Opium pour Homme Yves Saint Laurent (1995)Eau de Toilette

Opium pour Homme (Eau de Toilette) by Yves Saint Laurent

Bottle Design Pierre Dinand

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8.2 / 10 413 Ratings

Opium pour Homme (Eau de Toilette) is a popular perfume by Yves Saint Laurent for men and was released in 1995. The scent is oriental-spicy. Projection and longevity are above-average. It is being marketed by L'Oréal.

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Perfumer

Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud

Fragrance Notes

Top Notes	Blackcurrant, Star anise
Heart Notes	Ginger, Pepper
Base Notes	Atlas cedar, Bourbon vanilla, Tolu balm

Ratings

Scent

8.2 (413 Ratings)

Longevity

8.6 (302 Ratings)

Sillage

8.1 (284 Ratings)

Bottle

6.3 (279 Ratings)

Submitted by DonVanVliet, last update on 28.02.2020.

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Reviews

02/10/2020

8.0 9.0 10.0 10.0/10

Volker1964
0 Reviews

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Volker1964

Very helpful Review 5

Wonderful winter scent in the past and today

After all, this fragrance has been on the market for over 20 years. It was certainly already revised, that is, modernized. It didn't hurt him. It became a modern classic that is still convincing today. About the fragrance itself:
Top note
It begins fresh, spicy, slightly powdery and elegant. Well balanced and pleasant to look at.
Heart note
Here it becomes drier/powdery . It's getting heavier too. I also perceive a pepper note, not too strong. Ginger rounds here, angehm and not overdone.
Base
Vanilla is added and skilfully balances the fragrance. It becomes somewhat drier and more intense. Pleasant spice remains until the end. It does not weaken and does not become too dry. Very pleasant in my nose,
Conclusion
Modernization has definitely not harmed this fragrance. On the contrary. In the original version it was clearly heavier, more powdery and drier.
It develops very pleasantly from beginning to end, always accompanied by a solid depth and power. It is quite complex and very rich in content. It contains more ingredients, as I can describe here. Whenever I wear/use it, I discover new things. For me an absolute winter scent. Of course I like to wear it in winter, in my free time. He still convinces me today. The shelf life is easily 10-12 hours for me. A welcome / fragrant regular in my collection.

11/29/2019

8.0 7.0 8.0 9.5/10

Siebenkäs
0 Reviews

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Siebenkäs

Greatly helpful Review 23

It came from...

His heart was still beating.
Quietly and undaunted, it chugged its way to itself.
Far, so far, so inconceivable, terrible, inconceivable far
was the path it had taken.
Further than a poor little human creature
it could ever imagine.
But now it was there.
His energy was there and she was alive.
And so it had a very, very tiny little bit
of all the unheard-of, never seen, odourless things
across the abysses of many galaxies.
To finally pass it on.
For it had found a host by whom it took shape
could. A human child named Belletrud.
Now it could spread.
Now they could also give it a name,
one that perhaps reminded a little of the
who, like herself, had seen things you can't name.
Like Jimi Hendrix or Syd Barret or Ian Curtis. And a few others.
Opium.
Not an easy name. More like a makeshift.
But better than none.
And now they could also find words for the elements,
that worked in him.
They might call it an anise. Jojannesberry. Vanilla.
Would it compare to their kitchen spices.
Would use words like "Orient".
Would discover an aura in it that one partly spicy,
can call it partly soft and also sweet.
Maybe they'd find it "strong," too.
On some days.
She'd be surprised it didn't always seem the same.
Some might like exactly that.
Also something balsamic, comforting and pleasantly foreign
they would perceive, at the same time an amazing
Contradiction of childlike fruitfulness and a certain
Strictness of strange woods, strange resins.
And a strange, ambiguous, mysterious mysticism,
but also a curious freshness.
All at once and yet not confused.
How sorted and brought into harmony by an incomprehensible
ordering power.
Perhaps this power was also in the fact that each individual
its uniqueness, its uniqueness.
The complete superfluousness of any adjustment.
Or maybe in letting strange questions sprout up.
"Might a great part of the misfortune be in the fact when you're happy?"
"Why are the holes the main thing on a sieve?"
All over it would reveal its secret but never.
Maybe that was his secret.
Or a part of it.
And a part of you.
His heart's still beating.
Quietly and fearlessly it chugs along.
(Like yours.)

