Opium Secret de Parfum

From time to time, a friend, also a perfume lover, sends me some perfume decants from his collection and I recently received one of this flanker from Opium, released in 1992. Opium Secret de Parfum has the signature of the original Opium, but in a soft, smooth, rounded way... the spicy notes of the original have been softened, giving more space for balsamic tones, of benzoin and vanilla, and resinous, of myrrh and opoponax, which are harmonized with spicy bitterness marigold, together with the woody of the patchouli. All of this makes the perfume not only incredibly comfortable, but also long-lasting. The resinous bitterness prevents it from turning into gourmand or just a cloying candy. Its aroma is very pleasant, relaxing and meditative. It warmly surrounds you with its balsamic, amber base. Some fresher and more floral notes are not overlooked, such as orange drops and a lighter touch of bergamot, giving room even for a light florality coming from jasmine and rose. In Eau de Parfum concentration, its scent is intense, with great sillage, yet mild. A deeply balsamic myrrh adorned by the marigold. Mature, elegant and attractive. This is the most beautiful version of Opium I know. A scent of noble resins that slowly leave the skin... a narcotic delight that I just can't stop wanting to feel. Opium Secret de Parfum is about that. About keeping this secret, which some rare fragrances have... presence, but gentle... subtlety, but remarkable. Perfumes are no longer made like in the past.

Oh soooooo nice!!! I have a very small vial that came in a vintage gift with purchase set from Saks that also came with Opium EDT, some lotion, and shower gel. This smells the most like the Opium I remember from the early 80s, when I was a senior in high school and would spray with abandon even in the midst of a summer heatwave!! I need to seek out a larger bottle. I love the resinous quality, and while I do not want to make light about the reality of narcotic addiction, if I close my eyes, I can easily conjure up a fantasy image of some decadent, silken, pillowy opium den. It is that good. If that imagery turns you off, give it a try anyway if you get a chance. Just because I'm debauched doesn't mean everyone is! ;) PS - have the vintage EDT on one hand and Secret on another. Secret is much softer, and less challenging than the EDT. Both will forever be a part of my collection. It's becoming more difficult for me to purchase the fragrances of today with their stripped down, smell alike, poor longevity inferiority when there are so many glorious vintage perfumes available. Not all the new ones, not niche as much, but in general. You can have your Black Opium and it's flankers and enjoy them, because it's all subjective anyway. But to me, THIS is a perfection.

If you're hankering after Fate Woman, this is extremely close, and while they're both discontinued, this one can be found for under 100 euros whereas people are trying to sell Fate for five or six times more these days. This is missing the chili note, and smells more vintage but I guarantee if you love one you'll love the other, and the dry down is virtually indistinguishable for me. I have the EDP in the tall flacon btw. Update: This is one of those rare perfumes that keeps getting stronger as it dries down. I've had it on for a couple of hours now and while it seemed ethereal and delicate at first, now it's absolutely BELTING out all over the place. The marigold and myrhh are the strongest notes for me in the drydown. Of course being Fragrantica, the notes are wrong. There is also very prominent clove, getting more and more pronounced as it wears on. This is where is diverges again from Fate Woman, as I don't get even a hint of cinnamon here.

OMG! Ths is absolutely massive! Yet it's still a little more reserved and feels less raw and sexy (for want of a better word) than the original Opium which is an immense, classic perfume. This is much more of that kind of hardcore chypre with apricot powder and a carnation sort of feel to me. However running quite prominantly unerneath it's a huge amber accord and I can get that myrhh/opoponax could be driving the whole thing. That unpretty 'wild flower' effect of Opium comes through too, the marigold accord perhaps? I mean I doubt you'd even be visiting this Fragrantica page unless you're a hardcore perfumista and if you find a well kept sample or bottle of this I almost guarantee that Opium Secret will deliver a proper perfume experience and something you will somewhat be expecting. You'll love it basically. I know I do.

This actually was released in 1993, not 2003. It was (and is) Opium Eau de Parfum, in a 'peek-a-boo' sort of container. Somewhat softer and more tender than the eau de toilette of the time, but otherwise very similar. Excellent longevity and sillage, as all vintage versions of Opium had. If you come across it today for a reasonable price and you love vintage Opium, grab it. There is utterly zero chance of getting a reformulated version as it was only out for a couple of years, and it's all wonderful. Puts the modern L'Oreal garbage versions to shame.

Une collègue vient d'en retrouver un presque complet dans son dressing. C'est un bonheur de la croiser le matin, malgré le masque. Quel dommage que L'Oréal/YSL ne mise plus sur Opium. Les anciennes lignes de bain YSL étaient fantastiques. Mais on préfère éduquer la clientèle à toujours plus de sucreries et de nouveautés.

Masterpiece. To me, this is the olfactory equivalent of some of the most impressive pieces of classical music. If I were a member of royalty (the kinds of which still exist to this day), I would not wear anything else, I wouldn't look anywhere else. Yes, it's that good.

In comparison to classic Opium, Secret Is a more reserved smoother interpretation, with the aldehydes dialed down and a creamier dry down. If you love vintage Opium, you'll love Secret. USA: Sample it at Vintage Decants

Very pleasant like an expensive whisky and remind me to Le Baisur du Dragon. But one bad thing, this beautiful scent is not for everyone, and I am the one of them. Sadly I cannot stand for a whole day wearing it.

