Gentlemen Only

Instead of a review, I’ll share how I discovered this fragrance and why I made it my signature scent. I had decided to buy two or three new fragrances, with the goal of also finding my signature scent among them. Over the course of two months, I ended up buying ten new full bottles and testing nearly 30 more decants, all in search of that perfect signature fragrance. Then, one day by pure chance, I was browsing a perfume shop near my office, testing niche fragrances. While exploring, I noticed a discount shelf with four 100 ml bottles of Gentlemen Only, each priced at €44. I sprayed it on my hand—the opening notes and freshness really appealed to me. Still, I continued testing various niche fragrances on blotters, including Initio Parfums Privés, Xerjoff, Nishane, and Parfums de Marly, hoping to discover my ideal signature scent among the luxurious and exclusive options. About 30 minutes later, I remembered the Gentlemen Only on my hand and smelled it again... WOW. It was extremely pleasant, subtle, refined, and had that unique note and sensation of violets. (I’m not great at describing scents), but I was genuinely impressed. Back at the office, about two hours later, I smelled my wrist again. I was once again amazed and pleasantly surprised. I decided there was no way I was leaving that fragrance behind—especially at such a price. I realized that all along, this was the kind of scent I had been looking for. I returned to the store and bought three 100 ml bottles (only one was left afterward). The store even gave me a discount since the fragrance had been discontinued, so I paid a total of €120 for all three—just €40 per bottle. So, after an extensive search, I ended up finding my signature scent entirely by chance. I chose it as my signature because I truly enjoy it, it’s discontinued and rare, and it’s not a popular choice—so I won’t smell like every second guy out there. Most importantly, I liked it from the very first moment. And within the first hour back at the office, I received compliments and questions from three of my female coworkers. I’ve gotten compliments before—my colleagues know I often wear different fragrances and have a passion for them—but never had all three show such interest at once. I’m not a snob and I don’t care whether a fragrance is expensive or from a trendy niche brand. What matters to me is that I like it. Of course, at my age—over 40—I can easily afford very expensive perfumes, but I choose the ones that truly appeal to me. So if you happen to come across it—definitely give it a try. You won’t regret it

Ok this is my second review. After wearing this in my spring/summer rotation for about 3 months, this is now a love. The one thing that was holding this back was the longevity and sillage. Well I don't know what happened, but this is now a beast mode scent for me! I don't know if it's me or the jus or what: all I know is that this is no longer the sort of thing I need to reapply throughout the day just to get a bit when I move around me office. No, this is now the sort of thing I need to think about to restrain from choking myself out and others around me from over doing it. I'm starting to think I must have had COVID for a while and a lack of smell was ruining my perception of longevity. Whatever the reason, this scent is now 100% signature worthy. I won't do it for fear of wearing it out from over use (that's what happened to me with Prada l'homme), but this is the perfect office scent that will get you noticed and give you a clean and attractive confidence. Wear it with a sharp business casual outfit and you'll be standing two inches taller with the sort of pride that comes from knowing you're the shit. What else offers that kind of vibe/performance for a similar price? I get that same thing from explorer, Prada l'homme (before I played it out), The One Grey, sultan vetiver by Nishane, and Missonni Wave. Honestly, the Givenchy house has to be my favorite designer at this point. Between the Boisee during the cooler months, Gentlemen Only and Gentlemen Givenchy Gentlemen Intense, this house has something for every situation and season and puts out the sort of quality that often beats even more expensive designers/niche brands. If you're the sort of person who generally commands a bit of respect at work and you dress sharp, don't wait on this fragrance. Go out and get you some now! You won't regret it at all: in fact, you'll be so glad you did.

This scent has been my signature scent since it was released in 2013. I remember the day of discovery like yesterday. My best friend and I had gone shopping. We stopped in to Sephora to check out new fragrances as we always did when shopping. At the time, I usually wore more loud, young fragrances, and I was in the mood to venture out. I wanted something a bit more elegant, and to show people that I was about to enter my 30's.... I was no longer a spring chicken, a bit clueless about life... I was entering wiser, more grown up times in my life, when I would attend wine tastings over tail-gate parties (I was dating a sommelier at the time).... And there it was... This simple, understated bottle, with a white linen-finished paper label, stating that it was for gentlemen only.... Was I a gentleman?... I sprayed to find out... Love at first smell.... I have not been able to stop wearing it since. I buy 2 or 3 bottles at a time (just in case it ever gets discontinued)... I wear it more in the spring and fall, on sunny days. It is a bit too rich for super hot summer days, and it is a bit too vibrant and airy for the frigid cold winter... But the magic that happens on a crisp, sunny spring or fall afternoon when you spray this on.... It is soft, spicy, uplifting. The violet and pink pepper are the main players for me... The cedar sits firmly in the backdrop as if to offer them a floor to spin around on while they stare into each others eyes with love, while talking to their casual friends of mandarin, and incense, and their eccentric flighty buddy of nutmeg lingers in and out of the room.... This fragrance is MAGIC to me. It will be tough finding a replacement signature scent if this is ever discontinued.

