Cobra

THE SPICY BITE OF AN ORIENTAL COBRA I have rediscovered my love of fragrances because I've been selling some of them on ebay. I can't sell this one. Brings back too many fond memories. I had fun with this perfume when I was in high school. Perfume is personal to me. Cobra was the debut fragrance of Jeanne Arthes in 1988. This perfume, although not a Poison by Dior, was very much ahead of it's time. It was a unisex fragrance for women and men but selling as a woman's Oriental fragrance. It had the signature creatively designed bottle found in other Jeanne Arthes perfumes. This one is has been compared to Dior's Poison but I don't see the connection except the design of the bottle which looks almost the same as the first issue of Dior Poison except for the black color and the additional toy magnetic cobra that sticks to the stopper. The scent starts with strong aldehydes and citric notes of orange and tangerine. It's already starting off like a man's cologne. The heart is spicy and warm. However the fruitiness never really goes away as there are red berries and peaches. The tuberose is strong here so if you're familiar with tuberose and like it, this will be a pleasure to smell. Ylang-Ylang is very noticeable and is partnered with orange blossom that almost smells like a mimosa. Jasmine would usually be strong but I find that the tube rose and Ylang-Ylang are the winners. The result is something that is all at once spicy, floral and fruity, sweet. The dry down, however, is not sweet. Then you get to the cobra's bite. It's a strong masculine cobra that has coiled around your body, it's tongue in your nose, it's scent all over your body. Classic men's cologne composition of woody note is there at the end: musk, vetiver and cedar wood. It's woodsy. Wonderfully woodsy. Sandalwood also makes an appearance which officially makes this fragrance an ORIENTAL. An Oriental to me means that the notes have to contain elements of the Orient: jasmine and sandalwood. The vanilla in this perfume was an innovation at the time when vanilla was just getting started as an ingredient in the formulas for fragrances. It keeps this fragrance sweet but I find that it's not a big player. It turns musky and woodsy at the end, like a man's night cologne. The woman that wears this can easily wear Poison, Teatro Alla Scala, and even Opium. This is a strong cologne so I wear this at night on dates for other men to smell on me. It's beautiful. Very classy, luxurious and not cheap at all despite the look of the bottle and the price. I wish other people could experience the beauty of this fragrance. It's not a Shalimar, doesn't try to be a Shalimar but it's in the same family. I can't let go of this beauty but I recommend it to all my friends on Fragrantica. Enjoy.

Review for the vintage edp (purple accents on black bacground with gray patterning): Cobra, as a predecessor to Poison, hits many of the same notes, but in some cases, hits them more cleanly. Don't get me wrong- I love the original Poison in it's plummy dark spicy vanilla spunkiness. But Cobra is a different beast- citric, drier, spicier, darker, more serious, more mysterious. Where Poison is all about fun, flamboyantly breaking expectations, and indulgence, Cobra is subtle, evocative in a quieter vein, a scent that hints at hidden vistas, that sparks curiousity, requires investigation. Cobra smells of potentials, possibilities, and unexplored opportunities. Soft, velvety, and warm, it is difficult to ignore the scent characteristics that Cobra Shares with Poison, but the truth is that these two scents have a very different character. I love them both, and recommend this scent to those who enjoy Poison, and to those who don't. If you like spicy dark scents, you will enjoy Cobra...if you would like something subtly mysterious, evocative of spice markets and exotic locales, a little juicy, but not too flamboyant, a scent that causes people to lean closer to smell it better, Cobra is your scent. And it is definitely worth experiencing. Cobra opens with a strong blast of spice, and the heart features wonderfully creamy sandalwood layered with even creamier orris, and spice. But the dry down really shines, as airy jasmine and creamy tuberose sparkle and shine, oily ylang ylang builds and sweetens the creamy woody notes, offsetting the darker spice notes, lightening the scent, and adding joy to your day. I consider this safely unisex, intriguing, and polished, perfect both for day and evening wear. Ignore the goofy bracelet (which is actually kind of fun!) and the resemblance to a scent with more PR. Judge this beauty on its own merit. I blind bought this years ago, and it remains a favorite in my wardrobe. The dry down lasts forever, but is quite soft, so I actually recommend over applying (three sprays, step out of doors til the scent reaches manageable proportions) to obtain good sillage for the later phases. This is one of my favorite scents for public speaking and presentations--it pairs wonderfully with a skirt, heels, and silk blouse, and reliably causes people to be very curious about me, what I have to say, and to find me approachable and warm. I'm not sure if this is the result of how I hold myself when I wear it, or the scent itself- regardless, it is a foundational scent in my professional wardrobe, and is universally appreciated by those around me.

