Xplicit Vanilla

Today I'm going back over to the house of Mancera to knock out a few samples that I recently got in. Up first, the sample I was most looking forward to, Xplicit Vanilla. This is a new release for this year, but already I've heard some say that it's the hallmark vanilla fragrance for the house of Mancera. Being that I currently have Amore Caffe in my Fragrantica Top 5, I knew this is one I had to experience for myself. Will it dethrone Amore Caffe as my number 1 vanilla fragrance? Let's get into it and find out. Scent: The opening is sweet, woody, and gourmand. The primary notes I get are Mexican vanilla, dark chocolate, tonka bean, and Cambodian oud. The strongest of the notes are the Mexican vanilla and dark chocolate. True to its name, the Mexican vanilla is what hits my nose first. It is sweet and creamy as vanilla notes tend to be, but it has an underlying sensual spiciness to it that Mexican vanilla is known for. Following behind the vanilla is the dark chocolate note with a rich sweetness reminiscent of a dark chocolate bar. Up next is the Cambodian oud and tonka bean. The Cambodian oud, while not being at the forefront of the opening, is still instantly recognizable to me as an intensely dark and woody note with a distinct and marked earthiness. Lastly, the tonka bean rounds out the opening with an extra dose of warm sweetness with undertones of subtle spiciness. It is very similar to the type of tonka bean note found in JPG's Le Male Le Parfum or Prada's Luna Rossa Black. The dry down is sweet, woody, and balsamic. The primary notes I get are Mexican vanilla, brown sugar, benzoin, and dark chocolate. The strongest of the notes are the Mexican vanilla and benzoin. The Mexican vanilla is still at the forefront of the fragrance in the dry down, with the same sweet and spicy gourmand accord, with the only difference being that the spiciness from within it is a bit more pronounced than it was in the opening. Meanwhile, the benzoin has emerged in the dry down to accompany the vanilla with a rich and balsamic sweetness. Being a benzoin note, it still has vanillic qualities to it that blend well with the Mexican vanilla, but the resinous nature adds an additional layer of depth to the sweetness. This is followed by the dark chocolate and brown sugar. The dark chocolate is still present in the dry down with the same candied sweetness, but it has taken a step back to give the vanilla and benzoin more room to breathe. Lastly, the brown sugar is noticeable in the background as an accompanying warm sweetness. The tonka bean is still present in some way, with hints of its warm spiciness, as well as the oud with its dark woodiness, but they are more of an afterthought in the dry down. Throughout the wearing of the fragrance, I am reminded of YSL's Babycat. It has a similar DNA, but obviously isn't as heavy on the leathery/animalic qualities since it doesn't share a suede note with Babycat. Performance: Initial projection within the first hour is enormous and can easily fill a room. Sillage matches that intensity with a scent trail so thick it can almost be cut with a knife. After about 4-5 hours, the performance was still just as strong as when I first sprayed it. Even at the 7-8 hour mark the projection was still at least 6 feet and the scent trail was easily noticeable. The fragrance didn't become a skin scent until well after the 12 hour mark. When to wear: This is a fall/winter fragrance that made for evening wear. This is something that can be worn casually, but is really meant to be worn for special occasions. It's cozy, warm, and draws people in. It is, however, much too sweet and gourmand to be appropriate for formal occasions or office wear. Blind buy: If you like hyper-gourmand or vanilla fragrances like Amore Caffe, Xplicit Vanilla is a safe blind buy for you. Final verdict: With Amore Caffe being my go-to vanilla fragrance, and also being from the same house as Xplicit Vanilla, my experience here was heavily compared to what I got from Amore Caffe. What I can say is that Xplicit Vanilla is a lighter fragrance compared to Amore Caffe. Xplicit Vanilla, as its name suggests, focuses on the Mexican Vanilla note from opening to dry down, with nuanced but noticeable touches from the oud, tonka bean, dark chocolate, and benzoin. Amore Caffe, on the other hand, does share noticeable vanilla and brown sugar notes with Xplicit Vanilla, but it has more of a focus on coffee with nutty and boozy tinges from the amaretto, giving it a richness and depth that Xplicit Vanilla doesn't have. They're both very sweet and gourmand vanilla fragrances, but in different ways. When it comes to performance, Amore Caffe and Xplicit Vanilla stand on equal ground. Both are beast-mode fragrances with a nuclear level of projection, sillage, and longevity. Likewise, with versatility, Xplicit Vanilla is made to be worn either casually or for special occasions like date nights during the cooler months. With this fragrance being so heavily focused on vanilla, it's bound to be a compliment magnet. And even though there is a touch of earthy oud in the opening, it stays well within a safe limit. So the big question: does Xplicit Vanilla knock out Amore Caffe from my top 5? Unfortunately, no it doesn't. While I can appreciate Xplicit Vanilla for what it is, it does remind me a lot of Babycat. And even though I do enjoy Babycat, I enjoy the richness and depth of Amore Caffe more. So for now, Amore Caffe is safe in my top 5. Still, I'd definitely recommend Xplicit Vanilla to any vanilla lovers out there; man or woman. Scent: 10/10 Longevity: 10/10 Sillage: 10/10

