Zadig Zadig & Voltaire 2025

A perfume that I waited a long time to smell because of my love for the brand and that left me a little disappointed.
It's not bad, on the contrary, it's very pleasing. I think it was a more commercial move than a heartfelt one, but the magic created with This is Her has not been repeated here in my opinion. Maybe it will even sell well if the customers don't let themselves be discouraged by the objectively unmanageable and ugly bottle.
If Burberry Goddess and Libre Ysl had a child maybe it would resemble Zadig: sweet sweet, vanilla and orange blossom shot in the face, very important persistence and trail. In fact, I don't find the concept of the fragrance very in line with the result but in the end all the marketing boxes have been ticked

This perfume gets a lot of hate and, honestly, I think the bottle design has a lot to do with it — first impressions matter, after all... So, does a kitschy bottle mean a bad perfume? Well, not at all.

In fact, I find it quite likeable. It’s a lovely creamy vanilla, with just the right touch of ginger.

Sure, it’s nothing groundbreaking — but it’s genuinely pleasant in its simplicity. I find this Zadig rather charming.

I have smelled many scents like this before, even though I can't put my finger on which ones exactly. It's just that the general scent profile is super common.

The notes of sesame, black sesame and roasted vanilla promised something nutty, savory and smokey, but in reality there's only a very soft hint of sesame in the opening and nothing roasted at all. If you want a roasted, toasty vibe, you're better off with the chestnut note in This is Her!
Vanilla and orange blossom are much more noticeable - two of the most popular notes ever, no wonder this feels familiar. I would describe this vanilla as creamy, bright and sweet, the orange blossom as clean and a bit fruity. It's leaning a bit into fabric softener territory without fully going there.

The overall scent is okay, fine even, and it's also okay that not every perfume reinvents the wheel. Uncomplicated, pleasant daytime scents definitely have their time and place. But this is a bit too boring. I doubt I will remember what this smelled like in a year or two.

Despite the claims about the rebellious temperament of this *daring* fragrance, I was captivated instead by its unexpected delicacy. A wonderfully warm sesame note greeted me first—soft, nutty, and wrapped in a smooth, comforting sweetness that felt both original and deeply pleasant. It created a gentle cocoon rather than any bold shock. Unfortunately, the sillage and projection were too subtle to fully explore all its nuances; the fragrance stayed close to the skin, offering only fleeting impressions when I wished it would linger and reveal more of its quiet charm.

Do you know that feeling when you receive a surprise and you are sure it will either be a real hit or a total disappointment? That’s exactly how I felt when I got to hold the unreleased sample of this fragrance in my hands 14 days ago. No hype, no reviews, no ratings, no points. So, I had no idea what to expect. I didn’t even know if it was a feminine or masculine scent.
I only had a sample in my hand and a picture of the supposed bottle, two angel wings that appeared widely spread. The fragrance notes printed very small on the back.

Of course, I had to test the fragrance immediately. So, I sprayed it on. And then … well … then it got interesting ….

At first, a hint of sesame, not sweet, not floral, but slightly nutty and warm. Unfortunately, only for a very short time. Then came a creamy sandalwood. Great - I was still sure - this is going to be something! Awesome marketing - Awesome scent - damn, I need it now!!! Where can I get it? And from when?

But wait … before I could even Google it - the disillusionment.
After a few minutes, the orange blossom appeared, warm, creamy, slightly floral - actually relatively unspectacular. One-dimensional, flat, nothing you haven’t already encountered. I would even say - tending towards boring!
The wonderful top note had completely disappeared. All that remained was a creamy warm hint of orange blossom, which didn’t resonate with me at all and didn’t fit the strong unique top note at all. And we are really only talking about a few minutes, not even a quarter of an hour.

And then - BAM! - the final disappointment.
What followed was that typical DNA of This Is Her!. Light sandalwood and really bland, boring, sweaty vanilla.
I wouldn’t have perceived the vanilla as roasted, but I would have said it’s a salted vanilla. But not a nice vanilla, rather a totally uninteresting vanilla, very bland and unremarkable.
One-dimensional, super weak (I know, I’ve said that three times already, but I can’t believe it myself)

Once again, a skin-close scent from the house. I would wear this at home on the sofa, cuddled up in a soft blanket.

Everything that remains after 30 minutes is a dull vanilla with a sweaty note. The vanilla strongly reminds me of Olympēa Eau de Parfum in the drydown.

Since I couldn’t believe that this scent fades so quickly and only leaves a hint of vanilla, I tested the fragrance for a whole 6 days in a row until the manufacturer’s sample was empty. I wanted to be sure because I really liked the top note.

What a shame, I wanted to like this fragrance. I found this experiment totally exciting, but no matter how good the notes sound, the scent didn’t resonate with me at all. This mixture of nutty sesame, orange blossom, and roasted vanilla doesn’t feel harmonious to me at all. It’s neither here nor there.

My conclusion? Sesame, open up and let me out of here. - And close the door!