General CREED perfumes impression

They are not all old fashioned to me. I think they are classy. Overally they are good but I would not go crazy for the house and a whole. There are so many great smells to come out of this house though, so while it is just good, it has some great ones too...

I agree with no orientals. Nothing good at least...

Some do smell of old world quality, some are beautiful, and some are other-worldly. Creed doesn't make a bad fragrance, it is a matter of finding the one for you. With me, I change my mind often.

I wouldn't classify frags like GIT, SMW, MI, or OV as "old fashioned"

I like them alright, but the house has kind of fallen out of favor in the past months. I used to love SMW, but now I find it just "blah". MI would be one of my absolute favorites, if it lasted more than a half hour. I really want to like Himalaya...the topnotes are great, but the drydown, as someone here says (sorry I can't remember who!) just smells "cologne-ey".

The only Creed I wear on a regular basis is OV. I still think this is an exceptional scent.

Overall though, my opinion of the house is that they do produce good frags, and if money is no issue then some of them would definately be worth having. However, if you're someone who is on a limited budget like me, there are several other options.

Look for Creed to go into a new modern direction with the transition of the house from Olivier to Erwin...it was Erwin who wanted Original Vetiver to be classified 'unisex'...so that the Vetiver note could be enjoyed by women also. This required softening of the Vetiver formula...for sure, if Creed wanted, it could easily make a raw putrid Vetiver scent ala MPG. OV wasnt the first time Creed created a scent using the Vetiver note.

Erwins preference is to have all scents classified as unisex. And that direction is where the house will be headed in the near future.

I wasn't a big fan of Creed after I sampled GIT, SMW, Himalaya and Tabarôme... especially if you take the price into consideration (and who doesn't!?). I decided that they were all over-hyped and certainly overpriced.

This all changed when I blindly bought Original Vetiver: I was blown away by the quality! So I collected my courage (and money) and bought a bottle of their other Vetiver (the one from 1948) and again, BINGO!
These two are now undeniable part of my top 10.

I still don't care much for their other scents though...

I think Bois du Portugal qualifies as a real Oriental.

EnvYuS said well, they're not old fashioned (at least not all) but classy! And some says they don't have orientals... Well, what about Angélique Encense? A deep smoky vanillic warm oriental! And about hesperidic notes, many of them don't have any hesperidic notes... Acier Aluminium for example is far from being hesperidic. Indeed some of them, specially the last ones are for sure more clean and mainstream tasting compared to the older ones which are imo better. Bois de portugal oriental? Mmmm... I would classify it more as a woody aromatic 80's powerful fragrance rather than a true oriental. Himalaya maybe has more of a woody-slightly oriental juice.

I would say that Royal Delight is an oriental.

I find creeds to be head and shoulders above the rest. It's a matter of taste though. I like "classic" in all walks of my life. In perfumery, I think creed do classic better than others I have tried.

I don't really care much for himalaya or m.i. or g.i.t. or smw, to me, none of these have a classic quality. It remains to be seen if they survive the test of time. Of the recent creeds I like ov, neroli sauvage, bois de portugal, tabarome. All of these are essential to me.

Its the older ones which really make it for me. Have you tried Selection Verte? Acier Alumunium? and the really old ones; Bois de Cedrat is THE citrus for me, Royal Scottish Lavender is so classically excellent. The leathers are really good (not my type of thing though).

I can understand if it's not to your taste but think the quality and craftsmanship is superb.

(apart from original santal which I think is a pig)

Creed goes for simple elegance and timeless qualities and so do I.

Ooh that must be me. And I'm kind of planning on wearing it as my SOTD hehe.

I have to agree, the aura surrounding Creed is very impressive. I happen to like their fragrances, MI, SMW, and BdP are great, AA is an acquired taste, but I appreciate it being unique. I just don't believe their fragrances justify the high higher price.

-General Creed perfumes impression-

It always is a big mistake IMO to throw several different things in one big pot and don't go for the details. The details are the way to go. The germans, the french, the americans. Are all americans the same? Are all germans the same? - no exceptions?

There are several fragrances created by Creed I don't care about, there are several I don't even like, but the ones I love are are the cream of the crop IMO.
There are several brands more expensive and if you ask me about their justification of their price, I have to say some Clive Christians or some of the Amouage line are definitely worth the price as well.

Like I've said many times before, I've noticed that many people who praise Creed just can't seem to get away from always sounding like they're writing their publicity blurbs for them. In the above quoted case, it sounds like a feature on one of those "Access Hollywood" type shows with the requisite calling of the celebrities under discussion by their first names, "Olivier" and "Erwin", to show that the reporter is really on intimate terms with the said celebrities and that, therefore, he or she must really know what he or she is talking about.

