# Clive Christian — 1872 Mandarin

> 1872 Mandarin is a limited-edition citrus-chypre riff on Clive Christian's long-running 1872 for Men, refreshed with mandarin blossom and a juicier citrus top. Released in 2016 as one of two orange-bl

## Essence
1872 Mandarin is a limited-edition citrus-chypre riff on Clive Christian's long-running 1872 for Men, refreshed with mandarin blossom and a juicier citrus top. Released in 2016 as one of two orange-blossom-themed limited editions (alongside X Neroli) celebrating the house's royal Crown Perfumery heritage, it takes the green, aromatic, slightly old-school 1872 DNA and brightens it with a sunnier mandarin opening before settling into a mossy, woody-musky base.
## Scent Profile
The opening is the selling point: a bright, juicy citrus burst led by Sicilian mandarin, bergamot and tangerine, lifted with ginger, lime, basil and coriander. Compared to the original 1872, reviewers describe it as "more-so citrus, woody, white floral" with a shorter stint of orange up top and "less green overall. After roughly thirty minutes the fruity citrus settles and a floral-soapy heart emerges - lily-of-the-valley, violet, freesia, rose and jasmine - that several reviewers describe as leaning unisex-masculine, "the most elegant soap scent I've come across. The drydown is a classic light chypre/woody-musk: moss, vetiver, cedar, patchouli and amber, with a "very, very subtle amount of saffron" providing a green, cooling finish. One detailed review highlights the cedar-plus-dry-vetiver-plus-saffron and patchouli-plus-oakmoss interplay as the standout. Note that wearers have flagged the listed note pyramid as incomplete; expect prominent white musk underneath.
## Performance
Documented evidence on performance is moderate and somewhat mixed. Reviewers who treasure it describe it as "super long-lasting" and "full of life," and contrast it against the original 1872's notoriously poor longevity. The original 1872 for Men is widely criticized for lasting as little as 30 minutes to a couple of hours on some skin, so the Mandarin version's improved staying power is one of its selling points - and the house attributes the longevity in part to the 20% perfume concentration and 149-ingredient formula. Treat longevity claims with mild caution: this is a citrus chypre, not a powerhouse.
## Wearing Context
A spring and summer daytime fragrance - bright, fresh, "a little ray of sunshine for the senses," as one reviewer puts it. The soapy-clean elegance makes it well suited to office and casual-smart settings; reviewers compare its vibe to a refined, citrus-forward grooming scent. Officially unisex, in practice it reads unisex-masculine on most skin, though the floral heart gives it crossover appeal. The original 1872 was sometimes worn as a "beginner's Eau de Cologne," and the Mandarin shares that easy, inoffensive daytime wearability while adding a touch more depth.
## Comparisons & DNA
The primary comparison is its own parent, 1872 for Men (2001) - reviewers call Mandarin essentially "1872 with a mandarin twist," brighter and juicier up top, less green and herbal overall. It is also discussed alongside its sibling limited edition 1872 X Neroli and the related 1872 Vetiver, which reworks the same base toward vetiver and frankincense. One reviewer compares the floral-citrus drydown to Clive Christian's own Crab Apple Blossom. Because the original 1872 has itself been likened to Boucheron pour Homme, Lalique pour Homme (Lion), Nicolai New York and Azzaro One Man Show, the Mandarin variant sits loosely in that green-citrus-aromatic family while being more overtly fruity and floral than any of them.
## Reception
Among the small but devoted group who have tried it, reception skews very positive: one reviewer calls it "the best Clive Christian unisex fragrance of all time," and several lament that it is a hard-to-find limited edition. Praise centers on the authentic, high-quality mandarin and the elegant chypre drydown - "one of the most authentic mandarins ever," mixing "modern and old school. On, the verdict is more tempered: a buyer who blind-bought it found it "leans very far toward masculine" and "cologne-like," concluding it was a "regrettable blind buy" because they couldn't picture wearing it as a woman. As with the entire house, the dominant criticism is value: Clive Christian's pricing is widely seen as disproportionate to the materials. Blind-buy verdict: risky, both because of the price and because availability is now scarce.
## Versions & Reformulation
1872 Mandarin is itself a limited-edition reformulation/flanker of the original 1872, redeveloped with mandarin blossom. Per Clive Christian's official launch page, it is "a vibrant and energetic citrus musk, boasting a 20% perfume concentration and 149 different ingredients," released in a symbolic run of 1,872 individually numbered pieces. The production has since been discontinued. There is no evidence of a further reformulation of the Mandarin version itself - it was a one-off limited release.
## Acquisition Notes
Discontinued and limited from the start (a numbered run of 1,872 pieces), so it now trades on the secondary market. Clive Christian's official price was $395 for the 1. 6 oz (50ml) Parfum spray. Bottles surface on eBay and at occasional retailers; 2ml samples also circulate, which is the prudent way to test before committing to a scarce full bottle.
## Notable Facts & Lore
- The 1872 name commemorates the year Queen Victoria granted the Crown Perfumery Company the right to use her crown on its products - the heritage Clive Christian acquired and built the brand's identity around.
- The 2016 launch of 1872 Mandarin and X Neroli was explicitly framed as a celebration of "the love story that founded the brand," with both fragrances reworked around orange blossom and bitter orange.
- The limited run of 1,872 numbered pieces directly references the founding year.