If Rehab is Initio's smooth, understated side, Side Effect is its alter ego: loud, boozy and unashamedly sexy. Part of the house's Carnal Blends, the collection built around the idea of chemical attraction, it is a spiced, rum-soaked tobacco designed to be noticed and to draw people closer. It is one of the most distinctive scents in the Initio line, and one of the most copied.
The name is a knowing wink.
Initio's carnal blends
Initio Parfums Privés built its reputation on the science, or at least the story, of attraction, dosing its Carnal Blends with Hedione, a molecule said to light up the brain's pleasure pathways. Side Effect, launched in 2016, sits at the heart of that collection. The name is the wink: this is a fragrance pitched as the happy side effect of wanting to be irresistible.
Rum, tobacco and spice
The fragrance opens warm and intoxicating, a boozy rum laced with cinnamon, immediately rich and a little decadent. The heart brings tobacco and saffron, spicy and slightly smoky, before a base of vanilla, sandalwood and musk rounds everything into a smooth, sweet warmth. It is a cold-weather, after-dark fragrance through and through, the smell of a dark bar and good intentions, the kind of scent that fills the space around you.
What it actually smells like
Boozy, sweet and spicy, a rum-and-tobacco warmth wrapped in vanilla. It is rich and intoxicating rather than fresh, projects strongly and lasts a long time, and it leans masculine but is enjoyed by anyone who loves a sweet, spirituous gourmand. It is at its best in cold weather and the evening, and a little goes a long way.
The £395 question
A bottle of Side Effect sits around £395 in the UK. For the money you get one of the most distinctive boozy gourmands in niche perfumery and the cachet of the Initio name. The catch is the spend, and the fact that this rum-and-tobacco signature has been widely admired and imitated.
Which is the reason an alternative market exists. People love the intoxicating warmth of Side Effect without wanting to pay £395 for it.
Euphoria: the 35% interpretation
This is where we come in, and we will be straight about what we are. Our Euphoria is Aromara's interpretation of that boozy-tobacco character, not a counterfeit and not an Initio product. It carries no branding and makes no claim to be the original. It chases the part that matters: the rum and cinnamon opening, the tobacco and saffron heart, and the vanilla, sandalwood and musk base.
The difference is in two numbers. Ours is built at 35% extrait concentration, roughly double a standard eau de parfum, so the rum and tobacco hold for seven hours or more rather than fading by lunch. And it costs £4.99 for a 5ml to test it properly, against £395 for the original. We guarantee the wear time in writing, with 60 days to send it back for a full refund if it does not last.
Our guide to extrait de parfum explains why concentration matters, and the strongest perfume dupes in the UK shows where our range sits. If you love a sweet, boozy warmth, the story behind Xerjoff Naxos is a natural next read, and our Golden Honey is another to try.
Frequently asked questions
Who makes Initio Side Effect?
It is made by Initio Parfums Privés as part of its Carnal Blends collection, and launched in 2016.
What does Side Effect smell like?
A boozy, spiced gourmand: rum and cinnamon up top, a tobacco and saffron heart, and a warm base of vanilla, sandalwood and musk. Rich and intoxicating.
Is Aromara's Euphoria the same as Initio?
No. It is an independent composition inspired by the same character, built at 35% extrait for longevity and sold at a fraction of the price. It is not affiliated with Initio.
Aromara is an independent UK fragrance house. Our fragrances are original compositions inspired by the character of well-known designer scents. We are not affiliated with Initio Parfums Privés, and all trademarks belong to their respective owners. Every Aromara fragrance is made in the UK at 35% extrait concentration, with a 7+ hour longevity guarantee and a 60-day money-back promise.