El by Arquiste
Men 2016
The olfactory pyramid
A guide to the opening, heart and lasting trail of the fragrance.
The community speaks
Compare the results and tap an answer to add your vote.
In the collection
Leading answer I want it
478 votes
What do you think?
Leading answer Love it
166 votes
Season
Choose severalLeading answer Autumn
196 votes
Time of day
Choose severalLeading answer Night
105 votes
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Fragrance profile
About El
El by Arquiste is an oriental fougère fragrance for men. Launched in 2016, this composition was created by perfumer Rodrigo Flores-Roux.
Woods and mosses Musk, amber and animalic White flowers Green, herbal and fougère Flowers Spices Sweet and gourmand
It may remind you of
Ranked by what the community voted.
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How it wears
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Longevity
Leading answer Long-lasting
86 votes
Sillage
Leading answer Moderate
109 votes
Character
Leading answer Traditionally masculine
65 votes
Value perception
Leading answer Fair price
53 votes
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Community reviews
3 reviews
Share what you noticed: opening, drydown, sillage and the moments when it works for you.
I paid $210 for Arquiste, hoping the price would justify the quality, but I was let down. It smells like Kouros, but more ambered and subtle. Compared side-by-side, Arquiste feels more relaxed and diluted, leaning toward the style of Chanel’s Antaeus, while Kouros is more synthetic, potent, and deep. The real issue is its performance: within an hour, the intensity drops drastically. It evolves into a green-woody scent with faint notes of castoreum, civet, and geranium. By four hours, you have to press your nose to your skin to smell it, and with luck, it lasts five hours. In contrast, reformulated Kouros, though it’s an Eau de Toilette, lasts almost ten hours on me. It makes no sense to spend $210 (plus shipping) on something that performs so poorly compared to the $60 Kouros. It’s a disappointment; it’s a characterful fragrance, but the price doesn’t add up. If you have money to burn, go for it, but if you’re looking for quality and longevity, there are better and cheaper options. Scent: 9.0/10 Sillage: 5.5/10 Projection: 4.5/10 Longevity: 3.5/10
This is an absolute beast of a fragrance. In my 18 years, I’ve smelled everything, but this is a masterpiece—not for noses that don’t know what they’re missing, only for those brave enough to enjoy a unique experience. I tested it a couple of months ago; I already knew its reputation, so I applied it with excitement among over 100 options. When I smelled it, I was speechless: it’s masculine, authoritative, bold, robust, and animalic. If you want to feel like a caveman hunting a mammoth to feed his tribe, this is it. If you prefer something softer, look elsewhere. The longevity is apocalyptic—over 12 hours on skin with decent projection; eventually, it becomes a delicious second skin. Use it sparingly; it’s not a Nautica Voyage or Invictus, but the effect is different. I don’t have the bottle yet, but it’s a safe buy. With its performance, I doubt I’ll finish it; four sprays last the whole day. Scent: 9/10 Longevity: 9/10 Projection: 8/10 Highly recommended, I’m looking pretty damn good right now.
I was blown away by this fragrance. I smell it and think: ‘This is Kouros!’ Maybe the notes differ slightly, but the feeling is that you’re smelling a perfume from the era that vibrates just like an Antaeus or a Kouros, but with niche-level price and quality.