Sensual Instinct

This is a sweet, rose-forward fragrance with great projection and excellent longevity. If you like rose, amber and gourmand scents, Sensual Instinct is definitely worth trying.

Not sure where the coffee note is in the bottle I have. To me, this is a sexy, girly, floral scent. Lasts about 5 hours on my skin and projects for the first hour I'd say. Not one I reach for regularly.

I don’t think I like it, it’s baccarat rouge at the beginning then I really can’t explain, it’s weird and very oily, I think if u over spray u will definitely get a headache, unfortunate blind buy , not for me. And it doesn’t want to come of in the shower either, I can still smell it on my arm, it actually making me feel queasy.

I think I either got a bad batch OR this really is just too alcoholic in the base. Sometimes I catch whiffs of something sweet and coffee house-like with the patchouli and then I sniff my wrist again and I have to do a double take because the alcohol takes over the lovely sweet beverage scenery people are describing below me. It could be skin chemistry—maybe, again, a bad batch—but I've given it almost a year to marinate and take breaks from and the alcohol only became more prominent. Unfortunate, because this sounded really nummy but it is what it is 😔

This is an incredibly complex fragrance, especially considering the price. Firstly, it has little to do with BR540, in the air its maybe 20% similar. I also don't think it's redundant with Intense Cafe. To me the opening smells a lot like the the fruits in Amouage Jubilation XXV man, without the dirty aspects. Patchouli is also a big player, almost TF Noir de Noir territory. It smells chocolaty, blends nicely with the caramel. Im not getting any oakmoss. Nothing like Hacivat or anything. This is fantastic, I don't understand the 3.80 rating.

Gourmand coffee with a bit of dark oakmoss

Review as a man: I don't particulalrly hate this one nor do i like it... I can't categorize this fragrance; it has the moss in the backround that really does not fit well in the scent profile, it has that Montale typical DNA witch is similar to all the fragrances from the house. The dried down is much nicer because the synthetic scrachtiness goes away and the more delicate sweet part of the fragrance remains. The more it dries down the better it gets, it has remarkable performances and sillage so this compansate the overly sinthetic feeling i get. 7/10

Rose syrup with a mossy undertone. It’s sexy, some similarities to BR50 but very little. I wish it lasted longer, unfortunately the silliage is little.

This SENSUAL and magnetic fragrance has become my favorite beside Mugler Alien. To me they are in the same class, and have this sort of stand out mysterious smell that draw you in. But it does fade faster than Alien, but both of them sort of match me in that way that I do not smell it after som time anyway, but others do. I definitely smell the rose and moss and it is so sexy in this. This is very sweet, so probably not for those who don't like that.

On my clothes it smells exactly like BR540 but on my skin it smells like Dolly Parton’s Scent from Above! Ok I’ve been wearing this for 3 weeks and I love it. Also sometimes I layer it with Mugler Angel!

Love this perfume! A sweeter cousin of BR 540 which I came across by accident whilst looking for more oud-wood unisex Montale fragrances at Selfridges. I was shooketh! I had to get it! The average price Montale perfumes go for compared to the quality and LONGEVITY of their fragrances make sense. I got a 50ml bottle from official Montale website and I absolutely love it. It makes me feel like million bucks, it's soooo sexy I just melt on smelling my bottle and I hope I don't sound crazy saying it. It's definitely in my top 10 favourite fragrances of all time.

Goth vibes. Reminds me of a perfume from a small creator back in the late 90s who made Gothic, spooky-inspired scents, her name was Anti-Sally, the brand was GothRosary. Smells like you're in a graveyard by mossy mausoleums and freshly dug dirt graves. A grieving widow dressed all in black is bringing a bouquet of flowers, mostly red roses, to leave at her partners grave. It's a bit wet in the air so you can smell that petrichor vibe. Bring a black umbrella!

This is addictive. It does remind me slightly Precious Oud Mancera. Some sweetness with whiskey like boozy notes. I haven't tested this one on the skin but on paper strip it's amazing & long lasting

I swear I smell strong patchouli in this...

