Zen for Men

Zen is the epitome of sensual opulence and spicy erotica. Arousal can be used in both definitions as it heightens your nose and your sense of touch. On first application the wearer will be confronted with an icy cold wave of herbaceous elixirs. Through this natural attraction occurs and the wearer is transported to a time of class, sheer extravagance and both the western as well as eastern worlds. Because of the opening stars that are pear, bergamot and orange these fresh, crisp ingredients start you off on a journey of shivering excitement that begs your primal instincts to latch on beg for more. Continuing, now that you have already travelled through ice, you must endure fields of natural wonder, with notes of freshly cracked and harvested nutmeg that entice and intoxicate those surrounding you whilst still projecting the frost of morning dew. But wait, what’s that? Is that flowers? Suddenly a subtle blockade of femininity arises in the forms of violet and Rhododendron which mirrors the wearers’ inner peace and tranquillity. Without this balance ‘Zen’ would become a simple one-sided liquid, but with it, ‘Zen’ is transformed into a balanced masterpiece that appeals to all who encounter it. To close our adventure, again we are relocated to a vintage time of class and wealth, where leather accessories, patchouli oil and musk incense are all staples. Imagine a room full of immaculately dressed businessmen surrounded by the scenery set above, with a backdrop of a snow capped Mount Fuji and faultless geishas. This is what ‘Zen ’achieves and forces the wearer to become a part of an entirely alternate era whilst staying amongst the modernity that is the 21st century. Overall Shiseido’s Zen encompasses all that their brand stands for. Natural beauty juxtaposed with ageless luxury, respect towards the earth and of course all those who contribute to it. Zen is a uniquely addictive fragrance that would be an integral highlight of any person’s collection.

This was a blind buy after returning from Tokyo where I’d been living and working for a few years. At some point when overwhelmed with nostalgia for Japan I rushed out and bought Zen, inspired by the spiritual connotations of the name and its pedigree as a Japanese fragrance comprising very Japanese notes by a prestigious Japanese label. The reviews below are spot on. Zen is a fresh fruit fragrance that performs exceptionally well in hot weather. Tokyo Summers are marked by high heat and constant, oppressive humidity. Zen seems to have been designed specifically for such conditions. Zen is a harmonious, multifaceted composition that features a Nashi pear note, with Kinkan (kumquat) and bergamot, then progresses smoothly through a subdued resin-y floral transition into a subtle but elegant woody patch dry down. Although fruit notes are prominent, Zen doesn’t smell gourmand or identifiably “fruity” -the pear is subtle and not-too-sweet, and the kinkan harmonious and complementary. One of the most familiar tenets of Zen Buddhism to Westerners is the practice of mindfulness, and I like to imagine that Zen helps its wearer to be in the here and now and to enjoy every moment. Courtesy is an integral part of Japanese culture, and that courtesy finds expression in Zen which is a polite fragrance. It is understated, unassuming and unlikely to offend anyone or bring unwanted attention upon it’s wearer. Sophisticated and elegant yet discrete and modest. Zen sits close to the skin after the first two hours and although I can no longer detect it, others can - and favourably. It gets compliments. Longevity is much better in Winter, but it performs surprisingly well in the heat and humidity of Summer. In any case Zen is an elegant fresh gentleman’s fragrance with a uniquely Japanese style, suitable for work and play, night and day and it is a pleasure to wear.

So...Zen at last I found you and I was not at all disappointed. A great fragrance, has a fresh sparkling feel with a fruity musk vibe. Definite nashi pear note in the top, vague florals (which is a good thing) and a soft musky suede drydown. What's great about this scent is it seems familiar but is actually quite unique as it goes and I'd rather wear this than some of the fresh designer scents out there. I have to say I really love the white heat edition version but I suspect this will have better performance in projection terms as it is a bit stronger and less subtle. Shiseido Zen is a casual scent that could be worn everyday and has a clean non intrusive vibe...great contemporary bottle design too! I enjoy it.

If you scroll below you will notice that I commented on this one enthusiastically in 2009, and then somewhat saturated in 2010. In the meantime, my original flacon has run empty and I re-bought it - which is, of course, a strong sign of quality. Now in its seventh season, my conclusion is that this one is a unique male scent that perfectly suits sunny but cool autumn days. It remains to be seen whether it will ever become a classic, but it undeniably has survived a couple of seasons now. It's not natural or sexy, but cool and self-reliant. At the same time, it represents contemporary style. ****

The top note is nice, but i love shiseido zen white heat edition more. This fragrance design is nice n special. The longevity on my skin about 6hours, and 12+ hours on clothes. The silage is moderate, people about one meter distance can smell it. The scent is nice, but not very special. I give it B+ for smell.

One year ago I wrote that I'd find this one wonderful (see below), and that I got hooked. Well, today I seem to have gotten enough of it, I use it almost never these days. I don't know what to make of it, it's like a fashion that comes quickly and then vanishes after just one season. ***

Very very good perfumes. This one is one different than any kind and even for a japanese cosmetic brand, remember how long it had been existed on the market. I must give a special compliments to this and you would smell entirely different. Two thumbs up and a 9.5/10

The closest thing to a summer version of Narciso Rodriguez For Him EDT. It's like you added some pear and a hint of citrus to the wet cement masterpiece. It's easy to recommend for those looking for an artistic and pleasant summer/spring/fall scent.Two thumbs up!

ZEN is a very nice perfume with moderate sillage and longevity!! I like the smell of nutmeg and patchouli...what a nice combination! I realised that it has the same drydown of the feminine version of ZEN.

