Note Pyramid
Illicit
The base is the reason to buy Jimmy Choo Illicit Eau de Parfum. Six materials are stacked at the bottom of it, and they are what the scent becomes after the first half hour.
Anne Flipo composed it, and it was released in 2015. Ginger starts it, warm and slightly soapy rather than hot, with bitter orange giving a rindy sourness that keeps the opening from feeling sweet too early. That part is short. Sambac jasmine arrives quickly, heady and almost overripe, with orange blossom cleaning it up and rose holding the middle in a shape most people will recognise.
Then it settles. Honey is the dominant material of the drydown, thick and faintly animal in the way that real honey is when you get close to it, with caramel beside it adding burnt sugar and vanilla adding a smoother, more edible sweetness. Amber gives the whole lower half a dry warmth, sandalwood a creamy grain, and cashmeran a soft, slightly musty plushness that makes the sweetness feel worn in rather than freshly poured.
This is a cold weather scent and an evening one. At eau de parfum strength the honey and caramel carry a long way, so one or two sprays is plenty, and more than that becomes a statement whether you meant one or not. Eight hours is normal. It is aimed at women and it is best suited to dinners, nights out and winter. Anybody who dislikes sweet perfume should avoid it outright, because the honey does not thin out as the hours pass.
Jimmy Choo is a London house, in business since 1996, whose reputation was made by women's shoes and has since spread to handbags and men's footwear. The perfume side runs on an Inter Parfums licence, and Illicit sits among the sweeter women's releases alongside Fever.
Please note: images are a guide only. Packaging and bottle design may occasionally differ from those shown due to manufacturer updates or promotions.
Similar Notes
The Scent Vault
Join thousands earning on every order
Earn points as you shop, redeem for money off, and unlock member perks.
Find out more
The Scent Vault Gift Cards
Give the gift of choice
One card, every scent. Let them pick the fragrance that is truly them. Send it instantly by email, or schedule it for a future date with a message of your own.
Shop gift cards
