Kanon for Men

I have a long history with this 60s icon. I was attracted to the design and aesthetic of the bottle when thumbing through old magazines as a kid. It started my love affair with classic and barbershop fragrances when I visited Colonial Drug at its original location in Harvard Square in Cambridge, 1999 (I was 20 at the time). I was entranced as soon as I entered, ogling all the old fashioned fragrances in their visually delightful bottles. Then I saw Kanøn on the counter. I bought it, and that’s where the obsession had its slow burning beginnings. I had since exhausted that bottle and picked up a newer formulation. Most recently, I found a bottle closer to the original I had years ago (solid, darker wooden cap, silver label, darker juice), and had the opportunity to compare a vintage with a more recent formulation. What’s most striking was how much more oakmoss/fougere oriented the older was than the more recent, which is heavier in musk and woods. The latter projects more, too. I enjoy both and plan to layer! Can we talk about the downgrade on the wooden cap, though? The original was a solid, substantial chunk of handsome wood. It's now some extremely lightweight piece of balsa wood that doesn't exactly evoke a Scandinavian forest. The desperate measures taken to cut costs for the sake of preserving a brand image, I suppose. The fact that they insisted on using *a* type of wood rather than revert to a plastic imitation is what is most amusing, if not admirable.

I entered this cologne in the "search" window and was amazed when it came up; as some have said, this was the first cologne I ever wore,...I guess I was about 15 at the time...many many moons ago. Still a cologne freak to this day. I don't feel totally dressed until I put on cologne. Always get compliments about my scents, but I really wear it just for me. I'm glad Kanon is still around; it was a big part of my past.

Picking through items at Marshall's, I saw this and honestly, anything with woods in the description is worth a shot. It was 4.99 and well worth it! Little sweet, very woodsy and the patchouli is defiantly present after a bit. If I see it again I will defiantly snatch it up. I can't really see a man liking this unless he likes a girls scent. I'm not picking up on the powdery description though, thank goodness!

The original fragrance was heavenly. It had a mesmerizing mélange of woods and spice, plus a seductive underlying floral aspect. The projection and sillage were impressive. A Canadian company assumed production, but that was years ago. It smelled close to the original, but did not capture the allure of the original Kanøn. I have not smelled the current reformulation.

I really like this fragrance! It reminds me very much of the original Chaps for men by Ralph Lauren. It has a woody muskiness that is most appealing, though it is not as strong as Chaps. Despite it not being a very aggressive fragrance, it lasts well, especially if it is sprayed on clothing. I wore this 3 days in a row, I hardly ever do that... it is that good.

So glad to see this hasn't been forgotten. Its a wonderful composition. The EDT seems flat now, but the aftershave is still so nice!!! You guys REALLY ought to wear this more often.

i wore this back in high and school and middle school....i just got some and at amazon for 10 bucks..love this stuff!

Kanøn for men.... Before I even start having a closer look at the fragrance....folks.... WHAT A GREAT CAP!...made out of real wood. That alone is reason enough to buy this fragrance. You don't get that on fragrances 20 times the price of this one if at all. Heavy glass bottle and simplistic design reflects the purity Scandinavia is well known for. However, the "Ø" suggests that this fragrance has got something to do with Scandinavia....mostly Denmark and Faroe Islands so it seems because they are the only two nations using the letter "Ø" and "Æ". But I can't really smell Scandinavia in a bottle. Kanøn for man smells similar to Royal Copenhagen....just less powdery and less "in your face". It doesn't have that Vaseline baby oil nuance. Must have been the Scandinavian wave of that time and America thought that's what ABBA, SAAB and Volvo must smell like. Overall it is a warm and comforting fragrance....flowers, moss and wood with a bit of animalic dirtyness which is not at all in any way Scandinavian. It could have been American (which it kind of is) ,English, German....A bit serious. It is a true classic and has been around for a long time....for a good reason. Members of the reformulation mafia whinging about the scent being reformulated....come ooooon. Cheap as chips, wooden cap, solid glass bottle, classic warm gentlemen scent that is 85% of the original for 50% of the price. It's a good one....A keeper

