Creed
Creed
485 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The initial spray is a fruit bomb of epic proportions—blackcurrant syrup collides with sharp grapefruit acidity and a flash of ginger heat, all brightened by bergamot and lemon zest. It's effervescent and almost overwhelmingly sweet, like biting into a handful of fresh berries whilst someone squeezes citrus over your hands. The freshness is there, but it's saturated, juicy, unrelenting.
As the opening settles, caramelised pineapple emerges alongside the spice cabinet—cardamom and cinnamon create a warm, almost mulled quality, whilst pink pepper crackles at the edges. Patchouli adds earthy depth without going full hippie, and there's a distinct boozy roundness developing, as though the fruit has fermented slightly. The composition grows warmer, spicier, more textured, but never loses that core of sweetness.
Hours in, ambroxan's salty-mineral warmth dominates, supported by vetiver's smoky greenness and oakmoss lending its classic, slightly damp chypre character. The musk and cashmere wood create a soft, skin-like finish that's surprisingly intimate after the bombast of the opening, whilst labdanum adds a resinous, slightly leathery whisper that grounds everything with satisfying weight.
Creed's Absolu Aventus amplifies everything that made the original a phenomenon, then dials it to absolute saturation. The blackcurrant here isn't a whisper—it's a syrupy, almost candied surge that collides with tart grapefruit and bergamot, creating a fruity intensity that borders on gourmand territory. This is Aventus unshackled, freed from restraint. The pineapple, relocated to the heart, caramelises against warming cardamom and cinnamon, whilst pink pepper adds a fizzing, prickly heat that cuts through the sweetness. There's a distinct boozy quality to the composition, as though the fruit has been macerated in spirits and left to concentrate. The woody base—built on ambroxan's mineral warmth, haitian vetiver's smoky green facets, and oakmoss lending its damp, forest-floor classicism—provides just enough structure to prevent the whole affair from dissolving into pure hedonism. Cashmere wood and musk wrap everything in a plush, slightly powdery embrace, whilst labdanum adds resinous depth and a subtle animalic undercurrent. This is for those who found Aventus too polite, too office-friendly, too easily ignored. It's the scent of someone who walks into a room and wants to be remembered—worn by those with the confidence to carry sweetness without apology. Evening drinks, late dinners, anywhere the lights are low and inhibitions lower. Not subtle, never quiet, but utterly compelling if you're willing to commit to its unapologetic excess.
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3.9/5 (150)