Orris Root

Amouage

The opening strikes with liturgical incense and myrrh, dense and resinous, softened only slightly by lily of the valley's green sweetness and a gauzy rose.

Avon

Bergamot and freesia open brightly, with pepper adding an unexpected edge that gives this formula more character than the name alone suggests.

Eau D'Italie

Bois d'Ombrie opens with an emphatically unusual set of top notes: cognac and whiskey give boozy, fermented warmth; carrot contributes a woody, earthy quality; calamus a reedy sweetness.

Ajmal

Evoke Gold For Him opens on neroli and black pepper — a combination brighter than it is sharp, the floral character of neroli holding the pepper in check.

Elizabeth Arden

Green Tea Bamboo opens with a spray of citrus — bright lemon, grapefruit, bergamot — and the sharp green bite of galbanum and bamboo stalk.

Guerlain

Héritage Eau de Parfum is the richer version of Guerlain's 1992 aromatic fougère, adding density to an already layered composition.

Bond No. 9

Astor Place opens with violet leaf's distinct green-metallic coolness, mandarin orange providing a brief citrus brightness before the more distinctive materials arrive.

Giorgio Armani

Emporio Armani He opens on a clean, herbal brightness: yuzu's tart citrus alongside sage's cool green, anchored by cardamom's gentle spice.

Bond No. 9

Lexington Avenue opens with a licorice-herb accord — star anise and fennel dominate, cypress adding a cold, resinous dimension.

Dior

The original Miss Dior opens in a wash of aldehydic brightness — powdery, slightly soapy, laced with galbanum's green bite and gardenia's creamy fullness.

Cartier

Must II opens on peach and hyacinth — soft fruit and watery flower together, signaling the early-1990s tendency toward lighter chypres.

Donna Karan

DKNY Be Delicious Fresh Blossom Eau so Intense concentrates the original Fresh Blossom accord into something more assertive without adding ingredients.

Carolina Herrera

212 VIP Rosé Extra opens on a trio of lychee, cherry liqueur, and mandarin — a bubbly, tropical-fruity accord with an alcoholic undertone that places it firmly in celebration territory.

Zara

Coffee opens here without any of the dessert sweetness it usually announces.

Versace

V'E is one of the last great floral-chypre statements before regulation gutted the category.

Calvin Klein

CK One Summer 2007 opens with a cascade of citrus — orange, mandarin, grapefruit, and watermelon, with water mint threading through to add a cooling, almost aquatic freshness.

Montale

A creamy white-floral bouquet opening on ylang-ylang with rose and bergamot as supports.

Avon

The opening draws on cool, resinous aromatics — cypress and juniper cut with a bite of black pepper — landing somewhere between a forest walk and a freshly opened bottle of gin.

Victoria'S Secret

Body by Victoria 2012 opens watery and a little candied — mandarin and raspberry leaf giving the top a green-edged sweetness, a fuzz of peach and water lily floating just under it.

Yves Saint Laurent

Opium opens with a spice rack shaken loose by jasmine and plum — clove and pepper rush forward, bergamot lending a citrus scaffolding, the whole opening both declarative and deliberately exotic.

Bath & Body Works

Ocean for Men opens with a confident hand — yuzu and bergamot deliver familiar citrus brightness, but watermelon, artemisia, and elemi resin push the opening into more angular territory, adding a slightly bitter, resinous edge that elevates it above a standard aquatic.

Hugo Boss

Boss The Scent Parfum Edition tightens the original's seductive architecture into something more intimate.

Rasasi

The opening is creamy and slightly leathered — ylang-ylang's banana-floral richness colliding with saffron's iodine warmth, bergamot keeping the edges bright for the first few minutes only.

Rasasi

Opens crisp and slightly tart — green apple over lemon, sharp enough to clear a room before the heart softens it.

Rasasi

Opens aldehydic and bright — that fizzy, slightly soapy lift, with rhubarb adding a tart green edge and bergamot keeping the citrus structured.

Oriflame

Tenderly Promise opens on a small bright snap — pink pepper and lemon over peach blossom — that reads more like a fresh face cream than a perfume top.

Avon

Bergamot and mandarin open bright but get cut quickly by white pepper — a sharp, dry edge that reads as ozonic-spicy rather than gourmand.