Pheromone for Men

I was watching HSN one day when Marilyn Miglin told the fascinating story of traveling with her Egyptologist husband and having a perfume recipe translated from an ancient papyrus, and how the perfume industry would not reproduce it for her. Well eventually she prevailed and the result is this exotic stuff-red wine is the base, and 7 sacred oils, and it's just wonderful. Totally unique.

I really wanted to like this;but...., I can't really make out the scent. Seems strong and complicated to me.

Stay away from the recent forulation. It is very powdery and cloying. My nose can't stop sneezing! This got nothing related to the classic masterpiece!

This is what happens when you package Aqua Net hair spray as a cologne. Just keep it handy in case the Raid doesn’t do the trick.

Not nearly as much is spoken about the original Pheromone nor Pheromone for Men. Perhaps their association with HSN (Home Shopping Network) has denied them of their credibility and quality. I will say that any scoffing is undeserved, as both rival some of the more lux designer creations of the 80s. Marilyn Miglin is quite a personality: an entrepreneur who released her own cosmetics line in the 60s and has been a host on HSN for decades. Her husband was Lee Miglin, a business tycoon and philanthropist who was tragically murdered in 1997 by Andrew Cunanan (who also took the life of Gianni Versace). It would be worth your while to watch some of footage of her, including those ripped straight from HSN of her peddling Pheromone EDP with its "delicate blend of 179 quality ingredients, including flower essences, roots, wild grasses, exotic barks, seeds, rare wine resins and essential oils from France, Italy, Belgium, Madagascar, Portugal and Egypt." Rare wine resins...hmm. I'd love to believe it, but I can say I do believe that both of these were fantastically executed by perfumer(s) no matter what has been used. I have older bottles of both, and for those who are concerned with 'performance', neither would disappoint: both last for hours and hours, with marvelous sillage and projection. But enough of that. It's really the fragrances themselves that shocked and intrigued me with their quality. The original Pheromone, the EDP version, as unisex as they come, is an amalgamation of soapy aldehydes, herbs and white florals, with the centerpiece being a big, bold oakmoss: the good stuff, complete with atranol, long before restrictions, when a perfumer could scoop some into a formula and throw caution to the wind, and thank goodness for that. It's glorious. Pheromone for Men is similar, but not too alike to its parent, as labdanum, honey, olibanum resin, and a realistic tonkin musk base really carry its composition cuts through the ether like a knife. This is not a namby-pamby scent. I'll pander to the knuckleheads and say this is "beast mode" to the highest degree. There's just the right dash of dirty skank (costus must be used here, or one of its synthetic derivatives) that is tamed by the softer woods and incense facets. At first I smirked at the name: Pheromone. However, I think they were onto something with the name. These two are extremely seductive, but grown-up and finessed. Furthermore, older bottles won't empty out your wallet.

Pheromone is the ultimate musk scent for men, taking the idea further than anything else I've ever smelled, and that includes Kouros, Balenciaga PH, and Lapidus. Those fragrances use musk to great effect, but Miglin focuses on musk(s) - probably a hundred different musk molecules in this thing - and somehow makes it both skanky and classy at the same time. Below the comparison was made to Mitsouko, and I agree with that. Pheromone does resemble Mitsouko in its drydown, and there's definitely a solid labdanum note, paired with a mild oakmoss in the base, but both notes are tucked behind the fog of musk. The initial serum blast of green, citrusy resins and pure funkitty-funk is intimidating, but it tones down pretty quickly. It only takes five minutes for Pheromone to become smooth, warm, and chypre-like. It retains its muskiness, but with a sweet aspect that carries an air of calm masculinity along with it. If you want an even more informative review of this fragrance, check out Shamu's blog for a terrific article. He sums it up well. Just remember, this fragrance is strong. My 1.7 oz bottle will last me years.

Miglin's site lists the notes as: "Crisp, green notes lend a clean, rich feeling. The sophisticated citrus freshness of bergamot and lemon blend with the masculine aromatic notes of armoise, basil and thyme. Dry woody notes fortified with the warmth of labdanum absolute, the crispness of hay and the sweetness of honey create a dry-down that is smooth and long-lasting, without being overpowering." To me this is the ultimate "masculine" chypre for those who find vintage Mitsouko too "feminine." The peach note is gone and instead there are green, woody, and herbal notes. If there is no oakmoss something in here is doing a good job of creating the chypre effect (upon drydown). Natural smelling and very strong, this is for the vintage aficionado.

The HSN Network fragrance. For me, this is a cold to fair weather fragrance only. I have spent a lot of time with this one. This can be too cloying and piercing for the summer. This is the fragrance that you wear while you're in Chicago, but would rather be in the tropics. Seductive? Yes! Loud? Yes! Longevity? 16-48 hours. Tropical fragrance, but not while in the tropics is the best way to describe this one. Compliment monster. Some will love and some won't. It's polarizing. Musky, sexual drydown. Mr. Miami Cuddles full review here. youtu.be/vo2C3IJPMaA

I think I take that back... (see my earlier 'review' just below...). While I still can't detect any musk etc, and while it is still a soft-ish scent, I can still detect it as a skin scent after now FOURTEEN hours, and MAN am I impressed by that! Because my skin eats up fragrances WHOLE and THIS surely takes the cake! Perhaps even longer lasting than Faqat Lil Rijal Rasasi for men, and that goes to say something!! Mark

This is by far the loudest, most concentrated fragrance in the world....no kidding. Half a spray (the equivalent of three drops) will last you three days. Showering is futile. It will linger and haunt you a very long time. It is penetrating and pungent and will scar your scent memory so much that you will consider counseling in order to cope. If it was diluted a lot it would'nt be so bad.

OK so I finally got a hold of this... expecting a strong, musky and masculine scent. Instead what get is airy, light and slightly spicy. Not heavy, not strong, no musk anywhere to be seen (do they get more and more shy these days, those musks? Perhaps an endangered species...). Is this yet another victim of castration by reformulation? Mark

Perfect scent and male counterpart to Pheromone for women. The men's version is solely based on the Seven Sacred Oil like the women's but it minus the white floral notes.