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.

First fragrance in my wardrobe, and first fragrance got me compliment. Always in my heart. <3

Thankfully for my bank account there are SOME fragrances that don't work for me. This is one of those fragrances. How can something smell so nice on paper (see all the positive review below!) turn into something so vile on my skin? From start to finish: a synthetic, dirty jumble. As always, try on your skin before you buy!

If someone asks you what you mean by a 'synthetic' men's scent, just direct them to this abonimation -- it ticks all the boxes.Stay away.

I have the reformulated version (travel spray) and nothing ground breaking just clean and generic..4/10

Notes of kumquat, bergamot, kinkan, violet, nashi pear, rhododendron, nutmeg, leather, patchouli, agarwood and musk. The opening of "Zen for Men" is a rich combination of exotic fruits. A vivid kumquat, bergamot and Kinkan: (an asian type of orange), sparkling-juicy top notes surrounded of spices such nutmeg. The clear but sweet essence of the Nashi and the violet reigns in the heart of the perfume with a surprising "deja vú" of a clean, cold smoky incense. The zesty notes keep its position in the game, on the background of the composition in a effervescent way. This cologne, in fact, could be gratefuly included on the succesful "CDG's Incense Series" line: It follows a parallel character with the above mentioned. The perfume shows a spiritual, smoky, playful, sexy yet elegant face. Pleasant flowery touches from rhodondendron with leather and a pinch of musk brings us down Earth. And here it comes the oud wood. Smoky-leathery-woody drydown with splashes of musk, patchouli, while the pear, violet and rhodondedron still around the juice as a whisper. Despite its aparent difficult character, "Zen" is a minimal, kind of vintage, hypnotic yet calm perfume that made me love it on first sight. Trying to dive on it won't be an option: "Zen" is an oda of scented sights and sounds. Austere, reserved: A juxtapose blend of notes, fruits melting with an icy metallic flower heading on a musky-smoky woody base. A breath of juices lying over pebbles. Heady metallic flowers dancing in the breeze, while the smoke of an incense stick dissolves itself with the aroma of a fresh cut agar wood piece. Lacking the richness and complexity of a masterpiece, it's def. my third best perfume launch for men of the 2009, sharing the throne with "Power" and "He Wood Rocky Mountain". Spiciness with a complete lack of warmth - a spiritual "cold" burning incense. Solitude. Zen.

(Welcome to NHK - Yamazaki/ Satou) The cool Japanese computer programmer. Smart but stylish hair with bangs, skinny thin framed glasses, long sleeved collared shirt, carries his things in a slim leather satchel. During the walking commute to work, he passes big designer clothing stores with heavy glass windows, smaller clothing boutiques, passes through lofty concrete corridors of neighboring buildings and walkways. The building he works is what you expect from a small, independent urban Japanese computer/tech company, and the building architecture and style combines elements of nature with modern. The interior of the workplace is on the dark/intimate side; here is not the typical brightly lit, open floored business suit bull pen. But there could be a fine line between being a trendy I.T. worker, and a hikikomori computer otaku. Apartment window shutters drawn, and the glow of the computer screen reflecting off his glasses. The tables and floor littered with empty PET bottles, finished plates and plastic containers of food and instant ramen cups that have sat there for weeks. Bulging plastic bags of garbage piling up in the corner near the kitchen. There's an introverted, intellectual, non-mainstream, low-key classiness going on with the pear, leather and nutmeg. But on the other hand, there are times where it smells a lot like pickle water. Not just from a small jar. The kind of large pickle barrels they have at the grocery store deli where you open the lid, and that pickle water smell just emanates around you.

@marioslg you said you read somewhere that this fragrance is gay??and you hesitated wearing a fragrance because an idiot said its gay??first of all a fragrance is not a living person...i myself am gay and have worn Kouros and Aramis and did not turn me str8.i simply smelled gr8.but this is not about me. Fragrances are meant to be gender-less and be enjoyed by the wearer and the admirers. Close mindedness makes this world smaller and sadder. Trust your instinct and since perfumery is an art accept art and human beings the way they are-as you hopefully do with yourself. forget about the tags people love putting to each other.find your inner confidence and enjoy the endless opportunities that perfumery has to offer. p.s especially fragrance can be very tricky one day i have been wearing YSL la nuit-le parfum and had simultaneously 2 ladies commenting-one said this is a truly virile concoction and the other one thought was estee lauder s sensuous...go figure...:) thanks

I bought this perfume last Tuesday together with its shower gel. Before I open them, I read an arcticle in the MINDCANDY page and I was so infuenced that I was looking forward to return the perfume back to the shop. Comments like "it is a gay perfume", "fruit towards femine" etc are some of the comments in that specific page. Finally I took the risk and tried again the perfume. It is indeed somehow a fruity perfume but in no way a gay perfume. it is a sweet spicy perfume that is very pleasaunt and wellcomed by almost all surrounders. The page above absolutely smashed the perfume and it's a pity because it is a good one, not so common, powerfull, well constracted and durable so I advise all readers not to base their decision on a perfume on just one review. the final judge on a perfume should be given by the user based on taste.

