Opium Eau de Parfum 2009 Yves Saint Laurent for women

it's just... THE perfume. the best, the everything yves saint laurent brand stood for in the heydays of his career. would sell a kidney for a bottle of the original.

I chose the "neutral" smiley but in reality, I have a hard time defining what I feel when I smell Opium. I really hated it before. Then by smelling it regularly, I started to appreciate it.

The steps are :
* At first spray, I hate it; It smells like “old perfume”.
* After a few moments, on my skin, a laundry and clean smell appears and I still don't like it (to buy a perfume to smell like laundry, no thanks!)
*After about an hour it starts to smell spicy and appealing to me, but at the same time a reminiscence of stages one and two remains.

All these steps are mainly on my skin. On my clothes, this spicy side sets in a little faster. It was also thanks to the smell on fabric that I realized that the smell wasn't as awful as I thought.

When the evolution is over, Opium smells mainly of myrrh and opoponax, an oriental and mysterious smell of resins which is very pleasant to me, but which also mixes with a slightly spicy soap smell. I really like the balsamic and spicy effect, less the “old soap” effect.

My feeling is very ambiguous, it's clean and "dark/dirty" at the same time and the most surprising thing is that it's this "opium den" side - or at least what I imagine of it - which attracts me the most.

In the end, I like it.

Well, I think so.

It's quite shocking, smelling Opium when it's Black Opium that you've tried first. They have nothing at all in common; if BO is a house cat, Opium is a lioness. She's challenging. There's nothing soft or sweet in her dark, resinous, citrusy opening - funnily enough, much darker than her "Black" counterpart - just unrelenting intensity. It's sexy. Not flirtatiously so, but in a "come on over, I dare you" sort of way. I like her style.

Nothing special (about new release). Smells like cola cola as mentioned earlier. Longevity is poor. Disappointment.

Received a vintage mini today and boy I understand now why people comparing it with Estée Lauder Youth Dew!

I was introduced to vintage YD first because it was more affordable and easier to find and I fell in love after 15 mins, post opening stage. This vintage opium is really close to that scent.

Heavenly is all I can say❤️🤤

This is my father’s signature scent, therefor i have always found it unisex. Its very dark and warm i dont really recommend it for women.

I adore my vintage bottle from early 1980s.

I have a current formulation as well. It’s like the airhead fraternal twin to the deep, artistic, beautiful sister.

Layer this current formulation with Kayali Vanilla 28 - it brings it far closer to the original. Sounds strange, I know - but try it.

After I tried this one on a piece of paper, now I also tried it on my wrist. But no, what a disappointment compared to my vintage mini. It looks like the ash smoke has been smeared on your skin on top of the scent. Very flat, while the vintage is much deeper, rounder and richer and envelops you in mystique. I thought this eau de parfum would come close after looking at several reviews. But alas, he is going to be removed from my wish list and preferably also from my wrist as soon as possible. Anyway, I'll see if I can find some vintage versions.

The 2009 version and even the versions before it are not the same as the original. The latest versions are very nice for what they are, but the name should have been changed. The original was never sustainable.

If you love that Opium-esque smell, I recommend trying E. L Youth Dew, even todays formulation. IMO, it is a richer, denser, longer-lasting perfume than the 2009 Opium. Both perfumes are formulated around the Mellis accord template. Thus, they are very similar, along with Tabu and Cinnabar. However, some may feel Youth Dew is too potent to wear.

Both men and women can wear any of these.

The new version EDP is very similar to the original. Enormous silage. I live in a big apartment and I spray a bottler card hours ago.I left the card by the entrance and I’m having dinner in my dinning room. The scent is literally in the air. Better than many wanna be niche scents. Definitely a treasure. Very feminine.

I had kids, so I stopped commenting and reviewing on here for about 10 years or so. Having a job and kids doesn't leave much time for hobbies as intense as perfume, well I find good perfumes intense anyway. This EdP is great, I have the "vintage" and several of the newer ones. Let the newer one sit for 5 or 6 years and unless you have a Nez, you can't tell the difference for general wear. Both are beautiful, timeless. Yes, it may be hard for some to understand or appreciate but all good perfume is. But more importantly, if you like it wear it. The ones who don't understand it are just limited. I mean, I can't stand Delina but I understand its appeal.

The original Opium smells the best my Mom says, she bought a bottle just so. Black Opium isn't nearly as good. This is not a perfume for me, but its one of my Mom's favorites so I always associate this with her.

A client of mine wore this fragrance, and while it's undeniably unique, it personally didn't sit well with me. Its scent is rather odd. Additionally, it gives off a vibe more suitable for an older demographic.

I was a total rascal as a kid. I sneaked into people's bedrooms and tried their perfumes, and one day I just smashed one of them on the rug. Thankfully, the owner of the bottle was the closest friend of my mother so she didn't kill me, but let me tell you, that bottle was full of Opium (and it was the early 90s so it was in a beast mode) and everytime we visited her after that "incident" for two freaking years I associated the perfume with the stories she told about the countries she visited -she loved Lebanon, I smelled jasmine and myrrh, she stayed in Sri Lanka for 3 months, I smelled patchouli and amber. The air filled with Opium is like a passport full of stamps for me.

Unfortunately, the stores in my country don't carry this anymore, they only carry Opium's spoiled TikTok influencer sister Black Opium. I'm tired of hunting Opium down in every duty free store in every airport I've ever been for the last 2 years, still no chance... but I still love her.

I don't know how the original Opium from the 70's smelled like, but if today's version is considered a watered-down reformulation, the OG must have been a beast. It probably "killed" everybody in a room with 1 spray.
As watered-down as it was the one I sprayed on paper 3 days ago, it's still there and very strongly.
Other reviewers described the frag very well, and I concurr that it is dark, heavy, woody and spicy.
Not a blind buy and not for the faint at heart. Men can wear this easily.
Personally, I wouldn't buy it but I don't mind the Black Opium version.

Opium is YSL's signature scent and hearkens back to the late 1970's and the disco era, making it a classic of the perfume world. Too bad it doesn't exactly smell classic, though.

This perfume opens with a touch of citrus, but it dissappears very quickly (within like 10 to 15 minutes) and gives way to all of the other notes all at once, barring the lily of the valley and the jasmine in this unfortunately. I smell far more of the spicy and resinous myrrh, opoponax amd amber than anything, making me feel quite mature and dare I say old while wearing it. It doesn't smell young or fresh at all, but rather antiquated.

I then smell lots of dark, sweet and earthy patchouli and sweet and smooth vanilla in the dry down. The dry down is probably my favorite part of this fragrance and probably the only stage of this olfactory journey that doesn't make me feel ill or overwhelmed at all, but that's not saying much really.

I got about 14 hours of wear from this and its sillage was absolutely enormous, making it something you'd definitely not wear to work and only wear at night in either fall or winter. I'd say Opium by YSL isn't feminine at all either and only something that would suit a man in my opinion.

Altogether I'd give Opium by Yves Saint Laurent a rather dreadful 2/10, mainly because the opening isn't too bad at first and the dry down is lovely. There aren't many redeeming qualities for this perfume in my opinion.

People have rated this as Weak????? JEEZE LOUIZE, this is a Power House of Scent!!!! Very few scents hold up to Winter Molecules but this is AMAZING INDEED. The very best in Winter Scents besides Angel by TM. I paid $100 for this bottle and thought it was well worth what I paid. This will last me all Winter long.
Very nice Dark Scent, so Woodsy and Warm.
You either Hate It or Love It.

Opium was to the 70s what Poison was to the 80s... Promiscuous. Dangerous. Decadent. Hedonistic. More than a little vulgar... I wore (too much of) it at 18, when more than anything else I wanted each of those promising descriptors to be about me... Now with a few more years of practice and a much deeper understanding of sexuality and sensuality than I could have comprehend at that tender age, I feel that I'm a little more deserving of its lustful anointment... It pairs best with brown skin, dark hair, and a lenient moral compass-- but as I am reminded, it makes my favorite statement in crumpled morning-after sheets. 🖤

No perfume makes me smile the way Opium does. Such balsamic, ambery, powdery, spicy goodness. What a masterpiece of bold, yet inviting accords. I think this is one fragrance you're just going to have to get a sample of and try for yourself. You'll either smell what I do or say incense at your pulse points is not your thing.

Christopher Dark's Open is chloser to original Opium than this 2009 reformulation, such a good dupe. Thank me later. ☺️👍

The EDP version amps up the spicy Vanilla scent. Which is pleasant..Which makes this unisex. Men can wear this just like Black Opium Extreme EDP ( more masculine with the Cacao/ Vanilla Bourbon)
Overall it's great.
I've noticed some women do mention it is more masculine with the Vanilla and spicy scent. The Myrrh here is excellent.

I was 20 years old and about to be a new mommy when Opium came on the scene in 1978. Back then it was quite expensive and my new mommy budget didn't allow me to buy a bottle. Fast forward to 1984...I was older, my daughter was in kindergarten and I had a job. So I went downtown (I live in Chicago) to Carson, Pirie Scott department store (it's Target now grrr) and went to the Yves Saint Laurent counter. I bought my first bottle of Opium Eau de Toilette 1.7 oz spray, and instantly fell in love with her. She was warm, very spicy and womanly and I spritzed a bit of it on me before I left the store. At 24, I felt like I owned the world...I felt powerful, strong and sassy. I used it faithfully until it was gone, and it would be some years before I'd feel that magic again. I'm older now, and thought I'd buy a new bottle of Opium from this site called fragrancenet.com. I saw the repackaged version and decided to go ahead and get me a bottle. When she arrived, I immediately sprayed a little on my wrist. It was gone in 0.2 seconds! Wtf? Then it dawned on me that this formulation, while still having some of the DNA from the original 70s-80s versions, did not have that powerful beast-mode blast the 1978-80s versions had. Needless to say, I was kinda disappointed. But, I will still use her, but not with the same fervor as I had as a 24 year old in 1984.

And it really grinds my gears to hear millenials call these still beautiful vintage scents (and others like Coco, Obsession, Poison, Halston, Youth-Dew, Magie Noire and others) "grandma scents" or "old ladyish" bc they aren't smelling like a fruit salad or cotton candy, or an apple, peach or pumpkin friggin pie or sugar cookies and pound cake. Those vintage scents gave young women in my day a sense of strength, independence and power where we felt the world was our oyster and those scents were the catalysts for that feeling. Now I'm an old lady AND a grandma and I'll continue using my vintage Opium, Obsession or Poison any day over smelling like vanilla extract in cake batter! So PLEASE STOP with these ageist remarks about our beloved fragrances. You go ahead and stay in Candyland and we'll stay with our vintage POWERHOUSE GROWN WOMAN scents!!!! Oh and not every scent is meant to be unisex!!!

Alexis Carrington and Dominique Devereaux would be proud!
Who are they? GOOGLE IT!!!

This is NOT the Opium of my youth. I could actually cry that they deemed to use the heritage name of my beloved Opium for this lackluster scent. This is far too powdery, floral and sweet without the oriental notes that made this statement perfume famous and a current must have, on brand fragrance of collectors, myself included. Thank goodness for eBay and Mercari so I can capture the danger and intensity of one of my favorite fragrances from the late 80s/early 90s.

This one is beautiful but in small doses. Sometimes, I find it so gorgeous, exotic, and warm. Other times, I find it a bit suffocating. Weather is a big one with this fragrance, smelling it on a crisp autumn or winter evening is divine.

I learnt to appreciate Opium rather late. Now I have no words to describe its beauty.

This gem is from an era when designer brands brought potent, high and, I dare say, niche-quality creations. I mean, look at that bottle. How alluring, mysterious and sexy.

Balsamic and spicy with the crispiness of lily-of-the-valley lingers so nicely in the background.

Dark, vamp and even gothic. One of my favourites in my collection.

Sometimes I feel nostalgic for the fragrances that surrounded me when I was little. I couldn't afford any of them but I would like to smell them in the store and make a dream wish list. Old school Opium was that one. Now I wouldn't dare to be so extra and buy the vintage. God knows, I am not used to such powerful fragrances anymore. But I am absolutelly happy with new version. This is my Christmas/New Year season perfume. Incense, amber, powder - elegance with a twist.

Is this opium from the days of yore? No. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I think that’s a good thing. My grandmother and mother wore the pre-reformulation opium, so it’s a very familiar fragrance to me. I believe that the reformulated version has kept its character and soul. It still feels like a heavy, vintage fragrance. It’s still a heady waft of amber, patchouli, and myrrh. The floral and citrus notes add an almost defiant sharpness, even though they barely eke out.

