Passage d'Enfer Extrême

I think this is the first time I’ll use this description: dark-ethereal. Passage d’Enfer Extrême does not smell like hell itself, nor like a path leading into flames. It smells like pure melancholy; a melancholy intertwined with regret, and through regret, with darkness. The opening arrives with a striking freshness: pine-like, crisp, peppery, and airy, yet simultaneously infused with incense. It’s unexpectedly beautiful. At the heart of the fragrance are lilies; but these are grey lilies. Not the dewy, luminous white kind, but lilies from another realm altogether, as if dusted with fragile silver leaf, shedding their surface at the slightest breath of wind. Alongside the lily, olibanum dominates the composition with unmistakable clarity. The Extrême version does include vanilla, but its presence is almost spectral; an airy softening rather than anything recognizably sweet or sticky. The base turns distinctly woody and cedar-tinged; dry, cooling, camphoraceous, and austere. This is my perfect companion for rainy, sorrow-tinged days; sometimes I reach for Relique d’Amour, sometimes for this. As for longevity: this fragrance is, in my experience, quite long-lasting when applied thoughtfully and in the right places, though it should never project loudly. In the hair, it is absolutely stunning. There is something quietly magical about this scent; something I still haven’t fully unraveled, despite wearing it many times. ... For anyone wondering, I don’t think the comparison to Relique makes much sense. They share the same vibe (dark, gothic, melancholic, incense-y, dark academia), but they’re completely different scents. Relique is more piney, muddier, and wetter. This one, on the other hand, is very airy and has no real earthiness. And even though the word “tunnel/passage” comes up, it’s not the kind of passage that smells damp or musty. If Relique is underground, then this one is a dark mist above the clouds (both scents hold their own distinct, special place for me). Tag(s): dark-ethereal, grey, sorrowful, melancholic, woody, lilies, incense-y

I obviously love this fragrance just sad and very beautiful in its own way and every time I smelled it the more character I got so please following me. imagines you are in an old and very beautiful church somewhere in Europe filled with fresh cut lilies and jasmine garlands that decorated for a ceremony while they are burning some smoky incense in a dark and very cold night . first time I tried this fragrance this was the picture in my mind. The performance is not loud but the projection is great. which i am happy about this fragrance. I am wearing it for myself to appreciated. I don’t need anyone to know from miles away that I am entering the room. If you love incense give it a try is not a strong one but its will give you enough story. and for the fruity floral, gourmand lover stay away this one absolutely not meant to be for you. Not a blind buy safe.

Smells exactly like the regular Passage d'Enfer only has a little bit of a better projection. I would use this one if you want to go out wearing it, EDT is more intimate. Definitely don't buy both, they are pricey and the smell is identical. Also, don't listen to people who say you don't want to be smelling like a church. You absolutely do, it's a gorgeous smell and it gets TONS of compliments. Lilies + incense is an unusual combo and this perfume is phenomenal. I kind of feel like people who are actively hating on it in these reviews are either trolls or just didn't read the description to what they bought. My full review is in the original Passage d'Enfer section.

If it's gone within minutes, your skin might just be a diffuser. One day I wore it in the early morning, when I met people in the late afternoon, they asked me what I was wearing today and made me send them links right away. So it lasts at least 7-8 hours on my skin and clothes. I prefer this version to the OG because it's more incense (smoky and deep, colder and more distant) and less white floral. As a women, I am obsessed to incense and woody notes (generally gravitating to masculine/unisex, but a hint of fresh spicy citrus in warmer months) but can't do sweet floral, fruity or vanilla scents. This bottle is definitely one of my all time favorite.

Day 1: I absolutely LOVE the churchy opening! But as it dried down, it started to kinda smell like a basic floral shampoo :( I’m going to keep wearing it and hope it grows on me! Day 2: Ugh I’m obsessed with the opening!! I still wish the incense note were stronger in the drydown — might have to start layering it or just keep reapplying it throughout the day...

