Is Tobacco Carnaval Worth 220 Pounds? What the Reviews Actually Say

Maison Crivelli's Tobacco Carnaval is £220 for 50ml at Harrods, or £375 for 100ml at Selfridges. It is new for 2026 and it is a 32% extrait, which Crivelli publish, unusually.

The reviews are polite. They are not excited. Here is why, and whether you should buy it anyway.

What you get for £220

• 50ml of a 32% extrait de parfum, a figure Crivelli print and almost nobody else does
• Made by Quentin Bisch, second release in the Olfactory Mysteries collection after Safran Secret
• Tobacco leaf infused with rum, with a fruity liqueur edge
• No published note pyramid. Crivelli describe it in materials rather than top, heart and base

The case for

The concentration is real and published. 32% is genuinely high and Crivelli are one of the only houses that will print a number at all. That deserves credit. Most houses tell you nothing and let the word on the box do the work.

Crivelli have form. This is a house that makes odd pairings work. Passionfruit and oud should not be good and Oud Maracuja is one of the most loved niche fragrances of the last decade. On our own shelf, Maracuda, our version of it, sold 77 bottles in the last 90 days, more than any other Crivelli we make.

It performs. The one thing reviewers agree on is that it lasts. At 32% you would hope so.

The case against

⚠️ The scores are lukewarm. 3.97 out of 5 from 170 Fragrantica votes. That is fine. For a top-of-line launch from a house people love, fine is not what you want.

⚠️ The recurring complaint is that it is ordinary. Reviewer after reviewer describes it as a conventional sweet tobacco at a niche price. The name that keeps coming up as the cheaper equivalent is Mancera Red Tobacco, which is £160.

⚠️ Crivelli is not usually the safe choice. Hibiscus Mahajád and Oud Maracuja are loved because they are strange. A sweet rum tobacco is the least strange thing this house has done, and that is the thing reviewers keep circling.

⚠️ Compare it to its own shelf. Oud Maracuja has over 700 Fragrantica reviews. Hibiscus Mahajád has over 800. Tobacco Carnaval has 30. It is new, so that is expected, but it has not caught fire the way the house's hits did.

So, worth it?

Yes, if you love Crivelli as a house, you want the concentration, and a boozy tobacco is a gap in your collection.

No, if you already own a sweet tobacco. Several people who do say this one adds nothing.

Test it first, if you have never worn a tobacco fragrance. It is a big, loud category and £220 is a lot to discover you do not like it.

The £40 way to test the theory

If reviewers are right that Tobacco Carnaval sits close to Mancera Red Tobacco, you can check that for the price of two coffees.

• Carnivale, our Tobacco Carnaval. 35% Extrait, three points above the original, and we print ours too. £40. In build, waitlist open.
• Crimson Tobacco, our Mancera Red Tobacco. In stock, £40. The one reviewers keep naming.
• Tobacco Vanilla, our Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille. In stock, £40, 22 bottles in 90 days, 4.6 stars. The benchmark every tobacco gets measured against.

Buy all three as 5ml samplers for £20.97 and settle the argument on your own skin. The originals together are over £775.

On the 32% number

Crivelli printing 32% is the most interesting thing about this release and almost nobody is talking about it.

We print 35%. That is a three point gap, not a chasm, and we would rather say that plainly than pretend otherwise. What matters is that both numbers exist and you can check them. Most houses give you a word on a box and nothing behind it.

More on why the number matters: what is extrait de parfum.

Related reading

• Tobacco Carnaval vs Tobacco Vanille
• Best tobacco perfume dupes UK
• Tobacco Carnaval Dupe UK
• Best Maison Crivelli dupes UK

Aromara is an independent UK fragrance brand. All scents are original creations inspired by well-known designer fragrances. No affiliation with Maison Crivelli, Mancera or Tom Ford. All trademarks belong to their respective owners.

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