Oh man. I so badly wanted this to replace ysl libre. The fragrance is close enough on scent, but it lacks longevity. A beautiful opening and drydown, very reminiscent of libre, but it quickly becomes a skin scent before disappearing after 4 hours or so. Today was the first really warm day of the year, but I'm in an office and not moving around much so I'm hoping that as it gets hotter and I'm more active in the coming months that the scent will come alive. Even if not, I'm glad I found a similar fragrance to libre, which I miss something awful... Update 2 weeks later: This juice smells so damn good. Don't buy it because it's reminiscent of libre. Buy gentlemen only because it's a gorgeous, understated fragrance that's versatile, yet doesn't last more than 4 hours. If you can reapply halfway through your day, this would be an amazing signature scent. If you are going to a half day conference, an important meeting or speaking engagement and you want to feel and smell confident and exceedingly competent: this fragrance exudes class and sophisticated masculinity. It just doesn't last as long as I so badly wish it did. 10/10 scent. Criminally underrated.

Beautiful fragrance. A little underrated IMO. Deserves a higher rating than a 3.92 It is very fresh and clean but not in your typical blue fragrance or shower gel type of vibe. Starts off with a juicy refreshing burst of citrus but right away you can feel that there is something more in this, something a little different and more special. The violet leaf and incense, although detected, are in my opinion felt more than smelled. You feel the ozonic cucumbery freshness you get from the violet leaf and you sense a little bit of smoke that adds some complexity and contrast to the freshness. You get a little more of the woody aspects and lots of clean musk as it dries down. Overall great fragrance. I can imagine this being very versatile in warmer climates or fine anytime except maybe winter or colder winter days. I’d say performance is about average with moderate projection. Not a beast but it does not need to be. Love it. Fills a nice spot in my collection. Would recommend to someone wanting something fresh and clean but a little different from your typical aquatics or blue fragrances.

I would absolutely make this my signature scent! I remember getting a small bottle of this years ago as part of a Sephora sample bag. Fast forward, and I ordered another full size bottle and it really brings back memories! Just how I remember it. Sounds extreme, but this scent is perfect to me. I just wish it performed better. It could just be my skin chemistry, but the scent disappears in only a few hours. 2-3 tops. There's no way this would last a work day. However, I enjoy this fragrance so much I'm ok wearing it after a shower or before bed when I can just enjoy it for myself and I don't need it to have any effect on my surroundings. It smells spicy from the pepper and nutmeg, and the green mandarin citrus on top is wonderful. Dry down is a nice woody/incense base in the best way possible. Not church/temple like incense. Just a light smokiness. Honestly, I might just overspray hard tomorrow and see how it does. As a bonus, it can be had pretty reasonably priced at discounters. It's a nice departure from their regular gentleman line. Give it a try if you haven't already.

Signature scent worthy fragrance right here. If I couldn’t have Bleu de Chanel I would easily pick this one. Hands down this is my favorite Givenchy fragrance, it is so classy and so elegant. I feel if it were stronger it might lose some of its understated character. I would put this head to head with Prada L’Homme for office use any day of the week, and overall I feel this is pretty versatile as well except for hot weather use and the gym. Definitely leans mostly towards professional scenarios, though. Nice shirt, slacks, dress shoes, with grooming on point, then topped off with this, hell yes. I love the presentation and juice color as well. I have 2 bottles and may add one more I love it that much! Edit: my adoration for this just grows even more. This is Givenchy’s best men’s fragrance in my opinion, and that includes the entire iris-based Gentleman line which I’m a fan of as well. I can never be without Gentlemen Only EdT, it suits me in every way and just sparks the same love every time I smell it. There’s nothing I’d want to change about it.

