KILIAN
INTOXICATED

2014

PERFUMER
Calice Becker

Cardamom
cardamom absolute
mocha Coffee
Nutmeg
vanilla
caramel
Cinnamon

Whereas Black Phantom had to grow on me (and is now my favorite Kilian), Intoxicated was an instant like for me, that never became a true love.

Intoxicated builds on the Mugler A*Men DNA, which I’ve only briefly smelled, but it’s pretty clear that this goes in the same direction. The listed notes are cardamom, coffee, nutmeg and cinnamon, but this is mostly a cardamom fragrance at first, transitioning into more of a coffee scent. Which means it’s spicy, but it has a fresher, cooling touch. It’s often listed as ‘warm spicy’, which is not the case from the opening in my opinion.

It’s almost soapy and it reminds me of shaving foam for the first hour(s). The coffee is there, but it’s not ‘in your face’, nor the most realistic coffee. One of my benchmarks for a coffee scent is Akro’s Awake and Intoxicated feels a bit like an Awake shaving foam or handsoap for the first half of the wear.

In the drydown it gets sweeter and maybe a tad warmer, although not overly so and it’s quite a linear wear on my skin. There’s something in the A*Men DNA that I found almost unwearable, which I can’t put into words, maybe it has to do with texture and I do get a hint of a bug spray or cleaning product in it, but luckily I don’t have the issue with Intoxicated at all. This feels smoother and nicer, which is to be expected for the higher price. Then again, if you’re looking for a similar scent profile at a much lower cost, check out Zara Dark Intense Exclusive.

Overall, it’s a pleasant, distinct and a quite masculine scent that I think a lot of (mostly) men will enjoy. Last but not least: the performance is incredible. It’s not loudly projecting the whole time of course, but I get wafts 18 hours into the wear.