance. The opening gives you a bright, almost luminous floral tone, but quickly transitions into a soft, milky sweetness from the almond, which smooths out the composition. What’s interesting is how it sits between categories: it’s not a typical gourmand, not a pure floral, and not woody—it’s more of a soft-focus aura fragrance. The performance is moderate compared to heavier niche scents, but it leaves a noticeable scent bubble that feels clean, modern, and subtly seductive. Conceptually, Initio markets it as something that can influence emotional states, and whether or not you buy that, it does have a calming, almost euphoric vibe. The weakness is that it can feel a bit simple or even synthetic to some noses, especially if you’re used to dense, resin-heavy fragrances.

Wow, I’m so glad I decided to test out all of my Initio decants before completely writing them off. Most of Initio failed to wow me. A good number of them I straight up disliked. I was sure I had bought into the hype I had read on here. But High Frequency. WOW. This was the last decant I had to sample. I actually love this one. Funnily enough, this seems to be one of their less popular scents. It’s a gourmand white floral. The almond note is super sweet, almost reminiscent of tonka. It’s beautiful. Very light and flirty. Definitely more feminine than masculine. It’s almost like powdered sugar on almonds. The magnolia peeps through to say hello on the dry down. Jasmine (hedione) and marzipan are the stars of the show here though. People say they wish something more resinous was put in this to “balance” it, but I think this is perfect as is. Anything else and it would be too heavy and lose its flirtiness. Some perfumes are better when they’re simpler, and this is one of them. My main gripe is I hate how expensive this is. I’ll probably get a 10ml decant and call it a day.

Magnolia is my favorite white flower, and this is so far my favorite magnolia-centered perfume. I wouldn't say this is an almond scent, as you might think based on the notes. The almond is only there to enhance the flower, as the previous reviewer stated. This is a super creamy magnolia, slightly sweet and strongly addictive. To me, magnolia, like many other white flowers, can go into the "clean-dated" direction, as so many of us were used to smelling our mothers and their products full of jasmine, tuberose, lily, and magnolia, but this is such a well-blended contemporary take on it. This is the amazing woman who has nothing to lose and everything to win. Her attitude is unbeatable. Her vibe is so contagious that everyone wants a piece of her, even if they don't even like magnolias. Again, like with psychedelic love, I wouldn't give away this one to a woman under 30; it is not that "safe" for everyone.

This is so pretty, very coconut/almondy, I’m actually very impressed coconut is not on the list, because it really does smell with a tropical becahy vibe. The magnolia and hedione gives the fragrance very feminine luxurious scent, oh my it’s so intoxication and gorgeous. I was a bit worried that it might smell too much like something I can find way more affordable but the dry down is absolutely like nothing else I’ve smelled before, it’s similar to others but 100x better and prettier and luxurious. It’s was a blind buy for me but a very good one. If you like your coconut/almond beach fragrance you will love this. I guess it’s almond but I keep thinking it’s coconut. I can imagine this on a luxurious date night out somewhere on tropical vacation. And yes Jasmine is definitely there and now that I think it has a bit similarity with Jasmins Marzipane by Lancôme, but they’re not the same!

I was gifted a 90ml bottle for my birthday and at first I was not totally in love, but after using a few times I absolutely love this fragrance. I get a gorgeous creamy hazelnut scent, with a woody slightly musky undertone. Its not a sweet scent, its more of a woody creamy nutty vibe for me. It is definitely unisex but not towards the masculine side, women can wear this totally without feeling it's too masculine leaning, but a man can totally rock this too without it leaning too feminine. This is definitely an autumn, winter and possibly coming into spring type of fragrance. It will truly shine in colder weather. Once my bottle has finished I will be purchasing another for sure. Projection is very good, and longevity is excellent. I would say try before you buy but I blind chose this as a gift and have not regretted it.

A bit on the feminine side for me, but *who* cares??? Ir’s too nice to be swayed by gender labelling!! I bought this on the assumption it was similar to PdM Pegasus, but this doesn’t smell to me anything like it, it’s far more superior and just overall a total different smell. This reminds me of back when Poison was initially released and I think that’s why I associate it with a feminine vibe, as all the girls and women of that era used to wear it. It is a veery comforting smell, I have no idea where I would wear this, to me it’s not a versatile frag, but it is just oh so nice. Second frag from Initio and it’s just love a first sniff, I’m going to grab a third frag, probably Oud for Greatness.

