Smoking Hot Kilian 2023

Kilian’s Smoking Hot, crafted by Mathieu Nardin, is a quirky and intriguing take on a smoking apple accord. It's often described as an "apple hookah" fragrance, blending a tarty, almost cidery apple sweetness with a dry, slightly smoky warmth. Licorice and (a very wearable) tobacco give it further personality. The result is a unique balanced sweetness, which is not cloying, making it neutral in terms of gender wearability.

Performance is good as you would expect given Smoking Hot's main notes. It lasts around 8-10 hours on skin while maintaining solid projection within arm’s length throughout. On clothes, it lingers for a full 24 hours, ensuring its presence well into the next day.

I first discovered Smoking Hot through Lattafa Mashrabya, a well-executed clone that, while enjoyable, suffers from the usual issues of synthetics and a more indistinguishable note structure. However, after experiencing the original, I found it compelling enough to purchase a full bottle, something no other Kilian fragrance had convinced me to do before...

If you're looking for a bold, smoky apple scent with an addictive, almost dry sweetness, Smoking Hot is a fantastic option for colder months. It is a solid 8, if you need a numerical score. Given the price, sample first or try Mashrabya.

…so, I got this and Mashrabya to compare…

It’s a little bit both ways.

Kilian is by far superior in QUALITY. From the first minute to the very end (over 12 hours), the quality of ingredients is absolutely apparent. The smoky intro into the mid, then into the dry down. All of it. Superior in quality.

Mashrabya doesn’t even come close in the opening, and where they are similar (very similar) is in the mid. The difference is not only in the quality, but the depth. The darkness. Smoking Hot gives a very visual picture. A dark whiskey/scotch color comes to mind when sniffing it. A spiciness that you can feel. The actual spices. While Mashrabya gives the “same feel” it’s much more sweet, and it’s louder. I would compare it to a cherry sweetness in Mashrabya, while Smoking Hot is a collaboration. A resinous mixture of booze and spice. Mashrabya feels more feminine to me. A louder, more feminine, cherry stick is how I would describe it. Anyone who has smelled Smoking Hot WILL know that you are wearing a dupe. It is VERY close, but the quality difference IS HUGE.

As you progress further, smoking hot continues to evolve more smokiness, and projects well to the very end.

I would say it projects a good 3-5ft radius on 5 sprays, and leaves a nice lingering sillage trail. Again it lasts an easy 12+ hours.

Now while the mid of Smoking Hot is similar to the majority of Mashrabya, when it drys down to skin they get a tad closer, but the ingredients still tell the tale. A much darker, spicier, smoky resin is the vibe from Smoking Hot, while a brighter, rounder syrup is what I get from Mashrabya.

It’s about what you want from your fragrance. No more, no less. It’s like buying the real handbag or a fake. It’s there. The enthusiast WILL immediately know. The average Joe won’t.

It was a fun comparison, but Kilian won in a blowout.

I do not own this fragrance, I have tested it in store. So now that we have gotten that out of the way, lemme tell you that this IS SO SEXY. I don't know how they managed to perfect a hookah fantasy note, but they did, and they made a blend so sexy, that I am crying right now, because I know I cannot afford a bottle. But let's start with the opening, it's very sweet, sharp, headache-inducing, hookah tobacco. But fear not, after 30 minutes I started picking on the hookah smoke. I still have it on my hand, I love how this one smells. After 30 minutes, it turns into a very sweet, syrupy, hookah smoke. I showed this to a girl, she said it's too sweet. So, if you are not a fan of sweet scents, sample this one before you buy a bottle. But either way, I love this. It's very unique. Though, be prepared to smell like a hookah when you wear this!

This review (and the accompanying statement), initially written in September 2023 at the point of release, was revised in February 2026 as I continue to rerate everything I've ever sampled/smelled.

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I don't usually blind-buy fragrances, mainly because I dislike landing in situations like the one I believed I was in with Smoking Hot. After my first wear back in September 2023, I would've said that I like the scent but I don't love it. If you take your current wish list and look exactly in the middle - those are scents that you like (and may eventually buy), but don't need. At the time of purchase, that's where Smoking Hot would've been on my list.

