Our take
What does Le Parfum Intense smell like?
Two years after Le Parfum, Elie Saab introduced the Intense version in autumn 2013. Francis Kurkdjian, who wrote the original, reworked his own formula. Orange blossom still opens the show, sunny and faintly honeyed. The heart shifts in scale. Ylang-ylang brings a creamy, slightly banana-like note while a rose honey accord adds weight. The base is where the real change happens. Patchouli and amber were already there, but vanilla now rounds off the slightly scratchy woods of the first version. It smells like warm skin at the end of a party rather than a white dress in the sun. Next to the 2011 Le Parfum, the Intense projects less but wraps you more closely. It reads as part of the same family with the lights turned down. The floral signature is intact, only deeper.
When to wear it
An evening scent best kept for the colder months. Two sprays on the nape will do, and it clings to clothes for a long time.
It belongs to the Floral, Oriental / Amber family. Le Parfum Intense is one of 11 creations by Elie Saab in our encyclopedia.
