Kenzo Amour

I completely get it when some Asian designers describe their perfumes as “polite”. Amour is gracefully balanced, with a comely, serene poise I can’t get enough of. There’s a mild powdery throw, but I enjoy it. Which is a feat because I usually dislike powdery scents. I presume pure sakura and calm encens sort of subdue that powdery start. Which might be miracle number 2 because I’m extremely fussy with sakura (cherry blossom)! Frangipani is so exquisite I haven’t found any equivalent so far: yellow and tropical, with thick banana leaves undertones. Yet, nothing overtly lush, sultry or sensual. Very polite! Originally, the rice note sparked my curiosity the most, because being of South-East Asian descent, I grew up eating Thai jasmine rice. I’ll never get tired of the delicate fragrance from steamed rice! Therefore, I wondered which rice variety was used in Amour, since each rice has its very own odor personality: musky jasmine rice? Slightly nutty Japanese rice? Sweet sticky rice? Etc. To my nose, Kenzo either chose round Italian rice, the one in use for rice desserts, or sushi rice. Some Italian varieties are interchangeable with some Japaneses’, hence, my indecision. Now, I’ve just read he actually used Thai jasmine rice (my fave!)... But to me, it doesn’t smell like it whatsoever. Absolutely no pandan note either - both Thai rice and pandan share the same odor compound 2-Acetyl-1-pyrroline that imparts that musky, aromatic, vanillic-undertoned profile I love so much. Still, this is a dainty, florally rice pudding, in an odd way: the rice smells raw, not cooked. It’s the confectionary vanilla that makes it smell like a dessert! I particularly love how the delicate woody notes and frangipani light bitterness cut through that sweetness. So, that rice pudding doesn't make me hungry, but it makes my heart melt. By the way, It’s been a few weeks I own this perfume, yet, I could smell rice and vanilla today only - perhaps because the weather is sweltering hot now? It’s such an unique and lovely perfume I’m quite sure I’ll repurchase again.

The Sacred Path: Kenzo Amour The world outside dissolves. There is only the rhythmic echo of a wooden mallet against stone and the heavy, velvet silence of the inner sanctum. You are not merely wearing a fragrance; you are embarking on a slow, sensory pilgrimage through the heart of the East. Kenzo Amour is the olfactory translation of a soul in transit—a voyage that begins not with a map, but with a memory. The Ritual Opening: As you cross the threshold of the temple, the air is thick with the ghosts of ancient prayers. The atmosphere is instantly transformed by a plume of sacred incense, its smoky tendrils weaving through the rafters like silk ribbons. But beneath the smoke lies a tenderness that grounds the spirit: the ethereal, nostalgic scent of steamed rice cakes, offered in quiet devotion upon a lacquered altar. The Heart of the Sanctuary: Forget the traditional, saccharine confections of the West. The vanilla here is a sovereign revelation. It does not shout; it whispers. It is the scent of soft coconut milk swirling into a translucent infusion of white tea, creating a creaminess that feels like a second skin. Blooming in the heat of this milky haze is the Frangipani—the "Temple Flower"—its waxy, tropical sweetness lending a gilded edge to the composition. It is a floral note that feels ancient and untouchable, yet intimately warm. The Gilded Dry-Down: As the sun dips below the temple walls, the fragrance settles into its final, most mystical state. The rice and coconut milk meld into a soft, sweet incense, creating a "High Ward" of comfort that lingers for hours. It is the scent of a journey that has found its destination—a state of Zen-like equilibrium where the exotic and the familiar become one. Kenzo Amour. A scent of prayer, of rice, and of the infinite. Reign over the silence.

Joining the chorus of loves on this one! Many reviewers below have already said exactly what I would say about this fragrance. For me, this one is easy to love on day 1! I agree with all comments with words like "comforting", "cozy", etc. Yes to makeup, lipstick and play-doh, too. On me I smell paperwhite narcissus right on top, which I assume is the frangipani coming through. Paperwhites are gorgeous but if you've ever been in a room with a whole bunch of them blooming at Christmastime, it can be overwhelming. Kenzo Amour doesn't get overwhelming to me, so don't let that description scare you - it's very controlled. This morning I did 5 full sprays and the scent is perfectly within bounds. It lasts pretty well on me, but yesterday I reapplied twice to keep it going. Something I especially love is how perfect this is for everyday wear. I don't feel like I'm wasting it for a stay-at-home Sunday doing chores - it's just right and not too "much". This can be every day, day or night, in or out, wherever you go. The bottle is really cool, and right in line with feeling like you can enjoy it absolutely anytime. I get the comparisons to Hypnotic Poison too. That one didn't do it for me, but Kenzo Amour totally does. If you like warm, lipsticky, vanilla notes, I highly recommend checking it out! If you are more in the clean / fresh / floral / aquatic camp, this really might not be your thing. I'm sure this one is not for everyone. But you never know!

