Number One Intense

A classically elegant floral chypre. It's very stylish and plush. The opening green bitterness of galbanum contrasted against the aromatic marigolds is such an unexpected, though not unpleasant, juxtaposition that is almost a shock on first spray, but as it wears on and calms down, works beautifully in keeping this fragrance from veering too sweet. The florals are so creamy, like the finest triple milled soap, and have this dreamy luminous haze to them as if you are looking at them through the diffusion of a filtered lens. As another reviewer pointed out, there is oakmoss in the base, which adds a lovely soft and earthy mossiness, and I think, along with the musk and sandalwood, is adding that soft effect to the floral notes. If I were to visualize this fragrance it would be a contrast of light and dark, like that of the dappled light against the darkness of a Monet painting; or sunlight glittering off dark water; or glittering jewels against black velvet. My mind goes to associations like these when wearing this perfume. It really is quite stunning. I don't get the similarities to Boucheron as some have compared it to in the 'this perfume reminds me' section aside from a few shared notes. I adore Boucheron but compared to this it has a sweet, almost syrupy quality, like florals dripping with amber. This is much dryer, and softer, with the amber much less pronounced. I'd classify Boucheron as an amber floral, and this as a true floral chypre. And while this opens big, within an hour it has gone down considerably to a more discrete level, whereas Boucheron has a larger presence throughout much of the wear. I'm actually surprised by that. Reading the reviews, I thought this would be a big, room filling floral, but it is not. Within a few hours it was almost a skin scent on me. I am wondering if this has been reformulated due to the recent batch of IFRA regulations. If so, that might account for the less-than-optimal performance, though that still wouldn't deter me from repurchasing the biggest bottle of this in the future after this one ounce is done. Though this fragrance does have a classic appeal it is definitely modern and more aligned with contemporary tastes, though I'm sure it would have been appreciated and right at home in the past. And while only the first perfume I've tried from this house I'm sure it won't be the last. It's clear that Patricia de Nicolai is not just a rightly deserved award-winning master perfumer, but an artist of considerable caliber too, as this work of art demonstrates. This is an absolute gem of a perfume.

I love tuberose, I like 'vintage smelling perfumes' and equally enjoy galbanum and all three are present and perfect to describe Number One Intense but but but ... what some of the negative reviews say down below are not totally wrong. This perfume may just require you getting acquainted with it gradually. This could be tricky if not Jicky. So for now it's opening is loaded with orange blossom and tuberose. After 5 mins it became really really green. It's hefty and the galbanum tuberose notes can be jarring. My first impression is surprisingly not what I was contemplating and expecting. 27/9/2025 After a month this has become one of my favs from this House and a solid reference point on Galbanum. The turning point came when I bought Le Sillage Blanc and both fragrances are just awesome in terms of ingredients, sillage, versatility. I was not wrong as Number One Intense does take a little bit of knowing.

Galbanum star-burst with marigold and blackcurrant sparks shooting into my olfactory space. I'm a galbanum junky and could spray this stuff over and over and over again for that amazing firework-show (and did, six times), but what comes afterwards is really just as good. An almost edible blackcurrant with sticky ylang-ylang, orange blossom and a very civilised tuberose so harmonious as to be practically newlyweds. This is luminous and lovely. It's one of the few fragrances I have worn all day and night without any kind of restless desire to be ranging through my perfumery treasure house. The sandalwood in dry-down provides hours of pleasure, balancing those narcotic florals in masterful Nicolai style. Distillation: galbanum star-burst marigold and blackcurrant a sublime fusion

Smooth creamy tuberose, ylang ylang, and hints of jasmine. Very floral, elegant, hints of sweetness. Very natural and high quality...reminds me of tuberose essential oils. Feminine, so not something I'd wear, but I'm enjoying it on a quiet Saturday night in with a movie. If I was a woman, I would consider this...reminds me of L'Occitane's conditioner. Scent: 8 / Sillage: 7 / Longevity: 7

This is a big girl scent and I am here for it. Whoever suggested this is similar to Boucheron was spot on. I pegged this as a 'winter' scent, not because it has anything to do with church, spices or heaviness but because it is a 'warm sweater on a chilly day' type of fragrance. I just love how this all comes together in the most feminine way. i've put it on my 'want' list.

Usually perfumes with prominent tuberose notes are classified as white florals, but Number One feels very much to me like a tuberose chypre. It's balanced quite differently than anything I've ever tried before, green all the way through and mossy-woody enough to balance the huge, rich floral notes. A beautiful, unusual perfume.

This is a deluxe tuberose fragrance with a bit of old fashioned thrown in. It is an elegant floral with hints of amber and sandalwood emerging toward the end. If you love tuberose, this one is a winner.

