212 Men Parfum

Pleasantly surprised. Reminds me a lot of Million Royal and Le Male Elixir, almost like a hybrid between the two. There's an almost "roasted nut" accord that comes through in the opening (to my nose) that nobody else seems to pick up on, but as we all know, fragrances are subjective (or I'm just imagining it). It is quite a sweet scent that I wouldn't exactly recommend to anyone who dislikes sweet fragrances, but if you can look past the obvious sweetness and appreciate the warmth and subtle freshness, it is pretty damn enjoyable. In the complete drydown, I start to smell similarities to Azzaro's Wanted EDP, which I've always been a big fan of, so that's a bonus if you enjoy that scent as well. Overall a GREAT fragrance that I would definitely recommend checking out if you're into sweet winter/fall scents. Rating: 8.5/10 Take this review with a grain of salt. I've been collecting fragrances for 2-3 years now and am still training my nose. This is my first review on Fragrantica as well, so forgive me if my review was not to "Fragrantica Standards" lol. Hope this helps someone out a bit. Happy Smelling!

I am so impressed with those new releases from this house recently, and once again, they dont let me down for this "badboy" it has nothing to do with 212 Man's DNA but it is a good scent by all means it shares some similarities with Million Royal/Le male elixir, but much much smoother.. the cacao/sweetness from others 2 have been toned down to make this is the best for this DNA I blindbought it, and Im so glad I did cant be happier, this is my top 1 for now

Smells closer to VIP Black or a Bad Boy fragrance than it does to the original 212 Men. Smells great though just doesn't fit as a flanker in this line

I would call this 212 Men Elixir instead of Parfum

... so I received my sample and have had a couple of wearings now... I was (am) a fan of the original (haven't had a bottle for YEARS) - but this does harken back to those fragrances of about 10-15 years (it doesn't smell dated at all) - in fact the first spray reminded me of Paradigm by Prada - but sweeter, it's in the 'modern designer' category. I would agree with someone here in that it feels more like an elixir (in the name only, although its longevity is good) - it's closer to the skin than paradigm (which is more airy) and less aromatic.. but I think they're very much in the same ball park. If you like this kind of smell (and you know, there's a place for these fragrances, I like wackier ones, but I do appreciate this, and would probably get a bottle from the discounters) - it's relatively cheap on Notino (fluctuates, obvs) - so it's one to keep an eye out for... ... will it set the world alight? No. Is it a well-put-together fragrance that you could have confidence in on a night out? Definitely. Would it make a great layering combo (this as the base) and then one of my wackier ones on top? ABSOLUTELY! And that's what I'm looking for - I think (for me) this is crying out for a bright floral top note just to lift it, something that doesn't last too long, but just blends with it for that first hour or so (I'll have fun experimenting!) A definite one to watch - 7.5/10 a solid fragrance and (to me) an easy blind buy for those who like a sweet (but not cloying) modern fragrance.

A great addition to the line, maybe a little late to the party. It's got a hefty dose of the familiar 212 VIP aromatic profile, the lavender has anise-llike properties. The ginger adds a fantastic touch to the opening and then blends in really well. It feels like a Le Male Elixir opening that leads to a Le Male Le Parfum drydown (doesn't smell the same but those are very well known references) with a touch of 212 VIP Black in the background. Yes, it's a lavender/vanilla thing that's also an iris/tonka thing that's also a spicy aromatic night out thing. Yes, it may feel redundant to a lot of stuff, but it also does its own thing. Performance is great, projected for more that 2 hours, lasted 12 on my skin with 5 sprays. You definitely don't need to rush and test this right away, but it's nice that it got released now, the price will have gone down come fall, when it will be a candidate for your next cold weather date night scent.

I only have a sample, but even with just a sample, I’m very pleasantly surprised by this fragrance. Going in with zero expectations, I got a exceptionally well-crafted scent. I love how it smoothly incorporates all the best elements of modern men's perfumery over recent years. It’s moderately sweet and distinctly masculine without being over-the-top, with a really captivating opening and drydown. It works effortlessly as a daily driver, and I think over time it has the potential to become a classic. Great release. Rock-solid longevity with a moderate yet noticeable sillage.

