Red for Men

I have wanted to try this for a while, but the only store around that has this had no bottles designated as testers (which is ironic because the bottles they have for sale are testers). I had to return a faulty bottle of another fragrance for credit and it just so happened to cost exactly the same price, so after a quid pro quo swap I left the store. As usual I couldn’t wait to get home to try it so I put some on in my car before I turned on the engine. Immediately I was struck with how unusual this is, but in a good way. Red is an appropriate name and colour for this fragrance, it is really ‘hot’. At first the notes were almost disconcerting: there were the rich culinary herbs and the sweetness of citrus but also there was a sweet pungent note, which was familiar, but which I could not quite identify. When I get a new fragrance I often see if I can list the notes before checking the listing on Fragrantica, to see how close I can get. The unidentified note was similar in some way to the sweet smell of mastic resin I have used in oil painting, but it wasn’t exactly the same. I knew I had recently smelled this note, or at least something very much like it. So I checked Fragrantica. The note was artemisia (wormwood). Aha... I had a lot of very direct experience with this note. About two weeks ago my wife sent me an SMS at work alarmed because she had seen a dugite (very poisonous Australian snake) crawl across the path to our door and disappear behind our overgrown wormwood plant. When I got home, it was my job to cut the plant back so that we could easily see underneath it. It was hot work. To be extra careful that I did not get bitten by the snake, I used a long handled spade to chop at the bush, that way my hands could stay a long way from it. That is not a very easy way to cut a plant back and so the smell of crushed powdery Wormwood leaves filled the air. My hay fever played up really bad that night! Never saw the snake. In this fragrance the sweet pungency of the artemisia is modified by the basil. By itself the Artemisia is really aromatic, but in a way good only for keeping moths away. The other herbs add dimension to the herbaceous aspect of the artemisia and the bergamot adds dimension to the sweet aspect. The multi-noted floral middle adds yet another layer of complexity and underpins the initial herbaceous blast. The herbal notes continue to last through the middle of this fragrance’s life. After about two hours it is still potent, though softer as the floral notes take the edge off the waning herbs. None of the base notes particularly stand out, they are a mixed bag, but are predominantly woody (I would call this a woody aromatic fragrance). This lasts over four hours on me. It is no simple fragrance: the floral and herbal notes as well as the woody/mossy base notes mean that this smells very natural and rather than fading very quickly it retains its character through out its evolution. This is a truly wonderful, unmistakably masculine fragrance.

****Update**** So yeah, a couple months later and the perormance has improved. Longevity was good from the start, but imo although it lasted a good 6 to 7 hours on skin, by hour 2 it would become a bit faint and I would need to put my nose close to where Id sprayed so I could smell it. Now 2 months later its more potent and it projects better. Its even smoothed out a bit as the opening was a bit astringent when Id first recieved my bottle. Again, it is truley MIND-BLOWING how freakin" fantastic Giorgio Red smells while selling for PEANUTS!! ---------------------------------------‐-----------‐- Original post What?! How?! Like fr tho!.. How does Giorgio Red STILL smell so freakin fantastic and with solid performance, yet it costs next to NOTHING!! I put off getting Red bc I was worried about performance/reformulation and after watching a few reviews on YouTube of folks saying that it smelled "Horrible" and like a "Creep's cologne" I didn't even want to spend the $16 asking price for it. Now, Id also watched some YouTubers say that it smells terrific and it had decent performance. I also recently acquired Giorgio Beverly Hills for men and even in its current formulation, it BLEW MY SOCKS OFF!😆 so I figured Id give Red a shot, and wWOWw! It does smell FANTASTIC and has really good performance even after just spraying my brand-new, current formulation bottle for the first time (No Maturation). Also YES! It does resemble Drakkar Noir, yet its somehow more complex and lasts much (and I mean MUCH) longer than the current formulation of Drakkar Noir does..I did a side-by-side, 3 spritzes of DN (3 months maturation) on left hand and 3 of Red (brand new) on the right.. The performance difference is VERY OBVIOUS! After only 2 hours the 3 sprays of DN have become a very faint, woody skin-scent while Red is still going strong having transitioned into a slightly powdery, green-aromatic with hints of something slightly animalic.. (Leather??) while being very present! I wish Drakkar Noire/Guy Laroche had taken a page out of Giorgio BH's book when it came to the reformulations man.. such a shame!.. anywhow.. Go grab a bottle of Giorgio Red ESPECIALLY if ya like Aromatic Fougeres in the vein of Drakkar Noire! Honestly, for being under $20.. Its a MUST HAVE-NOOO DOUBT! Ill be back with an update once this BEAST has matured a bit.

