Changing Constance Penhaligon's 2018

Bottle Design:
Marc Ange, Illustration: Kristjana S Williams

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8.2 / 10 501 Ratings

A popular perfume by Penhaligon's for women, released in 2018. The scent is sweet-spicy. It is being marketed by Puig.
Pronunciation

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Main accords

Sweet

Spicy

Gourmand

Creamy

Oriental

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Cardamom

Pimento

Heart Notes

Salted caramel

Base Notes

Vanilla

Cashmeran

Tobacco

Perfumer

Juliette Karagueuzoglou

Ratings

Scent

8.2501 Ratings

Longevity

6.4414 Ratings

Sillage

6.2402 Ratings

Bottle

8.8413 Ratings

Value for money

5.9279 Ratings

Submitted by Cincy, last update on 08/04/2025.

Interesting Facts

The fragrance is part of the Portraits collection.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Minuit et Demi

Raised Spirits

Vanilla Vibration

Armani Privé - Magenta Tanzanite

Candy Eau de Parfum

Loubirouge

Reviews

19 in-depth fragrance descriptions

02/25/2023

7
Sillage 6
Longevity 7
Scent

Kurai
388 Reviews

Kurai

Helpful Review 4

Playful cardamom

In the basis, this is a boring cashmeran-floral with vanilla-maltol sweetness. The course of the fragrance is quite a ride, though. Penhaligon's really played around with that basic formula and created something interesting and fun.

I think it is the cardamom that makes the difference. It opens the fragrance with a big bright flash before dipping underneath that maltol sweetness, only to lift it back up on its shoulders. Meanwhile the florals and the cashmeran have fully bloomed and the scent has changed from bright-spicy to super-sweet to comfortably floral-musky within a few minutes.

This is way too sweet for me, but it was a fun ride for this one time. I am starting to like Penhaligon's a lot. I always thought they were a dull traditional house, being British and all, but it turns out they have a great sense of humor.

10/11/2023

ScentStudio
156 Reviews

ScentStudio

Helpful Review 2

Disappointing...

I am in dire need of a pick me up! We started off so well with the Portraits Set, but I had to go through three florals to get here, to a beloved Amber Vanilla!
Caramel, warm spicy, vanilla, tobacco, salty... What's not to like!

On paper, Changing Constance is giving me Lush fragrance vibes. Simple, not the best quality (sorry, that's the experience I had) and quite frankly, cheap. Constance, why are you doing this to me! We were supposed to finish off big!

Well, there's nothing else to do than try it on skin.
From the whole set, I was looking forward to Changing Constance the most, but I am still reminiscing about Yasmine, which was a far more elegant take on cardamom. Constance is weirdly composed, monotonous, linear, boring. Just a sweet blob on the skin. I am so confused and struggling to describe it.
Where's the caramel? The saltiness? The warm spicy notes? To me, this is as monotone as was Grand Soir, Absolute Aphrodisiac and Angel's Share (if I remember correctly on the latter).
And I stand by my Lush remark.

I'll give it a minute and reapply.
Nothing's changed. What a snooze.
This could be a great layering fragrance though - it is warm and sweet, perfect base for other fragrances that need some depth or sweetness, but alone? It just doesn't do it for me. I need more nuance in a fragrance, especially the ambery and gourmand kind.

Oh well! The boys are up for testing now, which one should I start with?

06/10/2025

4
Pricing 10
Bottle 4
Sillage 4
Longevity 10
Scent

videogamine
2 Reviews

videogamine

2

Stunning and sweet - but not for long

SEXY caramel, gourmand without too much sweetness. The cardamom and caramel are most of what I get, but I am sensing a hint of the tobacco underneath, adding a little dryness and preventing it from going too buttery and saccharine. Doesn't morph much on the dry down but the throw is definitely low, as seems to be the consensus. Even so, it's so beautiful I'm tempted to pick up a full bottle. Smells like a beautiful woman standing eating a piece of butterscotch - what's not to love?

04/16/2024

Yenn
34 Reviews

Yenn

2

Probably the most beautiful gourmand.

Probably the most beautiful gourmand.

Usually, salt+caramel perfumes are heavy, too much sweet, plain and cosy but boring... But not this one. It is sweet and creamy but in a light fashion. The pimento gives a very special touch that makes this perfume stands out. It also has facets of a musky floral, I can totally imagine a vale full of white flowers in bloom. And a lot of sun. It is a feel good perfume but elegant at the same time. It is simple but has some complexity at the same time. As I said, it can be elegant but is also fun. In my skin is lineal though and the bad duration is true

01/12/2025

10
Bottle 8
Scent

Telekinec
450 Reviews

Telekinec

2

Sophisticated, subtle and savory / sweet gourmand

Wore it twice just to be sure it wasn't my nose the problem. The scent is very subtle and I have the feeling either I have some anosmia or my skin chemistry gobbles this fragrance up. That, or Penhaligon's fragrances have low performance (which I'm inclined to believe since it's the second one I've tried).

I get a subtle warm spiciness from the cardamom and a savory facet that probably comes from the pimento. It's very sphisticated, subtle, but also gourmand. It has a modern twist to it that I really appreciated. The salted caramel is very subtle: it adds some creamy sweetness and a hint of salt that pairs very well with the top notes. The drydown is a bit more mundane: I get some vanilla sweetness and some warm woodiness from the tobacco.

It's a lovely fragrance for those who want to start easing themselves in the gourmand world, but it might not do the trick for those who are used to heavier gourmands. Subtle with sub-par performance, compared to what I'm used to, this is the main reason why it won't be making it into my collection. For those who want skin-scents or those who are starting out in the gourmand world, this could be a nice choice... If you can stomach the price.

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