Very good perfume, personally I have never tried the original 212. They compare it with Le Male Elixir Jean Paul Gaultier I have both it and Absolu version and I can say that they have nothing to do with this 212 even though most designer fragrances already have the same sound. I would associate it more with Prada Paradigme and Phantom in red with the only difference being that Prada is more noticeable and fresher while 212 is a darker scent. Very pleasant and classy fragrance stays close to the skin but does not go unnoticed

I feel so disappointed with this release. I’ve been using the original since it first launched, and I truly consider it a masterpiece. They could have created something beautiful with this flanker, but instead they did the exact opposite. Why call this fragrance “212 Men Parfum”? First of all, it is not a true Parfum — you can see in the box that is just a regular Eau de Parfum. But what really annoys me is that it has absolutely NOTHING to do with the original 212 Men. They’ve simply taken advantage of the name and the loyalty of people who love the EDT. And yes... it smells like Le Male Elixir.

Well, the excitement built up for this release seems to have been more enjoyable/fun for me than the fragrance itself. Last week, I had noticed the Herrera website had a special promotion where for $5.00 to cover shipping, you could order a sample vial of the new 212 Men Parfum, so I placed the order and my sample arrived today. One interesting note I'd like to make is that I can't recall the last time a fragrance transitioned so much on my skin from the top, middle and base notes. At first, there was a very detectable smell of burnt SOMETHING. Slightly campfire-ish, yet not. Think of an old electronic device from years ago like a record player or film projector that schools had in each classroom. When those old devices warmed up, they gave off a smell... sometimes slightly Band-Aid-ish. Perhaps that's what @DanielJD noted as well when he referred to the fragrance being "a little smoky." Unlike him, I noticed it straightaway, rather than in the dry down. It was far too much for my liking. If that remained throughout, that would have been a deal breaker for me. I also got some vibes from the seemingly endless Valentino Uomo lineup. No surprise there, as Puig is known for churning out new releases only to be the same scent from another franchise, just altered slightly. Approximately 30 to 45 minutes later, EVERYTHING changed... and for the better! I was getting a VERY faint hint or nod to the FEMALE version of 212 Sexy and some of the musk/warmer/softer notes of the now discontinued 212 Sexy Men. I want to stress that those nods were slight, yet QUITE enjoyable. I was truly impressed at how the fragrance transitioned at this point. In fact, it was so pleasant for me, I thought to myself, "it makes sense that they discontinued 212 Sexy Men for this!" It had gone from something that was turning out to be a deal breaker with the smoky top notes, to something I was actually set and ready to buy a bottle of. In fact, I was sitting down and kept smelling my arm and thinking, "This is why they used the word "addictive" on the inside of the sample card," because that's EXACTLY what was happening to me at that very moment. I kept having to smell my arm and thinking, "I really, really like this!" It wasn't long after and there was a second transition... and what a massive, massive disappointment. The fragrance started to turn in a different direction into something much flatter, dustier, and even familiar. I kept thinking, "this really smells like something I've sampled before." After some reflection, it came to me... the 2015 release of 212 VIP Men Club Edition which I remember being a blind purchase and wound up tossing after some time as I just couldn't get past that flat, bland, dusty dry down. What's really QUITE odd here, too, is that this bears NO resemblance whatsoever to the original 212 MEN, but it's supposed to be a parfum of that. The only similarities here are in the LISTING of some of the notes (i.e. gardenia, incense). Other than that, one would never know they're from the same line. Quite frankly, this falls closer in alignment with the 212 VIP Men franchise than it does as a parfum of 212 MEN. If anything positive came out of this, I have yet ANOTHER example to prove how Puig just continues on with their goofiness in rehashing one fragrance ingredient list from 10-15 years ago and renaming each one for each of the fragrance licenses they have. Gaultier, Herrera, Paco Rabanne, Valentino, etc. There's not much difference between them anymore other than the fancy marketing and bottles. That being said, they're even running out of ideas for bottles! 212 MEN Parfum is a classic example as it looks more related to the Le Male Elixir bottle than it does the one for the original 212 MEN. In closing, I have to say this... it's been quite a while since I've tested a fragrance that transitioned so drastically like this one has on my skin--it really was fun experiencing that with 212 MEN Parfum! I'll give my sample another try here and there, but I'm not holding my breath based on the dry down I'm left with. Quite a letdown with such a strong marketing campaign built on the phrase, "Not a fragrance, a legacy," especially when there's ZERO resemblance to the LEGACY(!) 1999 release of 212 MEN.

