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Simply Clinique 2003

6.4 / 10 84 Ratings

A perfume by Clinique for women, released in 2003. The scent is sweet-fruity. The production was apparently discontinued.
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Main accords

Sweet

Fruity

Floral

Gourmand

Fresh

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Melon

White blossoms

Heart Notes

Soy bean

Soy milk

Base Notes

White musk Vanilla

Vanilla

Perfumers & Creative Guidance

Ron Winnegrad
Raymond Matts Fragrance designer

Ratings

Scent

6.484 Ratings

Longevity

7.050 Ratings

Sillage

6.041 Ratings

Bottle

6.950 Ratings

Submitted by DonVanVliet, last update on 09/06/2025.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Aqua Allegoria Flora Salvaggia

Neon

Reviews

11 in-depth fragrance descriptions

01/08/2012

8Scent 7.5Longevity 7.5Sillage

Njdeb
63 Reviews

Njdeb

Helpful Review 3

Milky tea and licorice

One of my all time favorite perfumes that many seem to dislike. To me this is utterly unique. Creamy, fresh, comforting, lightly spiced and overall just an ahhhhhh fragrance. Like an anise-scented milky tea. This one you need to let develop on your skin as it becomes creamier the longer you wear it. Sadly discontinued....

06/07/2015

6Scent 7.5Longevity 5Sillage

Missk
1357 Reviews

Missk

2

Warm Soy Milk

Simply by Clinique is quite an odd little scent, one that I'm not surprised to discover has been discontinued. Somehow I feel as if it's a hard one to please.

Personally I applaud its unique and daring approach, even though I may not be a huge fan of soy beans and their accompanying scent. If I were not aware of Clinique Simply's dominant soy bean accord, I may have mistaken it for a green and slightly dry take on licorice.

On the skin this fragrance has the tendency to turn a little bitter. However, when blended with the right skin chemistry, Clinique Simply can smell quite pleasant in all its bitterness. With a light application, it also shows some promise in regards to being worn as a natural skin scent.

I know many perfume friends of whom mourn the loss of Clinique Simply. I'm rather surprised that I have managed to track down a bottle of this fragrance in a Duty Free store recently. I had thought it was long gone.

I wasn't game enough to test this fragrance on my skin, in fear of it becoming a scrubber in a matter of seconds. It's not really my cup of tea, but I can appreciate it for what it is. I would recommend Clinique Simply for wear during Spring and Autumn. Essentially it's perfect for those mid-seasons.

Other than soy beans, Clinique Simply also has prominent accords of green melon and a hint of unsweetened milk. The longevity is fantastic.

Originally Written: August 06, 2012.

09/06/2025

9.5Scent 9Longevity 7Sillage

Swe3tiebee
10 Reviews

Swe3tiebee

1

Of it's era and simultaneously ahead of it's time.

The reviews for this perfume are surprising. They prove how individual fragrances really are.
I don't pick up on the bitterness or sickly notes others have mentioned. Might just be luck that this perfume compliments my skin chemistry.

This perfume is very personal to me. A dear friend. One where you can pick up right where you left off. Of fondness and familiarity.

Simply is the younger, fresher, softer version of Paloma Picasso.
Belonging next to each other on the bedroom vanity. Mother and daughter perusing beauty supply stores. Specifically the face powders and blushes.

Clinique's Simply to me as a child, was a stylish mid-twenty-something woman.
Outgoing, sweet, warm.
It's mini skirts, oversized sunglasses and frosted lipstick. Maybe even box highlights...wedge sandals. Is she forming in your mind yet?

The melon top note is apparent, it welcomes memories of a late 2000s summer. White florals can read a little dated, but in this blend it acts as a gentle passage between the melon top note and soy bean heart. There is a very light anise in there as well but it's hard to pin point.
White musk and soy milk tends well in making it this somewhat naturalistic skin scent. For those who've met a lot of newborn puppies, these notes almost spark the same feelings as sniffing the crown of a puppy's head; delightful.
What solidifies this fragrance as youthful is definitely the addition of vanilla in the base notes. It amplifies the sweetness of the melon, yet acts as a cushion for the creamier, muskier notes.

In a gustatory sense, Simply reminds me of eating frozen papaya and soy milk after a long, sweltering day at school.
Honorary mentions:
Grass jelly and coconut milk.
Melon bubble tea.
Mango and sticky rice.
Lipton black tea.

Despite it's clear associations with summertime, I find myself thinking of the baby pinks and greens that accompany spring. The precipice between November and December. (May-June)
Not quite hot enough for beach bikinis, but hot enough for tank tops and milkshakes.

Some pop culture associations would be "Summertime" by The Sundays.
"Driving on 9" by The Breeders. "Know who you are at every age" by the Cocteau Twins.
The character of Miss Honey from the 1996 Matilda. (And her garden!!)
Chungking Express.

Comfortingly subtle. A genuine smile. Perfectly simple...

It's interesting as I age I lean more towards the Chanel No 5's, the Youth Dew's, the Tabu's.
Now somehow, here I am fawning over Simply by Clinique.
Funny, you think you have your favourites, then you smell something from an assumed bygone and everything changes. Dare I say Simply is my all time favourite?
A long lost lover that fate has brought back to you.

Simply by Clinique is my scent soulmate. I'm devastated that it's discontinued. All I have is a few drops left in a 4ml tester bottle, probably from 2008. I hope to get my hands on a full bottle one day.

I highly recommend giving this scent a sniff if you ever get the chance.

04/24/2021

BrianBuchanan
363 Reviews

BrianBuchanan

1

Diorella gone wrong.

A soya perfume ...
that seems like a good idea.
A pale tofu and driftwood cologne, IKEA could sell it as home spray.
But not this. The beans are drowned in white flower and melon, and the result is sickly and horrible.
A missed opportunity.

09/09/2011

2Scent 7.5Longevity

Medusa00
843 Reviews

Translated · Show original

Medusa00

13

Because simple is just simple.

It's not that simple! And I just don’t like Simply, that’s just how it is. So I’ll just say “Sorry” to the owners and fans of the fragrance, and really, I didn’t make it easy for myself. But I also don’t want to tear it apart just like that. That would be too easy.
Why don’t I like it? It just smells too healthy to me! At first, it’s okay, a bit of juicy melon sparkles through, and then a terribly healthy green note comes in, as if I’m mowing down my entire herb garden with a machete and then rolling around in it. That wouldn’t be so bad. But I’m overwhelmed by a strange anise-fennel-lemon balm note, even though that’s not supposed to be in there. Ah, it’s all not so simple. With Hiris, I also smelled carrots that weren’t there at all.
It’s all still somewhat nice if you like to smell like an oversized grasshopper.
The sharpest or maybe not the sharpest is this soy note. You’ve all smelled it before. It comes in sprouts, flour, milk substitutes, etc. And at this point, I see a gaunt, cachectic vegan in front of me, who has eaten nothing but sprouts and greens her whole life, and this has already seeped into her skin chemistry. Not only does she have rodent-like teeth, but she is also harmful to the fauna! Vegans eat all the greens away from the animals! There!
Vanilla doesn’t help, nor does the musk. I can’t get the smell of soybean sprouts off my skin, and I can’t get the images out of my head. I don’t want beans growing out of my ears....

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