21 Replies

11/13/2019

6.0 8.0 9.0 9.0/10

Berti1510
0 Reviews

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Berti1510

Helpful Review 8

Oldie but Goldie

I'm going to join the comrades here. Can I allow it, since I finally call this fragrance my own now.
Since I've been on the road here for quite some time and always get inspired, I eventually came across this scent.
Since I do not like to order fragrances over the Internet (topic plagiarism etc.), I have ordered this in my perfumery. After about 4 weeks waiting and delivery time the nice lady has finally announced that I could pick up my order.
It was my very first blind purchase. I only ordered this one through the recessions here. Unfortunately, I have to say that the error devil crept in when I ordered it. Originally, the EDP was to be delivered. I got the EDT.
What was again not bad, because I then because of delivery time and wrong delivery 20% discount.

Good business and off you go home. Because first of all the pack from the outside on me to let work and then opened and looked at me the bottle. I don't know why, but somehow it seemed to me that somewhere in the Orient in 1865 I was sitting in an opium cave and had just got the daily ration.

The yellowish liquid swabbed slightly back and forth and I pressed on the spray head. First, apply a spray to the hand and let it take effect. You never know exactly how the fragrance develops.

With me it has developed from a light peppery start into a warm, dark and heavy fragrance.

This fragrance is definitely not for the disco or for the younger audience here. There's plenty of other good scents.

This fragrance is rather something for the Christmas market in the evening, or when you cuddle with your dearest on the couch. Whereby one should spray very carefully, because otherwise the point of no return is quickly reached and the smell kills one.

The durability is outstanding. I noticed the scent on my jacket for days afterwards. The vanilla comes into its own after the peppery start.

Now that the cold and dark season is coming, this fragrance can be applied more often. I'd rather not take this one in summer. It's too heavy for that.

Personally, I think the fragrance is very good. And you can see once again that older fragrances are in no way inferior to the new mainstream fragrances like Sauvage, Eros, 1Million etc. or can easily put them in your pocket.

5 Replies

10/15/2019

8.0 9.0 9.0 9.0/10

DrGourmand
0 Reviews

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DrGourmand

Greatly helpful Review 20

A fragrance and recipe recommendation

I was very unsure how to approach this comment on Opium pour Homme EdT. Both the EdT and the EdP have been described very well, both individually and in comparison, and have been incorporated into the experience and memories of the authors over 25 years of market presence in many, also really first-class comments. Now I like "classics" very much and complain about this as a reason for a new comment, maybe there is also some vain behaviour to give his mustard to it.

Why opium? Launched in 1977 as a perfume for women, I think it should provoke from the very beginning. With suspicions of banned ingredients (sales banned in the USA for approx. one year), intellectual references to the two opium wars of Britain against China, opulent marketing and the latently cultivated aftertaste of aggressive passion combined with positive drug and alcohol consumption, perfume was the talk of the town worldwide. Now Yves-Saint Laurent himself was not a quiet walker either, as his ingenious snubs of the fashion world showed in retrospect. You were in conversation no matter how and he was successful!

If I should describe Opium pour Homme with only one word, I can only think of it provocatively. A perfume that wants everything and gives a lot! It is a scent for a warrior! But it's more for a water-washed fighter than for a tank rider, more for an Assassin or Amazon than for a Valkyrie. I also consider the EdT a bit more "aggressive" than the EdP. Fictitious wearers might be Bronn and Arya from game of thrones and in the real world all men and women with the necessary self-confidence to attract attention in one way or another, as they like it.

Because as I said, the fragrance does not allow many compromises. It starts right away with the star anise. Embedded in fruit he screams "Love me or not"! And while the fruity notes (really blackcurrant is not clear to me) glide along pleasantly, the star anise gets help with ginger and pepper and shouts more strictly "Take me"! And the reputation is sweet and demanding. But the decision has already been made, no more retreat. The spices and the squid-like star anise won't let go anymore and my resistance goes against null.
anyway
Then there really is "opium" in the air. I surrender completely to the smoky, spicy swaths but they make me stronger and braver again and yet hold me tight. "Yes I will," I hear myself say as I take control again. The illusion is perfect, I am strong and anything is possible. It is comfortably warm in me and yet I feel cool and hectic activity around me. So I pull the luring, vanilla blanket ever higher and fall, with open eyes, slowly into a long and yet vigilant sleep!

Despite all the positive acceptance (or not) of this distinctive, fragrant fragrance, I always find myself confronted with the name opium, which, well-considered, is mystically abysmal and controversially provocative. Personally I can handle it very well.

