Givenchy pour Homme

Givenchy Pour Homme hit the market in 2002, starting a new pillar within the brand's masculine fragrance division. Its fragrance was created by Ilias Ermenidis and Alberto Morillas and is classified as woody-fresh, while its beautiful bottle was designed by Pablo Reinoso. The creative concept tried to re-establish the more traditional codes of the brand, since the advertising campaign carried the slogan “The gentleman is back”, in a double meaning game between the word and the iconic Gentleman perfume, from 1974. Until then, no one imagined that the company would invest in a new pillar, called Gentlemen Only, let alone the revival of the Gentleman pillar, in 2017. Givenchy Pour Homme's fragrance has top notes of cool grapefruit, mandarin, coriander, and violets, which make room for a body of lavender, davana, and vetiver, on a base of cedar and oliban wood, from which its fragrant gum is extracted. I don't know about you, but I find this fragrance incredibly sophisticated and timeless. I think the tagline was very well thought out as it brought back the gentleman from before (who bathed in mossy green fougères) and managed to stay modern for many years after its release. When touches the skin, Givenchy Pour Homme is slightly floral, citrusy, and very spicy. The coriander note tends to polarize opinions and because it is located at the top of the olfactory pyramid, something that was little discussed at the time, many men ended up not buying the product based on a blotter. But it doesn't take long, and that blazing aspect gives way to soft powdery violets and a beautiful lavender extract, which just doesn't go in a more feminine direction, thanks to the bitter scent of the davana. The evolution is subtle, the fragrance does not project too much, but the transmitted elegance lasts, and after a certain time, the woods begin to reveal themselves. The cedar is quite noticeable, the vetiver lends a little of that drier facet and the olibanum is slightly smoked, although a soft creaminess insists on exuding. The durability is good, but it hardly exceeds seven hours on my skin. Givenchy Pour Homme is undoubtedly a perfumery landmark in the early 2000s and a great example of an exquisite fragrance, which seems to have been idealized for work environments and formal occasions, even today. After all, not every company can afford to relax on dress code, build a video game space, and have a vast selection of donuts in the cafeteria. I just can't understand why they didn't follow up on this pillar, which has a legion of fans and, even so, took years to release a flanker after the second, in 2009.

I remember smelling this fragrance at Bloomingdales in May 2002 because I needed something for a date I was going on that evening. I bought it and rocked that scent all summer creating some of the best times I've ever had. Around fall I ran out of the juice and went back to my Curve/Drakkar/Tuscany rotation. Here I am 17 years later wearing it on my wrist for the first time since I ran out of it and being instantly taken back to 2002 while bringing back memories I completely forgot about! Isn't it funny what memories pop up when you wear certain fragrances? It smells 98% the same....might be a little less potent. I remember going easy on the trigger when I wore this back then but this time around I think I can afford to spray 3-4 more than normal. I've had this on for a little over 2 hours with only one spray and it's still holding up well. I've never had an issue with longevity because of my skin chemistry so I don't think this will be any different. I'm not going to break down the notes in this one because I honestly don't know what it is I'm smelling and I don't really care! I'm just here to share how great this fragrance is and am glad I ran into it again! Edit: I managed to locate a new/never sprayed bottle from 2002. I wasted a few sprays on the back of my hand and it was missing the pungent top notes/opening but the essence was still there. Gave it a full wear and totally over sprayed! Was still lingering on my shirt the next day! Decided to give it another wear yesterday. Holy cow!! I guess it just needed to breathe! Opening was just like I remembered and projected all day!! I’m a happy guy!!!

I really like it. It's elegant, well blended, mass appealing, and inoffensive. As the comment below me mentions, the notes from the givenchy website differ from those listed here. It might have been reformulated, although it does smell similar to when I smelled it back in the 2000's. Like most have mentioned here, it isn't the most unique or attention grabbing scent. It's what you would expect from a clean woody freshie. However, there is a note or combination of notes that make this scent distinguishable and give it some character. Very versitile, although ideal for office/university and casual use in spring during the day (also works in other seasons). Ideal age group is >25, althought that shouldn't deter you from using it if you like it. Atomizer isn't that good and so is performance. Longevity isn't that bad, maybe 4 - 6 hours. However, projection is the real problem. It's ok (arms length) for the first 1 - 2 hrs, but sticks close after that. It's a good fragrance at discounter prices, but not worth it at retail price. Moreover, I wouldn't say it's a must own. For me, I bought this mostly out of nostalgia for the 2000's, but I do use it sometimes. Scent 8/10 Performance 6.5/10

I don't agree it has bad longevity, because it all depends on your body chemistry. Yes, I'm a woman and I'm a huge fan of this gem, I have got 3 large empty bottles and to my shock - on me it smells how I like it, but on my husband - I love it more. On him it stays more than 8 hours, and what I love is the dry down, the most beautiful in this scent. I don't agree it's poor quality as for Givenchy, bu everyone has right to own opinion. I think this perfume is very sensitive for the light, because I purchased on eBay already two bottles with this sour , old , bad stored smell, so make sure you have correct one. I believe if you want to try it - go first for 4 ml mini bottle. It;s relatively cheap and never spoiled.

I remember trying this many times way back when it was released in the early 2000’s and absolutely loving it but not being able to afford it, fast forward to 2023 and I discovered it’s still available and got a bottle. It’s as awesome and addictive as I remember, that violet note is amazing. Silage isn’t epic but it hangs in there and likewise longevity while not amazing is still decent and I can’t remember it ever being a beast fragrance as some have commented. If you like Dior Fahrenheit especially the vintage version you will probably like this as well, I’m a big fan of both. I also have the Homme Blue and while they share some similar notes they are quite different, I don’t mind having both.