Royal Scottish Lavender (1856)
by Creed

It starts with a very good lavender note: airy, herbal, suggesting both flowers and leaves. The scent quickly becomes very much in the Creed style, namely round and smooth, even somewhat luxurious. The vanilla is restrained, thankfully. There are hints of spices (cloves, nutmeg) to give a masculine vibe. The scent is subtle and sits close to the skin.
I like a lavender scent to be more lively and sharp than this -- however, many will like it and it is very well done.

8th August, 2011.

There is nothing feminine about this fragrance; it is neither soapy OR light, and has nothing in common with Himalaya. This is CLEARLY masculine, as it is a classic, old-school lavendar.

20th September, 2010.

I have lots of respect for each of the woody/herbal/mossy "older gentleman" scents that creed makes. From BdP, Private Tabarome, BdG, Bois De Santal, Cypres Musc....I truly appreciate them all.

But this is my personal favorite "old man" creed. I have liked it since I first tested it, and put off buying it for a number of reasons, the most practical of which being: Royal Scottish Lavender isn't really all that accessible, contemporary or "mainstream friendly"....but I kept coming back to it so many times when testing, that I HAD TO buy a bottle finally (lot # CH21U05).

It starts with a blast of tart Citrus, and fresh, natural Lavender oil, a Lavender that smells precisely like what my fingers smell like 10 seconds after rubbing the lavender buds between them. Not too bitter or soapy like many Lavenders can be, very natural and endearing in scent.

This tempers, becomes greener and more mellow, accompanied by a light spiciness from clove, and then my favorite part of the scent begins to show.....it is a scent that reminds me of the literal first stick of incense I purchased with money from my own pocket......

...Fred Soll's Red Sandalwood with Special Herbs. This is a natural resin incense that smells incredible...and Creed has managed to capture this in the base of Royal Scottish Lavender!!! It contains Red Sandalwood, Pinon Resin, and doesn't mention what type of "special herbs" it uses, but one of them certainly could be Lavender resin. Anyways...

Red Sandalwood is not the same type of Sandalwood often used in perfumery, it is ontologically different, used more in folk medicine than anything else. Pterocarpus Santalinus (Red Sandalwood) has a drier, spicer, more medicinal smell than the smooth, almost buttery smell of Santalum Algum, or the smooth/dusty/sweet smell of Santalum Spicata.

And in addition to this wonderful woody note and the remnants of what seems to be a Lavender-root infusion or lavender absolute, there also seems to be a very classsic and beautiful mix of both Ambergris and Castoreum here. If you have smelled the castoreum in Cruel Intentions, the same olfactory profile pops up up here. And the Ambergris is alot like many of the older Creeds, and less like the Millesime base.

All in all, this is such a spectacular take on Lavender, and it is many many worlds ahead of the #2 ranked lavender scent, Czech & Speake's Oxford & Cambridge. However since it is a very classic, non-contemporary scent, I will advise everyone to test prior to buying. But if you're like me, in your appreciation for very natural, almost medicinal scents, you will absolutely love this.

Two thumbs way way up.

5th September, 2010.

This is one of my go to fragrances that I wear often, especially in the spring during the day. Like Scotttish cashmere, I find this fragrance comfortable in damp, chilly weather. As someone pointed out earlier, there is a stale tobacco scent here that shows up as the heart opens, and I think it's the bergamot fading as the clove and lavender appear. The citrus opening is so sharp, it almost makes me sneeze, and the heart is a bit soapy. I don't get too much vanilla in the dry down, and thank heavens, because it is my least favorite scent. RSL is like your Sunday best clothes packed for a weekend in the country. It is rugged, outdoorsy, prim and yet boisterous, like a good house party. When I want to make it a little more feminine, I add a little orange blossom like Ayala Moriel's Zohar, which is as short-lived and simple as this Creed scent.

28th August, 2010.

There is nothing masculine about this fragrance, it is soapy but too light and it does not say much kind of like Himalaya. This might be nice for a lady actually.

20th May, 2010.

Why hasn't anyone made the connection with Fumerie Turque? And yes, immediately I picked up the Jicky similarity, but without all the funky junk. You may be going for Lavender, but Creed RSL is very tobacco laden to my nose. Fumerie Turque is far darker and smokier on the dry down for better or worse. Creed is one smooth and long lasting formula. I'm intrigued and I'd like a sample of this for further exploration.

18th March, 2010.