Boozy, honeyed, carnation, rich & complex, strong oakmoss, leathery, smooth cedar. This is the vintage Giorgio Red for Men made in USA, batch 5JB016. A sweetness starts developing with slight tingle of Rose, five minutes after application. The geranium starts coming through ever so softly, but consistently. There's a rich spiciness with the geranium, then the leather says peekaboo. This goes back in forth in a tug of war between the leather and geraniums and rose. Slight effervescence to it, slightly; probably the thyme or juniper berries. What then follows is almost a slight hint of 'milk'. Don't know if it's the caraway because I've heard caraway being described as more of a cinnamon type fragrance, but the 'MILK' could be the fainting backend of the carnations. Most beautiful & incredible opening, Man! This was the WAY. My bottle is not beastly because it's old, but it still has that 'magic'. Color is very good. The sprayer is atomized, it doesn't shoot a stream like the new EA versions do. EA Fragrances---Elizabeth Arden, is where fragrances go to die, so I'm told & I've experienced that to be true. What's been done to Red for Men; it was great when Giorgio Beverly Hills owned it. Hayman & Grant must be turning over in their graves if they're there. Closest imho is the drakar essence EDP with a tincture of Aramis Devin with that twangish country leaf of the fall season. Probably 2:1 mixture and you'll get vintage Red for Men. Vintage is the way to go. Comparing to the new EA version; night & day. Get the vintage & enjoy the luxuriousness of it---Smells Rich, feels Rich. 💰

Let me tell you about my Red collection... I have the smallest little remainder of my original vintage bottle, that I misered through the dark years when the scent was out of production. Then when they came out with the reformulation, I snapped up a new 3.4 bottle. And then hoarded away a second one - just in case they scotched it again. Tonight, I found a feller who had a unused vintage 3.4 - I snapped that up. He mentioned he had a second one, and I grabbed that too. Apart from the necessity of now labeling which ones are which, I have about 14 oz. of this stuff squirreled away. So, I guess you could say I like it. Yes - it is "aggressive." It will radiate off you like nobody's business, seemingly forever: The vintage stuff requires some careful taming to wear in public, especially nowadays. And yes - at this point, with several hoidy-toidy bottles under my belt, I guess I can safely say this particular stench qualifies as "dimestore cologne." But if I had to trash either my Creed or my Red... The Red would stick around. Why? Because, in the end, your signature scent isn't really something you can choose. It's something that fits you, a descriptor in scent. It's who you are - not who you want to be. I can smell grassy or citrus-y, or aqueus... but at best they become personas. But Red is me, with the gloves off. So, maybe I'm just a dimestore cowboy.

A definitive late 1980's/early 1990's power scent that sadly takes a beating over its roots alone. Haters aside...this super strong, classy, citrus/oriental/woody/spicy bomb is still just as viable as it was in the cultural and economic climate of its birth, and will likely always be my own signature scent. Cut from the same cloth as CK's Obsession (or, in a newer context, Viktor & Rolf's Spicebomb or Mont Blanc's Legend), and the masculine equivalent of YSL's Opium, the right personality, body chemistry and type will give this utterly worthy scent a fine showcase any day. A shame that the name Giorgio Beverly Hills doesn't have much resonance for younger markets, and that it's often more associated with the trendy 90210 flankers of the early/mid 1990's. This is a beautiful fragrance, particularly for those who lean towards power scents versus fresh-cleans. True, the newer formulation by Elizabeth Arden is noticeably lighter than the original vintage 1990's juice, but the current incarnation still packs a sexy, aromatic wallop, and is especially well donned in cooler, evening semi-formal settings. Easily obtained of late for $20 to $40 in the familiar 100ml bottle. Ignore the hate, forget when it came out, and just surrender. ★★★★ (out of ★★★★).