The longevity is still there. On clothes, it lasts days. The sillage has been toned down a bit (to accommodate more modern tastes, I’m sure). Out of my collection of over 90 bottles, it’s the only fragrance my spouse had an immediate positive reaction to, for whatever that tidbit is worth. Overall, I like the reformulated opium.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers, perfume edition. L'Oreal somehow managed to preserve the parts of Opium that people found most objectionable, but threw out the parts that made it great. My first thought upon smelling this version was, "Youth Dew?" But I then sprayed Youth Dew edp (c 2016) on one arm and Opium 2009 on the other and the YD seemed even more austere, almost sour in comparison. But overall, the new Opium *feels* more like Youth Dew because it is terrifyingly solid without having as much complexity and nuance as the original Opium. New Opium is almost entirely powerful incense notes (myrrh, I guess, but I cannot detect powdery sweet Oppoponax) and some orange notes. I detect nothing floral. No carnation. There is no sandalwood, even synthetic. I detect less of the original orange note. Surprisingly, I cannot even detect cloves and cinnamon. You simply are not getting Opium if it doesn't have these spices. It is even less sweet than the original. The result is a perfume that is still as nose shatteringly strong as the original, but with no shape or form. It is austere and dry and cold somehow. It might still be ok on a man. I might try to decant it from the spray bottle somehow and try it in bath water. The bottle that was shipped to me leaked a bit around the spray nozzle, and I felt the dried residue was pleasantly balsamic, but once sprayed on, it's just simultaneously too much and not enough. I know many of the star ingredients in the original Opium have been severely restricted. Cinnamon and clove most obviously. But I'm sure a lot of this failure has to do with penny pinching at L'oreal. Polysantol is cheap and usable. There are salicylates and things that can help with missing carnation and jasmine notes. There's no excuse for it being this strange and wan. Smelling the residue around my spray nozzle or the first few seconds is like looking at a creature that claims to be your old friend, but quickly gives itself away. Sad.

Well I have nothing good to say
Th opening is short but good
The dry down is disastrous
I smell a lot spicy stuff with vanillic notes
I know what I’m about to say is strange but the more i smell the scent the more I remember the insect spray that we used to apply on trees to prevent the insects from infesting in our fruits
Performance is very good
Not a scent I’d wear in a million years

Opium opium opium…. What can i say
This perfume is absolutely addictive. Like, i spray it at every chance i can get. But that’s the issue with it. For an edp, it really does not last long enough and disappears within a few hours.
However, opium is an absolutely beautiful gem which has definitely stood the test of time. I really think it depends on the wearer, though. I, for instance, suit it perfectly. I’ve had girls come up to me and ask what i’m wearing, then be shocked when i tell them it’s opium. On me it’s a delicious animalistic cinnamon spice white floral mix with a really addictive sharp sour quality. It truly smells delicious. Really sexy and beautiful. Don’t try on a card, try on YOU because i tried it on a card before and it smelled pretty bad, i was shocked when i tried it on myself and how good it smelled. I would drink this if i could.

Still the best warm balsamic nonsmoky incense designer fragrance on the market to this day, much more balanced than its successor Obssession by Calvin Klein.

Myrrh and indolic flowers, along with other resins and amber, are the key to this legendary perfume! It is among the most funeral perfumes that I had the opportunity to test. The image opium edp gives me is clear: The funeral ritual in the Orthodox religion, from beginning to end. The natural wax candles that burn at the end of the deceased person, the coffin with the deceased person, the flower crowns and the flowers brought, which are almost withered and which mingle with the sharp smell of formalin, the freshly dug grave pit, and the burnt resins from the famous church censer . This is Opium, a pleasure to wear, in key moments.

Tried Opium for thr first time today and straight away thought it reminded me of something. Eventually it clicked.. church! Though not exactly typical church. This smells more feminine. Maybe I'll describe it as a priestess in a temple kind of scent. But it's not her scent, it's the scent of the temple enveloping her.

I just sampled this today and OMG!!! I very much like incense and smokey and spicy smells and this is definitely giving me that. I really want to try the vintage as well and compare the two, because this is definitely in your face, demands attention, not for the people that like floral or soft fragrances. It's just like an amber incense bomb went off in the room. I love it!

This opium 2009 edt kept popping up when I searched for similar perfumes to mugler alien(a long time favorite, all formulations.. but i like switching up my scents), so i blind purchased it on a whim. and I can say I do not see the similarities.. but I also dont hate it.
It's intriguing, not my usual go to scent profile. I love the imediate warmth and deep rich sweet amber jasmine of alien... opium 2009 opens up sharp and powdery, almost alcoholic. Rather than cinnamon or clove, its like pepper up your nose, making you sneeze..i was not expecting that..bc alien is nothing like that at alllll. But that lasts about 15-20 mins, and the powder softens and a herbal citrus spice joins it. That smell lasts a good few hours but gradually sweetens to a really warm, rich amber, patchouli, smoke. And you will never get that rich spicy sweet smoky scent off you. It's wonderful.

I do admit, when I first tried it, I had to layer it with something sweeter and richer like black opium or JHG not a perfume to get past the powder blast that this opens with.

But after allowing just opium to do its thing on my skin, I'm becoming intoxicated by the ever changing story it tells. It's definitely more mature than alien or black opium. It takes time to get to know. Put it on an hour before u are planning to see people, bc its ooening is strong and polarizing..But I think I'm going like this addition to my collection

How can I not appreciate this beauty. After all I worked for YSL back in 1994. And I loved to wear this back then, even though it felt so grown up to me. I was 23 at the time. Going through Duty Free, having a sniff here and there, as one does. I saw this and thought ahh YSL, the good old days. I opened it, and inhaled deeply, and all the wonderful memories came flooding back. I rushed to spray it on my wrist, and it was exactly how I remembered it, only not as rich, or spicy. But yet, still recognisable. I decided to buy it there and then. I adore Opium, so spicy, rich, and so unlike anything current, which I personally love. When this finishes I certainly plan to buy more. It’s simply a timeless classic. Nothing more to add!

A beautiful fragrance, there's no denying it. Amber fans would love this one, but I think it's a bit vintage. It's not a modern amber scent at all. It reminds me a lot of Voile d'Ambre by Yves Rocher, probably because of the Myrrh and Opoponax. So that's it, I won't wear it even though I love oriental amber perfumes, but I think it's suitable for a mature woman over the 50's.

4/10

If you’ve even been to an Orthodox Church you will recognize how similar the smell is. Very spicy!, warm, myrrh, incense, amber. It made me realize I am not into that scent profile, I do however see why this is appealing to some. It is quite the moody scent and I’d say needs to be worn in cold weather.
Only after 6/8 hours i begin to appreciate how beautifully blended this fragrance is. It evokes memories of Christmas markets, gluehwein, cinnamon sticks, cardamom and clove.
Not my thing, so I gifted it.

Oof this one’s a lot! I imagine a sharp, strong, takes no shit business woman wearing this.

It’s extremely powerful, not very feminine and loud!

It smells warm, spicy and masculine.

I honestly don’t understand how this is a classic for women but to each their own. It’s a hard pass for me. I couldn’t even hate pan this one if I tried.

Whoa whoa whoa! Powerhouse incensy, spicy, oily and warm scent. Just tried it and I have a dupe of this coming to me in the mail so I wanted to know what I am getting into. It is a blast. One spritz is enough. It feels very lavished and indoorsy and a bit smokey. I can't stop smelling it. Very perfumey and could be thought vintage vibey. I like it. Kind of like a incensy, soapy, spicy combo. I find it calming and sexy at the same time but I feel like you need to be a fraghead to appreciate this. Now I am excited for my dupe I ordered. (Christopher Dark "Open"). I'll see if it feels at all the same. I have my doubts though since Opium feels so luxurious. It is hard for me to imagine it could be duped well for cheaper.

Is this discontinued?

To me it smells like a traditional unscented white soap. I cannot smell any of the supposed notes. I would see myself wearing it when I don't want to attract people's attention

I have the oil version of YSL Opium, reminds of my Catholic school days. This fragrance reminds me of the incense lanterns that the alter boys used to swing back and forwards when they would come down the aisle. This is definitely a late fall going into the winter season kind of fragrance. It also has that gothic church appeal.

A true gem from Yves Saint Laurent ! It feels like the Arabian world shows itself with every note of this perfume. Something that lives for ever !

Spicy and sexy, if that is what an "old lady" smells like, well I am fine with that. These ate tte notes that work on my skin. Maybe not as intense as I recall the OG, but still not for anyone with concerns about being that person.

I can understand those "old lady" references, but this is just a more classic, traditional perfumery and your nose needs to be accustomed to it, also "old lady" is not a bad thing to begin with - these ladies had class which women of nowadays could be jealous about. Very warm, softly spicy, exotic (from my point of view), atmospheric perfume. Quite similar to Youth Dew, but to me Youth Dew is a bit more pungent, Opium of this version is dryer and airier. Not my cup of tea, but objectively this is quite good perfumery, in-your-face type of example to those who say designer scents are all cheap smelling, plastic, distasteful, uninteresting. This is anything but these qualities.

The opening is a bit screetchy (lily of the valley often has this effect imo) but the drydown is just gorgeous. Love it.

On me this is completely unisex. Spicy and a bit of a pipe tobacco feeling. Not my husband’s favorite (he likes the florals), but I wear it in the winter anyway, because it’s so warm and comforting, like a fire in the wood stove and a pumpkin pie in the oven.

On me, it’s a fall/winter scent for sure. I wear it during the day but I work alone! It lasts and lasts which I appreciate.

I first smelt this on holiday in Lanzarote and fell in love with it. I bought it on the spot and despite the weather being hot, happily wore this in the evening, very lightly sprayed.

On me the myrrh and oppopnax really come out on me and smell smoky and like incense. I do understand why some would get head-shop vibes from this, but as a lover of spicy perfumes and the smell in head-shops, no complaints from me! Longevity is incredible and despite being a strong perfume this really blends well with the skin, hence it being signature-worthy.

I can easily wear this during the day in the cooler months. I wouldn’t wear it to work as it is very strong (need to try the edt to see if that is more office appropriate).

There are similarities to Youth Dew which was my beloved maternal grandmother’s signature scent but I don’t think this is as sweet as Youth Dew and for that reason I am happy to make it one of my own signatures.

Definitely a classic for a reason, just beautiful. I cannot compare it to vintage versions, but this version is perfect for me.

It's taken me like 22 years to get a bottle of my own... I remember becoming seriously interested in Opium EDP back in 2000 when it was still available in be older version and the previous bottle. Yes, it was awesome, but it was way too much for me. I waited and waited, I faced some reformulations, I've used up some bottles of Cafe Cafe or other dupes, tested EDT and EDP a number of times, but only some weeks ago did I get ready to buy a small bottle of EDP. It's becoming less and less available... Current EDP is gorgeous. Soft, with distinct bergamot and orange notes in the opening (which I adore), then slowly turning towards the spicy/resinous heart... I just love it. It's not eternal (as it used to be), but it's still quite long-lasting and gorgeous. I can understand those who remember it as a never-ending scent bomb and can't get over it - but I prefer the current version. It's the first version of Opium EDP that suits me and that doesn't overwhelm me but blends well with my skin chemistry. A big, BIG "LIKE" to this one, I hope it stays with us forever!

Love this perfume. I wear it only on occasions as it’s expensive and I want it to last. Loved it since it was first released. An iconic scent.

christmas spice, orange & burnt match

it's like sticking your nose in a pool of essential oils and balsamic vinegar and then lighting it on fire

This is complex, deep & earthy on my skin.

On my skin it smells like:
spices x burnt resin (smells like Bonfire, 5th November, in the uk: fireworks - creates a smoky coziness, Myrhh, opoponax or the amber) x crackling burning firewood x musk x something metallic that’s smells like gunpowder on my skin.

This isn’t sweet. I don’t get any patchouli or vanilla or white florals. There’s something that smells like truffles/dirt on my skin making this really earthy. Definitely a winter perfume, very strong in projection & silage.

Would I buy it or like to receive it as a gift?:

No, it’s not for me. I neither hate nor love it.

Try this if you like:

Deep dark exotic smelling frangraces with strong projection, silage & long lasting power
Spicy warm fragrances
A fragrance to be neither too masculine or feminine. This is too feminine to be masculine & too masculine to be categorised as feminine - unisex.

Note: I wouldn’t blind buy this - try a sample before. I don’t believe it’s super expensive but it’s a strong, very spicy & musky perfume- not to everyone’s liking.

I completely agree with LukeW's review. This is definitely not the Opium from the 1990's, which I loved so much. This version smells just like Estee Lauder's Youth Dew. I love Youth Dew, but I wanted YSL Opium!
Why, YSL, Why?

Someone may have told me that I smelled like an old lady when I wore this lol, but that doesn't mean I don't love it. It's just so beautiful - incensey, soapy, powdery. It's so perfect. I will wait a couple of decades to wear it, but I am bookmarking this fragrance as one that I will wear in the future. In the meantime it's one of my bedtime faves.

Unfortunately, the 2009 formula only reminds me of what the true opium perfume was. It has something very synthetic, compared to the previous version, and it ruined it. The first time I smelled it, in 2004, I said to myself: this is the perfume I want to wear, to be my signature. And when I actually bought it....it wasn't my love at first smell anymore. Like, but not love.

Heavy on Myrrh and amber it instantly soothes my head. Heady perfumes are never my go to but this is just heaven. This perfume is listed as spicy but I can't smell any spice to my amateur nose.
I have frankincense and myrrh essential oils. I'm surprised frankincense is not a listed note as it seems to be in there. All in all I just love this. I know what I will be getting for Christmas, the EDP. ✨

amber + spices, but also fresh & clean

This has always been a love for me. A perfect floriental, my mother wore it when I was a kid and I adored the smell and used to steal sprays of hers. I am so happy to have it back in my collection, I wished I had a vintage bottle but still enjoy this version.

I hate when reviewers refer to fragrances as "Boss Lady perfumes," but really, that's exactly what this is. Opium evokes power and confidence. It is SEXY. It is hypnotizing. The way this fragrance juxtaposes spicy and sweet, masculine and feminine is just a masterpiece to me.

It smells like an adventurous romance novel full of pirate ships, corsets, and far away places. It smells intoxicating. Yet for all of Opium's attention grabbing, it is also somehow comforting. So so good.