In this context and to conclude, I would like to give you a small gourmand tip. The sisters of the Maioli monastery developed a special dish with similarly differentiated and spicy star anise. Pieds de porc St-Antoine is a kind of oriental aspic to love or hate. For many already repulsive in name, it has, with fried potatoes and sour cucumbers, just like the perfume, addictive character.

18 Replies

09/16/2019

6.0 9.0 10.0 8.5/10

KimJong
33 Reviews

KimJong

Helpful Review 2

Opium Homme Review

I have a bottle produced in 1999 and a bottle produced in 2017. All of them are EDT and there is no difference in performance and sillage. The 2017 version seems a bit brighter and seems to have more ginger. But the scent doesn't make much difference either. Both are very good and induce others to respond.

I also had a bottle of EDP I used before (purchased around 96-97). In my memories, it's no surprise that EDP has a heavier and stronger scent, but that's why it's harder to wear. So in my judgment, EDT seems to be better.

The only downside to Opium Homme is that it's so unique and unusual that it's hard to find a match. Forget the division of seasons, time zones, and uses suggested by Parfumo. Opium Homme is always something you can wear, but not for everyone.

I wore Opium Homme almost every day when I was working in an art magazine, and I've always been praised. When I ran an ordinary trading company, it was hard to wear it even for a single day. Now that I bake pottery every weekend, I can wear it occasionally.

These days I like Tom Ford's fragrances the most, but I don't hesitate to rate Opium Homme, which is a relatively much lower price, at the same level. This is a very strong, long staying, relaxing and ecstatic mood. However, I recommend that you try it on your skin before you purchaise. As already mentioned, it's not for everyone.

1 Replies

12/16/2018

5.0 10.0 10.0 8.0/10

Basti87
0 Reviews

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Basti87

Greatly helpful Review 12

My Sunday scent

I own Opium pour Homme for 2-3 years. The EDP is praised even more here, but I bought the EDT. 50ml of this classic from 1995. My bottle is still very well filled, because he never really made it to the use. Nevertheless: Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud has created a great fragrance here.

One at a time: The bottle is quite oldschool and suggests a vintage scent. At 23, he's also more of an oldie. The fragrance has a strong 90s touch, if not 80s touch. Even though I am anything but a vintage fan I like this fragrance very much. A great fragrance description with fragrances I can not give here so much. It's one of those scents where I barely smell scents. From the pyramid I only perceive anise, which is very present at the start. Also the Tolu balm from the base provides a cultivated pleasant touch. Otherwise I feel this fragrance rather consistently oriental with strong spice paired with an ethereal touch. I don't see the capital bourbon vanilla. Possibly a subtle sweetness that rounds off the base well.
All in all a beautiful fragrance, especially for mature men and vintage fans. I also like this creation, but I have never worn it outside the house. The desire and the mood was never there. Especially since this fragrance is also very intrusive and I have difficulties to find a suitable occasion. Everyday/job? No. Nightlife? No. Free time? No. And I can't think of any other occasion like this. I like to wear it on Sundays or evenings when I'm not up to anything great. But everyone has such scents, which he likes but rather wears for himself. He definitely has style and elegance.

As already mentioned, the performance is terrific. Almost too good, the Sillage. The shelf life is also very good here. You should be careful for all indoor activities. And you should keep in mind that this is rather a scent for cold days.

5 Replies

05/25/2018

7.0 9.0 9.0 9.5/10

Carlitos01
270 Reviews

Carlitos01

Greatly helpful Review 10

The Opium Sunday noon sweet oblivion

It's Sunday afternoon somewhere between Savannah and Baton Rouge. There's nothing like southern comfort, wearing a tuxedo, eating vanilla cupcakes and drinking a spicy sweet iced liqueur. It's sweet, it's strong, it's different, it's elegant, it's attractive.
It's Saint Laurent, it's Opium!

