Alien Essence Absolue

Best perfume ever, absolutely criminal that they discontinued it!

Never in a million years would I thought I can get my hands on this discontinued treasure, but thanks to a lovely Fragrantica user's giveaway I got an untouched vintage bottle and it is now one of my most prized possession. A concoction of creamy, fluffy, buttery, unsweetened vanilla, warm amber and myrrh that sits on a bed of cold midnight jasmine, OG Alien's DNA. The warm and cold contrast play together so well, it keeps the scent intriguing instead of just being flat out gourmand. There is deep dark rum and coconut, but it isn't tropical or childish, rather dry and toasty and GROWN. Simply divine.

Smells very similar to Korres Cashmere Kumquat

Ugh my first time smelling this fragance was orgasmic. I unfortunately never got the chance to purchase a full bottle before it got discontinued. I am still searching for another perfume that comes really close tot his beauty, shes incredible!

Alien essence absolu is the best perfume I have ever owned. It was really disappointing to know they discontinued this masterpiece.

One of the most exquisite compositions I have ever had the honor of wearing. As a vintage, the liquid has turned a deep chocolate brown, yet the fragrance itself is like shimmering liquid gold. It glows with different facets: at times velvety sweetness reminiscent of rum stripped of its alcoholic sharpness, at others sensual jasmine, creamy almost buttery orris, powdery enveloping accords, warm vanilla, and honeyed resins. Everything intertwines beautifully, creating a fragrance that feels harmonious, smooth, refined, and deeply sensual. Longevity lasts throughout the day, developing beautifully on the skin and remaining detectable on fabric for a very long time. The sillage is strong yet never overwhelming. These are the perfumes of a seductive goddess. A treasure.

I just blind bought this.. literally literally literally one of the best perfumes I’ve ever smelled in my entire life! Smells like a dark, sticky syrupy vanilla straight out of my wildest dreams.. almost like vanilla root beer in the most luxurious way possible. The vanilla is deeeep, buttery, resinous, and unbelievably rich.. I envision warm ambered vanilla syrup melting into smoky woods and incense. There’s this sexy golden thickness to it that makes it feel almost molten on the skin. You still get that unmistakable OG Alien DNA glowing underneath everything (which I have come to appreciate with time considering I’m an Angel girly) buuut it’s WAYYY more catered towards my preferred scent profile here. The jasmine, amber, and smokiness from the incense and myrrh blend into the vanilla so beautifully. It’s truly addictive. I’m genuinely mad at myself for buying this knowing it’s discontinued because… WOWWWWW. Can u even fathom L’Oréal putting out anything even remotely CLOSE to the greatness of this and Angel Muse? Sigh sigh sighhhhh

I loved it...🧡.....i miss it...

The best fragrance ever made, smells like all the most beautiful memories and images I have of my mama from when I was a kid. Luxurious, self-assured, graceful, mysteriously goading you in, a neck you want to bury into forever. Beyond all the gorgeous vanilla and incense and orris notes what is most endearing to me is that distinct waxy note, like twisting open an old beloved tube of lipstick hiding in the back of a dusty cabinet. One day I will write a longer review singing the full praises this scent deserves, it really needs a whole essay. Its discontinuation runs parallel to the disappearance of my childhood, a bygone era of mystery and ambiguity and darkness that will remain inaccessible to me forever once my bottle finishes. A new, full bottle I got for insanely cheap btw, clearly sold by someone who doesn't know its worth -- you could search all corners of the earth and you could not bag the deal I got. The thought makes me want to weep. Has all the sophistication that the OG Alien or Angel might lack. Seductive in that she knows when to reel it in. I wish I could call this my signature but I can't, whenever I wear this I simply feel like I'm slipping into the skin of a woman I have not yet become, she is all consuming, the very image of her femininity is unattainable and probably impossible for me to embody. But it's nice to pretend for a min. Used sparingly in my collection.

This is amazing- I found a 30ml that was going for a song so just blind bought it. It's got that original Alien jasmine that's so easily identifiable, but the vanilla, orris and incense make it soooo sexy and lipstick-y. There's almost something aniseed-y about it, which I adore. Best blind buy ever.

discontinueation of this, is a crime committed to fragrance community

This is a nice fragrance but not an outstanding one. It smells like Alien dipped in honeyed vanilla. Smell very very similar to the original Alien but smoother, sweeter, more vanillic also a bit coconuty (but not in the cheap mess way like Alien Goddess). I had it when it first came out but quickly gave it away because the similarity with the original is too obvious and it doesn't make sense to own both especially when I prefer the more angular aspect of Alien.

