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Carnal Blends

Side Effect Initio 2016

Ranked 10 in Unisex Perfume

8.5 / 10 4291 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.
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Main accords

Sweet

Spicy

Oriental

Gourmand

Woody

Fragrance Notes

Rum

Vanilla

Hedione

Saffron

Tobacco

Cinnamon

Sandalwood

Ratings

Scent

8.54291 Ratings

Longevity

8.34040 Ratings

Sillage

8.14009 Ratings

Bottle

8.33880 Ratings

Value for money

7.03559 Ratings

Submitted by Michael · last update on 02/10/2026.

Source-backed & verified

Interesting Facts

The fragrance is part of the Carnal Blends collection.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Farah

After Effect

Collateral Damage

Effect

Rum & Spice

Eye of Seven Hills

Reviews

227 in-depth fragrance descriptions

01/02/2020

7Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

DalilaB
26 Reviews

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.

07/31/2025

3.5Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

Averycj
50 Reviews

Averycj

5

Wanna Smell Like Grog?

I’ve had this decant for almost a year now and just never reviewed it, so let’s all pretend this is my first time smelling it, cool?

So this is what all the teen TikTok influencers are hyping up? This?? I can’t wrap my head around why. I would never peg a teen boy as the target audience for a fragrance that smells so… alcoholic. And not in a sexy or good way. More in a "your father's stash of empty rum bottles under the couch cushions" kind of way.

I mean it’s not flat-out disgusting. But I really don’t like this scent profile. And I think if you grew up around alcoholism, this would probably be triggering to wear. It’s that on-the-nose.

Pop open a bottle of rum and you’re basically 90% of the way there. Maybe sprinkle in a touch of saffron and tobacco to round it out, but that’s it. It gives off “40-year-old musty man downing his third glass of whiskey in a cigar lounge” not TikTok frat king. I genuinely don’t know why that crowd has latched onto it.

That said… I’ll give Side Effect its flowers where they’re due: it projects like a monster and lasts forever. If you want people to smell you from across the room, this will absolutely get the job done.

But me? I’ll pass.

01/15/2025

8Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

Smirky
516 Reviews

Smirky

4

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.

11/11/2024

7Scent

Telekinec
526 Reviews

Telekinec

Helpful Review 3

Bold, overwhelming note of spicy rum followed by a mellowing tobacco and vanilla

The beginning is very strong and pretty bold. There's an overwhelming blast of rum: liquorish, boozy, spicy and very masculine-leaning. I was really turned off by it (and it's the main reason why I won't be adding it to my collection). As the perfume moves on, it starts to mellow out (thankfully). I start getting a resinous warmth and some woodiness from the tobacco. In this fragrance, it's not a note I enjoy so much (there's only one fragrance with tobacco that has earned a place in my heart as of now) since it's pretty acrid and bitter before smoothening itself out. Vanilla starts to rise up accompanied by cinnamon which is lovely for the colder seasons. Sandalwood gives off woodiness to support the tobacco, but also a deep creaminess that complements the vanilla that keeps gaining power.

I do get why people love it, but unfortunately, the beginning is a real turn-off for me. I'm usually not a fan of boozy notes and tobacco and in this one, both are present and not blended as well as I thoguht they'd be. As it dries down, it becomes a very lovely scent (I will admit it), but not enough for me to add it to my collection. It's also more masculine-leaning to me than unisex or feminine. Not a blind-buy for sure!

09/01/2025

10Scent 10Longevity 10Sillage

Mgpgeorge
12 Reviews

Mgpgeorge

3

The sexiest fragrance ever

This is a statement! this is the sexiest fragrance ever created, I'm in love with it.
At first I thought it's just a redundant sweet fragrance to my collection after I bought it blindly (NOT RECOMMENDED)!
When I gave it a chance it really has grown on me and became one of my favorites. It's my go-to for romantic date nights along with Xerjoff Aurum and TOM FORD Noir De Noir.
Sexy, intoxicating, romantic, refined and elegant!

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