Catalyst for Men

I waited forever to buy this reformulation and finally bought it yesterday for $8.96 for 30ml. It has been 23 years since I bought it for the first time while traveling across the US from coast to coast. It had a special place in my heart, but my olfactory had zero recall. The opening was slightly familiar but not exact. Soon after there was a harshness which surely did not exist before? Then there was the dry down which was again harsh. Then all of a sudden the whole thing came into focus. Very close to what I had hoped for. I must say, they synthesized the heck out of this, but they got it! Sure there are some faulty moments along the way, but the end-result is a really nice reformulation of an old friend. Better than most. Perhaps I forgot the opening was harsh, because I sure am over it now and found myself wanting to re-apply a few times. Not that I need to because it is strong enough and performs decently. For less than 10 bucks, this beats the pants off of what I expected and is easily as good as many of the duds I have come across over the years. Good stuff! Really good stuff indeed. Happy Happy!

Let me be honest with you Mr.Alchemist - I do not care for your vinegary opening. Sorry, I just don't. You are too obvious,to forceful, not to mention, but I'll mention it anyway, that your initial odor clashes unpleasently with your yummy orange complexion. Your verve in introducing yourself to the world through vinegary note is so pronounced, that one would be justified to expect to see green pickles floting around inside your triangularly shaped belly. Sorry... But how gracious of you not to persist with your misleading preamble, soon after which you open your secret compartments of your truly enchanted heart of a master alchemist. You are so charismatic, so orientally aromatic and oppulent, that you must be wafting your presence here from the Tales of 1001 Nights... All your clove I love, and musks, nutmegs and sandalwoods, all of which are still tip-toeing on my forearm after seven hours past our memorably wet morning encounter. Oriental mystery... Mr.Alchemist, here comes the confession - You are my all time favorite! You were the catylyst behind this love song. So long.

Four years after Halston's passing, his namesake brand lived on and produced mid-market releases in the 90s, like Catalyst and the offspring of that master-brand, Catalyst for Men. It's a jolly, warm spiced orange with a thick, spicy heart, showcasing cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. It is the caraway, however, that stands out the most for me: sharp, sweet, and aromatic, always adhering to my skin in the most delightful manner. While it opens with fervent fanfare, its dry down is a velvety amber and mild-mannered musk. I still recall seeing the ads for it in the 90s with the catchphrase "boys like to experiment" and my even adolescent self couldn't help but to think it was some sort of coding. Catalyst won't necessarily leave sophisticated noses feeling astonished, but to me it is such a likeable and cozy wear for autumn. I am happy to own a test tube atomizer bottle and a wee little Erlenmeyer flask mini. Catalyst is just fun.

So complex as to be almost totally uncategorisable upon first whiff; the Tower of Babel of 90's fragrances. Just look at the notes listed. It's more a scent skyscraper than a scent pyramid! I wont even try to acertain all of them, just give you the ones i pick up: Orange,caraway, some kind of pepper(not black), sandalwood ,vodka,lavender,carnation,benzoin resin, the slightest bit of cinnamon. What i dont pick up is the bay leaf and i wanted to mention that as it rates highly here. It would be a mistake for someone to seek this out thinking they were going to get a citrus-bay based frag. It's definitely more for someone who's not uncomfortable with a fragrance that might confound them at first.

I got this for my Middle School graduation and it was the 3 test tube set. I don't remember what each test tube was but 1 of them had a mix of yellow on top and green underneath (or vice versa). And it all came in a little stand for each of them. Visually SOOO cool for a teenage boy. And it smelled WAY better than the Brut33 and Polo that I already had. Lots of spice and I didn't appreciate how amazing it was. Between this and the DKNY Men I got a bit later, I had some really cool fragrances for a skinny, teenage boy.

When I was just a lad, the bottles always caught my eye, even without being interested in the fragrance within. Finally was reminded of it recently and grabbed a small bottle of aftershave for less than $10, to see what I was missing. I have to say the smell of this is very nostalgic for me even though I had never knowinglt smelled it before. It has a very 90s vibe that I remember distinctly from the time. It is like a mix of many frags of the era rolled into one homogenous scent that somehow works.

