Sillage.art
Yves Saint Laurent · Est. 1977

Opium Parfum

The opening declares itself immediately: plum-tinged spice erupting through jasmine and bergamot, sweet but never polite.

ConcentrationParfum
Forunisex
Released1977
Statusenriched
1977 · Parfum
san·amb·inc·lab
Rating
4.6
0.9k reviews
Fig. 01

The scent fingerprint

Visualization — constellation
basehearttopcitrusfloralfruitygourmandpowderyamberywoodysmokychyprearomaticgreenaquaticspicy

Weighted by intensity across 13 accords.

Every perfume in Sillage is represented as a distribution across canonical accord slugs — a lingua franca for scent. Two fragrances with overlapping fingerprints are scent-twins, even if they share no literal note.

  • Sandalwood
    85
  • Amber
    80
  • Incense
    75
  • Labdanum
    70
  • Jasmine
    65

By the editors · 2 min readThe opening declares itself immediately: plum-tinged spice erupting through jasmine and bergamot, sweet but never polite. Within minutes, cinnamon and patchouli emerge with the warmth of incense already rising from below, creating that signature thickness—part temple smoke, part boudoir powder. The peach note adds unexpected roundness without turning the composition fruity.

What follows is a slow descent into resinous amber. Myrrh, labdanum, and opoponax layer into a golden-brown base that feels both ancient and glamorous, supported by sandalwood and a whisper of animalic musk. The vanilla and benzoin keep it from turning austere, though this remains firmly in the oriental tradition—heavy, enveloping, unapologetic.

This is perfume as statement rather than accompaniment. It demands cool weather and evening hours, suiting those who prefer their fragrance full-bodied and their presence announced before they enter the room. Not a scent that adapts to you.

Filed: Yves Saint LaurentSillage · vol. I
Fig. 02

Scent twins

Computed via accord overlap