Reviews of Kingdom (2003)
by Alexander McQueen

I was hoping I'd be different and smell something good from this like all the other "thumbs-uppers" here. Nope, it smells like an unwashed human. *foghorn*

Yeah, I also disagree with Turin's one-star review, I thought he'd at least give it credit for being unusual.

Frankly, I find it wonderfully vulgar, obscene and unapologetic. There's no mistaking this fragrance's intentions to emulate anything other than sex, sex, sex, and more sex.

One of those fragrances for which I just have to put my thumb down because of a very simple reason : I felt absolutely uncomfortable wearing this, and I really wouldn`t want to smell this on a woman either.
Interesting in a way, no doubt, but quite horrible in action.

That line of poetry that pops out when you open the box: "Pierce my heart again..."

While working on the movie 'The Dreamers', the director of the movie Bernardo Bertolucci had described his actress Eva Green as being "so beautiful it's indecent."

This is exactly what this fragrance is: 'so beautiful, it is indecent.'

This is the review for EDP version.

I love the mood Kingdom presents, gothic and dark in a powerful way. And I'm amazed that It developes so differently on different people(and on animals too!).

On me, the cumin note is very dirty, extremely animalic. It lasts so long and overwhelms the floral notes totally. I like this animalic feeling, very erotic, full of lust. and I understand why people say it has armpit smell or body odour. yes, sometimes. but it doesn't always smell like that. A friend tried the same EDP version another day, and it turns into a very beautiful froral notes on her. There is the cumin note as well, but much lighter and cleaner than on me. the floral notes are still with the dark feeling, very dense, but totally different.

I also find my cat is crazy for it! When I wear Kingdom, he will keep on licking my wrist. I've tried dozens of perfumes, everytime he just runs away, and this is the only one he likes!

I know Kingdom is on the one-star-trash-list in Mr.Turin's new book. Well, I'm afraid I couldn't agree with him this time, and nor my cat :P

I get cumin in the opening in a balanced citrus-like / cumin accord that is different from anything else I’ve smelled before in fragrances: Strong cumin, no doubt, powerful and ingenious and more than a bit Gothic. I enjoy it now, but at first I did not really like the opening (or the fragrance, for that matter). Even when I thought that the accord was disgusting, I understood that, existentially speaking, my opinion of it was irrelevant. I don’t see Kingdom as a like-dislike fragrance; I see it as a statement, as a concept-idea fragrance. I very soon came to the realization that what I had just smelled was simply prelude to an olfactory creation whose primary purpose is to revolt, to disrupt complacency, and to flaunt a central digit into the face of the universe. The intent of the opening is ambush. This is certainly not an accident — it’s a challenge…a declaration — a rebellion.

The cumin provides heat: Not a thin, biting capsicum heat, but the lower keyed, full-bodied, stewing, festering heat of obsession and licentious passion: a subterranean, simmering, rapacious sultriness. This is no raging flame that destroys itself with its own exuberance; this is a street corner transactional heat that addresses the stewing of one’s own visceral juices and the gnawing of one’s own id. It stews, and gnaws, it languishes, and then it mutates. In the myths, the mutation is where the ugly duckling turns into the swan; where the Golden Fleece is gathered from the thorns, and where the rainbow glimmers and the birds sing. In Kingdom’s case, the dissipation, the lessening of the festering undercurrents — the mutation leads to…what?…a soft, underplayed rose / jasmine accord — anemic and totally out of predictable mythic character. If the scent were meant to be mythic, it would have blossomed into a full luxurious, pristine beauty — the myth fulfilled, again. That doesn’t happen. The myth turns into…Rosewater! Passion expended results in…err… very little: Why? Because it is the expending of the passion that is the meaning of the passion. Kingdom is not here to restate the old: It’s here to rebel, to overturn, and it is too soon to care about building new stories and expectations. Kingdom is hopelessly pessi-mythic. It languishes. It lethargizes in its floral and citrus ambivalence, always retaining the background heat as its real true eternal character: a steaming, unsatiated sensuality; and, as that, Kingdom continues on through its excellent but earthy…and its real…but fated… drydown — beautiful in its own way, but with no attempt at any sort of classic universal concept of beauty or sensuality or elegance... It is what it is, and the rebellion is enough...it has proven once again, its own existence… Kingdom is a truly revolutionary fragrance — one that flies in the face of tradition, prior knowledge, and comprehension. Long live the revolution!