Nicolaï's perfumes are consistently excellent, in keeping with Patricia de Nicolaï's stellar reputation as a perfumer. I was very keen to try this scent, as it consists of a lush white floral accord, one of my favourite scent profiles. Unsurprisingly, Number One Intense is a beautiful example of the genre - it can be summed up as a white floral bouquet, smooth, sweet and fruit-tinged - heady up top but becoming softer as it develops. I haven't had the opportunity to try the non-intense version that seems to be now-discontinued, but this is undeniably intense initially. NOI opens with a bold tuberose note, sweet, lush and slightly waxy. There is a fruitiness to the opening, with peachy orange blossom melding nicely with the tuberose. A nice cordial-like blackcurrant note follows, adding freshness. The galbanum adds a nice green undertone, complementing the florals. Ylang ylang follows closely, its tropical sweetness and creamy texture marrying seamlessly with the floral accord. Clean jasmine rounds it out, rendering it more powdery as it progresses. As it develops, I get the spicy marigold note, its herbal greenness adding interest to the smooth, sweet white florals. It surprisingly becomes more vegetal, with the woody base notes becoming quite prominent, a nice counterpoint to the sweetness. The intensity of the florals mellow after a while, and clean musk creeps in, blurring the edges. Alongside the soft sandalwood, it brings to mind fancy soap at the drydown stage. Overall, sillage and longevity are moderate, particularly after the bold opening subsides. It is a feminine scent in my opinion, and is transeasonal. An elegant, high-quality white floral scent, NOI is nicely-balanced, its more mellow second act making for a more wearable scent overall. Personally, I would prefer a more sustained intensity and/or a more mossy, prominent chypre base, but NOI is a ladylike beauty. 4/5.

My perfumes have to revolve around white flowers and so I am trying nine samples . Like a lot of reviewers have mentioned , what you think you would like with regards to notes aren’t always the case when you smell it and spray it on your skin. Number One Intense by Nicolai brought me back to my childhood when the scent Charlie was popular . Wow ! What a throw back in time and I believe there are a lot of similarities between the two . However , I was never a fan of Charlie as scent beast! Number One is a beautiful scent but boy does it standout in longevity and silage . Tried it in my wrists before going to bed then washed it off and woke up to the scent still being evident. So wanted to like this based on a lot of reviews but it smells too vintage and the musk gives off powdery notes on my skin . Too grandmashish . I’m already in my 50s so don’t anymore generalisation.

It would appear that I am very fond of white florals. If I hadn't come across 24 Fauberg by Hermes first, I would probably have committed to a fb of Number 1 Intense. Springtime in a bottle. While there maybe other things going on beside the white flowers, I choose to ignore them. I concur with review from Estherica, very much a vintage feeling. This frag would have been quite at home on the set of the original film "The Women". Fragrances like this make me wish we still wore hats on a regular basis. As I sit here typing, with With this fragrance on my wrists, I think this may end up on my want list. After trying a few more times, unless something more wonderful crosses my path, this will be one of my next acquisitions. It is everything I require from a frag. Floral but with some body, not linear.

"Hit me again Ike, and put some stank on it!" - Jim Carrey, Liar Liar. This stuff walloped me right from the getgo. Extremely potent floral with tuberose, jasmine, ylang, marigold, galbanum and black currant. Smells great once it calms down and it's an excellent value if you love these florals. Black Currants can be hit or miss as the natural variety tend to be urinous and animalic but here they're kept in check. I'd say they were using an aroma chemical for the currant but it's multi-dimensional, and I don't know if that's possible to catch the leaves and fruit with a chemical. Perhaps it's an accord or just great perfumery. A great perfumer can bend the notes to their will. In any case, it's great perfumery and super potent. ---------------------------------- Scent 7/10 Performance 9/10

Oh boy. Wild times. This one opens so ferociously, I actually coughed. I'm starting to notice that when Nicolaï uses "intense," she, uh, means it. And more power to her. It just makes this one hard to enjoy for the first 20 minutes. And even though I was prepared to give this a "dislike," I knew better than to judge it based on the opening. So now, a couple hours later, I'm here. I have to say, I really enjoy this, somehow, ha. After it settles down, it ends up being a vegetal spiced scent on my skin. It's beautiful. But there's absolutely no way I'd weather the storm again, even with a dry down this enchanting. Just too much waiting (and coughing, ha). But the final fragrance is definitely gorgeous.

Pollinic floral opening, primarily creamy tuberose plus some jasmine, with a green touch and a light sweetness that permeates the composition. Linear scent. Soft initial projection strengthens through the first hour before fading over 2-3hr and settling into an intimate scent bubble for 4-5hr, longevity 8-10hr.

