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Soulmate Collection

Ruy Lopez Mind Games 2023

7.6 / 10 146 Ratings

A popular perfume by Mind Games for women and men, released in 2023. The scent is spicy-fruity. It is being marketed by The Fragrance Group.
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Main accords

Spicy

Fruity

Sweet

Green

Leathery

Fragrance Notes

Black cherry

Black plum

Black tea

Davana

Bay leaf

Black pepper Rose

Rose

Oak wood

Patchouli

Leather

Perfumer

Christelle Laprade

Videos

Watch video

Ratings

Scent

7.6146 Ratings

Longevity

7.8113 Ratings

Sillage

7.5116 Ratings

Bottle

8.7119 Ratings

Value for money

6.191 Ratings

Submitted by Spl3xx · last update on 02/15/2026.

Source-backed & verified

Interesting Facts

The fragrance is part of the Soulmate Collection collection.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Thé Noir 29 Eau de Parfum

Reviews

5 in-depth fragrance descriptions

02/15/2026

7.5Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

Erstric
150 Reviews

Erstric

Warm, polished, and slightly restrained

Ruy Lopez doesn’t shout. It opens warm and composed — smooth woods, a touch of sweetness, and a refined base that feels controlled rather than bold. The blend is seamless, and nothing feels out of place.

What stands out most is how balanced it remains. It doesn’t spike into sharp spice or collapse into syrupy sweetness. It just holds steady.

The issue is intensity of character. The warmth is pleasant but not textured. The sweetness is present but not layered. It wears nicely — it just doesn’t leave a strong signature.

Comfortable. Competent. Not compelling.

11/16/2025

6Scent 2Longevity 6Sillage

valhelsingv
430 Reviews

valhelsingv

Overpriced cherry that doesn't even last

I kinda do like this scent (the only Mind Games scent I like). I am a sucker for leathery woody cherry and plum scents, and this fragrance checks these boxes for me. However... 400 bucks?! This fragrance is pleasant, but it is not THAT good. In fact, it would've been much better without the rose. Also, it barely lasted an hour on my skin... Soooo not worth it.

01/15/2025

9.5Scent 9Longevity 7Sillage

Paxel
1 Review

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Paxel

3

Something different...

I was very surprised by the sample.
I will definitely order the bottle.
I smell a lot of plum and black tea, both very alcoholized, probably due to the rum listed in the notes on Fragrantica.
Very, very light, barely recognizable green notes.
Dark rose comes and goes repeatedly, as does the cherry, which makes it absolutely unique.
Unisex, but due to the cherry and the rose, which is often not present, it leans more masculine.
No Lost Cherry or anything that even comes close (from what I have smelled).
Solid woody base that ensures good longevity.
It naturally becomes darker throughout the fragrance development.
The plum remains ever-present.
I will complete my review upon the arrival of the bottle, but from what I've seen in reviews and on YouTube, I am confident that the quality will be excellent.
In any case, the bottles look very unique and well-crafted visually.
I find it suitable for almost any season due to the fruity notes.
Perfect for an evening, but I find it rather casual.
All in all, the DNA is very well crafted, unique, and nothing stands out that would be bothersome.

P/L - 7/10 270 euros for 100ml, best to test beforehand, but actually a safe blind buy
H/S - 8/10 lasts long, you just have to want to perceive it consciously, sometimes it lingers very inconspicuously in the air
Scent - 9.5/10 in my opinion, the DNA has almost no flaws, unisex but more masculine, perhaps not as universally wearable as one might wish, very unique

Updated on 01/15/2025

02/05/2025

9Scent 6Longevity 6Sillage

DrSchnurri
2 Reviews

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DrSchnurri

1

Props go out to the composition

I can't help but have the following associations: Powidl (i.e. plum puree), Feuerzangenbowle, and the spice pouch that belongs in every basic sauce.