I am so in love with this scent. I accidentally bought this extreme version instead of the original but would have to try them side by side to tell the difference, so I’m not disappointed. Both versions are so gorgeous I love it more each time I wear it and can’t get enough of it. Despite being very unisex and unique, it is such a beautiful blend.

Cool incense blends beautifully with unsweet & non-indolic florals, carried by a subtle oriental base. Olivia Giacobetti has once again proven what a great perfumer she is. Her art to combine transparency and presence, not to get lost in the jungle of notes, but to work concentrated on the manageable material, is simply terrific!

As a goth girl this is a perfect scent for me I love the incense, I hoped it would smell more like church, like some reviews were saying, but since there's no Olibanum it doesn't smell like liturgical incense (unfortunately). Still very smoky and sweet on my skin.

Incense and white flower are the dominant note here with a subtle hint of santal wood. Love the original version always and this is just a bit stronger.

I have coveted the OG Passage d'Enfer for years now. When the brand changed their packaging to the current boring gray bottles, it was easier to find, but I never pulled the trigger. There was always something else I purchased instead. So today, I finally pulled the trigger and purchased the Extreme version, blindly. I wish I read the reviews first because I am now second guessing my decision. The combo of lily and incense sounded dreamy to me. However, I didn't anticipate that this would be an austere, church incense. Instead, I envisioned something smokier and more resinous. Reading further, it appears that the lily is very subdued, to the point where it seems like an afterthought. Now I'm not sure what to expect. Of course this is not yet a review. I will have to wait and see how it plays on my skin before weighing in, and I intend to do so. I'm writing now to make note of my apprehension over a perfume I was positive I was going to love based on the notes. I think it will be interesting to see (smell!) how this ends up performing on my skin now that I'm concerned I've made a costly mistake!! More to follow... 2/2/2023 - okay, now that it has arrived, I am relieved to find that it is more the smoky incense I was after. It's really beautiful, though I'm hoping that given time, the lily will become somewhat more prominent. I am going to try it layered with something like Cartier Baiser Vole or Donna Karan Gold. I just don't have many lily fragrances. I am just not impressed with it at this point, but I think it can become a Love, or at least a Like once things calm down a bit. I'm mostly getting incense and sandalwood but can detect lily trying to announce itself. 5/12/23 I just moved this up to a Like. As I had hoped, the lily has become more prominent than initially and I enjoy it much more. Still, like just about every perfume I've ever purchased from L'Artisan, the performance is abysmal, disappearing from my admittedly dry skin with an hour. I think I'll try some type of scentless oil underneath to see of it helps. I really want to love this, but I'm not there yet, and the jury is still out on whether I ever will.

いっぺん、死んでみる? “oh, pitiful shadow, lost in the darkness, demeaning and bringing harm to others — oh, damned soul, wallowing in sin: care to give death a try?” L’Artisan’s use of the spider lily — higanbana, “flower of the other shore” — as Passage d’Enfer Extrême’s “mascot” immediately brought Jigoku Shōjo (Hell Girl) to mind, a full decade after i’d originally encountered it. and after spending a day with PdEE while revisiting this very special anime — the first two series especially are recommended, IF you can find them — i couldn’t shake the association. Passage d’Enfer Extrême uses warm woods and balsams, unsweetened vanilla, and clean jasmine to turn up the volume and the temperature of the original. still contemplative and passionless, with its original core of frankincense and lilies intact, now it somehow manages to be intense and intimidating as well. and that causes a context shift. instead of the lonely nun in the abandoned church, we get, well, Enma Ai, the Hell Girl — who is, in a manner of speaking, something of a religious herself. living in a kind of limbo, a sunset world filled with spider lilies, she is a personified “gate to hell,” making crossroads deals of vengeance and ferrying some truly nasty characters to perdition. musical accompaniment: the ending theme of the first series, “Karinui” “this place is the basting stitch, the eternity which binds me...” /current edp

