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Iconoclaste

Citizen X Ex Nihilo 2017

7.2 / 10 81 Ratings

A perfume by Ex Nihilo for men, released in 2017. The scent is fresh-spicy. It is still in production.
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Main accords

Fresh

Spicy

Resinous

Woody

Smoky

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

White pepper Mastic

Mastic

Heart Notes

Orris absolute

Base Notes

Frankincense

Amberwood

Musk

Perfumer

Yann Vasnier

Ratings

Scent

7.281 Ratings

Longevity

7.666 Ratings

Sillage

7.070 Ratings

Bottle

7.973 Ratings

Value for money

5.830 Ratings

Submitted by Hannah, last update on 10/05/2025.

Interesting Facts

The fragrance is part of the Iconoclaste collection.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Citizen Queen

Oud Minérale

Reviews

4 in-depth fragrance descriptions

11/07/2023

7Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

Shemsmeller
206 Reviews

Shemsmeller

1

Citizen shaik Gucci Dior ajmal

tested today thanks to a sample, I had been praised for the merits of this perfume and I was looking to expand my summer collection with an ex nihilo.

so the first impression was to find gucci love a the darkest probably because of the incense and musk present.

subsequently the impression of smelling shaik n77.

and finally I had the impression of smelling dior private eden rock probably because it gives off a mineral odor.

after 1 hour the wood turned out to remind me of ajmal amber wood.

a rather masculine perfume preferred at the end of summer or in summer evenings.

the sillage is good and the hold is also good, allow 7 hours.

For my part, this perfume is not the revelation of the year and is too close to certain references that I own to consider buying it, especially since it is quite expensive.

02/06/2023

10Scent 9Longevity 9Sillage

Dan93
69 Reviews

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Dan93

8

Darcia on a Friday Evening...

It is autumn. The day has left little light for me.
The corner office with the impressive view of the Manhattan skyline did not exude the same charm as it usually does.
Gray. Wet. Cold. Only the lights of car headlights dance through the twilight.
I grab my Italian calfskin bag, open it, and spray exactly three spritzes of my Citizen X on, close the white gold clasps of the bag, and slip my Montblanc fountain pen into my jacket.
As I step into the elevator, an associate jumps in at the last moment before the doors close. I notice not only his overly sweet Eau de Parfum but also the poor quality of his off-the-rack suit.
The fabric lacked the sophisticated weave of my bespoke three-piece suit from Saville Row. Giovanni was a master of his craft and has been my trusted tailor for many years.
The concierge had my driver Jean-Luc come to the main entrance. The ride was not long, but my vicuña wool coat felt too precious for such weather.
Darcia was located on the edge of the city center, where everyone of rank and name gathers on a Friday evening.
Tables had been booked out for months, but that didn’t bother me since I had known John Kowalski, the owner, since my Quarterhouse School days. His business cards in bone-colored beige-white had never appealed to me, but his restaurant was top-notch.
The food was exquisite as always. Sea urchin fillet on saffron rice with truffled seasonal vegetables.
The ride home drags on. The traffic is heavy.
I smell my shirt sleeve and a warm feeling washes over me. The scent of my success.

06/12/2019

6Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

Meggi
1018 Reviews

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Meggi

Top Review 34

Gray is not just gray

In our town, there is a small painting school run by two artists (mother and daughter). My children attended a course or two there years ago. One of the ladies mentioned at the time that she would simply pour all the little leftover colors together after the events. This creates a lively gray, in stark contrast to one merely mixed from black and white.

A fragrance woven around iris and incense encounters a dominant competitor in my collection, as it must stand up to the magnificent ‘1681’ by Carthusia, undoubtedly the grayest scent I own. But what a warm, lively, enveloping dark gray it is!

In contrast, ‘Citizen X’ takes a completely different approach. After a hint of aquatic freshness, a strong wave of pepper sweeps through, quickly followed by bright wood and iris. A combination that often harmonizes quite well, though here it starts off somewhat musty. However, it clears up, bright resin with citrus-fresh ambitions (likely drawn from the spectrum of incense possibilities) along with a synthetic note that reminds me of solvents - which, on one hand, brings to mind ‘Nudo’ by Morph, while on the other, faintly echoes the style of Black Afghan. Primarily, however, it reminds me of the bright, over-the-top synthetic wood from the MGO scents or Filippo Sorcinelli’s ‘Nebbia Fitta’.

Not only does the iris fall by the wayside, serving today merely as a (cooling) medium, where it was allowed to have purpose in Carthusia. The promised companions for the base also struggle. I, for one, imagine something different under “ambered” when it comes to woods than just a hint of sweetness. And while the musk is certainly not clean-white, it can hardly do more than add a slight animalistic accent. It is gray and remains gray, even as it gradually takes over the direction throughout the afternoon and finally achieves a skeletal, dry, sinus-tone-like near-monopoly by evening.

And thus, the circle is completed. The fragrance is overall of a bright gray, created from distinct, sharply contoured aromas, not from a lush variety. It remains as cold to me as electronic music.

Not that it didn’t deliver in its own way. It consistently and reliably exudes a woody, indeed wooden freshness throughout the day. Thus, our ‘Citizen X’ is, in a nearly involuntary, bitterly comic way, exactly how politics prefers the citizen: It works.

I thank Garcon for the sample.

12/19/2017

8.5Scent 9Longevity 8Sillage

Maggy4u
369 Reviews

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Maggy4u

Top Review 8

The X To Your Y

The cold has always had a cleansing quality. Winter had arrived. He had stopped counting at a good two dozen. It would not be his last. That much was certain. How does one measure a man? Not by his experienced winters.

By his actions? The traces he leaves behind? He took a deep breath. Wonderful how invigorating the air flowed through his lungs and made him wide awake. The hunter within him did not need to awaken; he was deeply embedded in his being. United. The X to his Y.

Citizen X is, for me, a fragrance full of anarchy and fervor. Full of strength and attitude. Yes, it has a presence that could easily be perceived as aloof. It polarizes through two essential components: freshness and animalic notes.

The freshness is overwhelming and at the same time so clear and unpretentious that it could be considered the armor of a modern hero, a modern man. It contains aspects of a classic cologne as well as neo-classical tones that also brought applause and followers to an Elysium (fragrance).

The animalic quality of the musk is clean yet very dominant. At the same time, the fragrance exudes, every second: everything is under control.

Interestingly, we encounter a very masculine interpretation of iris, which, underpinned by the musk, comes across as incredibly calm and almost worldly, always clear and transparent. Never powdery.

I can only advise to choose the dosage very consciously, as the musk, for me, delivered a drydown beyond the 12-hour mark with just two sprays. After that, it was really just the musk - but the feeling from the beginning was still present.

Suit up, Gentlemen. Grab your inner Citizen X - and be legendary :)