Wonderful, simply wonderful. I tried it at the shop and I got hooked. Below it is mentioned "it's a nice spring fragrance". Well, spring hasn't arrived yet, but it's nice during autumn, too. *****

one of my best perfumes so far. reasonable price and awesome quality, great longevity and complex smell

I got this as a sample. And when I used it, it got me into a spiritual journey so to say. because in the west we are used to qualify a floral scent as female. Now in the far east it is the opposite. And secondly a perfume has no gender! So what I try to say is, there is no such thing as a female or male perfume. It is just cultural and social based. And the most ridiculous thing I ever read here was a perfume to be qualified as a gay perfume. What a bias and intolerant and ridiculous thoughts some people have. This perfume has some distinctive class and features. First of all it opens extremely fresh and floral whereas we are used to citric scent to open with. In this perfume you smell the difference of a Japanese perfume. It starts very sweet. This floral scent changes into a typical incense-floral scent used in the meditations. Although there is no lotus in it, the floral and light spicy-citric scent in the middle gives a reflection of it. And wow then in the end it goes into the deep with that light musky-leather scent like Dior Homme does. In western scent associations it becomes even extremely masculine. LOL. So guys who think this is a gay scent. wow then this is a must have because it ends really powerful. It is better in wintertime. So don't wear it on warm days. The sillage is too strong. There is some strong synthetic note in it esp. in the beginning. Seriously it is a great scent with some great class and yet also casual. In the last dry down when the leather fades it returns to the beginning with a nice floral-incense scent. It is a mysterious scent with many different moments and balanced like zen is. Whereas I think that zen white head and the Zen for woman are more balanced and subtle. The zen series are something for men who are more spiritual based in live and want to smell distinctive but subtle.

The best pear fragrance I have encountered. This fragrance is fresh, aquatic and minimalistic. These days, that makes it one of many "freshies" out there. But in 2009, the year this scent was released, it was much more atypical. But this is emphatically not a typical fresh fruity scent; it quite Japanese in the way it is compounded and therefore Zen For Men is something just a bit special. The notes here are unique. In addition to the noted very slightly sweet and crisp bosc type pear, which endures for the vast majority of the scent's surprisingly lengthy duration, there is light, fleeting, citrus. The notes pyramid suggests orange and bergamot, but I think the citrus smells like kinkan, Japanese kumquat. The progression is subtle here. The heart has light floral elements that join with the slightly watery sense in the top notes to create an open and airy feel to this scent. In the base, there is white musk and a suede note that work with the clean patchouli that emerges at the tail end of the heart notes. the dry down anchors this scent on the masculine side of things. That being said, I can easily imagine a woman wearing this fragrance. Projection is modest. This fragrance truly comes into its own in hot, humid conditions. I like it better each time I wear it. The bottle is a great design expressing the Zen theme of this scent. Recommended for hot weather, particularly for those wanting to get out of the citrus/ambroxan fresh fragrance rut.

Zen is a quite weird masculine scent for summer. You need to spray on your skin to determine if this is for you or not and wait for a few minutes. I get strong spices with pear, "dirty" edible pickled cucumber and a slightly sweet note almost invisible at the opening. After some time, it becomes a nice, warm summer leathery-citrusy-fruity-floral men's scent. It is unique by its own way, I never smelt something like that. The most distinguished notes are bergamot, pear, violet and leather. The other notes are visible but not so strong. The longevity and the projection are weak. In an hour you must stick your nose to your skin to smell it, such a pity for a nice juice like this. I reccomend it for fall, spring and summer. No, it is definitely not a unisex fragrance or feminine that I read above OMG! All the Japan's scents I've tried, left me with good feelings.. whoever is interested in japanese scents, the Yohji Yamamoto, Masaki Matsushima are also very interesting for summer with better longevity and projection.

یک عطر چند وجهی! عطری عجیبیست ، بسیار آرامش بخش هست، چندین بو رو همزمان به طور موازی حس میکنم در ابتدا کمی بوی فروتی میدهد بویی از ترکیب گلابی و پرتقال در کل عمر عطر بوی نعنا را احساس میکنین که خنکی به عطر میده یک تلخی در اون هست بسیار زیبا که جایش با شیرینی قدری عوض میشه کمکم بسیار بوش شادی داره و خیلی هم فرش به نظرم ضمن اینکه شاد هست ،در حد خودش رایحه شیکی هم دارد مخصوصا وقتی که قدری از بوی اون میگذره و بوی بنفشه وگل صدتومنی جون میگبره.و قدری هم س ک س ی که وجود بوی ملایم چرم باعث اون شده برای فصل گرم هم بسیار مناسبه و شاد و در عین حال ارام و مردانه هم هست

Zen was in our family for years, everybody in the family used zen... except me, So I did what I had to do and decided to blind buy zen for men. And that was the best blind buy ever. Very comforting and fresh, the pear note in it is not in a suffocating sweet fruity way, more like a juicy intoxicating fresh pear I get from it. Quite powdery and floral which gives it unisex vibes so imo tottaly wearable by both genders. The other notes listed are well blended Overall a very wearable daily fragrance, it is a safe blind buy

Out of the 140 odd fragrances I have this one is quite unique, has a feminine quality but is certainty a male scent, it's namesake is appropriate in this regard, as it is balanced and has a duality. A woman could wear this well too in my opinion. I find it relaxing to wear after a hard days work. Also Kudos goes to the bottle design, absolutely stunning in its simplicity. Cool

Recently found my old bottle of this gem and I still like it to this day. A very nice aquatic pear scent which smells really good, and it's performance are above average for being an EdT. Fits perfectly for the spring and summer.

I picked up accord of cucumber and tobacco in the drydown. Oh well. I wasnt overly impressed, I suppose it's pretty nice. It start a spicy floral the dries, what i thought was) green and musky.

Zen smells like designer threw all known fragrances to one bottle. It's the smell of a perfume shop in a large gallery. Not bad, but nothing special.