Sikkim

This is a perfect leather for spring. Most of my spring choices are green or flowery, but it is also around april/may, I start wearing my beloved leather jacket and crave a leather based scent to match. The options for april this year were either Cardin’s Paradoxe or this. I love the inexpensive gem that is Paradoxe and it’s been a stable since I discovered it a couple of years ago. Paradoxe is a softer and sweeter leather chypre than Cabochard, Bandit and Azuree, but I also tend to prefer my leathers smooth(er) around the edges. Sikkim, which I discovered only a few weeks ago, has the same subtly soapy, but also slightly spicy quality as Paradoxe and will be a perfect flowery leather for late spring and early autumn. It opens up with a gorgeously green galbanum that is soon followed up by the same bergamot-iris-jasmine accord as Paradoxe. However, Sikkim is also born with a beatiful warmer rose and that special retro flowery spicyness you mostly get from carnations. The dry down is beautiful too with a cosy patchouli, a dry oakmoss and just a tiny bit of coconut, making it creamier as it gently fades out. It’s refined, elegant and classic and I love everything about it from the first spritz to the last lingering traces on my skin 10 hours later. I haven’t forgotten about good, old Paradoxe with its beautiful mild accentuating wafts of tuberose and ylang, but this will be my leathery spring treat this year.

This is unbelievably good. I have a tester from c2006. If the older version is any better I feel like I would just die. I don't know if it's still being produced and what that is like. It does remind me a lot of Miss Balmain, which is also amazing. I think this is a bit brighter, but then all of my Miss Balmain is very old and most of them have lost some of the top notes. The opening of this was so sharp at first I was worried it would be too much. It was airy and almost peppery! Perhaps that was the caraway. But it settled down slowly into this gorgeous, oakmoss oily leather scent. I really can't pick out any single floral accord. The florals are there, but they aren't the star. They support the gorgeous leathery moss. I can't remember the last time I smelled Bandit to compare, but I don't think this is too sharp or intense. It's just bodacious. I would love to smell this on a man. I think it's truly unisex. It would just smell lovely on anyone who likes this style. I really want to find more of this if it's still being produced to try it and find out if it's been altered any further. This is a must try if you like Miss Balmain, Cabochard, anything like that.

With some help from the highly informative blog Cleopatra's Boudoir, the EDP version of Sikkim I have in my possession is in fact a relaunch from 1991, with the original having been released in 1971 and discontinued just a few years later. The version I have is, however, quite sensational: rose-tinted aldehydes and biting galbanum, with the impression of black pepper and caraway soon thereafter. Then it is all lovely verdant textures and florals, particularly that of a gardenia (styrallyl acetate/alcohol?) and of narcissus. This is all buttressed by inky moss, vegetal vetiver elements, and IBQ-inflected leather, but the lactonic-green nature of the gardenia at the heart of Sikkim is what renders this dry down unique. The juxtaposition is stimulating, intriguing even, while an amber deeper within stirs up some sensuality. Its non-linearity is noteworthy, presenting itself as delightfully raspy and acerbic to start and softening into an enchanting garden in the woods. Good God, it is sheer perfection.

I am overwhelmed by the beauty of this floral chypre! The beginning bitter green opening seems to go through a slightly soapy phase before the leather and florals begin to emerge. I have just tried it for the first time, and have yet to reach the dry down. So far, it has a decent, arms length projection and slight sillage. It is very complex, and the layers reveal themselves over time. So far it seems that both the oak moss and galbanum remain constant, providing a dark, inky, base, along with a touch of bitterness (in a good way). This one is special. I will update with more impressions as it reaches dry down. I have 2 mini daubbers, and I am glad I took the chance and grabbed both, as this definitely ranks among my favorite chypres of all time! Stay tuned for updates! 5/13/2020 - Oh no! Tragedy! I just spilled about 3/4 of one of my small bottles!! Well, my closet is going to smell fantastic for quite a while!

This beautiful green chypre is springtime in a bottle. It evokes snowmelt and new leaves and daffodils wafting across damp March winds. The composition is somewhat thin due to lack of moss, but if this were what "modern" chypres had evolved to, I'd be happy. The galbanum is exquisite, but turned to varnish rather soon after purchase. I left it in the car on a hot day, which probably didn't help. I wear it anyway. Why Lancôme doesn't continue to sell this is unfathomable. Nobody wouldn't love this... I'd happily pay "exclusive" prices for it and Cuir. Unfathomable. FYI to Fragranticians mourning its loss: layering a very small spritz of Chloe's Narcisse (a current formulation) with the current (and extremely well-done) JL Scherrer (the green one, EDT or EDP would work) approximates Sikkim nicely. Just don't overdose the Narcisse.

