Dunhill Icon Absolute

Dunhill Icon Absolute is the boldest, most intense, and most sophisticated incarnation of the Icon line. It takes the elegant premise of the original and immerses it in a nocturnal atmosphere dominated by leather, tobacco, and oud, creating a powerful and resolutely masculine fragrance. The first impression is immediately striking. Oud (Agarwood) is not of the animalistic or medicinal variety; here, it is treated with modern elegance, presenting itself as softer and woodier, yet undeniably present. It intertwines with warm spicy notes that provide a spicy and enveloping character from the start. As the fragrance develops on the skin, the heart reveals its richness. Tobacco Flower is the star, bringing a dry, slightly sweet, and smoky aroma, but without being overwhelming. It is harmoniously accompanied by a touch of Rose, a brilliant choice that adds a deep, slightly earthy layer, avoiding any feminine sweetness and instead amplifying the masculine complexity of the ensemble. The base is where Leather and Tobacco truly establish their territory. The leather accord is noble, reminiscent of a distressed leather sofa in a classic library or fine leather gloves. It's dry, textured, and incredibly charming, finishing the fragrance with a sense of power and refined tradition. On the skin, it lasts consistently for 8 to 10 hours. In the first 2-3 hours, it projects with authority, announcing its presence without being aggressive. The sillage it leaves is magnetic and memorable, one that makes people turn their heads as you pass by. After this period, it settles on the skin but remains perceptible at close range for many hours. Undoubtedly nocturnal. It's the perfect choice for formal dinners, gala events, cocktail parties, romantic encounters, or any time you want to exude confidence and ultimate sophistication. It's not a fragrance for the office or hot summer days. Style: Men 30 and older who appreciate understated luxury and have a defined personality. It pairs perfectly with formalwear, tweed blazers, cashmere, and leather. It's for those who aren't afraid of statement fragrances and want to be remembered. Dunhill Icon Absolute is a triumph in the affordable luxury men's fragrance segment. It manages to be powerful and rich without being excessive, elegant without being old-fashioned. It's a mature, confident, and intensely seductive fragrance that tells a story of urban sophistication and classic heritage. Final Score: 9.0/10 Complex, sophisticated, long-lasting, and with a magnetic trail. The combination of tobacco, leather, and oud is masterfully executed. It can be overpowering in warm climates and isn't versatile for daytime/casual wear.

Personal experiences based on original formulated bottle Works very well for just about any formal occassion. Opening is very punchy but it settles into a homogenous profile that is very masculine Not blind buy safe, this is for a very distinct group of people Do not expect some sort of nuclear performance, not every fragrance needs it and neither should that be a sole standard for a good fragrance. With good moisturisation and hydrating, has lasted 8-12 hours in Karachi, Pakistan (the high weather should speak for itself) I parted ways with my bottle, which was the old batch when I ended up giving it to someone else. I regret it but at the same time am happy that it was appreciated and used. This fragrance is one which my dad wore a lot back when I was in my early teens. I would say his choice of fragrances molded me into liking such types. I have no idea as to what the new formula is but I can tell you one thing, this is a finely blended, spicy, aromatic, woody masculine masterpiece. It is one of those fragrances where you can overlook it's sub par performance simply because of the smell. There are dupes of this now, yes. However, this will always have a special place in my heart. I think I'm going to get one as a gift for my dad.

This is a handsome fragrance. Not just by bottle design which is iconic on it's own (like the others in this lineup), but the scent itself is handsome. The scent is a great office friendly scent. My nose picks up the Oud, Saffron, Leather, and tobacco notes. Rose is listed here but, thankfully I can't pick it up(I am sick of every oud fragrance having rose behind it), which means it is a supporting character and is well blended. The fragrance appears best applied after lotioning or oiling the skin where it will be applied and on clothes (spray liberally) to get the best performance, otherwise it won't stay around too long. If you apply as mentioned you will have a nice scent cloud around you which will garner compliments. I rate the performance on this as fair/moderate. It performs well enough that it deserves a place in a collection or on the shelf to be given test drives here and there. It's too bad that such awesome bottles aren't refillable. My one criticism is that none of the fragrances in this line up are in the excellent range when it comes to projection and longevity which would have put nicely behaved scents into a better category and made them more of a must have in the fragcom. Happy Sniffing.

