Amouage
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Cardamom hits first, bright and almost peppery, immediately joined by plum's dark fruitiness and bitter orange's citric tang. Within minutes, the composition feels mature and slightly austere—nothing tentative or ingratiating.
The florals swell into focus around the ninety-minute mark, with tuberose's creamy intensity and jasmine's indolic depth creating an intoxicating, almost heady cloud. The cardamom remains present, threading through the florals like a persistent spice rack note, preventing the heart from ever becoming purely sweet or soft.
Frankincense and papyrus emerge as the florals recede, creating a drier, more resinous stage where vetiver's earthy character and gaïacwood's warm wood-smoke quality dominate. Tonka bean lingers softly beneath, a whisper of almond-sugar sweetness that prevents the finish from becoming austere—instead, you're left with something contemplative and slightly smoky.
Opus I announces itself as a meditation on the marriage of spice and florals, a composition that refuses to choose between the two. Daniel Maurel has crafted something far removed from the safe territories of modern perfumery—this is a fragrance with intellectual ambition, one that demands attentiveness rather than passivity.
The cardamom and bitter orange create an almost savoury opening that refuses sweetness, establishing a dry, almost peppery foundation upon which Maurel layers an intoxicating floral core. The jasmine and tuberose don't bloom here as soft, feminine whispers; instead, they're rendered assertive and slightly animalic through their proximity to the cardamom's sharp bite. Ylang ylang adds a creamy, almost indolic richness that pulls the composition toward sensuality without capitulating to predictability. Rose and lily of the valley soften the edges just enough to prevent the scent from becoming austere, though neither note dominates—they're supporting players in a frankly unusual olfactory drama.
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3.8/5 (418)