Wow, here I am feeling all cool because I landed 4 BNIB bottles of Mark Earth and then I received this sample in a swap. This just might be the fragrance I was looking for, reminiscent of a compost pile but this has some type of smooth velvety finish to it. It's soft and alluring, not sharp and "in your face" like what I'm used to. It certainly pays to try new things and I am the lucky one for being on the receiving end of such a lovely fragrance that is soothing, relaxing, and classy. Thank you Deniseh (from MUA) for sending me this sample.

I discovered this only because I purchased the Lancome La Collection set of four fragrances. And I only bought that for the Magie and Climat. Sikkim reminded me of the fragrances of my youth, those wonderful Chypre and oakmoss creations with that unmistakable vintage elegance. A little Jolie Madame, a little Dioressence, a little Givenchy III. Delicious. Now I just have to make the tiny bottle last another twenty or thirty years. A single dab with the glass stopper delivered powerful sillage, and enduring pleasure.

Vintage. I like it a lot for acerbic, succulent greenery and for the way it is wonderful roses on my skin, blossoming and withering, withering and blossoming again in that greenery. I like this scent a lot for the animalic notes it got for me, too. And... I don’t know why, but, whenever I wear Sikkim, I feel it is resilient and 3-D, but without a shape that’s constant. A cloud? Maybe. Things happen... But is this shape thing really important? I don’t feel it is. I just like this scent a lot, as a whole.

I never smelled the old Sikkim but I do love this new one from La Collection. It has similar notes to Clinique Aromatics but is a little sweeter and more flowery. Just as classy and wearable. It lasts well but is not intrusive. It is also a bit like Ungaro Diva but with lighter basenotes so not as dark and sexy as Diva. Innocent and pretty.

Sikkim was my childhood frag, I got it back today, it took a while. It is beauty, classy chypre, long lasting and magnificent just like i remembered. No disappointment there. I got a lancome la collection with magie, clemat,sigamore, all are nice classy chypres, elegant, but sikkim it the best. Highly recommend for elegant perfume lovers.

The most beautiful floral chypre that I have ever worn. Starts out very floral with rose dominant and lots of aldehydes. Dries down very dry and full of a smooth, nonsharp or bitter oakmoss with creamy leather. This is definitely a vintage classic throwback.

An extremely unique fragrance with a very earthy, vegetal smell. Read further. I'm not quite sure what to classify Sikkim as, but if anything I'd say a green floral chypre. No one does galbanum better than Lancome, as I see it, because Sikkim opens with the same fantastic fresh galbanum note that O de Lancome has. It's not an ugly powdery galbanum like something from Estee Lauder. Complementing that galbanum note is a warm, ambery rose, which is not overly powdery on my skin at all. Finally, unmistakably, there's a dark green oakmoss note supporting the entire fragrance. The oakmoss becomes a star player during the drydown and middle notes. It also helps to support the longevity - most fragrances last 5 to 6 hours on my skin, if I'm lucky. Other people can smell them afterward, but the sillage goes down to zero for me. Not Sikkim. Sikkim's drydown unfolded over 12 hours, and what a drydown it is. If the opening blast of galbanum and rose is too much for you, I plead that you be patient, as the drydown is absolutely worth waiting for. Nevertheless, Sikkim, like the time period it was released, is an earthy flower child that lives in the wild. She is a child of nature, and I can't get enough of her. Sikkim absolutely works as a unisex, and is my favorite out of the Lancome "La Collection" reissues. If you get the chance, try it, because it really is awesome.