I love this perfume in the winter. It warms the air around me on those crisp, dry days. It lasts an eternity. I love Alfred Dunhill Icon Absolute during the winter... but it is so Blah in the summer. For all that warmth it provides in the winter, it just melts into the warmth of summer, lost on the humid air. It doesn't even last an hour. It immediately begins to fade into the heat. So this is definitely a winter scent, like a comforting incense to wrap myself in. In the summer, I much prefer Dunhill Icon Racing. It's a crisp, bergamot amber musk that invigorates and settles into a gentle ambery musk with a hint of bergamot to give a gentle edge to the warmth. Perfect for humid, hot summer days, it refreshes the air while providing a feeling of elegance. And I don't like this scent on me in the cold, dry winter months. It becomes acrid, sharp, and far too intense. A citrusy musk overpowers all. So, to each its season!! In the winter, Dunhill Icon Absolute provides that warm, energetic ambery musk that Dunhill Racing cannot. In the summer, DIR is chipper and energetic, while DIA fades into the heat.

Finally I've found a tester that worked, I was beginning to think I was cursed and doomed to never actually find a properly working tester or samples but luckily I found both. As I suspected from my first review this is a complex beast, mainly comprised of a warm but synthetic Oud accord which is surrounded by opulent earthy saffron, musk and a fresher peppery accord from the original Icon. I genuinely think it's clever the way Absolute still has this nod to Icon while being a totally different fragrance in many ways and a new direction for Dunhill a brand I already like. Lasts okay on me but not great thing is it just smells right up my street in terms of slightly Arabian in flavour with the synthetic vulgarity of Montale then with the modern, western elements of a masculine fragrance. My only minor criticism is the price and I'm not normally someone to quibble about such things but £90 is a little steep. Having said that I will probably still get it and the factor that pushes me over the edge is the wel crafted bottle. What a fantastic design in either silver or gold.

Tried it yesterday in a department store, on paper first, then skin, my impression turning from smiley surprise, to bang my head try to think befuddlement, finally settling on recognition that yes, it smells like Black Afghano from Nasomatto. Does it have oud in it, I ask, the sales assistant checks her book, yes it does and with pepper, rose, tobacco, a spicy sweet dankness blend and now the scent on my wrist is morphing with my sweat addrenaline from close human interaction, take off your Chrismas bobble hat, oh how lovey, that dirty masculine oud now, lovely, rough edge sweet, ninety quid in store, odd flacon choice for such a dark scent, the contrast, deep black waters hiding within seductive bling of heavyweight gold exterior, want to purchase, resist, available online for just over sixty quid, that's a steal and after my night run in black forest, four hours after small application on my wrist, dirty man oud is still there, have to purchase this one, even cheaper in Jan sales? Will wait, give it a week before inevitable financial commitment.

Dunhill Icon Absolute EDP, Batch # JG16A It opens with bergamot (I don't detect the black pepper listed) and soon transforms into a distinct jasmine. After about 30 minutes, the Oud is very prominent, with maybe a bit of leather accords as well. About the Oud: My opinion is that some Oud accords can be too prominent and earthy. When they are, I simply get turned off by the overpowering pungency. At that point, it becomes a bad smell, rather than a delightful scent. But that's not the case with Icon Absolute. Here the Oud is a perfect strength: One is aware of it, and it is pleasant, but not obnoxious. It mellows over the next hour or so into a warm, dark, earthy fragrance which lasts for hours. I think it can be worn in the Fall and Winter, day or night, office or casual. The bottle is remarkable: It is heavy, gold with texture and a matching lid. Very classy, and it looks great on the dresser. I am very impressed with this cologne. Good job, Dunhill!

Lasts forty minutes. Maybe an hour on a generous day. Meanwhile, Amouage is out there re-releasing their classics at 40, 45, 50 percent concentration. Guidance 46. Reflection 45. Jubilation 40. They understood that a great composition means nothing if it vanishes before dinner. They gave their fans what they were asking for. The same beloved fragrances, turned up, built to last; and people are paying gladly. Dunhill has the same opportunity sitting right in front of them and they've done nothing with it for over a decade. Iᴄᴏɴ Aʙsᴏʟᴜᴛᴇ 45 or 50 would be an instant classic. The formula already exists. The fanbase already exists. The demand has been screaming from every forum and review section for years. Triple the concentration, charge me double, release it in that same golden grenade, and watch it fly off shelves. Scent: 9/10 Bottle: 9/10 Longevity: 2/10 Overall: A five-star meal served on a paper plate in a moving vehicle.

a soft spicy oud dominated fragrance, at the beginning i get a peppery/saffron oud and after a while (1h) comes tabacco with hint of soft suede leather. Not very extrordinary, but nice blended. I'm also happy not to smell rose or jasmine here . this combo is making me sick... On my skin it stays for about 4h with a very, very low projection... but after one day wearing i got 3 compliments ... this was a nice suprise because i thought that this fragrance is way too light to get noticed For me it shares some similarities (soft,spicy,leathery oud)with L'Artisan al oudh (which i adore) Nice done, so i can forgive the lack of power.