I have yet to smell vintage Opium, but this newer version has been on my radar for a while. When I worked as an au pair in France, the French mother used to spray this (or Serge Lutens Arabie) before going out at night. I have picked it up in department stores, and while I can't compare it to vintage Opium (yet), this is a beautiful oriental fragrance. It reminds me of Youth Dew, but without the spicy cola accord. It is a smooth, rich amber scent with well-placed floral nuances and a lovely incense-like quality. Having been raised Catholic, I love a good church-y incense note in perfume. Here, it doesn't take over and isn't too smoky - instead it marries well with the other notes.

Opium opens with citrus notes, a little spice and some bold, powdery jasmine. The amber background emerges pretty early on, and is rich and balsamic, complementing the jasmine perfectly. It smells opulent here, reminding me a little of Amouage Fate (high praise indeed - one of the best orientals I have ever smelled). The myrrh comes to the fore as it develops - sweet and dark, rich and resinous - the source of the incense. It is not smoky, however - more pleasant as a result.

As it develops, the amber accord does too - it becomes spicy thanks to the opoponax, while still resinous and slightly salty. Vanilla adds smooth sweetness, which rounds out the amber accord beautifully. Patchouli serves as an earthy counterpart to the rich, sweet amber-vanilla accord that pervades this scent. It fades eventually to a sweet amber skin scent. Sillage is quite strong and longevity is excellent.

Traditionally feminine, but could be unisex today, Opium is a sophisticated, mature scent. Elegant yet sexy, cosy yet formidable, it is truly excellent. Best for evening wear during autumn/winter. I must compare it to the vintage version (if it is this plus Mysore sandalwood, I am in for a treat!) Liquid gold indeed. 4.5/5.

This is one of those fragrances that is pretty much iconic, I did not really buy it to wear around town, or because I particularly enjoy the notes listed, i bought it to time travel.... and it took me on a wonderful journey. It took me to a beautiful Italian Catholic church where a glamorous and mysteries woman veiled in black lace has come to light a candle for her dead lover. Somehow this scent seems sombre to me as well as seductive, perhaps because we are so rarely hit with such a myrrh explosion in our day to day lives. As someone who does not regularly attend church the smell of myrrh makes me think of death and the final blessing of the body performed at a funeral rite, somehow this is not a bad thing, if anything it adds an emotional element to the experience that is very personal and humanistic.

I imagine this would suit a very mysterious woman who is selective with her words, unfortunately that does not describe me, but I appreciate this fragrance for being bold and daring and iconic. I am a fan of YSL, to me they make some of the most memorable perfumes and this is no exception.

My beloved mother, who passed away in December, used to wear this perfume. It was delicious in her skin. Now every time I smell it I feel devastated. I miss her so much!

Wearing this gives me the feeling I'm wearing liquid gold. So empowering and demands attention. Not everyone's cup of tea tho, which I can really understand

I'm a man,and i want to go down with any woman that wears this.. This is gorgeous. I just love the "slutty" vibe it gives off. This is the kind of scent a woman that's nasty in bed would wear. Going to church every Sunday, seemingly conforming with the social norms...But..Anyway! Be really careful where you would wear this. This needs the right context to be appreciated by you and men.

I suppose it is fulfilling to insist on only the vintage and to deem the newer formulations a waste of time, and maybe they are. All I know is, my best friend growing up, her mom wore the parfum in 1983, and that woman was a force of nature. It goes without saying she was intimidating. When I smelled a sample from a newer formulation of the EDP the other day--first time encountering this fragrance as an adult--it was all I needed. I was back in my child-sized body, and I could see her (to me) beautiful black floral bedspread on the brass bed which took up the whole front porch bedroom, could smell the pan of perfect popovers she stooped to pull from the tiny gas oven in their miniature galley kitchen, and knew all the feelings of admiration, fear, hope and humor she inspired with her lovely long Serbian face, framed in her long black hair.

god help me i’m drowning in liquid gold. what a way to go!

EDIT 4/24/23: testing Opium 2009 (Opium l’Encens, i call it) again today and— sweet myrrh and cloves on my fingers and hair, jasmine and bergamot on my sleeve, and the faint soap of lily-of-the-valley wafting over everything… it’s so good! though i’d previously preferred the EDT, i think the EDP is winning now? less citrus, more powder, still a hint of clove/carnation… i can’t stop sniffing my own personal incense cloud. what a difference a year makes?

/current edp

For full disclosure/context, I tried this perfume in search for a very specific one and therefore I'm kind of holding it to a different standard than your average casual interest person.
Opium... from the reviews saying it smells like church, I strongly agree. From the notes listed though I was confused on if I had received a sample of the EDP or the EDT, because the EDT says it smells more floral, and that is what I got out of this one. On first whiff it is STRONG powdery/spicy carnation and jasmine, but as it dries down it gets a little sweeter, a bit less dry but still bitter which is probably the myrrh. That is about all I can smell with a 'beginner' nose. I double and triple checked and yes I did get an EDP. That was disappointing.
Opium does smell like church... old classic church steeped in incense, a little musty, like a confessional that trapped this Holy Week's billows of incense smoke inside it. It actually reminded me of a specific church in downtown Kenosha, Wisconsin, and oddly enough also of the times we'd get this practice fire-drill trailer at school (probably the fake smoke) and a different old building we'd go to to learn about traffic and car safety and other things that was probably run by the same people. Someone also said it smelled like a conjugal visit with a priest... that was very funny because trying to be sexy with my husband with both of us wearing this really did feel like that. I joked about wondering if roleplaying a priest and a parishioner would be sacrilegious because it would either be that in my mind or imagining my grandpa and I really did not want to have the latter mental image. It isn't a bad old person smell, whatever my grandpa wears (and I do really like what he wears, it is almost a comfort scent for me) smells very much like this when it has time to develop more. But unfortunately it is not the scent I am searching for and since the smell reminds me of my grandpa (pleasantly) I can't see myself wearing this or owning anything more than this sampler.

What a ride! I was familiar with Opium in the 80’s and what a rich, spicy beauty she was so it’s been such a joy to rediscover her recently. There is a very interesting scent progression of this version of Opium. If you sniff the bottle, it smells of classic Opium. If you spray Opium on your wrist, from a distance it smells of classic Opium but if you put your nose to your wrist it actually smells very soapy.

The magic of Opium lies in the beautiful scent aura it creates around the wearer. I find the longer into the wear time, the more enjoyable the scent becomes. I know vintage Opium would have had some differences, but the essence of the original is definitely present in this latest interpretation.

The dry down of Opium feels like it must have been the inspiration for Chanel’s 80’s classic Coco - both fragrances I completely adore.

A brian de palma movie in a bottle

I think YSL is a master of creating truly exciting perfumes. Thing is, not every scent is meant to be worn. This is one of those secents. Reminds me of a Buddhist temple. It's beautiful but I would never want to wear it on myself.

Do I just adore this perfume because I was raised staunchly Catholic and am now a heretic, and get off on myrrh and incense being distilled in such a sensual, intoxicating perfume designed to titillate the senses?

Maybe. Or maybe this perfume really is that damn good.

At the risk of sounding crass, this is what a conjugal visit with a priest and then promptly murdering him would smell like. I completely jest, but there is something dark, sexy, and sinister about this and the notes of myrrh are impossible to ignore. In my own opinion, I don't feel this scent is dated, but I can understand those who are not fans of it. It is, without a doubt, a very polarizing "love it or hate it" type of perfume.

I used to get stuck in elevators with women who wore Opium or Youth Dew and usually got off on the next floor to avoid having to be overwhelmed by their perfume. Headache and nausea in a bottle. I was thrilled when they fell out of favor. Old ladies in fur coats at Saks Fifth Avenue shopping all day …. And this was in Los Angeles, California. I am an old lady now and wouldn’t wear these perfumes.

Whoever said this smells like a church nailed it. Cold church on a rainy Sunday morning. Or a pharmacy that sells natural medicine and herbs. Resinous with metallic aftertaste. Not for me as I am not into such harsh coldness, but I am still curious if vintage version of this actually had a different scent, or was simply stronger and more potent. The EDP I've sampled is decent in longevity and sillage, but definitely not a powerhouse.

It smells bizzare, and not in a good way like Tom Ford’s Black Orchid. I can picture the big hair and shoulder pads of the 80s when I smell this. Way too outdated for my nose.

2/10

I decided to try this after hearing people complain that it’s weaker than the original. My grandma wore the original and would sometimes pass the minis on to me but I couldn’t wear it myself. It was too overpowering for me and would give me headaches.

This new version is perfect! I can still catch whiffs of the original, but it’s overall softened with powder and sweet cinnamon. I can wear this version and feel close to my grandma. I’m so glad I didn’t let it pass me by!

Words can't explain how much I adore this perfume. My family hated it on me, compared it to incense and old woman. I guess I love the smell of old woman! But really, this smell makes me feel sexy and confident. Powerful and intriguing. I really need to buy more!!!



It is my birthday in 2 days. My mam and sister put money together to buy this for me since I adore it so much. :) happy birthday to me!

A bottle of Opium contains in itself a history of perfume.

It takes us along to a journey through the strenght of its great predecessors: Youth Dew's soap & spice, Tabu's honeyed oranges and roses — and still manages to smell, well, like Opium.

In the 70s, Opium encompassed the past at the same time it expressed something new, inciting a wave of imitators and sparking an amber renaissance in perfumery. And now, in 2021, it does not smell dated at all. As a matter of fact it still smells original, fresh, quite unlike anything else.

This is timelessness. This is great perfumery.

Who wants to smell like a church? Well, me apparently! I'm in love with the resinous sweetness and smokiness of Opium EDP. It's a perfect and comforting balance of spicy and balsamic notes with just the right amount of barely noticeable florals. This makes the fragrance perfectly unisex and I proudly wear it as a man.
Sadly, I have not had the chance to smell the original formulation, but it must have been a total blast. The continuous reformulations are unfortunate, yet Opium EDP remains one of the few interesting scents with a personality in the current YSL lower-tier fragrance lineup.

Coming from this to BO is a sad progression. This is resisns combined with tons of HEM opium incense sticks. Smells like walking into a headshop, but multiplied by 10 in intensity. It is bitter, heavy and much more interesting than BO. Now in 2021 however I already own a younger perfume which clearly got inspiration from this one and developed more on top, so I am not sure if I want a full bottle of this one.

To me this smells similiar to Dr Pepper cola. A refined citrus zest smell with lot of spices mainly, anise bit cardamom. Underneath that is fresh pine sap smell. Very masculine frag. Also smells like something that actually is from 1970

@CCClydes If your bottle is the same one pictured here, it is the modern formula. Any batch manufactured in 2009 or after is reformulated.

Because fragrance trends change over time, if this was released in 2021 this would not be a feminine fragrance. The notes are now considered decidedly masculine.

It's a strong fragrance with a wild sillage and longevity that smells like a holiday mandarin orange. The citrus sits underneath, and strong aromatics like clove and allspice sit on top with aldehydes.

Because of everyone wearing masks, many people are preferring powerful fragrances. I get compliments every time I wear this, but that's because I'm a man. I think it would smell dated (like Youth Dew), and not vintage (like No. 5), on a woman.

The original Opium was and is my favorite perfume of all time. It was aptly named, for it surely did make a person almost high. I remember wearing it, my then-boyfriend wearing Ralph Lauren "Chaps," and between the two of us we were a paradise of scent. The 2009 isn't the original; it's short something that it needs to give it that final ooomph! But it's still ridiculously good. It's hard to believe there's no cinnamon in it. This is one of the very few perfumes my current gentleman friend invariably complements me on. (The others are Shalimar and Good Girl.) I like a class act, and this *is* one.

I love this smell, I read the reviews about it, I thought that I should like it. One fragrance consultant said it smells like old ladies, but I love this smell. It smells like sexy church. For me the smell of amber and myrrh associates with a cold church in the wintertime, with natural beeswax candles lit everywhere and people dressed up, perfumed, perhaps grieving a loss. This is a weird description, but it is an amazing smell. It is a fantasy, nothing less. It reminds me of Aqua di Parma Colonia Mirra, but I believe with a better price.

Been waiting for the right time of year to try Opium, and I am so disappointed. I was expecting a real bad bitch that would smack me in the face and make me like it, but it turns out modern Opium is just another wimpy little soap-smelling thing that bored me within minutes. I'll have to get my hands on a vintage bottle and see if it's more to my liking.

I have a 2017 batch opium that I have just purchase for an estimate of $30 90ml.The moment my packaged arrived,I was hit by an almost covid-19 last month,hence,losing my strong and precious olfactory sense and taste.I told my friend who had received the parcel to keep it with her for a while whilst being sick.It;s one of the absolute worst things that could happen to a person whose life is based on smell.

After a week,I got my Opium and could only smell just a bit during that time.I was so glad I could smell the ghost of this wonderful fragrance and that my sense of smell was coming back.It smells like it was diluted to a 1:10 ratio.

Moving forward to the present when my sense of smell is 80% back and I'm thankful for the vaccine that didn't worsen my symptoms any further.

