Playing with the Devil
This episode explores Kilian Paris Playing with the Devil, a 2013 eau de parfum by Calice Becker. Tart blood orange, black currant, lychee, and white peach open the scent, while piment berries and pepper add heat. Sandalwood, sweet resin, patchouli, and cedar create the evening drydown. We discuss the gap between its devilish name and bright fruit, the current Cellars bottle, comparisons with Bitter Peach and other Kilian Paris fragrances, and how to wear it lightly in cool evenings.
#397 · 2026-06-20
Basic Information and First Impression
Kilian Paris Playing with the Devil is a 2013 eau de parfum by Calice Becker. The current official presentation places it in The Cellars, with blood orange, piment berries, and sandalwood as key notes. The first impression is not a dark smoky devil; it is tart red fruit, cassis-like acidity, lychee freshness, and smooth white peach.
Perfumer and Brand Background
Kilian Paris was founded by Kilian Hennessy in 2007 and often connects fragrance with cognac cellars, nightlife, seduction, and refillable luxury objects. Becker is known for making fruit and flowers feel polished rather than cheap. Here, she supports juicy fruit with rose, spice, and sandalwood so the sweetness moves toward an adult evening mood.
Detailed Scent Analysis
The top opens with blood orange and black currant, sharpened by cassis-like tartness and cooled by lychee. White peach adds smooth fruit flesh. The middle introduces piment berries and pepper, creating the heated turning point of the fragrance, while rose and jasmine refine the fruit with floral color. The base is led by sandalwood, with vanilla, benzoin, tonka bean, patchouli, and cedar adding sweet resin, earth, and woody warmth.
Comparison and Positioning
Compared with Tom Ford Bitter Peach, Playing with the Devil is less syrupy and more tart, red, and spicy. Compared with Delina, it is less rose-centered and less overtly feminine, using rose as support for fruit and wood. Within Kilian Paris, it can be placed near Good Girl Gone Bad, Forbidden Games, and Flower of Immortality, but with a darker red fruit and piment-sandalwood structure.
Buying Guide and Recommendation
The official Japanese page lists a 50 ml eau de parfum, and the current international presentation also shows a 100 ml refill. It should be tested on skin, because the opening can feel bright and easy while the real decision comes later, when piment berries and sandalwood appear. People expecting deep smoke or leather may find it brighter than the name suggests.
Wearing Experience, Scenes, and Reputation
It is best for spring, autumn, cool early-summer nights, and winter interiors. Evening bars, dinners, dates, black or red clothing, silk, and jackets suit its small-devil mood. Use lightly: too much can make the cassis, lychee, spice, and sweet resin feel heavy. The most interesting part is the shift from bright fruit to heated spice and warm sandalwood.
