Citrus Batikanga

Love at first sniff. What an unusual, well done, refreshing, invigorating smell. Don’t know anything like this. I went to a Crivelli counter to try and buy one of two other scents I was considering based on notes. After experiencing the whole line in person and purchasing a sample set to explore, Citrus Batikanga was a winner from the first try all the way through multiple tests that followed. Citrus + spicy red pepper works so incredibly well with cardamom as a bridge that gives warmth in the early stages. Something slightly soapy about it, but not in an iris/neroli kind of way. Just clean and solar. Too bad I do not pick up any rhubarb. It does change over time, but not a shape shifter. Citruses mellow out, the cardamom remains and plays well with a drop of myrrh and vetiver. Those also give this scent depth in the mid and late stages of wearing. Something quite unusual for a citrus dominant fragrance. Vetiver is also not a dirty kind, just green and quite elegant actually. I sense some musks in the background. Maybe that is what gives me the sense of cleanliness. This does lean masculine. But I am very seriously considering a full bottle. That hot pepper and cardamom won me over big time. A little talked about masterpiece.

Cold, refreshing, and quietly playful, resting on a base that reminds me of Absinthe Boréale, but with a brighter, more dramatic twist up top. It’s vibrant without ever turning sharp, perfectly balanced, and incredibly easy to wear. Unique and tasteful, it carries an icy edge that playfully dances with just the right amount of chili pepper, never overpowering and just enough to spark interest. One of the best summer perfumes in my rotation, and just as fitting for the softer days of spring. An aromatic, fresh spicy composition that feels refined yet effortless. Give it a proper try on clean skin and let it bloom. It grows warmer, deeper, and more intriguing with time.

I love this fragrance! To me it smells like I am staying at a five star hotel, and this is how the scented lotion in in the toiletry kit smells like. It smells clean, warm, slightly spicy, and very well balanced. I'm not usually into citrus forward scents, they can be screechy at times. Not this, this is smoooooth. Smells like straight up luxury to me. The warmth in it also makes it suitable year round, in my opinion. It doesn't scream "summer" to me. Very unisex, I'm a woman and I adore it, and I think it would smell just as good on a man.

My favorite citrus of all time. Thank you Maison Crivelli for making a unique citrus in a sea of so many same old samo's. It also has amazing longevity and projection for a citrus perfume. It is a beautiful, fresh, and energizing with a spicy twist. I love the hot pepper scent mixed with the lemon it really works. It almost gives a fresh ginger effect but different and I completely get the hot pepper from initial spary to dry down. This perfume is completely unisex and smells so natural, clean, and like amazing quality.

Love love! Not as beloved by my "here! Smell me!" testers, but a "knocks it out of the park" favorite for me. Delightfully unexpected. Warm and spicy but simultaniously refreshing. Has that element of unusual that I adore, while still remaining approachable, in my eyes. I want this so bad, I'm mad that I'm out of my sample and luckyscent doesn't carry it anymore because now I can't sniff it while saving for a full bottle. 9.5/10 half point deducted for my unimpressed sniff testers

I love this -- I feel like I smell Citron in here - it's giving me the same fresh, mossy, just-got-out-of-the-shower citrus vibes I know and love in Jo Malone Grapefruit, but the citrus is a little more rounded, a little warmer (not stronger, just a different citrus). Zesty, spicy, fresh, clean kick with some warmth -- easily rising to the top for me in their discovery kit (which, btw is out of this world and a synesthete's dream).

wow wow wow?! at arms length, it's very palatable and maybe even flirting with aquatic. all the while, cardamom is a peppery vessel for the freshness of cut stalks and peeled rinds. nose to skin - the fenugreek feels savory and starchy, like fluffed biryani? the vetiver acts as a bridge when the savoriness dries down to a soft and sweet, resinous skank. i'm obsessed.

I really enjoy this one. It’s a completely different take on citrus - and leans fairly heavily to the masculine side. I don’t think it smells like food, personally. It’s a spicy citrus, as many have said - and it really shines after the opening fades. Really enjoy this one. Side note - chat gpt recommended this fragrance for me and I must stay, it nailed it.

Maison Crivelli is for my a new perfume house that I fell in love with. Citrus Batikanga is an exotic citrus fragrance that set itself apart from all other citrus fragrances on the market. It starts a little sharp, but the dry down is softer, more subtle spicy. Definitely a must-try!

Great citrus spicy fragance....very unique. Love it in the heat...perfomance is ok for a citrus fragrance....well done!

Love at first sniff! What an amazing scent, reminds me of my mum and I’ll cherish this forever. Thank you Bertrand!

I'd say as with majority of my experiences with a plethora of fragrances from Maison Crivelli, this is yet another well made suberb release. Opens up with a dry but tart Citrus note with a Spicy kick to it, that effortlessly blends into the main part of the dry down, which is characterised by the aforementioned slightly dry and tart citrus which becomes smoother going into the mid and dry down, and a warmly spiced pimento/chilli note, behind both of these notes is a soft Rhubarb and Vetiver, that both act as a counterbalance, yet also an amplifier to accentuate both the smooth, and refreshing feeling of the citrus, as well as the kick and pleasant sharpness from the Chili. It stays more or less like this throughout the whole wearing and I don't particularly get many Resinous notes on my skin even in thr far dry down as listed but it is fine notheless. In terms of wearability, due to it being a citrus (as in the namesake lmao) forward fragrance, it most definitely is most at home in summer and spring, but I can see a usecase for autumn, I'd say either genders could wear this, but something about it (maybe the way the aromatics and spiced are handelded?) Makes this feel like it leans a fair bit masculine in my opinion. In terms of occasions to wear it, it could easily pass as both and formal occasion fragrance, part of me also thinks this could be an excellent office fragrance, it's not too complex to understand foe the layman, and on top of that it's not (on my skin) the most projecting fragrance of its class, speaking of that, on my skin I get a medium projection roughly but it fluctuates between soft and medium quite a lot. In terms of longevity I get around 5-6 hours. Final Verdict is a 7.2/10