Today I discovered something great. I picked up a 3.3 oz bottle of this for $6.99! I like Shamus1's review...I agree that it is very "quiet".....that's a great way to describe it. It is also elegant,musky and woody as also described ( and not sweet at all to me) It has a very "dry" quality about it. Reminds me of something my Grandpa used to wear but it still smells current....not old. I am a woman and I'm a fan of unisex scents....I don't think this is intended to be unisex but I love how it smells on me....it starts out a little sharp but mellows quickly into this dry, earthy, woody clean scent. Here is my second discovery, probably the closest I have to a signature scent is MAC MV3 (I loved it whole heartedly) and because Kanon is great but a bit simple to me, I grabbed my bottle of Demeter Amber and layered over it. Wow! It's not spot on to MAC MV3 but a close ringer! I think this brand was mentioned somewhere as having cheap looking bottles.....well.....I happen to like them. They are simple and...yeah...a little cheesy but some days, cheesy is my middle name.

This is a charming duo of wood and powder. Kanon manages to take the very best elements of old school mens leather and fougere scents and distill them into something masculine and memorable. Therw is something timelessly reassuring aboit Kanon... it's the kind of scent that accompanies a well-dressed man, a fresh haircut, a Sunday morning with the New York Times. Patchouli is also a top player in this compositon. If you want to recapture some of that manliness you miss drom decades ago, this is your baby.

The first thing that came to mind when I sprayed Kanon is Jade East with more musk in it. It is a dated scent but I'm dated too and I love colognes from the 60's, 70's and early 80's so it will go into the collection. Update 2/26/17: After several wearings I am really starting to enjoy Kanon, but I wish the longevity was better 3.5hrs and it's a skin scent on me. My next wearing I will up the sprays from 4 to 6 and see if it's better.

Kanon is,for what you pay(12-15€),a decent fragrance,not really that modern,not really that natural,but pleasing anyway.The performances are not that strong,it is more a scent for yourself,and someway is a better choice like this.If you want a not so loud,cheaper,less dark version of Salvador Dali PH,you will have your treat.

A blast from the past. Old school, complex unique fragrance that I find to be interesting and good quality. However, often at times I do get skanky whiffs of of it that I do not really enjoy. For that it's a "like" for me. I own a modern formulation btw.

This was the 1st fragrence I ever tried in life; back in elementary school! This was my dad's. He still may even have the bottle somewhere. Classic...just not for me.

Dark and heavy. This one made it to the junk drawer, then it was pitched out to the dumpster. I really like the Norwegian Wood much better.

I used to wear this in the early 70’s. It smelled nice and clean...

The 2020 formula I tried on a cheapie binge was intolerable. The heart smelled of cat urine, and it carried on into the base, which clearly was going for a balsamic, woody fragrance. It’s a shame because the product has a long history. In my unscientific and novice opinion, I think the synthetic chemicals designed to create the woody scent combine to create the cat urine byproduct. I tested it once or twice in a handkerchief and then set it outside as a giveaway, and now I feel remorse for subjecting some unsuspecting soul to this terrible stench. I’m maybe 40 fragrances in, and this is the only one I can find no redeeming value in. The only one that’s just plain nasty to me.

Woodsy/powdery/patchouli pretty much describes this one. It smells somewhat feminine to me. I don't like it but I'm not sure why. I kept sniffing the test card and getting a negative reaction. At times it smelled like burnt gingerbread, kind of foul. NOTE: I saw this at Ross for $7. Paying more than that would be a mistake, I think. ------- I see there's a Kanon Agarwood (not on the Fragrantica database) at a Marshall. Agarwood is oud, but this smells nothing like oud. But it does smell like I'd imagine Scandanavian armpit might smell.

I prefer the vintage, but the new formula isn’t that bad it’s very woody earthy

This fragrance is BRILLIANT ... BUT for the most part only for the first couple of minutes. It has a wonderfully juicy Diorella-esque melon, patchouli and moss accord that unfortunately is the quickest fading note in this fragrance. If they could capture the first minute of this fragrance and formulate it to last a couple of hours this would be an incredibly beautiful and successful fragrance. But like I mentioned already - the great opening only lasts a minute or two - and after that boozy melon quickly fades away I'm left with dry wood complimented by oakmoss and a hint of something like tuberose which lasts for a half hour or so before settling into an understated dry wood note. Kanon is a huge tease because it is very good for the first half hour and then does a quick disappearing act! The opening is GRAND in a vintage 70's fragrance sort of way but it is a questionable purchase due to the poor longevity of the opening juxtaposed to the characterless although nice dry-down. All in all an exhilarating rush of confident fresh energy and beauty up front only to fall face first all too quickly into a mellow, dry, lazy, slightly mossy wood which you need to strain to smell after an hour. That said what you can smell after a half hour is nice enough although far too close to the skin. That soft barely perceptible sun dried wood note lasts around 2-3 hours before it disappears. The opening has really inspired me to search out a vintage bottle. If I find one I'll be back to add a comment.