The class cheerleader we all knew -- blond and bright and sassy and sweet on top, but OH what a slutty little thing once you scratch the surface.

Kingdom is a dirty, nasty, skanky little frag -- anything but safe and politically correct.

The cumin note doesn't come across so much as dark or animalic as it does very like B.O. (in that sexy, primate kind of way). It can be off-putting, granted, but it's well worth it if you like novel uses of cumin. (And I do.)

Exceptionally unisex, and guaranteed to garner tons of comments (if not always compliments.)

What a dirty girl she is.

This fragrance is living, breathing art: from the designer himself and his collective works, to the sleek chrome and red glass bottle, to the controversy about the cumin note (!!), to the fragrance itself, I am completely taken.

This scent in no way smells dirty or skanky. It is rich and spicy, yet completely wearable for both sexes. My husband and I are sharing a bottle.

The cumin is listed as a middle note, but I find it most prominent in the top. Interestingly, the citrus notes come out after the inital cumin dries down. The complexity at this point is clearly evident: it is peppery, slightly floral, deep, musky, with a clean sparkle of fruit and a round vanilla sandalwood sweetness. It only a bit of silliage when dry, but that is fine with me. It is a gift for the self and only chosen others.

I feel honored to have this scent in my wardrobe.
Instant Top 10...

When I first sampled this I found the initial cumin and old sweat onslaught absolutely and overwhelmingly repellent and was tempted to immediately go to the ladies room in the shop to wash it off! However, to cut a long story short, I did not and am now completely seduced by Kingdom. On me, the dry-down is still slightly disturbing but in a good way - I wear it very sparingly and always receive compliments when I do so. On a less positive note, I hate the bottle - completely unwieldy and lacking in any kind of sensual handling qualities which is strange considering the fragrance it contains.

This is a hate it / love it perfume. I am in the second category. Yes, it is dark; yes, it is heavy; yes, it is strong. However, I do not see anything wrong with this. I cannot understand why people see it as a "naughty" perfume? And "mediocre" it certainly is not. Very far from it. I actually find it quite darring and intriguing. No mediocre perfume would create so much debate...

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.

Really mediocre. Powder + something sweet + sweaty cumin note. And it is not a feminine sweat! Its powdery base reminds a lot of My Queen. Both fragrances are nothing special.

Pros: The bottle is very original. The scent is very original. I love McQueen's designs in general.

Cons: It smells like I have eaten Indian food, exercised and not showered for an entire week. Way too much cumin for me to handle. I feel the same way about Eau d'Hermes.

The BO note in this is absolutely nauseating. I've smelled way too many guys like this on a fishing trawler on an 8-Day trip. It's like they woke up with last week's clothes still on and decided to dust their armpits with cumin to disguise the odor. It wasn't the odor of private parts, just wide open armpits. I envy those who could smell other aspects, but this would make me throw up if I had to wear it more than 15 minutes. Nose searing.

It was the bottle that drew me to Kingdom.... simply gorgeous and inspired. On first impessions it reminded me of my 20's when I went through a phase of wearing Dune (which I still love). I find Kingdom a lot more layered and interesting, dark and mysterious but I definitely cannot detect no hint of "dirty lady parts" as previously mentioned....Hope other people don't smell that and I'm just oblivious.

Seem that many reviewers here foun this one sticky outstanding and even dirty.
Not my impression.
This is true that is quite powerfull.
It´s nice, deep, intense.
I wouldn't say as manly as i thought (well not in my skin).
Really nice indeed, pity idn´t work out in my skin as I was expecting
:(
One question, does it have peony as a note or is just me that i can smell it?

