Carnal Blends

Side Effect 2016

Side Effect by Initio
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Ranked 11 in Unisex Perfume
8.6 / 10 3135 Ratings
A popular perfume by Initio for women and men, released in 2016. The scent is sweet-spicy. Projection and longevity are above-average. It is still in production.
Pronunciation
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Main accords

Sweet
Spicy
Oriental
Gourmand
Woody

Fragrance Notes

RumRum VanillaVanilla HedioneHedione SaffronSaffron TobaccoTobacco CinnamonCinnamon SandalwoodSandalwood
Ratings
Scent
8.63135 Ratings
Longevity
8.42946 Ratings
Sillage
8.12925 Ratings
Bottle
8.52824 Ratings
Value for money
7.02527 Ratings
Submitted by Michael, last update on 02/10/2025.
Interesting Facts
The fragrance is part of the "Carnal Blends" collection.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to
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Collateral Damage
Effect by MAD Parfumeur
Effect
Vanilla Rum by Niche 4 All
Vanilla Rum
Leather Effecto by Attar al Has
Leather Effecto
Art of Arabia III by Lattafa Pride
Art of Arabia III
The Feminist by Dandy Boutique
The Feminist

Reviews

109 in-depth fragrance descriptions
6
Bottle
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
7
Scent
DalilaB

26 Reviews
DalilaB
DalilaB
6  
Beautiful cosy winter fragrance
I read and watched so many reviews describing side effects, stating it’s a very balsamic cosy scent along the lines of black phantom which is my holy grail for comforting winter scents.

Side effects is undoubtedly beautiful but to my nose it was not remarkable, the opening was nice cinnamon ( I like that) but quickly it became a soft skin scent vanilla. I kept sniffing my wrist as it was developing but to me it lacked something maybe a sweet note.

I tried it side by side with blessed baraka which I pretty much preferred to it.

I still prefer black phantom ( Kilian) as my cosy and bouquet idéale (casamorati), which has a beautiful cinnamon opening and a skin scent vanilla dry down and better sillage.
0 Comments
8
Bottle
8
Sillage
8
Longevity
7
Scent
EnomisCVD

138 Reviews
EnomisCVD
EnomisCVD
4  
The side effect of smell good
Initio, carnal blends: collection focused on fragrances with sensual, powerful notes and intriguing combinations.
Uncompromising fragrances that awaken the pleasure of arousing physical attraction.
One of them is precisely Side Effect.
Lots of vanilla, tobacco and rum are blended to produce an addictive fragrance.
Cinnamon, with its tangy, spicy touch, provides liveliness to the entire composition, which revolves mainly around the aforementioned triad.
The aroma that is released into the air cannot be ignored: those who smell it want to know at all costs where it came from.
This is the side effect produced by Side Effect.
It envelops and pampers the wearer, but is also tremendously intriguing to those who smell its trail in the air.
0 Comments
10
Sillage
10
Longevity
7.5
Scent
Fatihkarl

30 Reviews
Fatihkarl
Fatihkarl
2  
Boozy, Heavy, Strong and Unusual Smell
It has a slightly fresh,soft cherry-like and cinnamony opens. Cinnamon is very effective at opening. Then this freshness immediately loses its effect. Immediately after, rum, tobacco, vanilla and cinnamon show themselves. Especially vanilla note.

Unusual and nice mix. This fragrance reminds me of a delicious pudding with rum and vanilla contain, sprinkled with powdered cinnamon. Beautiful up to this part. Just I don't like the tobacco note contained in this perfume. Fortunately rum and vanilla are very dominant and I am happy with this situation.Cinnamon note always makes its presence felt for hours.
Hours later vanilla scent becomes more dominant.

My darling and I generally don't like spicy fragrances. But this is one of the rare spicy scents we both like.

It has a high spread. I can't use it often . Because despite being beautiful, it has a heavy air. Extremely intense. So and because of the tobacco effect I couldn't like this scent so much.

When I sprayed this smell, my mother got angry with me and she said: "Get out of here! my headache because of this smell." .d
Definitely a fragrance suitable for winter or cold weather.