I am very interested in this, having loved the new Givenchy Gentleman's pear opening, but also discovering its drydown has some discord with my body chemistry. Have any of you been able to wear the two side-by-side? Update: WOW does this have personality - based on the note-vote I was expecting more of a soft floral accompaniment for the pear, but there is a strong, spicy zip that gives me the same over-all impression as Guerlain's L'Homme Ideal EDT - I figured that with LHI it was due to a boozy almond note, but I can't figure out where it's coming from on this one. I've just put it on, so perhaps it will mellow considerably, but right now I am impressed. The pear stays noticeable despite the spicy kick, really impressive. And as Forget Freeman noted below, the bottle is exquisite.

Aromachemicals nicely done at the opening reminiscent of Beyond Paradise...but better. Dihydromyrcenol is almost abstracted by the addition of pears and a more than generous helping of Takasago musk. Nothing major going on here...just another citrus-aquatic. Pleasant enough and easily replaceable. If you must get one with the same theme from the same company (Shiseido), I recommend Auslese Trocken. That one is better. ******************* This makes you smell like you're wearing make-up (due to ionones and iris being used extensively in cosmetics). So, yeah, I think I know where the gay reputation stems from. But then again, Dior Homme smells like lipstick, yet no one questions its masculinity. Go figure.

For me woody-fruity in the top notes & woody-aromatic in general. Nice scent! The fruits are very prominent, especially pear, for about half an hour. Then it becomes velvety smooth, I can smell delicate flowery and leathery notes. I can't smell nutmeg, which I hoped to find here, because I love this note. Generally, very gentle and well-behaved scent. Modern and relaxing, and universal - I can see men of different ages wearing it. But after the top notes are gone, it's not that outstanding. The lasting power is average. Could be a good companion in the office or on a casual day. For all seasons, I guess.

Ever since I was young I liked to wear men's fragrances on myself especially if they smelled like "Amazon"- they way I used to call fragrances that would remind me of jungle, bamboo and tropical woods. This fragrance is also one of the male perfumes that I would wear on myself because it smells so fresh and "amazonian". It definitely makes me think of fresh, crisp asian woods. It's true it doesn't smell very manly but I wouldn't mind smellng this on a man. Seems suitable to the younger males out there because of the slightly fruity notes that make this fragrance so alive, young and juicy.

I have to post a review on this because it is the best cologne I have EVER smelled for men. I cant say Its sexy exactly, its more sensual to my nose. a friend used to wear it and I kept losing my train of thought while talking to him, I kept concentrating on his scent. The scent is confusing,captivating and mysterious (to me at least) and for females I prefer sweet warm (caramel sugar peach vanilla) scents so it should not be to my taste much. It is a very intense scent,highly recommend it.

When I think of the word "Zen" I think of green crisp bamboo, water notes, resins, woods, tea leaves...anything that evokes the image of a methodically raked stone garden, sculpted bonsai trees and chanting monks. Shiseido "Zen" smells nothing like that. It's a loud, colourful explosion of fruit (in particular, pear and raspberry). Fresh, juicy and sweet...but not remotely like the concept and overwhelmingly feminine. This could be a Body Shop spritzer.

Come on guys! I am gay myself and I don't feel insulted because a fragrance is qualified as "gay perfume". Maybe it's because I feel better being gay than you? I think it is not silly to consider that a fragrance with feminine notes will be more easily worn by a gay than a straight man. And it is not necessarily a matter of machismo. Ladies are the first not to want that their men smell like themselves

Last month I bought hundreds of tester perfumes. To choose my signature scent and the best ones, and yesterday I started trying them out. By chance, I randomly picked this one from the box. And I found one of the scents I was looking for in one go. It's an incredible scent. A mix of fresh pear, lipstick, and makeup. It's not vanilla, but it gives off a vanilla vibe.

I had a sample of this and enjoyed it. There is an overall cold feeling to it and by that i am not talking weather but rather the notes. It is soft and transparent with a delicate fruit note that never eally leaves. After having this on my skin for a couple of hours it kept reminding me of another fragrance in its structure and then it hit me...Nautica Voyage.

WTF is " a gay fragrance ". What is obvious is alot of men have huge issues a out sexuality. Grow up. Man up. If a frag doesnt suite you, simply say so. Dont go spreading hate about it by attempting to label it... Geez, what immature, unintelligent little. Ous some of you are!!!

To me this is a soft and light amber with some unusual fruit accord. There's a hint of this or that, such as the violet, which seems to impart a bit of a tea-like quality. It's certainly pleasant but not at all what interests me these days.

Soft, non - offending gentlemen's scent. Safe for office wear. The drydown is very similar to the recent formulation of Gentlemen Only by Givenchy.

----------- Scent & Qualiy: 6/10 Longevity: 5/10 Sillage: 5/10 Creativity & Uniqueness: 6/10 Affordability: 5/10 ----------- Overall: 5.4/10

if you have both bvlgari rain essence and shiseido zen... mix them. They go together wonderfully.

Just smelled this at TJMaxx and definitely want a bottle when the price goes down to 20. : )

sobald habe ich den Geruch dieses Parfums getestet, sofort verliebte ich mich in ihm

MODERN CONTEMPORARY AIRY OZONIC BIT FRUITY End is SOFT POWDERY MUSKY TRANSPARENT

Francis Kurkdjian, Françoise Caron are the perfumers according to wikiparfum