Smells fan-freakin'-tastic. Smells.surprisingly strong for it being reformulated so heavily, but oddly although it seems to last a decent amount of time, I find I need to spray quite a bit on for it to project at all. I wore about 6 spritzes to work a few days in a row and although I could certainly smell it if I put my nose upto where id sprayed it, it just would NOT project very well. Well today I sprayed TWICE as much! About 12 sprays applying both to my neck and shirt and only then did it project and guve me a decent scent-bubble. I was feeling insecure thinking maybe I was just goind nose-blind and that it was obnoxiously loud, but NO! I asked a few female co-workers as soon as I got to work and they said "I can smell it when I walk upto to you, but its not "too strong" it smells really nice." So yeah, while it certainly has a strong presence, it needs a bit of over-spraying if ya want a decent scent-bubble/trail. For the INSANELY cheap price tho, WHO CARES! Lol! Smells amazing and while it does smell somewhat si.ilar to Drakkar Noire, Giorgio Red certainly out performs it as far as longevity goes, but while Drallar Noire is shorter lived, it does project more while it lasts... Wierd eh?

Red for Men is an interesting, and not overly complicated study in aromatics and the directions they can go in a composition. It was one of the last of its kind to gain traction, having been released in 1991, as the fresh and aquatic fougeres for men were approaching their apogee. I can even sense that the dihydromyrcenol craze may have seeped into the concept of Red for Men, extending the citrus top and elevating its verdant nature. The basil in it reminds me of that in Trophée Lancome, the thyme of Carlo Corinto. Now enough of the technical rigamarole—how do Red for Men make me feel? It makes me feel unabashed to be a man, and while I may not "eat carburetors for breakfast" nor "cook my steak rare," Red for Men gets my "full-throated approval." The heart and base have a certain nonchalant sexiness to it, a sweet leathery muskiness and honeyed mossiness that has echoes of Oscar de la Renta Lui and JHL, among other greats. I visualize working class men having reached for this in its heyday as their "statement" fragrance, and to me, that's a pretty hot notion. *I have the older version produced and distributed by Giorgio Beverly Hills

Found a vintage bottle- an easy way to tell is that "evernia prunastri (oakmoss) extract" is listed between "eugenol" and "geraniol" on the ingredient-list on the back of the box (on the newer re-formulation it doesn't appear)- so, try to ask the seller to look if there aren't decent photos available. But anyway- beautiful, beautiful powerhouse combining aromatic fougere and chypre-leaning oriental- with complex herbal and "dry" modifiers- as well as castoreum ("leather")! Quite elegant. Sri Lankan cinnamon ought to be listed in the notes above; like the women's, the composition is centered upon this "red" note, and I can almost hear the brittle bark breaking to release its delicate aroma, and this note blends so well with the woodiness of the lower heart. There is also a judicious hint of calone present- not enough to ever say "aquatic", but it lends an austere "cool-fresh" counterpoint to the warm spices and amber which, here, I find so charming. Well worth seeking out if you collect powerhouses- and this was one of the most-complex and one of the very-last from this period in perfumery. .

It's bad decisions in a bottle, walking out of a biker bar at 4am and getting into a fight with a parking meter as you cough up whatever ashtray you fell asleep in. It starts out innocently enough, almost clean and spicy, but by the time dry down sets in, the ego and superego check out of your consciously, leaving only the id and 8+ hours of performance to get you into trouble. The herbal opening is great with the artemisia and basil which are the dominant notes for me, as carraway and the bergamot act almost as a bridge into the heart notes. Speaking of the heart notes, they're so beautiful: heavy carnation, lighter rose, jasmine, and the beginning hints that this bad boy is about to break a whiskey bottle over someone's head. Like all good dubstep, the base drops HARD. This is where that biker bar scene comes into play. The sweaty leather and crushed cigarettes interact as the moss, patchouli, and cedar keep it grounded and earthy. I love it, and I now want to figure out the best layering with it, probably something whiskey heavy because that could make for a really cool effect.

