Reviews of Kingdom (2003)
by Alexander McQueen

I have realized of late that this dirty that everyone seems to be repelled by yet secretly desiring to experience is cumin, plain and simple. Just take a little cumin powder to your wrists and spray on any favorite perfume to give it that "naughty (is the seemingly favorite word)" touch. It actually works. Really, there is a deep, rich fragrance here. The initial minute is actually a dark, rich floral burst. The cumin IS interesting conceptually but I find it more a study in scent combinations rather than a beautifully wearable fragrance. I can imagine McQueen requesting something dangerous and the perfumer running straight to this cumin note. In the end it's a rich and alluringly dark fragrance.

I had heard so much about the bold body odor cumin of Kingdom... Well, it has a distinct cumin note, but it doesn't remind me of bodies, it's just vaguely disconcerting. I'm crazy about cumin in food but in perfume.. not so much. It's off somehow, unlike smelling the fresh spice it's not a very pleasant smell. But unwashed private parts? Definitely not! Maybe a little like some persons' fresh sweat...
Other than that I get a buttery soft and musky sandalwood, like the expensive sandalwood of a Serge Lutens, and too much florals for my taste. Not as provocative or interesting as I was lead to believe.
I got some on my clothes too and there it's pure citrus topnotes, while on my skin it was softly spicy and anything but fresh from the start. All in all, I don't much like it, too soft and sweet and musty, lacking edge or character.

Like much of McQueen’s fashion, Kingdom is rebellious, combative, and challenging. Conceptually, I think it is a brilliant scent. Unfortunately, a brilliant conception doesn’t necessarily make for an easy-wearing scent. That being said, I actually think it smells awful. It smells so bad that I can’t help but think that this sensory affront wasn’t partially intentional, which I find a little fascinating. Other reviewers likened it to unwashed parts of the female anatomy or the armpits of an aging whore. When I first read these reviews, I thought they were just being a little melodramatic. But, when I smelled the scent and its heavy cumin note, that is immediately what came to mind. It is a very feminine scent, but not in the way we’ve been taught to view feminine scents. It isn’t floral, sweet, or soft. It is earthy, tired, and maybe even a little sweaty. I honestly can’t believe the heads at Gucci Group let this go out from one of their brands that is trying desperately to break even, because there is no way on earth anybody could expect this to be a big seller. In a world where bland, sporty detergent scents sell a million bottles, not many can be expected to get this one or to be able to wear it easily. I predict in a few years this one will be discontinued and a few years after that will be sold on ebay for high dollars to the few, sleezy die-hards who love it and miss it.

It seems manly upon initial spritzing. I do like it upon warming up. Then as it wears throughout the day it grows more and more masculine. I find the packaging manly as well.

You simply cannot apply this perfume without noticing the vessel that contains it.
It radiates a Goth passion, a combination of lust and cruelness: the metal rounded quarter of an egg shaped lead coloured metal in contrast to the blood-red transparent glass within which beats the heart of a contemporary classic. (Which without hardly any doubt Kingdom is working it’s way up to - due to packaging or scent - but only time will say).

It think this perfume, whether if you like it or not, speaks for the technological-oriented era, when emotions are deeply repressed and condensed into shapes and sometimes find their way out in a quite grotesque fashion.

The juice itself is controversial: starts off as equally animalic and fresh: the cumin theme is immediately recognizable in the top notes, and is accompanied by mild green notes of bergamot and galbanum. The cumin fades to the background quickly, to make room for the light floral heart of soft rose and the green, citrus floralness of Neroli.

The pure Neroli cleanliness hints us to track down the base notes:
Sandalwood notes from the base notes become apparent fairly quickly and are quite fresh, rather than incense like. It almost radiates a masculine freshness, and is very natural.
Gradually the whole concoction warms up and a vanilla-amber note emerges, though very subtle. Not quite the sugared gourmand type vanilla, but a perfume-oriented one. The cumin note is now very delicate, and is in the background simply to add a sensuous, animal roundness to the composition.

After the huge expectations set out by the packaging and the advertising campaign, I must admit I expected this perfume to be a lot more intense and sultry. Yes, the cumin hints that, but overall I found Kingdom to be a rather clean, almost a single-note sandalwood fragrance. I find it to be a lot more masculine than feminine, and I think it will work really well with some masculine sweat.
I am curious to learn how the parfum smells like - I would hope somewhat darker and deeper, more outstandingly erotic.
I personally perceive this fragrance as much more suitable for men and would not be surprised if a masculine body chemistry will create some wonderful transformations to it.
In that case, the nymph-like women from Kingdom’s ad campaign will have the role of seduction to the potential wearer, rather than setting up an example to live up to.

Top notes: Cumin, Galbanum, Bergamot
Heart notes: Rose, Neroli, Jasmine
Base notes: Sandalwood, Vanilla

Kingdom is very interesting. One of Kingdoms most distinguishing characteristics is the heavy handed use of Cumin, other than that, I don’t really see where its merits lie. Maybe I am missing something? I find the opening to be a harsh and sour floral accord that dries down to a combination of cumin and sandalwood. Personally, I think Eau de Hermes is a much better cumin based unisex fragrance. The harsh floral opening of Kingdom is really off putting, and I don’t really think the drydown is anything special.