Cruel Intentions Tempt Me Kilian 2007 Perfume

Well, what 'cruel intentions' might Madame Lancesseur have had in mind when she created this fragrance? Were they wicked intentions of an 'ice-cold angel', or mean plans of 'dangerous liaisons'..... Or did her 'cruel intentions' simply amount to an attempt to place a copy?
For this fragrance is indeed a copy - which is not necessarily a bad thing, as it is well-known practice in the perfume industry. Scents like Vent Vert or Cool Water have been copied hundreds of times, mostly with mediocre results.

Whatever 'cruel intentions' may have underpinned this fragrance, whatever inspired it, or whatever it is supposed to evoke in me as a potential user - all of this eludes me. The only thing that strikes me is a close kinship with a fragrance that has given a significant boost to the genre of oud-dominated perfumes, yes, one that is in a way responsible for the fact that perfumes with this ingredient have been popping up like mushrooms in recent years, even though it itself was far from a success, or at least not the one hoped for. I mean Yves Saint Laurent's M7.
Meanwhile, Cruel Intentions is not an exact copy of M7: the opening is a bit fresher, the middle part is not quite as sweet and heavy smelling of blackberries and rubber, and the base gets a slightly smokier imprint with styrax, but otherwise the structure of both is identical: bergamot - oud - vetiver - musk

Another fragrance that may have served as a blueprint for Cruel Intentions is Habit Rouge EdP. Here, the classic Habit Rouge aroma has been enriched with a strong shot of oud, resulting in a scent that retains its typical powdery freshness and dustiness, but is now dominated by almost thunderous agarwood - a contrast that has its charms, but for die-hard Habit Rouge fans can be quite a challenge. I still like this version of Habit Rouge, and I have hardly experienced a fragrance that offers a more elegant environment for the hard-to-tame, medicinal tone of agarwood.
Cruel Intentions borrows the top notes from Habit Rouge EdP, shifts in the middle towards M7, takes along some chalky notes, is then for a long time absolutely identical to M7, and only at the very end does the fragrance develop something like its own statement: a soft, almost shy accord of barely perceptible castoreum in interplay with storax resins and vanilla. A small epilogue, a timid flicker of individuality, nothing more.

Many try their hand at this complex material called: oud, agarwood, or eaglewood (actually a type of incense wood), foremost niche companies like Montale and Micallef, but also some others. Sometimes they try to weave it into a more floral fabric, sometimes into a fruity one, then again into a leathery one - but in every mixture so far, it cuts through the composition like a fanfare and loudly claims the prima donna role. But, as prima donnas are: sometimes you want to throw yourself at their feet, then again they are so penetrating and tormenting that you just want to run away... This makes oud-dominant fragrances so exhausting for me: they are in a way always loud and exalted - prima donnas indeed.

But no, one does not have to flee from Cruel Intentions: the fragrance is truly not bad. It is well-made, has substance and excellent longevity, and, which is not unimportant: it smells good!
However, from a perfume in this price category, a perfume that wants to count among the noblest of the noble, for which I am asked to pay 175 euros for a 50ml bottle (the 150 euros for the 100ml refill bottle is still steep...) I expect a truly high level of originality and quality. The latter may be given: the ingredients and perfume oils are probably not the cheapest - I cannot judge that, but one can assume so. However, such a price does not justify them for a long time.
The originality remains, and in my opinion, it is not present: the fragrance is an uninspired clone that has been draped in an exclusive cloak - that is not enough for me.
I must admit, however, that I have experienced the same with all Kilian fragrances I have tested so far - they are well-made, but that’s it. There is no courage to venture into new shores or to tread new paths; instead, already successfully trodden, or even long-trodden paths are once again taken, with a little twist here or there, but - as I said - always careful not to stray too far from the familiar. Kilian apparently trusts the customer, to whom this luxury product is to be served, very little, at least not the courage to wear an extraordinary fragrance.
Frederic Malle, for example, assumes much more courage and freedom in taste from his customers, as his creations mostly possess a high degree of individuality and character. If you like them, you have to wear them with a certain pride because of their uniqueness, as they stand out and provoke reactions, of whatever kind.
Kilian's fragrances (credo: perfect combination of elegance and uncompromising luxury) do not even go that far. They rely on the familiar and proven, and their wearer will never run the risk of exposing themselves excessively with them.
As harmless as they are, they require neither courage nor pride - just a well-filled wallet.

PS: Many thanks to Eternity and Apicius for the sample!