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7.9 / 10 36 Ratings
A popular perfume by Givenchy for women and men, released in 2023. The scent is floral-woody. The longevity is above-average. It is being marketed by LVMH.
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Main accords

Floral
Woody
Resinous
Smoky
Sweet

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
Somalian frankincenseSomalian frankincense Belgian angelicaBelgian angelica
Heart Notes Heart Notes
Moroccan orange blossom absoluteMoroccan orange blossom absolute Provençal honeyProvençal honey
Base Notes Base Notes
Malayan oudMalayan oud Australian white sandalwoodAustralian white sandalwood

Perfumer

Ratings
Scent
7.936 Ratings
Longevity
8.329 Ratings
Sillage
7.928 Ratings
Bottle
8.634 Ratings
Value for money
6.719 Ratings
Submitted by multiple users, last update on 11/07/2025.
Interesting Facts
The fragrance is part of the La Collection Particulière collection.

Smells similar

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Reviews

2 in-depth fragrance descriptions
BeSchool

8 Reviews
BeSchool
BeSchool
2  
Faux Semblant
...imagine this, you are suited and booted, going to a night club in France, but you wear a black suit, black tie, black leather boots. You are sharp as a human being can be. Mysterious personality, but there is a playful side that can easily charm, and hypnotize a lady.

This is some very odd stuff, and it does smell excellent at the same time. Its like a middle eastern mystery unravelling in front of your nose. It hits you from a lot of angles. True niche stuff here in fact, this has a semi-animalic orange blossom and honey, and the incense hits you right away, next to the green angelica. This is dark, it requires a black suit and a black tie for sure, no doubt. Oud along with the amber gives you a dark, resinous base...man this just takes over you i swear. Its massive, almost gives me the feeling of when i first smelled Amouage's Interlude Man, or Chanel's Le Lion. If this was an image, imagine Tisci's rottweiler for Givenchy. Its dark, aggressive and uber-classy, yet complex...
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Musicandarts

227 Reviews
Musicandarts
Musicandarts
3  
A strong incense embellished by angelica and woody notes.
I am making a concerted effort to test, review and buy (if necessary) all the perfumes in the Givenchy La Collection Particuliére. Though not explicitly stated, this series appears to be a collaboration between Givenchy and the perfumers and products of Firmenich. La Collection Particuliére highlights many of the ingredients that are patented products from Firmenich. This review of Faux Semblant is based on a 10 ml sample I bought directly from Givenchy.

The name Faux Semblant means false pretenses, though there are not many false pretenses in this perfume. Dora Baghriche has created essentially an incense smell with some ancillary notes to embellish this primary characteristic. Its intensity gets the highest rating on Givenchy’s website. The opening is a very strong duo of angelica and frankincense, obviously enhanced by Firmenich’s production techniques. The green vibe of angelica subsides quickly but a unique amber and honey accord takes its space. These opening notes persist for quite a while before an unremarkable orange blossom, listed as the heart note, comes on the scene. But this orange blossom is incapable of changing the incense personality of Faux Semblant. The base notes are a very lovely blend of sandalwood and oud, perceptible but again not strong enough to subdue the incense. Towards the end, the incense note becomes creamier because of the woody notes. Though many of the La Collection Particuliére perfumes list oud as a note, it is usually very mild and not worth mentioning.

The overall sweet incense personality of Faux Semblant is a double-edged sword. The blend of angelica, honeyed-amber, incense and sandalwood also makes it veer towards the cheap incense sticks that I find in India. Because of this concern, adequate repeated testing is warranted. I wonder if I would get tired of it quickly, thus negating the need for a full bottle. As it stands, I am not planning to get a full bottle. I might even give away the 10 ml bottle.

Faux Semblant is a high-performance perfume. The opening notes hang around for about 4-6 hours and the later woody notes for another four hours. The sillage is very good, particularly in the early incense phase of this perfume. I cannot recommend it as an office perfume because of its overwhelming incense note.

In summary, Faux Semblant is a lovely incense perfume, demonstrating the might of Firmenich’s manufacturing processes. It is one of the costlier perfumes ($420 for 100 ml) in the La Collection Particuliére. Whether you would fork over that fortune depends on your love for incense.
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Statements

16 short views on the fragrance
3 years ago
3
This is a well-made fragrance, Sadly, I now realize angelica is not a note I like.
0 Comments
1
Incense note usually isn’t my thing, but this one is wow! Very beautiful and rich smell. Long lasting and huge compliment magnet!
0 Comments
1
Olibanum, dark sharp green patchouli, earthy oud, gasoline and skanky orange blossom. Very challenging and requires patience.
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7 months ago
1
Really REALLY nice smooth amber orange
Reminds me of the OG Jubilation with that orange honey amber or a less feminine PDM Safanad
0 Comments
13 days ago
super green and a little dusty wood, dried and a bit funky /pos. didn't get much incense tho. great longevity, still detectable after 12hr
0 Comments
21
30
In the incense-swinging angelica
the moment stands still
sweet orange blossom honey
sticks gleaming gold
to Malaysian oud
and sandalwood cream.
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30 Comments
20
22
Through green curtains
and frosted panes
warm light shimmers
flowers bloom and
honey-yellow angels shine
on paneled walls
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22 Comments
16
22
No matter how much Angelika comes wrapped in incense-oud and honey-sweet in her orange blossom dress, her dominance unfortunately puts me off.
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22 Comments
12
5
Fragrance shift between light and dark: intriguing with incense and angelica, orange blossoms shine in a honey bath over an earthy-dark base.
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5 Comments
9
7
Green shimmer in the sky
Orange blossoms dance
The air kisses citrus breezes
Honey casts shadows
On dark woods
On light trees
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7 Comments
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