In the previous blog we covered the newly released Narcotic Delight from Initio Parfums, and it gave me the idea to just test them all out. I had never smelled ALL that Initio had to offer but was intrigued by my last testing, so I bought all the rest of the samples I needed to run the entire gauntlet. Now, was it long and arduous? Yes. Was it worth it? Hell yes. Would I do it again? Undeniably yes, minus a few that you’ll read about in a minute.
My goal was simple. Put my nose to every single sample that Decant House has to offer (17 in total) and rate them 1-10. In the process of smelling each one of them I would document how the fragrance would grow or develop over time and what notes I could detect. I would also add my general thoughts and kept a running document of my findings. And before you ask yourself, no, I did NOT wear a lab coat for any of these testings but to be honest, I probably should have. Without further ado, let’s get to those results.
*Side note - To be fair, I’m going to run the list alphabetically so that I’m not running worst to best or best to worst. Also, as a general side note, ALL Initio Parfums fragrances are considered unisex so these could be worn by anyone.
1 – Absolute Aphrodisiac - 7.5/10
Absolute Aphrodisiac was released in 2015 and is considered an Amber Spicy fragrance. The opening to me had strong notes of vanilla and leather and in the mid/dry down I could smell vanilla, leather, florals, and musk. To me, it was very vanilla forward with various undertones as it dries down. Leather is in there along with amber, powder, musk, and florals. Not a bad fragrance but feel like it's missing something and I'm not quite sure what it is. If there was a patchouli or other wood note in there it may have ranked much higher.
2 – Addictive Vibration – 8/10
Addictive Vibration was released in 2016 and is considered a Floral fragrance. The opening for me was floral, aromatic, and very effervescent. It had this really bright, bubbliness to it that really was inviting and pleasant. The mid/dry down was powdery, musky, and sweet with those florals ever present. Faint smell of incense in the dry down but overall, very musky, and floral with powdery undertones. Great fragrance for both men and women and really long-lasting.
3 – Atomic Rose – 5/10
Atomic Rose was released in 2019 and is considered an Amber Floral fragrance. The opening for me was very rose/floral heavy with mixed freshness and sweetness. The mid/dry down the florals were more muted but still there. Not a lot of progression with this one in terms of changing of notes throughout the dry down but with the namesake I knew it probably wouldn’t. Honestly the opening really smells like candy to me. Almost sour and sweet mixed with florals and roses. Really hard to explain. Not bad but this to me leans more feminine that masculine even though it says unisex.
4 – Blessed Baraka – 7.8/10
Blessed Baraka was released in 2015 and is considered an Amber fragrance. In the opening I got notes of woods, powder and amber. The mid/dry down I noticed that the drier it got, the warmer and woodier it got. Opening on this one is very very spicy, like warm spices that one would use in potpourri but not your grandmother’s potpourri, one that's way better. Overall, this one hit high for me. Fall/winter for sure.
5 – Divine Attraction – 6.5/10
Divine Attraction was released in 2015 and is considered a Leather fragrance. The opening for me was very earthy with leather notes and animalic notes. The mid/dry down was spicy and earthy. Initial opening smell is super harsh for my nose. Not pleasant in the slightest. The leather scent is not like the same type of leather scent found in Tom Ford or even other fragrances. It's more synthetic to me. Dry down is a bit more palpable and isn't as bad as the opening. Not one I'd wear on a daily but not terrible overall.
6 – High Frequency – 7/10
High Frequency was released in 2016 and is considered a Floral fragrance. The opening for me had notes of floral, powder, and green. The mid/dry down was ultimately the same. Another floral-heavy option that has a green side to it offering more of a fresh kind of vibe. Honestly this fragrance more or less smells like spring in a bottle if you ask me. Fresh blooming flowers and grass mixed with a touch of sweetness. Not bad at all!
7 – Magnetic Blend 1 – 2/10
Magnetic Blend 1 was released in 2015 and is considered an Amber fragrance. The opening for me was earthy and animalic. The mid/dry down was more or less the same. This says there is amber in the fragrance, but I don’t get that at all. I smell a farm. A farm where they're trying to use an air freshener to cover up the smell. Fragrance on my skin doesn't last very long unless I just got really used to it really quickly. Very strong opening scent from this one that I'm just not a fan of. 100% no for me.
8 – Magnetic Blend 7 – 4/10
Magnetic Blend 7 was released in 2015 and is considered a Woody Aromatic fragrance. The opening for me is warm musk and powdery notes. The mid/dry down for me is just very synthetic and I feel like the musk and powder have disappeared…or melded into a scent profile that’s not what I’m expecting. This Magnetic Blend is way better than Magnetic Blend 1. Less animalic and more on the woody/musk side. Very dark smelling which is perfect for cool weather scenarios. Dry down is a bit lackluster with more of a chemical-ish type smell. Kind of reminds me of Fucking Fabulous from TF.
9 – Musk Therapy – 8/10
Musk Therapy was released in 2021 and is considered a Woody Floral Musk fragrance. The opening for me is citrus and green: very fresh. The mid/dry down I get florals and green notes. This one opens really bright and fresh. Powdery green freshness and some fruits and florals. Really pleasant. As it dries down it maintains the florals and freshness. Something about this one I really like, but will tell you, I personally don't notice a lot of musk. It's there, but faint. I'd think with the namesake, it would be a bit more. Still great though!
