Kilian Liaisons Dangereuses Perfume Review

Kilian Eau de Parfum is a peach-coconut dream that starts off sweet and fruity with a creamy undertone that shifts to having a more musky, rosy floral feel, still more underneath the fruits (dominated by peach and coconut). The drydown is woodier and a little smoky, but the other notes from before were more dominant and noticeable.

It is described as having “jammy rose essence” and a “juicy plum accord” and is part of the brand’s “Narcotics” family, which is dedicated to highlighting floral notes. Here is a more complete set of notes as seen on retailers:

• top notes: peach, plum, black currant, coconut
• heart notes: rose, geranium, ambrette, cinnamon
• base notes: musk, sandalwood, oakmoss, woodsy notes, vetiver, vanilla

Scent Development

It had a sharp twist of slightly greener, woody black currant with a kiss of coconut creaminess that was then spiced with cinnamon and overtaken by plum. There were a few slices of peach that seemed to add sweetness but were less noticeable as actual peach in scent. The coconut really tamped down the “fruity” aroma of peach, plum, and black currant and made it feel more indulgent and richer with less overt sweetness.

After 15 minutes of settling on my skin, Liaisons Dangereuses turned smoother, creamier, and slightly musky with a medley of fruit with coconut cream and a veil of rose. The perfume softened further, more of a peach and coconut fruitiness over a creamy, vanillic base of musk and rose. It stayed in that space until about the fourth hour during the drydown where it was slightly smoky and woodsy with peach, coconut, and vanilla that were a little musky and floral.

Application

For testing, I used 1/3 of a 0.7ml sample vial dabbed to the underside and topside of my wrist area on my left arm. I used an unscented moisturizer prior to applying the scent as this is also my swatching arm (aka, incredibly parched at any given moment) as I found scent did not hold well here otherwise. 

I purchased my sample in January 2022; fragrances are known to be reformulated over their lifetime , so be mindful of when a review was made, e.g. a review from 2010 may not reflect what the same-named perfume smells like in 2022.

Longevity

It lasted for eight hours until it was a skin-scent and about 12 hours before it was quite difficult to detect on my skin. The sillage and projection were moderate and dropping closer to the body after two and a half hours of wear.

Personal Thoughts

I liked that the coconut was present but the fragrance never felt like a beachy/sandy/sunscreen lotion kind of fragrance, so it was just enjoyable to see coconut in a different light than I have previously. The musk was more an element of diffusion than heavy, which I also preferred. If I found myself wanting to wear more fruit-floral fragrances, this is one I would consider.

Available Sizes

• 50ml for $240
• 50ml refill for $195

Where to Buy

• Neiman Marcus
• Nordstrom
• Selfridges
• Sephora