Axe Instinct

Axe (or Lynx as it is known in the UK) has been around for a while, and for my money this is probably the best fragrance they have produced. I am not sure if it really smells of "rare" leathers but it is VERY leathery without being too powdery...there is a certain sweetness and spice there which I suppose must be the pink peppercorn, but it is worth noting that this fragrance is somewhat sweeter and warmer than many others in the Axe range. If you want something cooler, less sweet but still with a hint of leather then go for "Peace" EDIT: Some have commented that Peace is rather like Dior Fahrenheit without the leather note....I have tried layering Peace with Instinct to see what happens and I can report that the result is no more Fahrenheit than Peace is on its own

Okay I myself am a teenage boy. The stereotypes that we "Don't Shower" Pisses me off. Because its simple...us boys especially have a commonality. Our testosterone is becoming leveled therefore odd odors excrete from our pores when we sweat even the slightest. I LOVE Axe and Right Guard deo because they help me AFTER A SHOWER! They keep me smelling fresh and clean until I get home or in the gym to shower again

i just love this 1! its so cool & spicy

My personal feeling on AXE is rather simple. Would you rather have a man that smells like sweaty garbage or Axe? Let’s keep in mind that Axe makes all kinds of scents that will suit a full range of boys to men. Just because Axe didn’t cost $200 and come from France shouldn’t make it an instant dislike. Axe called on fragrance designer Ann Gottlieb, the same brilliance behind CK One, Obsession and Eternity. As for myself, I don’t normally use deodorants that have a fragrance because they don’t often mix with colognes. I’ve used a number of AXE Shower Gels over the years and have had zero complaints from women. I only wish more of the AXE brands were on here for review. When it comes to men’s fragrances, if you like Leather then Axe Instinct should work well for you.

Normally if anyone was insulting Axe, I would join in. Axe is so overwhelming, and in my opinion, just plain nasty. But not in Instinct's case, I love leathery smelling fragrances, and it looks like Axe Instinct is no exception, but I do agree that most Axe products are over-applyed and poor smelling. Their hair products are pretty good though, those I can't insult Axe for. I do take offense by that stereotype that teens don't shower enough, I shower once every morning after I wake up and after my lacrosse practices every day, and I wear good cologne like Drakkar Noir, so in your face you stereotypical jerks.

Despite the photograph of the deodorant, Axe Instinct is also an after shave. This is the only Axe scent for grown men instead of teenagers. The leather smell is great for the weekends when you just want something on around the house or to go do yardwork or play sports. Layers well with other leather and oriental and woody fragrances, so I use Axe Instinct body wash.

Just to anyone wondering... Yes, this is LYNX. AXE & LYNX are the same products just named different, in some countries. here in AUS its LYNX. I wish they could put all of them up, like Africa and Unlimited ect. Anyway i haven't smelt this frag in a while but im sure its nice, i like most lynx deo/frags.

There's nothing wrong with Axe being here. Too many snobs who also have a habit of attacking peoples reviews and opinions. I myself use the chocolate deo. Thank you fragrantica for expanding your range of fragrance!

I have never met an axe I have liked, and I have dated 2 men who wore it who were both awful people. Please dont buy this, for the love of all that is holy, axe is revolting to anyone with any understanding of fragrance- nausea inducing. Somehow axe keeps making more horrible less original mass market fragrances and products with retarded and sexist commercials that border on bad porn-even the stupid claymation one just makes me sad to be a part of the human race. If I could shut down one and only one fragrance company, it would be axe, its a no brainer. I am so tired of every unsophisticated man I run into smelling like this god awful stuff- in any formulation. AAAHHHH STOP THE AXE! Not even for teens, its a fragrance nightmare for me, but the popularity of it is the most disgusting part- those ads work, the marketing, the crappy smell.... I hate pop culture and this is just a fragrance example of that at its finest. I am not sure why this is the only fragrance by this line listed, maybe Fragrantica recognizes these are not real fragrances, just pure crap in a bottle for a couple bucks you can buy at a pharmacy or grocery store. Dislike is an understatement, I absolutely LOATHE the smell of axe or any axe clones. The other sad/good thing is you can buy a much nicer mens frag (Blue sugar on amazon 3.4 oz was 10 bucks) if you use your brain, your nose and the internet.

I hate this smell! Disgusting! Should be discontinued. I get one of this every Christmas and it is so bad I feel abhorrence if I just see the bottle. Smells like a WW2 nazi leather jacket. Oh I hate this so much!