Even in 2026, I vehemently (!) disagree with the idea that smoky is the top accord of this fragrance. The wearing experience does have some layers to it: upon first applying the scent, you get a sweet-fruity open followed by warm spicy tonalities. The fruitiness obviously stems from apple, yet the structure isn't something that I'd compare to Kilian's other apple scents, those being Apple Brandy New York and Apple Brandy on the Rocks. Once we exit the top, that's when the sweetness begins to reduce and the scent primarily becomes a one-two of tobacco and cinnamon. The apple doesn't play as prominent of a role in the dry-down as one would expect, but I nonetheless believe that the core profile of Smoking Hot as an apple-tobacco fragrance is essentially an alternative to the various cherry-tobacco scents in the market, incl. Roja's Manhattan Eau de Parfum and Creed's Centaurus.

I continue to believe that the product as a whole is blended well. It does offer some unique edges, given it's not just a vanilla-tobacco in the realm of Herod and it's also not similar to the cherry-tobacco comps previously mentioned. The wearing experience certainly feels niche and doesn't portray any significant weaknesses outside of the performance: having originally rated both longevity and sillage 7/10, the revised review has downgraded both with expected longevity in the 6-7 hour range (a median 5/10) and sillage being below average, even in minus 10 degree winter weather. Given the projection, I'd recommend this more-so for spring and fall in the 5-10 degree range. As Kilian (and Estee) continue to hike prices, the value ratings get more and more compressed: at €260/50ml, I'd say value is a 4/10.

To conclude, I believe Smoking Hot fits Kilian's catalogue, esp. when you compare it to other products in both The Cellars as well as The Smokes. However, I simultaneously didn't find it that innovative when it came out, largely because many felt it took significant inspiration from Dior's Tobacolor with various other brands releasing competing products thereafter, incl. Initio, Dries Van Noten, and Boadicea. I'd argue Kilian post-Estee hasn't put out much that I was truly impressed by and as I revise this review in 2026, that opinion continues to remain true with several good-to-great launches falling short of the highs Kilian once achieved with scents like Single Malt London, Back to Black, Aphrodisiac Perfume, Gold Knight and others. I continue to believe that fall-winter fragrances are the only thing that Kilian is objectively great at, but just like with MFK, I wonder how much of my sentiment is just nostalgia and the brand living off their household names.

In a bit of a deviation from my other reviews, this piece is based on a first impression.
A lot of the time in the fragrance space, expectations ≠ reality.

What you think you might get can end up being far from what it actually is.
Same with food, same with cars, same with… well, everything really.

And that is to say: this is NOT blind-buy safe.
You’ll try it and either think it’s OK—like I did—or you’ll love it.

But firstly, um... what the f**?

Why does this smell like smoky apple vanilla for only 3–5 minutes, before turning into a mix of dusty dark chocolate, licorice, and marshmallows—and then finally settling into a hyper-concentrated vanilla scent after one hour?

Why, Kilian? What are you trying to achieve with Smoking Hot?
Did you want it to have multiple layers like an onion, or did you want it to fully embody the name?

The thing is, I like vanilla-centric scents.
After that first hour, it kind of reminds me of a stronger version of Mercedes-Benz Club Black.
Which leads me to the question: would I spend $400 AUD to smell like a somewhat smoky vanilla, or spend $60 AUD on Club Black?

The answer’s easy. I’m going with the cheaper scent.
I’m going with the fragrance that gives me more bang for my buck—and in a way, understands its target audience.

This is not a bad scent. It’s just very expensive, and for that reason, I can’t recommend it.

I’ve come to accept that Kilian might just not be for me.

I’ve tried Black Phantom, Angels’ Share (which I currently own), Smoking Hot, and others.
And they all leave me disappointed in some way.

They’re all just OK. Good—no, amazing—longevity with some of them.
But I just can’t get behind the smell of most Kilian fragrances.
There’s something about them that doesn’t gel with me.

Can I suggest a name change?
Birthday Candle (lol). You don’t have to pay me, Kilian—it’s yours.