Bottle Design:
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Scent Intense Costume National 2002

7.4 / 10 134 Ratings

A perfume by Costume National for women and men, released in 2002. The scent is woody-spicy. It is being marketed by Beauty San.
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Main accords

Woody

Spicy

Floral

Sweet

Resinous

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Bergamot

Cardamom

Green tea

Heart Notes

Hibiscus

Jasmine sambac Rose

Rose

Base Notes

Sandalwood

Ambergris

Leather

Vanilla

Patchouli

Perfumer

Laurent Bruyère

Ratings

Scent

7.4134 Ratings

Longevity

7.187 Ratings

Sillage

6.782 Ratings

Bottle

6.893 Ratings

Value for money

7.622 Ratings

Submitted by DonVanVliet, last update on 02/19/2025.

Variant of the fragrance concentration

This is a variant of the perfume Scent by Costume National, which differs in concentration.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Perle Rare Ambre Carthage

Scent Intense Parfum

Intense Red Edition

National Parfum Eau de Parfum

Scent

Voyage en Méditerranée - Labdanum de Seville

Reviews

9 in-depth fragrance descriptions

08/24/2013

JSpines
177 Reviews

JSpines

Top Review 5

Scent Intense

This starts out very medicinal (astringent) smelling on my skin. It's not totally awful but it's a bit odd. Thankfully it settles down after an hour or so. It really does end up being quite nice. On me, what I smell mostly is the amber. A nice, warm amber with a touch of the freshness of hibiscus. It's lively and intriguing and leaves you feeling quite satisfied. It's nothing that we haven't seen before but it's comforting in its familiarity. I enjoy wearing it. It makes me feel confident and sophisticated. The lasting power is great. It has no trouble lasting all day. Technically this is a women's fragrance but it smells completely unisex and men can wear this easily as well.

03/31/2018

9Scent 10Longevity 10Sillage

Smora
155 Reviews

Smora

Helpful Review 7

Synth Pop

Scentrack: Stereolab - Miss Modular

Mr. Bruyere had an urban synth pop vision of CN perfumes. Every CN scent has some kind of artificial and soft cloudy vibe. Scent Intense is a very balanced scent with possibility to feel every note per se, but resulting in new olfactory creation.
Similar to CN 21 artificial amber is the first note to detect. It seems this scent has reverse pyramid. Then follow hibiscus, soft jasmine note and sweeten tea that last forever. The base is made of milky sandalwood and patchuoli.
It is a skill to create such a powerful scent that seems so light and transparent. Although marketed towards women it is totally a unisex perfume.
A beautiful work of too early departed Laurent Bruyere. Apparently angels ran out of their perfumes.

Rating: 9/10

06/30/2013

7Scent

oliver1h
13 Reviews

oliver1h

Very helpful Review 5

Tea time!

Scent Intense is a like or dislike fragrance. Unisex, but it is definitely not me. Tea note is very dominant, this gives the composition a fresh, warm feel. Tea is underlined by amber and soft floral notes of hibiscus, jasmine, and some patchouli. I think it is a nice warm, fresh tea/amber dominant chypre floral, with refreshing qualities, but not for everyone. I gave my sample to a lady, and she loves it... No blind buy recommended!
........
You can find me on Fragrantica under the same username!

02/14/2021

9Scent 6Longevity 6Sillage

Elysium
898 Reviews

Elysium

Helpful Review 4

Luxurious And Outrageous Amber

When I am about to describe a perfume, I am always excited, and then the words come by themselves, for my endless passion for these magical potions that keep me company at all times. I want to tell you about Costume National’s Scent Intense, a genderless fragrance, as I like to think that all the scents in the world are because their creation is art, like painting a picture, a sculpture or composing a song. This perfume is enchanting. It’s shiny and dark but somehow accessible, like incredibly soft velvet, and has a contemporary smell without being synthetic. It is so brilliantly blended that it is challenging bringing out every single note. This gives it a wonderful mysteriousness, as it is not just a bizarre perfume, but a completely new one. It is one of my favourites during the cold season. The creation is a revisited interpretation of amber, which meets woods such as sandalwood and with intense patchouli that warms the olfactory pyramid’s heart. I can smell the amber from the beginning, dry and almost sharp along with the sour tea. Yes, because this fragrance features one of the noblest ingredients in perfumery, amber. The deep harmony of amber and woods is mysterious, magnetic, evil, dark, disturbing, passed out. It isn’t easy to verbalize, but there is undoubtedly something intangible in this perfume.

Very modern and perhaps even a little surreal, Scent Intense opens with a seriously dark woody tea accord that explodes into a lighter background of hibiscus, berries and incense. A deep dark brown berry note, as if someone cooked the berries on the stove with spices and tea. But don’t let it lead you astray. The subdued, soothing background acts as a sheet that only seems to emphasize the rawness and dryness of the power play of wood and tea. The hint of sweetness of the berry and the hint of floral spiciness of the hibiscus are a perfect counterpoint to the wood’s dryness and the tea. As soon as the hibiscus appears together with tea, it reminds me of the karkadè, the iced red tea made with hibiscus blossoms. The syrupy opening is very persistent, and it takes a little while for an exotic floral element to stand out. I quickly detected the patchouli in the introduction, which had a rather dusty and leathery feel. The beginning is strong, earthy and woody.

