By Kilian will launch Back to Black: Aphrodisiac, the 8th fragrance in the L'Oeuvre Noire / Black Masterpiece series*, in September. The name pays homage to singer Amy Winehouse (her second album was called Back to Black), and also references the "narcotic lure" of tobacco and a return to sensuality. Reportedly, women will find the ambery-woody scent feminine, while men will think it was made for them.
The fragrance notes feature bergamot, nutmeg, saffron, cardamom, coriander, raspberry, blue chamomile, honey, olibanum, cedar, oak, tobacco accord, patchouli, vanilla, almond and labdanum.
By Kilian Back to Black: Aphrodisiac will be available in 50 ml refillable bottles, in 50 ml refills, or in the 1 liter fountain. (via abc-luxe, additional information blog.madisonperfumery, style)
Update: By Kilian Back to Black: Aphrodisiac was developed by perfumer Calice Becker.
* Or it's the second fragrance in the Arabian Nights series (following Pure Oud). I'm not sure.
Another update: see a review of By Kilian Back to Black: Aphrodisiac.
this mostly sounds ok
I hate the name though.
and I am so tired of Amy Winehouse, honestly
and… “Reportedly, women will find the ambery-woody scent feminine, while men will think it was made for them.”
huh? is that fancy way of saying it will be unisex?
More like a pretentious way. I think it sounds hideous, but then, the one and only BK scent I tried smelled like the morning after a huge drunk fest…stale tobacco, old booze, piss on the floor…
lol @ the fact that I thought BK meant Bill Kaulitz
That sounds about right for a BK scent though (lolol just kidding. maybe?) Which one was that?
bergamot, nutmeg, saffron, cardamom, coriander, honey, olibanum, cedar, oak, tobacco accord, patchouli, vanilla, and labdanum.
doesn’t sound too bad, does it?
“morning after a drunk fest”? You’re killing me… that reminds me of college. And it was Straight to Heaven? Maybe they should have called it Straight to Animal House?
I call it Straight to Hell…put it into a separate plastic bag, then into a black velvet pouch, then buried it deep in a drawer somewhere. Didn’t want to accidentally put it on again! LOL!
I did that with my sample vial of Insolence edp. Gah! Kill.Me.Now.
“Strong enough for a man, made for a woman?” If it smells like Secret deodorant, we’ll know that’s what they really meant.
I loved several BK fragrances (Cruel Intentions and Liaisons Dangereouse–spelling?– are two of my all-time favorites, and my partner nabbed my tester of Straight to Heaven), and this doesn’t sound bad. I will just never pay what they charge for a bottle.
StoH was the offending scent, lol. It smelled HIDEOUS on me! I was so disappointed, it smelled ok in the vial, sounded marvelous, but OMG, complete scrubber on me.
It wasn’t good on me, either. But on my partner, it’s wonderful. Definitely a chemistry thing with that one.
same here—sounded sooooo good, smelled soooooo bad.
Straight to Heaven is AMAZING on me. Really. I just have this teeny tiny sample vial, but I really want to buy a spray decant (anyone? anyone?)
I find that the BK scents really grow on me, even if they are strange or notes that I shouldn’t like. Liasons Dangerouses is a great example.
I’m guessing this is one that Daisy will NOT be hosting a decant split of. Heh. Are you the commenter formerly known as quinncreative?
Nope– I’m just me. 🙂
At those prices, I hear ya– who can afford to host a swap?!
HA! You got that one right Joe….none of the ByK have done a thing for me, and some were downright “ucky” …..when an entire line leaves me cold then I start thinking that the culprit is one of their base ingredients that just doesn’t like me.
gville—-I have a line on a ByK StoH split if you are interested. I hope you see this post soon! —email Daisyloo82@gmail.com
Yes, guessing that’s a fancy way of saying it’s unisex. So far my favorite is Prelude to Love, but they’re too expensive for me.
Oh, and I interpreted BK as “Burger King” at first, so shows where my mind is.
I thought of that, then decided I didn’t care, lol. Probably should have put ByK.
My mind’s on lunch too.
Boo–“More like a pretentious way”—hit that nail on the head.
and Amy Winehouse??? GAH! Homage to Amy Winehouse? Probably the most degenerate female in exsistence??? I’d say a bunch of way meaner stuff but Robin would slap me upside the head.
But if we all agree it’s ok to say?? I want to hear the meaner stuff! Bring it on!
bad, bad kitty!! you just want to see me get slapped!
No, I wouldn’t do that. 🙁 I was just in the mood for evil gossip. Perhaps I am the one who should be slapped…
we’re just having an evil day….I’d share my bag of chocolates with you if you were here.
