Opium perfume was the king of the 80s, and even though now it’s starting to show its age there’s no doubt that it’s here to stay.

When it was launched in 1977, the name caused a lot of protests in the United States, which did little to stop this perfume and a lot to promote it. This was not the first time that an Yves Saint Laurent campaign raised strong controversy (in 1971 the designer himself had posed nude for the campaign of  his men’s perfume), and would not be the last. In 2000, an Opium perfume ad featured the British author and model Sophie Dahl in a sexually provocative (to say the least) posture. In Great Britain the posters were withdrawn by the British Advertising Standards Authority.

However, now that the American Coalition Against Opium and Drug Abuse committee is supposedly disbanded, we can safely say that the word opium gives a perfect idea of what this perfume is about. It’s an intense, sophisticated and somehow sombre perfume. The list of spices, woods and other fragrances used (cinnamon, sandalwood and amber just to name a few) is so impressive that if there really was opium among them, it would go almost unnoticed.

Opium perfume by YSL

The notes

Opium by YSL is definitely not a summer perfume, nor a teenager fragrance. Like another living legend, Angel perfume, it’s made to last on the skin, so if you’re trying it for the first time, spray it on paper, in case you don’t like it. And if you decide it’s your perfume, don’t wear it immediately before going out.

This Yves Saint Laurent perfume is also reliable and powerful. After the spicy and citric opening notes have faded, the floral and woody middle notes won’t change and the fragrance will pass through your (faux) fur coat (or something to that effect) and stay with you in a cold winter day, until the evening comes.

In 1995 Opium for men was launched. Opium parfume pour homme is less spicy and sweeter than the original, a very particular perfume and cologne for men.

To sum up

As I said this classy mens fragrance is here to stay, so if you pass by the YSL section in a perfume shop, give it a try, and if you think you could like it, but it’s not the right time yet, try it again next year, you can be sure this designer fragrance will still be there on the shelf.