Comparison of a 2006 EdP and a 2013 Essence Absolue This one is easy: these are virtually two completely different perfumes. But those familiar with Mugler will say “of course they are, this is no surprise, where have you been” and, of course, they are correct. The extraterrestrials on planet Mugler have done this a countless number of times – that is, creating a flanker (frequently numerous flankers) with the original’s name but having precious little to do with the original. The EdP is one of the best synthetic jasmine musk perfumes created this century. A high bar that you are certainly going to ask me to justify, and that a few will scoff at and tell me my head is obviously in outer space. Essence Absolue is not a jasmine, but it carries that otherworldly character of the EdP forward into a new chapter that is very convincing and worthy of the line (even though it has nothing olfactorily to do with the EdP), and, I will say, is one of the best floral vanillas of this century. Yep, I’m going all in today. The EdP opens with a massive blast of the brightest white jasmine that whirls with the plasmatic textures of nebulae. The first spray launches itself like an exploding star. Citrusy, slightly indolic, certainly floral, rich and creamy, a touch green, also fleshy fruity, it’s every aspect of jasmine you have ever or could ever smell, yet the cashmeran in the heart is also already present, which gives this jasmine a texture that – at least at the time it was released – was unlike anything we had ever smelled before. The cashmeran gives it a thick, impenetrable, and fraught feeling while also being very plush and pliant. Nebulae look pretty, but they’ll annihilate you in a second. With Essence Absolue’s opening, jasmine's naturalistic characteristics are mostly absent in the opening but might as well be completely absent since it seems to be knocked-far-off-its-center by the other materials that we get more of an orange blossom and gardenia type floral. There is a sweet fleshy citrus floral like orange blossom, not sharp citrus or greens or indolic like natural jasmine grandiflorum or jasmine sambac, and it is extremely heady and creamy like gardenia. It also doesn’t explode with galactic force; it’s strong, but it’s noticeably less diffusive than the EdP. There are other players here as well, crowding in on the gentle floral notes: a very funky vanilla that smells almost rotted/composted, buttery and starchy orris that keeps the perfume balanced and not falling over the line of sickly sweet, and a note that the brand doesn’t mention but I’m finding noticeable amounts, which is that of heliotrope. There is something unsettling, the smell of bitter metallic and cyanide almonds, weaving almost invisible tendrils around the other notes that are hard to see but impossible to ignore. If the EdP is a bright white and rainbow-color-flecked nebula, Absolue is a plasmatic nebula of a more nefarious brown and black color nearing that of the universe’s infinite expanse where you question whether you’re about to step into the nebula and be consumed or are you taking just one more step into the void. Yes, two very different perfumes, but they stick to the same brief somehow: one is a bizarre and otherworldly jasmine, the other a bizarre and otherworldly floral vanilla. In the final stages the EdP sticks with the cashmeran route, white floral and woody, and continuing to play with plasmatic textures all the way to the final skin scent of what the brand calls “white amber.” This is really just synthetic musks that are white floral and soapy in nature but lean a sweeter direction with some vanilla and are given a good dose of animalics that help them belt with a rounded galactic boom. Think of rich soap bubbles that are the texture of some alien goo, and you’re there. Curiously, Essence Absolue goes in a little less of a sci-fi direction, taking the floral vanilla amber and giving it some lovely, green, and resinous myrrh smoke - a very clever and natural link to the heliotrope (or what might have been it) - and also some of the EdP's animalic floral/soapy musks while the vanilla and orange blossom stay fairly prominent. Essence Absolue’s ending doesn’t leave you with the EdP's shock and anxiety of exploring the final frontier, rather it leaves you with the peace and equanimity of the infinite silence in the warm glow of a star. So, there you have it, and my apologies as I’m going to gather this is going to be less than helpful; some simple educated guesses from a glance at the note pyramid for each perfume will probably have gotten you mostly to this point. However, I still feel the need to do this simply because I love both of these perfumes very much and they need to be compared for posterity so that they can deservedly stand on their own. They couldn’t be more different, and yet somehow they still convey enough in common to be noticeably related. Even today, twenty years on from the EdP’s release and thirteen years on from Absolue’s release, they still feel and smell like they’re far in the future. Despite this quite difficult creative brief, and the very obvious use of synthetics, the best characteristic of both is that even with their futuristic, weird, and extraterrestrial personalities they have remarkable clarity in their voices, and they are so very well defined as to fit in any era or generation they are encountered. I can’t help but think of Nebula from Guardians of the Galaxy when I smell these: when she wears Absolue she’s in a kind and fun or flirty mood, wanting to invite me in for a drink. When’s she’s wearing the EdP, I’m not getting out of there alive.

Rich, dark, ambery, mysterious. For me, it evokes the sense of a primordial goddess, with a feline mystique. Smooth, poised, darkly alluring, comfortable in her own skin. I want to wrap myself in it.

Alien OG + vanilla aroma oil = Alien essence absolue. Trust me!!!

I wore this today and had a man who I checked out in line next to at the store come up to me as I was crossing the street to say I he smelled my perfume as I walked past and it was beautiful. Mugler, please bring this back.

I have one bottle available. Message me if interested.

Girl this is Alien but really, really good. Sometimes Alien is strong and kind of nauseating. This includes current as well as old Clarins formula. Not this, however. It's perfectly balanced where at a distant it's just a light, perfect, soapy jasmine. Up close the vanilla and animalics are perfectly balanced. The orris is mouthwatering.

Delicious, sticky, honeyed resins with big, fragrant animalistic jasmine clusters, accented by a dry, full-bodied, mature vanilla. An apex amber fragrance; deep, sexy, warm, witchy, mysterious. I wouldn't change anything about this fragrance (except for the fact it's no longer being produced). I want to drown in this....

