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Estee Lauder Cinnabar
Estee Lauder

Cinnabar

Citrus
Floral
White Floral
Woody
Vetiver
Patchouli
Earthy
EDP · 1978 · women

Cinnabar arrived in 1978 as part of Estée Lauder's fragrance portfolio, arriving during a golden era for the house's bold, distinctive scents. The fragrance has maintained a devoted following for nearly half a century, establishing itself as a classic oriental that refuses to fade into obscurity.

The composition opens with a bright, almost candied top of cloves, tangerine, peach, and bergamot that immediately signals warmth and spice. The heart is a lush floral arrangement of cinnamon, carnation, ylang-ylang, and jasmine that deepens the oriental character without letting it turn too dark. The base anchors everything with incense, tolu balsam, amber, and sandalwood, creating a rich, lingering finish that's both creamy and smoky. The overall effect is a sweet-spicy oriental with genuine depth, avoiding the one-dimensional quality that plagues some scents from this family.

Cinnabar works best for someone seeking a classic oriental with actual complexity and a vintage sensibility. It's a cooler-weather fragrance that rewards wearing in the evening or when you want a signature that commands attention. If you're drawn to The Seducer, The Mystic, or The Reverie, this is essential exploration.

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$31Best · 50ml
$4030d Avg
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Price Comparison3 retailers · updated daily
SizeUpdated 392m ago
$31.08Save $11 (25% off retail)
at FragFlex
🔥 Lowest price in 20 days of tracking
$38 low$42 retail
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FragFlexBestIn Stock$31.08−$11Buy
Jomashop✓ PartnerIn Stock$39.99−$2Buy
The Perfume SpotIn Stock$41.58Buy

