By Redolia · Published September 18, 2026
Clive Christian is a British luxury perfume house founded in 1999, when English furniture designer Clive Christian bought The Crown Perfumery — a London house established in 1872 whose most famous customer, Queen Victoria, granted it permission to put her crown on its bottles. That gold crown still tops every flacon. The house is known for very high perfume-oil concentrations, a stated minimum of 20% and up to 25% in the Addictive Arts line, formulas built from 150 to 250 ingredients, and prices that run from $390 to $790 for a 50 ml bottle. We stock 28 Clive Christian perfumes at Redolia; this guide explains the collections, profiles the ones customers ask for first, and lists the rest by style.
The story of Clive Christian
The Crown Perfumery began in London in 1872, founded by William Sparks Thomson, who had already built a corset business there after making perfume and soap in New York. Queen Victoria's approval that same year gave the house its crown. The business faded over the following century, and by the 1990s the name was dormant.
Clive Christian, by then established as a designer of high-end English kitchens and interiors, acquired it in 1999 and relaunched it under his own name. The Original Collection followed: three pairs of perfumes, each with a masculine and a feminine version, named No.1, X and 1872. Patricia Choux composed No.1; Geza Schoen composed the masculine 1872 and X. The naming is deliberate — 1872 for the year of the royal warrant, No.1 for the ambition.
The house made headlines in 2005 with No.1 Imperial Majesty, a ten-bottle edition in Baccarat crystal with a five-carat diamond and an 18-carat gold collar, priced at $205,000 for 500 ml. Guinness World Records listed it as the most expensive commercially available perfume. Since then the range has widened into the Private Collection letter series, Noble, Jump Up and Kiss Me, Addictive Arts and Art Deco, each with its own concept and bottle finish. What stays constant is the concentration: these are perfumes, not eaux de parfum, and they behave accordingly.
Every Clive Christian fragrance we carry, explained
We stock 28. Below are the six customers reach for first, then the remaining twenty-two grouped by style so you can find your lane quickly.
Clive Christian No.1 Masculine Perfume
The house flagship, composed by Patricia Choux in 2001. It opens bright and spiced — nutmeg, cardamom, lime, mandarin, grapefruit, with a paprika accent that gives it an unusual dry warmth. The heart is old-school floral: iris, ylang-ylang, jasmine, lily-of-the-valley and rose, the kind of construction few houses still pay for. The base is sandalwood, amber, musk, vanilla, tonka and cedar, and it lasts the whole day.
Best for: formal evenings, cold weather, anyone who wants a classical perfume rather than a modern accord. Price: $790 / 50 ml. Shop No.1 Masculine.
Clive Christian No.1 Feminine Perfume
The other half of the pair, same year, same perfumer. Apricot, peach, plum and pineapple make the opening juicier than the masculine, with cardamom and paprika keeping it from reading as simply fruity. Ylang-ylang, iris, jasmine, carnation, rose and orchid fill the middle, and it lands on the same sandalwood-vanilla-amber base. Rich, powdery and unmistakably formal.
Best for: special occasions, autumn and winter, lovers of vintage-style florals. Price: $790 / 50 ml. Shop No.1 Feminine.
Clive Christian 1872 Masculine Perfume
Composed by Geza Schoen, launched 2001, and the easiest Clive Christian to wear. The opening is a full citrus basket — petitgrain, lime, grapefruit, bergamot, mandarin — cut with lavender, rosemary and galbanum. Clary sage, jasmine, marigold and freesia follow, then cedar, patchouli, musk, amber and labdanum give it weight. Fresh at the top, serious underneath.
Best for: daytime, work, warm weather, and as a first step into the house. Price: $390 / 50 ml or 100 ml. Shop 1872 Masculine.
Clive Christian 1872 Feminine Perfume
Brighter and more floral than its partner. Bergamot, Amalfi lemon, tangerine and blueberry open it, lily-of-the-valley, violet, freesia, osmanthus, rose and orchid carry the middle, and oakmoss, cedar, sandalwood, patchouli and guaiac ground it. Of the three feminine Originals this is the everyday one.
Best for: spring and summer days, office wear. Price: $390 / 50 ml or 100 ml. Shop 1872 Feminine.
Clive Christian X Masculine Perfume
Also Geza Schoen, also 2001, and the strangest of the Original Collection in the best way. Rhubarb and pineapple open it — tart, almost sour — over bergamot. Iris, paprika and jasmine make a powdery, spicy heart, and the base is cedar, cinnamon, oakmoss, amber, vetiver, styrax, labdanum and vanilla. It smells like a fougère that went to a much more expensive school.
