Library Collection - Opus IV Amouage 2010

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7.7 / 10 191 Ratings

Library Collection - Opus IV is a popular perfume by Amouage for women and men and was released in 2010. The scent is spicy-resinous. The longevity is above-average. It is being marketed by Sabco Group / Oman Perfumery.
Pronunciation

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Main accords

Spicy

Resinous

Oriental

Smoky

Woody

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Coriander

Grapefruit

Mandarin orange

Lemon

Heart Notes

Cumin

Cardamom

Elemi resin

Rose hip

Rose

Violet leaf

Base Notes

Frankincense

Labdanum

Peru balsam

Musk

Perfumer

Jacques Flori

Ratings

Scent

7.7191 Ratings

Longevity

8.8143 Ratings

Sillage

7.9145 Ratings

Bottle

7.3138 Ratings

Value for money

6.817 Ratings

Submitted by Kankuro, last update on 14.04.2023.

Reviews

6 in-depth fragrance descriptions

07/28/2012

5
Bottle 7.5
Sillage 10
Longevity 10
Scent

Flaconneur
49 Reviews

Flaconneur

Very helpful Review 5

OPUS IV by Amouage

Last fall, Amouage introduced Opus IV, created by Jacques Flori. This was another addition to their Library Collection of fragrances launched in 2010. Amouage's Director Christopher Chong is using Opus IV to promote HIV/AIDS awareness. As part of this awareness program, 50% of the profits from the sales of Opus IV will go to the National HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Program (NAP) in Oman.

The opening of Opus IV starts off with a cornucopia of vibrant juicy citruses. Your senses are bathed with the sharpness produced by this heavy handed serving of lemon, mandarin and grapefruit. The citrus notes are stippled with coriander, which gives it an interesting herbal quality that temper the citruses sweetness. This green herbal note walks a fine line between woody and minty. The refreshing opening of Opus IV progresses toward a warm heart engulfed in sassy spices, respectable florals and resinous undertones. Rose percolates through the fragrance and emanate through a thin layer of violet leaves. Both the rose and violet leaves are nestled by fragrant cumin and resinous elemi. While the opening and heart of Opus IV is warm and interesting, the incense laden base is the most long lasting and memorable part of this fragrance. It is a very dense combination of balsam, labdanum, frankincense and musk, giving it opulence and a respectable sophistication.

I have sampled all releases in Amouage's Library Collection to date and find Opus IV to be my favorite so far. This fragrance is classified in the unisex category but I think it leans a bit more masculine. You may find this fragrance more suitable for the cooler months because of its sweet, warm and spicy demeanor. I find it hard to classify Opus IV because it's not particularly casual nor is it extremely formal. Longevity was excellent and like a fine wine, Opus IV seems to get better with time. Opus IV is thoroughly enjoyable.

01/05/2013

5
Bottle 7.5
Sillage 10
Longevity 10
Scent

Sky
24 Reviews

Sky

Very helpful Review 6

Fantastic Frankincense Fragrance - top 5

Yes, yes, yes.

This scent is like reading a beautiful, ancient novel that slowly unfolds & unfurls, page by page, on your skin - strange, compelling, addictive, exotic, timeless.

If you like resinous-incense scents, you will love Opus IV.

The opening is citrus & quite bright: green & luminous with a fresh sappy note. The overall colour-feel is a luminescent sunrise glow. It is deep & yet translucent, rich yet never sickly, incense-smokey without the fire.

The resin-sap note begins to glow in the intense dry heat of the incense. And the incense is the good kind... a little churchy, a little hippy, a little exotic. It is the same that I find in the Chai Chapel Earth incense that you burn on hot coals which gives a slight touch-of-the-sauna to the scent.

Underneath, I am aware of a sharp metallic note - never unpleasant, just intriguing. I burn frankincense & love this tangy aspect it imparts. This truly is an ode to this wonderful resin. I do not detect any sweaty notes AT ALL (& I often have trouble with cumin in perfume). The dryness is delightful - I love a parched scent! Sunbaked papyrus pages in a desert where gnarled trees ooze resinous sap & the ground smells of baked clay.

IMO, it is neither masculine nor feminine; not quite eastern, never western...this is one of those rare scents that will transport you away from the hububb of your life. I would enjoy this on any skin as it has an otherwordly quality & a story-telling ability that I admire in perfumery. The strength is good & longevity is exceptional.

Amouage perfumes can sometimes appear to try to hard & be just too, too much but this one is a real understated treat. The best of the bunch & close to my frankincense HG.

Simply put: WANT.

01/05/2013

7.5
Sillage 7.5
Longevity 7
Scent

Sherapop
1239 Reviews

Sherapop

Funes el memorioso

Amouage OPUS IV offers a strangely unfamiliar yet somehow familiar swirl of scents, which in turns evoke memories in my mind of various objects: old books, wet straw, damp sisal rugs, the sandalwood incense at Pier 1 Imports, the gurjum resin I smelled in a Montale perfume, the sour scent of chamomile tea...

Yes, this composition is extraordinarily complex. I'm not sure what to think of it, to be honest. It's definitely not feminine. Is it masculine? No, I don't think so. It's more like the scent of things than people, it seems to me. OPUS IV is a foreign scent because it combines so many different kinds of things from very different places, that I feel as though I'm looking through a kaleidoscope.

I don't think that I would want a full bottle of OPUS IV, but it is certainly an interesting experience. In some ways, it reflects the complexity of a library, filled with thousands of books filled with millions of different ideas. It reminds me of the Borges character Funes el memorioso...

05/01/2016

7
Sillage 8
Longevity 8
Scent

Karenin
39 Reviews

Karenin

Helpful Review 3

Amouage Opus IV

Amouage’s Library Collection is an excellent opportunity to discover a more experimental line of this reputable company. Although it does represent a certain digression from its classic line with its typical references to Middle Eastern traditions in perfumery (while producing resolutely modern fragrances), Amouage’s principal philosophy, which places great emphasis on the quality of materials (both raw and synthetic) as well as their masterful blending, is undeniably present in the line.

Opus IV is a spicy fragrance from top to bottom. Its head is dominated by the tangy smell of coriander, which is soon coupled with cardamom. After their brief tête-à-tête, another major player enters the game- cumin. I’ve come to appreciate cumin in perfumes, but I’ve also experienced that it can turn very naughty if not handled properly. Even though Opus IV’s cumin is far from delicate and therefore I’d advise all avowed cuminophobes to stay away from this perfume, I find the way it’s been treated and blended into its structure nothing short of remarkable. I believe it is thanks to the inclusion of cumin that the scent gradually adopts a sweetish (but never overly sweet!) character.

To be honest, there isn’t an awful lot of development in Opus IV. However, the resulting composition is so well put together that there is no need for any dramas here. Sometimes class and elegance can be expressed in just a couple of words or, in this case, notes. Deceptively simple yet brilliant work.

10/14/2017

Carlossp
35 Reviews

Carlossp

Two exceptions

It is possibly the perfume that more is perceived the famous incense of Amouage, is original, complex by the amount of notes.

It is a difficult perfume since you do not always feel the same, it influences the time even the humidity.

Some say that it is an incense similar to Avignon, for me it is not so, since Amouage is a fruity incense, like a sweet incense bomb with spices and soft citrus and Avignon is chamomile and myrrh.

I think what softens is the basamica and labdanum, which provides a quantity of sweetness to soften those resins and special, which make it thick.

For me along with Opus VI the two best of the collection, good projection and duration.

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