Citrus Batikanga is an intriguing, unusual scent. It is an original take on an aromatic-citrus scent profile. It is not the most wearable, and certainly doesn't have mass appeal, but it is an impressive piece of olfactory art that succeeds in breathing new life into a tired scent trope. CB opens with tart bergamot, followed closely by freshly-chopped chilli pepper, damp yet spicy. It is punchy and aromatic, almost mouth-watering up top, with peppery green cardamom firmly bringing it to Indian dish territory early on. It still manages to be airy and bright, with aromatic freshness throughout. As it develops, I get some fresh yet slightly bitter rhubarb, and the vetiver makes its presence felt, dry and woody with a slightly astringent quality. As it develops, the musky amber base comes to the fore, smooth and slightly sweet, melding nicely with the woody vetiver and grounding the spicy-fruity accord nicely. It is surprisingly cohesive, but does remind me of curry, perhaps due to the emergence of the fenugreek note at the drydown stage. It fades to a musky, woody scent, spicy and aromatic until final fade. Sillage and longevity are moderate, and it is masculine-leaning in my opinion - best worn in spring/summer. An unusual spicy citrus with a curry component, CB shouldn't work but it does - it is a creative risk that pays off. An unexpected gourmand of sorts. 3.5/5.

I find many of the Crivellis wispy, oddly balanced, more like tentative experiments in perfumery than high-priced luxury products. This one and Iris Malikhân were redemptive in their starting lineup. Here Duchaufour comes to the rescue with a well-composed piece, present on the skin though low-projecting. Not a masterpiece, but at least a master at work. The opening is strong on the nose-tickling chili pepper note. It's exactly the same note in L'Homme Ideal L'Intense. Those flankers can be unobtainium so I know that's not the most useful point of comparison - I was just surprised to smell that unusual accord again. In the heart the spice calms down and it's more of a creamy, earthy vetiver and lightly citrus blend. True to the Crivelli MO, it just barely touches on the citrus of its namesake, and simmers away to a skin scent all too soon, but the drydown at least lasts a good long time. If it matters to you, I’d say the opening is more masculine and the drydown more femme. In all, quite lovely and a very solid "like".

At first whiff, it's a blend of sumac, pepper, and a tangy, citrusy allure. Delving into the note list, the mix of chili pepper and rhubarb seems to create this effect. The top notes offer a refreshing Bergamot touch, while cardamom brings in spice rather than warmth. It's an intriguing scent, one that provokes contemplation. I imagine wearing this with lightly colored outfits—perhaps a clean white blouse or even clean gym wear after a workout. It's the kind of fragrance that makes you yearn to release your hair from a ponytail and let its scent waft through and around you. The earthy undertones create a divergence between fresh, green, aromatic notes and sweet, woody earthiness. This fragrance feels suitable for a first date—light, approachable, yet undoubtedly captivating. Overall, 7/10

Opens with a juicy hit of citrus. I also keep thinking of a delicious spicy margarita with a salted rim. Sparkly and invigorating, refreshingly wet/aquatic. Deliciously savoury. Bay leaf, and cardamom with a quite grassy, vetiver base. The vetiver keeps the top from being too sharp. A nice clean fragrance that could be interpreted as a touch detergent-like in the dry-down by some. Makes me want to relax by a pool and wear gorgeous jewellery. Or sunbathe on a boat in the mediterranean wearing expensive linen. Definitely unisex, but traditionally speaking, leans more masculine. Pretty good projection here too. VERDICT: Very cool, in both senses of the word.

Wow! My sniffer is spot on!!! Fenugreek! Sorry for blowing my own trumpet, but I'm like a cold reading psychic, when I hit, I have to brag about it. Immediately the top notes of this perfume are extremely muted. It's a grower not a shower, and this bergamot/lime smell has no really typical citrus tropes, it's not lend sharpness or sweetness by it's surrounds. That's a good thing for me, makes it a different prospect from your average citrus. I think it has an aspect of lime pickle (the Indian condiment) it's a flat bergamot impression like a dhm or bergamal. but again I like it, it's different.

This really exemplifies the "fresh spicy" label to me. It's a nice citrus, and the combination with spices gives it an expensive, unusual, slightly masculine flair. On my skin, I really get the bergamot, cardamom, and chili pepper more than anything else. I live in a climate that's hot year-round and this is perfect for that: it's warm but without ever becoming too heavy or cloying because the citrus lends it that sharpness. It softens over time but remains pretty linear throughout its 6-7 hour wear, and was fairly intimate on me.

Beautiful unisex cologne-like fragrance. Not a bright citrus as you may expect from the name, but pleasantly spicy, fresh and aromatic. Dominant vetiver in the dry down. Absolutely love it for when I want a fresh fragrance with a masculine hint. It loses a star for longevity, lasted about 3-4 hours after which barely the faintest fragrance remained. Full bottle worthy but only at a great price. EDIT - dry down smells like a sweaty male with cheap cologne on.

Omg, yum. This is both possibly the most unique citrus I’ve ever smelled and also the most unusual kind of gourmand—spicy, savory and warm. I understand why the consensus is that this leans masculine but this reads pretty unisex to me. Such a cool, special warm weather fragrance and another winner from Maison Crivelli.