Lasted on my skin as a skin scent around 18+ hours. :)
0 Comments
9
Pricing
8
Bottle
8
Sillage
7
Longevity
9
Scent
JugSmellnice

8 Reviews
JugSmellnice
JugSmellnice
3  
One of the fineste
This is one of the best bottles if have bought. It is masculin in a bottle for late nights party or dates. Perfect for cold whether where the vanilla, tobacco and rum makes a perfect combination for the smell.
The vanilla is smooth and not sticky like many others. Also the tobacco has a nice touch with the rum. If you are older and in a relationship where you want to be dominant this is the perfume for you.
Something that i also like is the collection intio is giving out at the bottle is really amazing
0 Comments
3
Pricing
8
Sillage
8
Longevity
8
Scent
Smirky

322 Reviews
Smirky
Smirky
3  
Nice scent with some negatives
Side Effect is a very nice sweet/boozy/tobacco fragrance. It's quite smooth and creamy and a masculine fragrance. So, while I like the scent itself, the overall package has a number of negatives for me. It would certainly work well for a guy who likes sweeter fragrances. It ended up being too sweet for me. My preference for a boozy tobacco is Kutay which has a touch of sweetness but isn't as sweet as Side Effect. I also was thinking about it from the perspective of a smooth and creamy masculine scent. Maybe add some incense and resin. What I was creating in my mind and confirmed with testing is none other than Boss Bottled Absolut (2024 version) which fits the smooth and creamy groove better for me than Side Effect. Lastly, while Side Effect is a nice scent, it also struck me as very designer-ish. It just can't justify the purchase price.

Longevity was very good with very good sillage for a few hours.
0 Comments
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Statements

42 short views on the fragrance
PetarMolnarPetarMolnar 2 years ago
6
Bottle
10
Sillage
10
Longevity
6.5
Scent
Extremely potent, performances are amazing mostly cause its based on ambroxan. Feels too artificial. Sweet vanilla and cherry tobacco.
0 Comments
Noname1876Noname1876 2 years ago
8
Sillage
9
Longevity
9
Scent
I love this fragrance, I smell a cherry note in there but there is no cherry in it.
0 Comments
BertolucciKBertolucciK 4 years ago
9
Bottle
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
9
Scent
Boozy spicy opening with rum and cinnamon. After that, I get Hedione with tobacco and a gourmand vanilla. The scent is warm and appealing.
0 Comments
AlishereAlishere 1 year ago
8
Bottle
8
Sillage
9
Longevity
6.5
Scent
Boozy feminine perfume
Somehow I don't like it
And my wife don't like it
0 Comments
ScentwitchScentwitch 2 years ago
8
Bottle
6
Sillage
6
Longevity
9
Scent
Heavenly. My husband notices it immediately when I wear it.
1 Comment
NicetosmelluNicetosmellu 2 years ago
9
Bottle
10
Sillage
10
Longevity
10
Scent
One of my favorites of all time. Exceptional smell, beastly performance. Extraordinarily blended, can't really pick out individual notes.
0 Comments
NicheOnlyNicheOnly 2 years ago
8
Bottle
9
Sillage
9
Longevity
7
Scent
My opinions never changed on SE - has a prominent rubbery element to it, & the hedione gives off bad body odor. A 9 in the air, a 5 on skin.
1 Comment
TRehfTRehf 4 years ago
9
Bottle
8
Sillage
8
Longevity
10
Scent
One of the strongest 1st impressions. Gourmand, boozy, cozy yet elegant and very high quality. Unisex, Long staying power. 10/10
0 Comments
TelmomotaTelmomota 1 year ago
10
Bottle
8
Sillage
9
Longevity
8.5
Scent
Amazing sweet fragance, ideal for night out.
0 Comments
MikePiccoliMikePiccoli 4 months ago
5
Bottle
7
Sillage
7
Longevity
7.5
Scent
Synthetic sweet fragrance pretty boring ther is no evolution hier
0 Comments
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