4/4/12

Aventus (Creed)



Not since the ancient Greeks discovered Spanish Fly has anything been as revered for its aphrodisiac properties as Creed's newest Millésime, Aventus. Just google the stuff to read dozens of accounts, mostly written by men, of how a few spritzes makes for blushing bosoms and fluttering eyelashes. One guy recently swore that his wife, who was presumably disinterested in him prior to his fragrance choice, passionately kissed him goodnight for almost an hour. Another claimed that he simply could not pass a female co-worker, or any woman anywhere, without her complimenting him on his scent. 

Still others have written of renewed sexual interest from their partners, incredible romantic gestures, and mind-numbing sex, all courtesy of the mysterious colorless elixir of one Jean-Christophe Herault, Master Perfumer to be. It makes for enchanting reading. More compelling are the accounts from women, found on basenotes and fragrantica, of how the smallest drop of Aventus makes their knees wobble, their tongues water, their hearts go all a titter. Oh, wait a minute - there are no such accounts. Sorry, my bad. Nearly all of these anecdotes are shared by men only. Males with fragile egos will often perversely attribute any successful conquest to something other than themselves, because externalities are variable, and blaming them for failed conquests is equally alluring.  

My take on Aventus is relatively staid in comparison. It opens with a flinty semisweet pineapple and apple accord, which evaporates into dry birch and blackcurrant. When its fruity opening subsides, its floral heart opens, and the birch is joined by a velvety rose and jasmine. The flowers are clipped of sweetness and possess a rubbery edge, a middle stage flattened and preened into a tidy bed of petals and moss. This part of the fragrance resembles newly-printed dollar bills, its inkiness reminiscent of the Ryobi printer note in Silver Mountain Water. After four hours on skin, Aventus begins to give up its floral tones for a pleasant drydown of moss, ambergris, musk, and vanilla. It's very nice, and altogether a solid offering from Creed. Definitely alpha, but an aphrodisiac? Nah.