Clive Christian — Contemporary
Essence
Contemporary is one half of Clive Christian’s 2022 limited-edition 150th Anniversary Collection (paired with Timeless), marking 150 years since the founding of the Crown Perfumery Company in 1872. It’s a fruity-aromatic fougere built on a violet-leaf-and-blackberry idea over a mossy, malt-tinged base - and the enthusiast consensus is blunt and useful: it’s essentially the house’s beloved Rock Rose with the cistus/labdanum swapped out for a heavy dose of violet leaf.
Scent Profile
Opens fruity-earthy-woody: a juicy, sweet blackberry hits alongside a powdery violet and cool, green geranium, with black pepper and a slightly sage-like herbal lift - several wearers describe an almost simultaneous “choreographed” dance of sage/blackberry/violet. One memorable take: “sour gummy worms with a masculine twist. Blue and pink gummy worms with the sour sugar sucked off. The heart brings nutmeg and aromatic cedar; the base is the fougere signature - earthy moss plus an understated single-malt whisky note (“malt”) giving a dry, slightly boozy grounding. The house lists it at 25% concentration with 203 ingredients. Net: rich, classy, spicy-aromatic with a fresh-sweet fruity top - “mature without giving old-man vibes.”
Performance
Strong, as befits a 25% Parfum - Clive Christian’s own copy states “the flighty top notes are anchored to the skin for an impression on the skin that lasts over eight hours,” and wearers corroborate it (easily 8+ hours, still detectable on skin), with moderate projection and sillage that settles fairly close after the opening. One reviewer summarizes “sillage and performance are fantastic”; another calls projection and sillage “moderate” with “great” longevity. Solidly above mainstream, in line with the house’s extrait-level expectations.
Wearing Context
Versatile lean-masculine professional/daytime scent - one 30-year-old wearer finds it “perfectly suited, especially in a professional setting,” rich and classy without reading old. The moss keeps it from getting too sweet, pushing it masculine, though it’s marketed and worn unisex. Spring/fall transitional weather suits the fresh-fruity-aromatic profile; not a heavy winter bomb.
Comparisons & DNA
The defining comparison, repeated across and, is to Clive Christian Rock Rose (2016): “Contemporary shares the same framework as Rock Rose and 1872 for Men - swap out a note or two and you have Contemporary. Specifically it “takes the base of Rock Rose and replaces the cistus with violet leaf, a lot of it. The other recurring reference is Dior Fahrenheit - “sort of a Fahrenheit without any of the musky/petrol notes” - owing to the violet-leaf/woody structure. One owner maps it onto other Clive Christians: “very similar to XIX Cedar Leaf (violet, cedar) with a hint of Matsukita (nutmeg). Dissenting samplers found it instead “sour and a bit salty.
Reception
Well-liked within the (small, price-gated) group who’ve tried it - praised as “very rich and classy,” “a wonderful spicy aromatic fougere,” high-quality and well-blended. It sold out fast on release: “When Contemporary and Timeless were first released, Contemporary was sold out in all department stores within a week or so,” and a user noted his local Saks “sold out of it immediately” while Timeless lingered. The honest counterweight is price-value skepticism universal to the house - “smells really nice. But not list-price nice,” and many enthusiasts simply can’t justify the cost. The split sentiment on the actual smell (Rock-Rose-clone lovers vs.
Versions & Reformulation
New 2022 limited edition; no reformulation. The catalog’s “which sub-line” question resolves clearly: it’s the Anniversary Collection - 150 (also styled “150: Contemporary”), a limited edition celebrating 150 years of Crown Perfumery (founded 1872; the Clive Christian label emerged from Crown in 1999). Per Clive Christian retailer Vittoria Profumi, “3500 pieces were produced in the world available in a limited edition to be released for Christmas 2022,” in 50ml. Note it has since been re-released - a 2025 thread says “I see Clive Christian have re-released Timeless & Contemporary again” - so “limited” has proven somewhat elastic; availability has come and gone.
Acquisition Notes
Expensive and intermittently available. As a Clive Christian Parfum it carries the house’s signature crown-capped 50ml flacon and luxury pricing - per Luxurious Magazine, “Clive Christian’s Timeless and Contemporary have an RRP of £380, and orders can be placed via www. Com”; also sold through Saks, Bergdorf Goodman, and the house’s own boutiques. Because it sells out fast and re-releases sporadically, the practical advice from owners is “snap it up ASAP” if you find it and love it - but given the Rock-Rose similarity, anyone who already owns Rock Rose should sample first to decide whether the violet-leaf swap justifies a second purchase at this price (“owning both seems nuts, particularly in this price range”).
Notable Facts & Lore
- The anniversary framing is the lore: Crown Perfumery traces to 1872, and its origin story (per house notes) is delightfully Victorian - corset-shop “Thomson” had ladies fainting from tight lacing, so the founder’s chemist son created a lavender smelling salt to revive them, followed in 1865 by the “Crab Apple Blossom” perfume and the 1872 founding of Crown Perfumery.
- Clive Christian acquired Crown in 1999.
- Contemporary and Timeless are explicitly framed as the “modern” and “classic” poles of that heritage - and collectors note a bottle detail: the lion on Contemporary’s flacon should be positioned “stage left,” with Timeless’s lion “stage right,” the two designed as a matched pair.