Crab Apple Blossom - ( DX029623 )

A crab apple tree in a Kensington garden started this. The Crown Perfumery founder built a perfume around its blossom in the nineteenth century, and Clive Christian revived the name in 2020 as the first release of its Crown Collection, composed by Kamila Lelakova according to Parfumo. The new version is not a period floral. It wears as a salted, sunlit citrus: bergamot and sea notes up front, tart rhubarb behind, and pale woods underneath.

Fragrance Notes

Top: Apple Blossom, Sea Notes, Bergamot

Heart: Rhubarb, Mojito

Base: Sandalwood, Driftwood

Full note breakdown on Fragrantica.

The Scent

The first minutes are bright and wet. Bergamot gives a clean citrus snap, the sea notes add a mineral, salty air, and the apple blossom sits softly on top as a pale, slightly powdery flower rather than a fruit. Anyone expecting a crunchy apple accord will not find one; the apple here is the blossom, not the fruit.

Rhubarb carries the heart. It is green, tart and a little pink, the sourness of the stalk rather than a jam, and a mojito accord adds mint and lime freshness alongside it. Together they keep the fragrance cool and slightly sharp through the middle, which is where it feels most distinctive.

The base is sandalwood and driftwood. The sandalwood is creamy but restrained, and the driftwood gives a dry, sun-bleached, faintly salty wood that echoes the sea notes from the start. Clive Christian bottles it at 25 percent perfume concentration, so even a fresh aquatic like this has a dense, polished texture on skin.

When to Wear

Warm days are where it belongs. Spring and summer, daytime plans, travel and holidays near water all suit its salt-and-citrus character, and it is one of the few fragrances from this house that feels at home in tropical humidity. In winter it reads cool and can feel out of season. It is easy to wear in an office as well, since nothing in it is heavy or sweet, and it layers cleanly under a light shirt on a hot afternoon when a darker Clive Christian would feel like too much.

Who Is It For

It suits someone who likes fresh marine and citrus fragrances but wants one with a greener, tarter middle and more density than the usual blue aquatic. It works for men and women equally. It is also a natural pick for anyone exploring Clive Christian who prefers daylight compositions to the house's richer ambers and florals. Fragrance fans who remember the older Crown Perfumery bottles should know this is a fresh interpretation carrying the name, not a museum reconstruction, so it is best judged as a modern citrus aquatic on its own terms. At a price that sits among the highest in the catalogue, the small sizes exist exactly for testing a fresh scent like this before a full bottle.

Find more from the house in the Clive Christian collection, including Clive Christian Town & Country, also from the Crown Collection, or browse our citrus and zesty fragrances.

Available as a 3ml or 5ml decant, filled from the original bottle.

Specifications

• Brand: Clive Christian
• Type: Fragrances
• Options: 5ML Decant (75+ sprays), 3ML Decant (45+ sprays)