For Him Musc Santal Eau de Parfum

Men's fragrance at this house is a smaller and quieter business than the women's, and Narciso Rodriguez For Him Musc Santal Eau de Parfum is one of the better arguments for taking it seriously.

Clary sage starts it, herbal and a bit bitter, with the slightly sweaty, hay like quality that keeps a clean scent from smelling like soap. Musk comes through quickly and holds the middle, smooth and warm, without the laundered sweetness that runs through the women's line. Then the two woods separate out: cedarwood dry and splintery, close to a freshly sharpened pencil, and sandalwood creamier and rounder, lending the finish a milky softness that sits right against the skin. Four materials, no detours, and the name tells you honestly what the thing is.

Florian Gallo composed it. At eau de parfum strength a list this short goes long rather than loud, so expect it to stay legible for most of a day while keeping inside a handshake's distance. That makes it a scent you can wear in an open plan office or a car without anyone else having to live with it. It is built for ordinary wear rather than for occasions: work, weekends, cold mornings, warm evenings. Men are the stated audience, and the sandalwood keeps it soft enough that nobody need pay attention to that. If you know the rest of the For Him line, this is the least sharp of them and the easiest to wear badly, by which I mean it forgives an extra spray.

The fashion house opened in 1997. Its designer, a Parsons graduate, spent four years running womenswear at Loewe and set up an atelier under his own name in New York in 2001. The scents themselves are not made in house: Beaute Prestige International holds the licence.