Im only reveiwing the after shave at this time. But I have owned the vintage scent in the 90s. This fragrance is one of the best fragrances made in the 90s IMO. It is an unforgiving, unapologetic cinnamon bomb. But aromatic, full, yet light. In the 90s I never got the compliments I wanted though. But I cannot live without it. Like someone else one of the best presentations ever. I have only worn the vintage formulation. And will only seek to wear that formulation.

I had the tall, thin test tube in a yellowish color, in fact, I remember owning several bottles. I also had a bottle that looked more like a mad scientist's lab beaker with green juice. I loved the powerful scent that lasted all day with one or two sprays. It was very reasonable in price, or I would have not had them. Sadly, I can't remember how it smelled...just that I loved it!!

This was my dad signature scent and one of my favorites. There’s no specific note that sticks straight out. It all blend together beautifully. Although it is expensive and hard to find it’s a good one and worth it. It’s strong and long lasting enough for all day wear. Even the packaging is cute, it comes in a vial or beaker shaped bottle depending on the amount you get.

yep its a wonderful scent, spicy cinnamon and flowery.i just totally love this.it doesnt last long but i will bathe in this.it smells like a real flower and nut meg.heck it smells of lots of things. the after shave is much stronger and rosy than the cologne.too bad BUT i also have the aftershave. nothing like it out there.love it!

My dad had this in the late 90's and early 00's. From what I remember, it smelled very spicy, but soft at the same time. Definitely old school, but not in the same vein as stinky 80's stuff. I remember it sort of smelling like a more fragrant and woody apple pie.

When i first smelled it i fell in love with it and ranked it as my number one male fragrances.When i recently bought it as a present for my husband (tester from FragranceX)it smelled COMPLETELY different...

Ahh the old days when this was 14.99 at the Marshalls and Burlington and nobody wanted to wear it I stocked up and have 4 full beakers and 2 tubes that I will probably never finish.

Since everyone raving about Z-14 and 1-12 I find this is the masterpiece of Halston house. Catalyst! What a name, what a perfume!!

The most unique fragrance, I own.. A true gem.. Glad I have it and the aftershave too- and a back up partial bottle...

Halston-the name brings to mind couture and the excesses of the 80s (at least for me). This one however was released in the 90s and is quite different from the powerhouse twins of 1-12 and Z-14 that came out in the 80s... The notes listed above are undoubtedly the female version (although I never smelled it), if it is anything like HALSTON for women, it's strong!The ones I got from the company website are as follows: TOP-orange, lavender,sage,bergamot HEART-nutmeg, bay, cinnamon, clove BASE-sandalwood, musk, benzoin That pretty much sums up what I smell in this to a tee... This is an aromatic for sure with fougere tendencies. It has orange, mandarin and bergamot blended smoothly along with sage and lavender. The citruses are very balanced by the hebal flower pairing so the initial blast is fresh and dry. The heart unfolds to reveal cloves, bay, nutmeg and cinnamon; an understated spicy melange of warmth that feels like a favorite blanket or woolen cardigan. The drydown is simple strong sandalwood, some musk and a kiss of benzoin's resiny vanillic essence... The packaging on this scent line is the ultimate play on words (catalyst-something in a chemical reaction that is not a part of it but speeds up the reaction). The flacons for the EDT are triangular flasks or test tube shapes (30 ml and 50 ml=test tube, and 100 ml in the flask) and the aftershave splash is in a round florence flask that separates if it sits, necessitating shaking to blend the two layers of liquid. Thomas Dolby's "Blinded Me with Science" comes to mind... Sillage: decent Longevity: good Overall: 3.5/5 This is a very subdued and simple scent for this House. It's not in your face strong but it is not weak either. If you like spicy fragrances that are well-blended but not overpowering give this one a try... Halston's excesses nearly bankrupted his company and it was sold to keep it afloat. The new company has kept most of his men's scents available at decent prices. I found my 50 ml EDT at a discount outlet for under 10.00 USD...