Oh this is so fun and bizarre! I love the original Opium, but to add a dab of this to the inside of my elbows or behind my ears seems to intensify the scent! This is PERFECT to make Opium more of a night scent.

Amongst the interplay of notes in the Opium, jasmine in this one takes one step forward. The play (composition) is still the same, "coreography" slightly different. Adorable.

Is it sacrilege to say I might like this more than original Opium? Still fills a room like her big sister, she is just as refined but softer and sweeter.

The best of the Opium group. Still has the signature Opium scent of the original but in a milder, softer form.

The most beautiful version of Opium with sweet balmy myrrh and marigold. Soft, round, tender. Extasy

This is not the kind of scent I usually wear but I still wanted to try it - also to compare with Fleur Imperiale and Orchidée de Chine, after stumbling upon a couple of 5ml decants and a whole bottle of FI... Well you know the drill. :D Thought I was buying the "ordinary" Opium but just realized I got myself the 50ml bottle of Opium Secret de Parfum, which actually made my day. What a beauty! It's an adventure to try something so far outside ones comfort zone - I can barely stand this heavy, overwhelming scent. My nose hurts and I can feel migraines being triggered. But it's a classic so I wanted to try it... and I can actually sense notes that I could enjoy, in smaller doses. The notes stated here by Fragrantica sounds yummy to me but I can honestly just recognize one of them, I'm too overwhelmed. Cinnamon on steroids is all I get, which is fine since I like cinnamon a lot. But there is also something that goes sour on me, could that be the opoponax? Will scrub now and let my olfactory system get some rest before the big tryout but I think I'll have to wait a few days. And it wouldn't surprise me if I'll enjoy this scent in its post scrub version... But still not enough to keep any of these vials and bottles afterwards so PM me if you're interested in swapping. My 50ml bottle of Secrets de Parfum contains 1/3 of juice. Would have loved comparing this to Cinnabar and while writing this I realize how much I miss KL. Sorry for odd rant but Opium is obviously intoxicating. EDIT: After a proper scrub and three hours later I'm totally loving it and can't stop sniffing my arm! :D

This is a creamy-spicy scent. It is more or less the same as the original Opium EDT. However, with this the creamy quality is amped up, while the original prioritizes spiciness. The projection and longevity are strong, despite being intended as a less 'loud' alternative to the EDT. Right before I bought this, I got a hold of Charlie Oriental. This may be blasphemous, but I think the Charlie knock-off and this version of Opium smell identical.

je ne serais peut être pas objective car parfum lié à un souvenir positif. tenue impeccable et sillage au top. oriental pour femme à partir de 50 ans, fait mixte je trouve. parfum inoubliable, racé et qui ne passe pas inaperçu, si votre ami vous trompe avec une femme qui perte ce parfum vous le détecterez sur sa peau et ses vêtements

I definitely get the "cinnabar" vibe here. It's sweet, very balmy. Resinous. Incredibly intriguing to smell and wear. A lovely fragrance. Perfect on anyone "grown-up". Plus it's Yves Saint-Laurent, and a well worthy variation on the "Opium" name. Definitely recommended. Classy, mature and elegant.

I was there with 2 clients out for lunch.a man and woman,both middle age,polite and gentle. from the first minute of lunch I remembered my mum.I thought there must be something about her that I don't remember. when the champagne was finished suddenly I asked the lady:"excuse me,what perfume are you wearing?"she answered:"opium secret de parfum" I could'nt not to say:"oh!my mum always used opium!" and I got the point of remembering mum! it was the same as legendary opium,just a bit softer,not as sharp as the previous one,less complicated. from the time I smelled it on the client I've decided to go,see if I can find one for myself.actually I'm not amator of YSL,because of heavy perfums but I'm in the age that I'm going to be like my mother.she passed away 2 years ago.

When I was young, I nearly broke my mom's perfume collection, which is Opium Secret de Parfum. This starts my first memory to oriental smells. Really could not forget this intensive and dizzling smell with the mix of patchouli and myrhh. I started getting involved in oriental perfume when I am getting mature. People either hate or fascinte and obsess on it. A decade late, this Opium Secret de Parfum is still existing at my mom's closet and it does smell like before. Bravo!

Tracked down a bottle for a very reasonable price. And yes - what a beauty! All the positive reviews below really ring true. Definitely a smoother, rounded version of the vintage EDT. BUT, not enough to either go crazy or get yourself in debt trying to find a bottle, honestly. If you have a lovely early EDT already, then you are set. They are so close to each other they could be siblings. Oh wait - they are. :)

@Tshahb Opium Secret de Parfum under 100 euro? This is a joke,.isn t it? This jewel -more denser, more complex than Fate Woman but close as smell, indeed - cannot be found under 250 eur for 50 ml. Stop living in a fantasy world...🙋🏻♂️

The best version of opium, you can buy every single bottle of niches fragrances that come in a year and ending up like those YouTubers with 1000 bottles/ you won't find something so special. Meditative and kind.

@ranya- this absolutely can be found for under $100 on ebay. I see them pop up all the time. I paid $50 for my full bottle on facebook marketplace.

A lady sold me her full bottle of this for 25 bucks. I'm so freaking stoked! It's amazing!

always get compliments, when I wear Opium