Well,what can I say?I was only 4-5 years old when I first got acquainted with it on an event we were going.Dear Mother had Coco by Coco Chanel from the 80's,and a 7.5 ml refillable Parfum of Opium from the 80's and had worn this sparingly during the early 2003-2004 and had been hunting perfume shops for refills for that tiny terracotta flacon with golden filligree-like design that came in a rectangular box.It,for me was the epitome of what the Mediterranean is.This is my childhood in a bottle.This is what it's like growing up in a foreign country for me.This is what growing in Tripoli,Libya for me is like:

The strong smell of marlboro,men in button down shirts showing a bit of their hairy chests,mustaches and beards,thick gold jewelries,cappuccinos in tiny white cups in that cafe and the dry summer heat that didn't burn my skin.And also that post office near where the Italian Cathedral once stood.And my mother's long bob hair and dark eyeliner and me during my little fat boy days and fondness of stationaries with Barbie on it.Scabbed knees and playing chef with dirt.Slow rock playing on our big ass panasonic stereo and static tvs with big behinds.Plasticine clay and the angry waves during the winter season,Ramadan and Eid altogether.

Just like memories,this new formulation of Opium is indeed,just a ghost,its clearer now that i can smell better,of what type of ghost it is.

I'm 22 now,And I remember all too damn well how thick,dense and almost syrupy the old Opium was.Smokey,sweet in a non-gourmand way and very resinous.I remembered how the scent trail would leave a trace in 7 flights of stairs.I am not exaggerating.I remembered smelling it at 17 working in a clinic back around 2018 and it was dense it smacked my face and I knew a client was wearing opium even though he was no longer in sight.It lingered on me till i got home.

It unlocked forgotten memories.

This is the middle child between the 80's born children.Coco is the oldest,Opium is the Middle child and Samsara is the youngest.I love them all and I hope i can find a vintage,if not,a good deal of Coco Coco Chanel.Then I'll be on top of the world having my 3 Queens.Perfumes in the 80's is really something else.


The new formulation,is still a love for me.I'm still biased on the old reformulation where it's all over the place.This one is like a simplified mathematical formula.You can break down the notes.You can smell the patchouli there,you can detect the bitter bergamot rind and the powdery myrrh and incense,and the supporting vanilla.It also has the quality of a burnt scented candle.Which was described by my stepmom when I entered the car yesterday prior to visiting the grandparents at the cemetery.

I feel like my mother when I wear this.Associating with her strong feminine aura and disassociating from her negative and toxic disposition.I feel like a drug cartel boss,I feel sad and happy at the same time.Takes me back to my little fat boy days.

Hopefully,one day,I'll be able to find a vintage opium.For now,I'm about to purchase another 90ml bottle online(batch 2018) and hopefully,its better.I will learn to care less about it being a ghost,a memory and a glimpse of who it once was.And be grateful that we still have Opium,than having none at all.

It is one of the fragrances that is like a poem from Baudelaire's Fleur du mal.
And if this is a song to be played,its Lana Del Rey's Salvatore.

This is nice, and not what I expected. It's less overtly 'sexy' and more classic than I'd assumed it would be.

The main notes at the beginning are myrrh and jasmine. It projects very well, and I would call it unisex by today's standards; it's not sweet, and the floral notes are mixed with incense in a way that prevents me from calling it a floral fragrance. It's sort of melancholy in a way.

There's a juicy feeling to it that isn't based in fruit; I guess it's the jasmine, but I'm not sure. Someone compared it to Old Spice, and the spicier elements that come out after the opening do definitely call that to mind. However, this is more aldehydic. It does not smell 'headshoppy' to me at all.

I like that this fragrance's original version, and by extension its current incarnation, has history behind it; the scent itself is pleasant and interesting, and it has an odd mood to it that I enjoy. Whether you're interested in iconic fragrances or just looking for something that smells good in an unusual way, I'd suggest giving it a try.

Found a 2011 bottle of EDP. Is this pre or post reformulation. It smells of wonderful incense, clove and cinnamon then dries down to amber vanilla. It’s proud, spicy and sexy. One of my favs.

I love fragrances that make me smell like i have been hiding in a tent all day smoking weed en huffing patchouli incense. I’m still a lady and all, but i am brought up in the Netherlands and i have always been surrounded by crusty hippies so i might as well smell like one.

‘YSL’s Opium’ does exactly that for me. It’s so in your face, opulent and insency it is not for someone who does not like to draw attention to oneself.

To me this scent is medicinal. It's bit cough sirupy in the best way. The EDP used to contain clove but not since the 2009 reformulations if i recall correctly. When i fist purchased a bottle the lack of clove was the first thing i noticed since i am very familiar with the vintage formulations. Because of this it initially seemed to lack the much needed spiced kick in the gut this used to give me. I had to get reacquainted with this scent for a couple of days, yet soon figured that this scent, though tweaked a little, is still as beautiful as ever and one of my forever favorites. When you're used to the vintage you shouldn't approach this with the same expectations. I find this to be equally awesome but you just need to give your nose some time to adjust. I feel like a lot of opium fans threw in the towel just a little too quickly after the reformulation.

I know that this fragrance has been labeled as a ‘grandma scent’. way too often. It’s cruel words like these that should never be spoken! This is not granny-esque. Not in the slightest. This to me smells like the inbetween of the ending of suffrage and the freedom of Woodstock. This smells like an aristocrat by day, crusty dried up hippie by night. In short. Perfection

@RottigrlNYC you echo my thoughts exactly. I'm 31, so didn't grow up with Opium. But I have a couple 100ml vintages and a rare 1980 splash. Pure gold. I also have this version, still in its box, sitting in my bathroom closet. Sorry guys, this new version is not for me, and should not bear the name Opium.

This is a smoother simplified version of Opium but... I can use it and overspray as I enjoy because this reformulated version doesn't give me headaches at all. Lasts a long time. Very nice. Pity they stopped the bathline and the pure perfume. What L'Oréal does with YSL is not worst than what LVMH did with Patou or the endless flankers and reformulations in the Dior and Givenchy lines. At least Opium still exists in a safer version. The dangereous panther is now a gorgeous kitten.

I had in 90´s my first bottle of Opium, I loved it from the start till drydown. I wanted to buy from nostalgy OPIUM again and tried the current version. Bottle is beautiful! I did not like the opening (but I guess tester was not used for some time) - it was harsh and smelled like a mix of 3 old perfumes, luckily I kept the paper - middle notes - were soapy and aldehydic, but the drydown is what I remember the old OPIUM to be from the opening it was clove/carnation.
The dry down is authentic and veeeery beautiful.
This version requires patience.

I love it! It is definitely smokey balsamic and almost powdery. It gave me a vintage vibe as well and a hint of floral notes. 9/10

I did go to Boots and tried Opium on skin and paper. I have read the most positive reviews about this perfume and I was hoping to find a beautiful church incense and myrrh but so disappointed as to my nose the drydown is like Indian temple incense (wich I don’t like at all) and more specific kind of nag champa. Iam glad didn’t blind buy a used bottle.

This is the warmth and mild anxiety of my mother circa 1980. Tweed skirts, silk shirts, cool hands and love. So beautiful!

As someone who isn't a fan of aldehydic scents but is learning to appreciate them as part of an olfactory experience, I can say Opium is one of my favorites this far.

When I first tested it at the store out of curiosity, it wasn't... nice. Looking back, I think I only smelled aldehydes and incense. It was definitely a "feel bad" scent, even though I admit I didn't get to experience its drydown. Half a year later I returned to Opium in the form of a vintage miniature that my mother in law kept in the dark for decades alongside some other YSL classics. I was impressed! It's not bad at all, or should I say, used to be actually nice?

1. It used to be sweeter. Obviously not as in candy sweet, but in resinous sweet. This makes it immediately more appealing to my nose, and makes me want to move closer to it. Hence, more attractive and even somewhat seductive.

2. It used to be more complex. Some perfumes have dozens of listed notes but feel rather linear and simple. I won't say Opium is linear, but this mini is on another level to me in comparison. It can be intriguing and provocative, not right on your face with the most predominant notes and that's it, you're done with it. Perhaps the aging factor of the liquid has contributed to this, but I can't be so sure.

In conclusion, I'm happy to have been surprised with this fragrance. Now I understand how reformulations can make the whole difference, particularly for those who've loved a scent for all these years. I'm glad some people still love the modern formulation too.

A synthetic mess compared to the vintage one and I am really sorry for saying this, but it is time to call a spade a spade.

No this is not Opium. It’s been butchered and reformulated to death. If you think this is a good scent then you would be knocked out by the original which is the only Opium for me. I can’t stand all of these horrible reformulated scents these big Designer houses have put out. As if we can’t tell the difference

This smells like you've been to church, you're walking home in the dark and there's the smell of smoke in the air from a fire somewhere out in the distance. You're clothes and hair are saturated in the scent of it all. If you want church incense this is the one for you. Very intoxicating and strong but also kind of soft and spicy and slightly vintage but modern enough to wear today. A warm spicy incense, comforting and familiar. Longevity is great on this as is silliage!

This is a very influential perfume that paved the way for many of the fragrances that are out today. It is not often that you find modern women's perfume with this level of spiciness, which is why I think it could easily be categorised as unisex as it does have an Old Spice/Spicebomb vibe.

Not many young women seem to go for this type of scent anymore, which is a real shame as I think the original Opium is glorious and unique. Whenever I wear it I get lots of people ask me what I'm wearing, and even though this fragrance has been reformulated it is still one of the most powerful projectors in my collection. Not a safe blind buy, however this is a fragrance for a bold, one-of-a-kind woman who is comfortable in her own skin and cares little for the opinion of others.

My Mam bought this as a Christmas present by mistake- she meant to get me Black Opium.
But do you know what, I actually really like this, theres something special about it.
Opium reminds me of those 'hippy' shops, with the displays of crystals and the faint smell of incense in the background, as we used to have such a shop in my hometown that I spent alot of my time in when I was a teenager, this brings back good memories.
My Mam messaged me when I told her I was wearing it and asked if it smelt too 'old' to me, i think if you are feeling confident then you can definitely pull this off.
Not one to wear to work though, unless you dislike your colleagues 🙃

In the same vein as shalimar.
Nice buttery creamy start, leading into a dry not at all sweet incense type spice. Very familiar, I remember smelling this alot in the 80s and 90s!

chef d'oeuvre, intemporel, fait mature mais sent tellement bon, épicé, chaud, classe; sillage important et excellente tenue; A sentir au moins une fois dans sa vie

Smells like a incense shop on Bourbon street. Last a long time and has impressive sillage.

I would say this is a more mature fragrance, but could be worn by anyone. It is fairly unisex, it smells like a head shop which isn’t sex specific!

I personally like it, but wouldn’t say it is a safe blind buy.

On my skin this smells like church. My aunt wore Opium parfum in the 80s and my teenager self used to (illegally) raid her make-up drawer and perfume cupboard. The reformulated EDP to me is a sinful courtesan retired to a monastery. A former smouldering, voluptuous beauty is now a dry, bony, cornette-and-habit clad nun. She is still hot though. Like the magnificent, opulent Toledo Cathedral warmed by golden rays of southern sun.

Spicy oriental with slitght sweetness in the far background. Unlike the original, which felt like being in a spice shop, this one is more toned down while still managing to capture the essence. Not as dramatic and prominent, but still very likeable and different from other oriental fragrances currently on the mainstream market.

I love these heavy, incense-y, spicy fragrances. This reminds me of Shalamar which I also have and love. I've never had opportunity to try the original but this formulation on it's own is stunning. It won't be for everybody. It's not a mass appealing fruity, floral, everyday scent. But if you like more complicated scents, you can't do much better. It comes across as an expensive, night out kind of fragrance but I'll wear it anytime.

This reformulation needs a sticker: "Please Bitch-slap me"

Don't even consider it.

Do what it takes to precure a vintage bottle. It will command you to try get the body products too.

Fraternal advice from someone who remembers Opium before it was a virgin.

Just received my new bottle of the current EDP, shipped from Nordstrom. Batch no. 38T0OOM The inner glass flacon is now encased in a translucent, matte-finish burnt-orange plastic, and includes the "licorice rope" atomiseur tube inside.

This new formula is indeed different from the classic 1977 formula, which my sisters used in the 1980's, so I remember it well.

As with so many "freshened" old classics, what used to be a 3-dimensional "sculpture" is now more like a 2D "print".

Missing oakmoss is not the only change: this new jus lacks the nuanced, exotic floralcy it once had, and the voluptuous, very "French" balsamic underpinnings it once had.

The new version is fruitier, bringing the lemon and orange qualities to the fore, giving it, as others have pointed out, a more "cola-like" vibe. The upper structure of this new jus now smells like a costlier OLD SPICE, and lacks the tigery "disco sheen" of the old, and the "beer-y" "hop-py" civet of yore is absent now. Now largely denuded of its Asian/exotic clockwork innards (plum, orchid, chrysanthemum, anise, castoreum), it actually has been pushed closer to the realm of a SHALIMAR or MITSOUKO, if you can believe it. (For comparison, I own a cheap OPIUM dupe from Walgreen's, and it smells much more like the original jus!)

To be fair, the 1980's "shoulder pads" jus used to be a powerful beast-- it tended to "wear you" rather than the other way around, with a potent, room-filling sillage, and this new formula is arguably more wearable now, less "perfume-y", more soapy, with a more discreet sillage. It is also, to my nose, considerably more unisex now, and many men could easily pull it off now.

It's still recognizable as YSL OPIUM, just considerably streamlined and telescoped and abbreviated. I wouldn't dramatically say "it's been ruined" now... more like given an expert facelift. It still smells gorgeous. I will use this new EDP and enjoy it for what it is.

