Citizen X by Ex Nihilo bottle
Ex Nihilo

Citizen X

3.6/5 · 314 votes Unisex 2017
Main accords
Where to buy
Love Citizen X?
Save it to your favourites and discover similar scents in the Nardinum app.
Get the app

Fragrance notes

Top notes
Heart notes
Base notes

Character

Longevity3.5/5
Sillage3.1/5
Day93
Night32
Spring100
Summer88
Fall79
Winter39
Our take

Citizen X is a fragrance that opens with a sharp, almost medicinal snap of mastic and white pepper, a green and resinous jolt that feels like cracking a twig of sapwood underfoot. That brisk, terpenic edge quickly softens into a cool, powdery iris that never goes full lipstick glamour; instead it stays dry and slightly mineral, like crushed violet petals on a limestone windowsill. The base of musk, olibanum, and amberwood folds the whole thing into a clean, balsamic warmth that’s more about texture than sweetness. This is not a cozy scent. It smells like a grey linen suit pressed with rosemary steam, or the interior of a minimalist hotel lobby where the air conditioning hums over polished concrete. The longevity is adequate at best, retreating to a skin-close hum after three hours, and the sillage is polite enough that you’ll need to press your wrist to someone’s nose for them to notice. That makes it ideal for the office, a brunch date, or any daytime scenario where you want to smell expensive without announcing your arrival. But if you crave projection, warmth, or a sense of indulgence, this will underwhelm. Citizen X suits the person who prefers a clean, aromatic sharpness over comfort, someone who wants to smell composed rather than seductive. It is a very particular note: the perfume equivalent of a perfectly sharpened pencil. Anyone hoping for a powdery iris hug should look elsewhere.

Smells similar

Built from the same materials — ranked by how unusual the shared notes are, not by how many.

More from Ex Nihilo

All Ex Nihilo →