Elixir by Penhaligon's
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7.5 / 10 161 Ratings
Elixir is a popular perfume by Penhaligon's for women and men and was released in 2008. The scent is woody-spicy. The production was apparently discontinued.
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Main accords

Woody
Spicy
Smoky
Floral
Oriental

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
EucalyptusEucalyptus CardamomCardamom Orange blossom absoluteOrange blossom absolute White cedarWhite cedar
Heart Notes Heart Notes
Turkish rose absoluteTurkish rose absolute Cinnamon leafCinnamon leaf RosewoodRosewood MaceMace Egyptian jasmine absoluteEgyptian jasmine absolute
Base Notes Base Notes
FrankincenseFrankincense Gaiac woodGaiac wood BenzoinBenzoin Tonka beanTonka bean VanillaVanilla Red sandalwoodRed sandalwood

Perfumer

Ratings
Scent
7.5161 Ratings
Longevity
7.2125 Ratings
Sillage
6.6120 Ratings
Bottle
7.8121 Ratings
Submitted by Seglein, last update on 08.04.2024.

Reviews

4 in-depth fragrance descriptions
10
Bottle
7
Sillage
9
Longevity
10
Scent
Mörderbiene

42 Reviews
Translated Show original Show translation
Mörderbiene
Mörderbiene
Top Review 21  
The Paradox of Callistics
First of all a warm hello.
After a long silent partnership, I have decided to end it in favour of a slightly less silent partnership. One reason is the urgent desire to try to comment on me as well. Another also to strengthen the Swabian perfume fraction:)
I deliberately decided to dedicate my first Kommi Penhaligon´s to Elixir. The why should be revealed in the following lines. God knows I am not a professional when it comes to sniffing out individual ingredients and I am so happy that there are already very informative commissions on this fragrance
I would like to begin with a brief definition of the term. The teaching of aesthetics (ancient Greek aisthesis "perception") deals in the scientific sense with everything perceptible by the human senses. Optics, acoustics, gustatorics, haptics and of course olfactory. Contrary to the colloquial use, the rating plays no role, aesthetics does not decide between "beautiful" and "unsightly". A subfield of aesthetics deals with this evaluation. The Kallistik (ancient Greek kallista "very beautiful") deals in the field of aesthetics with beauty, which according to the doctrine is characterized by regularities and harmony.
But are regularity, symmetry, harmony really equated with beauty?
Every day we unconsciously perceive so many things that we consciously don't even notice because they are so normal and ordinary, almost boring. Only when something falls out of line, we take it consciously was. Initially we are bothered by this, analyse roughly at first and thereby gain the time to get involved in it.

With the cool incense and the warm rose, Elixir unites two unequal partners who form a fascinating symbiosis.
The contrast runs through the entire course of the fragrance. The fresh but subtle eucalyptus and cardamom pass through the heart to the incense, while the orange blossom soon introduces the rose (dark purple), which later fades slightly vanilla. This slowly pulsating dance of hot and cold takes place on a stage made of discreet, dark wood and lasts over a whole day This dance leads the mind inside and the wrist to the nose.

The unusual in particular emanates an uncanny fascination, the otherness is what makes it special.
How beautiful can a small scar be on perfect female skin, like captivating two eyes of different colors. How interesting can traces of decades of use on an old herringbone parquet be, how successful an orchestral interpretation of drinking songs (see Orff's Carmina Burana), how refreshing the combination of hot mustard and sweet figs can be.
And yes, how beguiling can a scent of incense and roses be.
The inharmonious can also be so beautiful because it remains in the memory much earlier, because associations are made and memories are linked. On our soil, unlikely childlike primal forces have caused Lego bricks to smash, leaving deep furrows and dents, but it wouldn't occur to me in my dreams to have them abraded. And - well, this little scar, I love it every time anew.

