Initio perfumes: which one to try first

Choosing between ten Initio perfumes

10ML stocks many perfumes from Initio Parfums Prives, and this guide covers ten of the Initio perfumes 10ML stocks. Seven of the ten are listed as unisex, one for men and two for women, so the label tells you less than the notes and the seasons voters choose. If the whole category is new to you, best niche perfumes to try gives the wider picture. Readers who want to see how clones of these perfumes compare will find seven judged against a named original, such as Oud for Greatness or Musk Therapy, in our Initio dupes guide.

One way to choose is by character:

• Oud and spice, voted for fall and winter: Oud for Greatness and Oud for Happiness.
• Sweet, all voted for winter: Side Effect, Narcotic Delight and Absolute Aphrodisiac.
• Musks and florals, from a spring day to a winter night: Blessed Baraka, Musk Therapy and Atomic Rose.
• Woods: Rehab for day and office wear, Paragon for evenings.

Comparação rápida

Comparação rápida: Votos da comunidade

#	Perfume	Destaque	Notas principais	Duração	Sillage	Estação	3 ml	10 ml	por ml
1	Oud for GreatnessInitio Parfums Privés	Melhor no geral	Agarwood	Eterna	Forte	Inverno	12,96 €	38,34 €	3,83 €
2	Oud for HappinessInitio Parfums Privés		Agarwood (oud), Cedro, Alcaçuz	Longa	Forte	Outono, Inverno	13,77 €	38,25 €	3,83 €
3	Narcotic DelightInitio Parfums Privés	Melhor escolha doce	Conhaque, Rosa	Longa	Forte	Inverno	11,34 €	30,60 €	3,06 €
4	Absolute AphrodisiacInitio Parfums Privés	O melhor para a noite	Âmbar, Castóreo, Couro	Longa	Moderado	Inverno	11,34 €	30,60 €	3,06 €
5	Blessed BarakaInitio Parfums Privés	Melhor escolha ambarada	Âmbar, Almíscar, Sândalo	Longa	Forte	Inverno, Outono	11,34 €	30,60 €	3,06 €
6	Musk TherapyInitio Parfums Privés	O melhor para o dia	Magnólia	Longa	Moderado	Primavera	11,61 €	32,49 €	3,25 €
7	Atomic RoseInitio Parfums Privés	Melhor escolha floral	Rosa da Bulgária, Jasmim egípcio, Rosa da Turquia	Eterna	Forte	Inverno, Outono	12,24 €	34,29 €	3,43 €
8	RehabInitio Parfums Privés		Cedro, Patchouli, Vetiver	Longa	Moderado	Outono	11,61 €	32,49 €	3,25 €
9	ParagonInitio Parfums Privés		Pimenta-preta, Palo santo, Ameixa	Longa	Moderado	Outono	11,61 €	32,49 €	3,25 €

Mostrar todas as 9 escolhas

Votos da comunidade

Oud and spice

Two perfumes built around agarwood. One is spiced and earthy, the other brighter and sweeter.

Oud for Greatness by Initio Parfums Prives

Oud for Greatness launched in 2018 and is listed for men. Lavender, nutmeg and saffron open it, agarwood sits in the heart, and musk and patchouli finish it. Its accords are warm spicy, fresh spicy, oud, lavender, patchouli and metallic. It reads as a spiced, slightly metallic oud with an earthy base.

Winter and fall are its voted seasons, and night is its voted time of day. Longevity votes: most community voters rate it "eternal". Sillage votes lean "strong". It suits a cold night out, and it is the one to start with.

Oud for Happiness by Initio Parfums Prives

Oud for Happiness launched in 2021 and is listed as unisex. Bergamot and ginger open it, licorice, agarwood (oud) and cedar form the heart, and vanilla, herbal notes and musk close it. Its accords are fresh spicy, citrus, soft spicy, vanilla, green and powdery. Where Oud for Greatness is earthy, this one is brighter at the start and sweeter at the end.

Voters place it in fall and winter, after dark, in the evening or at night. On longevity, most community voters say "long lasting". On sillage, the votes lean "strong" (then "moderate"). It suits anyone who wants oud with citrus at the start and vanilla at the end.

Sweet, for winter

Three sweet perfumes, all voted for winter.

Side Effect by Initio Parfums Prives

Side Effect launched in 2016 and is listed as unisex. Rum opens it, tobacco and cinnamon sit in the heart, and sandalwood forms the base. Its accords are warm spicy, tobacco, rum, cinnamon, woody and sweet. It reads as a boozy, spiced tobacco with a sweet, woody finish. For more of that note, see tobacco perfumes.

Its voted seasons are winter and fall, and its voted hours are evening and night. The longevity votes lean "long lasting" (then "eternal"). The sillage votes lean "strong" (then "moderate"). It suits a first-time buyer who likes sweet, spiced scents.

Narcotic Delight by Initio Parfums Prives

Narcotic Delight is the most recent of the ten, launched in 2024, and is listed as unisex. The opening is pink pepper, cherry and black pepper. The heart holds rose, cognac and hedione, and tobacco, vanilla, tonka, cedar and patchouli make the base. Its accords are sweet, vanilla, cherry, woody, tobacco and warm spicy. It is a sweet cherry-and-tobacco scent with a peppery start.