I adore this scent. I really get the clean, calming notes of rice and white tea. In my opinion the savory rice alongside the woody base makes this fragrance conceivably unisex. I love it as a woman but I think it would work perfectly well for a man looking for a soft fragrance option. The sweetness from the vanilla and florals is muted and powdery, not gourmand. To me it resembles the type of natural sweetness you get from anise or almonds. I can't imagine it ever becoming cloying, regardless of weather. I also get a slight saltiness, like sea air, that reminds me of my long discontinued love, Gap Close. Overall Kenzo Amour is a great choice if you're looking for something cozy, lightly sweet, and inoffensive. If you're a lover of gourmand, deep, syrupy vanillas, this may not be the fragrance for you. This is for the type of vanilla fan who prefers a soft, lactonic, gentle vanilla musk. I find the sillage very faint and it doesn't last long on my skin. That being said I only have a sample so hopefully when I have a full bottle, I can douse myself and my clothes thoroughly and get more performance out of this. Also, I'm really surprised to see how many people online recommend Amour as a dupe for Hypnotic Poison. To be fair I have only smelled Hypnotic Poison once, but I recall it being much sweeter than Amour and without the distinctive rice and tea notes that make Amour so unique.

I bought yesterday and this is sooooo far away from Hypnotic Poison, for me! For me this is not too sweet nor vanilla-ish, combination of cooked glutinous rice steam and flowers with some hint of woods (I didn't feel incense element). I felt the core of white flower and steamy rice element, and soon it changed to CK Be–ish vibe, maybe due to the musk? Anyway, I feel very familiar and nostalgic with this scent (I'm from Asia) and reminds me of sweet glutinous rice with coconut milk in Thailand with some humidity and some white flower bouquet. (there's not coconut milk on the note but i felt something milky). Also, this makes me feel like I'm enjoying the stay at an imaginary exotic nature resort far away from the city central, somewhere in South East Asia. The resort which has modern wooden interior, not too fancy spa, full of flowers, welcomes with tea mocktail with rice dessert. It sometimes rains but even the rain enhances sweet scent to the wooden interior and flowers. It's such a warm scent even though the flower scent has a bit cold temperature, sweet but kind of refreshing and greenish for me. Longevity is a bit more than I expected, I slept with this scent on my wrist and it was still there (room temp. 25c, dry, around 8 hrs?). I can definitely see myself repurchasing this.

I love this so much. It was my signature scent from when I was 14 years old to my early twenties, and I returned to it at 29 (I am now in my thirties). It is important to note that the former version (2005) is very different from the current version. I currently have a bottle of each and was able to experiment with both in the same weather and conditions. The old version, as I remembered, has much more pronounced rice, incense and white tea notes. It is softer. Sillage is more discreet. It feels like hugging someone you love in a peaceful wooden house in a forest during spring (which is pretty much like the old ad used to portrait it). Truly a oriental perfume that is extremely unique, there is nothing quite like it. The current version has way more sillage and a strong tangy side to it. It now has more vanilla-powdery and it is more floral as well. It feels way less unique and I don't enjoy the tanginess, which is why I decided to purchase the older one. Even with these down sides, however, for me, it remains a great perfume in both versions. I will keep purchasing it as long as it is available.

I am in love! This smells like a dream to me. It's everything I want from an everyday perfume. It's sweet and vanilla-y, and powdery in a way that is not dusty, it's powdery because of the rice. It is not gourmand though, it has a very clean smell, to the verge of being soapy. Smells like a beautiful body cream: snuggly, sexy, airy, and sweet, but in a perfume form. It has everything I like about powdery vanilla scents when executed correctly. It is pure, innocent, and clean but also sweet and very sexy. Great Longevity and decent sillage, at least on me. The only thing is, give it 5-10 seconds, because the first spay is for some reason, very sharp and synthetic. But after some seconds when all the alcohol is gone, it's DIVINE. Small Edit: In no way shape or form, this is similar to Hypnotic Poison. I have HP, I really like HP, and I can see someone liking both of them, but HP is way more, not obnoxious exactly, more in your face. HP is more of a night perfume and I think it's way more polarizing than this one. But if you like HP, and want a day alternative, I would say give it a shot.