Opium is a very impressive fragrance.
In the begining there was "Opium Eau de Parfum" (1993), "Opium Eau de Toilette" for women (1977) and Opium Eau de Toilette for men (1995). It got complicated later on with several flankers both for women and men.
My favourite "Opium Pour Homme" has always been the original EDT for being more masculine, subtle and wearable. I had several flasks along the years and currently have only the last reformulation. My memory must trick me with the continuous use of this fragrance and I don't recall if the EDT first version was very different from the current one, or not.
Twenty three years went by and I am still in love with this fragrance.
I know it's not as fashionable any longer as it was twodecades ago. Probably younger men consider it old fashion either because they prefer the new wave of "Bleu", "Nuit", "Dylan" and "Sauvage", or because they never tried this YSL rough diamond just for being a release from the previous century.
Well... young guys out there!... give it a try! It is at least as oriental and spicy as many expensive modern offers, if not more.
It opens with a very strong sweet blackcurrant note and an also strong star anise that adds a pungent sweet licorice note to the fragrance opening. The opening sweet strong notes endure till the beginning of the drydown.
The heart notes give you two spices to embrace a bit the initial sweetness. The black pepper note is slightly stronger than the blue ginger although the latter kind of gives an Eastern tonality to the fragrance.
The bottom notes propose you a very strong and pungent bourbon vanilla accentuated by the warmth of the ambery tolu balsam note and the cedar woody note.
The drydown consists of a long voyage through an indian / chinese oriental sweet ambery scent and yummy vanilla.

Let's check the sweet math of Opium EDT:
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Scent Opening: 9.0 (a fantastic near animalic blackcurrant note with anise)
Scent Dry Down: 10.0 (super alluring balmy vanilla)
Longevity: 8.5 (8 hours+ with two sprays)
Sillage: 8.0 (more than 6-8 feet at its peak with 2 sprays)
Uniqueness: 9.5 (Penhaligon's LP 9 is younger and very similar to Opium Pour Homme EDT; The similarity with Opium flankers does not count :-)
Compliments: 8.5 (close to a serious compliment grabber. It's a head turner because it arouses a lot of curiosity due to its pungent sweetness; some ladies just find it irresistible)
Wearability: 8.5 (Use it day or night during all seasons except in the Summer)
Versatility: 8.0 (You may use it in almost any event, although some perfumes are more adequate for specific situations. Avoid using it in the beach, sunny events and workout)
Quality: 10.0 (faultless)
Presentation: 7.5 (elegant, efective and simple but a bit outdated)
Price: 9.0 (100 ml non tester for 31 Euros + shipping)
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Overall rating: 8.79/10.00
between 7 and 8 =above average;
between 8 and 9 = recommended;
bigger than 9 = don't miss it;
Opinion: One of the best exotic oriental scents for me. I like it very much. A vanilla gem.
Recommended? Yes, but only if you like the scent of strong orientals & sweet vanilla.
Blind buy worthy? No! Do try it before you buy it.
I recommend this fragrance; I order you to try it at least!

Music: Nina Simone "Sunday In Savannah"

2 Replies

05/05/2018

7.0 8.0 8.0 9.0/10

Jazzy76
320 Reviews

Jazzy76

If the man of my dreams was a scent...

If the man of my dreams was a scent, it could be Opium pour homme:
strong and mysterious, spicy and alternative, but with a sweet and deep character .
I love this scent, I think that its acchord is simply perfect: fruity-aromatic in the opening , spicy- at the heart, sweet and balsamic at the base.
Sometimes at the drugstore I test on myself this scent and I can say that the result is wonderful on my skin too.
A masterpiece to share!

02/26/2018

8.0 4.0 7.0 7.5/10

Pepdal
142 Reviews

Pepdal

Helpful Review 3

Spicy Oriental

Opium Pour Homme by Yves Saint Laurent, has been around for a long time now and released in an era dominated by aquatic freshies, it is still popular today. Please enjoy my review.

12/25/2017

6.0 7.0 8.0 8.5/10

Smora
145 Reviews

Smora

Greatly helpful Review 5

Stripped Down Fougere

Scentrack: DJ Shadow - Six Days

I believe I understand the Master Cavallier's idea. It's 1995, the era of aquatic horrors and melon tear gases. How to save the genre of fougere? To modernize it completely, to offload the redundant burden and introduce some novel notes. Opium, the legendary stripped down fougere.
Powerful, Oriental, spiced, sweet, sharp, rough, yet wobbly and elusive. Light anise and black currant on the wave of Eastern cuisine fiery ginger and jasmine. The base is made of transparent, yet strong Tolu balsam and almost gourmand vanilla.
An oriental imperial touch of French culture. A touch of class.