This is absolutely gorgeous smell. It’s fresh, flowery, (can sense a bit almond milk like scent) and it’s SEXY. I can’t describe how seducing it smells. After spraying on clothes it stays for hours , if not an entire day , it creates an aroma bubble around you. Just gorgeous. You can literally sense those high frequencies around, but there is a twist in my opinion: it is not an innocent frequency; definitely high because of something not so pure , if you know what I mean:). Verdict : Long lasting , beast mode on clothes What you see in notes is what you will get Can be worn whole day , any occasion Despite its pure notes it is very much sexy fragrance

I have been wearing it all day in the office and it is steady on and very longlasting. Hedione and warm chocolatey nuttinness feel warming and cozy, just right in cold weather. Quite dense, like a wool sweater, but still diffuse enough for others to appreciate. I was surprised by people coming closer to me all day and even touching me, which was weird. It might have been the pairing with Nicolai, L*eau Chic, but it was High frequency that I heard from myself all day. Initio does strike a chord wiith me and never dissapoints when blind buying, so I have acquired several FBs from this house and use them happily during the colder season.

You can barely tell the difference between High Frequency and Pegasus, it's that close. The openings are a little different, with this being more floral and brighter than the PDM. But for most of the 14 hours of High Frequency it isn't easy to tell the two apart. Of the four Carnal Blends this is the most masculine scent. I bought Pegasus instead of High Frequency because there is better value, and I find it more suited to my taste - Pegasus is a tad creamier and sweeter. I've worn High Frequency in 30-degree heat and it performed well, never cloying. They are beautiful almond fragrances but it makes no sense owning both.

Very much reminds me of PDM Pegasus (I went through a bottle of Pegasus) but on steroids. Slightly more floral but doesn't ruin it for me and doesn't lean too fem imo.Great quality and diverse enough to be worn in most situations and weather. Not worth full retail of 350.00 but if you can get it between 100 and 130 then it's worth it. Best almond I've tried yet and I purchased (heavily discounted) full bottle. Doesn't read high frequency (screech) at all. It's beautiful and smooth Strongest almond fragrance I've come across, and this is now the only almond fragrance I'll ever need. Scent 8.5/10 Performance 7.5/10

Strong but feminine magnolia + jasmine with vanilla. The almond is noticeable as well. It is the “softest” smelling (the vibe, not the intensity nor projection) out of the carnal collection. Very pretty. On me this (in my personal opinion) is the rich pilates mom perfume. It is lactonic and creamy/ comforting because of the almond and vanilla, but also sophisticated and elegant because of the selection of those particular flowers. I am in love.

I am so very disappointed! I got a bottle some years ago and it was just so good, lasted all day on skin and for days on clothing, and random people on the street would ask me what was I wearing. I bought it again this summer and it smells somehow dirty, sillage is non-existent and longevity barely reaches 1-2 hours... This is not the same fragrance! Another 'price up, quality down'... Such a pity...

Intoxicating jasmine with almonds... A scent with a texture! Can smell simply irresistible on the right person! Dinner date & going out material. Sexy, carnal feel, unforgettable... Flower-power with a gourmand-ish edge. A very peculiar scent,so not a safe blindbuy. The longevity is around 8h on my skin. In my humble opinion, although unisex, leans feminine. My YouTube channel: @Sanne Parf

I like to think in the perfect utopian world, where I wear my Hypnotic Poison & my partner Pegasus, High Frequency is our luxurious high shine metallic silver Mazda 3's scent (recent generation / teal interior) with Trentemøller's Deceive streaming inside. perfectly genderless, modern & classy essence of whatever the H3ll this semi-plasticky sexiness of almond is... LOVE.. like DAMN!

Wow, this is beautiful! It was love at first sniff for me. I get quite a bit of the florals and they’re blended perfectly into a sweet and creamy base of powdery almond and vanilla. It's so so smooth. If this was a color and texture, it’d be beige velvet. There's also an underlying sense of airiness in this scent that’s so dainty and ethereal. I can’t stop reaching for it lately!

I fucking love it as a man, well I prefere old formulation pdm pegasus more but due to fact that pdm reformulates like crazy, i have to wear high frequency. I wear it and it is my most complimented scent i own. I guess it due to smilarity to dior hypnotic poision - many girls tell me that they know this scent. Winter, cosy sweather and initio high frequency - always delivers

Was not a love at first sniff, but now I love this perfume. I smell sweet almond and white florals. My son loved it first and convinced me not to sell it, my other son says I smell like a greenhouse (in a good way) and my husband said that smelling it on me took his stress away. I love it. After letting it sit on my shelf for the last few months, it’s beautiful.