I looked over the notes before testing and *thought* I knew how it would smell. I was wrong. But I will test again. With coffee, rose, and praline notes I thought it would be a sweet, floral, gourmand, more like Ristretto Intense Cafe. Nope. My initial impression is - scotchy scotch scotch. Maybe the oakmoss is giving it a peatiness? On me it’s boozy, woodsy, damp. Roses and scotch. Try before you buy.

This is just delicious <3 I do notice the coffee - It’s like drinking a sweet latte next to a mossy garden with roses. It’s cosy, feminine, gourmand, addictive.

Sensual Instinct initially performs as a non-descript, rather forgettable, uber-feminine, EXTREMELY SWEET, floral-fruity fragrance. I detected zero coffee notes, which is fine because I already own Intense Cafe. I applied Sensual Instinct before I went to bed. I found the fragrance almost cloying and overwhelmingly sweet floral. I fell off to sleep. But I woke a few hours later and was beyond delighted by the fragrance's notes. Apparently, once Sensual Instinct settled on skin, it developed into a pleasant, slightly sweet, floral blend with the perfect measure of amber & cedar, (woody) and oak moss (grassy) notes. The base notes really helped the development of this fragrance's sweet floral opening. At this point, I actually found the fragrance to be very likable. May try a full bottle if I can procure one at a reasonable price.

I have been here many times before. I have now used this perfume for 3/4 years. I have never received so many compliments before and yesterday something happened that I have never experienced before. I visited a large perfume store where I live and the ladies there were wondering what I was using they wrote down the name and were going to buy it themselves. How cool is that?? Montale is very unknown to the normal man/woman in the street, but this perfume is going to explode soon when more people open their eyes to Montale and this perfume. Its also not so expensive as other niche perfumes which is a bonus. It is not only that people think you smell amazing, they also become very curious about what they actually smell because this perfume is complicated/advanced where all the notes are so perfectly composed that I have a hard time describing it myself. Very unique and oh my god so good. If this works for you and your body chemistry, you are in for an adventure. What is extra cool is that compliments come from both women and men, I have always thought that this is 100% unisex. You just have to test it you will be surprised

Personal: 7.5/10 – I like it! It's a sweeter, syrupy cousin to BR540. Mass appeal: 8.5/10 - Sweet, heavy, and loud. BR540 woody amber. Very likable. Performance: 8.5/10 – It’s Montale. Loud, strong, and long-lasting. Nearly nuclear. Value: 7/10 – Montale pricing is fair for the performance, especially compared to MFK’s price tag. Great option for people who want a similar DNA. Uniqueness: 6.5/10 – This is basically BR540 with Montale's fruity syrup and density. Not original, but it’s a twist. SCORE: 76/100 Full bottle buy? NO, I enjoy it but prefer this DNA to be lighter and less syrupy. Blind buy? YES, if you know you like BR540-style sweet woody ambers. Recommend? YES, for fans of Baccarat Rouge who want nuclear strength at niche-lite pricing and potentially want a sweeter twist. Date night? YES, sweet, seductive, and compliment-pulling. Office safe? NO, way too loud and syrupy for confined spaces. Pros: Affordable BR540 DNA with Montale’s trademark projection and sweetness. Cons: Synthetic compared to the original. Too syrupy and loud if oversprayed. Sensual Instinct is Montale’s take on the iconic BR540 woody amber and slightly sweet DNA. Which, of course, means MUCH sweeter. It adds some depth and darkness with the oakmoss and coffee base, but it's still mostly woody and ambery. If you like the BR540 DNA, you'll enjoy this at least some. It's similar, but distinctly not a clone, and frankly, one could easily argue that it's a proper standalone fragrance that isn't even that similar to BR540. To my nose, it's at least a pretty solid nod towards it. It's still sweet syrupy rose at the top, but it's toned down enough so that I don't even notice that as the primary note. It's worth smelling, maybe not owning. Montale's signature syrupy take on an iconic woody amber DNA. Lovable and mass appealing, though loud to say the least. Review #104 in my fragrance journey – this fragrance I own as a decant

My initial thoughts: The opening reminds me of Armani Si Intense in the black bottle, then dries down similarly to BR540 or Mizensir For Your Love.