Givenchy - Gentlemen Only is a hidden gem, a truly spectacular fragrance that somehow hasn't got much hype or love from the community. It opens up with a nice pink-pepper/nutmeg/birch-wood combo that lasts for 15-20 mins, but on the drydown when it mixes with the cedar-wood/patchouli/vetiver combo, that is when it turns into a magical, awesome scent. The scent is of the highest quality, comparable with that of Chanel, Dior or Creed's top fragrances. Currently in my place we have the rainy season where the outdoor temperature is a pleasant 27 degC with slight humidity. In this weather condition, I was able to get 2.5 hrs of solid projection and then becoming a skin scent that lasted for upto 6 hrs, but I was still able to get whiffs of the scent from time to time. It's a really amazing fragrance. I'm still waiting to see how this fragrance will perform in our extremely hot and sweaty summers, but I think it should do well. Amazing fragrance - I highly recommend it!

Im glad Gentleman Only EDT is finally in the 4.0 range. Its very nice, its an all year fragrance thats fresh but has hints of smoke & woods. Yet excels best in summer/spring. Im surprised the accords list wood & smoke so high because to me this is citrus dominant scent first & foremost. Mandarin & the pink pepper are very powerful & lead the fragrance; Im also surprised the violet note is voted so low because its quite potent to my nose. Birch is gently used here, with only hints of it, followed by faint smoky incense. There's a mild sweetness but nothing offensively sweet like many modern releases. Im also pleased to report for such a fresh scent it has incredible performance (atleast my 2025 bottle does). Its almost icy, due to the tart mandarin & pink pepper mixed with the smoky incense; the illusion of an iced cologne. Overall, this is truly a sleeper hit that takes the modern mens perfumery & tweaks it enough to let it stand alone. Very pleased!

I'm shocked this only has a 4.0/5.0; it must be due to its departure from its original DNA. However its more shocking because similar fragrances like YSL myslf edp & Percival PDM were clearly inspired by Gentleman Only EDT (take away the lavender from Percival & cut the sweetness in half of Myslf & viola you have Gentleman Only EDT!) This fragrance is amazing & has an icy quality to it, sorta like when it's cold outside & you breath through your nose, that's Gentleman Only EDT, the smoke note while listed high is only delicately present. This fragrance is only slightly sweet, but expertly made., definitely a great warm weather scent, but easily year round thanks to the slight icy smoky quality to it.. moderate longevity & sillage. ..crisp & can be worn on all ages. Only negative is the givenchy beauty u.s.a customer support is TERRIBLE, So purchase from reputable discounters or outside u.s.a. This easily deserves to be in the 4.2 plus range ranking.

Rarely do I vote "love" on a fragrance, but Givenchy Gentleman Only gets the love! What a beauty. Pure class in a bottle. I concur with most of the reviewers saying the same thing below. This is absolutely perfect for a Spring day. It's blended so well and smooth: it's difficult for me to pick out one note overpowering the others. Smells clean with light woods, light sweetness, light spice, and everything nice. I see the similarity with YSL L'Homme Libre. That one is a louder version of this with the dominant vetiver and violet. Gentleman Only projects lightly but stays with you for a while, especially on clothes. You get pleasant whiffs like wearing a fresh laundered shirt. This may not work for youngsters trying to be the life of the party or fishing for compliments. This one is for the guy that wants to please those in close range and lucky enough to sniff his scent bubble. Wear it anytime you want to smell fresh and classy.

This USED to be a love for me. I had the original version with the different label, as seen in the pictures above. I loved it, that one did smell like YSL L'Homme Libre, with that warm spicy woody combo and just enough florals in the background to add some sweetness and soften it up. The original Givenchy Gentlemen Only was Spring (or Fall) in a bottle. Really a gem of a low-priced designer fragrance. And now? I just got a new bottle of the current, obvious reformulation. It's half of what it used to be, scent and performance. Average at best. How disappointing. Update 9/11/2025: I acquired an older bottle with the original label, so I sprayed both versions and tested them out to compare. At least with the bottles I got, the newer version has a darker violet color and performs better. The original is the weaker one. So, I changed my mind on this. I still think this is a beautiful scent with tragically weak performance.

I absolutely love this fragrance. My boyfriend used to use this - and every time I use the bathroom at his place I sneak a whiff of the last few drops that are left in there. It smells beautiful. What stands out to me its the peppery notes - so masculine but so refined and classy, If anyone can recommend something like this that's just a little more feminine leaning please let me know!! I usually despise mens fragrances cause of the aftershave smell that gives me headaches. But this... Its enchanting. It still smells very fresh and clean at the same time though, too. Like just getting out of the shower to put on a suit and smoke a cigar. I LOVE this. He now uses Bleu de Chanel, which smells extremely similar, but I still prefer this a little more. This really melts into the skin, and it doesn't give that typical "Chanel-scent" veil, if you know what I mean.

