Millésime Impérial by Creed is a Woody Floral Musk fragrance for women and men released in 1995 as an Eau de Parfum. Millésime Impérial was created by Olivier Creed and Pierre Bourdon.
Millésime Impérial is quite a popular fragrance from Creed. It’s not the brand’s most popular release, but it has always enjoyed a fair amount of popularity ever since its release.
The keynotes of this Woody Floral Musk fragrance are Sea Notes, Fruity Notes, Lemon, and Musk.
A description by the brand:
This fresh, stylish and elegant fragrance is brimming with light, citrus notes of bergamot, fruity blackcurrant and refreshing violet leaves. Perfectly balanced with a fresh hearty blend of iris and marine accord and a woody base of cedarwood, sandalwood and musk, this refined, sophisticated and timeless perfume takes you from daytime to evening with ease.
| Perfume Name | Millésime Impérial |
| Brand | Creed |
| Year Released | 1995 |
| Concentration | Eau de Parfum |
| Scent Family | Woody Floral Musk |
| Gender | unisex |
I recently bought a small decant of Millésime Impérial. This is my experience of wearing it over the summer.
What does Millésime Impérial by Creed smell like?
Millésime Impérial smells citrussy, aromatic, fruity, and musky with a dash of sea notes.
This fragrance undoubtedly makes me think of the ocean. It feels like if I would sniff it deeply enough, I could almost taste the salt in my mouth. To me, this conjures up images of fruit trees close to the Mediterranean ocean. Or like I’m sitting on the beach on a warm spring morning eating oranges and melon.
| Top Notes | Sea Salt and Fruity Notes |
| Middle Notes | Sicilian Lemon, Bergamot, iris and Mandarin Orange |
| Base Notes | Sea Notes, Musk and Woody Notes |
My Experience
The opening of Millésime Impérial is a full blast of intense citrus with a bit of the musk already peeking through. I feel the musk balances out the strong opening beautifully, and it’s not very heavy but just present enough to provide some balance. I can also pick up some of the fruity notes, especially a type of melon note.
After a few minutes, the salty marine notes start to come through, and the citrus notes move more into the background. However, the fruity notes are still the star of the show overall.
As the scent continues to dry down, I would describe it as a fruity marine scent. My nose can also pick up a hint of iris, but it’s so subtle I really need to almost focus on it. Overall this is a lovely fresh, and sheer scent, and I’d rate it as an above-average marine scent.
Sillage & Projection
The sillage of this scent is rather intimate, so don’t expect a lingering trail of scent. Similarly, the projection is also not very strong. This is not something that fills a room.
Longevity & Versatility
The fragrance definitely fairs well in terms of versatility, as it’s something you can wear to any occasion, including going to the office. The scent profile is more geared toward the spring or summer. I tried it out on my summer holiday, and it felt like it was made for this. It fit perfectly whether I was out sightseeing or ended the night in a restaurant or bar somewhere.
In terms of longevity, I got around 7 to 8 hours of wear which I think is pretty good overall. Some days it stretched to almost 9 hours, so overall pretty solid performance from this fragrance.
Closing thoughts
This fragrance is a great option for someone in the market for a new and unique summer scent. Although you really have to first test it before buying and then give it some careful consideration if you are on a budget, as Creed fragrances never come cheap. If you are on a budget, consider shopping around for some of the clones that are quite good.
Personally, I think this scent is overpriced despite the fact that I think it is really good with high-quality ingredients. I enjoyed wearing it, but it never felt like I had to have it in my collection, but of course that’s very subjective. I think part of this had to do with the fact that the sillage is very intimate and I would expect a bit more at this price point.