Hey, only the NAME is an homage to AW. But clearly you guys pay more attention to AW than I do. She wandered around London vaguely naked once, right? That’s all I know. Don’t tell me any more.
Wise plan!
That alone is enough to make you want to scrub your eyeballs.
You’re sure this isn’t an Onion parody? An Amy Winehouse-inspired perfume with a “narcotic lure”?
Warning: side effects may include violent tantrums, infrequent bathing, incoherent speech, and a whole lot of short-term memory loss.
And falling into one’s makeup bag headfirst.
And falling into one’s makeup bag headfirst…..when that makeup bag just happens to be at the bottom of a garbage dumpster!
In every single picture that’s ever been slapped on a computer screen of Amy Winehouse that girl looks like she’s been in a very bad tussle behind a crummy bar and then slept it off in the alley. Maybe she’s going for a “look” but really, go for another “look”
The Onion really needs to do more perfume parodies.
…and a compulsion to tattoo oneself.
Like the notes…but Amy Winehouse? Puleeeeeeeeeese! Love Liasons Dangereuses. Straight to Heaven…eh!
Ditto what I said above 😉
Make another one, Killian. This is fun.
Yes!
Poor Amy Winehouse. I hope she gets her sh… I mean act… together, because I loved the album “Back to Black”. The song and video are great too. Anyway, I guess I just feel sorry for those destructive Billy Holliday types…
I think they should have left “Aphrodisiac” off the name. Ridiculous. However, the notes sound good EXCEPT for that raspberry. I only recenly tried ‘Beyond Love’ because someone included it in a package; it’s a nice tuberose and I remember the drydown being interesting. Prices? Forget it.
Oh, I dunno… “Back to Black: Aphrodisiac” probably made him think of some hip, cool beatnik type on open mic night, you know? Smooooooooooth.
Agreed, I like AW’s music, and I used to have unlimited sympathy for the anguished artist type… but well, I’ve spent entirely too much time around such people (temperament-wise, not famous) now, and have just grown impatient with them all.
I’m curious about fragrances “paying homage” to young, current celebrities, i.e. Amy Winehouse and Scarlett Johanssen. I can understanding paying homage to Grace Kelly or Audrey Hepburn, but … I don’t know, maybe I’m just old-fashioned!
If you are, then so am I. It’s sort of akin to calling someone in their 20’s a “legend.” I think you need to have proven yourself worthy of being paid homage to. And there’s also sort of an air of mystery that goes with that, at least in my mind. With the tabloids and reality shows, these days mystery is beside the point.
This brings to mind a question: who IS worthy of paying homage to? All of my idols have been dead for a long, long time.
Except I have much more fun with the idea of a perfumer basing a composition on “inspiration” by a young celebrity — a muse, if you will — much more than a “celebrity” scent under the “celebrity’s” own name when said person is a B- or C-list persona who’s 22 years old or what have you.
Weren’t any scents being created back in the 40s and 50s that were “homages” to contemporary actresses of the time? I don’t know the answer, but I’m imagining there were.
I do like the idea that a young celebrity could be someone’s “muse” in terms of creating a fragrance … maybe I’m objecting to the terminology “pay homage to”!
Well, do note that the terminology does not come from the brand, necessarily…
I guess that’s my feeling … seems like they should be sort of “legendary” if they’re being paid homage to … and it takes time to become a legend!
I think Amy Winecrack is a style icon, for better or worse. Not that many real people my age are dressing like her, but everyone knows her style immediately. I think sometimes “icons” aren’t figures to immitate, but rather cultural touchstones that everyone can recognize. And while right now all of us plugged into the internet 24/7 can be witness to her utter tabloid grossness, I think all that will be forgotten, while her style and tragic-crazy aura will go down as a singular moment in 00’s fashion. Fashion students will be studying that beehive for decades to come. 😉
Anyway. Plenty of young famous women today who would be wonderful muses for fragrances, not just tabloid hotties like ScarJo. I always think someone intellectual and urbane like Natalie Portman would be a great muse. Or someone quirky and fashion-aware like Chloe Sevigny, if she wasn’t already doing face-time for Chloë. 😉
New here and scared to post, but there has to be a first time for everything. Long-time lurker (found out about the site from MUA maybe a year ago?). I really enjoy reading everyone’s posts. I’m more left-brained and not eloquent like so many of you are, so please forgive my bluntness.
Anyway, I find it a turn-off when fragrances are associated with certain celebrities. I don’t particularly care for Amy Winehouse, and unfortunately that affects my desire to try this fragrance. The notes do sound interesting though.