And the substantivity of this EDP is POTENT! Two spritzes, and wow... You are GOOD. TO. GO.

Reminds me of prada amber pour homme. Soapiness but dirtier and spicier

This is one of my "go to" perfumes! Such a gorgeous scent that lasts a long time but I just love the freshness of the opening notes and the smokiness of the heart and base. YSL really went over and beyond when creating this perfume. It really is a timeless classic.

Smelling this is a shock.
Imagine encountering an old childhood friend who has nothing to say, but just stares right through you. Has my friend been lobotomised? Can this be the same friend/perfume?
Opium was my signature scent for a few years in the 80's. It used to make me swoon with pleasure. It was voluptuous, heady, rich, fascinating. It was the bottled scent of desire and emotional heat.
But this, this is barely recognisable as Opium and what's left of it is spooky and chilling to me... it's the familar become utterly unlikeable, transformed into a caricature of itself.
I am so sorry I bought a modern bottle, although it was inevitable and must be faced: My old friend Opium is gone.
I have a brand new, virtually untouched bottle for swap or sale (Australia).

Haiku of the day

lobotomised friend
unrecognisable scent
sad experience

I've been on a kick of reviewing Black Opium and its flankers, but wondered what the original Opium smelled like and how it compares. Boy is it different. At immediate application I was like, is this a heavy powder scent? Then about a minute after, it turned to straight incense. It is like I took a lit clean style incense stick, extracted the smell, and put it on my skin. It projects quite a bit too, I can smell it within arm's length, but also strongly within 6". Very oriental and spicy.

10 minutes later and I can maybe get a bit of an orange brightness in the background? But it's still very heavily incensey.

20 minutes later and it starts to smell almost a little soapy yet spicy, yet again, like a clean scented incense stick. There is a touch of floral as well.

45 minutes later and some more powderiness starts to come through. It smells a bit more 'old lady' like, but it still has a nice spice and warmth to it.

This is a lot more mature and vintage than the Black Opiums, I'm not even sure they're related. Opium is not exactly my style, but I can tell and appreciate that this is a powerhouse fragrance. I may consider revisitng it when I'm older (currently late 20s) to see if I enjoy it more, but for now, it's not what I like, but it's undeniable it's a good fragrance.

2 hours later I could still smell it strongly on my skin and in the air, and was noticeably there within about 5" of my skin

5 hours later, it's less strong than before, but it's still very present. I can smell it within 2" of the skin, and stronger directly on the skin. Still warm, spicy and powdery.

9 hours later and it's a skin scent, but still very much there on the skin.

Wow, 11 hours later I took a shower and I could smell the slightest, tiniest hint of it still after the shower. Though before that, it was still there as a skin scent.

Kind of funny how beastly the performance is of Opium, but then the Black Opiums are a skin scent in 30 minutes and gone in a couple hours, whereas this lasted over half a day and even slightly through a shower at the end of it. Wish I liked it more so I could reap the full benefits of this.

I love the new bottle, but the old juice was much better. This reformulation lacks the oomph and seductiveness of the original. I prefer the edt in the current formulation. It is more complex with more emphasis on the citrus/spice opening.

I wanted to spend Christmas holiday with a gorgeous old friend but with version 2009 projection, potency and ambery cinnamon are gone. It's still Opium but an easier to wear version and I you were used to the old EDT you need the EDP, or good old Youth Dew...

I picked this up today after having dreamt of this fragrance for a while. Thought I was picking up a 50ml EDT, turns out it was a 90ml EDP at an amazing price. And it is my favourite blind buy ever.

This is the new, reformulated Opium EDP with the twisted wick in the middle. And gosh, it's everything I imagined it would be when reading base notes/reviews. I'm a 25 year old fragrance n00b-ish (mom likes perfume but it's not my style; I also blind bought Black Opium and Maja Myurgia during undergrad after searching for deeper, more fulfilling fragrances. I was disappointed, especially by BP's obnoxious sweetness and lack of longevith). I've been frantically collecting fragrances and have gotten too many in the past short while (Shalimar, Obsession, Tabu, Mahora, 273 Rodeo Drive, Macadam... All in one well-priced haul, nonetheless) but non have spoken to me as immediately as this Opium.

It is deep, smoky, incense-laden, spicy, and sensuous, as overused as those words are they describe it perfectly. But it is not as myrrh incense-heavy as Shalimar and is balanced by some florals that come out, providing depth in the incense. The sillage is pretty darn good and I'm enveloped in a scent with a feeling of glee. I love it, I want to be hugged by Opium on dark, stormy nights.

I almost sold my 50 ml edp, but I have just changed my mind - today. "Opium" really just IS encredibly unique compared to what I have been buying lately. Dark, sexy, spicy, warm, oriental, seductive and in your face. She, "Opium", doesn't take no for an answer.

The first time I bought it, I was 14 years younger then I am now, and I kind of feel that my maturity and "Opium" will enjoy and benefit more from each other at this point and forward in my life, then was ever possible back then.

I will spray very carefully though. One spray from as far away as possible, making a wonderful and sensual "Opium" mist to walk into, will be the best way for me to make sure I don't overspray this sexy and insisting seductress.

I bought a bottle of this about 5 years ago, when I was only 16 years old. Back then, any perfume that I smelled, didn't smell good to me. Except for this one, so I had to have it.

I never liked the typical 'young girl' fragrances, I always preferred more 'mature' scents and this one is definitely one of those. I didn't wear it much though, because where would a 16 year old girl wear a perfume like this, which to me smells like a fancy night out? Definitely not to school!

I still own it, I sniff it occasionally and remember, why this was the first perfume I fell in love with but I think I'm going to wait for a few more years to wear it.

About the smell... to me it smells sexy, very spicy. Nothing like I've smelled before. It's a special scent, that no one's going to forget once they smell it on you.
The longevity is amazing, even though I only use one spray (it's incredibly strong), it lasts on me forever.

opium batch 9HAA = 2009 edp 30ml, that was still sealed until today.

love it.

i just don't get the whining over how horrible current versions of beloved fragrances are. the 2009 opium stands up and is as enjoyable as any of my precious vintages (as far back as the 30's--but most of my vintage means merely pre-regulatory reformulations.)

it is no shrinking flower: it has power and warmth without being overwhelming. i don't need my fragrances to fumigate the room with a nausea inducing overload of suffocating florals and "muskiness." opium treats the "orange" leaning notes with respect with a substantial but subtle backup from the amber/patchouli. perhaps, this makes the fragrance more "unisex," or even masculine, garnering my strong affection.

it has been said that the first true love is the strongest. so it is not surprising that some live with strong (perhaps inaccurate) impressions of the "original" perfume.

i am not sure that any of us is the same person we were 20/30/40 years ago. our bodies, our senses, our experiences change. i know i carry memories of fragrances; and have often bought bottles of fragrances that i absolutely loved in the 60's, 70's, 80's but that seem almost unrecognizable. (and others retain their ancient allure too.) i am not sure any one of the newer bottles is exactly as i remember. but, the joy of perfume is that it is alive and to be felt.

opium is a door to wonder. 2009 vintage is a darn good one.

i also have a 2019 edt 100 ml (batch 38S300D) which may be the same formulation, but it does not seem as rounded and soft to me. don't know why. the 2019 is great, but in a shoulder to shoulder smell-off, it appears a bit louder than the 2009. not sure whether it is simply the age of the older bottle, or there really is a slight formula/ingredient difference. the 2009 appeals to me just a little more with its softer personality.

i am learning that even the same fragrance might differ from batch to batch.

I was searching for a new powerhouse signature after finding out about L’Oréal acquiring Mugler (thus, a bad reformation of my favorite Angel was likely on the way). I tried Opium on a whim at a store while picking up what I’m sure would be my last bottle of Angel before it got rebranded.
It was love at first sight. Right away I could detect the incense, cinnamon, amber, and myrrh. It was what I wanted Chanel Coco to be (another lovely scent, but Opium is more exotic and spiritual somehow).
The torch has been passed from Angel to Opium. With a perfume collection of over 100 scents, I consider it nothing short of divine that I found my new soulmate as I made a bittersweet farewell to Angel.

To MdM. Mystery,

To deepen the texture and return to the original as best one can, I layer with a number of the following:

—Andy Tauer’s Amber Flush body oil (my #1 choice here)
—Ibid, L’Air du Desert Marocain
—Tihota
—Ambre Precieux (#2 choice)
—Kiehl’s original musk (#3)

Happy Mixing!

Man reviewing the EDT. When I was a teen, my bff's mother wore this and Estée Lauders. She was and remains a contemporary woman with classical taste in tailleur and makeup and a very contemporary decor taste, bordering on bachelor pad, for her homes, which always had those perfumes lingering.

I've been wearing today's EDT for a year and this is my short review with an open question. The top gives me enough Opium of yore, pared down and fine for today's market. The base is inadequat, so requires layering. I use patchouli and sandalwood essential oils. Can anyone recommend a fragrance that layers well? Should I order synthetic or natural civet?

Edit - Thanks TeachOlfactoryArt. Yes I see you choose ambers! Tauer is Swiss, my home - so I shall try easily enough.

I’m male. I grew up loving the ‘77 EDT, which was stronger than today’s extraits.

But this EDT is damn good. I got a cheap bottle from the drugstore and while it isn’t as clove-laden as the original, it is still the spicy sweet myrrh resinous powerhouse I remember. 3 sprays is beastly.

I don’t think it’s especially feminine. Confident men can rock this over the holidays. Smells like warm holiday spice!

Not for nothing but Fragrantica should have the EDT listed. That is the one that I have and I like it better than the EDP. Same bottle but with out this licorice looking straw inside.
Edit: I see now the EDT is listed on Fragrantica.

THE best of all OPIUMs by YSL!!!
It's classic and makes a statement. Resinous and quite sweet, with citrusy undertones.
It's powerful and lingers for hours, so don't overspray it.
It's got a very special place in my heart and every serious perfume connoisseur should have this in their collection.

#MASTERPIECE

9/10

Sweet incense that reminds me a bit of church (Eastern Orthodox in case anyone is wondering) a bit smokey, overall very heavy on the resin/balsam note.

There is a touch of a quite mouthwatering bubblegum-like accord that i suppose is the combination of florals, citrus and vanilla.
I would wear this only during winter and late fall, since i feel it can become headache-inducing in other times of the year. More of a nighttime scent, not workplace safe in any case.
I like it very much! Not a love, but a hard like, just because it's a bit heavy, not really versatile; there is a time and place for this(some very specific examples on the back of my head:going to the opera on cold rainy nights, bar hopping on New Year's Eve in a cultural capital you've never been before, being alone with the bartender in a tiny cafe;)

This one's real good to spray on your big black leather jacket before driving with the windows down in the middle of winter. It would probably be good for smoking cigarettes, too.

I blind bought this, thinking it's a classic staple in every serious collector's stash. I wanted to get the original one first from Ebay, but things worked out so that I got this one first.
I can appreciate the landmark that it is in the perfume world, the craft that is entwined in the notes, but unfortunately I can't wear it. It gives me a strong headache.
Upon first smell, although not listed, I detect aldehydes and I can't get over that overbearing soapy smell, I can see the similarities with Estee Lauder's Youth dew which I also can't stand. Then I feel the incense and it's so powerful and smoky, I feel my head throbing. And trust me, I am an orthodox Christian, incense is a big part of the ritual in our church. I can't detect the carnation and the cloves, they're too shy under the aldehydes and the incense, maybe just some waxy myrrh.
That's it. I'll give it to my husband whos particular skin ph can make even Youth Dew more bareble to my nose and about the classics, I learned they're not for everyone, so I'll just stick to perfumes like Francesca Bianchi's who can take some classic notes and make them modern and pleasurable.
Ps
After scrubbing it, I feel the animalic notes coming through.

Enough to satiate my curiosity and tide me over until I managed to acquire an old bottle (oblong pillow with bamboo leaves). Smelling them side by side as I'm parting with this version tomorrow: There are definite similarities off the top but they diverge a minute into the drydown. The 2009 version tries its best to replicate the ebb and flow of its vintage counterpart, a valiant effort despite the strange, plastic odour in the background. If I turn my nose away from the scent wafting from my left wrist, I can almost be convinced this is a tolerable replica, but as soon as I am reminded of the original formulation- the ease of communication between the notes, the opulent powder and holy incense, the lacquered woods and the playful hint at a masculine aftershave- the image of a high priest is conjured in my mind, gliding down the pews with imperceptible steps, kicking up a heavy trail of dust and smoke, ancient yet his eyes twinkle with youthful exuberance, his wrinkled face and its expression of impassible calm lit in vibrant purples and greens from the sunlight filtered through the stained glass as the church bells toll and the Latin chants rise to meet him. To be evocative of divine imagery to a teenager decidedly impious speaks volume of the craftsmanship. When I lift my right wrist to my nose, I think of the bottom of a first aid kit.

EXTREMELY LONG REVIEW, at your own risk:


The EDP -


What a treasure this is...

It is on my skin right now and I feel like I am in heaven. Actual heaven. The new Opium has a much gentler sort of sex appeal... A bit more celestial, a bit less Earthy. It envelops you into a velvet-like olfactory texture and will keep you trapped for a long time.

It still has its roots deeply planted in Earth - this is a rustic type of offering if your idea of 'rustic' is the insidious and captivating Indochine.