Cette fragrance ensoleillée, douce, riche en fleurs suaves et absolument exquises laissent étourdi. La tubéreuse odorante et subtilement blanche, ensorcèle par sa beauté. La rose d’Inde embaumée, le jasmin frais et la fleur d’ylang-ylang exotique laissent un long sillage lumineux, tout en envahissant la pièce.

Classic, vintage style, white floral with tuberose and jasmin over a woody amber base. Very French, typical for this house. A bit less complex than Boucheron and therefore a bit more modern, still I prefer Boucheron as it is in fact a bit less floral and more ambery-animalic. Good quality sandalwood.

Strong. Starts very sharp, green, slight bitterness. Intense floral. Kinda reminds me of Estée Lauder’s eau de Private Collection. This would be beautiful, but my skin intensifies herbal, plant aromas. Smells like 1980s perfume, which is not a bad thing at all. It’s classy, not dated.

العطر كلاسيكي بحت واضح فيه نوتات الياسمين و المسك و بالبداية ريحة حمضيات فجأة تقلب للياسمين و بودرة للناس اللي تحب العطور الباودريه القوية، بالنسبه لي اعتبره عادي م رح ارجع اشتريه ريحته عباره عن بودره مع ياسمين و نظافة بس ريحة الباودر احسها طاغية .

A fresh bouquet of flowers, for floral lovers. I can smell tuberose, flowers, and sandalwood. Vintage. 6/10, I am not a huge fan of Tuberose In this brand for winter/fall/spring, I prefer musc intense > number one intense.

Vintage , powdery touch with enormous projection and longevity . Beautiful , soapy florals, not light or soft on my skin. Too hard hitting for me and could be borderline offensive if you aren’t into white florals.

Lust in the best possible way. The darkest white floral I've ever come across. Beautifully blended, great staying power, no synthetic smell. OK, quality lust!!

When I first sprayed this, I thought I was smelling Estee Lauder's Beautiful. Very similar. I have never been a fan, but I have come to appreciate it w/ age but will never buy it. I own Beautiful Absolu instead which I enjoy more. The reason, because it isn't as dense and compact as the original Beautiful and how I find Number One Intense to be. This is quite sharp and bitter for me in the opening and now I see it has galbanum a note I often struggle with. This just isn't the type of tuberose I enjoy. My taste run more towards a sweeter bubble gum tuberose or buttery and very animalic one. I'm just not a fan of these greener tuberoses. If you are looking for a softer version of this (and at a better price point) try Beautiful Absolu. I find that is less green and quite a bit creamier w/ a softer presentation. This is a bit too loud w/ the green notes for me. i also find this type of tuberose to be to "dry" and arid as well. Like flowers that have been grown in a drought if that makes sense. After sampling this and you really love it give Estee Lauder's Beautiful a try before you buy a full bottle. What could it hurt? Beautiful is so inexpensive now. If you think I'm wrong, I'm wrong. This hobby is so subjective, but I would do myself a favor and be open to the possibility of saving a bit of coin.

This is P-E-R-F-U-M-E (cough cough choke cough). You know when you read a review and the writer says "Grandma.... closet... grandma's closet..."? This is one of those perfumes. It's not niche; I'm not even sure it's nice. Tuberose? More like lead-pipe-erose. I've tried to make it work for me by layering-on an oud...which works...if I'm in the mood to smell like a Middle Eastern grandma's closet. Don't knock it 'til you've try it. Definitely not for the faint of heart. Number One Intense is...I-N-T-E-N-S-E.

Everything about this perfume implies to me 'upper class middle aged woman in a department store.' Extremely powdery, extremely potent (almost headache inducing), but smells of a different generation - like Shalimar, a vintage perfume that belongs to another time. I can't imagine wearing this on myself for at least the next 20 or so odd years.

Number One by Nicolai embodies a bold, luxurious style. It conveys wealth, power, and confidence with its heavy floral, ambery, and powdery notes. Ideal for making a statement, this fragrance is like wearing a blazer with padded shoulders.

Whoa, I hate my 100th review to be a negative one but I am afraid I can't spray this more than once on myself... Incredibly off-putting scent for me. It reminds me of some clothes which were abandoned in the wardrobe, invaded by moth and then sprayed with a bug repellent. A very heavy scent (I assume it's a weird mixture of galbanum and white flowers which makes it so tough for me) and for some reason feels like something my older female school teachers would wear. I agree with @Kadyx on that, Number One Intense is indeed vintage and not suitable for young women.

