Reviews of Antidote (2006)
by Viktor & Rolf

i really enjoy the top notes...enough to give it a thumbs up...but i must agree that it winds doen into a strange white musk that is somewhat unappealing. I find also that i have to spray a lot on my body and one spray on each arm to get a full benefit from this frag.

On top i smell heavy cinnamon and guaic wood but after that i dont get much...great bottle by the way

Had this fantastic fragrance twice now, once in a 75ml which was a gift & now i have a 125ml bottle simply because it's a gorgeous smell & it has great staying power. When first applied it's quite strong but it does mellow into a brilliant scent, i like it, nice.

I find Antidote a very enjoyable fragrance. To my nose, everything centers on the woods of the base. The woods are present from the opening: woods highlighted by citrus, mint, pepper, and spices. The citruses are gone quite quickly, even for citruses – probably because they are so easily overcome by the stronger wood and spice notes. The spices –cinnamon and nutmeg – hold the middle for a very long time while the florals stay undifferentiated in the background. There is an abundance of notes in the base and the cedar, sandalwood, and guaiacum join with the patchouli and labdanum to provide a rich, woody, incensy ambiance. The wood, patchouli, and amber of the base have been with the fragrance from the start, but they come to full force in the base, which is filled out with tonka, and leather. I don’t get any vanilla or iris. Antidote is not really a unique fragrance, but it’s a excellently made one. It doesn’t throw a lot of sillage, and I am happy about that because I like keeping the richness close to me and not broadcasting it. Antidote also has excellent longevity: It is a subtle, rich, warm, and elegant masculine fragrance.

I wore Antidote several times and while I liked it, I was puzzled by this dense, complex fragrance. I certainly didn't feel capable of commenting on it. Then I smelled it on someone else, my youngest son (who loves it, I might add), was thoroughly impressed and most importantly it helped me develop a framework. I would characterize it as heavy, with a harsh edge, strongly masculine, sweet and having a barbershop character. Luca Turin, in the book "Perfumes: The Guide" uses the term "mutant lavender" to describe Antidote. He is focusing on one of the prominent synthetic armomachemicals, sclarene, which provides a long-lasting, airy, lavender-like scent. Turin critiques the use of sclarene here, because it doesn't match the heaviness of the scent (at least that is my interpretation of his comment). And I do agree in part. There are clashing elements in Antidote. For me, I find them puzzling to comprehend easily, but still I find Antidote to be enjoyable and stimulating. So I give it a thumbs up. I have a mini bottle and I am sure it will be adequate for infrequent use in the years to come.

This is a gorgeous fragrance.

I normally wear Chanel Antaeus, so Antidote is a kind of culture shock for me. I’m used to wearing a fragrance that is rooted in the earth, but Antidote is engaged in a slow burn to overcome gravity and retain its vantage point above the ground.

The accords between individual ingredients are so well managed that I can never smell less than three things at a time. The top notes are more like a citrus orchard than citrus fruit, and they merge seamlessly into a luscious night time garden of middle notes. The base notes are there to sustain the relationship between Antidote and the ground, and the ripples of smell act like thrust to keep Antidote aloft.

Gorgeous frag -- really what Prada for Men wanted to be and/or should have been. Sweet amber lovers, beware though -- this is seriously sweet territory here.

Balanced, complex dry-down that's vaguely reminiscent of Egoiste and Prada alike, but with a powdery note (the iris, perhaps?) that makes me keep smelling my wrist all evening, long after the spicy heart notes have died down.

I've read that this is Rufus Wainwright's signature scent, and that makes me like this little puppy all the more.

the bottle is great, and the scent is mysterious. I dont believe that it is a scent for everyone but I believe that it is definately a good scent with descent longevity. It may be a "safe" scent but there is something that I find about the scent to be very intriguing. A definate must try in my book.

Perhaps I'm the exception here but I find this lasts very well.

It's an evening scent, but doesn't smell warm. It's sharp and mysterious, but as other ppl have said, it's not very easily detected. The bottle is nice (that's usually how I decide on which cologne to buy lol).

A pleasant scent for all occasions. I can't imagine anyone seriously disliking this. Perhaps someone may even fall in love with it. Reminds of Le Mâle - is it the mint? I've got a 1.5ml sample. A decant purchase might be in order some day but I'm not likely to ever own a bottle. Antidote is definitely worth trying for anyone who is looking for a smooth and refreshing fragrance with a hint of sexiness thrown in.

Do you have a 'stand-by' fragrance, one that when you may be undecided in what to wear you can always rely upon? This is how I see Antidote in a male fragrance wardrobe. It is not earth shatteringly new or different - it smells reliable and trustworthy to me. A little sweet, could be romantic, could be business, could be partying or even worn to church...worth a try in my opinion.

I had an OD of this antidote...
the bottle is amazingly creative and literal..
i believe the color of green adds to the effect of mystery and complexity of the scent...and ties the whole antidote theme
i was at bloomingdales the other day and they had chocolates in the shape of their wax seal...tasted like crappy white chocolate that fell into a vat of Antidote...haha
yeah...i love the highlights of sweetness within the juxtaposition of dark and sweet...a must buy

Bought this for my BF, but I like to spritz it on sometimes... It goes on quite fresh, with the citrus and slight whisper of mint, then quickly warms up to a slightly sweet spice: I get mostly the cinnamon and nutmeg, very well countered by the lavender and orange blossom. The drydown, despite all of those notes, is rather muted, and just, well, 'nice', nothing extraordinary. I imagine this would be wearable on almost anyone's skin.

I can definately smell a hint of the mint leaves, and some mandarin.
This fragrance is very light, but still amazing in its complexity. Ive gotten many compliments so far from Antidote...if it were only a bit heavier and longer lasting.

I like this but can't love it just yet. Its very complex--but not overwhelming or clashing--in composure and you've got to try it more than once to form some solid opinion. Definately 7+ on a 10-scale, just dont know where it would go from there.
Must try...more than once

The top notes of antidote reminds vaguely of Eternity for men, but that is where the similarities end. The fragrance successively slides into a discrete vanilla-amber base with a hint of patchouli through the journey of mandarin, grapefruit and orange blossom notes. Although not that ground breaking, it is a very well crafted and balanced scent despite the expected fragrance-note chaos. The scent does not project much and wears close to the skin, although I have been able to detect it 24 hours after application. The biggest “flaw” the Dutch duo are accountable for is dubbing their scent ”the antidote to the boredom of men’ fragrances” when in fact they are simply adhering to the current designer trend of fresh-oriental men’s fragrances. In conclusion, Antidote makes for a nice versatile well-balanced citrus-vanilla fragrance, with a difficult-to-motivate “exclusive” price level. Did I forget to mention the compliments from the opposite sex?