Best for: evening, autumn, wearers who already own the safe classics and want something with an edge. Price: $390 / 50 ml or 100 ml. Shop X Masculine.
Clive Christian C Woody Leather Perfume
From the Private Collection letter series, composed by Christian Provenzano in 2017. Oud and mandarin open it, tobacco and saffron build the middle, and leather and dry woods hold the base. This is the one to hand someone who says they like oud but finds most oud perfumes medicinal — it is smooth, dark and more leather than smoke.
Best for: cold-weather evenings, anyone shopping the oud-leather category. Price: $430 / 50 ml, also in 100 ml. Shop C Woody Leather.
The rest of the range, by style
Amber and woody
- Clive Christian Art Deco Amberwood Perfume ($610) — angelica and sage over tobacco, patchouli and oud.
- Clive Christian Immortelle Perfume ($610) — bergamot and lemon over immortelle, papyrus and vetiver.
- Clive Christian Town & Country Perfume ($500) — clary sage, ambergris and sandalwood, stripped back to three notes.
- Clive Christian V Amber Fougere Perfume ($430) — black pepper and bergamot over olibanum, smoke and amber.
Floral
- Clive Christian Magnolia Perfume ($610) — magnolia and rose with clove and cinnamon on oakmoss.
- Clive Christian Jump Up and Kiss Me Ecstatic Perfume ($610) — tuberose, jasmine and orange blossom over amber and suede.
- Clive Christian L Floral Chypre Perfume ($430) — rose and jasmine sambac on patchouli.
- Clive Christian I Woody Floral Perfume ($430) — mandarin and rose on amber and cedar.
- Clive Christian X Feminine Perfume ($390) — peach, pineapple and rhubarb over jasmine and orris on patchouli and musk.
- Clive Christian Iconic Feminine Perfume ($500) — plum and saffron over rose, cashmere wood and honey.
Gourmand and sweet
- Clive Christian E Gourmande Oriental Perfume ($430) — rum and peach over caramel, maple, bourbon vanilla and cinnamon.
- Clive Christian Strange Heavens Out of the Blue Perfume ($610) — coffee and anise over caramel, cocoa, vanilla and smoke.
- Clive Christian Cosmos Flower Perfume ($610) — rum and apple over plum and cosmos flower, on cacao and caramel.
Fresh, green and aromatic
- Clive Christian Crab Apple Blossom Perfume ($500) — sea notes and apple blossom with rhubarb and driftwood.
- Clive Christian Cypress Perfume ($610) — petitgrain, cypress and amber, and little else.
- Clive Christian Matsukita Perfume ($500) — bergamot and nutmeg over mate and jasmine on guaiac and balsam fir.
- Clive Christian Iconic Masculine Perfume ($500) — yuzu and grapefruit over juniper and clove on vetiver and olibanum.
- Clive Christian L Red Tea Vetiver Perfume ($430) — lemon over rooibos tea and vetiver on sandalwood and musk.
- Clive Christian Rock Rose Perfume ($610) — lavender and clary sage over labdanum, cacao and vetiver.
Musk and cashmere
- Clive Christian E Cashmere Musk Perfume ($430) — blood orange and Sichuan pepper over cashmeran, on musk and guaiac.
Two more sit slightly apart: Clive Christian Jump Up and Kiss Me Hedonistic Perfume ($610), a black cherry, tobacco and orris scent with a leather-amber base, and Clive Christian Art Deco Blonde Amber Extrait de Parfum ($610), a rum-and-incense amber from the Art Deco line.
Clive Christian comparison table
| Fragrance | Family | Best for | Season | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clive Christian No.1 Masculine | Amber woody | Formal evenings | Fall, winter | $790 / 50 ml |
| Clive Christian No.1 Feminine | Amber floral | Special occasions | Fall, winter | $790 / 50 ml |
| Clive Christian 1872 Masculine | Citrus aromatic | Daytime, office | Spring, summer | $390 / 50–100 ml |
| Clive Christian 1872 Feminine | Floral fruity | Everyday wear | Spring, summer | $390 / 50–100 ml |
| Clive Christian X Masculine | Aromatic fougère | Evening, something different | Fall | $390 / 50–100 ml |
| Clive Christian X Feminine | Chypre fruity | Evening, vintage lovers | Fall | $390 / 50–100 ml |
| Clive Christian C Woody Leather | Amber woody | Oud and leather fans | Fall, winter | $430 / 50–100 ml |
| Clive Christian E Gourmande Oriental | Amber vanilla | Sweet-scent lovers | Winter | $430 / 50 ml |
| Clive Christian Crab Apple Blossom | Citrus aquatic | Hot days, fresh wear | Summer | $500 / 50 ml |
| Clive Christian Art Deco Amberwood | Amber woody | Modern woody-amber | Fall, winter | $610 / 50 ml |
Which Clive Christian fragrance should you choose?