I did not expect to like this on first sniff. 'Too sweet', 'too floral', 'too femme' ... but after giving it a chance and wearing it out on a summer evening, I've become a believer. Makes me feel energised and in a mood to have fun while socialising. I got great performance out of it and will get a 10ml travel size, at a minimum.

This one is the intense version of Pegasus, just a bit more floral scent in the background, the performance is 10 times better than Pegasus ( my bottle ), I don't know maybe some old batch has good performance. Initio High Frequency the projection is good too, love the almond and floral scents overall 9/10

This really grew on me. For me, High Frequency is a starchy, milky, fresh corn note with a powdery heliotrope dry down. There’s a faint hint of young, raw almond, but more like almond flour (for baking). It’s very pretty and bright, like spring time. It’s going on my wish list.

A better blended and less screechy version of Dior Hypnotic Poison - which is fair to justify the price point! The dry down is rounder and more powdery/ creamy with a beautiful vanilla coming through. As every Initio fragrance I’ve ever tried, a caramel-y beauty! Love it.

I love this and I'm not sure why it's not talked about more. the opening is a little jasmine heavy but after a few minutes the jasmine disappears and the beautiful drydown begins. almonds, magnolia, vanilla. creamy and comforting. amazing and full bottle worthy for me.

The best Initio perfume! The best almond perfume as well; it's got hedione and magnolia in it as well, which adds vivacity to it. A must-have for anyone who loves their almond fragrances. A classic!

A gorgeous almondy, floral fragrance. I love the magnolia in this, and as it develops it smells increasingly of sugared almonds and frangipane tart. Well blended and long lasting.

This reminds me of Krigler Palais Monarchie 218. Smells good!! That scent isn't listed in the fragrantica data base. But it's a pretty penny this is a fantastic alternative 😀

To my nose this kinda smells like psychedelic love bc of that initio hedione dna, but this is so much better imo. Not my preferred scent profile, but it is lovely <3

The cheaper and budget friendly version is Jean Paul Gaultier Scandal Le Parfum, almost identical but JPG is not as longlasting.

Not popular for a reason. People forgot what is that to have a good taste. But it’s ok. More bottles for us.

Intoxicating. Beautiful. Powerful. Alluring.

High Frequency is a pleasant almond-vanilla fragrance that, at first, strongly reminds me of Pegasus by PdM and Hypnotic Poison by Dior, thanks to the prominent almond note. However, while Dior feels enveloping and intimate and Pegasus – sharp and sandalwoody, High Frequency leans more floral and attention-grabbing (in the opening). As it dries down on a blotter, the scents become so similar it's easy to confuse them. I can clearly pick up magnolia beneath the almond — and since I tend to associate magnolia with functional scents, this perfume comes across to me as very “body care”-like, reminiscent of a luxurious body cream or high-end shower gel. This is my impression of the fragrance from the first application and how it smells on a blotter. I’m not sure what’s going on with my skin lately, but it seems to absorb the top notes as if they were never there — within ten minutes, all that’s left is a sharp sandalwood base. I’ll set it aside until winter and give it another try in cooler weather. For now, I’ll stick with my beloved (and more wallet-friendly) Dior.

I agree with the previous comment: why isn't jasmine listed here? "High Frequency" is jasmine heaven :) The fragrance is nice indeed, a well-blended mix of white flowers and a powdery accord (almond, is that you?). Reminds of a less artificial-smelling Alien, the jasmine/white floral note is more natural and alive here, somehow. But, unfortunately there are 3 "buts" for me (cringeworthy joke, I know :)) But n1- it stays close to skin, very close to skin,way too close to skin. But n2- Longevity is low to moderate, which could be forgivable for an Elizabeth Arden or Bruno Banani fragrance, not so for an expensive niche perfume. But n3- Its price. Around 200 dollars for a scent that only lasts a couple of hours and it's only noticeable if you stick your nose into your wrist. If they improved "but n1" and "but n2", well, the price tag mentioned in "but n3" would be justified. Until then, 2* out of 5* IMHO.