10 – Mystic Experience – 6/10
Mystic Experience was released in 2015 and is considered an Amber Spicy fragrance. The opening for me is woody and musky. The mid/dry down is mostly green notes with mixes of woody notes. The opening in this fragrance is confusing. Says there should be a coffee note but I don't detect that at all. I get more of an animalic amber type of scent and it overpowers the rest of the scents that I wish I could smell; coffee and oakmoss. Dry down is ok but still not a fantastic scent for me. Left me wanting more, I guess.
11 – Narcotic Delight – 8/10
Narcotic Delight was released in 2024 and is considered an Amber Vanilla fragrance. The opening is super sweet with notes of booze and cherries. The mid/dry down is more tobacco while maintaining that sweet vanilla note. As I mentioned in the last blog, this fragrance is like the amalgamation of three fragrances that I love blended together; Carolina Herrera Mystery Tobacco, Angels Share by Kilian, and Guerlain L’homme Ideal Extreme. A very nice, sweet tobacco fragrance for fall and winter.
12 – Oud for Greatness – 9/10
Oud for Greatness was released in 2018 and is considered a Warm Spicy fragrance. The opening for me is a very strong woody note mixed with spices. The mid/dry down becomes more earthy, spicy, and warm. This scent, to me, is the epitome of oud fragrances. It's perfectly balanced with the woods, tobacco, patchouli, and fresh notes in here to keep this one at the top of my list for oud fragrances. Absolute beast of a performer.
13 – Oud for Happiness – 8/10
Oud for Happiness was released in 2021 and is considered a Woody Spicy fragrance. The opening for me is bright with notes of green and citrus. The mid/dry down is where you find the notes of woods but with lingering freshness. This one is the opposite of Oud for Greatness in a sense that it leans more fresh/woody than wood-centered. Not that it's a bad thing, but it's more on the fresh side with some powdery notes mixed in. Really good performer.
14 – Paragon – 9/10
Paragon was released in 2022 and is considered a Woody Spicy fragrance. The opening for me is very powdery, woody, and fruity. The mid/dry down turns to more woody, sweet, and fresh. This fragrance has a LOT going on from opening to dry down. It's woody but also fruity and aromatic and citrusy. There's also fresh spices and florals. It truly is a masterpiece in a bottle if you like woody/fresh types of fragrances with a touch of powderiness to it. All around a great fragrance.
15 – Psychedelic Love – 7.9/10
Psychedelic Love was released in 2017 and is considered a Floral fragrance. The opening is floral, powdery, and vanilla sweet. The mid/dry down is woody and spicy with slight balanced sweetness. This fragrance will grow on you the more you wear it. It's very feminine in the opening but balances out fairly in the mid and dry down. Something about this fragrance makes me keep coming back to it and leaves me wanting it in my collection.
16 – Rehab – 8.5/10
Rehab was released in 2018 and is considered a Woody Aromatic fragrance. The opening for me is very powdery and fresh. The mid/dry down turns to woodier and more aromatic. Rehab is another fragrance that is just a unique scent that you've never smelled before. It's woody but also fresh and citrusy in the opening. The mid and dry down has some faint patchouli and other woody notes while having a powderiness that softens the fragrance and keeps it balanced. A definite must-try.
17 – Side Effect – 7.5/10
Side Effect was released in 2016 and is considered an Amber fragrance. The opening for me is sweet and spicy with a hint of tobacco and rum. The mid/dry down has more warm woods, spices, and boozy notes. This one opens with that harsh chemical scent but quickly transforms into the boozy/tobacco sweet notes throughout. As it dries down it's a very warm and spicy fragrance that's sweet and boozy. A fall/winter stunner for sure.
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Well, there you have it! The ultimate buying guide of all Initio Parfums fragrances available on Decant House. Now if you want my full in-depth review of Initio Parfums, read my previous blog here, but for the sake of this blog I’ll briefly touch upon this brand and my general thoughts.
Initio Parfums is a niche fragrance company that makes fragrances that either will remind you of something you’ve smelled before or it’s going to ultimately smell like something you’ve never smelled before, but you can’t fully understand the fragrances until you’ve tested them all. I have to say, now that this journey is over for me, I have a better understanding of what these fragrances try to invoke and why they chose the notes they chose (except for Magnetic Blend 1, still can't quite figure that one out...). I can definitively tell you that my nose has graduated from coffee with cream and sugar to black coffee – if you don’t understand, read the last blog. Initio just hits different for me now. Each fragrance is unique and the vast majority of them are evolving fragrances that change notes as they dry down and settle on your skin. I own two bottles personally - Rehab and Paragon – but now have a few more in my sights. The weird part is, after you wear the fragrance more than once it just grows on you. You may not like it at first, but let it settle and give it a few more chances.
Which of these have you tried so far? I urge you to try my top three (Oud for Greatness, Paragon, and Rehab) or even my top 10. If you want to be really adventurous, you can try all of them and shop for all Initio fragrances on Decant house right here. I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed testing these out and, as always, I’ll catch you in the next one!
