Way back in 1977, the house of Yves Saint Laurent launched the perfume Opium, designed as an evocation of the Orient, which contains spicy notes of pepper and cinnamon at its top, a flowery heart of jasmine, rose, and ylang ylang, and a sweeter base of vanilla and patchouli. The scent has been controversial from its very beginning, as upon its initial release it attracted protestors demanding a name change and accusing YSL of insensitivity to China’s difficult past involving the shady production of heroin from the opium plant. Rather than hindering the brand, the publicity the outrage caused simply increased sales, and made Opium one of the most popular perfumes around.

Further global controversy was caused with a 2000 advertising campaign that featured a naked Sophie Dahl in a provocative pose that was termed disgustingly submissive by campaigners with nothing better to do with their time. Again though, the protests simply gave the perfume a huge boost, and today Opium is one of the world’s best-known scents. It is thought that even if you believe you are unaware of the fragrance, for most people a whiff will evoke strong recognition, and perhaps foggy memories of a sumptuous young lady they once knew.

In 2010, YSL introduced a new fragrance to stand alongside Opium. Named Belle D’Opium, the new perfume is a contemporary take on the classic original, but retains the original’s oriental spirit. It features notes of mandarin orange, lily, and gardenia at the top; heart notes of frankincense, peach, pepper, and hookah accord; and base notes of patchouli, sandalwood, and amber. Time will tell whether it proves as successful as its big, bad sister, but you can compare for yourself right now at Fragrance Mad. Such high-class scents usually come with price-tags to match, but we’ve got 25% off each of them in 90ml bottles, meaning Opium is £57.99 and Belle D’Opium is £54.99, and that’s free postage as usual.