One of the best value-based men's fragrances for the autumn season of all time. It's just perfect on a mid-October day in New England when the leaves are turning and cool crisp air returns. Red for Men reminds me of JHL by Aramis with a touch of Cinnabar (one of my wife's favorite autumn fragrance) with its classic 80's and 90's masculine vibe. Red is spicy, herbal, leathery goodness, little soapy and with a balanced musky base that blends so well and provides a nice aromatic sillage. There's a lot going on with Red For Men Giorgio Beverly Hills. Most will find the composition unquestionably "dated" (I hate that word!) but appreciated by those mature enough to been rocking this or similar scents a couple decades ago. I don't think the younger crowd (30 and under) will appreciate this since it's so different than what's commonly marketed today to younger folks into sweet and aquatic fragrances. But frankly, I don't give a damn because Red will always be in my autumn rotation. It's ageless just like the memorable scents of the fall season here in New England.

It's a dead-ringer for Francesco Smalto pour Homme...or vice versa. I have really old bottles of both that have sat in my fragrance rack for more than a decade. It's odd because I bought the Smalto in the 90's and never wore--today might be the first time I've sprayed it in over 10 years. Then it dawned on me that it smells almost EXACTLY like Giorgio Red. So I sprayed one on both wrists and as I write this it's hard to tell them apart. Except Red is just a little sweeter and stronger and Smalto is a little spicier. But the difference is so slight that you almost can't tell them apart--if I didn't remember which wrist I spayed which on, I would never know which was which. If you ever compare the notes of the two, you'll see why they're so close. Anyhow, my review of Red itself...It's a great classic, under-rated, under appreciated powerhouse colonge from 1990. It smells soft, spicy, a little sweet, it's projection is AMAZING and so is it's longevity. It's dated but it smells good enough that I'll still wear it all these years later.

A true masterpiece. One of my most complimented frags of all time. Amazing for this price. "What cologne are you wearing"? "I really like that cologne you're wearing". I get compliments almost every time I wear it. Fragrances that cost $80 to $120? Not a peep from anybody. THIS? Costing around $15? Attention galore. Not that I care about getting compliments, I wear what I like regardless. But this little gem never ceases to amaze me. {{UPDATE, February 11, 2023}}: I just received another bottle of Red For Men with a production date of 08/2022. It was made in Spain, my old bottle was made in the USA and was made in 2017. Has this really been discontinued??? Or was production only moved to Spain? By the way, the one made in Spain is 10 times more awesome than the USA version. The older USA made bottle was great, but this Spanish made one is absolutely amazing!!! Much better and higher quality ingredients, better blended and more natural smelling!!! The leather and caraway notes are much deeper and louder. Dry-down is sublime. WOW.

My father wore this one and many other powerhouse fragrances back in the early 90s and occasionally he'd let me spray some on before I went to school. Notes to my nose are mainly leather carnation, patchouli, rose, and sandalwood,. This perfume is rich and sensual. Makes a great daily fragrance and it can be worn any time of year Basically it's a sexier more animalic version of Drakkar Noir, Lomani, Caesars, etc( take your pick). I could definitely see Guy Laroche creating a Drakkar Noir flanker called Drakkar Noir Night or Extreme or Intense etc and it smell exactly like this one. It's also got some Preferred Stock DNA in there as well no doubt. Also some Alfred Sung Pour homme as well. If you love this fragrance as much as I do you definitely need to smell Francesco Smalto pour Homme because it's quite similar, but not redundant to own both. I feel like these two are just the quintessential early 90s powerhouse fragrances for men..

This is eye-wateringly powerful when you first put it on. Very strong with huge sillage. Much more complex than is obvious at first. Smells like I would expect of a grunting, old school fragrance, but a sophisticated, masculine, sensual, outdoors type fragrance that is lovely once it settles down. Nicely balanced. Not crude or over the top. Has a persistent animalic tone and is a very manly smell. The dry down is very good - prettier and sweeter but never feminine because of the strong animalic undertone. Projects well for 7+ hours, but especially strongly in the first 3 hours or so. Longevity on me is better than average - still going strong at 8-9 hours. It's still clear on skin with some projection for 12 hours and doesn't fade away for 14+ hours. Couldn't wear it every day. Not one for hot weather. Avoid if you don't like animalic tones. Overall I like it a lot. Potent, manly, animalic but well balanced and sophisticated.

