Ex Nihilo Lust in Paradise Extrait is £365. Aromara Forbidden is £40 for 50ml. That is £325 you keep, and the £325 was never the part you wear.
Quick verdict: Lust in Paradise is a loud, jammy rose with a tart blackcurrant bite. Ex Nihilo call it an Extrait. They do not print a percentage anywhere. Forbidden is our take on the same blackcurrant and rose idea, built at a disclosed 35% Extrait, with 7+ hour wear in writing and 60 days to change your mind.
What Lust in Paradise actually smells like
It opens sharp and red. Blackcurrant lands first, tart and sticky at the same time, with pink pepper and red ginger throwing heat behind it. Nothing polite about the first minute.
Then the rose takes over. Rose absolute and jasmine sambac, thick and a little boozy, with peony knocking the edges off. This is the bit people remember.
The end goes quiet. Cedarwood, amber and musk sit close to the skin and hold the rose in place for hours.
The note breakdown
Ex Nihilo publish a full pyramid for this one, so here it is exactly as listed.
- Top: blackcurrant, pink pepper, red ginger
- Heart: rose absolute, jasmine sambac, peony
- Base: cedarwood, amber, musk
The trick is the blackcurrant sitting on top of the rose. Blackcurrant has a sharp, almost feral edge. Put that over rose absolute and the rose stops smelling like a garden and starts smelling like a person.
Red ginger does the other half of the work. It keeps the sweetness moving instead of letting it sit there like jam.
Who it suits and when to wear it
This is an evening scent. Sweet, dark, close to the skin, and it carries further than you think. Dinner, a wedding, a night out.
It reads unisex but leans feminine on most skin. Men who already wear rose will get on with it fine.
Leave it out of the office. One spray too many and the whole room is wearing it with you.
Autumn and winter are its season. Real heat pushes the blackcurrant and the rose harder than you want.
Lust in Paradise vs Forbidden, side by side
| Ex Nihilo Lust in Paradise Extrait | Aromara Forbidden | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £365 | £40 for 50ml |
| Concentration | Sold as an Extrait, no percentage published | 35% Extrait, published in writing |
| Longevity promise | None published | 7+ hours, guaranteed in writing |
| Returns | Standard retailer terms, usually unopened | 60-day money-back, even after you have worn it |
| Cheapest way in | A full bottle | 5ml spray, £6.99 |
| Made | Paris house | Small batch, UK |
What the £325 gap actually buys
Not the smell. The smell is oil, alcohol and a formula, and it costs roughly the same to make either way.
The £325 is the Paris address, the heavy glass, the counter space in a department store and the advertising that got you here. Real costs. Just not costs you wear.
We skipped all of it. Small batch, made in the UK, sold direct, no middle.
How Forbidden is built differently
Ex Nihilo sell Lust in Paradise as an Extrait. That is a strength category, not a number. No percentage appears on the box or the listing.
We print ours. Forbidden is 35% Extrait, the highest disclosed concentration in the UK. Most brands here run between 20% and 30%, and plenty say nothing at all.
Here is why the number decides everything. Spray any fragrance and the alcohol carrier flashes off in minutes. What stays on your skin is the oil, and the oil is what you smell for the rest of the day. More oil, slower fade.
That is the mechanism. It is also why we can put 7+ hours in writing instead of typing the words long-lasting and hoping for the best.
We will never tell you it is identical
It is not, and anyone who says otherwise is selling you something.
What we ask is simpler. Can you tell?
Wear Forbidden for a week and put it up against the £365 bottle. If you can pick it apart, send it back and take the money. You get 60 days, and the bottle can be open and half gone. Most places give you 30 at best, sealed.
Start with the £6.99 tester
Do not spend £40 on a guess. Definitely do not spend £365 on one.
Forbidden comes as a 5ml Extrait spray for £6.99. Same juice, same 35%, about a week of wear in it. If it is not your rose, you are out less than the price of two coffees.
If it is your rose, the 50ml is £40 and it is sitting right there.
Frequently asked questions
Is Forbidden the same as Lust in Paradise?
No. It is Aromara's take on the same scent family, blackcurrant over rose absolute with a warm woody base, built at a disclosed 35% Extrait. We never claim identical. We ask whether you can tell.
How long does Forbidden last?
7+ hours, guaranteed in writing. Higher oil concentration evaporates slower. That is the mechanism, not a marketing line.
Is Lust in Paradise for men or women?
Ex Nihilo sell it as unisex. On most skin it leans feminine because of the rose and jasmine. Plenty of men wear rose scents and do it well.
What is the actual price difference?
£365 against £40. That is a £325 gap, or nine bottles of Forbidden for the price of one Lust in Paradise.
Can I try it before buying the 50ml?
Yes. The 5ml Extrait spray is £6.99 and it is the same formula at the same 35%.
Keep reading: the Ex Nihilo brand history, our tested list of the strongest perfume dupes in the UK, or browse the full range at Shop All.