I must say, when this fragrance came out every teen age male in town smelled like they dumped a bottle of it on them. I will forever associate with the times they used it instead of showering. Not a fan.

this is not a fragance, its just a cheap deodorant anti perspirant, thats it, this has no place in this website...

This one small bad. Estos perfumes huelen mal ,aromatico ,askeroso,,,,,,no valen ni para usar como ambientador.

I have an awful memory with this. Was in middle school wearing it and everyone thought I smelled horrible. Had to deal with the embarrassment all day 😂😭

This review is for the EDT. I like leather and spices a lot, and this is the best amongst Axe range in my opinion, and way better (also rarer, at least in my area) than the so much preferred Dark Temptation. People tend to dismiss budget fragrances such as this one and automatically label them as "bad". But I have to tell you, Axe Instinct is not bad at all (if you know how to use it and apply it on clean skin as with any perfume for God's sake!), indeed I find it better and even more sexier than many costlier men's fragrances. So, would that make me a tasteless woman, or is it just that expensive doesn't always necessarily mean good and every one of us' olfactory experience with perfumes is different?... Once, knowing my obsession about perfumes, a boyfriend of mine went got himself a bottle of Dior Homme, but what he didn't know is that personally I love only few men's fragrances (such as M7 by YSL), and I'm damn picky about what to smell on my man if he has to wear perfume. If only he could know... that I am actually more attracted to the smell of Axe Instinct than let's say that of Dior Homme... and there is nothing I can do about it.

@Kharnak There is much more to any scent than what is listed on the ingredient list. You can not recreate any scent based on the ingredient list. They are there because they are health hazards. The Cinnamic Aldehyde is a skin irritant and the Linalool, Coumarin (which would most likely be produced synthetically in Axe's case) and, Limonene are hazardous to our health. These are also mostly likely trace components for making the scent smoother. Yes I know Limonene, Coumarin and Linalool are fond in natural Essential Oils. They can also be created synthetically. There is nothing wrong with this, because most fragrances (yes even Amouage, Creed etc.) have synthetic ingredients in them. Now I am almost 100% certain the "leather" in this scent is Iso Butyl Quinoline. That sharp, green, bitter scent that persists throughout this scent. It doesn't smell like a leather jacket but there are slight similarities. BTW I highly doubt Dark temptation is pure Coumarin :)It would smell like a sugar cinnamon pretzel if that were the case.

Too bad the list for Axe isn't updated. I have long left Axe since my youth, and one day I just by whim sniffed the body wash called Mature while shopping for household stuff in the drugstore. and surprisingly it smelt like a notch improved version of Axe's other releases and reminded me of mall-tier colognes which costs 15-20x as much. and just yesterday I finally found the body spray version. it's the last bottle. it's slightly different than the body wash though, but it smells hella effing good!! ;p wouldn't mind spray it to my gym shoes, toilet after taking a dump, or use it for quick run to the corner shop. I really recommend to give it a shot. 3$ wouldn't burn too much through anyone's wallet anyway, right? ;p

Do not judge only the name... Limited editions are sometimes suprisingly good. For example now (2009) Limited Summer edition ( yellow flacon decorated with the clear blue sky and shining sun---not too known 'cause it was really limited ) is a fine, light, clean fruity-spicy fragrance with the scent of Aloe.. How rare this note is...creamy,herbal,green. I like it (I bought 6 flacons in a small shop:). Seems simple but it's great mixing with any other (even more expensive) designers' summer scent. The Dark Temptation edition with its bold,real chocolaty smell for men is a good alternative for those who like Blue Sugar or A*Men-type fragrances :-)

I like Axe (Lynx in Australia) fragrances as well, but find that their teenage/youth deodorant marketing appeal make it difficult to identify seriously with this mass-produced product line, which gives it a bottom-rung, supermarket 'cheapness' most people turn their noses up at. They should make the limited release 'colognes' more accessible and get away from the 'after-shave' image. I often tell my male colleagues who are wearing these fragrances that they smell very good and they dismiss it as "It's only ...Axe/Lynx deodorant spray to stop me from smelling foul." I guess it's not the product but the wearers that is the issue here!

Glad to see that Fragrantica has this listed; it would be nice to see more of the Axe/Lynx line added. I recently purchased the Dark Temptation EdT (yes, there are EdTs out there) and it's quite good, especially considering the price. Suggesting that there is no place on this forum for a fragrance because it is inexpensive is ridiculous. If I offer you my bottle of Dark Temptation for 70€ would it then be more acceptable to you and worthy of being reviewed? If you aren't interested in the product, don't read the reviews. Problem solved. P.S. I would be willing to let my DT go for as low as 60€ to anyone interested ;)