Now there is a little bit of false advertising for this cologne. i was expecting something like a canon ball charge to the forehead but instead i got a dry walnut 2x2 to the nose - in a good way. If you have ever been skiing and tried to rush through a grouping of spruce that just creeps up on you when you're speeding downhill only to get a branch across the upper lip and fall face first in the snow ... and if you enjoy that ... this one is for you. Because it is cool and sharp and dry. It's like that moment right after you lift your face out of the snow with a twig caught in your teeth but you're not hurt - you feel great and alive and wide awake - well that's what the first splash of this stuff is like in the morning after a hot shower. That outdoor sweet breeze gets you at first whiff but soon drifts away. That dry chopped wood for a nice fire later is hidden in there to ready to be tossed on a flame. Ahh, it's an outdoor woodland winter adventure in a bottle! Close your eyes and you can imagine yourself drifting down a snow powdered hillside on your way to the warm, dry log cabin!

My father wore this my entire life since he was a young man until he passed. The current formula, and even bottles 20+ years old smell like utter garbage messes compared to ones with the "mans cologne" label. There is almost nothing similar at all, they must still be making this just to basically rob old people. Side by side you would never think for one second that the newer was an attempt to reformulate the old. Pathetic. I would physically assault the people responsible for this trash if i could. Imagine if Dior took Eau Sauvage (kanon actually released the same year in '66) and they just added perfumers alcohol to dilute some pine sol and sold it to you as legitimate Eau Sauvage, this is that bad. Well, at least current Eau Sauvage hasnt been completely ruined, impressive considering all the restrictions on ingredients over the years. We still have that i suppose.

Probably the most underrated and misunderstood cologne out there, yet one of the most unique in my collection. Sophisticated noses will "get it". I think people are mistaking the very low price for a cheap-smelling cologne. Not the case with Kanon (current formulation). It is well blended but the performance is a little short. Extra sprays solve the problem though. It's inexpensive, so who cares? Spray your shirt and you'll get 6+ hours longevity. I get a HUGE dose of Oakmoss, then Woods, Sage, Honey, Lily Of The Valley, and Olibanum. If they amped up the Patchouli it would easily get a 5 star rating, but it's still great as-is and gets 4.5 stars from me. Don't let the cheap price fool you, this is a really great fragrance, perfect for the colder months as it's very warm and comforting. A must-have for serious collectors.

I have a vintage bottle of the cologne. Fortunately I don't get anything more than a touch animalic, but I don't get much of a wood note either. It's subtle but it lasts well. I would not compare it to Royal Copenhagen or Zizanie, which are cloying to me. This is subtle, complex, and rather blended. I was thinking that Horizon Extreme's drydown isn't too far off, except with some leather added, though Kanon is more natural smelling, as one would expect.

Old school soapy, barbershop juice. If you like that style (I love it in the fall) then this is for you. If you don’t like old spice, azzaro Homme, Jovan musk, Pierre cardin then this probably isn’t for You. It’s undeniably masculine and it sure as hell isn’t going to be mistaken for unisex or women’s lol. Sillage and longevity are decent at the price point and you can usually get it at Marshall’s or TJ Max here in the states. Overall 8/10.

I found some for 5 bucks, read about the patchouli notes and got it on a whim. It's terrible. I keep wanting to Love it for all its described notes but I have it and feel like I smell like an old man each time I try it. I love almost all colognes with patchouli but not this one. I cannot recommend this at all.

I bought this fragrance without being able to smell it first. I was intrigued by the bottle and the name. However, once I smelled this one, I quickly knew I had wasted my money. For me, it smelled "dated" and lacked any modern appeal. I love to try different fragrances, but this one was horrible.

Unless you have the vintage version, you haven't smelled how good this is. The $10 stuff at marshals is a reformulation disaster. Not even the same scent.