Snake Oil
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab

Review of a 15+ year old bottle that I've owned since new.

Snake Oil is one of those reference scents for indie oil lovers.
A spicy, sweet, cola musk that reads differently over time.

I would pull this out every year or two. Not because I was purposefully aging it (old bottles go for criminal money), but because I wanted to love Snake Oil more than I actually did and was curious to see whether it would age into something I would crave.

For many of the years that I've owned my bottle, it smelled like a literal interpretation of Coke syrup.

Occasionally, I'd get Dr. Pepper or Cherry Coke - depending upon whether I was picking up some of the fruitier notes that day.
It's also strong- only a drop or two would do.

I found that I would grab the bottle, decide I didn't want to smell like I spilled fountain soda syrup on myself after sniffing it, and choose something else. This might explain why my bottle is still practically full ~10 years later.

It dawned on me recently that Snake Oil is a reinterpretation of Youth Dew Body Oil.
The main difference is that BPAL leans more into the Coke Syrup.
Youth Dew Body Oil is a deconstructed Cola with a few extra flowers, a more animalic musk and higher quality ingredients.

Recently, I pulled Snake Oil out again for one last wearing before posting it for sale.
Cherry coke with extra spices on a bed of cherry-almond lotion.
Better, but not enough to keep me from finding my bottle of Snake Oil a better home where it will be loved.

Snake Oil is the best known of all the BPAL oils. Essentially a reworking of the Shalimar theme, it revolves around a spicy vanilla thickened with earthy patchouli, tonka bean, benzoin, dragon’s blood resin, and cinnamon. I would not call it ‘exceedingly sexual’ though: it is a thick, comfy vanilla-tonka affair built for comfort, not speed. But hey, perfume is fifty percent what you bring to the table, so if you are already hell bent on seduction, Snake Oil won’t put a halt in your gallop.

At first glance, it is purely vanilla and patchouli, a bodacious fudgsicle sprinkled with nutmeg or cinnamon. Further along down the path, it takes on a waxen or even doughy almond tonality, making me think of the creamy hay-like properties of tonka bean, or the fresher, floral girlishness of heliotrope.

With a blurred bouquet of musks and resins in the base, the vanilla takes a late turn towards golden powder. Powder trigger warning: if you do not like the oft-cited ‘baby powder’ aspect of Shalimar and Tabu, then the drydown of Snake Oil may cause some PTSD. On the flipside, if you love deep-bosomed, powdery orientals, then Snake Oil is a great way to get it in oil form. This ages well, so buy in a few bottles and let them sit for a year or two to get your return on investment.

One reviewer above comments that "it makes me feel like a dirty child gorging on marshmallows in front of a campfire". I think that's a very fair assessment - and for anyone who has not yet experienced the joy of tossing away the tuxedo, shredding the opera tickets and living in the moment (by which I mean getting smashed around a fire at a music festival with your dearest friends), I heartily recommend trying this scent!

For my personal taste Snake Oil is a little too sweet and not grounded enough, but it's also famous among BPAL fans for developing differently on everyone, and remains the Lab's top selling fragrance. BPAL are not a house of sophistication and urbanity, they are a house of glorious, subversive individuality, and Snake Oil is an icon of that style.

I was very dubious about trying this. But I managed, finally, to get an Imp sized bottle to try. The label that was on the bottle smelt very sweet. I could definitely smell the aroma of Vanilla along with a very old musky smell to it. I also noticed after wearing for a few days that it smells slightly different every time I wear it, which is very intriguing. Depending on what your specifically looking for, it has all the qualities I wanted...something totally out there, that most people don't know about. A mysterious scent that nobody instantly recognises. But try not to put to much on. Though judging by it's current exclusiveness, I have stopped wearing mine for the time being because it's proving to be very hard to get.

This perfume is okay but when I wear it people ask if I have baby powder on. I prefer perfumes that actually smell like perfume. However, I can still see some similarities with Shalimar, and I can understand why it might be mistaken for that fragrance. Personally, I like Shalimar more though.

Snake Oil is a beatifully rich, sweet and musky blend that gets better and better as it ages. It's an addictive scent that has me huffing at my wrists whenever I wear it. It's seductive and commanding - a real 'notice me!' scent. Beautiful.