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Theorema Fendi 1998 Eau de Parfum

8.4 / 10 228 Ratings

A popular perfume by Fendi for women, released in 1998. The scent is spicy-oriental. The production was apparently discontinued.
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Main accords

Spicy

Oriental

Woody

Floral

Sweet

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Orange blossom

Cardamom

Brazilian rosewood

Citrus fruits Jasmine

Jasmine

Nutmeg

Pepper

Dog rose

Heart Notes

Cinnamon

Spices

Carnation

Osmanthus

Rose

Ylang-ylang

Base Notes

Amber

Siam benzoin

Gaiac wood

Patchouli

Sandalwood

Perfumer

Christine Nagel

Ratings

Scent

8.4228 Ratings

Longevity

7.8181 Ratings

Sillage

6.7170 Ratings

Bottle

7.7172 Ratings

Value for money

7.721 Ratings

Submitted by Kankuro, last update on 07/01/2025.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Theorema Parfum d' Extrait

Theorema Leggero

Belle de Minuit

Tentations Eau de Parfum

Armani Privé - Ambre Soie

Café Cabanel

Reviews

9 in-depth fragrance descriptions

04/17/2015

ColinM
516 Reviews

ColinM

Top Review 8

Nagel's masterpiece!

Theorema opens with a powerful spicy accord, Oriental and sweet, with dusty and exotic notes of cumin, resins (olibanum too?), cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, all supported by woods – I get sandalwood and cedar – and softened by a graceful, light floral breeze with a sprinkle of citrus and neroli, providing an irresistible fruity-warm feel to an otherwise quite pungent blend. A totally modern opening for a scent which could have been released last week; Theorema has a sophisticated, bright sort of “thin” substance and transparency, which is quite typical of many contemporary scents, yet not smelling plain or cheap: all ingredients smell terribly sharp, high-quality and vibrant, it’s just that most of them are, say, “high-pitched” notes (spices, citrus) and this creates a sort of light transparency, yet dense and bold. The unsurpassed beauty of this scent lies in the incredible class with which Nagel composed it: the spicy structure is perfectly counter-balanced by the watercolor sweetness of flowers, all darkened with a gentle shade of woods. All is discreet, simple, almost “geometrical”, clean and incredibly sharp, clear and bright. Radiant, refined, a joy to wear and to discover, civilized enough to please also non-lovers of resinous-spicy scents (I’m one of them). Elegant sillage, decent persistence, totally unisex. Far superior to its masculine companion, by the way.

8,5-9/10

11/12/2012

Sophi
50 Reviews

Sophi

Very helpful Review 6

A Theorema that Rules

Fendi Theorema is a treasure.
Woody and spicy but also very feminine.
Elegant and luxurious, unlike the mass of many commercial perfumes because it has the quality that can hardly be found nowadays.
The house Fendi has accustomed us in many classical and modern compositions perfumes.
The warm woods (rosewood and sandalwood), sweet spices like cinnamon and orange blossoms, jasmine and ylang-ylang (a classic flower arrangement), are the dominant contribution to the perfume creation Theorema .. A theorema proved to be RULE.

10/05/2013

10
Sillage 10
Longevity 10
Scent

Dulcemio
34 Reviews

Dulcemio

Very helpful Review 7

much ado about something

The more I get to know Theorema, the more it reminds me of very strong and expensive pot pourri. (Mind you, this is not an insult - there is some fantastic pot pourri out there!) This is no doubt because the citrus I perceive is not citrus fruit but rather dried citrus peels.

This startling blend of dried orange peels, strong spices, resin, woods and flowers certainly deserves its cult status as a beloved discontinued, though it has a slightly astringent or acidic quality that prevents it from being on my list of smooth "comfort" scents. And that might be simply due to the absence of vanilla, the great smooth-a-fier. Even though I don't crave it extremely often, I feel good about the future knowing I've got a stash to last my lifetime.

