Hypnotic Poison extends in 1998 the Poison lineage, born thirteen years earlier, by shifting the venomous toward the gourmand. Annick Menardo built it on bitter almond, whose biting bitterness stands up to the vanilla and sandalwood of the base. The opening is fruity, coconut, plum and apricot, before a heart of sambac jasmine, tuberose and rose heightened with caraway. The bottle takes up the house's red apple, forbidden fruit turned signature.
Who does not know Poison, the juice that elevated the 1980s with its powerful, absolute scents? Adored by some, detested by others, Poison is the fragrance that stuck to the bling-bling decade that flaunted its tastes loudly and, if possible, in lamé and fluorescent colors. After Tendre Poison, the vegetal magic potion, it was the bewitching Hypnotic Poison that truly revived the myth of Dior's tempting apple.
Hypnotic Poison, or the dizziness of a hypnotic gourmand signed Annick Menardo
While Tendre Poison attempted to revive the mythical Poison of the 1980s, its fragrant composition, though close to its elder through its flowers, did not reap the expected success. Yet Tendre Poison had the merit of taking on the Poison “tank” by daring to give it original freshness and galbanum notes, perhaps too daring?
In any case, Poison still held its ground against its descendants, until Hypnotic Poison arrived in 1998 to dethrone this venomous king. Hypnotic Poison was created by perfumer Annick Menardo to open up Poison's range of possibilities to those who had not yet dared to try it.
Cleverly, the perfumer thus gave gourmand facets to this Hypnotic Poison which, at first glance, are surprising. Yet it is a trap! A trap carefully calculated by the great lady of Grasse who, through her almond and jasmine effluvia, encloses us in a powerful sillage, perhaps even more addictive than the first opus.
Annick Menardo built Hypnotic Poison around four facets, at once distinct and complementary.
Dior describes its fragrance through four contrasting facets: bitter almond and caraway, sambac jasmine, mahogany wood, vanilla and musk. In use, however, the opening is frankly fruity, with coconut and plum laying down a milky sweetness before the almond takes over. The floral heart of sambac jasmine, tuberose and rose lulls one's vigilance; the base of vanilla, sandalwood and musk closes the trap.
For a Poison that had become so mythical, having marked its era with such a deep sillage, it needed at the very least a successor worthy of its rank. Annick Menardo managed to give Dior, with Hypnotic Poison, the son of that Poison the house was still seeking. From then on, the success of Hypnotic Poison would not falter, just as with its lovely successor Midnight Poison.