I don't know where I land on Red. I really want to like it but it has a note in it that throws it "off" and, in my mind. I purchased a "vintage" EDT bottle after discovering Giorgio Beverly Hills and VIP, both of which I love. Red is good and low priced, so it makes for a safe blind buy. UPDATE: HOLD THE PRESSES! Regarding the GBH Red for Men ETD I originally purchased (not Elizabeth Arden) that I thought was very nice but it has an "edgy harshness" element to it at the opening. The drydown helped. But just today I received what I believe to be the original, vintage EDC version and it is smooth and rich all the way. Overall, it's more of a spicy-oakmoss rather than a dark-oakmoss (that's VIP) or floral/honey-oakmoss (GBH for Men). I really like Red and glad the EDC is in my collection, and I get compliments (though, those are secondary to me; I like what I like). So, if you can, purchase the EDC.

review on Giorgio Beverly Hills dist vintage bottles . really nice fresh and i get a kerosene accord , old candle wax not in a bad way though very nice long lasting and real strong and pleasing very close to preferred stock but better .. came in edt and cologne new bottles by EA Fragrances the freshness is replaced by a harsh fake deep red accord (smells like spit) ..i dont think it smells anything like vintage red . still worth a bottle at 12 bucks but nothing to do with the vintage anymore . its like a cheap copycat in a experiment i took some of the current red and added alot of oakmoss oil to it to see if i could bring it up to the quality of the vintage and after letting it sit for 12 months i didnt really noticed much improvement . red experiment failed .

Well, here in Greece, specially in the province, we didnt have so many references in perfumes before 70's and local market was limited to lemon splashes like "Mirto" and other horrible nose annoyings like "Old Spice". In the early 80's the introduction of major brands like Ysl, Casarel, Azzaro, Chanel etc starts to create a group of consumers which are really interested not only to make sense with their visible appearance but with other senses, too.. So when "Red" came..it was madness.So rich and sensous.Magnificent. I knew people who ordered it direct from US, paynig a lot of money (imaging the salary in 89 was 45.000 Drs and "Red" costed about 5.000 Drs, let alone tax and shipping expenses). Old times, scents of the past..fade but never died..

A hidden gem for those who dare look beyond the packaging and the outdatedness of it. I used to wear Red for Men simply because it smelled THAT good. Red for Men smells like a man, a really elegant and ruggedly handsome man. Kind of citrusy but mostly musky and woody and leathery with just a hint of cigar smoke - OMG - delicious and sexy. Add to that, the soft flower notes and you got yourself a winner. A definite "panty dropper," Red has sex appeal written all over it and, on the right man, could melt women just by strolling past them. I have yet to find a bottle but as soon as I do, I will snatch it up, and not for my husband but for me. If it smells this good on a man, imagine what a woman could do while wearing this.

The first few aldehydic minutes of Red on the skin is reminiscent of the smell of wet mossy stones right along a running river. I almost hear a waterfall. Minutes in, and the herabaceous notes take center stage, as if you've crushed a handful of thyme, basil, and wormwood leaves in your hand; phenolic, and a bit minty. The heart is primarily carnation, spicy and bit prickly to the nose, with the foreshadowing of animalic leather. By the dry down, the mossiness amps up on the skin, joined by the leather and patchouli, with receding spices rendering the base a sultry mass of masculinity for a few hours. Red is a great thrill ride for those nose and it's just under 15 bucks. Winner winner chicken dinner.

In my LONG fragrance journey....I had never sniffed Giorgio Red fo men. I came upon a sample, and by the packaging of the sample, I feel it must be a "vintage" sample. (?) At first dab...I was very ...."oh...ok".....and then I just fully applied the sample to my forearm....and "let it be" for a few minutes. Well....I really enjoyed what I was smelling !! Classic...old-school scent (which I happen to love). Started to be reminded of scents I have smelled before...but not significantly "one" scent in particular. In the end of this experience...I did order a full bottle for like $12...3.4 oz...And...yeah, probably a reformulation, but I took the chance. I now want to sample Giorgio Red for Women too.