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      SPIKY MUSE (2025) • EX NIHILO🔺, ScentAdvice

      EX NIHILO
      SPIKY MUSE

      2025

      PERFUMER
      Louise Turner


      SPIKY MUSE (2025) • EX NIHILO🔺, ScentAdvice


      strawberry
      bergamot
      pink pepper
      pistachio
      rose absolute
      cedarwood
      akigalawood
      ambrofix
      tonka bean

      ‘The portrait of a powerful and creative femininity. The Rose, Queen of Flowers and eternal inspiration for artists, wraps itself into a new addictive sweetness.’ – Ex Nihilo

      SPIKY MUSE (2025) • EX NIHILO🔺, ScentAdvice

      Frankly, I did not expect to love Spiky Muse, given its notes of strawberry and pistachio… but this was nice surprise. Which also means, it may be a let down, if those ‘trendy’ notes is what you are here for.

      In my opinion, the strawberry and pistachio are both easy to neglect in this fragrance and they feel more like a marketing hack than anything else. Spiky Muse is a lovely crisp, greeni-ish soapy and fruity rose scent with a mature enough edge to it.

      The first thing that came to mind on my skin was rhubarb and looking at Fragrantica votes, Hermes Eau de Rhubarbe is getting early comparison votes, which I fully agree with. Spiky Muse has that almost vegetal, but fruity glossy soapy finish that reminds me of rhubarb, a darker lychee, perhaps even rose hip or paprika. Fruity, but with a shampoo-like twist.

      As it unfolds, it becomes a bit warmer and sweeter in an ambery way, as most fragrances do, but it retains that invigorating soapiness and cleanliness. To my nose, there’s a massive dose of white musk here, turning Spiky Muse into a ‘women’s deodorant’ of sorts, with amped up concentration. And that ends up being better than it sounds (although a body spray or hair mist would seem perfectly fitting for this scent profile in my mind).

      The sweetness is kept in check a lot more than with most contemporary releases and with its greener edge, it feels fresh and bright, but at the same time not juvenile. From my own collection, I’m most reminded of Superfumista Infra Rose, with it’s white musk and lychee take on rose, but that feels more youthful and citrussy.

      I’ve been enjoying this rhubarb-ish vibe more in the past year, but it’s still not really the type of scent that I would go out of my way to wear. Traditionally, Spiky Muse leans very far feminine. That being said, I wouldn’t mind wearing it more often and I definitely wouldn’t mind smelling this on others. Based on a first wearing, this is up there with the best Ex Nihilo’s that I’ve tried to date.


      SPIKY MUSE (2025) • EX NIHILO🔺, ScentAdvice


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