Culprits Affection

Culprits Affection opens with a spicy-aromatic lift of saffron and cardamom, the ginger-like warmth that signals Kilian's Criminal of Love. The heart is the centrepiece: a deep, jammy Turkish rose framed by atlas cedar and dry papyrus, dark and a little mysterious. A base of tobacco, patchouli, incense and immortelle warms it down. Against the niche original the dupe reads sweeter and flatter, with the smoky tobacco-incense depth that gave Criminal of Love its brooding character softened, and the above-average longevity cut back. It wears as a sensual, dark spicy-rose built for cool weather, evenings and dressier occasions - unisex but leaning a touch masculine. Projection is modest and longevity skin-close after the opening hours, the usual budget trade against the strongly-performing original. As a smell-alike it captures the jammy saffron-rose signature that made Criminal of Love a cult pick while losing some of the smoke, depth and tenacity.