This is one of those perfumes that I’m thankful that I tried at home, with no one else in the house. The reissued EdP opens amazingly strong with loads of bitter galbanum coupled with aldehydes and intense florals that remind me mostly of hyacinth and lily-of-the-valley, neither of which is listed in the notes. There’s also a light clove-like spiciness that may be from the carnation accord. I like the bittersweet opening volley, powerful though it is. As the scent dries down, it stays sharp and perfumey in an old-fashioned way, floral in an abstract sense without exhibiting any specifically identifiable floral notes. With the galbanum and green notes gone, this seems like just another way-too-strong floral, the kind that could flush out the occupants from a whole room full of cubicles, fanning the air and asking, “Who’s wearing too much perfume?”. It improves as it dries down and the floral notes recede to reveal an almost oriental base, which sticks around all day, at least 12 hours. Sikkim at first seemed much too floral for my taste, but later I realized that I wanted to wear it again, in a smaller dose, because I had really liked the sharp bitterness of it. Sikkim might be just the thing for someone who’s into strong florals and likes them non-sweet and assertive. Just treat it with extreme caution so as not to OD on it.

Personally I find Sikkim to be a Floral Aldehyde. The top notes are somehow a woody aldehyde that I have never smelled before, and then the rich florals come out mostly rose and jasmine with a hint of narcissus to my nose. The middle florals have a kind of polished soapy quality, it's hard to explain. Sometimes the middle smells like flowers in a humid climate, thick and sticky but beautiful, sometimes I detect a hint of soil, dirt, earth. Way down there is a bit of wooded base, maybe a vetiver type thing. To be sure this does not smell like any perfume that would be made for today's masses--it definetely has a classic structure. That said, I only have a reissued bottle, and I feel that there is a big piece missing--the oakmoss. There's no oakmoss listed on the ingredients, and I think that Sikkim would smell perfect if it had a nice undercurrant of oakmoss. It's still a great perfume with good sillage and fantastic lasting power from only 2-3 sprays. If you prefer a more old-school fragrance this is worth looking into.

This is classified into the oriental category, but to me this is a classic, well grounded excellent chypre. Like many chypres, it starts off with the typical combination of cold aldheydes and bergamot. Then you get the classic flowers jasmine (not sweet) narcissus and carnation, rose and ylang. A typical chypre green note is detectable also in the drydown (moss, vetiver) The base is indolic (castoreum), warm (amber, soft leather) and sexy (patchouli). The combination is sophisticated, classy but sexy at the same time. It has a vibe and I can see very well how this frag would be a hit in the seventies, when it was created. VC&A First, Calèche and Arpège lovers will love Sikkim. Incredible staying power and a lot of sillage. A must try. Excellent fragrance, and I must say The Collection by Lancome is a series of great fragrances of the past, brought to our noses again some years ago; pity is that they do not put anymore the same effort in all the other frags they launch for the mass market.

The difference between old and new is probably due to reformulation. The IFRA, the International Fragrance Association, established restrictions in Europe on the use of a number of significant fragrance materials, especially oakmoss, which is used in so many chypre, fougere, and oriental scents. Vetiver has also fallen under these regulations. These regs have led to the reformulations of hundreds of old classic perfumes and men's colognes, sadly nearly always to their detriment. You can read review after review here and on other fragrance boards commenting on how the current version suffers in comparison to the older one. Both oakmoss and vetiver were in the original formula of Sikkim, which i bought myself, in the 90s. Both have probably been replaced in the past 5 years by inadequate synthetics.

Update: This is definitely a green, galbanum-heavy chypre, between Givenchy III and Chanel Cristalle. It's definitely a lot better than Givenchy III, though. Check it out.

even if sikkim lovers will hate me i have to tell about this traumatic adventure i had with this. i smelled once on the bottle of an original Sikkim from the early 1970s (from the collection of an elderly french lady) and i took a few dabs out of it to my wrists. it was the strongest, oily, awful nauseatic heady spicy earthy soapy scent i ever smellt... all notes here were completaly over-overdone, my eyes began becoming wet and i could hardly stop sneezing. i couldn t detect any leather accord in this. only strong aldehydes, sharp heady florals, spiciest spices and lot of 'wet' rotten moss, roots and earth-aroma. brrrrrrr i could not imagine that women of this decade wanted to smell like this. had to get rid of it after 10 minutes because my stomach rebelled against this monster. ...and had a really hard time to get it off completaly even by washing with soap. i didn t touch any perfume for some weeks(!!!!) afterwards, guess it has indeed traumatised me for a while! they should have reformulated this for shure. i wondering if it could smell better in the modern version.... though.