While I very much agree with @AndyWarholsFavouriteWig's comment below, I'm excited to see some attention (finally!) given to the 212 Men line without it being yet another addition to the VIP line. This may also explain why they discontinued 212 Sexy Men. In addition, I did some searching online and see they left the bottom of the bottle exposed, which I think was a nice touch! SEE HERE: https://nuochoamc.com/upload/images/san-pham/1573/carolina-herrera-212-men-2026-parfum2.webp I know, I know, you're probably thinking, "who cares about the bottom of a fragrance bottle?" I just happen to think it's a nice touch compared to it being covered as all other 212 Men bottles have been. The previous designs where the bottom is covered, have just been a metallic cylinder—essentially a slip cover— for the glass bottle to slip into. Hopefully, this new design without a bottom won't become loose where the glass inner bottle would wind up slipping out of the exposed bottom. Nonetheless, I'm excited to see some attention given to the origional 212 Men fragrance, especially since this seemingly isn't a limited (e.g. 212 MTV, 212 On Ice, 212 H20, etc.) edition, but rather a parfum version. As with all fragrances lately, I need to keep my expectations low while enjoying the anticipation. EDIT 4/4/2026: I don't know if this is even released yet, but I'm still anxious to try it. It did occur to me, however, that instead of the gold-looking bottle (which follows in line with other Puig creations like 1 Million and several Le Male offerings) they should could have used the same ribbed texture but done it in the color of the original 212 Men bottle. In fact, because this is a parfum version, they could have even darkened the bottle a bit more with the ribbed texture.

UPDATE: As of today, Herrera's website has a pre-launch page up: https://www.carolinaherrera.com/us/en/editorial/fragrance-212-men-parfum There's a countdown timer on it indicating there are 04 DAYS, 21 HOURS, 13 MINUTES, 53 SECONDS (at the time of this post) left to the release. I find it VERY interesting how the release of this coincidentally (or maybe, just maybe, INTENTIONALLY) falls just in time for the 49th anniversary (April 26th, 1977) of the opening of Studio 54 in New York City this coming Sunday. Carolina, along with her husband, Renaldo, were popular figures at the famous AND infamous club. Whether I wind up liking the fragrance or not is yet to be determined. But I will say this, if the release date was DELIBERATELY chosen based on the New York City Studio 54 reference, it was a very nice touch honoring the past of an important part of New York's history and backs up the following statement of: "Born from the vibrant energy of New York, 212 Men Parfum reveals a richer, deeper and addictive intensity. A fragrance shaped by heritage, where pleasure is lived with elegance."

⚠️Extremely dependent on skin chemistry!! ⚠️ WTF scent. I 'm a woman and tried this on my skin. It's a mix of "Oh yes!" and "Oh no...I was wrong" 🥲 It boils down to: A very metallic fecal smell with a gorgeous underlying vanilla and woods... How is this even possible with these notes? 😅🤣😂 So disappointed! I tested it on a cotton pad and it's much better: vanillic, resinous, woody, sexy, and metallic (ginger note?)and the bad fecal part is toned down, but still noticeable. Idk...risky! Not a blind buy safe! Update: Ok this nasty smell is the leather note. It's a bad one. As the time goes by it's the only note that comes through 🤢

@xeNokjee1 May I ask where you were able try or purchase 212 Men Parfum? There is very little information about it online that I wasn't even aware it's available anywhere as of yet. If you're able to share any additional information, I'd appreciate it!

This is closer to Code Elixir / Absolu and to Phantom in Red than to Le Male Elixir. It's got that saffron tonka combo that is not in Le Male Elixir. I think a lot of the "this smells like" votes are due to the fact that bottle looks so similar to Le Male Elixir.

When you first apply it, there seems to be no scent at all. Within a few minutes, the perfume bursts forth—in a good way—delivering a delicious fragrance that lasts all day. It surprised me and is well worth it. Note: it bears no resemblance to the original.

Smells like layering 1 million night elixir and 212 vip black plus a touch of leather. Nice frag but nothing new. EDIT: The latest drydown smells like the basnotes on Amber Oud Gold Edition. Superambery modern base.

1st impression, Vanilla, changes after half an hour, Smells good overall, but totally different than the original, and perform less indeed, Still nothing beats the original, it is timeless and super unique

I just sprayed this and had to buy a bottle straight away! Earthy with a boozy quality, a little smoky as it dries down. It’s a great release and it’s taken me by surprise, go easy on the sprays!

It feels very leathery, kinda grown up, good opening, bad drydown...this release makes no sense