Note Pyramid
K by Dolce & Gabbana
Bergamot, neroli and mandarin orange make the opening of K by Dolce & Gabbana Eau de Toilette one of the better citrus starts on the men's shelf. The three of them are not interchangeable. Bergamot is bitter and slightly floral, mandarin orange is the sweet and juicy one, and neroli brings the clean, green bitterness of orange blossom, so the first ten minutes have shade in them rather than being uniformly bright. What follows is drier. Lavender arrives with its familiar herbal calm, sage sharpens it, and black pepper adds a prickle that keeps the middle alert. The last stage is warm and slightly sweet: tobacco as cured leaf rather than smoke, tonka bean soft and faintly bitter at the finish, and cedarwood clean and dry beneath them both.
Nine materials and three clear stages, which is a decent return for an eau de toilette.
The concentration is the thing to understand here. Toilette strength means a brighter, more immediate opening and a shorter life than a parfum version would give, and in this case that suits the composition, since the citrus is the best part of it and benefits from being heard loudly early. Expect several hours of genuine wear, more on fabric than on skin, and do not be afraid to top it up before the evening. It is Olivier Cresp's composition, it is marketed to men, and it is one of the easier fragrances to wear in hot weather without losing the warmth that makes it interesting after dark.
The name belongs to an Italian fashion house founded in 1985 by Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, who have been its creative source ever since and have never handed that part over. The making and selling of the perfume is a different matter. Beauty is one of just two categories the company licenses to anyone, and since October 2016 it has sat with Shiseido under an exclusive worldwide agreement run out of Paris.
Please note: images are a guide only. Packaging and bottle design may occasionally differ from those shown due to manufacturer updates or promotions.
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