The heart offers the elegance of hibiscus and jasmine. An amiable jasmine note rises from the darkness, bringing with it an appealing intimacy. The suppression of the sweet allows the acidulated hibiscus note to float freely in the heart of this perfume. It looks a lot like the smell of hibiscus on a wet morning on my terrace. Very delicate and yet unmistakably floral. The tea combines beautifully with this concoction and allows the delicacy of the hibiscus to radiate and shine.

The more time passes, the smokier it becomes, acting as a smoke signal that draws attention to demanding, sophisticated, in touch, unrepentant macho men. The smoke hits you in waves: sometimes it’s a dry amber, sometimes it’s wet patchouli and other times it’s a thick smoky wood scent. This smoke is magical and something everyone should try. It moves somewhere between the masculine and the feminine and turns out exquisite. The finish is long and soft. I imagine a persistent and robust hibiscus, which tames amber. The background is amber and woody, still dry and a bit dusty, and not at all unusual. Yes, there is some frankincense, but I still see the perfume as a direct amber oriental. I smell a lot of incense, especially on the finish, which replaces the overall dominant amber and patchouli Incense envelops all the disparate elements and unites them in an atmosphere of sensuality and mystery.

There is excellent longevity in this dark and smoky beauty. Sillage and endurance are highly praiseworthy. It is a cult fragrance, unique, luxurious and outrageous, rich and resinous, and that’s what I love about Scent Intense. A very sexy elixir that always induces naughty intent every time I wear it or smell it. It is dark in the sense that it is very amber and incensed, only slightly fruity, and is complex and intriguing at the same time. Wear it in the frosty nights of late fall and winter, it will warm you up.

This review is based upon a 100ml bottle I own since May 2018.

-Elysium

03/28/2012

7Scent 7.5Longevity 7.5Sillage

Missk
1357 Reviews

Missk

5

Dark and unique

I tested Scent Intense only minutes after I tested Scent Sheer, and I must say the differences are quite obvious.

Scent Intense, is not only an intensified version, but an entirely different composition altogether. I immediately detected the patchouli in the opening which had a rather dusty and leathery feel to it.

Beneath the strong, almost masculine notes, a sweet, milky jasmine note rises from the darkness bringing with it an interesting coziness.

Although bold and dark, Scent Intense does have a rather feminine smoothness. Some are saying it smells a bit like incense and I somewhat agree. However I think it smells like an inclosed space with the scent of stale incense rather than the burning, smokey kind or the incense stick itself.

Despite its rather gothic approach, I find this fragrance elegant, feminine and sophisticated. Perhaps even at times a little clean and powdery. While the patchouli and amber tend to dominate this fragrance, there is also a tar-like note blended with a 'raisin-y' tobacco note that only adds to the intrigue and the warmth.

The sillage and lasting strength are highly commendable, however I wouldn't expect anything less. It seems to be that Scent Intense is quite a popular buy on the niche market which pleases me greatly. This fragrance is kind of geared towards women that want to smell a little bit different, steering clear of smelling like a bouquet of flowers or fruit juice.

More reviews

Statements

12 short views on the fragrance

Hitchslap

8 years ago

4

Just too floral and feminine for the first few hours till the late dry down, at least for me.

HugoMontez

2 years ago

3

An ambery Hibiscus with a tea opening. Comforting and sensual. Unisex and suitable for any time. Its like the Ying to Black Orchid's Yang

Zebra782

3 years ago

9Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

2

Dead on unisex, right in the middle, for something out of a small designer house like Costume National, this is unique and bold, very bold.

NuiWhakakore

5 years ago

7Scent 6Longevity 6Sillage

22

19

Intense understatement
sweet, little flowers
somehow fruity too
wood and amber stay very subtle

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Notausgang

5 years ago

7.5Scent

7

1

Who wouldn't love to sip a fruit tea at the spa?
Subtle (not intense), slightly sweet, pleasant. Lovely!

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CharlAmbre

1 year ago

8Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

6

Distinctive cardamom in a leather suit. Initially a bit bitter, it warms up and confidently reveals its floral-soft sides.

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Annabraucht

1 year ago

9Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

4

2

I thought I didn't like fruit-leather combos; but this one convinced me otherwise right away. Simply extraordinary. Ends buttery soft and woody.

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Einfachich

5 years ago

7Scent 7Longevity 6Sillage

4

1

Nice amber with a base sweetness. Slightly resinous and a bit woody at the base. With a lot of goodwill, a hint of jasmine is noticeable. Intense? Nope.

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CreedFanBoy

6 years ago

4

Not too overpowering. Dark amber, similar to Soul. But not as dense, rather more fluid and darker.

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ToniH

5 years ago

8Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

2

The scent itself is nice, but your surroundings won't notice it and it won't bother anyone. No compliments to be had. Wearable everywhere since it’s not intrusive. Grade: B-

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