I wanted to like this, I really did. The bottle is gorgeous and I was so intrigued by the reviews that I felt I needed to try it.
I tested it twice on tester strips and both times, got lemons. Lemons! Where was the cumin? Where was the raw, earthy, spicy smell of unwashed bodies so many people had commented on?
I went back today and tested it on my arm. Still lemons. Then, after a few hour, faint, slightly musty lemons.
I have to say I'm disappointed. I don't understand why I'm not smelling the other notes. Too bad.

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.

Dazed, Seigfried opened his eyes, and almost instantly shut them again to block the brilliant glare of the sun - but not before he caught sight of that rounded and undulating belly. Was he dreaming? Cautiously, squinting, he raised one hand to shield his vision and to take a longer look.
There she stood, or rather, seemed to float, naked from the waist up, tiny beads of sweat glistening on her torso. Her legs were covered with flowing, saffron colored silk of the sheerest variety.
Her eyes were dark and intent, and, finished with her dance, she regarded him quietly.

The woman leaned over and a drop of moisture fell upon the man's parched lips.
Salt. Salt of the earth. He smelled the faint odor of her sweat, sweetened by a lifetime of eating spices.

"What KINGDOM have I found myself in?" he wondered.

This fragrance has a pleasantly raunchy quality, but is beautiful, and the drydown is lightly floral, which is merciful.

A unique, winning fragrance.

I don't think there are words to describe my love for Kingdom. It's romantic in a 16th century English way. It makes me think of gothic castles. Lots of people say that it smells like unwashed lady parts, I have to say that i can't see it. It does have a body smell, but i don't think it is unclean. Kingdom runs along side McQueens couture lines, it's gothic, romantic and beautiful. The bottle is by far the best i've seen in a long while.

Ok, so some people think it's dirty, but dirty can be good... There aren't enough positive reviews here and it is a good, complex perfume.
I got really strong cinammon and obviously the undeniable cumin, drying down to ambery, leather and sandlewood combination. Very warm and comes across more floral than you'd expect. Although this is coming from someone who likes the smell of body odour.. ha

An initial blast of cumin and pepper left me confused. My experience with cumin has leaned toward negative, initiated by the unfortunate reformulatin of Rochas Femme. Cumin can be overpowering, and here it is coupled with a healthy dose of pepper, which is one of my favorite notes. The effect is unusual and, I must admit, similar to body odor--but in a good way. I find it attractive.
It was much later that Kingdom truly won me over. A marvelous development took place on my skin. Apparently, copahu wood is responsible for the "pepper" note, and that may explain the "evergreen" scent that came into focus. At the same time, a hint of rose started to subtly creep in. Most importantly, the magic of sandalwood began to take over. Sandalwood is nothing short of a miracle on my skin. Invariably, when a fragrance goes from good to great on me, it is a result of high-quality sandalwood. (The same applies to patchouli.) Kingdom took on a sweetness, a diffuse, airy character, and improved steadily for four solid hours until I had to take a shower. Amazingly, it lasted through the shower, heating up and revealing its final note, a woody, dry/sweet, chypre-type rose. Not the average definition of beautiful, but undeniably beautiful indeed. Unique, remarkable, a must-try on the skin. Plus, the bottle is gorgeous.

I bought Kingdom blind after reading reviews here on Basenotes... and it turned out to be a great "leap of faith" for me! When I first sprayed it on (at the crook of my elbow), I felt like I'd walked into a Middle Eastern fast food joint, the cumin was so over-powering. After 15 minutes, it was better, but I still didn't feel comfortable wearing it "out," so went to bed, disappointed. In the middle of the night, I woke up, because I was smelling something gorgeous - rose and other florals, deep spice... Oh, my goodness, I had covered my eyes with the arm I'd sprayed with Kingom, and the dried down perfume was sensual, sweet and hot enough to wake me from a deep sleep! I think the trick is to apply Kingdom about 30-60 minutes before you need to be anywhere. :-)

Was given this in a sample bottle and so have missed out on the packaging aspect - but for me the fragrance stands on its own and is definitely investment-worthy. On my bod it started on bright and spicy with a sort of electric zing...in a couple of hours I got a nice sweaty-armpit undertone (which I find terrif-kick) then settled into a nicely floral ambery warmth. Lasts really well. LOVE IT.

