INITIO
POWER SELF

2025

*rumored notes
pink pepper
White flowers
hibiscus
musk

At the time of writing this review, Power Self has not been officially released and the full/confirmed notes are not out yet. Leaked notes are pink pepper, white flowers & musk and other sources state hibiscus as a theme.

What I can tell you is that Power Self is essentially a familiar and somewhat generic smelling scent that fits right in with their Atomic Rose or Parfums de Marly Delina and its flankers. For me personally, the scent is pleasant enough, but not necessarily a stand out or much needed addition to that ‘genre’.

Due to the hibiscus being named, early comparisons to Maison Crivelli Hibiscus Mahajad have been made online; from my memory, the Crivelli is significantly richer, denser, louder, deeper, sweeter etc. Power Self is a more transparent, thin, musky scent, which is sweet, but also clean. It’s easy to see the comparison and it’s a decent reference to start from, but there’s also a pretty stark difference; I could see people who like Chanel Chance to like this as much as people who like Hibiscus Mahajad. I haven’t tried the Hair Mists that Initio released shortly before Power Self, but frankly, it feels like this could’ve been one of those.

Tart fruity florals which smell like pink hues of rose with fruity accents. Recalling the often seen lychee-rose combination, perhaps some pear too. Either way, very bright, traditionally feminine leaning without a doubt and also quite youthful.

It’s more tart, almost hairspray-like, than I would like, reminding me of the fruity tart & musky Xerjoff Torino24; a paradoxal mix of wet liquid and tart dryness. Before growing sweeter as it dries, which is to be expected. It loses some of the fresh qualities of the opening quite quickly, but because it’s a lighter wear, it doesn’t get cloying, which is a positive.

For the most positive aspect; I find that there is a nice warmth and more honeyed sweetness, which I only really noticed when I reapplied and smelled it up close. I think with some time, this could be a bit more full-bodied and less screechy than it initially seems to be. Still, there’s times that it reminds me of hairspray and shampoo and overall, it feels more like a fun, easy-to-like, rather generic scent, than a luxurious, lush experience. I saw that Initio proclaimed to be ‘the pioneers of functional fragrances’ in some of the marketing material that’s being sent out alongside Power Self, and functional is a good way to look at it.

Overall, not a bad fragrance, but I don’t think it adds to what’s already out there, including by Initio and sister-company Parfums de Marly themselves; I could view this as their equivalent of designer releasing flankers for the sake of releasing flankers, except this one has a fancy new name.