Another thing Creed acolytes can't seem to do without is the denigration of other houses when talking about Creed, "the raw putrid Vetiver scent ala MPG", is a perfect example. Of course, if one attacks other houses or tell us how much better Creed is as a house, then one never really has to get into details about Creed fragrances. Why not say something interesting and differentiated and constructive about Creed's use of vetiver? Let me give you an example: In Original Vetiver, the Vetiver note has been cleaned up, made clarion, so that using OV one feels elated, buoyant and grounded and the same time; it's an intimate understanding of vetiver's paradoxical essential oil properties that has been executed successful into an olfactory equivalent. It is perhaps the most uplifting execution of vetiver in recent years with an understated elegance and lightness of touch that distinguishes from its slightly more at stodgy brother Thierry Mugler's Cologne, which can at times overwhelm with its simulated freshness that can quickly turn heavy and burdensome. This is a good example of where the use of traditional techniques of perfumery and understanding of the qualities of essential oils seem to have trump mass market driven technology. Incidentally, that "raw putrid Vetiver scent" in MPG fragrances happens to be a favorite among many, myself included. I also happen to like the Vetiver note in OV, but I don't ever feel compelled to make my point by denigrating a whole house.

I think the modern direction Creed is supposedly going to take is a contradiction in terms. I think they're incapable of modernizing or, at the very least, they're ambivalent about it. Witness their recent American website. Very state of art. NOT. It's interesting that they felt compelled to finally put up a US website, even more interesting that the website seems like it was commissioned 10 years ago:

http://www.creedperfumes.us/creed_pe...collection.php

I guarantee you those images of the bottles where not taken with a digitial camera.

It might well be that there is a generational conflict in the House of Creed that will work itself out in the coming years.

And that's precisely the problem with Creed in terms of their relation to modern perfumery. They're an anachronism. Simple formulas, which often produce quite beautiful effects, that evanesce in minutes so what you're left with is yet another minor variation on the ambergris basenote theme. Sometimes it works, as in the recent Feuille Verte release where the well-worn vomity ambergris note is moderated and lifted by a very beautiful soft and quiet, non animalic musk. It doesn't strike me as a particularly modern fragrance, but it is a very good Creed in a traditional sense. The paradox is if they modernize they will become a house divided with traditional perfumes and very modern ones that avail themselves of all the benefits of modern perfumery, witness Original Santal, the most modern and certainly the most synthetic of all the Creeds and this is not meant as a criticism. Obviously when they start to build a modern repertoire, the whole Creed ethos of only using natural ingredients the time worn way will begin to clash with the modernization, particularly if that modernization is successful.

Finally, I tend to prefer the older Creeds that seem to me more thought out and better executed, Santal Imperial, Acier Aluminium, Angélique Encens to name a few examples. One advantage the older fragrances have over the newer creations is that they don't immediately turn into a variation of the Creed house basenote within minutes of the top notes wearing off. One experiences in them a more complex temporal reality. One gets a sense of the interplay of top, middle, and basenotes in the evolution of the fragrance and the ambergris based finish tends to be sexier and less in your face, not to mention more subtly conceived and executed.

In the final analysis, the house of Creed must be given its due. It does what it does very well, but what it does is quaint and somewhat anachronistic, or, if you like, classic, and if you happen to like this particular form of classicism that's great. I am not one who is interested in proscribing or prescribing personal taste.

It is interesting to consider the following in relation to Creed's place in modern perfumery. The renowned nose Bernard Chant once said in an interview that the task of modern perfumery was to produce increasingly more and more complex effects and fragrances that embodied such effects, but with the fundamental prerequisite that such fragrances had tenacity and longevity. His basic argument was that modern perfumery had moved away from the exclusive reliance on raw natural ingredients and had married such ingredients in smaller amounts with aroma chemical constituents to create olfactory experiences that were more intense and complex and lasted over a long period of time. He understood that this gave modern perfumery a huge advantage over older forms of perfumery, and that ultimately the older forms were limited in the effects that they could produce. This explains Creed's multiple variations on a common theme. Using Creed as a touchstone to judge all fragrances past and present makes little historical sense in the broader context of an understanding of the trajectory of modern perfumery. Claiming it's the pinnacle of modern perfumery is an anachronism in itself and, quite frankly and literally, an absurdity.

