Acier Aluminium (1973)
by Creed

Have you ever smelled a fragrance that literally feels like something you haven't smelled in 30 years, and when you take a whiff, you're instantly thrown into an involuntary flashback to a time you'd rather forget?

Well, if so, that's the way I feel about Acier Aluminum. One whiff of this powdery, leathery, slightly fruity aroma and I am transported to the 70's. This stuff is the epitome of the 1970's. Funky, musty smells, bellbottoms, sideburns to the next millennium, and long, wavy locks.

I'm sorry, I really didn't want to revisit those days.

For what it's worth, I don't think the scent is offensive. There is an unusual petroleum note in there that reminds me of some type of non-descript lipbalm. It also reeks of some type of (once again) non-descript French toilet water, something almost like Anais Anais. Once again, uber 70's.

I couldn't wear this, ever, in a million years. For all that I'm ragging on this one, please be aware, I'm not into the hairy-chest, uber-masculine power scents of the 80's either (a la Green Irish Tweed/Drakkar Noir/etc.)

What some have identified as "metallic" in this scent's top notes seems to me a piercingly tart, even acidic note with a distinct "chemical" edge. There is also a sweet, fruity leather accord in the opening, and this sticks around after the sharp note’s quick fade. The heart is fruit, musk, quiet leather, and spices – ever so slightly reminiscent of Serge Lutens’s Daim Blond, but with more sweet spice and a somewhat animalic background. I have no idea what the actual notes are, but I get plenty of amber nutmeg and at least a trace of cinnamon.

The Creed millésime house accord emerges and moves toward the foreground as the scent evolves, but its character is greatly altered in the absence of the fresh green or marine notes that so often accompany it in other Creed scents like Green Irish Tweed, Silver Mountain Water, or Millésime Imperial. Acier Aluminium is much darker and “dirtier” than any of these other Creeds and hence, to my nose, more interesting.

Acier Aluminium's sweet amber eventually replaces the soft leather in the drydown, which this scent enters very quickly. That’s “quickly” as in 30 minutes. The drydown is the most conventional part of the development, and it is very pleasant. Happily, the base is enlivened by some of the spice notes that re-emerge in an olfactory game of hide-and-seek.

Acier Aluminium is ultimately distinguished enough to merit attention, but still safe enough to wear in almost any situation. It's originality is a tremendous advantage over most of the other Creeds I’ve tried. in. While some have commented that it's a winter scent, I find that it takes on a more challenging and gratifying animal aspect with a little heat and exertion. In the final analysis, it stands for me with Erolfa as one of the better modern Creed scents.

Horrendous. How is this a men's fragrance? It's extremely cloying and sweet, and also very strong. Had to take a bath to get it off me. Terrible headache, too.

The top notes are strange. Definitely something metallic to it. Also something subtly sweet, like a vague chocolate. Overall, very hard to describe or identify the elements of. Perhaps a boozy note to it.

It then fades to a leathery scent, with some slight fruity details. I'm not generally a fan of leather scents. While I don't particularly enjoy them as a group, this is definitely one of the better ones I smelled - I'm sure you leather lovers will appreciate it.

It sweet leathery note eventually morphs into sort of an amber scent.


I gave this one a neutral. While I can tell it is of great quality, and really evolves with time, I simply don't like leather scents. Or even amber ones that much, really.

This is as close to a Holy Grail fragrance as I've been able to find. I understand that there exists a palpable level of Creed revisionism within the community, but that matters not to me. This is rich, almost (or fully...) gourmand opulence. Like George Costanza draping himself in velvet, I would bathe in this juice "were it socially acceptable."

The bananavanilla-y (trademark pending) opening of fruits and spices seems to last forever on my skin, finally drying down to reveal the conventional Creed ambergris-tinged base. All the while, you are enveloped but not suffocated. This is a fragrance with presence that endures without becoming a nuisance.

Others have compared this to urinal cakes or bathroom fresheners. While I suppose I can see their point, my guess would be that the overwhelming majority of people would not make that association. It is certainly no Orange Spice in that regard. I have received my share of compliments while wearing this.

Acier Aluminium is an interesting fragrance, and I wish I had ordered more than a 1 millilitre decant.

I often find it easy to write what notes I can smell in a fragrance, but with Acier Aluminium I can’t put my finger on specific notes. Rather than writing what I can smell, I only feel able to jot down my impressions, which feel like a representation (or resemblance) rather than any sort of clear guide.

Acier Aluminium opens with a metallic note that lasts for about thirty seconds on my skin. As this note fades out it is replaced by a sharp, intense aromatic accord, which reminds me of the opening accord in Caron’s Third Man less the lavender. This accord lasts for a few minutes and then begins to break down into three notes: bay, cinnamon, and olibanum. The bay and cinnamon remind me of the opening of Tauer’s Une Rose Chypree, and the olibanum is similar to the ball of resin in Montale’s Louban.

Just as I am wondering if this is really what I am smelling, a fruit note swells up and swallows these three notes. The cinnamon gives the fruit some warmth, and the olibanum gives the fruit a sharper focused base. After a few more minutes of fruit a peppery carnation note arrives, which along with the remains of the bay, keeps the fruit interesting. This combination lasts for about two hours on my skin, and is really nice to sniff.

The dry down begins with something like amber and vanilla, which draw the fruit toward a deeper and darker pitch. An animalic note stops the sweetness from becoming too sweet, and the olibanum settles as a resinous note at the very bottom of the base.

Acier Aluminium is all over within six hours on my skin, but oh what an interesting journey it is.