Great ambery fragrance

This truly dries down to the most gorgeous thick rich ambery vanilla. It has the very distinct Mugler Alien Jasmine in the opening and also brings a bit of a musty medicinal backing before everyone comes together. And WOW …do they come together. The vanilla is so perfect (and I’m not really a “vanilla “ person). It raw ,rich, dark, brown ,sticky vanilla. I don’t really have any notes for this perfume ….if you see the listed notes and think you would like it … you probably will. Don’t worry ….the initially awkward myrrh/ incense combo smooths out and brings some grounding smoky depth. I was surprised how quickly that loud (and sometimes obnoxious) Alien Jasmine took a backseat. This just works. I do wonder about my bottle, but I think I may just go nose blind to this easily because it doesn’t seem to have the legendary throw I was expecting. But this is a stunner. (It’s oddly a fairly linear and simple perfume for me once I get past the hour mark ….I am not complaining….just sharing bc it was surprising to me.) This is a perfume that when wearing it, I catch myself thinking “who smells so good”…and it is me! (BTW I initially bought this for the orris addition …I would not say it’s strongly present, but I do pick it up in the texture a bit. Or it’s wishful thinking …but regardless I don’t regret tracking this one down for a second! Super happy to own it!)

I would love for Mugler to bring this one back. Such a great, strong, jasmine amber vanilla. Dark & mysterious. Memories..

Managed to snatch the last bottle off of a local website and I'm so happy. I first bought this in 2012 and since I had a decent collection, it lasted me a good while. I really didn't think it would get discontinued so I was sad when it did. I actually found a couple bottles in a store but I was trying to save some money and I said nah, I just got a bottle of the OG Alien. Regretted that decision. So when I saw it was available on a trusted site I grabbed it immediately. Sprayed some on my skin and it brought back so many memories. Dark, deep buttery vanilla bean that is almost savory. I thought it reminded me of something and I think there might be some saffron hidden in this. Wish they would bring it back. I will hunt it down where ever I go from now on.

So happy DUA makes a beautiful extrait concentration replica called Alienated Essence because it's the closest I'll ever get to an original Mugler Alien when it was first launched. Absolutely gorgeous long lasting high quality perfume.

The best Alien flanker, It's so sad that they discontinued it... BRING IT BACK!!! 😭

I've had this for a few years now. I like it, it's my kind of scent profile, but I still don't get all the hype. Maybe it's only because of discontinuation? It's nice but nothing so spectacular as the fragrance community says. Also, I can't wear it with white shirts or tops because it's so dark it stains. I never got a compliment on it, maybe it's because it doesn't project on me, I don't know.

I accompanied my husband on a business trip to San Francisco back in 2012. I went shopping during the day, and saw a new Thierry Mugler release - but no tester? I figured what the heck and bought Alien Essence Absolue. I tried it that evening - it was… a lot. Too much for warm and sunny San Francisco. I brought it home, placed it on my shelf and never used it again. Until today. I can’t say how many times I contemplated letting this one go, but I stopped myself over and over. I am SO glad I did!! Wow, I keep sniffing my arm - this is such a sexy, feminine fragrance. The perfume equivalent of those special pumps we’d refer to way back when!🤣. The balance of everything - the florals, woods and incense - perfect. I love it. I’m so, so glad I have it. The eBay prices are crazy - I couldn’t replace it!! I love reading all of the descriptions, and I get to be a cool kid who can join in, too!!

The best Alien flanker out of everything they put on the market, irrespective of the style of perfume or season they tried to cater to! Alien Essence Absolue was the best, strongest, creamiest, blend of vanilla, jasmine, cashmeran, orris root, incense. Warm, slightly sweet, resinous, balsamic, smooth, still heavy on the jasmine but more complex than the OG Alien. Unique. Masterpiece creation. This would be your cold weather Alien. A strong performer, in a beautiful bottle, reasonably priced, guaranteed compliment getter! People used to tell me that they smelled me before seeing me, which made my little heart melt… I went through a 60 ml bottle of this and luckily I got another one as backup and a 30 ml on top of that. So I can enjoy, responsibly, the magic of Essence Absolue for a while, but after that it’s gone forever… I adore this scent and am heartbroken that it is discontinued. It smells so comforting, so creamy and so luxurious, unlike anything else I've smelled and I have smelled a lot of fragrances in my lifetime. L’Oreal, please, please bring Alien Eseence Absolue back! You’re gonna have crazy sales if you’re bringing this back and we know that’s what you’re in for: profit!!

I would discontinue everything at L’Oreal to have this back.

OMG! I hate jasmine and cannot explain why I bought again. I sold my first bottle not long ago and just bought it again (again, have no idea why). This is just gorgeous! This is how I would imagine regular Alien. Deep, rich, misterious.... Delicate jasmine perfectly blended with gorgeous vanilla (but not sweet ice cream type) Perfect composition. Not sure if good for spring when everything just wakes up for life but who cares! This time I will not sell this to anybody;)