Jean Arthes Cobra is a copy of Christian Dior's Poison, a very nice one, minus the top-notes of the latter (which I hate). I absolutely lust over Poison's dark and sexy dry-down, but it is still too strong of a scent for me to be able to wear on most occasions, or even to tolerate for long periods of time. With Cobra, I don't have to worry about suffocating myself or others, because apart from lacking the hideous top notes of Poison, it is also much lighter which makes this a more wearable Poison like others have mentioned. It also very budget friendly too, and that's always a plus with me. This is a scent I can see myself wearing to a jazz lounge with a little black dress on, or to work the next day in a crisp white shirt and slacks, I think it is elegant enough for a 20-something who appreciates Poison but is afraid to wear it and wishes it wasn't so overpowering...to date, I haven't found a better 'Poison-lite' (if you know of something better, do let me know). The more mature and expert Poison-loving noses may enjoy this one as a casual scent (that is if they don't dismiss it as a cheap rip-off beforehand). I need to get myself a bottle, it is getting quite difficult to find.

I have probably a modern Cobra. The snake's poison glands were removed. What remains are tart flowers in a liquid compote. There are no granny sweets at the base. Plum and cherry juice both in brine and in a cloud of tuberose. This is a very comfortable, mature, but correct perfume for everyday wear. It goes well with gothic, tourist attire, and also with medications. I recently wore a vintage Poison miniature, now that's a real evening perfume for a special occasion. The similarity between that perfume and my current Cobra is like the similarity between a classical symphony and its performance on a children's synthesizer. My Cobra was clearly made for the Eastern European market, and now it's just an everyday body fragrance. Oh well!

WOW!!!! This is just outstanding. And it smells exactly the same as Poison. The bottle is even the same shape and colour! When my bottle arrived in the post i ripped open the packaging and sprayed... Just as i did, hubby walked in and said "wow that perfume is just gorgeous!!" Sadly im not sure if it will last as long as Poison but at that price it is a true gem you cant afford NOT to have in your collection if you are a Poison lover like myself! I would quite confidently say that if you buy a bottle of this you will save yourself a fortune tracking down a vintage bottle of the original formula. It's miles better than the watered down version of Poison thats being sold in the shops today. Just wonderful!

i want to thank this site with all my heart... this was worn by my mother when i was little, she died when i was 8 and 24 years later been looking high and low for ''the bottle with the snake on it'' and remember it smelled of/like Dior poison, upon looking through the Dior poison range non ever had a snake around the bottle, being on here a few days and found this!! which indeed is the fragrance my mother once wore, i cant wait to recieve my new bottle, i no when i spray it i will be filled with memories of my mother x

The original Jeanne Arthes Cobra was first released in 1987. It was re-released in 2008.

If you like the dry-down of Poison yet don't dare to get one because you think it's a kind of fragrance which wears you, you may be satisfied trying this one. It is way more lighter than the original thing, though I suspect that it has been seriously watered-down as I remember it from my childhood as quite a more heady fragrance with better longevity. Anyway, after years it still smells nice. Yet be warned, the sillage is only good within the first one hour of application and it totally lacks longevity. So I recommend that you re-apply it every two hours or so, I do so and no one around me has ever since died or suffocated -good. It's budget, the bottle is not so bad though terribly amateurishly designed (why not use a different font when labelling the fragrance name at least), and the free bracelet which comes with it is nice! Just like the smell those bracelets are quite nostalgic to me, and they are actually wearable and even may look fab as a bangle around your arm. The one I got now has red eyes, I don't know if that detail is randomly available in different colors as well (I know that the green eyed cobra bracelet once existed), and am anyway thinking to collect them!

I took a risk and blind bought this after seeing FunkyTomo's review and that you could get it cheaply from a UK website. I had never liked Poison after being around so many women doused in it in the late 80's and haven't dared even sniff it on a tester since. Recently, through my new-found hobby of collecting perfumes I am seeing fragrances in a completely different light, appreciating notes in the opening right through to the drydown. So, I ordered a 100ml bottle of Cobra with some of the money given to me for Christmas, hoping that my more 'mature' nose would appreciate this type of fragrance now, and knowing that this would be a 'lighter' fume than Poison. It arrived yesterday (delivery was super-fast) and I waited until this morning before apprehensively spraying a tiny amount on one wrist. The opening was a bit strong but after just 10 minutes it smelled absolutely lovely on my skin, prompting me to go back and re-spray more liberally! I've been wearing this for an hour now and it is lovely. I am wearing black with some sequins today (being New Year's Day I'm dressed up a bit) and it feels just right, very elegant. I am absolutely delighted.

My long lost bracelet!!! This brings back memories.... ohhhhhhh childhood =) My mom had this perfume in her collection for many many years and as u can imagine my dolls and i all smelled like it... LOL When my mom would be busy i would sneak into her closet grab one of her elegant ivory silk shirts, put the cobra bracelet on and paint my face with ALL my moms makeup, as a final touch i would spray as much of the perfume on me as possible... so much so that my mom would be able to smell it from the other side of the house and trace the scent all the way into the bathroom where i would be standing on my step stool and admiring my masterpiece ... ha ha ha - what a silly kid i was =p About the perfume - it was an elegant evening scent that would last and last and last .... and then last some more. An 80s smell - very bold and unapologetic yet sweet and mysterious at the same time. I would love to purchase this one again.... for nostalgia's sake =) U can follow me on YouTube @ BeautyOnSale

This one falls into a cold, dry, bitter without any sweetness to it category kind of perfume. it's a tuberose powdery scent. it has a vintage vibe to it. it's very long lasting and very loud and i really appreciate how it performs on me. it reminds me of my late grandmother's face powder that i used to smell of her when i was still a kid. i got this as a free gift during my other fragrances purchase. i love this so much and i really do appreciate the uniqueness that this one has to offer. i've never smelled Poison so i have nothing to say about their similarities. i do agree that not everyone will appreciate this beauty but i cannot stress you enough on how i really do love Cobra. i always wear this any day when i don't really want to talk to anyone. 😂 yes, it's that kind of perfume for me.

