Yves Saint Laurent Opium EDP

Yves Saint Laurent Opium is a rich, oriental spicy fragrance built around myrrh, carnation and amber, and Maids Scents carries the authentic Eau de Parfum with delivery across Nigeria and beyond.

What is Yves Saint Laurent Opium?

Yves Saint Laurent Opium launched in 1977, created by perfumers Jean Amic and Jean-Louis Sieuzac. It remains one of the most genuinely iconic fragrances in perfume history, defining an entire era of bold, spicy orientals alongside classics like Dior Poison and Giorgio Beverly Hills throughout the 1980s.

This is genuinely important history to know, because Yves Saint Laurent Opium was discontinued in 2009 and reintroduced in a significantly reformulated version, largely driven by evolving IFRA regulations on fragrance ingredients. The reformulation was, and remains, genuinely controversial among long-time fans — some fragrance forums have entire threads dedicated to the loss of the original, with wearers hunting down vintage bottles on eBay, while others openly prefer the newer, smoother version, finding the original overwhelming or headache-inducing.

One important clarification — this original Opium should not be confused with Black Opium, a completely different, much more modern gourmand fragrance launched in 2014 by an entirely different perfumer team, built around coffee, vanilla and pink pepper rather than the spicy, amber-myrrh character described here.

Fragrance Profile

The current Eau de Parfum opens with bergamot, mandarin and lily-of-the-valley, a bright, luminous entrance that one detailed reviewer describes as a striking, almost candied citrus signalling a deeper, more opulent experience than the equivalent EDT.

As it develops, the heart brings in myrrh, carnation and jasmine, mystical and intoxicating, feeling both ancient and thoroughly modern at once. Compared to the vintage original, this reformulation of Yves Saint Laurent Opium puts greater emphasis on these balsamic resins and less on the sharp, clove-heavy bite that defined the 1977 version.

The base settles into amber, patchouli and vanilla, warm and heady, with one long-time collector describing it as still a genuinely heady waft of amber, patchouli and myrrh even after reformulation, just with a more toned-down sillage suited to modern tastes.

Top Notes: Bergamot, Mandarin, Lily-of-the-Valley
Heart Notes: Myrrh, Carnation, Jasmine
Base Notes: Amber, Patchouli, Vanilla

Who Should Wear Opium?

Yves Saint Laurent Opium suits women who want a genuinely complex, grown-up oriental spicy fragrance rather than something light or simple. It’s best suited to those who appreciate perfume history and are drawn to bold, resinous, amber-forward compositions, though it’s worth sampling first given how divisive the fragrance has historically been, even among Opium’s own long-time fans.

Performance and Longevity

Even in its reformulated state, Yves Saint Laurent Opium performs impressively. One detailed collector, who owns over 90 fragrances, reports that on clothing it genuinely lasts for days, and it was the one bottle in their entire collection that drew an immediate, unprompted positive reaction from their spouse.

Two to three sprays on pulse points is a sensible starting point given its strength, even in the toned-down modern formulation.

Best Time to Wear Opium in Nigeria

Given its warm, resinous, amber-forward character, Yves Saint Laurent Opium suits Nigeria’s harmattan season particularly well, where cooler, drier air lets the myrrh, patchouli and vanilla base fully develop.

It also works well for formal evening occasions year-round in air-conditioned settings, given its status as a genuine classic rather than an everyday casual scent.

Buying Opium From Maids Scents

Every Yves Saint Laurent bottle we stock, including Opium, comes from verified suppliers, so what you receive matches what you’d get through an authorised Yves Saint Laurent retailer.

We deliver across Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Kano, Enugu, Benin City and the rest of Nigeria, and we ship internationally for orders placed from outside the country.

You can read more about the fragrance on the official YSL Beauty website.

If you’re drawn to complex, grown-up prestige orientals, Rouge Hermès is worth comparing, or browse our full range of feminine perfumes in Nigeria.

Yves Saint Laurent Opium is in stock now at Maids Scents.