Ciel for Him (2003)
by Amouage

Ciel opens with what have become masculine perfumery’s conventional fresh fruit and aromatic notes, quickly joined by sweet white flowers. The flowers, particularly orange blossom, soon come to dominate, while the fruit persists to keep the midnotes very bright and crisp. It takes some time for a very soft incense to reveal itself, carrying the scent in a much more individual direction.

Next to emerge is a very creamy sandalwood, followed by the merest dab of vetiver. The incense, wood and vetiver meld into a very pleasant foundation, atop which the floral and fruit notes play. Though very little of ozonic character appears, the scent retains a certain “moist” feel to it. There are also some very brief flashes of sweet spices, most noticeably nutmeg, but not enough to take the floral/fruit accord into mom’s pie territory. The floral notes recede ever so slowly during the extended drydown, eventually leaving a sweet, lightly spiced base of incense, woods, and vetiver.

Ciel is a lighter, brighter scent than either Dia or Reflection. It flirts more closely with the commonplace fresh fougère fragrances that have emerged in the wake of Creed’s Green Irish Tweed and Davidoff’s Cool Water, but distinguishes itself through fine ingredients, complexity, and a more obviously floral character. Ciel can be worn very much like Green Irish Tweed, and would make a nice alternative, especially for those who crave a little more spice and can accept a rather bluntly floral men’s fragrance. Ciel also has far better longevity for me. I think it would be easy for a woman to wear, too. In sum, it’s not as distinctive as some others from this house, but it is a worthy scent that extends the line toward a younger and more casual wearer.

Harsh, sharp and bitter opening is a total mess and it takes awhile before it settles down, but when it does, I find this surprisingly unique and weird smelling fragrance!

Very interesting scent.


It has a detectible rose note, and in times I could even call this a rose scent….but of course it is not that rose prominent after all, and besides, the actual rose frags are usually quite simple and sometimes even one dimensional, but Ciel has very much going on in many layers.

Like I said, very weird smelling stuff overall to me, from start to finish. Puzzling juice. Smells floral, fruity, spicy and woody, together and apart! Keeps on changing, and it lasts a long time.

It’s very crispy, almost crunchy. One of those scents which makes me want to bite my wrist, its actually that delicious.

Full-bottle wise it is way too expensive scent for what it offers - after all - but enjoyable sniffing experience nevertheless. For sure I will give my 2ml sample a shot from time to time.

This would smell wonderful on a woman too, btw.

This has many blue and green notes in it I like, some seem luxurious and even convey a natural and smooth feel. But there is also a strong, familiar, slightly "muted-bitter" accord that was common amongst many high-end late 80's scents, and it is not a fresh/aquatic note, it is a bitter masculine note that I can't place. It is blended so that the entire fragrance seems to be a unified accord, and would have been better without the "dull-bitter" 1989 heart note. I would give it a neutral if the price wasn't absurd.

This is spicy and fresh much like many designer fragrances today. This fragrance, however, dares to add a drop of an animalic element. It nice but it feels like it's trying to be something it's not.

A very strong honey smell Yuk!

It has been a while since a fragrance has moved me this much.

This is a beautiful uplifting positive fragrance which works for me in fine spring weather when I am feeling the joys of being alive. The initial blast of light flowers and sparkling citrus with an aldehydic roundness drops off into frankincense (the best I have ever smelled) and mixed florals with a slight fruity sweetness surrounding a fantastic rose. This accord persists for some hours, the bitter edge of the pure smelling frankincense is mellowed with great craft and skill by the other notes. This is the standout feature for me, an innovative and very successful handling of a note that is difficult to blend and can be dominant in an unpleasant way. The drydown also is very pleasing with all the notes still detectible, a slight powder and an accord which reminds me of the floral aspects of guerlain's famous base with some bitterness from the incense remaining; blended with the other notes this puts me in mind of a bigarrade note, though this late in the development it cannot be that. No vanilla here though.

Overall, an underrated and quietly arresting fragrance which actually delivers, to me at least, though it is true that there may be limited days which are appropriate for its wear.