Kantali

Wonderful.... these days I am revisiting many fragrances that were popular in my teenage years, Opium being one of them. I find that they are really growing on me and while I may not be ready to shell out for a (probably horribly reformulated) new Opium, the Milton Lloyd offering Kantali ticks all the same boxes for me. The only thing (and this also goes for ML Tutu and others) is that the initial scent upon spraying has a certain harshness which may be to do with the pressurized sprayer (it sprays like, say, a deodorant or body spray). This quickly goes away and the actual fragrance is both smoky opium den like and deep vanilla-ish. It is very rounded and also perfect for layering. I layered it with Gres Cabochard the other day and it was mindblowing.

It's a mature fragrance and one I didn't appreciate until my nose matured with appreciation of perfumery. I haven't sniffed Opium yet so I cannot comment on the similarity. It's the blast of aldehydes that I mostly get. For me it is very close to White Linen and yes it does have that washed linen/cotton fragrance after drying on the washing line. When I was immature I would've said it was 'old fashioned' but now with a more educated taste I would describe it as a classic. Maybe screechy for some (it has an almost medicinal bitter scent) but very dry and elegant like good dry white wine. On the drydown however there is that cola amber that is reminiscent for me of 'Youth Dew'. Very radiant and fills the room.

I have been wearing this perfume all week and I have to say I like it more and more every time I spray. Dry, ambery, spicy, delicious. Chatting about it with my partner this morning, I likened it to sprinkling myself with ground cinnamon. It sticks around, too, which is AMAZING considering the price point. No one else around me has a smell quite like it, so it makes me feel very unique. I will definitely be repurchasing when this bottle runs out (which, based on my current usage, won't be long from now!).

Really good dupe of Opium. Wow i have 18 fragrances of Milton LLoyd all dupes of perfumes i want but can't afford to buy. The quality is really Excellent and the lasting power is close to the originals and even better. Because nowadays the originals are very watered down and very weak. These cheap perfumes have the strenght of the originals years ago and that for such a cheap price. Here in Europe i pay Euro 3,70 for a bottle of 55ml. So definitely glad i have found this brand.

I have huge respect for EnglishCountryGarden and her reviews. She's usually bang on the money, and she is this time, too. Opium was my signature scent in the early 80s. Kantali is remarkably similar to (what I remember of) vintage Opium. Give this one a try. You have very little to lose and a lot to gain. Go easy on the trigger, though - as with all the Milton Lloyd scents I've tried, the atomiser acts like a hose and drowns you in fragrance.

upon first smell - this perfume does smell a lot like Opium. I absolutely love the smell of Opium, however the new formulation and the high price point makes it unattainable for most. This is a great option for those wanting to achieve the smell and comfort of Opium, at a fantastically affordable price point. The sileage and lasting power of this fragrance is unbeaten for its price. Highly recommend.

Looking for Opium 1977? This is really close. Much closer than the current formulation by YSL. I do have the 1977 Opium Edt. Some bottles have aged a bit flat. I use this to layer back in some freshness and lift. Under $10. Whats not to love. Vintage strong styles still available. Check this line out first before jumping into expensive vintage fragrance markets.

A true trip back in time: Sharp, very spicy, vintage aldehyde, with peaked agressive rose and heavy carnation. Amber colored. Very very dry and cloudy, in the best way. The pepper is perfect, hot, rough and dark, the longevity is incredible and the sillage a beast. Impossible to go unnoticed, with only two little sprays...!

OMG what is not to like about this spicy opulent beast... longevity good silage fills a room so easy on the spraying love love this similar notes to original opium....

Amazing fragrance and quality, cant believe its so cheap.

I’m a lover of early Opium and while I knew this was supposed to be a copy, I blind bought it. Well, vintage Opium this is not - it’s missing too many key components like castoreum, incense, the deep myrrh, opoponax, a deeper mellis accord, etc. However, it’s a very cool and cheap oriental that has its own charm. You won't smell like anyone else.

The drydown is the best of openning and heart. Loads of dry warm base notes such as santalwood. Not a big adventure but quite classic reliable smell for calming down in cold evenings.