A versatile and edgy white floral. This is the ideal moody graveyard scent, perfect for those who want to smell edgy but unmistakably feminine. With such an intense name, one might expect this to be a spicy, dark, intense scent that you could smell a mile away, but I quite like that they went with the milder route. I think it speaks to the subjectivity of Hell, and almost mimics the Ancient Greek perception of a mournful, dark, damp, lonely afterlife instead of the torturous pits of fire that we all imagine nowadays. I see Charon slowly rowing a soul across the Styx in complete silence, save for the sound of water being slightly disturbed by his paddling. That melancholic, soft moment is perfectly translated into scent here. I actually first purchased a travel size of the original Passage d'Enfer and found it to be the perfect smoky, dark white floral that I wanted. I unfortunately could not find a full size of the original so I had to "settle" for the extrême version, which is still incredible but kind of ends up being soapy on my skin. While slightly headache inducing, I'm forever thankful I have a full bottle of this and get endless compliments on it when I wear it out. I've been searching high and low for the perfect dark floral and I'm so glad I finally have one.

Mi piace questo e mi piace quello classico del 99 col tappo dorato e la striscetta rossa. Sono differenti nello sviluppo della fragranza e in quello che evocano. Mentre il primo esordisce creando una sensazione di notte,magia,mistero,si sente una rosa che si fonde in mezzo a tutto il resto e poi l'incenso da chiesa fumante,le note fredde e questa luce che cresce e da rossa passa a bianca e trasparente,questo Extreme invece è più statico ,floreale ipnotico molto bello,con questi gigli in mezzo al fumo di incenso e muschio freddo,un tocco medicinale di mirra amara e poi resta più o meno così alternando le immagini di gigli, incenso e muschio. Molto bello

I haven't tried the 'original' version but have a good sized sample of this/the 'extreme' from their core discovery set of mini bottles. This one is perplexing! It smelled much more floral on a test strip but on my skin, it goes soapy-church mixed with the smell of a wooden box. It's light and has a moderate to intimate sillage, which for me is a positive, given this isn't usually something I would go for. Feels unique enough that I'd consider a full size in the fall to have something like this in my collection!

Wow, I absolutely love this scent. It is such an incense dominant fragrance, just what I love. Unfortunately the longevity is just not there. I will not be purchasing a full bottle for the reason.

Calming, beautiful fragrance that takes time to understand - definitely a feminine leaning fragrance

Sample Testing - can't accurately comment on performance/longevity - opinion is strictly about smell. Passage D'Enfer Extreme If you have no personal experience with a Catholic church, it's very possible that the top and heart of this fragrance will come off as a laundry detergent. In other words, clean white/laundry musks. If you do have some history of attending Catholic churches, as I have, the top and heart will instead vividly remind you of a Catholic church's atmosphere. Stone, Holy Water and Incense. Cold and austere. Mysterious and contemplative. With a very slight hint of animalism underneath. The drydown is a letdown, however. Smells like your typical warm, powdery vanilla base that I've smelled in other fragrances (e.g. Bvlgari Black's drydown). The top and heart was enticing enough for me to order a 10ml sample of the original EDT (to see if the top & heart of the Extreme is maintained throughout in the EDT). But the totality of the Extreme makes me conclude that a full bottle @ $200+CAD (that I see it going for currently) ain't worth it. 6.5/10 YT channel - The Scentrovert

ive always wanted to like a perfume from this house. and this still hasnt convinced me enough. the lily in here couldve been any other white floral, + smoky incense which is boring and there are many other better alternatives out there. i was at least expecting something realistic (like relique d'amour, a beautiful church incense with identifiable lily but horrible performance), but this is just two notes added next to eachother. I wonder if nuit de tubereuse will ever come back.. i rly wanna try that one instead of this nothingburger. Still, its not shitty or anything. but for this price and for this presentation i was expecting more. a simple 'ok' is the perfect description

Wow, this is nice, and wow, that does disappear in less than an hour... Surprised by the poor silage and performance, but the smell itself is beautifully crafted. For me jasmine is felt from a distance, while soft sandalwood and incense take the stage. Lilly comes in a bit later, and is also distant, tame. Completely understand the analogy of a church or a cathedral during funeral rites. This fragrance is both hot and cold, feminine and masculine, simple and complex. Very dark femme fatale or homme fatal feel. This would have been an excellent work, if only the performance was better. Personally, even for me, cost-performance ratio is simply too bad to consider investing.

