Citizen X Ex Nihilo
At a glance
Is Citizen X Ex Nihilo worth trying?
Citizen X by Ex Nihilo is a Aromatic fragrance for women and men.
- Best match
- Evening, Special Occasion wear in Fall, Winter
- Performance feel
- Good longevity with Moderate sillage
- Signature profile
- amber, woody, fresh spicy with Mastic or Lentisque, White Pepper, Iris
The first impression
Citizen X by Ex Nihilo is a Aromatic fragrance for women and men. Citizen X was launched in 2017. The nose behind this fragrance is Yann Vasnier. Top notes are Mastic or Lentisque and White Pepper; middle note is Iris; base notes are Olibanum, Musk and Amberwood.
What shapes the scent
The perfumer behind it
Yann Vasnier
Yann Vasnier is a French perfumer who has contributed to a wide range of international fragrance houses. His catalog includes works for Adam Levine, Apothia, Arquiste, Attar Collection, Bvlgari, Carine Roitfeld, and Coolife. Vasnier is recognized for his versatility, creating both commercial and niche scents with refined, complex structures.
Notes pyramid
The mood it creates
The Mystic Archetype: Portrait of Citizen X Ex Nihilo
Essence
Citizen X channels the Mystic archetype, a seeker moving through the world with quiet intensity. The fragrance's unusual mastic and white pepper opening suggests someone who finds revelation in the margins, while the iris-olibanum heart speaks to their contemplative nature. This is a scent for those who understand that truth often comes veiled.
The Mystic's journey is mirrored in the fragrance's evolution - from the almost medicinal clarity of lentisque to the smoky depth of olibanum. Like a meditation that begins with focus and dissolves into transcendence, Citizen X moves from precise to diffuse without losing its essential character.
Style & Aesthetic
They dress in layers of texture rather than color: raw silk, hammered silver, paper-thin leather. Their aesthetic suggests a monastic modernism - think Issey Miyake meets Shaker furniture. Every object they own serves multiple purposes or holds personal symbolism, like the amberwood that grounds both scent and spirit.
Philosophy & Values
They believe in the reality behind appearances, the pattern beneath the noise. Values center on presence and perception - not what things are, but what they might signify. The single iris note reflects this preference for essence over ornament, the way a Zen garden reduces nature to its purest form.
Relationships
They attract those hungry for meaning, though few can match their depth. Romantic partners must understand solitude isn't rejection. Conversations often turn to dreams, synchronicities, the scent of rain on different stones. The musk in the base note speaks to this animal pull toward connection, even for one who walks alone.
Lifestyle
Dawn finds them practicing qigong in half-light; nights might involve translating obscure texts or charting star patterns. Travel is pilgrimage rather than tourism - following ley lines, visiting power places. The white pepper and olibanum mirror this life of alternating clarity and mystery.
Shadow
Their danger lies in becoming so enamored with the unseen that they dismiss the mundane. The shadow Mystic mistakes obscurity for profundity, like a fragrance that's all odd top notes with no resolution. Without grounding, they risk floating away on self-made mythologies.
Conclusion
Citizen X is the Mystic's olfactory sigil - a reminder that the most ordinary things (pepper, resin, iris) can become portals when approached with reverence. It doesn't shout its wisdom, but lingers at the edges of perception, inviting you to lean closer.