Unconventional and ultra talented, the young Yves Saint Laurent stood out when he directed Dior creations after the death of Christian Dior. He quickly founded his fashion house and his Parisian and elegant style will make many followers. If his first perfume was released in 1964, it was nevertheless his second, Rive Gauche released in 1971, which propelled him to the forefront. Yves Saint Laurent likes to shock as much at the level of his creations as in his perfumes. In 1977, he released Opium, a sulphurous fragrance that will generate a lot of ink …
Opium Le Parfum or a delicious scent of scandal
A revolutionary composition Opium Le Parfum
Upon its release in 1977, Opium was criticized. Public opinion is not at all favorable to this new fragrance, because its name sounds like an invitation to consume illicit substances, an incitement to debauchery. Some even speak of “intellectual pollution”. The designer will explain himself by saying “If I chose Opium as a name, it is because I intensely hoped that it could, through all its incandescent powers, release the divine fluids, the magnetic waves, the hooks. hearts and charms of seduction which give birth to mad love ”… The composition of Opium begins with the tangy freshness of orange.
The latter is contrasted by strong and spicy notes such as cinnamon, chilli and pepper. The heart is floral thanks to the association of jasmine, carnation, ylang-ylang and rose. Finally, the base is sensual, enveloping, intense, because it combines benzoin from Siam, vanilla, patchouli and opoponax.
Opium Eau de Toilette, a mysterious fragrance
Take a journey full of emotions with Opium Eau de Toilette
Faced with the success of the Eau de Perfume, the YSL house will offer the Opium Eau de Toilette. While many countries have banned its marketing, Opium is enjoying unprecedented and unprecedented success. Opium, Eau de Toilette is a fragrance that opens up the imagination, mixing forbidden and sensation, breathing a new wind, a wind of freedom. Opium Eau de Toilette takes us on a journey into an incredible and intense olfactory world.
The top notes take off on the freshness of bergamot and mandarin, associated with aldehyde notes. The heart is always very feminine and combines lily of the valley, carnation and jasmine. The base is warm and ultra sensual thanks to the presence of amber, vanilla and patchouli. The bottle is inspired by an Inrô, which was a small medicinal case that the Samurai wore hanging from their belt. The color is the same as that of the Eau de Perfume, namely amber. Only the cord has been removed.
Black Opium, when the mystery is loaded with gluttony …
Intense and sensual notes at the heart of Black Opium
In 2014, the YSL house decided to offer a new version of its legendary fragrance with Black Opium. Intense and delicious, Black Opium is aimed at a new generation of women, younger and more contemporary. If Black Opium has kept the sulphurous side of its predecessor, it is however more instinctive and more sensual. Its composition begins with the power of coffee, a note associated with notes of pear and rose berry.
The heart is ultra feminine, as it is composed of white flowers such as jasmine and orange blossom. The base is sensually oriental and combines vanilla, patchouli, and cedar. The bottle takes the codes of its elder, but changes appearance. In a glam / rock spirit, the bottle is dressed in a mat black topped with an intensive glitter lacquer. The central porthole turns pink conferring a beautiful femininity.
Opium pour Homme Eau de Perfume, the masculine mystery
A new take on the YSL myth with Opium pour Homme
It was not until 1995, 18 after the Opium scandal, that the YSL house offered to revisit the masculine myth. Still as evil as its eldest, Opium pour Homme is like a carnal elixir that we cannot do without. In the heart of the Orient, man may desire his desire in the heart of a mystery of which he alone has the secret.
Opium pour Homme a été pensé pour être une caresse langoureuse. Sa composition s’envole sur la fraicheur multifacette grâce à la présence de la mandarine, du cassis, de la badiane, de la lavande, de l’anis étoilé. Le cœur est un contraste entre le géranium et les notes épicées du poivre du Sichuan, du gingembre et aussi du galanga de Chine, un ingrédient aux propriétés aphrodisiaques élevées. Enfin, le fond dégage une véritable virilité, car il conjugue la vanille, le cèdre de l’Atlas, le santal, le baume tolu ainsi qu’un accord de bois précieux.
Opium pour Homme Eau de Toilette, une version plus légère que l’Eau de Parfum
Des notes fraiches et épicées au cœur d’Opium pour Homme Eau de Toilette
Après le succès de l’Eau de Perfume, YSL décide d’offrir à ses fans, Opium pour Homme, version Eau de Toilette. Si cette dernière est tout aussi séductrice que son ainée, elle se veut néanmoins plus légère. Bien entendu, on reconnait ici l’aspect sulfureux et le mythe Opium est respecté. Opium pour Homme allie à la perfection, fraicheur, notes boisées et épicées.
Opium pour Homme s’envole sur une fraicheur multifacette, comme celle de l’Eau de Perfume, à savoir celle de la mandarine, de la lavande et de l’anis étoilé. Le cœur est épicé et conjugue le poivre Sichuan et le gingembre. Enfin, le fond associe le patchouli, le baume Tolu, la vanille et la myrrhe. Le flacon fait, une fois de plus, écho à l’Inro, un petit boitier à vocation médicinale que les Samouraïs portaient accrochés à leur ceinture.
Véritable parfum de scandale, Opium voit le jour en 1977. Si cette sortie choque une partie de l’opinion publique, la fragrance connait un succès incroyable, presque inespéré. Aujourd’hui, Opium est l’un des plus grands succès de la maison Yves Saint Laurent. Si ses déclinaisons arborent des aspects différents, toutes gardent en elles, la puissance du mythe Opium.
