Royal Delight (1993)
by Creed

I feel I have no choice but to begin by writing something redundant:

Royal Delight is a delight.

This is how a floral, leathery, woodsy fragrance should smell.

The mandarin, rose, and jasmine in the opening are soft and pretty, and the first half hour could well make guys worry that Royal Delight is going to turn out to be too feminine for them to wear. Have no fear fellows: it doesn’t take long for the fragrance to turn unisex/masculine.

As Royal Delight settles down, the jasmine takes on a greener tone, something like violet leaves fade in, and the woods and leather begin to make their presence felt.

The leather is excellent: it is the sort of leather that you (or your horse) is allowed to sweat on, but it is not raw or rough. The leather is something like a saddle or riding boots that have been used and well maintained. I much prefer this leather to the high fashion leather in Chanel’s Cuir de Russie or the overstuffed leather chair in Serge Lutens’ Cuir Mauresque.

The woods in Royal Delight are smooth and in balance with the leather. The sandalwood smells dry and aged, and just a bit smoky. The amber is rich and does not drown the leather (like happens with Cuir Mauresque).

As the vanilla begins to make its presence felt, Royal Delight achieves a remarkable balance between leather, woods, and sweetness that lasts for the rest of the day. The base neither becomes powdery, nor collapses into an indistinct accord.

Royal Delight has remarkable longevity and excellent sillage. Two sprays should be enough for the entire day, unless your skin eats/destroys fragrance. I can’t imagine ever applying more than three sprays. If you start with Royal Delight be prepared to be disappointed by the longevity and sillage of many other Creeds.

I’m now going to delight in royal delight and see what my favourite horse thinks of it on me.

Sweet syrup? It's time for a revolution.

OMG! Royal Delight is, eeerm, delightful. End of.

I am not too educated in the art and science of note identification and description, but i think i have finally learned what it means when jasmine et al are described as indolic. It means fecal, put more politely (do i get a diploma now?).

Yes, i get the initial floral blast. Yes, i get the citrus. I get all the notes described. I appreciate why RD has been describe as an "old world" scent (though it definitely is not "dated", except maybe to the Eau de Pure Oxygen Calone crowd) But what "jumps" out the most in this powerhouse scent is its strong fecal accord. As i write this in 30 deg C ambient temperature, perspiring slightly, the animalic accord is almost, just almost, overpowering. How horse games were played wearing this scent is beyond me. Must have caused the opposition and their horses a few fainting spells. All that said, this is what i love the most about Royal Delight. A delightful departure from what i have come to be familiar with in my limited exposure and ownership of Creed scents.

The longevity of RD is amazing, lasting 12+ hours on my skin and still not whispering even then. Sillage? Lets just say it overpowers my office airfreshener vanilla diffuser hands down.

I love Royal Delight, knew i would even before i bought it blind. RD is multiple thumbs up.

Royal Delight is quite a pleasant, albeit slightly feminine, fragrance to wear. However, not only did I manage to pick-up that ‘Scotch tape’ accord, I also didn’t find it as long lasting as others have claimed (longest lasting Creed?! Get out of here!). Combined with the fact that it failed to keep my interest with subsequent wearings, I found this one to be a bit of a let down (possibly due to a lack of comlexity and depth).

It’s a nicely composed creation but certainly not for me or my body chemistry.

[Original submission date: 28 May 2008]

On the get go, Royal Delight speaks sophistication and class. It has a leather-chypre feel with an oriental drydown. As with many leather-chypres, it has a dirty animalic impression, but this composition keeps it noticeable but reserved. The dirtiness soon segues into the oriental base quite similar to Himalaya, but Himalaya is more a modern, meditative, altitudinous scent, while Royal Delight is sophisticated and more dark and sensual. If Royal Delight didn't have that woody vanillic drydown, I would've passed on this, it would've made it hard to wear, beautiful, but hard, like Chanel's Cuir de Russie.

I agree that this is one of the longer lasting of the Creeds. One can't help but marvel at such beautiful compositions such as this!

I'm curious on how it smells on a woman because I think it smells rather bold. Honestly I would think it would somehow smell trashy on a woman--there is nothing really tender about it.

Royal Delight is a royal delight. The exquisite nature of this fragrance is baffling. It smells like Geir with a heapin' helpin' of leather, earthiness, vanilla, and but it's better than Geir for sure. It actually does smell suited for royalty, just kind of fresh and regal. Whatever, I'm gushing like an ass. Bottom line, when I wear it I enjoy every minute of my own smell.

So now I have to justify a fairly hefty purchase, and also figure out what this EDT is suited for.