When will someone come out with a fragrance that pays homage to someone classy like Cate Blanchett? Maybe there is one and I don’t know about it. I still consider myself a newbie. 🙂
Hi and welcome! Again, not sure this fragrance is really meant to be “associated” with AW in any way…I think they just mentioned that as an inspiration for the name Back to Black. But I know what you mean anyway…would be nice if it was someone worth looking up to.
Hi Robin –
Sorry for the late reply, but after reading all the responses, I’m almost sorry I brought up disliking the AW association! lol. Oh well. But glad you know what I meant anyway.
No, no…don’t worry about it at all! Everyone should say what they like.
Hi MM—WELCOME! you should never hesitate to speak up here, we all do, all the time, about everything….it’s like our sole purpose in the universe is to drive Robin nuts…..er, Hi Robin…….how we doin today? nuts yet?? (grinning)
LOL…I don’t fall so easily as all that 😉
oh, I actually started out to say that I totally agree! I’d love to see something mention Cate Blanchett as inspiration….someone classy and talented, she’s marvelous! Have you seen her in Elizabeth and Elizabeth the Golden Age??? It’s like she was born to play Queen Elizabeth! hmm quite a bit off topic here….
OT, yes, but I love that about this blog. Always learning new things, and not only about perfume, from both the authors and commenters. I’m a lit major stuck working in *finance* – and not just any finance, mind you, *government* finance. You all keep my mind from atrophying. 🙂
wow, we’ll have to make signs or bumper stickers that say “Perfumistas Unite Against Brain Atrophy” hmmm, I wonder if we could get donations…..or at least get to board planes first….
lol it is fun here, but it’s contributing not only to my ever escalating cc bills but to the dust level in my house!
clean or comment, clean or comment? hmmm no contest there.
Daisy – sorry for the super late response.
Thanks for the welcome! I feel a bit intimidated here because I have so much to learn about fragrances, but I figured maybe joining in the conversation will help me learn some more.
Yes, I saw Cate in Elizabeth, it’s as if the role was written for her. She’s so beautiful and talented. Would love to smell a fragrance inspired by her. 🙂
Now you’re talking – I think Cate Blanchett would make a great perfume muse. She has that classic style, as well as the classic cheekbones, of a Grace Kelly. For a quirkier style inspiration, I’d pick Tilda Swinton.
Psst — anyone who wants to smell or wear an insanely gorgeous tobacco scent should just test the Sonoma Scent Studio Tabac Aurea which is amazing, warm, rich, ambery, fresh tobacco….and it has that special woodsy touch that Laurie Erickson has. And there is no annoying or pretentious copy to read!
Hey Ann…do you like that one? 😉 Guess we’ll be calling that YOUR “juste un reve”. 😀
Hey Boojum – yes I *love* tabac -just gorgeous!~ But Just en Reve is my Just en Reve! If I were to ever put a fruity floral on my must buy list it would be JeR which is just fantastic! I think, as you mean new major love….it’s L’Air du Desert Marocain…………..swoon!
That is a really nice fragrance – I wore it the other day and was swooning all over myself.
I also suprisingly like Wood Violet.
Thanks for the tip, I love tobacco scents, and SSS is at least affordable.
I didn’t find anything intriguing or even paticularly interesting in by Kilian till now. Maybe I’m waiting too much, but to me it is like you’ve heard very much about extraordinary beautiful and clever and refined person and you are meeting her/him/it and understand that yes indeed, beautiful, but because of the money spent on surgery and yes clever, but better name “well trained” and so on. Nothing touches you but everythig is very well put together and still you cannot get rid of annoying thought of something is just not right. Well it just doesn’t touch neither soul nor any other organ it intended to touch (sorry couldn’t hold back -the line is so hugely intentionaly erotic, pseudo- ) 😉
The line so far has not struck me as nearly as interesting as it ought to be given the prices. I’m sure lots of people would disagree though.
I like their juices well enough. I think you’re paying for all that fancy shmancy packaging.
Honestly, the aphrodisiac part has to be a joke. When I think of Amy Winehouse (so sorry Amy dear!) I see blackened tinfoil bits used for drug preparation, gaping holes where teeth once were, protruding ribs and an epic rat’s nest of hair. None of those things say aphrodisiac to me. Do love Back to Black though, and like others have said, I’m such a sucker for the shattered artist type. Poor dear. I can’t help but wonder if they’re paying homage to her because they’re thinking of her as too tragic and already gone…
…to which the cynic in me responds “and hope that an untimely demise via OD might drive some additional sales”…
I think you guys are making way too much of the Amy Winehouse association…unless I misunderstand, it just relates to the name, it isn’t like the whole scent was inspired by AW or anything.