Gentlemen Only was probably the first designer fragrance I purchased, and ever since 2013/14 I wore it as a daily for a couple years straight. I believe it's a versatile fragrance, but peaks in appeal in the Spring and Fall. A moderately strong EDT, I had no problem wearing it for any occasion. Despite never being asked by another guy what I have on while sporting this Givenchy EDT, I was complimented frequently by my female friends for smelling good. If this is what you'd be looking to buy - a sort of background aura to put on, a signature scent to adapt - perhaps Gentlemen Only could be a winner for you? I purchased my first bottle for $80 back when it was a new release, and another later on for $60, both which I find great deals on such a quality cologne - so if you see this classic for cheaper don't hesitate buying!

This has been my first choice in fragrance for about 5-6 years now. I found this fragrance due to my admiration for YSL libre(Men-now discontinued :( ). My friend had YSL Libre and I didn't want to smell the same way, so I ended up purchasing this, and I'm very glad as this in my option is much more mature while still being a bit youthful and playful, and much more versatile (LIBRE by YSL was more of a night time/summer vibe in my opinion). Very good compliment getter, but in no case overwhelming. Long lasting for the most part, and silage is moderate. I usually go for 3-4 sprays as I prefer to not over douse in fragrance. As said, GENTLEMAN -- I think this is accurate, charming, strong, masculine, sexy with a tad of playfulness and comfort. Timeless and memorable. 25, so this has been in my rotation through my 20s.

I think this fragrance is criminally underrated. It's my signature scent, it's extremely versatile. I will concede the longevity isn't the best but I still think I get a good 5-6 hours on it which is enough in some scenarios and you can always reapply. To me the scent is more unique than it's given credit for. Yes it's mass appealing but I don't think that's a bad thing either it's mass appealing in a good way if that makes sense. It's spicy and sweet at the same time but also gives you the freshness you want a little woody too. It's one of my favorites of all time... some scents just " do it " for you this is that one for me. I would feel this to be a safe blind buy for any guy as it can be worn any time of the year and anywhere! I have gotten many compliments from this one as well. Cheers! 10/10

This is a Wonderful and Lovely fragrance, Fresh, Clean, Refined, Unique, Modern and Complex. It is suitable for Rainy Days. A good perfume can change your mood and I must tell you honestly that I really enjoy it. When this scent develops on skin and its smell changes over time. It opens up with like fresh spicy , slightly sweet, spices and floral notes in the background then dry down is a bit smoky musky woody. The Pink Pepper , Violet Leaf and Incense notes are dominant in this perfume. I am glad that I have the chance to buy Givenchy Gentleman Only as It is truly a delightful Hidden Gem that should be talked out more ! Guys do yourselves a favor and at least sample it. Longevity is good, Highly Recommended. Two Thumbs Up. Bravo Monsieur Jean Jacques ! Rating : 9 / 10

Love this stuff. Also have Bentley Black, Ferragamo Uomo Intense, and decants of Wind Wood (going to grab a full bottle soon). and a tiny bit of Libre left. I can see the association with Libre, but in the same way I can also see the resemblance to the aforementioned others. Admittedly, this violet leaf-laden DNA just works for me. Gas/petrol smelling or not, it is a great DNA to me. Anything in this family I will add to the collection and not be disappointed. I get decent performance from this, considering its watery structure and EDT concentration. Very pleasing overall. This is the direction I had hoped the new ADG Elixir was going to tread, but it didn't even get close unfortunately. Going to grab another bottle or two, just in case this line gets chopped.

How good is this one? ok let me say it this way: this is a fragrance i would buy again and again and again... its name says it all about this perfume! its a fragrance for Gentlemen,only! Criminally underrated imo, its a masterpiece and the perfumer is a genius! this fragrance is the definition of very well blended, if u r a connoisseur/connaisseur in fragrance notes u look at the notes breakdown here and understand right away that its not easy to combine all thse notes together and come up with such a fine creation....idk about recent batches but i own old batches of it and i just cant get enough of the scent, perfect as a signature scent, and its a great compliment getter especially among sophisticated ladies... get this fragrance while u can !

The opening of this fragrance is sweet and earthy. I get hints of green mandarin and nutmeg, while the notes of vetiver and pink pepper are the main players. It reminds me off a lighter version of Lush Karma. The dry down loses its sweetness which I actually prefer. This is where the musk, cedar and nutmeg come alive and continues on with the fragrance’s earthy and herbal nature. The projection and longevity of this fragrance is on the weak side. However due to this shortfall in performance, I feel this fragrance is well suited for formal events if you want to appear elegant in a subtle way. Overall this is one of my favourite designer fragrances and I couldn’t recommend it enough.