Unfortunately the tester I managed to locate a few weeks back had been broken the previous day according to the SA. Frustratingly although the bottle was full I only managed to eek out a minuscule amount of fragrance. I can't base a review on it unfortunately but what I deduced was a complex scent which definitely has elements of the original. The main thing I got was a spicy, white floral thing with a woody base, kind of interesting in the way Icon was. I will update when I get a proper sniff and some samples to wear.

Very impressive indeed. The base notes of Oud, leather and tobacco come through not long after the opening has passed. Dunhill Icon Absolute is a well blended fragrance that smells terrific and has class written all over it. As for age then the labellers would put this down too 35+ but I'm one of those people who believes if you like it wear it no matter what anybody things. A highly recommended scent that will please most if not all people who enjoy wearing colognes. 8.75 out of 10 for me all the way!

What a beautiful budget fragrance. It is very similar to oud wood definitely worth buying. Performance is not bad 7+ hours but projection and sillage is soft. It doesn’t bother me because I spent $350 for oud wood and it has same kind of performance and projection but I know it oud wood has high quality but price doesn’t justify this fragrance, and with dunhill icon Absolute quality is not bad at all scent is sexy. Fragrance 8/10 Performance 6/10 Projection 4/10 Weather / winter Age / 20+

Too bad it has been obviously reformulated and discontinued afterwards. This is a very nice oriental, spicy and woody composition by Carlos Benaïm. Cardamom is not listed as a main note, but it's there. There is also a bit of Oud skankiness during the first five minutes, but nothing over the top. It's quite wearable. Longevity and sillage are moderate, so you will need to reapply. This is the main weakness of this fragrance. It's mature and definetely office-safe.

Wins - * Great bottle design * Overall great smell and is almost exactly as advertised. Fresh top notes and warm base notes. Oud is present but not overpowering. * Mild sillage Loses- * Poor Projection - Max 1 hour * Sticks to the skin or clothing for longer I love this perfume but wish it had a better projection and sillage. Great for evening wear. Could be too warm during the day. Better to spray this on moisturized skin than dry.

Got this beautiful heavy bottle today, the first blast was so georgeous to me, i love this perfume. Why on earth is it so weak, this could have been a true gem of a scent if the projection and logevity was present, but to bad its not very strong at all, it turns in to a skin scent almost immediately after you applied it, what a shame as this one will never be remembered as more than the average perfume that just vanished.

Icon Absolute and Varvatos Oud are among my top Oudy fragrances. The notes fragrantica lists are spot on. This is niche scented but maybe not niche quality as the lasting power on this fades rather quickly. The scent turns from a rich dense semi-sweet oud combo into a nice soft/dusty oud. Even as I reduce my collection, I would keep this bottle just for the wonderful scent that it is.

Tried, tested all three Icon/Absolute/Elite multiple times. All scents have this niche quality to it. A lot of people complain about the performance, but all times I got really good longevity and projection, and on paper strips original Icon and Absolute stayed over a week. Those who bash it, get nose fatigued or bought recent formulation, batches till 2017 perform magically.

Classy fragrance and best from the icon line. Definitely has Tom Ford Oud Wood vibes maybe a slight darker version of it even. Have to carry a decant... the performance is below average, wish it lasted a lil longer. Bottle design looks stunning and it feels niche like. Great value for money.

This is just a quick observation. I only smelled the cap of this and it smells so similar to Bond No.9 Signature in the same golden bottle. I don't know if it lasts as long or it would morph into anything but this is a great scent because I really like the Bond No.9 Signature!

Beautiful fragrance! Personaly i think this performs quite well. I get 6+ hours when applied to clothing. Something sexy and very modern about this one! Only for formal occasions in cooler weather in my opinion. 9/10 for me.