Looking at the 1998 Fendi Fall/Winter fashion collection, I wonder if Theorema, with its warm, spicy, acidic sunshine, was created to cut through all the dark neutrality of that haute couture and be the yin to its yang. If so, it did certainly succeed.

11/17/2023

10
Pricing 10
Bottle 9
Sillage 10
Longevity 10
Scent

EllySmith
22 Reviews

EllySmith

Helpful Review 6

Absolutely sophisticated and nuanced art of perfumery

Theorema smells like a burning fire. I love it profoundly, it's a piece of art. It's daring, it's beautiful, it's complicated, it is its own genre.

A boring press release would call it a "spiced amber". Oh, thanks... That's very informative. However the baseline here is amber, it is true, all of the composition stands on a solid ground of sweet amber and guaiac wood. Amber gives it warmth, but is completely deprived of its characteristic sweaty vibe, it's not here and it is not needed here. Guaiac, a magical sweet wood from a fairy tale (try Gaiac M. Micallef if you are not familiar with the note), makes the base profound, layered and voluminous. It also has a slight burnt bitter touch, it is just a nuance, very slight, but important. And that's why I am going to describe this perfume not from the top to the bottom, not from the notes you hear the first to the notes remaining the last, but from the base to the superstructure.

The heart note is a burning fire of spice. It does not sit on you, it's not glued to you, it flies around you all day long, like a little spicy wildfire of your own creation. Cinnamon, nutmeg, sweet spices, cloves. These are appearing and disappearing in a slightly unpredictable but always beautiful proportion. It's a dance of different spicy nuances on top of a sweet base described above.

Top notes are not so important, it's just a welcoming. Orange zest, orange blossom, a little bit of pepper and jasmine. Carte-de-visite, sartorial statement. Every fragrance needs the presentation, so here it is, the presentation of the Theorema. Not putting you off with excessive complexity or harshness, but still worthy of such an elaborate, serious and mind-bending fragrance.

I truly think Theorema is a piece of art. I annotate it as my signature fragrance, I wish it could be. Unfortunately, Theorema was violently and unforgivably discontinued, and this is shameful, Fendi.

05/06/2018

8
Bottle 2
Sillage 5
Longevity 7.5
Scent

StellaDiverF
213 Reviews

StellaDiverF

Helpful Review 3

Gauzy Veil of Gingerbread

Although mandarine and orange are not listed as notes, the candied orange opening of Fendi Theorema EDP is mouthwatering. A honeyed amber sweetness soon sweeps the scene along with a small handful of all spices, among which the fresh woody nutmeg and sweet spicy cinnamon are the most discernable to my nose.

This combination of notes smells quite gourmand to me and is very suggestive of pain d'épices or gingerbread. However, except for its opening 20 minutes, its overall sheer texture and diffusiveness effectively keeps it from being cloying. Moreover, flickers of fresh woody notes invigorate the composition thanks to their contrast with the resinous warmth.

Theorema is more or less linear once the delectable amber warmth adorned with gentle spices settles in. It just gradually becomes more and more abstract and turns into a honeyed skin scent after about 3 hours. The overall sillage is very intimate, and the longevity is barely 6 hours on my skin.

To be honest, I was a bit disappointed during my first few times wearing Theorema. I enjoyed the fragrance, but it was not as striking as I thought it would be, probably because it's easier for me to justify the hype with an opulent, highly contrasted fragrance than a relatively gauzy comforting one like Theorema.

But the more I wear it, the more I start to see that its rather translucent approach to a gourmand oriental is actually its strength. It perfectly showcases Christine Nagel's skill to make a perfume satisfyingly delicious and cozy without being suffocating, which is probably the reason why Theorema has such a wide appeal. This type of sheer gourmand being quite popular these days, I imagine Theorema might work quite well if it was introduced in today's Hermès or another designer brand's exclusive collection.

I would hesitate to recommend it because of its rarity, but if you're looking for a soft cozy ambery fragrance reminiscent of Christmas cakes and gingerbread and can sample it at a reasonable price, I think Theorema will worth a try.

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