Yves Saint Laurent Opium EDT 90ml – Classic Amber Oriental Perfume for Women

Opium is one of the handful of perfumes that changed what perfume was allowed to smell like. Yves Saint Laurent launched it in 1977 and it has never really left — the red lacquered bottle, the spice, the resin, the sense that someone in the room has made a decision. This is the eau de toilette: the same character, lighter on the skin, and far easier to wear in Egyptian heat than the original extrait ever was.

Why you will love this oriental eau de toilette

The eau de toilette keeps Opium’s amber and myrrh spine but lifts it with tangerine and lily of the valley, so it opens bright instead of dense. That makes it wearable in daytime and in summer, which is exactly where the heavier versions fail, while the patchouli and vanilla base still give you the classic Opium dry-down after an hour.

• A genuine classic — nearly fifty years on shelves and still recognisable in one sniff
• Lighter than the eau de parfum, so it works in Cairo heat and in daylight
• Myrrh and carnation give it the spicy, resinous character nothing else has
• Amber, patchouli and vanilla base with excellent staying power
• Large 90 ml bottle at a price well below most modern designer launches
• The red lacquer bottle is an icon in its own right on any dressing table
• 100% original Yves Saint Laurent, delivered across Cairo, Giza and all Egypt with cash on delivery

The scent

Tangerine and bergamot open it, sharp and citrusy, with lily of the valley giving a clean floral lift. Then the famous heart takes hold — myrrh, carnation and jasmine, resinous and spicy and a little bit church-like, the part of Opium that people either fall in love with or never forget. The base is amber, patchouli and vanilla: warm, balsamic and unmistakably from another era, in the best possible way.

Who it is for

For women who want a fragrance with history rather than the latest launch. For anyone who loves warm spicy orientals but finds most of them too heavy for Egypt. And for evening wear, weddings and winter, when the amber and myrrh come fully alive.

How to use it

Spray two to three times on the neck, wrists and the inside of the elbows. Because it is an eau de toilette, a light refresh in the afternoon works well on long days. Apply to moisturised skin, do not rub it in, and keep the bottle away from heat and sunlight to protect the resins.

Key details

• Brand: Yves Saint Laurent, Paris
• Concentration: Eau de toilette, natural spray
• Family: Amber oriental, warm spicy, floral
• Top notes: tangerine, bergamot, lily of the valley
• Heart notes: myrrh, carnation, jasmine
• Base notes: amber, patchouli, vanilla
• Gender: for women
• Authenticity: original, sourced sealed

Size

90 ml (3 fl oz) eau de toilette natural spray in the red lacquered Opium bottle.