This fragrance was a gift from a good friend who said it would be a perfect match for me because I had two sides too. Outwardly always a bit cool, distant, emphasizes polite and objective, but also romantic and passionate.
This may be a Swabian peculiarity to be a little closed to the outside, but I have also discovered Elixir absolutely for myself, and he has become my - possibly somewhat unusual - signature scent.
Moreover, this gift represents an important turning point in my fragrance career, it heralded the second (or rather the third, but more about that in another Kommi, is still in progress) Mörderbiensche Parfumzeit. Until then I owned exactly three fragrances, and wore two fragrances, Sierstorpff and Equipage Geranium, two rather classic men's fragrances.
Elixir opened my eyes to beauty and sent me on a great search for beauty.
I didn't lose my favor on the fragrances I mentioned because of this (I only use them much less inflationary), because beauty knows no bounds.
Therefore, Elixir is also equally suitable for men and women who, like me, have packed the never-ending search.
Even though I would spontaneously locate the fragrance in the colder and darker seasons of the year, this does not prevent me from enjoying it in summer as well. I also see Elixir authentically at almost every occasion.
The bottle is well known up to the label of other Penhaligons, but frankly I don't care. Penhaligons could also deliver Elixir in a cognac barrel or milk bucket (then I'd have more of it), and it wouldn't detract from the quality of the fragrance.

Experience teaches that beauty is hidden everywhere, sometimes more, sometimes less; sometimes more obvious, sometimes less obvious.
Therefore, paradoxically, contrary to the scientific view, aesthetics actually deals with the "beautiful" in its all-encompassing scope of contemplation, thus leaving behind the callistics that so misdefines the concept of the beautiful.
Greetings, your

Killer bee
12 Comments
10
Bottle
5
Sillage
5
Longevity
8
Scent
Tar

261 Reviews
Tar
Tar
Helpful Review 2  
Autumn of the Nutmeg
Expectation is a really weird thing. I thougth that the lid of ELIXIR should be covered with bandage because a serious danger was locked up in the bottle. I was wrong.

If Penhaligon's would have a fragrance, only one with the same name as the perfume house has, ELIXIR would deserve the name. It is so typical from them!
My first impression is a season: autumn, or even winter. Chestnut forest, woods, balms, warm yellow-red-brown leaves on the ground. It took more than one hour till I torn myself away from the picture of roasted chestnuts and arrived to the heaven of nutmeg. The whole composition is ruled by nutmeg seed, a very pleasant and comforting scent.

My soul is satisfied and preparing for winter.
Longevity - at first I also had problem with it, but I have got only a sample vial without sprayer(and longing for a full bottle).
1 Comment
5
Sillage
7.5
Longevity
5
Scent
Missk

1165 Reviews
Missk
Missk
Helpful Review 3  
A fire that fizzles out
I love hot, spicy fragrances, particularly those along the lines of Givenchy's Xeryus Rouge with its fiery chilli notes and its raw sexuality.

Elixir opens a little similar to Xeryus Rouge with a fiery burst of spices, however it soon settles, like a fire that's beginning to burn out.

It had the potential to be a smoking hot fragrance, yet it has left me slightly underwhelmed, which is a massive shame. It's too light and polite on the skin for my tastes.

During the opening notes, I can smell the cinnamon, cardamom and what appears to be hot peppers. The scent rapidly cools down into a pleasant, subtly spiced floral with a slightly soapy quality.

The fragrance chops and changes, one minute it's spicy the next it's soft and flowery. The drydown shows some signs of the scent heating up again, but it never seems to reach boiling point. Rich woods and resins tend to dominate in the drydown, with the incense and vanilla being barely detectable to my nose.

I guess I'm still on the hunt for something similar to Xeryus Rouge for women. For those not expecting a hot fragrance for passionate wear, Elixir would most likely pass as an interesting, soft and wearable spicy oriental, yet for me this just couldn't make the mark.
0 Comments
SystemeD

58 Reviews
SystemeD
SystemeD
Very helpful Review 5  
Incense and spices
To me, this is one of Penhaligon's very best offerings.

A delightfully spicy opening, with distinctive cinnamon and cardamom notes. The eucalyptus is surprising here, but it works to lighten the spices in a very interesting manner.

The incense appears quite early. You won't have to wait until the base for this note. It insinuates itself into the spices from the very start.

The heart is a rose and jasmine accord, still spiked with incense.

The woody drydown is deliciously complex, with the incense still holding the compostion together.
0 Comments

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