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Price History · 50ml
Low
$38
Avg
$40
Now
$31.08
20 days tracked · 2026-05-13 – 2026-06-02
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Main Accordsreported by community
Citrus
31%
Floral
100%
White Floral
55%
Woody
60%
Vetiver
18%
Patchouli
18%
Earthy
55%
Amber
90%
Warm Spicy
100%
Spicy
40%
Balsamic
55%
Vanilla
70%
Sweet
91%
Gourmand
18%
Smoky
18%
Creamy
18%
Fragrance Notesbrand verified
Top · 0–30 min
Spices
Spices
Cloves
Cloves
Tangerine
Tangerine
Bright, sweet, and slightly candied, tangerine sits between mandarin and orange in character, with a juiciness that makes it feel more casual than other citruses. It adds a cheerful, uncomplicated freshness to light fragrances. At its best in transparent, easy-wearing compositions rather than serious, complex ones.
Peach
Peach
Ripe, juicy, and velvety, peach has a warm, slightly creamy sweetness that feels lush rather than childish in the right context. It adds a fruity sensuality to floral and oriental fragrances, and its slightly fuzzy quality can even play into tactile, skin-like accords. A note that feels like high summer.
Orange Blossom
Orange Blossom
Sweeter and more honeyed than neroli (both come from the same tree), orange blossom is a floral note with a warm, almost edible quality. It floats between citrus and floral families, adding richness without weight. A signature note of classic Mediterranean and Middle Eastern perfumery.
Bergamot
Bergamot
A sun-ripened Italian citrus with a brightness that goes beyond lemon, simultaneously tart, floral, and slightly spicy. It's the defining note of Earl Grey tea and the backbone of countless fresh colognes. Perfumers love it as an opener because it lifts the entire composition without overpowering what follows.
Heart · 30 min – 3 hrs
Cinnamon
Cinnamon
Sweet, warm, and instantly comforting, cinnamon bark has a familiar warmth that slides easily into oriental and gourmand fragrances. Used sparingly it adds a pleasant warmth; used heavily it can dominate. It has a slightly sharp, peppery facet alongside its sweetness that keeps it from being purely foodie.
Carnation
Carnation
Spicy, clove-like, and slightly powdery, carnation is one of perfumery's oldest floral notes, with a warm, almost peppery character that distinguishes it from softer flowers. It has a vintage, slightly old-fashioned quality that is coming back into fashion. Think pressed flowers in an old book, warm and complex.
Ylang-Ylang
Ylang-Ylang
Jasmine
Jasmine
Intoxicating, heady, and slightly animalic, jasmine is one of the few flowers that smells as rich in a bottle as it does climbing a garden wall at dusk. It has an almost fleshy, indolic quality that stops it reading as purely 'clean.' Jasmine is a workhorse in both feminine and masculine perfumery, adding depth and soul.
Lily
Lily
Grand, creamy, and slightly spicy, Oriental lily (Stargazer, Casablanca) is one of the most powerful natural flowers, with a heady, complex sweetness that fills a room. White lily is softer and more transparent. Both add drama and elegance to floral compositions, though they require careful handling to avoid becoming oppressive.
Rose
Rose
The queen of floral notes and the most-used ingredient in fine perfumery. Real rose is simultaneously velvety, honeyed, and slightly spicy, nothing like the synthetic candy version. Depending on the variety used, it can anchor a composition or drift through it like a ghost, adding warmth without dominating.
Lily-of-the-Valley
Lily-of-the-Valley
Base · 3–12 hrs
Incense
Incense
The dry, smoky, slightly woody scent of burning resin, incense in perfumery usually means frankincense or similar resins, adding a contemplative, almost spiritual quality. It creates distance and mystery, making fragrances feel larger than they are. A hallmark of niche, serious perfumery.
Tolu Balsam
Tolu Balsam
A warm, sweet, vanilla-like resin from a South American tree with a cinnamon-adjacent character and a slightly smoky depth. Tolu balsam has been used in perfumery for centuries as a fixative, adding a rich, balsamic warmth that blends naturally with orientals and florals. It is closely related to Peru balsam and benzoin in its warm, sweet character.
Amber
Amber
A warm, resinous accord rather than a single ingredient, amber is typically built from labdanum, benzoin, and vanilla to create a rich, honeyed, almost solar warmth. It's the quintessential base-note family, adding a comforting richness that makes fragrances feel complete. The difference between a fragrance feeling cold and feeling alive.
Benzoin
Benzoin
Sweet, warm, and balsamic, benzoin resin smells like vanilla mixed with incense, with a powdery, slightly medicinal edge. It adds a comforting warmth and fixative quality to oriental fragrances, and blends beautifully with spices. Often used to smooth and round off sharp edges in complex base notes.
Sandalwood
Sandalwood
Creamy, smooth, and milky with a soft, skin-like warmth that clings beautifully. True Mysore sandalwood is one of perfumery's most precious ingredients, simultaneously wood and skin, never cold or sharp. It rounds off sharp edges in any composition and makes the wearer smell subtly, irresistibly warmer.
Patchouli
Patchouli
Dense, earthy, and darkly sweet, patchouli is the scent of damp soil and dried herbs with an almost chocolatey richness. It polarizes people because in high concentrations it's overwhelming, but as a supporting note it adds depth and longevity that almost nothing else can match. The backbone of countless oriental and chypre fragrances.
Vanilla
Vanilla
Warm, sweet, and universally appealing, vanilla is to fragrance what salt is to cooking. Real vanilla is complex and slightly smoky, though most perfumery vanilla is synthetic and reads as clean, sweet, and creamy. It slows the evaporation of other notes and is the reason certain fragrances feel like a second skin.
Vetiver
Vetiver
Earthy, smoky, and complex, vetiver root is extracted from a grass native to India and has a scent that is simultaneously rooty, woody, and slightly lemony. It's one of perfumery's great base notes: tenacious, unisex, and endlessly adaptable. A fragrance built around vetiver feels grounded and deeply confident.
Who Wears ThisScent DNA matches
✨
The ReverieBest match84% match
You live slightly outside the present — and your scent proves it.

Warm, experimental sweetness. Caramelized woods, unusual ambers, avant-garde gourmand.

💋
The Seducer84% match
A warmth others feel before they understand it.

Rich, dark, sweet, and challenging. Opulent orientals, vanillic oud, seductive amber.

