Initio · 2015 · Alexandra Kosinski

Absolute Aphrodisiac

VersionEau de Parfum

Initio says

You’ll smell White Flowers, amber, vanilla, musk and castoreum.

The house’s page

The drawn Absolute Aphrodisiac bottle

Top notesthe first minutes

Heartthe first hours

Dry-downhours later

Absolute Aphrodisiac’s scent picture, a draft: vanilla, musk, castoreum, patchouli, ylang-ylang, bergamot drawn so far; dashed outlines where nothing is drawn yet

Top notesthe first minutes

Absolute Aphrodisiac, top notes: Bergamot, Geranium, Sweet orange

Heartthe first hours

Absolute Aphrodisiac, heart: Musk, Ylang-ylang

Dry-downhours later

Absolute Aphrodisiac, dry-down: Vanilla, Castoreum, Patchouli, Iso E Super, Coumarin

On the label

What’s inside it

20 scent ingredients on the label, familiar names first.

3 citrus4 herbs & lavender7 florals3 woods2 sweet1 musks

Citrus3

LimoneneBergamot oilBitter orange oil

Herbs & lavender4

Bay laurel leaf oilCamphorLinaloolLinalyl acetate

Florals7

Ylang-ylang oilGeranium oilFarnesolCitronellolGeraniolGeranyl acetateMethyl benzoate

Woods3

Patchouli oilSantalolIso E Super (pencil shavings)

Sweet2

Vanillin (vanilla)Coumarin (tonka)

Musks1

Galaxolide (clean linen)

Not in Ingredients yet3

Benzoic acid, not in Ingredients yetPinene, not in Ingredients yetBeta-caryophyllene, not in Ingredients yet

Not for the smell4

AlcoholWaterBHT (keeps it fresh)Benzyl benzoate

Named by Initio, never on a label

VanillaMusk, not in Ingredients yetCastoreum, not in Ingredients yet

The label, as printed on the house’s page

Wearers say

How far it carries

Perfumers call it sillage.

Close to the skin

An arm’s length

Across a room

Not researched yet. We gather wearers’ reports for the most popular perfumes first.

Our match of the labels

Closest on the label

Side EffectInitio · shares 17 of its 32 scent ingredientsL'Eau d'Issey Pour HommeIssey Miyake · shares 16 of its 28 scent ingredientsBleu de ChanelChanel · shares 16 of its 31 scent ingredients

Counted from the printed lists: 20 scent ingredients on this label. A shared name, not a shared smell.