Gucci
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Mandarin zips across the skin with immediate brightness, backed by pink pepper's peppery bite—sharp and slightly mentholic. The sweetness that will eventually characterise the fragrance hasn't yet emerged; instead, you're met with crisp citrus and spice.
The florals unfold with impressive complexity as the citrus recedes; lilac and geranium establish themselves as the true protagonists, whilst peach and raspberry add subtle fruitiness without tipping into candy territory. The composition feels balanced here, spicy-sweet without excessive amber.
Amber and patchouli rise to prominence, creating a warm, earthy base that lacks true depth or staying power—the fragrance simply dissipates rather than evolving, leaving only a faint amber whisper by the fourth hour.
Guilty Gucci arrives as a deliberately contradictory fragrance—the olfactory equivalent of lipstick-stained silk and wine-dark velvet. Aurélien Guichard has constructed something genuinely intriguing in its friction between restraint and indulgence. The mandarin orange opening snaps with a pleasantly bitter edge, immediately joined by pink pepper that adds a prickling spice rather than sweetness, preventing the composition from tipping into mere gourmandise.
What follows is a masterclass in how to make florals feel contemporary rather than nostalgic. The lilac and Egyptian geranium form an almost conversational pairing—the lilac's powdery, slightly soapy character tempered by geranium's green-rosy dryness. Rather than drowning everything in honeyed florality, the formula introduces peach and raspberry to keep proceedings fresh and slightly tart. There's a deliberate restraint here; these fruits don't read as candy but as preserves glimpsed through frosted glass.
Add fragrances to your collection and unlock your personalised scent DNA, note map, and shareable identity card.
4.0/5 (391)