Opium pour Homme
Yves Saint Laurent (1995)

20 years ago this was my signature scent for a year, and recently got a April 2023 batch bottle on my local perfumery. As i was (wrongly) influenced by some YouTubers saying that the current formulation is a "shadow of his former self", was expecting a disappointment: but for my surprise, and by my taste, the present formulation is amazing: certainly more freshness on the opening, retaining the original "oriental" character and the uniqueness of his combination of sweet warmth and soapiness/cleanness of the scent, as also having a very good performance on me, lasting a all work day. This is actually for my consideration one of the best signature scents available on the market, and certainly one of my current personal ones: unfortunately his production and commercialization seems very limited, only sold on Europe it seems(and who knows, with his days counted: which hope will not be the case...).

Opium PH is nowhere as oriental as its feminine counterpart. The notes I get are blackcurrant, anise, and vanilla. It's a tad spicy, a tad creamy, a tad sweet, a tad powdery. I don't like my fragrances sweet and I don't like them powdery. Opium PH is as far as I'll go on those fronts, and I don't reach for it often. Strangely I find the dry-down quite similar to that of Lagerfeld Photo even though they don't share many notes, and both are cloying in the heat.

This 90s bottle projects decently. Longevity is good.

Masculinity Level: Robert Pattinson in Cosmopolis.

Opium Pour Homme opens with blackcurrant and anise notes and there is some sweetness from the vanilla but the cedar keeps it anchored and more masculine. The fragrance dries down to a powdery floral and vanilla scent with the fruitiness of the blackcurrant still in the background. This fragrance is a strong performer, it projects very well leaving a good sillage trail so this is not one to overspray. It lasts all day on my skin. Opium Pour Homme by Yves Saint Laurent smells sexy and slightly old school. This is a strong, bold fragrance that would be suitable for more dressed up occasions. I think it would work for formal occasions as well as a date night. The opening is the best part for me, that blackcurrant and anise blend well and create a nice sexy, sort of oriental accord. It's a very nice fragrance by YSL and I hope that they keep it around. 4.5/5.

A gorgeous black currant heavy fragrance. Has a lot of spices, and a barbershop feel. Pretty unique, and a bit dated, but a classic at this point. Very heavy men's fragrance, so be careful on the trigger. One of the last survivors of the old school YSL men's line up, I'd say to give this a try before it gets discontinued.

I really like this. Spicy oriental notes, really noticeable pepper. Letdown by poor longevity at least on my skin, I tried this years version and I'm pretty sure it was incredibly potent in the past, perhaps reformulation. Also overpriced for what it is.

Starts off vanilla sweet and spicy on top and with some powdery mature notes to round it out. Reminds me of a slightly less fresh and clean Old Spice body wash scent. The drydown is still sweet and you still get the powdery anise but some of the spice is gone. Feels smoother than the opening. Still mature but not as much as the opening. Starts to remind me of Lolita Lempicka au Masculine in the drydown.

Good projection and longevity. Lasts about 6-7 hours with just a few sprays.