I remember using the old Opium in my early 20s. Some unspeakable and inexplicable level of euphoric beauty for sure, drenched in sex and the appeal of some imagined Orient. Yet I could not seem to get past the slightly dusty opening and how much it unsettled me. It was a thematically dense and texture-wise exorbitant type of gem. It was lush, unrelenting and a major powerhouse, but created with such intellect I had to admit. I loved sleeping in it, but I always had to 'arrive' to that point of that sublime torturous pleasure.

The new EDP is slightly different.

It is UNMISTAKABLY the 'Opium EDP' that I remember but the opening is significantly streamlined. It is gentler and smoother like a Canova sculpture surface... but still so magnetically powerful. All the jagged rough edges have been polished into a shiny beautiful finish. None of it smells synthetic, for it is still very Earthy.

When I say 'polish', I do not mean particularly 'clean'. Yes, that 70s-80s signature civet-y sort of woody accord is now gone and the incense overall is significantly lessened, but it is still the same dangerous and heady smelling potion that it originally was.

At least that is what I feel in my heart.

It is not merely a 'gentle suggestion' of a beauty long gone. It IS Opium. However on me, this one is pleasure and gratification from the get-go. I do not need to wait for anything. I love being in this. It moves and unfolds again and again in surprising and at times perplexing stages like the original Opium did, and it is still the furthest thing from what I'd call simply 'linear'.

Has been so much more than that, still remains so. This is STILL Opium.

The drydown lacks the woody note.

Fragrantica proclaims that the original wood note featured in Opium was sandalwood, but it used to smell so civet-adjacent that I cannot be so sure if it was indeed sandalwood. I always thought it was some juniper-adjacent wood-like offering, for it was simultaneously very spicy-sweaty-woody.

The drydown indeed had some woody aspect - whatever it indeed was - drenched in rich spices, resins and carnation. The new drydown lacks that and consequently smells less... sticky. It is now only spices and carnation. I slightly miss that woody aspect; I'll admit. But it also smells far more gender-neutral somehow.

Now easily wearable by men who enjoy darker richer Orientals.

Aside from that, I am more than content that the incense has been toned down significantly, and the carnation and that signature unified body of resins-and-spices featured have been allowed to showcase themselves in a more meaningful and impactful manner. Back in the original Opium, the incense suffocated all of it on my skin, hence the aforementioned undesirable 'dustiness'.

It still features cloves and a degree of incense, hence the scent pyramid released by Loreal featured above is nonsensical at best.


...


I cannot wait to expose some water on this tomorrow... that is my personal test.

If I feel orgasmic in the pool or in the shower (with the potion that is dried-and-died out the day after) now has been rejuvenated with clean water, then the perfume in question passes my test. I need to re-feel the pleasure. Its fading beauty offering a final glimpse... It needs to perform to sing its swan song before it gets fully washed off of my flesh from yesterday.

Shalimar proudly passes that test. Jicky does it. The occasional Tom Ford offering will do it. We'll see what happens with the new Opium, because the old Opium did it with dignity and in sheer beauty.


...


I adore the new Opium.

Right up there with my precious Opium Pour Homme which remains unchanged for now. Of course in my cannon, it remains below the great Shalimar and the incomparable Habit Rouge. Yet I cannot express how happy I am with this new inclusion to my collection.

The new bottle is perfect in form. Yet the carnelian red of it should have been a much denser in hue-concentration. I do love the sharp black shank piercing its heart, and I adore its considerable weight in my hand.

It is precious to me.


...


It is a hot Mediterranean summer day today... the cypress, laurel and juniper in my garden smell ripe, bitter and immortal... and the new Opium is on my unworthy flesh...

It STILL works at the capacity of some immortal hierophant of the terrible and menacing Hecate...

It STILL has no gender, but it is STILL somehow a woman...

It STILL has no misgivings, no hindrances in its path, nothing to apologize for...

It STILL has those heavy lidded opaque eyes... covered from neck to toe in rubies, amethysts and mandarin garnets... STILL donning that ominous, all-knowing yet seductive smile...

It is STILL listless yet inviting...

It is now much more polished and STILL un-fleeting...

It is STILL so valuable that no amount of gold can match its value...

It is STILL Opium.


...

Today I finally got around to testing the 2009 YSL Opium. Initially, I was very impressed with the opening. It definitely opens with vintage Opium DNA, a strong backbone of spicy florals, but with a breath of fresh air, made sparkling and wearable. More myrrh, and less rah-rah clove-carnation-cinnamon than the vintage version.

Unfortunately, the topnotes were the only redeeming part of this fragrance for me. The initial sparkle wears off quickly, and the heartnotes flattened out to sweetish carnation soap on my skin, which I find cloying and slightly nauseating.

If the vintage Opium was a front-row seat at a bonfire with ashes singeing your hair, then this modern version is like seeing the bonfire through a grimey and blurred windowglass. I wasn't head over heels about the original, but had to respect its fieriness. This modern version won't get you burned, but what's the point?

this is so unisex that I think its an younger sibling of Kouros, I adore it over black opium. so stnning and strong. lasts a long time , reminds me of my childhood of 80s and also school days of 90s, all my aunties perhaps wore these fragrances back in the day alongside chanel no 5 and shalimar, its a nostalgic one. if you are a collector, you must have it
10/10

I owned a bottle in 1982 which I loved .
Today I tested it at the perfume store.
Pfff what a disappointment.
I smelled a note which smelled really bad. It reminded me of clove but clove isn't mentioned in the pyramid.
It stayed there from the beginning till the end.
It smelled awful (to me). Such a shame.
I still remember the scent of the original Opium, how lovely it was.
This has nothing to do with the Opium I once had.

I have found my opium that is beautiful, it’s the edt version not the edp! The edp after the dry down is just plain awful , I love this eft one which has depth and clarity, I can breathe it in without it smelling musty like the edp version. I’m very happy to have now done this comparison.

I cannot be impartial in reviewing this fragrance because it has accompanied me since my 18 years. It was a gift received to celebrate my passage into maturity 'and for me it was absolute love. Every time I wear this perfume, I travel with my mind to ancient China, to the opium houses, smoky, where a thousand aromas come together to make one or a thousand different ones. The old houses, the lacquered furniture, the mother of pearl, the red as a color ..... a sensory and emotional journey through time. Patchouli, amber and vanilla for me are in perfect accord and are the essences that I feel from the beginning. An important, invasive, almost hypnotic perfume. With this fragrance, every step of the way, I leave my mark. A perfume that does not forget, does not forget and that for me is like a diamond. FOREVER.

used to like this, but have changed my mind, and seriously wish I could remember why I liked it, not love. This is something I will have to work on, I cannot accept that I have changed my like to dislike without a firm reason. So I like the first blast when I put opium on but shortly after when the hit had worn off it became a musty smell that is unwearable. I want to smell the spice cinnamon which I’m craving at this time of world uncertainty.

I bought it 2 years ago. The scent is super weird. Not sexy nor seductive.
Didnt last even an hour. After few times using it, I gave it away

My second review, of the EDT.

Not actually a review, more a commentary. Running an eye down the reviews here I can see that while many people lament the demise of the pre-2009 Opium, there are quite a few who find themselves pleasantly surprised by the new formulation. It's probably not as spicy, nor as strong. I've only had a fleeting opportunity to compare old and new but what is on the market at the moment is easier to wear, I think. This could actually be an example of a careful, respectful reformulation to bring an old classic to a new generation of perfume wearers.

It's still very beautiful, full of character, enveloping, satisfying, warmed from within. Two or three sprays will last all day and much longer than that on fabric. A whiff of Opium on a scarf on a chilly day is heaven.

If you adore vintage Opium, nothing will shake your conviction that the new stuff is an abomination. But if are new to it and are wondering what the fuss is about, give it a go with an open mind.

Got the EDP about a year ago at duty free for a good price. It’s lovely. But, anyone who had the Parfum around the time of the early 1980s will remember something slightly different. It was so extraordinary and wonderful. When I first spray the EDP, I have a brief moment in which I remember what it used to be. I know I can probably get a vintage of the old one on Ebay or somewhere else. But, I am a bit tired of being disappointed with the vintages. Sometimes you just can’t go back. So, I am reviewing this version, which I think is from perhaps 10 years ago. I love to wear it, to smell it. What else is there to say?

I usually don't like dated scents but this is an exception - it has the right amount of sweetness to even out the woody spiciness. As much as I like it, this scent is far too old for me - I can't imagine girls my age wearing or appreciating it. I imagine it can be a bit overpowering.

I know it's more of a winter scent, but it smells great in the summer.

It's not listed in the notes, but I could smell cola.

I have the EDT. When I first got this I felt it had a sharp harsh note that stopped me from really enjoying it.
But today, trying again after some months, it finally seems to be working for me! For some reason I thankfully no longer get that jarring note, and I'm picking up a deep incense-y spiciness. I'm very partial to incense notes in perfume, so this is a big win for me! Will have to wear more often.

I really like this reformulation. It’s not as strong as it used to be but still has the spicy floral character. I’m going to wear it for the rest of the winter season . I don’t think this smells dated either . Which is great ! A real woman’s fragrance

Update: Wow I wanted to make YSL libre my signature but I keep reaching for this ! Love love love !

Rich and resinous spicy smoky myrrh on a bed of sweet vanilla and a soapy(clean) sort of dry down. There's also the Eastern incense vibe in there as well as amber and florals. Can be a bit much if you over spray.

Definitely a sophisticated smell for sure. Now I know it has that "Mature women" association but I'm a guy in my mid 30's and I wear it with a shirt and tie in the winter and I get complements. I was asked if it was a niche designer before.

Classic, expensive smelling oriental with serious longevity.
Thumbs up from me!

I had a mother who wore the original 1977 fragrance. I would sneak it all the time. I like that the new style is less in your face and slightly more subtle. I feel like a sexy spice jar when I wear it. It is warm and great for autumn and winter. A true sweater weather more to me than you think scent. Sensual and deep at the same time. Slightly caramel on the wear down.

dear massimilianoinquieto
_i'm sorry you reduce everything to a couple of balloons
_you have already expressed your opinion without searching patiently
you will see that you will find at least one perfume that is worth loving if not two
_and then everything evolves come on

Review for the EDT.

I remembered not liking Opium back when I was little, so I was hesitant about trying this and I only did one faint spritz on my wrist. To my surprise, the scent wasn't heavy and suffocating as I remembered! Yes, it is strong, but nice, spicy, cinnamon-y (I'm guessing it's the carnation). Yes, there is myrrh and opoponax, but to my nose, it doesn't smell like straight up 'buddhist temple' or 'church'.
There is a nice soapiness underneath all the spice, which creates an intriguing juxtaposition: the sexiness of the spices vs the clean, sophisticated musk... I just love it! Yes, I am a millennial, yes I am young... but I like this 'toned-down version' much better than the original I remember from long ago. I am seriously considering purchasing the EDT! Although I thought I hated Opium?? Wow, quite a surprise!

Btw agree with everyone saying it's unisex; I think this would be gorgeous on a man too!

kirrineyears This, Shalimar, and a host of other scents that seem _really_ 'female' smell awesome on guys. If you squint and smell Old Spice or a Bay Rum type men's scent, you'll get the flowers, spices and resins of Opium. Shalimar on guys is amazing. I wore Opium for yeeears, like possibly 15 years, and it was a love affair that never went away. I principally don't wear it now because it's too overpowering for offices and as i am now in my mid 50s i don't go out as much as i used to. but i stood next to a woman at the bus stop wearing it yesterday and it reawoke the passion lolll. there's really nothing even close to it in terms of iconic, strong, all-encompassing, gorgeous, rich, lush event fragrances. all this time i think it is the myrrh, sleepy and twilight dark, that has been calling me back--because i really love M7 Oudh Absolu by YSL which is strong on the myrrh.

My wife loves this, the new version. I like it on her. I think everyone has to remember that back in the day perfume producers had to ensure their products could compete with all the other overpowering odors of the day, principally cigarette smoke. Anyone old enough to remember will tell you that a night out on the town would result your clothes, your hair, hell, even your skin absolutely reeking of stale cigarette smoke. People smoked in pubs, bars, clubs, restaurants, cinemas, theatres, on buses and in trains, at home and at work. They even smoked on planes. The pilots smoked. No escape. Therefore, fragrances HAD to be powerhouses. Not anymore. Now we can appreciate the subtleties of the art. Stuff does not have to be nuclear. Stuff dies not have to choke you - I remember my poor sister starting to wheeze if we had to pass through the perfume section of any department store when were children. It is not necessary these days. When I was a university student in the 1980s, a girlfriend bought me Kouros for my birthday. I kept it in its box in the drawer of my desk. That drawer STILL smells of Kouros. I don’t imagine for one minute that anyone wants that these days. So, here we have the new, usable, livable-with Opium which makes any woman smell fantastic. Enjoy!

I am a 30yo male and I'm pretty sure I can rock this. A really cool classic - but it's got to be the EDP! I was quite disappointed at the performance of the EDT. I'm surprised I get compliments for this... I would have thought when most people smelled it they would just roll their eyes and think 'why do you smell like my mum'. ^o^

The resins rule in this edition of Opium. Maybe just too strong. A suggestion is to apply to legs, then you can enjoy the scent lightly rising up. Then the scent is more balanced, and is able to be enjoyed.

Decided to try this vintage "liberated lady" scent, given the content of the fragrance and changing tastes over the decades.

I'm liking this a lot on my skin. Smells like a deeper, richer version of Obsession For Men. Perfect for this time of year (autumn) here in Midwest America ... and it's a really nice change from having all these wonderful spices smashed together with Ambroxan.

