Clive Christian — Chasing the Dragon Hypnotic
Essence
Chasing the Dragon Hypnotic is the masculine-leaning half of a 2017 pair (with the feminine Chasing the Dragon Euphoric) inside Clive Christian’s Addictive Arts collection - a deliberately provocative, hedonism-themed line whose names and concepts riff on narcotics and altered states. Created by perfumer Angela Stavrevska (the line was developed by England’s CPL Aromas), Hypnotic is built around the collection’s much-hyped, patented “AddictiveFusion” headspace technology, which Clive Christian claimed was “untraceable under analysis and impossible to imitate.
Scent Profile
The signature accord is sour/black cherry braided with clove and cinnamon, sitting over incense and resins. The brand’s own narrative: “Noble, addictive accord. From smoky incense, pink pepper, elemi, bergamot and a brief, dying spark of fiery ginger. Whilst rich clove, black cherry and cinnamon sit within basil, fir balsam and labdanum. Rich dry ambers, resinous myrrh and leathery, liquid amber call out from a darkening crack below.” Wearers noses largely confirm this but emphasize the spice over the fruit: clove and cinnamon dominate, with the cherry reading as a tart, almost medicinal/absinthe-like edge. A reviewer found a surprising gourmand turn - “that sweetened condensed milk smell made famous by Angel, but paired with green herbs and suede.
Performance
Per wearers, longevity rates roughly and sillage about - i. Above-average longevity with moderate (not monstrous) projection, which surprises buyers given the parfum concentration and the price. As one owner put it: “You would think that for the price and notes this would be super dense, but it’s actually not at all. It’s very elegant and smooth.
Wearing Context
A cool-weather, evening/special-occasion fragrance - the spicy-cherry-resin profile screams autumn and winter, Christmas-tree-and-dark-cherries imagery recurs in reviews (“Christmas tree, adorned with dark red cherries and bergamot”). It leans masculine but is sampleable by anyone who loves spicy orientals. One reviewer argued it’s versatile enough to be a year-round one-bottle signature “without criticism,” but the consensus use-case is dressed-up, colder-season wear.
Comparisons & DNA
The most cited dupe/cousin is Kilian Black Phantom - a reviewer recommended it as “a less expensive (though still expensive) substitute. Which is similar but adds coffee. Within Clive Christian’s own line, reviewers place it “in-between Clive Christian C & X,” and rank it against its Addictive Arts siblings (many prefer Psychedelic; Hypnotic is often called the most wearable/masculine, while one reviewer dismissed it as “the weakest in the line”). The cherry-clove-resin DNA also draws loose comparison to other dark, boozy-spicy gourmand-orientals of the Tom Ford private-blend school.
Reception
Genuinely well-liked for its scent, near-universally mocked for its price. The juice earns strong praise - “a masterpiece,” “best of the Addictive Arts line IMO,” “extremely good! But essentially every review collides with the cost: “Worth $576? Hell no 🤣,” “was it worth $700? No, but really none of this stuff is.
Versions & Reformulation
Released 2017 as a parfum (also marketed in eau de parfum/eau de cologne framings at various retailers), 75ml, part of Addictive Arts. The line debuted at £525 for 75ml (Harrods Oct 2017; US at Bergdorf Goodman/Neiman Marcus Nov 2017). It is now discontinued, so the only “versions” in circulation are the original bottles plus decants. No reformulation is documented.
Acquisition Notes
As a discontinued Clive Christian, full bottles command high secondary prices and stock is thin; remaining retail/closeout listings and decant splitters are the realistic path. This is an emphatic sample-before-bottle scent given (a) the price, (b) the polarizing cherry-absinthe-clove profile, and (c) the only-moderate projection that disappoints some at this tier. Verify authenticity carefully on the secondary market. If you love it and find a “reasonably priced bottle,” reviewers say grab it - but few think it’s worth full original ask.
Notable Facts & Lore
- Part of the Addictive Arts collection, themed on hedonism and narcotic “trips”; sibling scents include Euphoric, Psychedelic, Ecstatic, Hedonistic, and Vision in a Dream.
- The line introduced Clive Christian’s patented “AddictiveFusion” headspace technology (developed with CPL Aromas), marketed as impossible to copy - a claim treated skeptically by wearers.
- Clive Christian’s group CEO at launch, Amy Nelson-Bennett, told WWD in September 2017: “Based on two very strong years of growth since the acquisition of the business in 2015 and our robust plans for next year, we expect global retail sales to exceed $50 million dollars in 2018.
- She added that Addictive Arts “is not going to be a volume bestseller, but we do expect the collection to represent 10 percent of our sales mix by the end of 2018” - context for the line’s ultra-premium positioning.
- The brand descends from Victorian-era The Crown Perfumery Company, which is why the bottles retain a crown motif.