Winter is the season voters choose for it, and night the hour. For longevity, "long lasting" is the choice of most voters. For sillage, most voters choose "strong". It suits a winter night out.

Absolute Aphrodisiac by Initio Parfums Prives

Absolute Aphrodisiac launched in 2015 and is listed as unisex. Its notes all sit in one tier, with no separate heart or base: amber, castoreum, leather, musk, vanilla and white flowers. Its accords are vanilla, leather, amber, powdery, animalic and musky. It reads as a powdery, animal-leaning vanilla.

Voters choose it for winter, at night or in the evening. The longevity vote leans "long lasting" (then "moderate"). The sillage vote leans "moderate" (then "strong"). It suits someone who wants a powdery vanilla for winter evenings.

Musks and florals

Three perfumes built on musk or flowers: a powdery amber, a citrus-lit musk and a rose.

Blessed Baraka by Initio Parfums Prives

Blessed Baraka launched in 2015 and is listed as unisex. Its notes also come as one set: amber, musk, sandalwood, vanilla and white flowers. Its accords are amber, powdery, woody, musky, vanilla and animalic. It shares amber, musk, vanilla and white flowers with Absolute Aphrodisiac, and adds sandalwood, with woody as its third accord.

Winter and fall are its seasons in the votes, with night and evening as the hours. The longevity vote leans towards "long lasting" (then "eternal"). The sillage vote leans towards "strong" (then "moderate"). It suits cool-weather evenings.

Musk Therapy by Initio Parfums Prives

Musk Therapy launched in 2021 and is listed for women. White musk, musk, black currant, bergamot and mandarin orange open it, magnolia and hedione form the heart, and white sandalwood sits underneath. Its accords are citrus, musky, floral, powdery, fruity and woody. It is a citrus-lit musk. If musk is your note, white musk perfumes goes further.

Spring is the one season voters give it, and day and office the settings. Longevity votes lean "long lasting" (then "moderate"). Most voters call its sillage "moderate". It suits a spring day at work.

Atomic Rose by Initio Parfums Prives

Atomic Rose launched in 2019 and is listed for women. Pink pepper and bergamot open it, Bulgarian rose, Turkish rose and Egyptian jasmine form the heart, and Madagascar vanilla and amber sit beneath. Its accords are rose, vanilla, citrus, soft spicy, floral and amber. It is a vanilla-backed rose. For others like it, see rose perfumes.

Voters name all four seasons for it, and night, evening and day alike. On longevity, the votes lean "eternal" (then "long lasting"). On sillage, voters lean "strong" (then "enormous"). It is the one of the ten voted for all four seasons.

Woods

Two woody perfumes that both open on lavender.

Rehab by Initio Parfums Prives

Rehab launched in 2018 and is listed as unisex. It opens on lavender and bergamot. Cedar, vetiver and patchouli form the heart, then sandalwood, musk and guaiac wood take over. Its accords are woody, powdery, aromatic, lavender, musky and fresh spicy. It is an aromatic wood with a powdery edge.

It is voted for fall and spring, and for the day and the office. Longevity votes lean "long lasting" (then "moderate"). Most voters call its sillage "moderate". It suits a working day.

Paragon by Initio Parfums Prives

Paragon launched in 2022 and is listed as unisex. Lavender, sage and bergamot open it, plum, palo santo and black pepper form the heart, and sandalwood and agarwood (oud) make the base. Its accords are woody, aromatic, fruity, fresh spicy, citrus and lavender. It is a woody, herbal scent with a touch of fruit in the middle. See lavender perfumes for more in this direction.

Fall and winter are its voted seasons, and evening its voted hour. Its longevity is "long lasting" for most voters. Its sillage gets "moderate" from most voters. It suits an evening in cool weather.

Which Initio perfume should you try first?

Here is the order, with one reason each:

1. Start with Oud for Greatness for a spiced oud on fall and winter nights.
2. Choose Oud for Happiness if you want oud that starts brighter and ends sweeter.
3. Choose Side Effect for rum, tobacco and cinnamon.
4. Choose Narcotic Delight for a sweet cherry and tobacco scent in winter.
5. Choose Absolute Aphrodisiac for a powdery vanilla with leather.
6. Choose Blessed Baraka for a woody, powdery amber.
7. Choose Musk Therapy for a citrus-lit musk in spring.
8. Choose Atomic Rose for a rose voted for every season.
9. Choose Rehab for an aromatic wood at the office.
10. Choose Paragon for a herbal wood in the evening.

Trying Initio before you buy a bottle

Begin with a 3ml decant. The 3ml of Oud for Greatness is 12,96 € and holds around 60 sprays, enough for several wears. Once one has won you over, a 10ml decant gives around 200 sprays. All ten are sold in both sizes, and what is a perfume decant explains how they are filled.

For a first order, pick one scent from the oud and spice or sweet groups and one from the musks or woods, so you find out which direction suits you. Wear each on its own day, on freshly washed skin. If you are buying without smelling anything first, safe blind buy perfumes lists easy styles to begin with, and best oud perfumes compares oud across other houses.