I have this, as far as my memory serves me its like opium. its got a bit of a musty smell on me which must just be skin chemistry but I still use it as a room spray as its lovely

I have never smelled the original 1977 Opium, so I cannot compare Kantali to it, but I'll give my best to review Kantali perfume itself. Kantali to me starts of with a strong fruity note. I'd say the fruity note is mandarin, zesty orange peel and maybe even papaya. These are being well cooked in a pot full of honey, a little bit of mulled wine, cloves, cinnamon and other spices. So actually very Christmassy. The fruits are not fresh, but well cooked in the honey and wine. I can't really smell the florals, as it's just so wonderfully strong on the spices, honey and cooked fruits. I've compared Chopard's Casmir to cooked peaches as well. But Casmir doesn't have anywhere near as many spices as Kantali. Casmir also doesn't have that mulled wine note in there either. It's almost as if Kantali has fermented a little bit and Casmir has not. Difficult to explain. Due to that fermentation/wine note I can see how some people could also compare this note with cola or root beer. It's actually quite interesting and really nice. As soon as it dries down, which actually takes quite a while, it becomes more and more smoky and woodier. Possibly even myrrh and incense. The sweetness becomes less and the smokiness becomes more. It's actually quite amazing. Every hour the scent changes. It starts of as sweet and fruity and ends as smoky and spicy. The fruits mix more and more into the spicy base. Quite amazing. To me the dry down scent is actually my favourite. Meaning that on the days I decide to wear Kantali, I spray my clothes the night before. Then on the next day I'm left with this amazing smoky, spicy scent...just a hint of sweetness, but not too much. Love it. I find this perfume has a strong sillage and a long staying power. The dry down stays with you for an entire day, possibly even longer. Spray carefully. If you're not into sweet scents, then spray 1-2hours before you leave the house as then the initial sweetness has mellowed and the perfume is more smoky. Lovely perfume. I'm happy to have it.

Today I went to Selfridges and asked for the original Opium, just so that I can smell it. Now I can finally compare it to Kantali. The original Opium is very smoky and incense-y. Kantali has none of this. However Kantali has all the top notes right. So basically Kantali smells like Opium without the original base notes. As if you took Opium, stripped it of all the incense and smoke and just left it with the top notes. If this is what you are searching for, then I'd say go for it. So I can't say it smells nothing like Opium as this is simply incorrect. It does smell like Opium, just without the incense and smokiness in the base.

Beautiful perfume. When I first wore Kantali it was a picture perfect autumn day in November, crisp cold air, coat and scarf on, leaves everywhere and I was walking through the park and getting wafts of the most amazing fizzy, warm smell from where I had sprayed Kantali on my scarf, and I have to say that Kantali fits this scene really well! It made me exited for Christmas! The opening of Kantali is fizzy and bright. Spicy orange/mandarin with fuzzy waxy aldehydes. Something smells vaguely familiar-from childhood- cola sherbert maybe?! Not in a bad way, and not in an overly sweet way- this is not a sugarbomb/gourmand perfume. The aldehydic aspect is not sharp or cold, as in for example rive gauche but more warm and rich-similar in effect to D&G red cap or Joop femme, both of which I also love. An hour or so in, the fragrance turns soft and powdery, still spicy. The spiciness isn’t cloying or too dense. Strange thing is that a few hours in, when I can no longer smell this on myself and I think it has gone, I will get a whiff of lovely powdery and almost waxy smell- this sounds strange but it is really nice. I was told when I bought Kantali that it is a dupe for YSL Opium. So I bought a decant of opium EDT (the current formulation) to compare. They are both very similar and it is obvious that Kantali was at least inspired by opium, however there are differences and I think Kantali stands as a perfume in it’s own right. Kantali is brighter and more effervescent with the prominent hespederic notes while opium is richer and the base notes are more prominent- myrrh, incense. The packaging for Kantali isn’t much to look at but that’s to be expected and can’t really complain given the price (I paid £6 for 55ml). Amazing value for money. This perfume is a hidden gem and I will be stocking up before it bites the dust!