Mmmm... This perfume is so beautiful. It gives a similar air to Dulce by RJ or Vanilla Musk. It smells like deliciously sensual rice pudding. Odd, I know. This perfume is so ladylike and sweet. It smells modest, almost. I love it so much. It smells delicious and lactonic, yet sweet and powdery, all while smelling gourmand. I don’t really pick up on any florals, but I get this beautiful milky / rice vanilla scent. I’m almost positive there are rice notes in this fragrance. Wear Amor if you want to smell sweet and flirty, but still mysterious. You’ll smell like the sweetest girl in the room, without being obvious. I hands down, 100% endorse this perfume. It is ladylike, gourmand, modest, and not at all cloying. It is so discreetly flirty. I promise people will want to hug you or ask you for your number. Hahaha kidding. But seriously, this perfume is gorgeous! That is undeniable. I smelled this perfume once and immediately went to go purchase the biggest size they sold. I LOVE KENZO AMOR.

A fragrance my mother generously let me borrow from her during most of my high school years. It is very pretty, soft, sweet. The vanilla in Amour is not like the Guerlain one, for example; it's rather different. Not as deep, not as vanillic, if you will, but lovely nevertheless - lighter, more floral, lactonic. Frangipani and other flowers are not overbearing, yet they bring this sensual exotic touch to the composition, perhaps along with some very subtle incense. No rough edges and no play-dough, at least to my nose. There's nothing fresh about it either, yet it's not a heavy perfume and I wore it in all seasons. Got me many compliments, too. Beautiful, soft and feminine, with an enveloping, milky sweetness. In my opinion, a potential modern classic that will stand the test of time (if reformulations don't distort it too much, that is). Edited to add: this is a pre-reformulation review; I have yet to smell the newer version(s).

I love powdery scents. Amour is a very special one. It’s difficult to think of a powdery scent that demonstrates restraint, but that’s exactly part of Amour’s beauty. Nothing about it is overdone. I absolutely love it. Kenzo perfumes are designed and constructed to highlight some unusual choices, each appearing and carrying different parts of the journey. The vanilla is not typical because it is more like a flower scent than flavoring vanilla. I also find a touch of anise in the drydown that is gorgeous with the powderiness. The longevity is 10-12 hours, with armlength sillage, but if oversprayed, this would easily fill a couple of rooms. To me Kenzo perfumes are masterfully blended, brilliant, and unique. Amour is truly love. It’s not for everyone, but I wear it for myself. The final stage of Amour’s journey on me is a transparent, fresh vanilla note alone that lasts more than an hour. Just gorgeous.

God, this really is so comforting. Instant blast of vanilla and rice pudding, creamy and warm, with prominent cherry blossom. As it dries down, it also becomes a bit more powdery with the heliotrope. A firm top 5 all time favourite of mine. The vanilla creaminess remains throughout the entire wear on my skin. The longevity is very good, 8 hours easily, while projection starts moderate and more intimate after a few hours. Not an overwhelming scent, nor is it that sweet. It’s just beautiful, a cuddle in a bottle. When I first got this bottle, I couldn’t smell anything after spraying it. I sprayed it a few times and let it sit and now I can finally enjoy this perfume. Just putting this here incase anyone else has the same issue, don’t worry, just let it sit for a bit! PS: I already bought a backup bottle, that’s how much I love it My rating: 9.4/10 Bf rating: 8.8/10

This is a such a comforting, pleasant, and slightly musky-sweet perfume. A soft, lactonic cloud of milky vanilla leaving a fleeting, misty trail of steamed rice. It sits quite close to the skin. I know this is meant for colder weather but it is fine in the heat as it is neither cloying nor too sweet. I just wish this fragrance lasted longer. I stop smelling this after 4 hours; only very faintly at my wrists. Wish I could get my hands on one of the older bottles as I've heard they last much longer but they are barely available :( Nice scent otherwise and I like wearing it everywhere- running errands, shopping at the mall, going out with friends and family, and I even like spraying it before bedtime. If anyone has any recommendations on making this last longer without altering the composition please let me know! 😩

Kenzo Amour has long been on my list to smell, and I think it is remarkable that it took me this long! I mostly get creamy vanilla and smooth musk with a hint of incense and flowers. It is light, but it has some personality to it. I like JHAG Vanilla Vibes but it feels at once too aggressive and a little bland, somehow, but the blend on Amour is reminiscent of Vanilla Vibes with a little more thoughtfulness put into it. After several hours it fades to a nice skin scent for me, like I've just had a vanilla-scented bubble bath. Amour isn't life changing, but it is very pretty and comforting. I could see it being a lovely bedtime scent. I don't get even a whiff of almond though, so it is nothing like Hypnotic Poison for me. All musk and vanilla with some background actors, none of whom are the least bit nutty.

