Ange ou Demon is one of the most popular perfumes from the French fashion brand Givenchy, which has had about twenty variants since its debut in 2006. But it’s no surprise, Givenchy adores their flankers. The concept underlying Ange ou Demon, as the name implies, is the merging of man’s light and dark parts, angelic and demonic. Did the creator, Olivier Cresp, succeed? In my opinion, he did not, but he did do something even more unique in the perfume world: he created a perfume that smells uniquely on everyone.
Let us see what Givenchy has to say about Ange or Demon:
The dualistic nature of Ange ou Demon (angels and devils) reveals new feelings, attracts with its mystery and changeability, deceives and seduces. The strong and charismatic oriental composition is innocently crystalline and sensual at the same time. The sweet freshness of the top notes of mandarin, cumin, and saffron precedes the lush notes of lilies in alliance with the casual orchid Maxillaria and exotic ylang-ylang. Base notes are dominated by two woodsy notes: creamy rosewood and thick absolute oak moss enriched with sensual tonka and vanilla.
It is interesting how the descriptions of perfumes always somehow contain the same words, only arranged differently, with sometimes comic, and sometimes completely grotesque overtones. In this regard, I think that in his review Luka Turin was right, but not so much for the fragrance itself as, I would say, for the process of presenting the perfume to the market.
In one of Boris Viana’s novels, there is a machine called a pianoctail, a large, concert piano in which a mechanism is set that mixes cocktails in accordance with the notes played and which is eventually delivered through a small door when finished. If the bottles instead of liqueurs were filled with the last thirty perfumes that appeared on the market, and let a two-year-old child play this piano for 5 minutes, the result would be Ange ou Demon.
I think this comparison perfectly depicts the way the perfume communicates, always the same 30 words: seductive, sensual, mysterious, strong, innocent, sensual, creamy mixed with also typed 30 notes in unexpected combinations that look like children’s tantrums.
The perfume formula Ange or Demon is described as oriental floral, however, I predominantly detect gourmand overtones. All of the flowery notes fade away on my skin, leaving only a dessert of creamy wheat and whipped cream. The aromatic narrative on the blotter is very different; you can sense the splendor of spicy notes and blossoms, the richness of this, which is more Ange than Demon. But, in my opinion, who in their right mind would hunt for demonic perfume compositions on the shelves of commercial perfumeries? (except maybe Gucci Guilty Absolute). On my way home from work the other day, I noticed a delightful perfume of Ange au Demon from the girl in front of me. Then, for the first time, I felt the perfume’s fragrant splendor, which reminded me of a carnival of colors, emotions, and experiences. My advice is to wear it at temps below 20 degrees in order for its sinfully wonderful nature to shine through.
[Fragrance notes] top notes: mandarin, incense, saffron, cumin; middle notes: orchid, white lily, ylang-ylang; base notes: tonka, vanilla, rosewood (rosewood), oakmoss. [Fragrance group] oriental floral.The creator of the perfume is Olivier Cresp.