Even if not listed in the notes i get some pepper in the opening, quite fast to disappear, than it's all white flowers (Lily most in front) for certain time (like 1hour), quite powdery, not so strong. Then a sweet, non pungent, creamy (due to the sandanol) incense shows to join the blend until the deep drydown (no vanilla spotted whatsoever). I don't dislike this but it is quite anonymous, very timid. Can't get any "hell" or "extreme" in this kind of fragrance, just a decent white floral plus incense, almost skin scent after two three hours. Quite unisex. Expensive for what it is.

I agree with @greydove. I sampled the original and the extreme version to compare and the differences are very subtle. I don't feel like the perfume is any stronger than the eau de toilette which is disappointing. It's still very much a skin scent. Passage D'Enfer Extreme leans more towards earthy lilies than the original which has slightly stronger notes of Incense. I don't get any sweet notes at all. To sum it up, I'd say that Passage D'Enfer Extreme is a slightly more feminine version of the original without much improved projection or longevity.

Smoky incense in a bottle... buying it is like burning you money and “puff” it’s gone in a smoke. Both on skin and on clothing, the only scent I got was incense. And even that’s gone in about ten twenty minutes, leaving some barely noticeable woody scent. Nice bottle but amounts to nothing. A real shame. Compare with the normal version, at least that has lily note in it. And I was hoping this will have a better lily note and stronger longevity and silage. Alas

Passage d’Enfer Extrême isn’t bad, but is very dull. With such a name, I was expecting something much more “explosive”. I imagined hell, flames, spices, heat... something extreme! In reality, it’s more like a funeral in a church, with white flowers around the coffin and incense wafting through the air. It’s pretty, sure, but ultimately very classic; there’s nothing infernal here, let alone anything extreme. For lovers of soft and meditative perfumes.

I am testing this from a decant so it's possible something wasn't right. However, on my skin I had only white flowers for two hours, a brief moment of what might have been green sandalwood, and then it vanished. No smoke. I wanted to try it because of the smoke. I love incense in scents, but sadly it didn't show up at all on me. If I can find if from a different source, I will retest it and see.

Notes of sandalwood, white jasmine, incense, vanilla, white lily. I penned a lengthy soporific review of the original Passage d'Enfer in my book 'Prose 1997 - 2008'. I still prefer that one but both are a wonderful combination of contrasts in the masculinity of the woody notes and the femininity of white flowers.

Like the original, poor longevity. It’s just church incense, I don’t particularly find this that different from the OG. Whimpered out within an hour

Where is the "Extreme" in its namesake? Passage d'Enfer Extrême is only a very mild wood scent.

dark smoky wood. a little bit too much

This is a strong incense and underneath you can smell some white lilies. I honestly smell pencil shavings on florals with this and it's not something I like, even though it's a very well crafted perfume. It also gets more stable after a couple of hours but I still don't like it. I can also smell some leather base in this that I've found in other L'Artistans creations and I just can't stand it.

EW. This has a shaving foam vibe, plus somewhat dampen moldy woods. Not a single floral note sung, not even murmured on my skin. It's atrocious, literally smells like Church incense, not just "any" incense. The majority of people out there will associate it to religious Christian funerals. The connection with death will be immediate, so mind that and buy testers. Don't do like I did: I stupidly trusted the reviews and bought a bottle. A lot of sellers stuck with theirs will surely vote my review negatively but listen to my advice and buy testers.

This is an incense bomb, I mean not even in St. Peter and the Vatican! Lord have mercy on me – don’t wanna come across this nightmare in a bottle anymore.

