Chinatown

One of the best offerings from Bond no. Heady gardenia with spices, so creamy yet with a bite. Lots of spices, this creamy floral heart with spices create such a unique marriage in a bottle, so enveloping so sexy. Big statement, bombshell kind of perfume.

I have frequented the Chinatowns of NYC, Chicago, LA, and San Francisco, and never once did I smell anything like this at any of them. Which, I guess, I should find peculiar. China is the world’s largest producer of peaches; they’ve been growing them for thousands of years. You better love peaches to love Bond No. 9’s Chinatown. This fruity floral chypre is bound and determined. Energetic, actually. The hustle, bustle, vibrancy, and drama that seems to infect every Chinatown I’ve been to is present here. Once the sweet, effervescent, juicy peaches in the opening dispense the tuberose and gardenia of the heart layer are loud and clear with their diva qualities. Fleshy, creamy, nutty, a touch musky animalic, a sharp edge here or there, a bit of silky orange blossom to keep the fruity lean - it’s big, it’s loud, and it’s going to pull you right in. It’s a ruse, though. This isn’t a chypre. What is it? Damned if I know. I want to call it gourmand. The sweetness, the fruit, and the creamy and vanillic florals all give way to a white chocolate, straight vanilla and patchouli base mixed with creamy sandalwood. Perfumers and houses have long held this fascination with wanting to make sandalwood seem edible, and Chinatown makes no secret of this intent. Consider my appetite whetted. Is that my stomach growling? Gardenia and tuberose have long been easy sells for me, and I don’t know why. Even the classical or jazz devotee likes some saccharine pop music track or two. I’ve never wanted to eat them though. Corny. Cheesy. Crass. Puerile. Bordering on slapstick comedy. A Three Stooges sketch of a food fight. Darn good fun to wear.

It smells like a warm, golden orange sunset. Creamy, spicy white flowers feel warm on the skin. A mesmerizing elixir.

When I first started wearing it, I described it as a classic, sweet white floral scent. However, with repeated use, I began to notice more chypre-like oakmoss notes—it was quite an interesting experience. I perceived the cardamom note more in the background. (I used a sample size and didn’t love it enough to purchase a full bottle during that time.)

Chinatown is an itoxicating blend of florals and patchouli. At first sniff, I get a big blast of creamy tuberose, with notes of bitter bergamot. A few minutes later, the scent begins to settle into something smokey and spicy, with hints of vanilla and wood. At heart, this isn't a floral fragrance; it's a beautifully done, restrained incense fragrance. I like it so much more than I thought I would.

Ive clearly been selecting the wrong Bond No 9 perfumes to try… this one is beautiful. I love how it evolves overtime and it doesnt smell like bath and body works cherry blossom. It actually has a perfume ring to it, which is nice compared to all of the gourmands or clean scents ive been smelling lately. Its perfume ring reminds me of hugging my mom in the 90s. But it also reminds me of Coco by Chanel. I have the COCO EDT. But if I smelled this first I would’ve purchased it… I would probably get a 9ml because this one is ab easier reach than coco for me at this time in my life which I guess I am cool with…

Aptly named, the scent animates its varied and colorful namesake with a lacy delicacy and more than a touch of nostalgia—a paper fan, a spice box opening, a dusty jar of resins. Whimsy is in there, a brief flirtation with tea and peach, cardamom and orange blossoms seamlessly blended. It’s a beautiful, gentle scent, addictive, dusky, haunting. It is softly attic-y without being powdery, and evocative without being sentimental. I’m more obsessed with it than anything I’ve caught a whiff of in decades. I just don’t know what to say, other than I found out about this through a recommendation on Fragrantica’s forum—and I’m so grateful for the wisdom and inspiration of our peers! Yay!!!!

What a lovely scent. I’m so thankful that I bought mine before it was reformulated. Once I finish my bottle, I won’t repurchase, unless I can find a vintage bottle like mine . But I own hundreds of perfumes that I also wear so I doubt I’ll ever finish this bottle :)

I got a dupe version of this on temu. Personally I don't like it..too nauseating Curious if this description smells like the real one. -i sprayed it, then I smelled my sand & sable. & it was close. Then I went & scanned the restnof my purfumes. & i sprayed plumeria on the sand & sable. Then I smelled the Chinatown dupe.. yep! Almost exactly the same..like.a.stale beer, with gardenia overload, not for me

I would wear this if I’m a female.

