Fragrance Notes
Homme
Kenzo Homme Eau de Toilette has been on shelves since 1991 and it is the fragrance most people mean when they talk about this house dressing men, which is reason enough to know what is actually in it.
Two materials are recorded, and they pull in opposite directions. Pine is the first and the more assertive: resinous, sharp and cool, with that slightly bitter, sticky quality of a cut branch, and it is the material responsible for the clean, almost outdoor feel the scent is known for. Sandalwood is the other, and it does the civilising. Creamy, smooth and faintly sweet, it takes the edge off the resin and gives the fragrance somewhere soft to land. It is a short composition and there is no hidden complexity in it. The pine dominates the first half hour, the sandalwood takes over for the rest, and that is the whole of the story. Scents built this plainly were common when it appeared and they wear very easily, which is a large part of why this one has survived so long.
Eau de toilette strength keeps it moderate rather than loud: five hours or so, with the first one noticeable and the rest close to the skin. It reads masculine, it is at its best in cool weather and genuinely good outdoors, and it suits daily wear, work and travel rather than a formal evening. Christian Mathieu is the perfumer credited.
The house was founded in Paris in 1970 by the Japanese designer Kenzo Takada, who opened a Galerie Vivienne boutique styled as a jungle. It now sits within LVMH, which lists Kenzo Parfums separately from the clothing side, meaning the fragrances are developed inside the group; the scents the owner names first are Flower by Kenzo, Icon and Absolute Icon.
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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