Obsession (Eau de Parfum) by Calvin Klein

Bottle Design:
Pierre Dinand

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Obsession Calvin Klein 1985 Eau de Parfum

7.7 / 10 735 Ratings

A popular perfume by Calvin Klein for women, released in 1985. The scent is spicy-oriental. Projection and longevity are above-average. It is being marketed by Coty.
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Main accords

Spicy

Oriental

Woody

Animal

Sweet

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Vanilla

Basil

Bergamot

Green notes

Mandarin orange Peach

Peach

Heart Notes

Exotic spices Cedar

Cedar

Coriander

Jasmine

Orange blossom

Sandalwood Rose

Rose

Base Notes

Amber

Vanilla

Civet

Frankincense Musk

Musk

Oakmoss

Vetiver

Perfumer

Jean Guichard

Ratings

Scent

7.7735 Ratings

Longevity

8.6592 Ratings

Sillage

8.2570 Ratings

Bottle

6.4562 Ratings

Value for money

8.8259 Ratings

Submitted by DonVanVliet · last update on 12/18/2025.

Source-backed & verified

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Reviews

79 in-depth fragrance descriptions

09/11/2012

10Scent 10Longevity 10Sillage

LadyRogue
166 Reviews

LadyRogue

Top Review 8

I'm Bringing Sexy Back

A modern classic that is smooth, sexy, sultry and sensual. It's all about exotic spices, incense, sandalwood, musk, oakmoss and in the distance, florals that surrendered their innocence to the sensual attack of this smooth mixture of sex in a bottle.
Hours of passion carelessly wrapped up in black satin sheets...Or a walk through an autumnal forrest where bonfires are lit and are scented with natures spices.
Earthy and primal....this Obsession continues to lead us astray in the most delightful way. Forget 'cute', 'floral' or 'sweet' this is a wicked scent -- a wicked scent that has always been, and always will be part of my collection for all those cozy or wicked moods ; )

Silage is: "come hither....I know you can't resist." -- Longevity is: 8+ hours and the drydown is just as yummy as the first and middle stage: smooth amber and vanilla kisses. x.x.x

01/19/2012

6Scent 7.5Longevity 7.5Sillage

Missk
1357 Reviews

Missk

Very helpful Review 9

Heady spices

Obsession, well what can I say, a true masterpiece is what you are.

This fragrance is everything that you could ever want in an oriental. It's spicy, warm, incensey, sensual, beautiful, rich and utterly breath-taking.

Unfortunately Obsession does tend to turn away a lot of people with its opening, which is indeed very heavy and thick, almost polluting the air. However, I cannot urge others enough to let this fragrance develop, because that's where the real magic lies.

When the initial intensity subsides, Obsession transforms into an alluring and comforting spicy-sweet scent. Vanilla, incense, cedar, amber, jasmine, coriander and a variety of spices all blend together creating a delicious aroma that is almost good enough to eat.

When tastefully applied (that is, sprayed sparingly), Obsession is somewhat mysterious and utterly gorgeous. Unfortunately many have been exposed to this fragrance when its wearer has overloaded themselves in this rather potent juice, therefore resulting in many people disliking this scent.

I think it's a shame that a lot of people dismiss fragrances from the 80's simply because they find them dated or too strong. One thing that's for sure, they don't make scents like this anymore.

01/08/2012

3Scent 10Longevity 10Sillage

Asphaltblume
133 Reviews

Asphaltblume

Very helpful Review 7

More retro than classic

Obsession is a real blast, no doubt about that. Intensive, unmistakable, loud. And beautiful, too.
On my skin it develops as a mixture of musk, spices, amber and musk that is vibrantly erotic. Did I mention musk? And spices?
Obsession is obviously no current fragrance but a child of its time - and even then, back in the 80s it was a loud and unmistakable fragrance. And immensely popular.
Insofar it is dated, more retro than classic and it can certainly feel fusty, regardless of its vibrant eroticity: It depends entirely of its wearer's bearing which way it turns out.

Because Obsession is so immensely potent and projecting I strongly recommend to use it sparingly. It's supposed to be breathtaking, yes - but not suffocating in the way that requires an emergency doctor.
This might sound negative but I don't mean it that way! Applied carefully and delicately on the right person it's a truly wonderful fragrance!

09/25/2012

7Scent

Awesomeness
247 Reviews

Awesomeness

Very helpful Review 8

Skank tested. Skank approved.

Today I wore CK Obsession for the first time in a long time, and I wore with an entirely new reference in mind - skank. So, with skank in mind, what does CK Obsession smell like?

70% Dana Tabu (vintage)
30% Femme Rochas

I put Obsession on, and Tabu immediately came to mind. However, as it wears, I find that Obsession has the same in-your-skin quality that Femme does. I checked the notes, and the similarities are there - the peach, cinnamon & vanilla of Femme and the spices, amber & civet of Tabu. Obsession also has a bit of a powdery quality, which I adore but might turn off many. Overall, I think Obsession is a bit "mature" in the sense that I can't imagine many 20 year olds wanting to wear this - in the 1980s & 1990s, yes, but in the 2000s & 2010s, no way.

I think Tabu and Femme are much easier to wear than Obsession, primarily because many of the CK fragrances have a white floral note that irritates me sometimes. Tabu and Femme also are smoother and closer wearing than Obsession.

Although I like Obsession, my DH loves it on me. Yes, it's true - men love Obsession on women. But if truth be told, I prefer Tabu & Femme.

Skank tested. Skank approved.

02/07/2014

9Scent 10Longevity 10Sillage

Karinoula
82 Reviews

Karinoula

Very helpful Review 2

Spice magnet

I really love this perfume and I don't know how blind I was not to have spotted this so long. It is a superb smell which lasts all day and if preferably wearable for winter. The incense along with spices makes it a total mysterious and rare perfume. My husband likes it too.

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