I continue to be surprised by the hatred the By Killian line inspires! If any other line had come up with a new perfume combining notes of tobacco, saffron, spices & resins, vanilla and almond people would be gagging to sniff it. But no, because it is a By Killian, noone even wants to take a sniff! Or at the very least people would be like mm, yeah, Amy Winehouse, that was unfortunate, but damn I wanna sniff it! I hope I am not rubbing anyone the wrong way with this observation, it really is not my intention. I am just very very surprised is all.
Is it really hated? I actually thought I was an outlier in that respect. I thought most people found it nice, just overpriced.
Everyone seems extra punchy here today (and really, much of the discontent seems more directed at AW than By Kilian), but I don’t think the line is hated at all. Personally I think it’s overpriced & overpackaged, but they’re hardly alone in that respect.
I didn’t realize that By Kilian was hated….I’ve mostly heard people rave about the line….which is why I practically threw myself on the computer to order all the samples (aedes has a nice sample program) …but alas, none of them smell good enough to spend half the asking price on…..did that make sense to anyone other than me?
Yeah, I would agree with all this. I love three of the fragrances, would consider two to be in my top ten…BUT… overpriced and overpackaged is right! I think it’s hard not to be a little bit resentful towards a line that makes itself almost untouchable. No matter how much you like their fragrances.
Well…but you’re going to find examples of that in any product line, right? I think that’s more or less the intent of ByK, to be a line for the (very) upper classes, not the masses… and the best way to maintain exclusivity is to price it out of reach.
they did an excellent job of being out of MY reach, that’s for sure.
Sorry, I can’t resist adding one more snark: Daisy sticks with the affordable stuff like Amouage, Byredo, and Sisley. 😀
And Les Exclusifs? 😀 I thought the same thing, lol! But that’s not snark, that’s just playful ribbing…which was most of mine as well. I just forget that doesn’t come across online very well.
HEY! oh…wait….you do have a point.
I love the line. Straight to Heaven is one of my top must-haves at the moment. Personally… and I mean this nicely… I don’t ~want~ to love them because of the cost (but I do!). Maybe that is what makes people punchy.
Speaking of outrageously expensive packaging… MDCI… does anyone know if the perfume that Patricia Nicolai created for MDCI called Le Rivage de Syrtes is the same as her fragrance PDN #1? I noticed that the TPC.com website has Le Rivage listed as “Formerly known as PdN #1”– but there’s is the only site that says that which I can find.
Anyone know?
I’m sorry but I really have no idea.
Gville, I believe that’s true. The frags were variously labeled with the initials of the creators: PN, FK, SB, etc.
Rivage is the first frag P. de Nicolai created for MDCI, and Coeur en Mai the second. However, I’m can’t be sure that if you have a vial of something labeled PN#1 it wasn’t tweaked a little bit when it was launched as Rivage. Probably best to email MDCI directly.
Thanks Joe. Very helpful info!
Just in case anyone ever googles this and wants the answer– on Joe’s advice, I wrote to MDCI and heard back right away (what a great company!)– Les Rivage de Syrtes is an entirely new creation; it’s not the same as Parfums de Nicolai’s Number 1 nor a flanker etc etc. He said that it was the most similar to Maharani, though of course, “a completely different animal”. He suggested the sampler set (10ml samples!), which I am definitely considering. If anyone wants to share (I call Coeur de Mai!), let me know! It’s a great bargain, and I’ll host!
Thanks so much for sharing the news!
Aw, so much Amy-hate. Not that I’m a big fan of hers but it’s not as if she ever stood up to become a role model. In fact, I think kids today are pretty clear that she is a walking billboard for ~crack being whack~ etc. I just want her to get better and start doing music again.
Anyway, this one sounds intriguing for fall, kinda heavy-sounding fragrance. Though I think By Killian is kind of hideously overpriced.
No comment on the Amy-hate since I don’t know her & don’t much care, but yes, could be a nice scent — like the sound of all those spices.
I don’t hate her, but I wish people wouldn’t give her attention right now.
You might be interested in listening to Back to Black, though.
I wasn’t surprised to see something influenced by Amy Winehouse, because I remembered this:
“But it also recalls contemporary R&B lyrics like those of 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg or Pharell Williams, all about temptation in the face of urban violence, like Baudelaire before them, as expressed in his prose poetry.”
oh, and when I said I hate the name… Aphrodisiac sounds so cheesey to me lol
It is silly. That’s my By Killian pet peeve (aside from the price): the stupid afterthought names. Just call it “Love” or “Cruel Intentions” and leave it at that, we don’t need “Typical Me” and such tacked on at the end. It’s like someone said, well this name isn’t goofy enough, what else can we do?
If this is as good as A taste of Heaven, I’ll have to get it.
Save your pennies then…