A lot of soft, churchy incense. As if I suddenly found myself in a church. Incense, rows of wooden benches, cold stone altars, on those altars flowers. Burning candles. Dimmed light. Cold and mysterious atmosphere. The smoke of the incense is mixing with the scent of the lilies in the air, and some very faint jasmine. But those flowers are cold, too. Everything is dimmed and quiet. Just like the original, this is a very quiet scent, too. It sits close to skin. You can smell at the first sniff that these two are related. Very similar. This one seems more smoky, and less lily. Whereas the original is more lily ( and woods ), less smoke. Not sure what is supposed to be "extreme" about this one. There is nothing extreme about it. All the notes are quiet and tamed. Sillage is barely there. Longevity pretty bad. There is no hell. Again. This is obviously some different kind of hell, not at all what I was expecting. I know this is probably about some mystical, spiritual passage of a soul to some other plain of existence, more than hell per se. Zen and such. But with a name like this, I was really expecting, and hoping for, something else. In both cases. And can you blame me? Anyway. I am a bit disappointed, even though I like both scents. They are very pleasant. Zen, meditative, transcendental....

I HATE white florals but HOLY mother do I love this. This is what I wished Relique D'Amour was. This is the sweeter, prettier, more angelic sister. If Relique had all of it's bad things taken out (sourness, coldness, lack of addictiveness), you would get this and this is coming from someone who hates florals, ESPECIALLY white florals! The opening is org@smic, aldehydic, warm, sweet incense followed by a wet soapy lilly. This is one of the best clean scents in my collection now and I love it so much I may cull the others as they have no place when you have found the perfect one. Definitely ethereal, calming, clean, comforting and meditative!

I am surprised that I don’t get the image of a church from this (the creator’s inspiration always really appealed to me) but rather a candlelit bath. The lilies here are very soapy, white and clean. The incense and sandalwood warmth and mild sweetness from vanilla are giving me lit candles, charred wicks, melting candle wax. Olivia Giaccobetti scents cleverly waft like when you smell jasmine on the wind from a nearby garden. It’s very different than the opaque wall of scent of most perfumes. 4 out of 5.

Don't let the name fool you - or do. The passage to hell sounds like it should be filled with fire and brimstone. It sounds aggressive, cruel, and unyielding. This perfume is not that. This is a different kind of hell. This is a cold, empty church. This is lilies left by a stranger, and lingering incense. This is someone who left without friends or family, alone on their journey. That's the true passage to hell. It's cold and bittersweet and oddly calm. Extreme? Not so much. But poignant? Yes, indeed.

I get incense with a hint of white flowers, though not identifiably jasmine. The incense does not feel especially “churchy” like Commes Des Garçons Avignon or Heeley Cardinal. I find that this has minimal projection and moderate wear time. Essentially a floral incense skin scent—nice, but not full-bottle worthy to me. With a name like it has, I expected a gothic powerhouse of a fragrance, so I admit to being a little disappointed.

Update: it looks like I got the 10ml of the original somehow! So, I removed my review. When I get my nose on the new one, I'll update. However, it looks like others are saying that the difference between the original and the new one are in fact minimal

Always love incense scents and this gave it a twist with some floral notes though faintly but it works well. Read lots of reviews it didn’t last long, it stayed on my skin for 6-8 hours and more than 10 hours on my clothes. Will definitely repurchase!

I get "soap," aldehydes, and a cold incense. I'm torn bc I don't know if it smells vintage or futuristic 🤔 I've smelled lots of incense perfumes, but this one is very different. In a way, I feel like this how New Look should smell like.

Extremely incense-y, I've never smelled something more redolent of Catholic churches. It's spiritual, transcendent, and if you're into deep, dark, all encompassing incense this is your stuff.

Church incense with some herbs . It describes its name perfectly . I would smell a place like this but not a person . Scary !

Cosy, not cold incense (is it the vanilla?), subtle lily and cedar. Weak performance. 8/10