Rating: 8.5/10

More on Scentimentalwords

11/12/2015

7.5 7.5 7.5 7.0/10

K1
121 Reviews

Saporific woodsy

An exceptional spicy format of Fougere Royale by Houbigant.
Opium is sweet, classy and grown spicy with delightful fruity patch to control over vanilla and pepper. It could be an aromatic fougere but it lacks what a real aromatic fougere needs: complexity.
Opium is a simple crowd-pleasing aromatic perfume delivered in right time. Very good for casualty, dandy and blitz-compliment bringer.
7/10

04/17/2015

ColinM
516 Reviews

ColinM

Very helpful Review 6

Radian spiciness

Despite being clearly “inferior” to its feminine companion, I still find Opium pour Homme such a lovely and compelling scent. Even quite unique, honestly. The opening is fantastic to me: sweet, talc, an invigorating and bold balsamic-anisic feel and a radiant accord of “bright” spices (à la Fendi Theorema, or feminine Opium himself) with a tiny, bittersweet fruity note on a mellow base of sandalwood and cedar – so really aromatic, round and balmy. I also get something like geranium, halfway minty and floral. I admit I have a penchant for such “clean” scents, and Opium pour Homme surely is one of the nicest around: it’s bright, fresh, vibrant but in a peculiar soft and mellow way, remarkably sweet without being a gourmand – instead keeping it irresistibly “airy” and fresh. I get the similarities with Jaipur Homme, especially for the dandyish soapy-talc feel, but there’s also a mile of difference, mostly because Jaipur is far more warm, rich, almondy, “lusciously” powdery. Opium instead is quite more restrained and thin (and fruitier-balmier) built around a more subtle kind of refinement, an unusual sophisticated mood played on sweet, elusive and thin notes, really aromatic yet “weightless” in a way, like aniseed and cedar (which is really clean and discreet here). Not a masterpiece, but still a fascinating interplay of transparencies, silences, a sort of white-azure harmony of notes with just a hint of darker shades, especially on the drydown. Probably not that distinctive but really pleasant, versatile, cozy and unisex.

7,5-8/10

12/12/2014

MasterLi
372 Reviews

MasterLi

Very helpful Review 5

Sweet n' Spicy...

Opium pour Homme is a wonderful balance of sweet notes and spices. Sweet as in Bourbon Vanilla and Blackcurrant... and Spicy, Woody & Aromatic in the Galanga, Atlas Cedar, Tolu Balsam, Pepper and Star Anise.

It's one that I really enjoy wearing. Of course I prefer the Eau de Parfum, but the Eau de Toilette is still very good. It's everything I want in an oriental really, just enough spice, just enough sweetness. It's luxurious, sophisticated... I don't find it too dated, but it has been called that by some people. I also find it more of a cooler weather fragrance, but as long as it's sprayed with a light hand, it could work in the heat too.

After a while, Opium pour Homme turns into a very nice skin-scent and the rich combination of Vanilla and Tolu Balsam comes out, and it's really something! I have no problem recommending this fragrance for someone who is mature in spirit but also young. It could work on the right person with the right attitude. Similarly on older men it would work fantastic. Again, everything I want in an oriental fragrance. A really underrated choice for men I think. One to try out and wear before deciding to buy, it really grows on you!

03/11/2013

5.0 7.5 7.5 7.0/10

Miaw2
339 Reviews

Miaw2

Helpful Review 3

Classic!

A real french oriental, sweet but not that much - sweetnes in the right amount.

Black currant and Vanilla surrounded by spices, lasts for around 10 hours and have a excellent projection and sillage.

Classic and timeless, Opium is a must have for every collector.

Updated on July 2013

03/01/2012

7.5 7.5 7.0/10

Missk
1165 Reviews

Missk

Very helpful Review 4

Heavy spices and vanilla

So many women rave about this particular fragrance on their men. They say it's sexy, spicy, exotic, attractive and desirable. I would have to agree.

Opium for Men has some similarities to its female counterpart, Opium. They are both very strong scents, being very popular and in some ways, very 80's in their approach.

The scent is very rich and quite spicy, but not in a nose-burning sense of the word. I probably wouldn't advise this fragrance as being office-appropriate, however when applied lightly it could be worn anywhere.

Despite its obvious masculinity, I often feel daring enough to wear this fragrance for myself. I adore wearing Tobacco Vanille by Tom Ford and Oud 27 by Le Labo, which are in some ways similar to this fragrance.

The contrast between the heavy spices and the syrupy vanilla is absolutely amazing. I do believe it is this particular blend that drives the women crazy.

The sillage and lasting power of Opium is something that almost blew me away. It's intense and powerful, shrouding the room with your presence. An absolutely outstanding fragrance that is still going strong almost 15 years after its release.