Chinatown is an oriental green cardamom scent with peachy creamy sweet white florals wrapping around it. It smells amazing and also I smell a slight reminiscence of YSL Opium. The opening of white florals smells like the Asian scented soft tissue papers. The soothing light florals then introduces the airy green cardamom which seemingly accompanies by the oriental spices (remind me instantly of YSL Opium, but the spices scent is not prominent). The florals becomes sweetly creamier after the cardamom takes the spotlight and hints of peachiness glitters faintly. I think it is beautiful, and breathtaking. It is a very unique take on creamy white florals.

A very successful blind buy. Not the type I'd usually go for but I thought I'd step out of that comfort zone and I am glad I did. This is a very soft (as a concept) and potent (performance wise) floral with cardamom. Those are the notes that stand out to me, anyway. I'd imagine brides wearing this. I can see why people say it's mature, but I don't agree that it is dated. Elegant, suitable for any occasion, without offending anyone. It's a strong like for now, but looking forward to further exploring it.

This is one of my favorite scents. Wish it wasn't so expensive, so I only use it on special occasions.

This is absolutely delightful! Love, love it!

This is a soft perfume, in a similar mode to Mojave Ghost to me. The cardamon and sandalwood base notes are prominent throughout - I'm not a lover of either, so it's no surprise that this is underwhelming, as cardamon sometimes reads like spiced white rice on me and can be rather sickly. It would be gentle and inoffensive and the longevity is great on the right person but it's not special enough to justify the price for me. Kenzo l'elephant is a more distinctive, cozy cardamon that I love.

It’s beautiful and I would wear it again and again but it’s not something unique for the price point. I have at least 3 other bottles with the same scent profile.

Pretty white floral, a touch spicy. It is a like but definitely not a love or a need. Forgettable, I have much better iterations of white flowers with some additions and twists.

I love this fragrance. It's spicy but the florals make it also soft and quite pleasing. I reach for it when the weather starts to cool a bit and it's perfect for office or night time.

Finally caved and spent close to $200 on this beauty after having it on my wishlist for a few years. I mostly wanted this for the bottle so I can display it. But what it smells like? Very expensive luxurious skincare products that korean celebs/ idols probably wear. I'm not getting vintage at all like some of these commentators are saying. 9/10

FULL BOTTLE WORTHY. The epitome of soft. The softest woods I’ve ever smelled. Just beautiful. To my nose, this smells like a refined/incense-y/much less sweet/little more creamy Hermes Twilly. Similarly powdery, but I declare that Chinatown has perfected the powdery perfume. An exquisitely equalized blend of florals, citrus, woods, and spice. A bit difficult to pick out individual notes, but now that I know there’s gardenia, cedarwood, and vanilla, those are what I detect most. Some combination of notes gives me the slightest hint of marzipan. I think cardamom may be the master’s touch here, making this such a stunner. An easy reach for all occasions, I say. Enchanting, distinctive, sultry, soft, warm, cocooning. I can’t stop smelling my skin. It’s got its hooks in me. Onto the top of the full bottle wishlist she goes. MASTERPIECE.

A nice white floral for the holiday season Very woody very spicy. Get a lot of Guaic wood in here. It reminds me somewhat of organza by givenchy. But I like organza better. Not To mention the price of organza is a lot more reasonable. I think I like the mace and the walnut and the nutmeg in organza better than I like the cardamom here. As much as I like cardamom it's becoming like ginger it's being overused and I think that's because of the IFRA regulations. I really miss cinnamon, mace, clove, nutmeg in perfumes. You just can't get them in modern perfumes anymore they're in vintage fragrances. Either they've gone out of style or they're just heavily regulated or both. As much as I like cardamom it just seems to be the only spice they use that or ginger. And I'm really getting sick of Ginger. In my opinion get organza by Givenchy. If you can get a vintage bottle go for it. I have both vintage and I have what they produce now. What they produce now is acceptable it's very nice and it's a heck of a lot cheaper than this and you will still get that same kind of winter white floral vibe a little bit of vanilla a little bit of florals white florals peony spice but what organza has that this lacks is a nice nuttiness and oiliness from the walnut. That in my opinion makes it more of a standout fragrance than Chinatown from bond number 9.

