Clive Christian 1872 Masculine

The number on this bottle is a name, not a launch date. 1872 is the year Queen Victoria granted the Crown Perfumery Company the use of her crown, and Clive Christian carries that year on a masculine and feminine pair in its Original Collection. The fragrance itself was released in 2001, listed on the databases at the time as 1872 for Men. It smells green, bitter-bright and barbershop-clean, with herbs doing more of the talking than fruit.

Fragrance Notes

Top: Petitgrain

Heart: Clary Sage, Jasmine, Neroli

Base: Cedarwood, Musk

Notes verified from Clive Christian.

The Scent

Petitgrain opens it. This is the oil pressed from the leaves and twigs of the bitter orange tree rather than its peel, so the first impression is citrus with a woody, slightly green bitterness instead of juice. There is no candied orange here and no fruit sweetness to soften the start.

Clary sage arrives quickly and becomes the centre of the fragrance. The house ties it to a story of Nero using sage to rouse his troops, and whatever you make of that, the material reads aromatic, a little musky and hay-like, the smell of a clean shirt rather than a garden. Jasmine and neroli sit inside the sage rather than on top of it: the neroli extends the orange-blossom side of the petitgrain, and the jasmine rounds the herbs so they do not turn medicinal.

The base is cedarwood and musk. The cedar is dry and pencil-shaving clean, and the musk pulls everything close and smooth. There is no amber, vanilla or resin underneath, which is why the whole thing stays light in weight from first spray to the end. It is a classic gentleman's citrus aromatic in structure, built at the perfume strength Clive Christian uses across this line, around 20 percent oil according to the house.

When to Wear

Daytime is its natural setting. The bitter citrus and sage are at their best in warm weather, in the office, at a lunch, or anywhere a shirt and jacket are the dress code. It suits spring and summer, and it handles humid heat better than most of this house's catalogue because nothing in it is sweet or resinous. On a cold evening it can feel thin next to warmer ambers. Because the oil content is high, a light hand works better than a heavy one, especially in a closed office.

Who Is It For

It is for the man who already owns a fresh citrus or two and wants one with a more formal, old-school frame: herbal, crisp and polished rather than sporty or aquatic. It also suits someone collecting Clive Christian who wants the house's daytime signature before its heavier work. If you want sweetness, spice or a loud evening fragrance, this is not built for that job. At this house's prices, a decant is the sensible way to learn whether the sage reads crisp or old-fashioned on you.

Browse the full Clive Christian collection, the house's other entry in our catalogue, Clive Christian Town & Country, and more bright openings in our citrus and zesty fragrances.

Available as a 3ml or 5ml decant, filled from the original bottle.