I tracked this perfume all the way up the beer aisle in Tesco, down the wines and spirits aisle, and lost the scent at the checkout. As I was leaving, I passed an oldish lady wearing bright blue eyeliner and a red woolen hat. She was the origin of the wonderful scent. I put myself and my trolley into reverse and asked her what she was wearing. "I love Opium", she said "but I'm not paying sixty pounds for it, not on my lousy pension, so I got this for three pounds fifty from the market". I was aghast. Surely some mistake? She delved into her voluminous handbag and produced the bottle, very generously giving me a spray to the wrist. That was at 2pm. At 11.30pm the scent was still going strong. This is better than Opium. It's more rounded, it has a nice fat chypre bottom (as it used to be), and the top and middle florals are just exquisite. I find the carnation and rose just leaps out and smacks you on the bottom with a wet towel. I will most definitely be investing in a bottle or two or three, because at that price, you can afford to be, shall we say, "extravagant"? Honestly, the quality of this has floored me and stomped on all my preconceptions of cheap/dupes.

WHile all UTC Milton-LLoyd fragrances I've ever tried come in PDT form, this one is only EDT and this is really effects its longevity. I simply can not tell if it's loyal to the original Opium or not because back then when I had the possibility to smell vintgae original I was not yet interested in grown up scents, later I would have been interested but had no money to buy it only smelled cheap (much worse in any aspect than this) dupes and now the original is said to be too far from the vintage to compare this dupe to it. Anyway, I don't want to smell as I'm wearing a high end brand perfume, namely Opium, I just want to smell divine and this fragrance is beautiful in its own right. It doesn't smell any cheaper than many designer fragrances of today's market, however, I find it to be much more pleasant smelling it as a fragrance cloud around myself as smelling it up close on my wrists (but again, this is true for me for many many designer fragrances, too). I like it on its own but will try it for layering, too.

feels like i just been to the most expensive spa of my life. beautiful aldehydes open the door to a new universe of fragrance, where luxury resins, spices and flowers cover the trail. a pick n mix of gorgeous smells, somehow blended masterfully where it feels right. can describe it as clean, but that would probably take away the depth of scent present. fresh, soapy luxury. involves me into a cloud of its own, gorgeous sillage around my body, to the point where i remember of walking on the street smelling like this. this is a lot of things encapsulated in a bottle, and it is good that my personal memories are one. cant compare it to opium 1977, but milton lloyd is def one of the best clone perfume houses, and from what i read pretty consistent in making fragrances based on older formulations. a beautiful bargain.

Opium 100%, warm amber, spices, carnation, fruits and incense - gorgeous! Vintage EDT Opium: opens more bergamot citrusy, there is a plush leather quality to it, almost powdered 2009 EDP Opium: more amber, smokiness and warmth, almost no citrus, less leather. Kantali: more soapy, has the bergamot, has the leather, the florals. Definitely closer to the vintage Opium than the reformulation. However all 3 are gorgeous and honestly without side by side comparison, wouldn't be able to tell much difference.

I own the newer edt and edp of Opium. The vintage Opium original....is...$$$$$$...so I got Kantali for $7 instead,thinking..."how dumb"!!! Received Kantali today and...Hello !!! Opium 1977!!! I will admit, the first spritz is not the way to judge this scent. Let it open on your skin...mix with your chemistry,and if you're lucky,like I was, you will get scent. Kantali has that "something" back in it from 1977 Opium,which is "missing" from the current Opium formulations...IMO.

I prefer this version of Opium to the one that costs much more and barely has any presence . You will be pleasantly surprised! I get several hours of longevity with this when sprayed on my clothing . It has a sophisticated and bohemian vibe like the original Opium. Don’t waste your money on the overpriced version that is not half as spicy as this one . Very pretty perfume and fantastic bargain.

Very good dupe for Opium, I’m comparing it to my 2017 edt Opium It’s not quite as spicy more soapy and powdery. silage is great but longevity is not great but for the price you can spray as often as you like, it is so so cheap. If you like Opium original you won’t be disappointed. I’m looking forward to trying other perfumes from the Milton Lloyd range.

Where is everyone getting opium from?? no where near opium, This has a very synthetic melted plastic overly sweet syrup in the opening and dry down that stays on top. The warmth is there but this doesn't do opium justice as a dupe. I can say it has similar vibes but not even similar to my nose

This is almost like the Opium in my younger days , just a little more soapy , for the price that you can buy Kantali, it will be an amazing good buy if you like the Opium from 30 years ago, be carefull in use it has a great sillage.

It is reminiscent of Opium - and for that reason it's a bit dated. However, if you love Opium but hate the price, then this is worth a try.

This fragrance has similar notes to Opium, I really like it and it's very affordable. If you like Opium you will love this.

A beautiful smoky fragrance, absolute bargain for what it is.