Side Effect
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- Authentic original perfume
- Try before the full bottle
- Travel-ready 3ml, 10ml, 30ml
- Long-lasting scent
Side Effect by Initio Parfums Prives is boozy, sweet and smoky, a warm scent built for cold nights. Rum opens it, rich and a touch syrupy. Tobacco and cinnamon follow, giving it a dry, spiced warmth that feels close and cosy. Sandalwood settles underneath, soft and creamy, so the sweetness has something to rest on. It launched in 2016 and is worn by men and women alike, suiting anyone who likes their fragrance dark and a little decadent. Voters save it for autumn and winter, in the evening and at night, and it feels at home on a night out. The longevity vote leans long-lasting, and the sillage vote leans strong, so start with a light hand. The only side effect of a 3ml decant is knowing for sure before you buy the bottle.
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Selling out fast
Due to high demand, quantities are limited.
89% sold
Ends in
30-day money-back guarantee
Try it worry-free. If the scent isn’t for you, tell us within 30 days and we’ll refund your order.*
50,000+ scent lovers and counting
The community verdict
Warm and boozy, Side Effect moves from rum into tobacco and cinnamon, with sandalwood beneath. The largest group reports long-lasting wear and strong projection, while others find it exceptionally long-lasting or moderate in reach. It draws compliments on winter evenings and nights out; autumn works too, but its strength calls for restraint.
Summarised with AI from perfume-community reviews
- Topfirst impression
- Basewhat lingers
- Scent profile
- Unisex
- Launched
- 2016
- Decant sizes
- 3ml, 10ml, 30ml
We ship across the EU. Orders over €75.00 ship free. Returns are accepted within 30 days of delivery.
Initio Parfums Prives Side Effect, hour by hour
How it opens, settles and lingers on skin.
Rum, cinnamon and tobacco smoke in a low lit bar at night.
What wearers say
Votes from fragrance communities, most-voted answers first.
Longevity4,279 votes
Most voted: 47%Long lasting
30%Eternal
Sillage4,464 votes
Most voted: 46%Strong
29%Moderate
Season4,279 votes
Most voted: 48%Winter
40%Autumn
Time of day4,279 votes
Most voted: 45%Evening
42%Night out
See all votesHide votes
Longevity4,279 votes
- Very weak2%66 votes
- Weak2%98 votes
- Moderate19%798 votes
- Long lasting (Most voted)47%2,012 votes
- Eternal30%1,305 votes
Sillage4,464 votes
- Intimate5%223 votes
- Moderate29%1,282 votes
- Strong (Most voted)46%2,032 votes
- Enormous21%927 votes
Season4,279 votes
- Spring9%385 votes
- Summer3%128 votes
- Autumn40%1,711 votes
- Winter (Most voted)48%2,055 votes
Time of day4,279 votes
- Daytime8%342 votes
- Office5%214 votes
- Evening (Most voted)45%1,925 votes
- Night out42%1,798 votes
Which size is right for you?
Every size is decanted from the same original bottle.
At 3 sprays a day.
Loved by 50,000+
Why scent lovers try it with us before they buy the bottle.
Hand-decanted from the original bottle
Decanted by hand from authentic bottles, never diluted.
Wear it for days before you commit
Live with it at work, at night and at the weekend before you buy a full bottle.
Just like the full bottle
A fine-mist atomiser sprays like the original, so it opens, projects and lasts on your skin the way the full bottle does.
10ML vs a blind buy
What a decant gives you that a bottle bought unsmelled can’t.
Why 10ML?
Blind buy
Authentic original perfume
Yes
Yes
Smell it on your skin before you buy
Yes
No
Try several scents for one bottle’s price
Yes
No
Travel-ready atomiser
Yes
No
No full bottle wasted if it’s not for you
Yes
No
If you like Initio Parfums Prives Side Effect
Perfumes that share its most characteristic notes.
- Save 38%
Shares rum · tobacco
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Shares tobacco · cinnamon
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Shares tobacco · cinnamon
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Shares rum · tobacco
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Shares cinnamon · sandalwood
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Shares cinnamon · sandalwood
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Shares rum · sandalwood
- Save 37%
Shares cinnamon · sandalwood
Layer it with
Chosen for vanilla, nutmeg and musk, notes that often share a formula with its sandalwood, cinnamon and rum in the perfumes we stock.
Initio Parfums Prives
Side Effect layered with
- Save 36%
- Save 37%
- Save 38%
- Save 37%
The house
More from Initio Parfums Prives
Initio Parfums Prives is a French niche house, launched in 2015 around one idea: that a scent can change how you feel, and its perfume names say so openly. Most of the range is warm and woody, with musk, sandalwood and vanilla at the base and pink pepper, black pepper or saffron for a spark. Side Effect is the one to try first: tobacco, rum and warm spice. Oud for Greatness, as the name promises, is built around oud. Musk Therapy is cleaner, citrus and florals resting on musk, and Rehab is a woody lavender with a herbal side.
Frequently asked questions
What does Initio Parfums Prives Side Effect smell like?
Initio Parfums Prives Side Effect opens with Rum. The heart brings Cinnamon and Tobacco. It dries down to Sandalwood.
Is Initio Parfums Prives Side Effect long lasting?
Shoppers on fragrance communities most often rate its longevity as long lasting (47% of votes), and 78% rate it long lasting or eternal. They most often rate its sillage as strong (46% of votes). How long it lasts on you also depends on your skin and how much you apply.
Is Initio Parfums Prives Side Effect good for summer?
Shoppers on fragrance communities rate it mainly for autumn and winter; summer takes only 3% of season votes.
Is Initio Parfums Prives Side Effect good for winter?
Yes. Shoppers on fragrance communities vote winter its best season, with 48% of season votes.
Is Initio Parfums Prives Side Effect for day or night?
Shoppers on fragrance communities mostly wear it after dark: 87% of time-of-day votes are for evenings and nights out, 13% for daytime or the office.
Can I wear Initio Parfums Prives Side Effect to the office?
Shoppers on fragrance communities rarely pick it for the office: only 5% of time-of-day votes go to the office.
Who makes Initio Parfums Prives Side Effect?
Side Effect is made by Initio Parfums Prives. It was launched in 2016.
How many wears is a 10ml decant of Initio Parfums Prives Side Effect?
A 10ml decant of Initio Parfums Prives Side Effect holds about 200 sprays, roughly 67 days of wear at 3 sprays a day. The 3ml decant holds about 60 sprays, around 20 days. The 30ml decant holds about 600 sprays, around 200 days.
Which other Initio Parfums Prives perfumes can I try?
Besides Initio Parfums Prives Side Effect, 10ML has Oud for Greatness, Musk Therapy and Rehab from Initio Parfums Prives, each decanted from the original bottle.
Is this Initio Parfums Prives Side Effect decant the original perfume?
Yes. Every Initio Parfums Prives Side Effect decant is filled by hand from an original Initio Parfums Prives bottle, with nothing added or diluted, so it opens, dries down and lasts on your skin the way the bottle does. We sell only authentic originals.
What is a decant?
A small amount of a perfume, taken from its original bottle and put into a travel atomiser. You get the real fragrance in a size that lets you live with it for days before you decide on the full bottle.
How does the money-back guarantee work?
If a scent isn’t right for you, get in touch within 30 days of it arriving and we’ll arrange a refund. Terms apply. See our refund policy.