Appreciating Creed for the right reasons and not because of their overly hyped celebrity status or their expense (another myth I've dealt with elsewhere)--I know there are those who really get off on the fact that Creeds are perceived as expensive--makes infinitely more sense. In fact, such an appreciation might even produce some reviews of Creed fragrances that anatomize them and make us understand just exactly what are the specific qualities of the house's fragrances that still manage to retain loyal customers despite their anachronistic nature in relation to the general trajectory of modern perfumery.

Of course, that would mean separating out the Creed idolatry and the feelings of self-importance many seem to get from associating themselves with this house and its "prestige" (many times highly over-imagined and highly overrated) from true informative analysis. I haven't seen that as yet, as I've noted many times before, but the more objective comments and reappraisals with regard to Creed in various posts over the last few months and in this thread gives me hope.

scentemental

I think it's probably worth having at least one Creed in a collection, Silver Mountain Water for instance. But there are so many other fragrance houses to investigate, and nearly all of them are cheaper in price!

When I first started smelling Creeds, I was very impressed, but over time I've started to detect a bit of a sour note in some of them. Vetiver (1948) was a big let down for me. And Neroli Sauvage can sometimes smell borderline boiled-egg-like.

Great post by the way scentemental!

Yes! Very well-said. Thank you.

Superb post Scentemental. Extremely eloquent and completely along the lines of what I think about this subject.

MMM

To be honest here, I have only tried 2 Creeds in my life, they were Silver Mountain Water and Green Irish Tweed. Perhaps these two fall too much in the same category scent-wise, but I found them rather generic.

SMW was so 'boring' I can barely recall what it smells like, except that clean, typical 'aftershave' note if you know what I mean. GIT has reason to be popular since it's so approachable and no one will really dislike it.. but it was almost like I was allergic to it. Not only did my nose itch but I was coughing all day too, something I haven't experienced before with a fragrance. That may be just me but it made me wonder...

Just my 2 cents on these scents, I do hope to experience more of Creed in the future and hopefully change my view from 'safe-lazy-not very exciting' to 'worth trying'.

Concerning scentemental, you wrote a great argument my friend.

There was a time when I thought they must be something really special. I bought many bottles and flacons because I thought I should. That time was short lived.

Necessary and highly accurate words from Scentemental. Always a pleasure to see such razor-sharp perceptions written in such a consummate manner.

MI lasts a good 6 hours on me. Guess I'm lucky : )

Scentemental has summed up the situation with Creed so well in his earlier
post. I would like to comment on perhaps one or two reasons why Creeds
hold the attention of so many on this board. This is a simple and subjective
way of saying it, but I just think that a number of Creeds smell very
_intense_ and yet somehow natural (as opposed to chemical).

Now I realize
that all smells are from chemicals, but most will agree with me when I say
that the smell of a real orange being peeled or eaten is more satisfying and
desirable than the smell of any number of citrus fragrances on the market.
The (synthetic) fragrances smell good, but we associate the fragrance with
that of the real fruit and we (maybe subconsciously) compare them. When
the synthetic is a close match to the real thing, we think it smells somehow
natural. Many fragrances on the market smell like an orange, but also
like something not encountered in nature that, while not so objectionable,
is also perceived as foreign and intrusive.

When I smell Bois du Portugal I smell something intense that grabs my nose
and says "wake up," and yet the scent components seem like they could
have been encountered individually in nature too, while not in that particular
combination. The "foreign, intrusive" quality I perceive in something even
as good as Rive Gauche pour Homme isn't there, yet the intensity is.

Perhaps I'm wrong on this, but the anachronisitc qualities of some Creeds
are a welcome relief from the endless variations on the theme of synthetic
citrus-woody that one encounters in the also-rans of the department store
fragrance counter today.

trumpet_guy

Actually, you beat me to the punch. I was just going to post my thoughts on the mighty Creed. Having received about 10 various Creed samples and buying Tabarome blind, I've think I've come to the conclusion that their originality, quality and longevity just do not justify the hype and the high price tag.

I'm wearing Erolfa right now and it just passes over me. It's supposed to evoke the ocean and the sea. I get melon with a dash of salt. Like Cool Water Deep gone wrong. It does nothing for me. Kenzo PH and Bulgari Aqua do a much better job. And they last longer. Efolfa evaporates on me in about 90 minutes. And this is supposed to be an EdP?

Now on to Tabarome. I bought a 30ml for $45 at the Bond No. 9 store when they had their Creed "liquidation" sale. And I bought it blind as they didn't have any testers. I had heard about the "divine" tobacco note in it and was intrigued. Well, it starts out very "gingerly" and punchey. Kind of reminds me of rubbing alcohol which is not good. Develops in a piney, tobacco note that is barely detectable after an hour. It all comes across as much too light. I want to smell a deep piney, tobacco note with hints of cinnamon for hours on end. I want the tinderbox, dammit! I don't get that. I think if a designer could bring out these notes with a deeper base, he'd be on to something really good. Again, a good scent that doesn't last and doesn't project.