Fellas. Give this a whirl. Share with your lady too. This current formulation of Opium is not to be missed.

I had only experienced current Opium that I sprayed on a card last week and an "impression of" from the drugstore (which is slightly interesting but powdery and short-lived). So I got a vintage EDT online. I'm not sure how old it is but ugh, it smells like 90 percent of all the vintage things I've picked up lately: like dingy, soured old Chanel No. 5 or worse.


The Opium on the card lingered for a full five days and smelled nice and spicy.

UPDATE: I purchased a full bottle of the current YSL Opium and it has grown on me. It lingers forever and is almost physically warming in the winter cold. An icon in perfumery, I'll wear it and keep a bottle on hand.

I wouldn't say I love this perfume, and I'm wavering between liking it and disliking it. I can't quite make up my mind.

It's a warm and spicy fragrance, perfect for cold weather. The spices tickle my nose quite a bit. The myrrh seems to be the star of the perfume.
Upon first spritz, I can smell cinnabar, despite it not being listed as a note. I'm also getting a whiff of what smells like Johnson's baby powder, which gives it a nice soft touch. I'm also getting a little fruity zest along with a soapy smell.
To me, it's like a mixture between Old Spice and Loulou by Cacharel. Not my favourite fragrances, mind you.

Overall it's nice, but nothing to rave about. I do understand why a lot of people like it, but personally it's not to my liking. I'm not sure if some notes are too powerful, or if it's lacking something extra to help balance it out.

Jesus christ this perfume. it has me deep breathing and light headed from inhaling, has me burying my face in my cardigan to keep smelling it

it's so intoxicating

if i were a vampire at one whiff of it my fangs out be out

this perfume, the dry down .... it's that bad boy in the leather jacket towering over you and you just can't take the tension anymore so you grab him by his collar and just finally throw caution to the wind and kiss him

it's the temptress and the seductress urgh!! i feel so alive when i wear this!

for once a perfume with spice that isn't curry, The spice in Opium smells like mischievousness and a hint of danger.

I just want to pour a bottle into my washing machine, wash my sheets, dryer it and just roll around in it forever

it's just intoxicating, i can't get enough of it. if i could i'd bury my face in my own neck right now. Lord have mercy

This review is for the EDP.

Spicy incense all the way, with carnation lingering in the background. It reminds me of Chanel's Coco EDT (also a floriental) cranked up to eleven, with the cloves and peach substituted with sweet, incensy myrrh, and the rose replaced with carnation.

Whereas Coco is subdued and its notes blend in seamlessly where they form an abstract whole, the 2009 Opium is brash, unapologetic, and each note fights their way to the top.

This is something that I yearn for on some days, and loathe on others. The loud wood and incense on top can get nauseating for me. This dries down really quietly, though, and leaves only whiffs of the scent after a few hours, whereas Coco, though overall a softer scent, lingers more strongly after an entire day of wearing it.

Much better than the vintage that i never could wear because of the cat pee side that came through on my skin. The new one is spicier and warmer on my skin. The old version was too sharp. This one is like pain d épices ...small cakes full of cinnamon, clove,cardamom and honey..youth dew is on the same vibe but with much flowers. i wish the projection would be longer

In about 2010 I happened upon a 30ml bottle of Opium EDT at a discount perfume shop. $50 Australian. I wondered why it was so cheap, but couldn't resist the bargain and bought it.

Soon I realised that in 2009 Opium had been reformulated and repackaged. Mine was the old packaging, in a clear glass bottle, so the retailer must have been selling off a consignment of old stock.

I seldom wore it. It was beautiful, but heavy-lidded orientals were never my style and it felt like I wearing a stage costume whenever I wore Opium.

A few years later someone put me in touch with a woman who was desperate for pre-2009 Opium. Opium had been her signature for years and she was horrified by the new version. Really distressed and angry, I think. I sold her mine and charged her exactly what I'd paid for it, $50. Prices for 'vintage' had gone through the roof by then. (In fact I gather that Opium went through many changes over the years before 2009.)

So she was grateful indeed but I was left with the idea that she would keep scouring the world for more vintage Opium. My 30mls would not last long. It was the only perfume she ever wore and she was addicted, almost literally. I could tell she was always on the hunt for her next fix. I started to feel sorry for her family because for sure she had been wearing too much of the stuff for years.

For myself, I accepted everyone's assessment that the 2009 version was an outrage on the original masterpiece, and forgot about Opium.

Recently by chance I heard that the Opium on the market right now, 2019, is pretty good. Intrigued, I tested it in store and greatly to my surprise, I liked it! I bought a 5ml decant to live with for a while, and today picked 30mls of the EDT. So now I unexpectedly own a bottle again. ($60 this time, so I'm not greatly out of pocket I guess!)

I don't remember much about my earlier bottle except that it was very strong on the carnation/carnation/pepper/dry spices aspect. The current version has toned that down considerably, and overall it seems mellower and less demanding. This actually suits me quite well. It was the baroque lushness of the original that put me off. This seems much more wearable.

Twenty minutes after application I can feel it melt into my skin and become part of me. Before that happens I get a whiff of something gorgeously fruity, a hint of the peach perhaps. This effect doesn't last long, but it's utterly delicious.

Longevity and sillage are outstanding still (I think) but perhaps without the nuclear strength that Opium used to have. It can linger beautifully on a scarf for days without smelling stale.

Despite the changes I still feel that there is an addictive quality to Opium that I don't notice in other orientals (Coco, Samsara). There really is something unique about it. Likening it to a drug is very apt. If it disappeared off the market tomorrow I would not be devastated, like my Opium-crazed friend of yore, but I'm very, very glad to have it in my life.

I owned Opium EDT (2009 version, reviewed earlier here - have never smelled the vintage) a few years ago and enjoyed for a while. Gave away remainder of bottle to charity as I missed florals/sweeter scents at the time. But now, I am yearning for the beautiful Opium EDP: its smooth depth and exotic spicy notes may be less crowd-pleasing than Black Opium - which I've also enjoyed - but I feel that Opium now reflects the best of one's inner self: it has a divine, powerful strength and presence that is befitting of a woman in her prime, carving her way through life's journey with all its challenges and rewards. I hope I have earned this heavenly fragrance as a signature scent: I am certainly going to give it a try.

EDIT: Although I love this scent, I have found it too heavy for an everyday wear signature, so now mainly use it for evenings, when I crave a spicy scent, or just to calm myself

Rather sadly I've never gotten around to test the old version, but I happen to like the current one.

In general I prefer heavier scents that make an entrance, and this version of Opium catered to my demands. I enjoyed the initial explosion of cinnamon and something that reminded me of incense. The cinnamon disappeared a bit too quickly and the scent later morphed into a beautiful mixture of jasmine, patchouli, carnation and vanilla, and it made me think of church. Luckily for me, I happen to like the lightly powdery smell of candles and incense so Opium was a win.

Silage is great, there is a nice trail, longevity is very decent as well. I don't find it strange, dusty or overpowering no matter how much I spray it on, which is ironic since I'm quite afraid of fragrances like J'Adore if I spray them too much.

Opium is a unique perfume and I can't say it's for everyone. But it's a good idea to give it a chance. Definitely not a good idea to blind buy it or buy it as a gift. You must be 100% sure the person will like it.

I made my review months ago (see below) but just wanted to add that I changed my mind about loving this equally as the vintage.
Sorry to disagree with the vintage Opium lovers but I love this new version (EDT) much more.
I like the vintage also, and I wear it often. I have 2 bottles, one from 1994, another 1999 (not real vintage I know, but those are the oldest ones I could get). In both of my vintages, the incense is too heavy. It seems out of balance, or maybe the scents have gone off, I don't know since I didn't smell it back in the day... It smells like I've walked through the smoke of a barbecue. Almost dirty, but not in a sexy way. Literally smoky, and that is a bit tiring for me.
The rest of the notes are there but kind of in the background, all choked by the incense.
The new one, instead, is much more balanced, richer, and I perceive it as more elegant and harmonic.
I still have to try the current EDP but I'm sure it's fantastic.
It's crazy to see so many different opinions about the same stuff.

This is one fragrance that I have been able to try the original or "vintage". Long story short, I prefer the old one with the planet bottle. The new one is dusty and clove heavy on me. But that's ok it's not a scent Is wear daily anyway.
If you really miss the old formula it's still around on ebay.

I sprayed myself like 10 times with the current version......1/2 hour later nothing but skin scent; only if I press my nose into my shirt or skin do I smell something . I'm ok with that as there is too too much cinnamon in there to begin with. The house of YSL never did it for me. Mens OR Ladies.

I’ve been hoping to test this for the longest time and as xhance would have it, there was a bottle of opium edt in my grandmorher’s dressing table when I went over to visit. I will have you know my grandmother is a very chic and hip lady, she would never go around smelling like an “old lady” - this woman is still in heels and full makeup at 83!

I am very dubious of any reviewer stating this smells dated or like “old lady”. I was expecting something a lot heavier than what I have on my wrist right now.

I LOVE this. To me, it’s woody spicy and it’s modern but timeless.

Of course, it’s probably very different from the original but you can’t be mad at Hal for this. They have to work with increasingly strict regulations and in reform halting this perfume, maybe it’s not like the original but it is splendid. I find it really wearable for me as a 28 year old and even on a summer day. It’s not a suffocating cloud of heavy spice.

It opens powdery on me. The first few minutes were a little bit reminiscent of baby wipes with spice but then it aetrlws to a warm woody scent with just the right dose of spice. It isn’t sharp. It’s warm and inviting and it’s not overwhelming or offensive at all!

I’m so pleased. I find this such a unique and classy scent. I’m getting a big bottle ASAP. I could see myself wearing this all the time and I already prefer it to the more modern spicy perfumes I have in my collection.

I never wore the original Opium because after testing it once found that it wore me and not the other way around. It was just too overwhelming. I read about the updating of this fragrance and decided to purchase a small bottle of the edt to see if I would appreciate it more than the last time, I tried it. I happen to love spicy scents, especially Fendi Asja and CK Obsession, so I would love to add another spicy scent to my collection.

It was chilly yesterday, so I decided it was the perfect weather to test out the new bottle. It reminded me of Café Café on first spray, but then it becomes a very incense and spicy fragrance. For some reason I keep smelling a spicy rose though there's no rose listed in the notes. It stays pretty much that way though the life of the scent, but the spiciness was joined in the dry down by a very heavy vanilla and amber. Honestly, I still find this overwhelming.

Overall, while I think this is a beautiful, mysterious fragrance, it's really not for me. This is a femme fatale fragrance, something I can imagine would be more fitting for Mata Hari than for me.

My nanna wore OPIUM for years when I was little. My pop worked on the sea and would bring her something from every trip. Chanel no5 and Opium were her two signatures.
I remember the smell of the true Opium well; intense and spicy, addictive.

I smelled this version yesterday and..Well..
It's nice, but it's lost a lot of its depth and complexity. On my skin it was a whole load of incense with a very faint soapyness and in the middle there's a strange bitterness that smells a little like citrus.

This was always the Queen of orientals; a bombastic potion of spice and sensuality. One of those ones that when you smelled it on someone it was instantly recognisable, " She's wearing Opium".

I just wish this had even half the life still in it that it used to, all this talk of weakening and reformulating classic powerhouses for younger noses that can handle it, I ask, who are thses people? Because I'm 29, and I guess I fall into this 'soft' age bracket, and I long for those beast fragrances to be what they once were.
But I also agree with a review I once read for another scent, that life's too short to spend it chasing discontinued vintages when we could be enjoying what is readily available to us now. I want so badly to love this, but it is one of those ones that I just cant get past how different it is to what I remember

Inexorably stripped of its unique beauty and glows of the past, which were torn from our hands but not from the heart, this version still retains its own style, elegance and dignity, to me.
Always beautiful.
Nothing will ever make me desist from loving Opium immensely also in this version!
Nevertheless, I have faith in research and progress. I hope and trust one day (not too far away) they will give it back to Us, as bright and precious as it used to be.

This smells just like my suntan lotion, Bain de soleil. So if you like that smell but it isnt quite strong enough, just spray on the tiniest bit of this and youre set

Insence sticks in a bottle.

Very strong and long lasing. Smells like a mixture of 24 Faubourg Hermès , Youth Dew and Dolce Gabbanna Red. Also some leather in the background. This is a fall and winter scent.

On my skin Opium is exactly the same as Tabu by Dana, the only difference is that Tabu is slightly better. I am starting to think I have a very vulgar taste since I tend to like better scents on the cheaper side.
Opium on me smells like a sultry, misterious, warm, peppery veil. I prefer taboo because its sweeter and it has a rootbeer accord that I love. Opium is slightly more sophisticated but the heavy spices make it smell a bit dated to me. Still a masterpiece, a real perfume that fits both men and women.

received as a gift. on me its quite sharp and strong, i got overwhelmed. its quite vulgar and masculine even. it lasted all day. a very popular fragrance but just not for me.