Another beautiful creation from the Lancome La Collection Fragrances, SIKKIM offers the best of leather and chypre perfumes rolled into one. I am quite unclear as to why anyone would classify this as an oriental floral, to be honest, but I do find the composition extremely appealing. The leather is light and complements the floral, green, and woody elements. A touch of aldehydes offers that special zing. I find narcissus and jasmine to be the dominant florals, though I do think of this more as a lightly leatherized chypre than a floral perfume. In comparison with CUIR, of course, SIKKIM does seem rather floral and much less leathery. But I prefer this use of leather, as one among many important notes rather than the focus, as in CUIR. This is the fourth perfume of the coffret to please me, and three of the four are marvelous variations on the chypre. Somehow these perfumes seem both vintage and new at the same time, and they have actually succeeded in transforming my view of Lancome as a perfume house. For anyone who truly and deeply loves chypre perfumes, this collection is a must!

Sikkim reminds me of the expression, “to fly off the handle.” Sikkim’s escalation is so quick that it doesn’t even seem like progression, just the flip from something calm to something disturbed. The first sniff sends you reeling. Sikkim is fast, rough and, I don’t know---I guess abundant. It’s just everything at once. It’s a heavy, raspy green chypre, but, although light on amber sweetness, it’s also a big spicy oriental with an almost medicinal vibe. It’s a great, fun ride, and in the end it’s an animalic green chypre with a dusting of spiced sweetness. Built from so many drydown materials, this scent has remarkable endurance, but (blessedly) that quality lovely of many stark chypres---it becomes a skin/body scent in the drydown.

Sikkim by Lancome is described as an Amber Floral but on my skin, it reads as dry floral/leather/chypre, along the same veins as Bandit, Halston Couture, and Azuree. All elegant, dry as a bone leather/chypres, prominent in the 1970's. There are aldehydes in Sikkim, but they don't dominate. The floral notes of Gardenia, Carnation, Narcissus, Jasmine and iris are dry, moderately indolic, and slightly spicy - perfectly balanced. When the base notes emerge, they gently warm the skin, never sweet, not overpowering, just right. Supreme elegance. It is easy to imagine wearing this in summer, mingled with the fading scent of Ban de Soleil's Orange Gelee SPF 4, enjoying late afternoon cocktails.

Sikkim is truly unforgettable high-class fragrance. For un-prepaired nose as mine in my 20-s Sikkim seemed waaay too strong, I couldnt handle first 5 minutes of sniffing sharp aldehydes with galbanum of it even. But I remember one day when my mum came from work, from cold snowy winter and from her coat and scarf was that unbelievable aroma!!! She smelt soft and flowery, of rose, dry grass and leather, surrounded by mystery, frost and glamour. And from that moment Sikkim took me over, my silly nose became "unblocked" and senses opened wide as my eternal appreciation for it and best memory.

I'm a lucky owner of the original Sikkim (1972). How can I describe it? Divine! Glamorous. Sophisticated oriental. Witchy. This scent belongs the "haute couture" category in perfumery. It is like owning a huge diamond - you hardly can find an appropriate occasion to wear it. The composition is very rich and multidimensional. Legendary perfume.

I discovered this scent in 1974 aboard an Italian cruise ship from NY. I bought a bottle and went mad; had to go on yet another cruise in order to get another bottle! Only saw it in the stores shortly after that. It was so lovely, so positively me ... does it still exist???

My most 'commented on' perfume (even the cashier behind the screen in the Post Office asked what it was) - it is indescribably fabulous. I am gutted that it looks like I'll never replace it - and it's almost empty. :(

Well as this was likened to Kashmir by Milton Lloyd I thought I'd try, as it's so cheap. Oh my lord - Kashmir IS Sikkim. If you mourn the passing of Sikkim as much as I do, try Kashmir. Delighted!

I compared the old version to this re-release and the old one won. I might be comparing EdP and EdT, that would explain why the new one was so bland. I however like the bottles.

I use to have this perfume a long time ago. It is flowery, warm and velvety with almost like a tobacco on polished leather finish. It is simply a beautiful perfume.

I remember this perfum many years ago and loved..a lot strong and oriental,this scent remember me today an other great perfum..by Dior :Dioressence.

Hmm. The new formulation sadly isn't a patch in the original. Still a very lovely fragrance, but lacking the richness of the original. Such a pity.

I would just LOVE to be able to try a litte of this one...these older perfumes just make my heart ache when I read about them and what I'm missing.

The original sikkim is/was a floral chypre in my opinion, a beautiful, feminine ,incredible scent with an outstanding longlasting power

The original perfume was incredible! the scent of a godess! I discovered it on my mum, I must say the new one is rather different.