Hmmm... now that's seductive! Ylang ylang, honey, amber, angelica, oakmoss, galbanum, & mild black current combination are making superb charm within a complex scene! This is an exotic blend of fascination, as i can sense 80s vintage powerhouse, and a modern twist of tropical orient. I never thought that such blend hides behind this lousy name! if it wasn't for the pyramid in their website, i wouldn't have thought of sampling it. I can't denied that names really captures my attention specially when it's quite imaginative, expressive, or fantasia (not Disney fantasy fairy tale of course), while the bottles beauty is another issue, but i won't mind if the liquid inside a lousy bottle is superb. Eventually, this fragrances has an amazing impact, since it has some vibes from "La nuit" by Paco Rabanne. Edit (6th Nov 2017) The balance of the ylang is just perfect since it is quite a difficult note if you blend it wrongly. In here, the ylang is presented in a vintage frame, quite exotic, far east Asian, and semi woody. Perfectly made.

Once again Fragrantica's note list doesn't line up with that of Nicolai. Nicolai includes cassie absolute at the top and oakmoss in the base, while making no mention of black currant or marigold. But perhaps the listed notes don't matter that much because when I blind-smelled Number One Intense, the opening started out momentarily as a rich floral, almost vanillic, difficult to define (cassie?), but soon changed to an equally rich ylang-ylang. More specifically, it smelled like banana candy (so probably ylang-ylang extra). This was a wonderfully delicious few moments. My nose felt like it had just bitten into juicy-fruit gum. So then, smell-taste synesthesia? After a few minutes, the ylang-ylang let the other listed white florals (jasmine, tubereuse, orange) share the spotlight. And of course, this is indeed what Number One Intense primarily is: a rather sumptuous, yet cool, white floral. Any notes such as galbanum and currant, if present, only serve to provide a green backdrop for the glowing white (and yellow) blossoms.

Smelling this on a blotter without knowing its name in advance, the opening seems to revolve around Ylang Ylang and galbanum - very bold and more of a yellow floral than a white floral. As it dries down the galbanum gives way to a more powdery aspect, harkening back to classic feminine florals like Anais Anais. The femininity is not to be mistaken for submissiveness, though, as this is quite imposing and uncompromising, probably due to the presence of some sharp indols (clean ones, thank God). There's also a nice soapiness that emerges as the perfume dries down. Overall a pleasant scent but I wouldn't feel turned on if my wife wears it.

Fragrantica misses the Oakmoss in the Basenotes. And there's a heavy dose of oakmoss in it! I wonder if P.Nicolai managed to work around IFRA restrictions. On the package oakmoss is also listed as ingredient. The perfume has a really lovely drydown of oakmoss and sandalwood. It lasts very long, even after a shower I could smell it. In the heart is the tuberose for me the dominant note, a bit too much for my taste. All in all, I'd say this is a classical welldone perfume that gives me a bit of vintage feeling. It also let's me think of movies from the 40ies. I picture a glamourous Rita Hayworth smoking a cigarette and having a drink.

Starts with a very aromatic and green scent. The white flower bouquet. Particularly the tuberose is more dominant than the other floral notes. The original Number One was created in 1989 as the brand's first fragrance, if I’m not mistaken. I’m not sure when Number One Intense was released, but it’s quite a classic fragrance that reminds me of the iconic scents of the 1980s, with a tuberose focus similar to Giorgio Beverely Hills. A feminine fragrance. 7/10

Elegant, elegant, elegant. Clean, dry galbanum. Restrained tuberose. Crisp and creamy but not powdery. Soap that costs more than you imagine soap could possibly cost. Number One Intense is the exact opposite of wearing Lululemon and Golden Gooses and slurping giant iced lattes in a Range Rover. It's a kind of rich lady I'm not even sure exists anymore. It reminds me of classic aldehydic perfumes but somehow much prettier, younger, more approachable.

I wish I got what everyone else was getting. The galbanum was so strong at the beginning it was overpowering and I instantly became nauseous. It wasn’t until after an hour that it calmed down some, but too late because it also gave me a headache. Someone mentioned there must be oak moss in it too so maybe it was that combo. Regardless, that first blast must have singed my nose hairs because all I could smell was galbanum the entire time.

Very high pitched galbanum and tuberose scent. Tagetes add a slightly bitter tone. Very soapy, intense, loud green tuberose. It feels very vintage with huge hair and paddled shoulders. I think my mother had something like this when I was a child. Pleasant for the memories it brings but I don't think I can wear this scent.

At first smell this reminded me of Francesca bianchi, very powdery and sticks to the skin. But none of the animalic scent that’s typical of FB. This one is safe and muted. Not my fav but no complaints here

I adored the original Number One and wore it for a long time. I'd love to know how No. One Intense compares to the original.

Beautiful White Floral. Full of Tuberose and Jasmine . I get a lovely Amber in the dry down. Great longevity & silage .