Purchased the sample size of Carnation Absolute. I have worked with it in the past, as a novice perfumer at an aromatherapy shop, and adored its green, floral, spicy, warm fragrance. This absolute was nothing like that! Its acrid fragrance was the first that I smelled when I opened my box, and I frantically opened and smelled each sample trying to find the one that smelled 'off'. I tried applying it to my skin, expecting to smell a mild, spicy floral, and it settled down into a fragrance that was green, mildly floral, and dominantly antiseptic. The other samples I purchased were above expectation but this one was such a disappointment!

Review by ANABks 11/14/2016

Thank you EB for the samples! So tickled to try before buying. Here is a beginners thought on carnation absolute. It smells like a hothouse full of easter lilies at various stages of bloom. Very potent and long lasting just from a teeny smear from the tiny dropper. as it mellows (or drys down, as terminology goes) it gets quieter and and sweeter. I do not smell any spices, just pure sweet green floral.

Review by SLD 8/15/2016

if you continue to base your expectations on fantasy synthetic fragrances, cheap bar soaps, and potpourri you bought at Ross, you will always be disappointed. Real vanilla smells woody and slightly animalic, real rose is subtle and not overt, real carnation never smells like the flower, real tuberose is rubbery and not sweet, agarwood smells like a barnyard, jasmine often smells like infant diapers, etc. You have to learn how to create accords using these materials.

Review by David 3/12/2015

I ordered a small sample of this to test. I get where the last reviewer is coming from. This opens up a bit fulsome and tinged with chemicals (not that is necessarily, but the nose's perception of it could be that). I still proceed with it as I'm curious about how it performs on skin and with time. I would say its dominant character is herbaceous. No potpourri or cloves as you might receive in a carnation soap. It settles down quickly to warm middle note of green carnation petal tips. The sense I get is that of the crushed tips of petals. I think it could be very intriguing as a player in the mid-notes of a blend.

Review by Cheryl 8/1/2014

Given the previous reviews, the sample I received must have come from a bad batch because there is absolutely no scent of carnation in it. There is a very slight hint of the vanilla someone else mentioned, but predominantly there is a very unpleasant chemical smell. Notes from the oil room at EB: Carnation Absolute will never smell like the fresh flowers. It is often adulterated with Clove or Cinnamon to impart the spicy note that people expect. True Carnation Absolute is very green, herbaceous with a warm honey note. It is customary to dilute highly concentrated absolutes in alcohol or a carrier oil in order to fully perceive the fragrance, which then opens up beautifully and has a delicate aroma upon dry down. - JMF

Review by SailingSouth 12/8/2013