Smells like walking past a lush store. And i mean that in the best way possible! A lot of lush products have a powdery almond note to them. This is simply delectable! I have a 50ml bottle and im scared to use it 😭

I thought I would really like this based on how it opened on my skin. It was kinda sweet, kinda sexy, kinda spicy. After the top notes wore off I was left with a mildly sweet powdery incense of spice and vintage lipstick. Unfortunately the smell of vintage lipstick leans cloyingly dusty on me and once I smell a note that doesn’t work with my chem, it’s all I can smell. I have NO doubt that this smells divine on those it works for and I’m in love with the nostalgia it evokes for some reviewers. I’m not opposed to trying it again one day just to see whether or not my preferences/perspectives change. But as of today, it’s a no for me.

slightly fruity at the top then you get the powdery and soft florals that create a very smooth velvety texture then there’s the vibe of a warm and round spicy feel that’s also very smooth with a lovely woody quality. It’s so smooth and subtle as in beautifully balanced and blended but not weak at all. Hours in I’m getting more of the sandalwood and vanilla facets which is a nice subtle touch.

A perfume that fully deserves the 5 stars given by Luca Turin. It smells AMAZING!!!

Chinatown is sublimely weird and uncategorizable. It starts out firmly in the “fruity chypre” genre, like Jubilation 25; fuzzy-dark patchouli mixed with sweet-overripe-dirty Prunol. I also get a dark labdanum aura, and maybe a sweat-like cumin scent. Evil, funky, indulgent, and reasonably sophisticated: yes please. A few minutes in, I’m noticing that it’s strangely…cool, despite all the dark-and-sexy stuff. Like a dark gray river rock in the shade beside a brook. There’s a camphorous smell going on here. Really, like Tiger Balm. Very cooling and sharp. And also a spice-and-incense-and-sandalwood thing. A few hours in, camphor, spice, and the dark patchouli are most of what I smell; the amber-and-Prunol just winks in and out occasionally, like a string of Christmas lights on a dark night. It’s a lot of fun. It doesn’t smell at all to me like the conventional, sweet fruity floral that the notes and online reviews suggest. Chinatown is a grown-up fragrance, pulling in a bunch of different directions in perfect balance (sweaty funkiness, spicy electricity, camphorous-medicinal bite, patchouli gloom). I’m in my happy place. I actually think this is genderless; yes, it has a sweet note, but it’s so intense and weird that it’s just as unconventional on a woman as a man. This is one of those scents you wear because you like the smell, not for the social impression it creates. If you’re a camphor-loving freak like me, there are very few perfumes that really scratch the itch, and Chinatown is one of them.

Grabbed my sample of this and sprayed without checking to see what it was. Kept sniffing my inner elbow like "why? This smells old. Why did I want to try this?" It smells like my grandmotherʻs old wooden vanity, covered with Japanese beauty products. Checked my order. Saw it was Chinatown. My grandmother was an old Taiwanese lady. Touché, Bond no. 9, touché.

I find it similar to Good Girl Gone Bad and get am osmanthus vibe.

This is a cardamom-forward fragrance with a spicy edge, featuring a distinctly indolic tuberose and a dirty gardenia; thankfully, it doesn’t veer into “cleaning agent” territory. It's reminiscent of one of my favourite old vintage scents: Noa Dream (because of the gardenia). It contains one of my favourite flowers, tuberose, and my favourite note, cardamom. A wonderful combination! The opening is like gum mastic, which I also like very, very much. I don't know what the equivalent note is, but that's definitely the feeling it gives. Patchouli adds depth, and I even get a subtle chypre impression. I also sense leather or labdanum, although they’re not officially listed. There’s a slight sweetness, but nothing cloying. Interestingly, this scent sometimes feels luminous to me… and other times, quite dark. In short, I was intrigued by this fragrance. I was not impressed when I tried it in the past, now I can understand it when I try it solo. Marvellous!

I dont get any spiciness from this. To me it smells exactly like Narcotic Venus. Too white flowery