What does it smell like?
Main smell: warm spicy and amber. It opens with cloves and pepper, moves to carnation and cinnamon and dries down to incense and myrrh.
- Came out
- 1977
- Lasts
- 9 to 12 hours
- Best in
- winter
Opium notes
Top notes
What you smell first
Heart notes
The main smell
Base notes
What stays on your skin
Smell profile
Main accords
How strong each part of the smell is
Best seasons and time of day
Yves Saint Laurent Opium EDT in detail
Yves Saint Laurent is the house behind Opium EDT. It comes as Eau de Toilette.
Opium: day or night?
This is more of an evening scent: it shines at dinners, dates and nights out. Its warm spicy side feels cosy and rich after dark.
Which weather suits it
It is at its best in winter and fall. It is less suited to summer. From best to least suited, the seasons are winter, fall, spring and summer. Its warm smell feels best when the weather is cold.
How long it lasts
This is a long lasting scent: expect about 9 to 12 hours on skin. As an Eau de Toilette, it is lighter than an Eau de Parfum, so it fades sooner. It lasts longer than Frederic Malle Portrait Of A Lady and Dior Poison. Base notes like incense and myrrh are the part that stays longest on the skin.
How far Opium spreads
Its sillage is very strong. It fills the room. Two sprays are usually enough. It spreads further than The Spirit Of Dubai Turath and Frederic Malle Portrait Of A Lady.
Its style
The strongest accord is warm spicy (100%), followed by amber and woody. You will probably like it if you enjoy warm spicy and amber smells and notes like carnation and incense. Less obvious notes include coriander, sandalwood and sandalwood. Perfume fans rate it 4.12 out of 5.
Other Yves Saint Laurent perfumes
This house has 88 perfumes on iPerfume. The most popular ones are Myslf Yves Saint Laurent, Kouros and La Nuit De L'Homme Yves Saint Laurent Le Parfum.
More from this line
There are 8 other versions of this perfume, released between 2014 and 2024.
Opium dupes and alternatives
These perfumes have a close smell: The Spirit Of Dubai Turath (19 shared notes), The Spirit Of Dubai Durra (22 shared notes), Frederic Malle Portrait Of A Lady (12 shared notes) and Dior Poison (13 shared notes).
Perfume comparisons
See the notes, how long each lasts and the price side by side.
Quick answers
How much does Opium cost?
About €121 in Europe.
When did Opium come out?
It came out in 1977.
Can men wear it?
It is made for women, but anyone who likes the smell can wear it.
What is the difference between Opium EDT and Black Opium?
The other one is the Eau de Parfum and lasts about 6 to 9 hours.