Damn, this juice is extraordinary! Just after the first spray, you wonder what is happening, is she there? A waterfall of rice water outpours between two cherry trees in full bloom and she manifests from the essence of the burning incense slowly revealing her soul. You ceremoniously roll tea leaves on blonde wood plaques and the cherry tree responds by releasing its blossoms to rain upon you in a comforting embrace. Sweetness touches your lips and you now feel her, you are transported to your mother's breast, and infinite love. A cacoon of powdery acceptance shrouds you as you reach the precipice of realization. You arrive as a child with all the knowledge of the past. What will you do now? Which bearing will you choose? Forever acceptance or confidence in the knowledge? Take her hand and push forth!

This is such a beautiful scent, and one I’ve come back to repeatedly over the years. I usually avoid anything with a floral note, but this is such a wonderfully balanced creation. Many of the perfumes I have loved and worn over the years are Olivier Cresp creations, and this is one of the best. The floral notes are beautifully blended with the musk and rice, and it really does have an incense vibe to it. I recently purchased a 100 ml bottle, a bit worried that it might have changed due to reformulations, but compared to a fairly old 50 ml bottle, it was identical. It’s a glorious vanillary, powdery, lactonic, incense experience. For me, silage and longevity are moderate to long. It’s also a real bargain these days. My only gripe is that I miss the orange bottle!

This is lovely soft intimate scent. My skin lends well to musk and powder so this perfume smells as it's supposed to on me. The initial spray was a little astringent and I'm not sure why because the dry down is lovely. I get the vanilla and the powder from the rice with a delicate slight floral scent. Together it's not too sweet and reminds me a little of rice crispie squares without the marshmallow. Definitely a comforting gourmand oriental scent. Edit: I've come back to say that this fragrance has really grown on me. It is so delicately comforting. The milky and dusty rice pudding notes, delicate tea and floral, with the vanilla is just beautiful and perfectly balanced so it isn't too sweet. Soft and warming. Just love it. Has become a favourite!

This was a total blind buy. I walked into a perfume shop, saw her sitting there for $20, and honestly... the bottle pulled me in before anything else. I had never even heard of her, but something said “take me home,” and I listened. The moment I got back, I sprayed her on my arm—and wow. She is beautiful. Soft, starchy, powdery, a little sweet, a little lactonic... just incredibly comforting. She feels like a warm hug from your mom—the kind that instantly makes everything feel okay. There’s something so gentle and cozy about her, like she wraps around you instead of announcing herself. Every time I smell it, my mood lifts without fail. I genuinely don’t know how she flew under my radar for so long, but I’m so, so glad she found her way to me 🤍

A perfect blend of citrus, fruits and sweetness. There is caramel, raspberry and enjoyable vibes of pretty, relaxing, soothing and enjoyable fragrance. Nostalgic and aldehydic vibe of it is truly mood uplifting and delightful. My boyfriend is mad for this fragrance. Whenever I wear it and we meet, he gets wild and falls for me all over again. This is what he always mentions. Love this superb fragrance that offers a gorgeous opening, gourmand heart and flowery dry-down. There are soft rose petals that are blended beautifully with raspberry while remaining natural. Longevity is good enough with the great silage. A perfect fragrance for the spring and summer however, I love to wear this one in winter as well. Cheerful! Delightful! Love it!

This is a beautiful powdery, soft, airy, ethereal "your skin but better" perfume. It less "your perfume smells really good" and more "you naturally smell really good." This is probably going to sound really weird to some people but this kind of smells like those scented My Little Pony toys that had this... sort of semi-sweet-vanillic-plastic vibe, or like a doll's head but in the BEST way possible if that makes sense and I absolutely LOVE it lol. Don't let that turn you off from trying it though because this is actually one of my favorite perfumes of all time. Take each review with a grain of salt because everybody's nose and skin chemistry are different, but this is SO beautiful in my opinion. 10/10 fragrance

I love this so much! I have found a new signature, most of my favourite perfumes are rare or discontinued, thank god I find a perfume that's not hard to find. I have a soft spot for powdery, lactonic perfumes especially with vanilla and rice. It's refreshing to find a vanilla perfume isn't tooth rotting candy sweet but it's still yummy. This is silky, airy and comforting - it's smells almost angelic tbh. It smells a little like baby powder. If someone else wore this, I would want to hug them. It reminds me of Luminae and Silken Tent by Alkemia, especially the latter because it has rice notes and an Asian dessert smell. Great sillage and longevity. Beautiful ❤️