And that's a common theme besides the "house" note which seems to be in every creation. They just aren't deep enough for me to get into. They don't take me places that Envy, Dior Homme or Lancome Miracle Homme do. At these high price tags, I'll save my money for something that lasts longer than an hour. And Cool Water does the same thing as GIT at 3/4 the price with better longevity! Yes, I'm a Basenote heretic and I will pay for my sins one day!

The Tabarome you purchased was likely Tabarome Millesime, as opposed
to Vintage Tabarome (from the Private Collection). You would probably
have been more satisfied with Vintage for its tobacco. Nonetheless, I share
your disappointment at the short duration of many Creeds. We should get
more longevity for $150.

With the niches and their price tags, its always better to start off with samples and decants, which I think most basenoters do anyways. For some it may turn out that Creeds really are the most suitable fragrance house. For many it is not feasible to plunk down $100-$150 per bottle; I dont think many basenoters do a lot of blind Creed buying.

I like Creed because it doesn't feel like I'm wearing typical cologne; more like I bathed with a good bar of soap that lasts several hours.

Creed is the Frag house that all others fall in line behind.
Its the house that represents class and success.
Quite simple...Its scents smell better.

Scentemental's post on the 2nd page is (as always) very informative and well written. In light of all the Creed worship vs Creed bashing, everyone should read what he wrote so long ago. It has been awhile since I read that post, but the 2nd paragraph in particular seems to pertain to the heated discussions in some recent threads. (i.e. Thrax's Kouros thread)

Yes. All of them. Except me, I'm the exception. But otherwise, yes.

I am overwhelmed. Scentimental's post is among the most thoughtful I have read on any forum. It happens to echo many of my own thoughts and feelings about the house of Creed, but expresses them far more eloquently and succinctly than I ever could.

I bow down before a master.

I would be willing to bet that you take anybody off the streets who does not wear cologne at all, throw a few Creeds in their face, and that person will turn into a cologne junkie. Guaranteed. Can any other house do that? Has any other house done that? And...it has absolutely nothing to do with marketing or celebrity endorsement whatsoever. I show my collection to friends and family and any one of them literally want to borrow or buy 9 or 10 of my bottles. Creed even appeals to people who gave up on fragrance long ago. It's like having a veil removed before one's eyes. I have witnessed this time and time again in my own home. An absolutely unprecedented effect in the annals of fashion...and we're not just talking fragrances here, people, we're talking about fashion.

That is a pretty bold wager, and one that would doubtlessly give a failed result. Creed fragrances have a particular style that can be described as encapsulating a kind of romanticised nostalgia. There is a place for that in the consumer-driven world of the 21st century, but perfumery has always been and always will be a business that is dominated by the markets.

Creed's place in the market is that of an established house with tradition and high-repute, but it does not occupy the place of producing seductive ambrosia that will ensnare any unsuspecting passers-by into their spell. And the appeal of their fragrance lines are far from universal.

The reverence paid to Creed is evidently fuelled by its enthusiasts. Whilst enthusiasts of any fragrance, any house, or any other thing for that matter, are perfectly entitled to their adulation, a reminder needs to be articulated that enthusiasm does hold opinion as its wellspring, and opinions are not by their nature universal.

~ Snifferdog

Well said, Scentemental.

+1 Scentemental!

I often compare Creed lovers to Apple lovers. The tech company, not the fruit btw. The brands have an aura surrounding them. It's not entirely marketing though: both their products are really well executed and can often arguably be seen as superior to many of their competitors' offerings.

It's almost like a religion. For a brand (or anything else) to be really, really successful with a lot of devotees, you gotta let people worship your brand.

"Hi, I'm a Creed fragrance"
- "Sigh, and I'm Acqua di Gio."

I've had friends say things like "I didn't know they a made a pine fragrance" (Epicea), or "I can't believe you can actually smell like a lemon" (Bois de Cedrat), or "that smells like the barbershop I frequented as a kid" (Baie de Genievre). Pretty amazing effect. When I show them any of my olders mass market frags, they sigh and say "That smells like generic men's cologne in the office elevator". Those garner absolutely zero interest or attention.

You seem to love Creed very much. Guaranteed. I've found 2-3 beautiful scents from Creed, and about 15 which I more or less find boring or/and week or/and uninteresting.
Were I a person from te street not wearing cologne, I wouldn't be moved by that 15 scents for sure.
Would you kindly remit the sum of our bet? (1000 $).