🌙
The Mystic83% match
You wear what others can't place — and that's exactly the point.

Warm incense, dry resins, airy woods, smoke with softness. Never obvious.

Based on this fragrance's accord profile · Find your Scent DNA →
Community
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Rate this fragrance
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Most Popular with this Scent DNA Type?
✨
The Reverie
You live slightly outside the present — and your scent proves it.
Warm, experimental sweetness. Caramelized woods, unusual ambers, avant-garde gourmand.
Discover your type →
Scent Profile
Citrus31%Floral100%White Floral55%Woody60%Vetiver18%
Fragrance Family
Oriental
EDP

Estee Lauder Cinnabar— Prices, Coupons & Buying Guide

Best price today: Cinnabar is $31.08. Without a coupon the lowest price is $31.08. Gush tracks 47+ retailers updated every 2 hours.

Are grey market retailers authentic?

Yes. Jomashop, FragranceNet, and MaxAroma sell 100% authentic Estee Lauder fragrances through unofficial distribution channels. The fragrance is identical to department store stock. Grey market refers to the supply chain, not product quality. The price difference comes entirely from the distribution channel.

Frequently asked questions

Cheapest price for Estee Lauder Cinnabar? +
$31.08 at FragFlex. Gush compares 47+ retailers updated every 2 hours.
Is $31.08 a good price for Cinnabar? +
Yes. The current best price is $31.08 and MSRP is $41.58. At $31.08 you save 25% vs retail.
What does Estee Lauder Cinnabar smell like? +
Cinnabar arrived in 1978 as part of Estée Lauder's fragrance portfolio, arriving during a golden era for the house's bold, distinctive scents. The fragrance has maintained a devoted following for nearly half a century, establishing itself as a classic oriental that refuses to fade into obscurity. The composition opens with a bright, almost candied top of cloves, tangerine, peach, and bergamot that immediately signals warmth and spice. The heart is a lush floral arrangement of cinnamon, carnation, ylang-ylang, and jasmine that deepens the oriental character without letting it turn too dark. The base anchors everything with incense, tolu balsam, amber, and sandalwood, creating a rich, lingering finish that's both creamy and smoky. The overall effect is a sweet-spicy oriental with genuine depth, avoiding the one-dimensional quality that plagues some scents from this family. Cinnabar works best for someone seeking a classic oriental with actual complexity and a vintage sensibility. It's a cooler-weather fragrance that rewards wearing in the evening or when you want a signature that commands attention. If you're drawn to The Seducer, The Mystic, or The Reverie, this is essential exploration.
What are the notes in Estee Lauder Cinnabar? +
Top: Spices, Cloves, Tangerine, Peach, Orange Blossom, Bergamot. Heart: Cinnamon, Carnation, Ylang-Ylang, Jasmine, Lily, Rose, Lily-of-the-Valley. Base: Incense, Tolu Balsam, Amber, Benzoin, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Vanilla, Vetiver.
What fragrance family is Cinnabar? +
Estee Lauder Cinnabar belongs to the Oriental fragrance family. It is an EDP.
What other fragrances smell like Estee Lauder Cinnabar? +
Based on shared notes, balenciaga Prelude for women (Tolu Balsam, Amber, Cinnamon, Carnation), Estee Lauder Youth Dew (Incense, Tolu Balsam, Cinnamon, Ylang-Ylang), Donna Karan DK for men (Incense, Amber, Carnation, Ylang-Ylang), Donna Karan Donna Karan for women (Incense, Amber, Carnation, Ylang-Ylang), Christian Dior Dune (Amber, Benzoin, Ylang-Ylang, Jasmine) may smell similar to Cinnabar.
What is a grey market fragrance retailer? +
Grey market retailers sell authentic fragrances sourced through unofficial distribution -- typically excess inventory from authorized distributors. The product is real and identical to retail. FragranceNet (est. 1997), Jomashop, and MaxAroma are well-established with millions of verified reviews.

Gush earns a commission on purchases at no cost to you · Prices update every 2 hours · Coupon success rates based on affiliate feed data · Grey market = authentic, unofficial supply chain