Aventus Creed 2010

So much has been said about Aventus that it hardly seems worth it to add to the conversation and noise. However, I believe there are fragrance newbies who have the same thoughts and philosophy about fragrance as I do, so I want to tell my experience with this scent:

Around 4 years ago, I first found out about fragrances that were not sold at the counter at Macy’s. One of the first of these, of course, was Creed Aventus. After reading and watching reviews, it was clear that this must be a special fragrance. Even if I was never going to buy it (back then, spending over $300 for a fragrance was unthinkable for me), I decided I had to smell it, as well as others from the brand. So I headed straight over to the Creed booth at Nordstrom and asked to smell Aventus.

My reaction at first sniff was, “that’s it? This is the pinnacle of fragrance?” According to so many reviewers, this was the greatest fragrance ever created. It smelled like so many scents I’d smelled before! It wasn’t unique, it wasn’t special, it wasn’t…anything! Just a bland, clean scent. Though I was disappointed, I wanted to smell some others. Another that I had heard good things about was Green Irish Tweed. WOW. Aromatic, green, powerful musks. Like nothing I had smelled before. I went on. Royal Oud. WOW. Smooth, deep woods. Another unique and special masterpiece. I liked almost every Creed I tried that day more than Aventus. Erolfa, Silver Mountain Water, Viking. What was going on?

I have some theories, after years of sampling hundreds of fragrances and even Aventus again many times. First, my “philosophy” toward fragrance is that I wear fragrance for myself. I appreciate artistry, uniqueness, and creativity in perfume. Aventus isn’t that. It does what other fragrances do, (arguably) better. Second, it’s possible that I had smelled Aventus, or Aventus-inspired fragrances many times before without knowing it. This is possibly why it smelled so bland and forgettable at first sniff. However, I had never owned anything remotely similar to Aventus notes-wise. Third, it may be that the reviews I had seen and raised my expectations were talking about a fragrance that was a compliment getter rather than a great fragrance on its own merit.

Regardless of the reason, I think Aventus is boring. And it’s not boring because there are a lot of clones. It’s just a boring scent. It doesn’t evoke or inspire anything. It’s just, “here’s a vaguely clean guy.” I thought that 4 years ago and I still think it today. If you are new to niche perfumery and want to wear unique, special scents primarily for yourself, stay away from Creed Aventus.