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.

"Pierce my heart again..."

The provocative first lines of a poem printed on the inside of the box that this perfume comes in...that sums it up...but instead of heartbreak which seems to be implied, I see it in more the literal sense...this scent hits you right in the heart, much like staring into the eyes of a beatuiful person for the first time...you almost have to step back, because you're so enveloped that you dont even realize the beauty that is before you...such is Kingdom...at first you dont know what this scent is...a bit of sweet, a bit of spice, all with that note of cumin...but as it mellows out the cumin integrates beautifully with the emerging vanilla note all combining into a very raw sexy fragerance...I'd almost say it's too masculine for a woman, it even out a bit more and a bit of floral finally peeks through, but this scent is in no way flowery...a marvel actually...as it wears on it takes on a note that to me is a dead ringer for odeur 71 by CDG only with a bit more floral mixed in...so unsuaual, so sexy, deffinately a classic...

Why someone would want to smell like an 80 year old hooker, with ripped fishnet stockings, is beyond me....

No substance?

Good lord. Love it or hate it, there IS a scent here..dense, different, heavy, and way, way off the beaten path. Count me as a fan.

Vulgar and delicate! This concept has the same kind of attractiveness as a classy, innocent woman, vulgary licking her lips; sending out mixed, yet attractive signals. Either you get this "paradox" or you do not. I got it.

A little too feminine to my nose... with little to no substance. Nice bottle though, if only the juice inside were half as interesting.

Oh rose thou art sick. Such sweet stench made dirty in sweat soaked fever with cruel asiatic spice. Can this wanton cunny be made sweet by such a simple polished shell? I think not; gutter heart and slit in a silver armour stil only takes pride of place in a dirty whore's parlour.

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.

Cumin-a controversial smell for most-has the be the most difficult note to use as a base for any scent. L'Autre by Diptyque is pure cumin. It is also probably the single most reviled odor in a bottle ever produced (I love it to death).

Of all the other cumin scents like Equipage and Quorum, Kingdom, to this nose, get's it right. There is no mistaking the curry ingredient but it does not stand alone. The initial rush of cumin fades down quickly and up wafts the lovely florals and light citrus, all continually supported by the fading but never gone cumin note.

This one does last forever on me. It is also one of the small group of scents in my collection that garner uniformly positive responses, even from those who when presented with the bottle to sample, recoil in horror.

Get it and revel in it.

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.

I looooveeeeeee this sent! Bottle is perfect!

Kingdom most definitely has its non-fans and detractors but really, there is nothing else like it on the market and for that reason, I applaud McQueen and the Gucci Group for creating this fragrance. (I hope they don't all wimp out and go more middle-ground with the upcoming My Queen!) It's not for everyone, that is true, but if you love it, there's nothing else like it. The heat and pulse of the cumin, the slightly decayed quality of the rose and jasmine - like overdeveloped flowers left to die on a bacchnalian banquet table, the effortless caress of the woods all add up to something incredibly sexy. Happily, I don't get the "body odor effect" here - body heat, but not the foul stench. I love this fragrance endlessly and would be beyond thrilled to see a pure parfum version come out, though I don't believe that's anywhere in the works. Oh, and the packaging is genius - again, evidently offensive to some, but a work of great beauty in my eyes.

Ville, nasty & brash

I LOVE this scent! Warm, cosy and sexy. Very masculine too. I get loads of compliments when I wear this one.

Top: unwashed & unshaven armpits dusted with cumin
Heart: a whiff of rosewater
Base: Nada!
If that sounded alluring, go for it!

This is the worst scent i have ever smelt its far too strong and spicy. ok if your a man maybe!

This is genius, a scent at once offensive and seductive. It opens loud and spicy with civet and loads of cumin, goes very big and floral with rose, neroli, and jasmine, then dries to a sweet, soft vanilla and sandalwood base reminiscent of Dior Addict. It starts with a roar and ends with a purr. It's vulgar and crass and completely amazing. An instant masterpiece.