Creed Absolu Aventus is a fragrance for men released in 2023.
This is a flanker of Creed Aventus, the most popular men's niche fragrance of all time, the most hyped, impersonated, cloned, and everything else.
In this article, we will find out:
How does it stand up?
How does it stack up against the OG?
Is this an Aventus upgrade or a shameless cash grab?
What does Creed Absolu Aventus smell like?
I'm sure many people are eager to know how this smells, so let's just dive straight in.
Creed Absolu Aventus notes:
The top notes are Grapefruit, Bergamot, and Black Currant.
Middle notes are Ginger, Cinnamon, Citron, and Cardamom.
Base notes are Pink Pepper, Patchouli, and Vetiver.
A bit of a different note breakdown than Aventus; you'll notice the absence of pineapple, which was a famous note in the original.
But I've got to say, I think the grapefruit, the bergamot, and the black currant are equally as welcome in this as with Aventus.
There's a satisfying opening pop. Although I describe the opening of Absolu as a little fizzier, the grapefruit and the bergamot provide an invigorating, zingy citrus element.
I think it's maybe the use of citron, which is a lemon-like fruit, not quite the same as lemon. It brings more of a bitter citrus smell.
There also might be a little bit of bitterness coming from the black currant, which seems to bring this punchy, tart depth to the fruity side of the scent.
Overall though, I think this smells high quality. I love that it's not just zesty, sweet, zingy citrus.
The bitterness in the opening of this adds to the attitude that you get and that pops when you spray it.
I think that's what I find so satisfying about the opening of this.
You've got enough sweetness from the sweeter side of the fruits, but then it's juxtaposed beautifully with more bitterness, like I said, that might be coming from the citron or the black currant, but it also might be coming from the woods, and musks.
There's a nice use of dry vetiver in here. As it dries down, the citruses start to fade into the background a little bit and allow the spices to come through: the cardamom, the ginger, the cinnamon, and the pepper.
The spices aren't super spicy, though.
They never dominate the fragrance, not like in Dior Sauvage Elixir.
I thought that did lean into the spices, and it had quite a robust spiciness.
This is more of a smooth, warm sort of spiciness, nicely and subtly supporting in the background.
This isn't just fruit and spices though; there's a great backbone to the fragrance. It must be the vetiver in there, I guess, providing this strong woody character.
But it's not an earthy or smoky vetiver like I mentioned; it's got a nice dry quality, but it's there and it seems to be anchoring the fragrance assertively.
Compared to the original Aventus, I think this leans into the fruit more, which comes across as realistic, refreshing, and juicy.
And it also gives the fragrance more of an overall rounded profile than Aventus. It's not quite as edgy, but I think it still's got a lot of class.
I think this is going to be enjoyed and get noticed by many people. It won't be long before we're getting reports of how many compliments people have got from this fragrance. It's just that type of scent: a very easy-to-wear, mass-appealing but noticeable type of fragrance.
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Does Absolu Aventus smell like a clone of Aventus?
Obviously, this is a highly anticipated fragrance, so there's been lots of talk online.
And one of the comments that I've seen crop up repeatedly is people are saying it smells just like another clone of Aventus.
I think that's a little bit unfair because this is another version of Aventus, and it had to smell like Aventus.
If it didn't, I think there would be complaints that it didn't smell enough like Aventus.
But make it smell a bit like Aventus, and we're getting comparisons to clones.
In this situation, I think Creed would be damned if they did, damned if they didn't.
They had to pick one way to go, and I think they picked the right one.
Does Absolu Aventus remind me of Sauvage Elixir?
There are elements in there that cross over, probably the spices.
But as an overall scent, for me, this is pretty different from Sauvage Elixir.
It's not as robust or complex-smelling or as hard-hitting or quite as statement-making.
Some people love that; some people hate it.
If you're one of the haters of Sauvage Elixir, don't think you've got to dodge this fragrance because it smells similar to Sauvage Elixir because I don't think it does.
Similar elements, but overall not so similar.
Any other fragrances I could compare it to?
Yes, there is actually a fragrance that made me think of Vetiver Gris by Jacques Fath.
Interestingly, this was created by Jean-Christophe Hérault, who is pretty much credited, maybe unofficially credited, as being the perfumer on the original Aventus.
I have to say, there are elements to Absolu Aventus, and I'm not saying it smells exactly the same. I just want to get that out there.
There are certain little connections to these two fragrances; it could be the citruses, it could be the vetiver, it could be the combination of the two.
I feel like maybe this is using the same sort of vetiver.
I don't think Jean-Christophe Hérault has been credited as being the perfumer of Absolu Aventus.
If he created the original Aventus and if he created this one, and I get little similarities between these two, little connections, I'm just wondering if Jean-Christophe Hérault is responsible for this fragrance.
But if you like Vetiver, you're going to like this one.
I think it's really enjoyable; it's versatile, it smells high quality, it's a really beautifully composed fragrance.
It pretty much ticks all the boxes of what a good fragrance is.
How long does Creed Absolu Aventus last?
In terms of longevity, it lasts for 8+ hours, easily getting you through a whole day, just like Aventus.
But I'm going to be completely honest; for me, it's not quite as projecting as the 2016 bottle of original Aventus, but it still does project pretty well.
You're going to spray this on, and I think people around you, people in your vicinity, they're going to smell this on you.
It's not just a complete skin scent; there is definitely some projection happening.
Not as much as 2016 Aventus, but still pretty decent.
For me, it doesn't have the same kind of punchiness as Aventus, and I think this will be perceived as less performance and less projection, but it's just a different style of scent.
I think it has a slightly more rounded profile, so it's not just going to be pinging off into the air quite as much.
When to Wear Creed Absolu Aventus?
It is super versatile.
Anytime, any place, anywhere, any season, this fragrance will work every time you could possibly think of wearing it.
It's not only for summer or winter, and I think these warm spices are really going to smell nice in the cold weather.
In Summary – Creed Absolu Aventus
So if you already own Aventus, I don't think it's going to be redundant to have this as well, no, definitely not.
They've not even attempted to do that.
Creed could have gone that route; they could have created a beefed-up version of Aventus, maybe something that was stronger, projected more, lasted longer, perhaps something that smelled a little more like earlier batches of Aventus.
And we can't rule out that Creed will do that at some point in the future; there could be an extreme, intense, or even an Elixir version of Aventus.
But for Absolu, Creed has created something that is in the Aventus family but is still doing its own thing.
