Opium Yves Saint Laurent 2009 Eau de Parfum

By the editors · 2 min readBergamot and mandarin open the 2009 reformulation with citrus clarity that eases into the body faster than one expects. Within minutes myrrh asserts itself — dusty and bitter-resinous — alongside jasmine, which provides enough floralcy to prevent the opening from reading as purely medicinal.

The base is amber-led: opoponax deepens the myrrh trail into a balsamic resin; patchouli and vanilla round it with warmth without tipping into gourmand. This reformulation runs softer than the legendary original — less animalic, less abrasive, more wearable in contemporary settings. It retains Opium's core oriental grammar while sanding down its harder edges. Best in cold weather; it reads properly dense and opulent when the temperature drops.