High Frequency by Initio effortlessly weaves together fresh, fruity, floral, and woody notes, resulting in a great olfactory experience. It starts with a burst of zesty bergamot, with what seems to be pineapple adding a nice, perfectly balanced sweetness. As the fragrance unfolds, jasmine and other florals take center stage. But it is the base notes of High Frequency that truly caught my attention; a warm and enveloping blend of sandalwood (and almond?) and musk, which add depth to the overall composition. These woody base notes will stay with you throughout the day. The longevity of High Frequency is exceptional. Sillage is moderate (you are noticed without becoming intrusive). Truly unisex and elegant.

- When I smelled it initially I could tell I really liked it but I couldn't pick out what I was smelling. It smells like beautiful florals. I smell a sweet rose with green notes and nutty notes. Never would I have expected to fall in love with a fragrance that is dominated by hedione/jasmine. I hate indolic jasmine but the jasmine scent here is divine. Out of the 5 Initio I have tested, High Frequency is my favorite. FBW. I still have to contend with the price.

I absolutely love this. It's soft and floral but not overly so. The almond is present throughout and blends with the jasmine and sandalwood nicely. It's smooth and not sharp. It smells so pretty but it's expensive. I wore this out the other night and got compliments and it's become my signature. Get when on sale!

I like this perfume with the notes of white flowers and almond. Due to the presence of almond, more for fall and winter to my opinion and why not spring (cold days). Comforting, more for women, can be compatible with open space. Floral and sweet, do not blind buy. I do not smell tuberose. 7/10

Pretty much pegasus but with a much earthier almond note .. it comes off a bit too dirty to my nose but i love the DNA. A nutty vanilla that is lifted by white florals .. I'd still go for Pegasus though .. it feels a lot smoother .. that said, this lasts for an eternity.

Heady coconut-almond-white floral scent. Smells expensive and luxurious. Quite strong sillage on first spray, but settles down fairly quickly. I’m only rating it a ‘like’ because I’m not the biggest fan of almond, but if you like that note I’d definitely check this out.

Beautiful and an exquisite smell . Haven’t tried any other smell by Initio before but definitely will be looking forward to trying other perfumes from them. The longevity is a bit weak compared to it’s price, but fills me with joy every morning when I spray this.

This is lovely fragrance for women and I love its flowery and powdery smell. However I tried it in humid and hot weather so I guess I didn’t get that much of sillage and longevity. I bet this will be really gorgeous if used in cold climate.

It’s a lovely scent once it dries down, but something about the initial spray reminds me of old lady. On another note, to my nose, the overall scent is very heavy on the magnolia. I like it but it might not be for me.

I love the floral-almond-vanilla combo. However in the dry down the florals are completely overpowered and you are left with a sweet gourmand. It’s good, but I wouldn’t wear this in the spring.

A beautiful almond and floral scent. Light and airy. I would save this for summer but I'm wearing it on this cold November day and keep smelling myself.

Almond vanilla and jasmine synergizes well, similar to PDM Pegasus but less post-shower smell. Nothing special though and not worth buying

Powdery musky almond with a play-dough vibe, in the same vein as hypnotic poison from Dior. Clean, soapy floral - not my vibes.

More animalic white floral than Pegasus, I prefer this, but the projection is weaker.

Quite lovely fresh almond scent

Blind bought a FB as I really love the house. This opens with a bright flash of white florals, but it very quickly turns very indolic jasmine, orange blossom and a touch of magnolia... which I think is what is giving off that burnt rubber effect. I do get an ever so slight touch of that, but I wouldn’t have thought of that had I not read it below and it dissipates fairly quickly. I don’t get a ton of almond but it’s there, lurking in the background adding a touch of something non floral. I will say in the full dry down I get a deep musky scent, which is confusing because I don’t see it in the notes. It does develop quite a bit from initial spray to full dry down so give it a chance all the way through before making your mind up. I like the full dry down the most.

I’ve recently become an Initio fanatic, owning 3 and sampling almost all of them. High Frequency is the first Initio that I haven’t cared for. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice frag, but the Magnolia/jasmine/Gardenia (gardenia is not a note, but I smell it) mixed with the almond that is at times creamy and at other times a little bitter just is too floral sweet for my liking. In the deep dry down it smells very powdery but still almond sweet. I keep getting My Way Intense tuberose vibes overall. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the florals in MWI or HF, it’s just not what excites me in a fragrance. Also, I’m only getting about 3 hours of wear on skin, then it’s pretty faint for another hour, then gone. My least favorite Initio so far.