Amaranthine
Amaranthine is a creamy, green, spiced floral with a famously intimate edge. Reviewers describe milk, green banana leaf, ylang-ylang, tea, cardamom and soft musk, moving from humid tropical greenery into a warmer, skin-like dry-down. It is beautiful to some and difficult to others. Sample first if lactonic notes, cumin-like warmth, animalic skin scents, or odd green florals can turn sour on you.
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Performance Metrics
2,755 VOTESOpen Performance Breakdown 1 TAKE
Performance feedback suggests moderate to long-lasting wear for many users, with sillage often reading moderate to strong. It is not necessarily loud in a conventional fresh or amber way, but its green, lactonic and musky facets can feel very present. Start with one or two sprays if you are testing it around other people.
Notes Pyramid
Search these notesChoose where each note belongs.
Amaranthine opens with palm leaf, tea and dry spice over freesia, then moves into a humid floral heart led by ylang-ylang, carnation, jasmine, orange flower, clove and rose. The base brings milk, musk, sandalwood, vanilla and tonka, creating a creamy, green, skin-like finish with tropical warmth rather than dessert sweetness.
Main Accords
12 MAPPEDThe warm spicy and green accords shape the opening first, giving Amaranthine its tea, cardamom, coriander and palm-leaf bite. The floral and yellow floral accords then fill out the heart with ylang-ylang, jasmine and carnation. The lactonic, sweet and woody facets appear later, softening the perfume into milk, musk, vanilla, tonka and sandalwood without fully removing the green tension.
Community Data
1,187 TOTAL VOTESCOMMUNITY SENTIMENT
OWNERSHIP STATS
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REVIEW SENTIMENT
When to Wear
TAP TO VOTETIME OF DAY · TAP TO VOTE
OCCASIONS · TAP TO VOTE
It looks easiest to wear in spring and summer.
Pros & Cons
Quick take before you sampleWHY PEOPLE MAY LIKE IT
Distinctive green lactonic floral character
Creamy milk and musk dry-down feels intimate
Warm spice adds depth to the tropical flowers
Ylang-ylang and jasmine give a lush floral heart
More artistic than a standard pretty floral
Memorable green banana leaf and palm-leaf effect
Often wears with moderate to strong presence
Appeals to fans of unusual skin scents
Strong collector interest due to scarcity
Feels sensual without becoming a simple gourmand
WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR
Too polarizing for a safe blind buy
Can smell sour or sweaty on some skin
Lactonic notes may read spoiled or odd
Animalic skin effect will not suit everyone
May feel too intimate for work settings
Green opening can seem sharp or soapy
Discontinued bottles can be hard to source
Collector pricing may reduce value
Dry-down may take time to appreciate
Not ideal for clean-fragrance preferences
Fragranxe Review
EDITORIAL“Amaranthine Penhaligon's Review”
Amaranthine is one of those Penhaligon's fragrances that explains its reputation the moment it hits skin. It does not behave like a polite floral. The opening is green, warm and slightly disorienting, with palm leaf, tea, coriander and cardamom giving the perfume a humid, spicy lift before the flowers fully bloom.
The floral heart is rich rather than sparkling. Ylang-ylang leads the impression for many wearers, with jasmine, carnation, orange flower, rose and clove giving it a lush, tropical density. Several reviews describe it as planty, milky, green banana-like or reminiscent of sap. That is the useful clue: Amaranthine is creamy, but its creaminess feels botanical and bodily, not like a clean dessert accord.
The dry-down is where the perfume becomes most personal. Milk, musk, sandalwood, vanilla and tonka soften the sharp edges and create the intimate skin effect that fans love. On the right wearer, it feels warm, plush, sensual and unusual, like tropical flowers pressed close to skin. On the wrong wearer, the same materials can turn sour, sweaty, soapy, meaty or animalic. The split in feedback is real.
That makes Amaranthine fascinating, but not easy. Positive reviewers talk about beauty, strangeness, creamy tropical florals, green banana, warm spice and a discontinued perfume worth hunting down. Critical reviewers mention body odour, spoiled milk, fish-market impressions and bad meat-like facets. This is not just a matter of taste in florals. Skin chemistry and tolerance for lactonic, musky and spicy warmth matter here.
Performance appears better than shy. The vote pattern leans toward moderate to long-lasting wear, with sillage often landing from moderate to strong and some people finding it quite expansive. Because the scent itself is intimate in theme but assertive in character, it is best tested with a light hand before wearing it around others.
Amaranthine is best approached as an artistic green lactonic floral, not as a pretty tropical bouquet or a modern milky gourmand. It may thrill collectors who love Bertrand Duchaufour's more eccentric work and old Penhaligon's character. For everyday wear, it is a narrower choice. For the right person, though, its strange blend of palm leaf, warm spice, ylang-ylang, milk and musk can feel unforgettable.
FAQs
What does Amaranthine by Penhaligon's smell like?+
Amaranthine smells like a warm spicy green floral built around palm leaf, tea, ylang-ylang, jasmine, clove, milk, musk, sandalwood, vanilla and tonka. Many wearers pick up creamy milk, green banana leaf, tropical flowers and an intimate skin-like musk.
Is Amaranthine sweet?+
It has sweetness from vanilla, tonka and creamy floral notes, but it is not a simple gourmand. The green palm leaf, tea, spices and lactonic base keep it strange, humid and more botanical than sugary.
Is Amaranthine discontinued?+
Reviewers repeatedly describe Amaranthine as discontinued and difficult to find. Because availability can change by market and seller, treat current bottles with caution and verify authenticity before paying collector prices.
Who is Amaranthine best for?+
It suits someone who enjoys unusual florals, creamy skin scents, green tropical effects and perfumes with a sensual, artistic personality. It is less suited to someone who wants a clean, fresh, office-safe floral.
Is Amaranthine a safe blind buy?+
No. The feedback is too divided for a blind buy. Some people find it lush, beautiful and addictive, while others get body odour, spoiled milk, meat-like or fish-market facets on skin.
How does Amaranthine perform?+
Performance feedback points to noticeable wear, with many votes around moderate to long-lasting longevity and moderate to strong sillage. It can project more than its creamy texture suggests, so apply lightly at first.
What season is Amaranthine best for?+
The seasonal feedback leans spring and summer, with some winter support. It makes sense in mild or warm weather if you like humid florals, but very hot conditions may amplify the animalic or sour lactonic facets.
Does Amaranthine smell like banana?+
Some reviewers mention green banana or banana leaf, but usually in an underripe, leafy, starchy way rather than a sweet banana dessert smell.
Is Amaranthine more floral or milky?+
It is both. The floral heart of ylang-ylang, jasmine, carnation, orange flower and rose is strong, but the milk, musk, sandalwood, vanilla and tonka make the dry-down creamy and skin-like.
Why is Amaranthine so divisive?+
Its creamy floral structure is mixed with green palm leaf, spices, tea, clove, milk and musk. That combination can feel lush and sensual on one wearer, but sour, sweaty, soapy or animalic on another.
Rankings
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Dupes & Alternatives
COMMUNITY DUPESCORENo dupes submitted yet. The first useful DupeScore can come from your community.
The supplied review evidence does not support a direct dupe claim. Penhaligon's Ostara is mentioned by one reviewer as an adjacent discontinued Penhaligon's option, while Fleurs de Peau and Dans Tes Bras are useful references for the intimate skin-scent direction. None should be treated as a one-to-one replacement for Amaranthine.
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