Try to picture an evening in any “fancy” drinking hole, in any Western city, at any time between 1985 and 1988 (or even later), without the smell of Poison wafting through the air… You can’t. In those years, Poison was EVERYWHERE.
And no wonder, because it so pervasive - and long-lived - that very little would have been enough to almost perfume an entire street.
It epitomises the 1980s: spicy, heady, warm to the point of being “hot”, the opposite of subtlety and discretion. Poison was - still is - a perfume that you either love or hate, both with equal passion.
But whether you like it or not, one thing is true about Poison: it is distinctive.
There is no chance of ever confusing it with some other fragrance; it is definitely one of the top five distinctive perfumes of all time.
Its launch, in 1985, came as a considerable a shock to most Dior scent lovers; and it was certainly a major departure from the Dior tradition. Lily-of-the-valley, Dior’s signature floral scent - while still present in the composition - was not the prevalent note anymore; in fact, it was barely perceptible - if at all.
The specific “peppery”-cloying-sweet overture, in case you were wondering (I was), is composed of coriander, pimento, plum, anise, mace, rosewood, and carnation. At the heart are rose, tuberose, ylang-ylang, carnation (again?), cinnamon, jasmine, lily of the valley. The base ...