My goodness, this may have ruined my beloved br540 for me. As a Baccarat stan and a rose lover, this is HEAVEN. My skin amplifies the rose, and this is actually much more feminine on my skin than BR. This comes across sweet, smooth, softly woody, with the most beautiful hint of rose, the softest jasmine, and elegant saffron. I don’t get a lot of oakmoss, just a touch and I love how it blends with the cedar. No coffee detected, thankfully. The oil concentration is HEAVY, this will stain clothes if not careful. Performance is incredible, as is often true for this brand. Easily one of my favorites in my collection.

This fragrance has completely won me over. It’s easily one of the most exquisite Montales I’ve ever experienced. To me, the sugary sweetness stands out the most like praline and a powdery, modern rose with a sensual, almost Middle Eastern vibe. I don’t get the coffee at all, and it feels purely feminine on my skin .The projection is impressive noticeable but never too much, and it leaves behind a truly feminine, sensual aura. The rose note is gentle and refined, perfectly harmonized with the gourmand sweetness. From the first spray to the dry down, it wears like an elegant, warm, and irresistibly captivating scent. Additive. 10000/10

This doesn't smell as close to BR540 as people make it seem. However, if I were to compare them, this is FAR superior. As some others have said, you can think of it as a gourmand BR540 without the scratchy synthetic nature of BR540. SUPER sexy fragrance. Sweet, gourmand, slightly woody goodness. I also think this is a little more masculine than BR540, so if you're a man who thought the latter was too feminine, try this out. This is truly one of the better fragrances from Montale. Monstrous performance, sexy, edible, and affordable. What more could you want? Montale is slept on and overhated for no reason. I remember when I first got into the hobby around 2011, Montale was respected and considered high quality. Nothing has changed, a great house.

BR540 if it was slightly gourmand, with mossy earthy nuances. It’s one of the better BR540 variants that I’ve come across, considering the hundreds of different fragrances that smell like this. I find this one to be the better choice. Stop by my TikTok for some fragrance content: nerolicannoli

I have never smelled BR 540 so cannot say if this smells like it. I bought this on an insanely great offer for less than £60 for 100mls. This is an extrait, the coffee is smooth, cannot smell any rose at all, but the praline I get from this is lovely. This is beautiful on my skin the chocolatey praline projects for hours. I’m not a perfume expert so cannot break down the notes in this, I wear it alone but also have found that paired with a vanilla fragrance it becomes edible. I’ve had compliments on this combo even in the queue at the supermarket. Three sprays max and this lasts a straight 12 hours on me.

Can we just stop pretending that Montale doesn’t have best monster projection on their fragrances ever , I have many many extreme luxury fragrances but uh oh no one can compare to Montale silage , doesn’t matter what the smell is , you can’t be wrong with one of them

Oh god, it was good for a split second right after spraying when still wet before it turned straight dentist office covered in sharp iodine with a sweetness underneath. It gives me the same face wrenching reaction as BR540. I cannot get away from this fast enough. Usual offenders: praline, oakmoss, cedar.

This starts sweet and then becomes very interesting woody .. Great for men and women and I love the versatility it offers. I like it a lot.

Blind bought this on an offer- had seen a guy on Utube reviewing it and I was intrigued. It is a creamy praline gourmand for first couple of hours with that BR DNA that elevates the fragrance- then the amber and oak moss come into play. I am no perfume expert but have over 100 fragrances now and have got a feel for what I like and this is beautiful to me. At first it leans unisex but then after a few hours it is quite masculine with that amber and oak moss. I can still smell the praline but now it’s in the background- I washed the dishes with this on the back of my hand the day I got it. I just couldn’t believe that the fragrance was still there after being in soapy water for 10 minutes. I worked out that this is far better value than a £30 dupe fragrance as I put an average of 10 sprays on, this is 2 max. I really cannot understand why this is not as popular as Arabian Tonka (which I also adore) as it is just as good.

this is exactly like sisley soir d'orient! nothing to do with simple sweet Baccarat! The resemblance with sisley is crazy! maybe maybe maybe a bit less spices but im not even sure! Rose and Safran ofc!