Just received this in the mail today and I was actually quite enjoying it for the first 15 mins. From first spray it does immediately remind me of something from the Poison line as my mother owns many of them and I have tried the majority of them. However, my skin is throwing so much of a smoky note atm that if I sprayed this all over I would worry that people are going to think I just came from a bonfire! Still, for what it's worth, it is a lovely and intriguing perfume, perhaps not the sillage monsters that Dior produces but also quite unlike most of the perfumes I usually wear. I do think though, that my mum will make much better use of it so I will probably gift it to her (until I want it back to test again ;)

I think we all bought our Cobra from the same eBay Russian lol Well, I have to say that I TOTALLY dislike the opening. I don't do herbals very well and all I can smell is the tagetes. Fragrantica describes it in with marigolds which I detest the smell of. After about 15 minutes, it starts to go away (but still there). However! The florals are now emerging. I think I will try the suggestion with layering it with Paris' Tease for MORE floral....and I absolutely LOVE tuberose. Thank GOD this is changing! Smelling good now!

@vintagelover I don't wish to offend, but... Sorry to correct you, but my research confirms that Dior's Poison predates Cobra. Poison was released in 1985 and Cobra was released in 1987/88, so Cobra IS a clone of Poison. Jeanne Arthes therefore removed the oomph from Poison and produced a version which you find tolerable. Best wishes from a Poison lover. x

It does remind me of Poison although it doesn't last as long. I agree is more plain and casual without loosing the elegance and sophistication of Poison, which is one of my favorite perfumes of all time.. It comes with a bracelet; very unique & kind of tacky, but still very cool. :D I like it.

I absolutely love it. It's the favorite from my collection. I won't say that it smells too mature. Not at all! On me it's like late 50s rock'n roll. It makes me think of ponytails and polka dots and it's quite rebellious at the same time.

Delighted i now own this fabulous perfume. Love everything about it! The bottle, the snake bracelet and of course the fragrance itself, very like Dior poison but a bit nicer in my opinion :)

I received this today and yes it most certainly smells of DP! I also get a tiny tiny bit of Valentino's "Vendetta' Its a cosy smell for halloween!

Pretty disappointed in this one. After hearing so much on here and on YouTube about how close it is to Poison Esprit de Parfum, I was excited to own something cheaper that I could spray with abandon while still getting the same effect. Sadly, that was extremely far from reality. Let me start by saying I am a male Poison fanatic. I own all of the vintage concentrations (EDC, EDT, EsdP, Parfum), most of the reformulations of the EDT, and the Extrait de Parfum. The vintage Poison Esprit de Parfum is my absolute favorite fragrance of all time. I am lucky enough to be the owner of FOUR 3.4oz spray bottles of the Esprit de Parfum, which were only available as testers for department stores back in the 80's/90's. I *know* my Esprit de Parfum. Cobra Parfum is not Poison Esprit de Parfum. It is not Poison Eau de Toilette. It is not Poison EdC. It is a fruity, summery, white floral feminine fragrance with a slight suggestion that Poison may have been an inspiration. The only way for me to actually pick up those faint hints of Poison, is when I smell Cobra by itself. If I spray Cobra on one hand and Poison on the other hand, the similarities are unidentifiable, with Cobra smelling like a sweet chemical joke. It is much more tolerable when not directly compared to Poison. The fragrance is so much more feminine than Poison, due to the louder white florals, that I can't really pull it off as a male. I also take issue with the name of the fragrance, as Cobra Parfum is not a parfum at all. It was originally released back in the 80's as Cobra EdT, with 80% alcohol content. A few years back (2008?) it was re-released as Cobra Parfum with the exact same alcohol content. It's an EdT, folks. Deceptive marketing. I tracked down a bottle of the old EdT and it smells the same. I have to assume that the majority of people voting on here that this smells like Poison have not actually compared the two side by side, and are just going off faint memories of what they believe Poison to be. Go ahead and compare them directly....tell me I'm wrong.

If you're looking for a Poison dupe that has the Plum note, this one is not it. It's perfectly nice but it's super soapy and doesn't have that yummy grape-soda style plum, so it's in the Poison / Red Door kinda profile, but it's not a good replacement for Poison. Give Modaleo (Saffron nowadays I think!) Wild Cobra a try. It's got less incense than the OG but it's got the bubblegum tuberose, the juicy plum and the honey. It's much lighter and easier to wear than actual poison but it is the closest to my 90s Poison EDT splash that I've found yet!