Smell almost the same like Estee Lauder Youth Dew, just without the coca-cola vibe in Youth Dew. No need to own both

Not having smelled this , or worn in quite some time - meaning decades - I have found this not as heady, not as powerful with incense smoke as I remember. The extreme depth is not there.
I expected it to blow me away, at least from first spritz top notes - and to take me back in time.
I mean - who can forget Opium , the original classic formula ??
All of that aside , I am pleased with this scent .
Spicy, creamy dreamy amber and vanilla, a touch of very lightly sprinkled cinnamon into cosmetic powder , mingled with a bit of orange citrus, and herbal from the patchouli.
While it is spicy, sensual, and mature, I also find it fresh, a slight bit clean , with a certain exhilaration.
Wears very well, longevity 10 + hours that I can tell, sillage is moderate + .
No time for me to get to the heart of this Opium.
Compliments from 4 men, and 3 women :)
I have grown older, formulas change .
I knew about the changes going in - from reading reviews from the kind members for years -
I am not disappointed with my purchase , but would love to someday visit a vintage Opium for nostalgia factor.

**From 2015**

I can't say enough good things about post-2010 Opium. Yes, I went through bottles of the vintage, but the fact is this just smells wonderful on men and women, lasts forever, and retains the character of the original. When you smell it, there is no doubt it is Opium. If it were marketed under a different name it would be hailed as a glorious, baroque throwback oriental. You can achieve the effect of the original by just wearing more. My dirty laundry all smells of sandalwood incense weeks later. I get told I smell like leather and incense.The powder effect that got "old lady" comments is reduced and the myrrh and incense amped up. This is more wearable in 2015 but still strange enough that you will stand out from the aquatic and Iso E cedar crowd and people with dull minds and uninteresting taste will wish you wore something else. I actually admire YSL's honesty in changing the bottle, making it easier to discern between new and old. Treasure this while we have it.

I have just this minute smelled this gorgeous scent on a work colleague (yes she is wearing it at work during the day no less!). The familiar striking scent stopped me in mid-walk and had me back-tracking to ask what she was wearing. She said it was Opium and I swear it smells no different in my memory from the original I owned briefly back in 1984. Must add to collection.

i ve layered it with incence avignon and reminded me of the scent i first sniffed back in the 90s.but i m gonna follow the advice of another reviewer and i ll buy the body cream because i ve had it years ago and it was outstanding just as the perfume.FruitDiet s review i think is exactly to the point.for a few days i ve been thinking the same thing.i loved opium when i was young but in many times it was too much!!this version although softer its easier to wear all the time and i think younger women or even my age will give it a try at least

I'm writing this review to defend the 2009 version.

It is Beautiful!

I do have a third of a bottle that is no less than 25 years old (my mother's) and I can honestly say that the new one IS Opium, it cannot be mistaken for anything else. The obvious difference is that the old one had the Cloves and Carnation stand out more while the new one has the Myrrh more standing out, to me this is a plus!

So if you are considering this version, don't be intimidated by the negative reviews.

It is a timeless and unique beauty!

Spicy and oriental without sugar. Great longevity, just on my skin it shows masculine side. I can not wear it. I appreciate this perfume thou.

Totally disagree with the reviewer below ... firstly, I think most of us wear perfume first and foremost for our own pleasure - if it is enjoyed by others then it's a happy coincidence. I recently retested Opium and I must say I think the reformulation has been done superbly - in fact, it seems a lot more refined and smooth. Still has an powdery snuggliness, which tempers it's more exotic notes. I would say it's sexy - it certainly has all the credentials - and my husband loves it. I keep mine on my bathroom shelf for use by my guests - and most leave saying they are off to buy their own bottle. I'd say Opium's charms are being rediscovered, as are so many of the powerhouse perfumes - as an antidote to the cloying candied world of modern perfume.

I myself like this. It's nice and spicy but for so many this conjurs up memories, even this reformulation that so many despair of, it seems to remind every guy I know of elderly females. Sorry. My friend said he was in a cafe and some woman smelled like so many mature women and he hated it and it burned his nose. I wore this the next day and he was like oh my god that is the same stuff. This stuff in my experience is man repellent. Husband hates it, friend's husband hates it. Husband's aquaintances have all described it as THE older fem scent and I realise my market research is not conclusive but it is for me. I wouldn't wear this on a date. I wear this for me when I want something cosy. But I wear the Black one if I want other people to like and/or fancy me.. I DON'T MAKE THE RULES I'M ONLY REPORTING FINDINGS HERE x
Edit for reviewer above.. "Most of us wear perfume for our own pleasure" lolz. Some of us do some of the time, but this is like when people reckon they have plastic surgery "for themselves". No-one would really bother slicing up or adorning themselves if alone on a desert island. Human beings try to be more acceptable generally. This is why these forums are full to bursting with repeats n variations of the question "What perfumes do men love on women/do men like/what makes guys go crazy/what is your most complimented scent" n the men's forum is the same, what is a 'panty dropper' etc etc etc. No balloons for me boo hiss hahaha XD

Works equally well on men, maybe who like a darker, more heady scent, rather than fresh and citrus. first tried this at duty free, unaware it was a female perfume, and it just worked. I like the incense direction, there's a spiciness there, a bit of mysticism, my partner wears Dior Poison, and they complement each other well, if the whole exotic gothic bathtub gin in a candlelit library, whilst listening to the cure at halloween thing is your thing. Fantastic in the evenings of autumn and winter.

of course i find it similar to youth dew. and i love both. sadly, i let my ex have opium, so now all i have is youth dew, which is one step down on the ladder of perfection.

My mom is a fan, it's just lovely on her skin, not flattering on me. I like it, a much tamer version of the "busy" perfume. This is a wear everyday scent, that lasts long, and a little goes a long way. Spicy and nice.

Review (more like a story) for current EDT

I’ve only come to really know this wonderful scent quite recently. I had heard of it before but not really given it a second thought. If it wasn’t for smelling it on other people I don’t believe Opium would ever have been on my radar and that would have been my loss.

My first introduction to it was at a rock concert earlier this year. Seemingly out of nowhere I started smelling something so beautiful and intriguing, wafting in the air around me yet never becoming too much. I couldn’t get enough! To me, it was a delightful combination of soapy florals and a smooth, warm base working harmoniously together with neither part dominating. It was something I had never encountered before and that juxtaposition of notes was so intoxicating. Given the environment we were in there was no way for me to isolate who was wearing it let alone ask them what it was. But from that moment on the scent was ingrained in me and I knew that I wanted - no needed - to have it myself. But what was it?? Whilst I did try to find it for a while after that, eventually the search became almost impossible and I resigned to the fact that it would probably just remain in my memory...

Imagine my pure excitement and joy when I smelled it again just last week on a saleswoman assisting my hubby & I :-) I recognised it immediately!! This time, I was fortunate enough to be in a position to ask her what it was. Not only was she too happy to tell me it was Opium but she got the bottle from her bag (it was the current EDT) and generously sprayed me with it too so I could try it out. I was in an Opium cloud for the rest of the day. The longevity of this fragrance is outstanding - this was around 11:00am and I could still smell it a good 8 hours later!

Over the last few years i’ve developed a sensitivity to most fragrances whereby they give me a headache and make me feel nauseous, much to my utter disappointment. Surprisingly I didn’t have this reaction to Opium - yay! And I couldn’t be happier that on me it smells just as lovely as on the women who wore it first.

I absolutely love this perfume and i’m over the moon that I was able to find (and now wear) the fragrance that has haunted me until now. Clean, soapy yet beautiful (not harsh) florals intermingling with smooth warm notes that add contrast and depth is the best way I can describe this for me and I don’t want to smell like anything else.

Signature worthy.

J’adore cette version 2009, quel beau parfum! Pour moi il est fleuri - sucré - épicé! C’est le parfum de la femme qui s’assume, on ne passe jamais inaperçue avec un tel parfum. C’est tellement agréable de porter un parfum loin de tout ces parfums sucré bonbons qui inondent le marché actuellement. C’est le parfum de ma marraine et je le porte à mon tour, il est exceptionnel.

To me this smells like a burning candle, or a beeswax candle after it had been blown out. It’s very nice and warm, yet not too sweet or cloying.

Review for opium EDT, same colour bottle as this.

Summer test, one spritz from maybe 20cm away from skin - that’s the trick with this one. Spray from further away, NOT up close.

I don’t know how to explain balsamic. This scent I have not liked for as long as I can remember.
I gave it a go today as I want to try and understand it.

It’s soapy cool floral perfumey in the beginning, it is somewhat pungent, then as it goes along, a sweetness comes through, a perfumey floral spice sweetness - but not sugary sweet, like non western sweets, they are sweet but not like lollies. It’s not heavy and suffocating, nor is it light. I wouldn’t douse yourself in it either.

Floral perfumey spices, on a card (took a card too) there is a brightness and depth. Not garden florals, but heady deep florals, not hot spices; nor the type you might smell in an ethnic restaurant either.

Can’t comment on vintage or the edp. There is an air around it ‘of its era’ if your a gormand queen, or a fresh fruity tooty person this is the opposite of that.

It’s lasted from 3.30pm and I can still smell it up very close. It’s nit as loud as I expected - I tried the edt though. Can’t comment on edp.

I prefer the original. This one is so heavily laden with coriander and cloves to my nose. Also not as effervescent and the top adelhydes are not as prominent. I can see how people would enjoy this but I have to pass as it's too cloying for me.secluded
I did not grow up with the vintage so I'm not just saying it for old times sake.

Love this edition just as much as I did with the old one. Just Saw someone mentioning the aldehydes which I also adore i any scents. Silage and longevity is amazing.
The scent i highly addictive, captivating and intriguing. It`s sexy, classy and somewhat soapy in the bottom. Power woman, late night, Black dress and red lipstick kinda scent. Opium you will forever have a place on my perfume shelf.

I'm in love with this divine perfume. I have the EDT
Divine is the right word to describe this in every sense.
I especially adore the gorgeous, smoky opening, like incense/an opium den. It has a spiritual overtone, intensity and depth.
This is what sexy smells like to me. It's a strong scent and not for the faint of heart or for the girly girl type. It would smell very attractive on a man as well.
The ad for this features Mozarts Lacrimosa which coincidentally is my favourite piece of classical music. Definitely a signiture scent for me, along with Chanel No. 5. Ive tried so many perfumes and struggle to find anything I like, but Im infatuated with this.
It also has a hint of aldehydes which Im a sucker for.

Review for the Eau de Toilette

So far I have tried the current Eau de Parfum, and the vintage, and I find this version quite good. I would actually say that the Eau de Parfum is a smoother and deeper version of this but this version does have a spiciness that reminds me more of the vintage classic fragrances like Cinnabar and the classic Opium etc. I don't feel that this version projects as strongly though, and I think I would recommend the modern Eau de Parfum as a stronger choice. However, I do see this one as a more wearable unisex leaning fragrance, as opposed to the Eau de Parfum.

This one is not sweet at all. I don't know why it was listed as a sweet scent. Opium is just spicy incensy and hot aroma. Men can wear this for sure.

First of all I have never had the pleasure of smelling any vintage, original opium and my only experience is with the new EDT. It smells a bit soapy to me, like it has aldehydes in it, but i might be wrong as it is not listed. I can mostly smell the myrrh and carnation. This is a very warm, spicy, balsamic perfume. It feels comforting and I prefer wearing it in the colder months. I is complex and beautiful, feels classy and attention grabbing. I love wearing it, although some people around me don't like it only because it reminds them of an older relative who use to wear it. Luckily I don't care and will carry one wearing this beauty. Last over 7 hours on my skin and doesn't go unnoticed. 8/10 from me

This version of Opium is actually rather tame, and it is beautiful . I am surprised that anyone would object to it . I do not find it overwhelming or loud. Flowerbomb or Angel are more in your face than Opium . It is hard to see how this is viewed negatively , when most people love frags with incense notes . Opium IS incense and the richest incense . Is incense “dated” ?

I continually read reviews calling perfumes “dated” , as though anything older than five years is obsolete. Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is not dated - it is a masterpiece and classic . Opium is a very modern , sophisticated fragrance and it smells glamourous to me . It has good spillage and a few sprays will get compliments all day long . Men seem to like it and I think it has an air of mystery about it .

This version of Opium smells rich, expensive , and FAR BETTER than the flanker “Belle Opium” , which is sooooo generic . If you hang around perfume counters you will find and endless supply of candy smelling offerings that are rather similar , or a few florals that are PRICY and last about two hours .

I think the comparisons to the 1977 vintage version have already been done... this perfume was a staple for me in the late 70s through 90s... I am aware of what it used to be and other reviews have covered that already.
This is a review comparing the 2 Eau de toilette and the eau de parfum. A year ago, I originally tested the EDT, it was kind of flat and missing the beautiful carnation note but had lots of incense. I was disappointed. But the drydown was beautiful.
I went into the department store near me and put EDT on one arm, and EDP on the second. As suspected the eau de parfume is superior. It seems more deep and satisfying. Not just incense. It is a lot more expensive but when I repurchase I will be purchasing the EDP. For those who miss the vintage version, I think they would be surprised with the character of the EDP over the EDT. Edit: finally purchased the eau de perfume version. Am quite pleased with this over the eau de toilette.

I sincerely hope the 70s vintage version on its way in the post is an improvement on the test card in my handbag. Washing up liquid. That's all.

I love vintage scents, but this one actually smells too dated for me to pull off (and that’s from someone who absolutely rocks Mitsouko). It’s very dark, very thick, very strong and very spicy, and the first couple of hours unfortunately would be an instant headache for me. HOWEVER the drydown is amazing and I wish the whole composition was as beautiful as it ends up being. I saw Opium for a good price and came close to blind buying but I’m so glad that I tested it first. Maybe I’ll enjoy it fully one day, but for now I’ll just spritz some whenever I’m passing by, just to see if my impression changes.