Gold

I'm always intrigued by how we associate colors with fragrances. Like, bubble gum smells pink. It doesn't smell like anything else but pink.

Along those lines, I'm particularly fascinated by the way gold is associated with fragrance — whether it's gold, the metal, golden sunlight, golden summer skin. I've tried a few that claim to represent gold but I've only found one that's really done it for me so far. Gold+

I really enjoy but would love to find more. So I'd like to hear your thoughts and suggestions on the topic.

Maybe bubblegum is pink because of the color of classic Hubba Bubba type gum- seems simple enough. I wonder what about Gold makes it smell like gold. Maybe the color of saffron? The warmth?

I think gold is warmth, opulence, maybe some exoticism. Amber is a very golden ingredient - it has this rich golden color after all - and the accords used to represent it smell warm. And cinnamon and saffron - also so warm. Maybe Méharées or Ambre sultan Eau de Parfum. But I don't think I'm really on the mark yet.

I always describe Ambre Suprême as “golden.” Though not in the metallic sense. More in the vein of golden light, lucent—like sunlight on the sea. I think it’s the combination of ambergris, aldehydes, and indolic florals (jasmine and neroli).

Spell 125 has ambergris and ylang-ylang which I sense also as adding a component of “golden light” to the composition.

Lovely question. I’m curious to see how others respond.

Perhaps I’m a victim of great marketing, but to me, Sunshine by Amouage truly captures the essence of how the color gold might feel. It’s warm, cozy, and opulent — a radiant expression of happiness in fragrance form. It's like warm apricots kissed by the sun, golden sands shimmering in the heat, a whisper of tobacco, and a drizzle of rich, golden vanilla syrup.
Sunshine Woman

Oh, yes! I was so surprised to hear on that other perfume-site-that-shall-not-be-named from people who thought this was a "mainstream" fragrance and "not good enough for Amouage." I love everything about #Sunshine, from the scent, to the bottle design, to the way it makes me feel, like I am walking in a desert made of big, round hot stones that burn the soles of my feet while I`m skipping around and chewing 4-5 tablets of bubblegum, every once in a while blowing big, pink, popping bubbles.

Personally, the most beautiful perfume gold has to be Le Pavillon d'Or It`s calming, herbal, relaxing and I believe the perfumer created it as an homage to Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion) Temple in Kyoto.

@Raluko111 Beautiful description. Yep, it's such an underrated scent. There’s so much depth and complexity woven into it. I adore Amouage fragrances, but I’ll admit that some in my collection are challenging to wear in social settings. Sunshine, on the other hand, strikes a perfect balance. It may not be the most avant-garde or shocking creation. But it’s flawless in its own right — smooth and without any harsh edges. It’s beautifully wearable yet still retains that unique, special Amouage touch...

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Let’s be honest, they couldn’t name something 'Sunshine,' package it in that stunning apricot-colored bottle, and then pair it with notes like gunpowder, metal, or smoke. There’s a time and place for everything. They already have Gold Man , which is undeniably artistic and far from mainstream. But let’s face it — it smells like an old-school floral with a touch of, well, granny’s diaper. There are some unmistakably pissy notes. Not exactly what you’d associate with the idea of gold... Unless you’re thinking of golden showers… lol 😣

I associate the "fake" amber accord with gold, or rather, with things made of gold rather than ingots.

Grand Soir for example smells like a sumptuous palace decorated with gold and fine embroidered textiles.
Or what I imagine it might smell at the very least 🙃

Thank you all for your replies! This conversation has turned out to be more interesting than I anticipated.

I will say that I view amber and gold as two different colors and also two different emotions. Likely because I have a background in creative work and probably hyper-segment colors as compared to the average person.

I've ordered samples of Sunshine Woman (I'm a big Amouage fan) and Grand Soir (I'm not usually a FK fan) and am very curious to see what my nose tells me when they arrive!

Now that summer is here in the northern hemisphere I wanted to revisit this and thank @Johnjssmith for the Grand Soir recommendation. It smells gold to me and I love the way it performs in hot, humid weather.

@DRKSHDW I enjoyed Sunshine Woman quite a bit but ultimately decided it wasn't quite right for me. One of the comments I read about it on that other awful website in reviews is that many people thought it smelled like cigarette smoke, which I didn't get at all. I mean, if cigarettes smelled that that perfume I wouldn't mind people smoking around me. LOL

LOL😄

I honestly think some reviewers on that god-awful website (Fr&g*..%ca) write reviews for perfumes they've never even smelled. They see a tobacco note and immediately scream “cigarettes!”

And honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of those reviews were written by bots. So… yeah.