Such a beautiful scent... I've only had this for a few days and WOW. To be honest, I see it as a more modern, upgraded version of the house's 'Aoud Vanille'. I have samples of both as I'm trying to find a fragrance for the upcoming winter. I've made my choice. Both are absolutely amazing fragrances in the same realm; however, Xplicit Vanille is just much more polished and mass-appealing. As some other reviewers have said, it is babycat-esque, but they're not the same at all. The vanilla is so decadent and smooth and works so well with the other notes, and this is coming from someone that HATES gourmands. This is not a cloying screechy gourmand vanilla at all. It's a beautiful, sensual vanilla, and the oud just elevates it by adding a darker nuance that balances the sweetness out. On my skin, the dry down smells like a bowl of coco pops - specifically after you leave them for a few mins and the flavour dissolves into the milk. It's so damn beautiful. I find that my skin chemistry changes this fragrance drastically, I just tried this with vaseline and it's a LOT more oud forward (which I still love), and the vanilla is a lot earthier. Very sexy. Without vaseline it's more of a sweeter vanilla on me, in the realm of a dark chocolate cookie. Not just going to rave about its pros, still has some cons. This one only applies to people that are expecting a mind blowing, unique, unfound gem. As great as it is, it's quite linear. If that's up your alley, pull the trigger and get it. I love it, but I feel like it lacks character, or that 'oomf' when compared to Amore Caffè for example (however this is much more wearable) or other popular Vanilla scents, i.e Absolute Aphrodisiac. This just doesn't bring as much to the table. My second gripe is that the performance could be better for a Mancera. The longevity is easily 12+ hours, but it turns into a skin scent quite quickly. It beams off my skin for an hour, but after that, I go anosmic to it. I can only smell it if I put my nose right up to it. Could be me going nose blind though, who knows 🤷. Definitely worth picking up however, had my full bottle for a few days it's amazing. Excited to see how it'll be in the colder months.

this perfume is stunning. i naturally dislike vanilla based scents as i find them cloying. however xplicit vanilla toys with the senses in a way that isn’t obnoxious but rather intoxicating in a very sensual and addictive manner. not only is it delicious, but also musky, and very attractive. i spray this on my chest and i smell myself for hours to come, given that it is an oud and woody based scent that is expected. however the vanilla, although a top note, lasts very long as well. at least on my skin that is. in the bottle it smells more masculine, strong, enticing though. the oud is prominent. i was frightened by this initial reaction and had promised i would give it to my boyfriend. though i sprayed it and let it rest on myself, and i was pleasantly surprised. stronger notes of oud and overall masculinity really only appeared lightly in the beginning, though quickly died down. vanilla remained loud, and i couldn’t quite see dark chocolate but i could definitely see brown sugar. these are not normally notes i lean towards, keep in mind. i am more of a floral, peppery type of girl. but this is addicting. i adore it. if only it was more of a spring/summer scent i would wear it year round. but during the colder seasons this is delicious. i hate to smell cloying or overly sugary as i find it tacky. but this is far from tacky. if anything this is mature and elegant. i think that’s why i love it. it incorporates sweet childish sensations of vanilla and sugar with deeper notes in a way that creates an elegant and sexy fragrance. not to mention you do not have to be centimeters away to smell it. the sillage is strong. but not obnoxious, once again. for me it leans feminine. i could see my boyfriend wearing it but i would prefer it on a woman. to each their own but the scent is unisex clearly. prior to purchasing i read reviews, and heard such amazing words it was hard to believe. they do not lie!! xplicit vanilla is gorgeous and i highly recommend.

I got a 10ml sample and I really love it. It's a perfect blend of vanilla and wood. It has an illusion of sweetness which isn't really there and a woodiness which doesn't take anything away from the vanilla, which here smells a little like the one used in Oud Vanille, which I have. Probably the best vanilla scent you can get under private line prices. Compared to Aoud Vanilla, this is a much more open and fresher take with little to no smokiness and a lot more sweetness. Explicit Vanille projects like crazy for the first 3 hours and stays on skin for a solid 10, while Aoud Vanilla lasts longer and develops more as it dries down and doesn't project as much. It's much smokier, with the vanilla being a secondary note there behind the Aoud and Smoke accord. Amore Caffe and this share the same sweetness enveloping the vanilla, but this is not a gourmand in my opinion, while I find Amoure Caffe a true gourmand. Booziness also is replaced by wood in Explicit Vanille. In the end, I won't buy a full bottle of this just because I have Aoud Vanille and Amore Caffe, but this is actually a stunning middle ground between the two, and if I had an opportunity to choose only one out of the 3 mentioned, I would probably get this over the other two. 8.8/10

Sampling Mancera Xplicit Vanilla, a 2025 release that seemed to garner a lot of attention, and a fittingly vanilla-focused fragrance. Immediately it reminds me of the house’s own Aoud Vanille, albeit with less bite of the oud, but still a sort of vanilla-mixed-with-dark-and-sharp-vibes blend. Unsurprisingly, then, Xplicit Vanilla has oud as a listed note, but most of the listed notes are gourmand or resinous: benzoin, chocolate, tonka, brown sugar, cedar, and sandalwood. This feels like an accurate retelling of the fragrance: mostly gourmand, but with oud, benzoin, and woods in supporting but still-quite-noticeable roles. Overall, I think it’s very good, with strong performance, a gourmand with some intrigue, but I already have in Aoud Vanille a vanilla that contrasts most other vanillas more significantly, but this is definitely more agreeable and less biting than Aoud Vanille, so I’d certainly recommend checking it out. Like most of the house, Xplicit Vanilla is EDP concentration and priced at $200 for 120ml, sold in the US via the house website and various retailers like Olfactif, Ministry of Scent, and Twisted Lily, with my sample coming from Olfactif. 8 out of 10