NISHANE
HACIVAT X

2023

PERFUMER
Julien Rasquinet

Pineapple
Bergamot
Pink Pepper

Lime
Orange Blossom
Jasmine

Cedarwood
vetiver
Patchouli

‘HACIVAT X is the new interpretation of NISHANE’s global hit HACIVAT (launched in 2017), paying homage to the traditional shadow play character with a chypre structure that exudes elegance, competence, and love of art. This fragrance is a celebration of life, with stimulating notes of pineapple and bergamot backed by woody notes. It features top notes of juicy pineapple, zesty bergamot, and spicy pink pepper, leading to a heart of refreshing lime, delicate jasmine, and orange blossom. The base notes include earthy patchouli, woody cedarwood, and vetiver from Haiti. NISHANE is looking forward to hearing the thoughts of the crowded HACIVAT fans worldwide about HACIVAT X and is sure that it will quickly become a new favorite amongst the fragrance enthusiasts with its highly addictive and noticeable scent.’ – Nishane

Hacivat X will of course be a much talked about release, given the popularity of its predecessor. Frankly, I don’t quite fully remember Hacivat; I have smelled it and I remember it being a greener, louder version of Aventus, but I don’t recall all the details. I know I don’t love it.

As far as Hacivat X goes. Not as watery, with citrus being less pronounced than spices. Not all that close to Aventus. I did enjoy it initially, but to get it out of the way, the more it progresses, the less I liked it.

I get a ton of lime and pink pepper. It’s sharp, but there’s an underlying smoothness. If anything this smells a bit more like Aventus in a way at first, because the sweeter fruitiness (pineapple-esque) is more prominent in the opening. So far so good.

More woody than I recall, that goes quite smoky, but at the same time it goes a bit harsh and… herbal? In the air, it’s largely as I remember, but up close to the skin, I get a stemmy green, almost bitter aromatic spicy scent that throws me off.

As far as Aventus-esque DNA, this reminds me more of the ‘masculine cologne’ direction of V Canto Adux, but I much prefer Adux. Adux is smooth and sweet as well, whereas Hacivat X for me leans heavily into aromatic and sharp. After multiple hours, it becomes a sort of mossy spicy (even though apparently the oakmoss was taken out of this version); it’s very similar from what I remember and I do think this is nice again. It’s the couple of hours in between that I didn’t find enjoyable at all.

People have remarked on this not being as strong and loud as Hacivat and I can see that, but unless you’re obsessed with performance, I don’t see how there would be any problems. On first impression, this is easily stronger than most fragrances in this sub genre.

Unfortunately, it’s not for me, at all. I thought it was for a moment and luckily it ends up being pleasant eventually, but the more I smell this pungent aromatic tinge, the less I enjoyed it. I don’t know if it’s just this X flanker or Hacivat DNA in general; I’d have to revisit the original properly. For now, if I had my pick between Aventus, Orion, Cedrat Boise, Adux, Imperium, I-Mirage 23 or any of these ‘somewhat Aventus-like’ releases, Hacivat X would be my very last pick.