Love, don’t be shy by Kilian

Love, don’t be shy is one of the most popular perfumes from Kilian. That probably has to do with all of the press, when it was revealed to be the perfume that Rihanna wears. Aside from its celebrity bonafides, Love EDP has always been a fragrance that I enjoyed. I got a sample vial of it, when I ordered Angels’ Share months ago. Now, I figured it was time to finally give it a review.

What does Love, Don’t be Shy Smell Like?

Notes include: caramel, marshmallow, jasmine, rose, honeysuckle, orange blossom, sugar, vanilla, musk, and more

My Full Review

Tried this fragrance? Leave your own rating and review in the comments!

The opening of Love EDP really comes with the orange blossom, honeysuckle, and neroli, as the floral notes. Those are joined by the sweetness of marshmallow, caramel, and some vanilla.

The main two are going to be orange blossom and marshmallow here, early on. It’s sweet, sugary, and a warm floral scent that is quite captivating. What I notice about Love, don’t be shy, as I’ve worn it is how the floral notes change…but the sweet notes stay much the same.

So, early on it’s the orange blossom. Then, you get some slight powderiness from iris and rose (both are pretty light), and finally jasmine starts to show up more on my skin.

The neroli here is there at the very start, but to me it gets overshadowed by the orange blossom and eventually I cannot even pick it up at all.

As it moves on in the wear, the marshmallow will take more of a lead and the caramel will fall out of favor for the vanilla. The sweetness here is indeed sugary and pretty candy-like with how it comes across.

That can be a good or bad thing, depending on your own personal tastes. I happen to enjoy this kind of scent.

The final stages are the vanilla and musk notes’ time to shine. The marshmallow is still there, but faded. It’s a general sweetness overall with a vague sense of floral notes. Though, I cannot personally pick any out as individual ingredients.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage here is pretty strong for a time. It is a fresher and lighter sort of sweet perfume, rather than a massive thick cloud. But, the projection is good well into the wear on me.

I’ve seen people say that this has been reformulated and the performance of Love EDP is bad now. I have a sample vial from 2021 and the longevity is fine for me. It doesn’t disappear in a few hours.

In fact, I can still pick it up about 8 hours after applying it. It’s not a complete marathon or a monstrous scent bomb, but I think reports of its demise have been greatly exaggerated.

Seasonally, stick to autumn through early spring. This Kilian can handle some moderate temperatures, but I wouldn’t venture into the heat of the summertime with it.

It is suitable for all ages. It is a sweet and sugary fragrance, but feels a tad more grown up than the usual fare in this category.

It’s an attractive and edible sort of gourmand scent. Not necessarily sexy, but I do enjoy being around it. Love, don’t be shy isn’t a formal wear and isn’t really a perfume that would be appropriate for all work environments.

Overall Impressions of Love, Don’t be Shy

Overall, do I like this scent? I do. It’s not my favorite, but I do still think that it is one of the best from Kilian.

The orange blossom, caramel, and marshmallow start is great. I like the touches of citrus early on, that give it more of a dynamic feeling.

The floral notes are interesting and give Love, don’t be shy most of its change during the wear. Also, the performance is still fine for me, even with the small sprayer of the sample size.

Now, this may not be one for everyone. I do think most folks will enjoy the way that this smells. However, if you’re not into soft, sugary sweet sort of fragrances, or have problems with orange blossom or marshmallow…you should probably look elsewhere.

Best Men's Colognes

Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.