[This review is for the AFTERSHAVE not the EDT] Great bottle - chemistry lab inspired and this aftershave separates into a green liquid with an orange liquid at the bottom. You have to shake it before use to mix it. This seems to march quickly through lots of notes. Hard to keep up - so much going on in the first 30 minutes. At first I get kiwi fruits mixed with oranges and a green note. Some mild spiciness fades in as well. Then a soapy, clean slightly synthetic note. Within a few minutes the mint creeps in. Surprised no reviews so far mention the mint note. It seems to take hold too strongly and stops me noticing much else. There are undercurrents of other notes but I find it hard to pick them out through the mint. It's too much like spearmint gum or toothpaste. After 90 minutes or so the mint starts to recede and it gets spicier, then animalic, greener and warmer. The mint bobs up again a few times but never dominates again and then slips away. For a while it smells like a softer, more floral version of the dry down of Giorgio Beverly Hills' Red. There are so many notes here and it really is quite a rollercoaster ride. Can't believe someone below says "very few notes, very simple" !!!! This is the first scent I've had where there is such a clear rise and fall of so many different notes. They seem to take turns to swell up, say hi and fade back down into the mix again. For an aftershave (rather than EDT) the projection was very good. Comparable or better than many of my EDTs. This aftershave lasted about 5 hours on me - but I didn't use very much - I decanted into a spray bottle and used 2 sprays. I like it. Complex, interesting, challenging and well made. If it wasn't for the mint note I would love it, with the mint this is more of an experience rather than a fragrance I will wear very often.

This Halston get's a lot of hate, I didn't think it would though I'm not surprised given the vast amount of (I wouldnt call this one vintage) old school scents that have been ruined this day in age. I will start by saying this - if you are a cinnamon lover get this, you will LOVE it i promise! On to the review: I like this one, i like it a lot! A very manly scent - in your face, yet warm - definitely spicy though not over the top. top notes are a blast of cinnamon and citrus, maybe even a bit woodsy from the sandalwood, though the latter being the most subdued. This is carried away in the middle by the citrus and cinnamon the sandalwood remains though cinnamon dominates. dry-down is a bit leathery and musky, warm and linear. this is where I detect a bit of nutmeg. overall pretty nice! I wouldn't call this a knock-out fragrance, though it is defintely worth a buy. I wear this mostly in the summer due to it's spicy nature. I hardly knew or cared for fragrances when I got it as a present almost a decade ago (from stepdad while I was in highschool) and even though it's not my fav out of my collection, I really do enjoy wearing it. I definitely have an affinity towards it due to it being a gift from a loved one. Scent 7/10 Sillage 7.5/10 longevity 7/10 I hear you can get this for 10 dollars, I would not pass that up! -HP

I don't think all the notes listed above can be in this one. It's quite a simple scent, nowhere near as complex as the notes listed indicate. On another site I found these notes for Catalyst by Halston: Top: Lavender, Sage, Citrus. Middle: Nutmeg, Clove. Base: Sandalwood, Musk. Those notes are very much what I can smell in Catalyst. A spicy Lavender-Citrus opening. Within seconds lots of Clove and fresh Nutmeg make it even spicier. A strong Sandalwood base, the musk comes up later in the dry down. Very few notes, very simple, very nice. A similar type of scent to this, in my opinion, is Tuscany Per Uomo by Aramis. The Aramis one is more refined and classy smelling. Catalyst, being a bit more playful, is a completely enjoyable change of pace. Another one that I would put into the same category as Catalyst is Safari for Men by Ralph Lauren. Safari has a dominant Eucalyptus-like note while Catalyst has a dominant Clove note. Good sillage. The longevity is a little bit on the short side, it's still good enough to call average. I like to wear it, day or night, in cooler weather.

I was excited I found this at a Marshal's I had looked at this here a few times and looking back at the sent proflie I dont remember why. But after purchase i was not dissapointed. Awesome bottle although the test tube stand is a little cheap. on first spray it brought back memories of what i remember my dad's brute smelling like, but then it changes after 5 - 10 minites and I think it smells alot like the way chai tea tastes. Makeing this a great buy with one month left to christmas. Now after wearing it for 3-4 hours the spicy ness faded and I can really smell the the musk and sandalwood