As crazy as the mixture of the listed fragrance notes is, I can really perceive almost all of them - unfortunately, I am not familiar with Davana. I also perceive a pronounced alcoholic note - it could indeed be rum. In the background, it is also slightly smoky.
Depending on the day, bay leaf and leather can also be very present.

In the dry down, it becomes much rounder, with woods and tea taking over.
For me, as a Xerjoff fanboy from H/S, it is rather below my expectations.

However, I see the Ruy Lopez only as an "experience fragrance," not as a "daily fragrance."

In summary, it is still highly astonishing and admirable to me how a very round and excellently balanced composition was created from what I consider a wild combination of individual fragrance notes. Applause, applause.

Updated on 02/05/2025

12/07/2025

7.5Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

Cimi
396 Reviews

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Cimi

2

The Spanish Opening, Cherry, Rum, Rose, and "Masculine" Spice

Mind Games has quickly conquered the market; however, until now, I haven't been entirely convinced by the brand apart from a few fragrances. Often relatively flat scents that shine not with content but with beautiful bottles. Well, they look great overall, but yes, it’s well-known that it’s about inner values, right? When you read the fragrance notes, you’re not quite sure what to expect. If you know a bit about Mind Games, you know that many notes don’t necessarily mean a lot of complexity, as the scents are more geared towards mainstream.

Is the Ruy Lopez any different? Before I reveal too much, let's get into it:

- The opening is the highlight of the fragrance, a true top note blender. Here, a beautiful dark, almost wine-like fruitiness comes up with the cherry, which is simultaneously balanced by this refreshingly spicy, slightly smoky depth of the tea and pepper; the plum also joins in nicely and is marginally perceptible in the background.

- After that, a subtle rose emerges in the background, paired with an alcoholic rum, boozy, darkly seductive; there’s still something slightly fruity in the background. As the fragrance develops, it becomes earthy-leathery; dry and masculine, fitting for the dark rum. The leather slowly seeps up; the patchouli becomes a bit more present, and in the dry down, the once unisex opening scent shifts towards masculine accents.

The performance, contrary to the actually intense fragrance notes, is rather modest in the mid-range; one would definitely expect much more. Longevity and sillage are in the middle range.

My conclusion: A fragrance with a beautiful opening and a dark, masculine dry down that is actually very multifaceted and versatile, but the fine-tuning is also something typical of Mind Games; yes, the fragrance has facets, but the transitions are a bit too "harsh" for me, from initial sweetness to this dark, boozy earthiness... it just happens. Nevertheless, a beautiful scent, and definitely worth a try.

Statements

44 short views on the fragrance

Gourmandgrl

8 months ago

3

Balsamic leather, subtle black tea, darker rose. Almost no cherry/fruit. Leather becomes creamier and clean in dry down. Understated, calm.

GatorMC

2 years ago

7Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

3

Black tea and fortified wine in oak casks. Drying down into an oaked dark plum and cherry.

ScentToolbox

29 days ago

9Scent 9Longevity 9Sillage

2

A very nuanced blend that can be quite the chameleon on skin. I mainly get aged oak casks and dry tea leaves. Unique and elegant. Masculine

NicheOnly

1 year ago

4Scent 4Longevity 3Sillage

1

Opens with a lot of rose, but the core scent is more musky-fresh with floral-fruity tones to boot. Smells a lot like Gritti "Puro", leans F.

SayreBea

2 years ago

10Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

1

In the top 3 of the house, IMO. Expensive booze with a touch of fruity vibes... Absolutely lovely!!

Supah

2 days ago

Big fan of mind games, so it pains me to say I absolutely hate this cologne. The smell reminds me of the dentist for some reason.

Myfumi

5 months ago

8Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

11

17

Plum liqueur with maraschino cherry, slightly herbal, then tea, less fruity, more woody with gentle patchouli and subtle leather.*

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Paloma58

7 months ago

8Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

8

13

A master of transformation. First, the fruity sweetness of plum, a light honey note from a ripe, black sweet cherry. Then smoky, peppery seriousness and*

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