Start with 1872 if this is your first bottle from the house. It is the least expensive way in, the most wearable in daylight, and it still shows the concentration and the crown. Masculine for citrus and herbs, feminine for citrus and white flowers.
Choose No.1 if you want the house at full volume and the classical structure is the point. It is nearly twice the price of 1872 for half the volume, so treat it as an occasion purchase, and try it on skin first.
Choose X if you already own conventional classics and want something with a twist — the rhubarb-pineapple opening and powdery iris heart are unusual at any price.
Skip No.1 if you already own X or 1872 and mainly wear fragrance to the office; the overlap in the sandalwood-vanilla base is real, and the extra money buys richness you may not need daily. Go straight to C Woody Leather if oud and leather are what you actually like — none of the Original Collection scratches that itch.
For sweet tastes, E Gourmande Oriental is the house's caramel-and-rum answer; see also our guide to the best vanilla perfumes. If you are new to this price bracket entirely, read how to choose your first niche perfume first.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Clive Christian perfume so expensive?
Three reasons: concentration, materials and presentation. The house states a minimum 20% perfume oil in its compositions, with the Addictive Arts line at 25%, and each formula is built from 150 to 250 ingredients. Every bottle also carries a gold-plated crown stopper, a design Queen Victoria authorised for The Crown Perfumery in 1872.
Is Clive Christian No.1 worth it?
No.1 is worth it if you want one of the most concentrated, longest-lasting classical perfumes on the market and you value the heritage and the bottle. At $790 for 50 ml it is the most expensive fragrance we stock, so try it before committing. If you love the style but not the price, the 1872 and X pairs share the house's DNA at half the cost.
What is the difference between Clive Christian's Original, Private and Noble collections?
The Original Collection is the trio of paired masculine and feminine perfumes launched in 1999 and 2001 — No.1, X and 1872 — in the classic crowned flacon. The Private Collection uses single letters, such as C Woody Leather and E Gourmande Oriental, for more focused modern themes. Later lines including Noble, Jump Up and Kiss Me and Art Deco each explore their own concept and bottle finish.
Does Clive Christian perfume last long?
Yes. These are perfume-strength concentrations rather than eau de parfum, so most wearers report all-day wear from a small amount and lingering scent on clothing. Spray lightly at first — one or two sprays of No.1 or C Woody Leather goes a long way.
What does Clive Christian X smell like?
X Masculine opens on rhubarb, pineapple and bergamot, moves through iris, paprika and jasmine, then dries down to cedar, oakmoss, amber, labdanum and vanilla — a green, spicy fougère with a powdery heart. X Feminine is the fruitier chypre of the pair, with peach, pineapple and rhubarb over jasmine, orris and rose on patchouli and musk. Both launched in 2001.
Is Clive Christian unisex?
The house labels most perfumes Masculine or Feminine, but the split is a style convention rather than a rule, and plenty of customers wear across it. The feminine No.1 is a rich amber floral; the masculine is an amber woody with the same sandalwood-vanilla base. Try the pair side by side and pick the one you like.
Which Clive Christian is the most popular?
No.1 is the name people know, helped by the 2005 No.1 Imperial Majesty edition that set a Guinness World Record as the most expensive commercially available perfume at $205,000 for 500 ml. Among fragrances you can actually buy day to day, the 1872 and X pairs and C Woody Leather are the ones customers ask for most.
Who owns Clive Christian perfume?
Clive Christian Perfume was founded in 1999 when the English furniture designer Clive Christian acquired The Crown Perfumery, a London house established in 1872. The brand still trades under his name and keeps the crown on every bottle.
What does Clive Christian C Woody Leather smell like?
C Woody Leather opens with oud and mandarin, turns to tobacco and saffron, and settles into leather and dry woods. It is the most obviously Middle-Eastern-leaning scent in the range and the one to try if you like oud-leather perfumes. We stock it in both 50 ml and 100 ml.
Try Clive Christian at Redolia
At these prices, testing matters more than reviews. Browse the full Clive Christian collection, or visit our Somerville, New Jersey boutique and try the pairs side by side — read what to expect inside Redolia Perfumery or find us on the store page. Questions? Email info@redolia.com.