Activist

Long before I had a fragrance collection my daughter gifted me this for Christmas. I suspect around 2010, and having owned many Avon and drug store fragrances this was great, sweet spicy and dark, I smelt delicious, yet masculine. I was really pleasantly surprised because I had two previous Body Shop scents, and really did not care for either. This would be my introduction to gourmand type fragrances, it interested me that fragrance could be this good. I sprayed this on today, and noticed for the first time that it reminds me of John Varvato’s Vintage. This might be due to the age of my bottle (which has about 1/4 remaining) but they are strangely similar now that I know a bit more. This lacks the rhubarb, and the depth overall, but they are IMO quite close. Longevity for this was solid for me, and projection as well, getting a respectable 4 hours performance before it gets soft and more a skin scent, for the price this is a solid piece, and probably the best male scent from Body Shop to date. I have looked to see if it is still being sold, the website indicates it exists but no luck actually finding it, even Amazon indicates it exists, but both flip to Arber when you hit a purchase point? I am fortunate enough to have two back up bottles from years back, because I never wanted this to run out, and perhaps sadly it might be done, which I think has become the fate of John Varvato’s Vintage as well. If you can get this at a reasonable price I highly recommend that you do, it really is a hidden gem tucked away in the mall, and even those are getting discontinued. Cheers all, be safe and smell GREAT! PS...Yes, the opening has a brief Root Beer vibe, but this is far deeper than that.

A favourite of one of my sister's and a familiar fragrance visually over the years; you know the one that seems to be in lots of friends and family members' bathrooms and in the store-fronts, but you've never taken the time to actually smell it and drink in the notes, feelings and sensations? I tried 'Activist' today and have to say that the first thing that hit me was the relative quality in terms of price. If you're on a budget and want a decent offering as opposed to some low-price generic fare (as seen in a multitude of drug stores), Activist won't disappoint. The second major thing (apart from the very pleasant effects I experienced) was it's relation to 'Opium Pour Homme' by YSL. I've read other reviewers references to 'Antaeus' by Chanel and their perceptions that the two are similar, if not directly, then in general terms. I have Antaeus and I have to say that the powerhouse characteristics it has are not shared with Activist. Rather, it shares a lineage with Opium PH in terms of its oriental characteristics, richness and body. If you couldn't afford Opium PH, Activist would be a more than adequate lesser alternative. Enjoy!

I used to work at TBS in my early 20s and would mix this oil with Juba, which smells a lot like Calyx by Prescriptives. I now use the cologne, which smells like citrus and woods, with very few middle notes or "meat" in between. The notes here aren't very descriptive; I remember the original notes definitely including hay, several citrus fruits, and perhaps tobacco and sandalwood. It smells like a young callow man trying to smell like his grandfather! It's not refined but is pleasant and has good intentions--quality notes that I don't think are done very thoughtfully. Do I like it? Yes! As a woman that wants to smell different from the mainstream, this suits me when I am wearing leather and/or spending time outside. In fact, I went camping this weekend, and this smelled divine with the wood smoke and sunshine. Another woman spritzed some on too--it smelled natural so blended with the other scents around us. I would definitely advise people to spray (and wait) before buying.

The notes on The Body Shop’s website are different than the ones listed here, but I don’t get those notes on that page. I mostly get what’s listed here on this page. So, I don’t know about the discrepancy, but I get a linear fragrance that is mainly composed of amber, spices, and a wood mixture. I can smell the citrus initially, but they don’t make up a big part of the fragrance. Activist is a very warm fragrance. It seems to be a heavy scent, but it somehow remains lighter than what you might think. The amber gives it a very smooth and velvety feel. The scent itself is very nice. I used to love this when I first purchased this a few years ago. As I'm winding down on what's left in this bottle I'm much less impressed than I was when I first bought it. However, it was only like 20$, so no huge complaints. I wouldn't purchase again, however.

My first bottle was gifted to me by a friend back in 2007 and I had carried it with me on several trips. I recently bought my current bottle and right after a few sprays, I was already trance travelling in flashbacks down memory lane! Moderate longevity lasting 3 to 6 hours, it is very refreshing in terms of Middle Eastern climate - where I reside. Equally great for moderate European climate; not for Winters. Its diffusion radiates within arm length and isn’t heavy for the wearer or surrounding. I personally prefer a few sprays in the evening for a stroll down the street during Springs & Autumns. I think this is a great product by Body Shop, especially when they are not specialized in perfumery. Good value for money if you want a great scent for a low budget – either for yourself or as a gift. Trust me, you will not be disappointed.

I've had a bit of a thing for the Body Shop lately. They keep bombarding me with discounts, and i've fallen into the trap. Working through the men's fragrances, I quite liked Arber and White Musk, positively loathed Kistna, but Activist I utterly love! It's not a fragrance that develops on the skin, the initial spray remains unaltered on my skin for a good five hours. A warm mix of Amber, Spice, Wood and an almost minty note, it is very pleasant, great for work. It is very unique, I don't know that this reminds me of anything, the reviewer that compares it to Million sorry I don't get that in the slightest. For the price there is no reason not to have this in your collection. A real gem!!

so many memories.this was a release of 90s and I got this in 2001, in malaysia.Jaya Jusco(Aeon now) in wangsa maju.i was always a member of The Body Shop and used all their men's perfumes.this by far was the best.and still in production thank god.spicy sweet leather amber citrus and grassy notes.it is so long lasting and projects really well. can be worn formally and also casually.winter would be perfect for this but in summer you can use it if there is air conditioning.i used 4 bottles, my dad used more than 5. I got this back in my rotation after 8 long years and im so happy. its such a gem of a fragrance, incredible pricing for 100ml 10/10

Wow, I haven't thought of this cologne in forever. It annoyed me when I couldn't find it in the shop one day and the employee told me it was discontinued. It was such a good product. Smelled good, very simple, reasonably priced, plus the name made me smile. Hey everyone, smell me! I'm an activist! Supposedly, from what I was told, The Body Shop was moving towards more complex fragrances, with more notes. Funny, huh? Now the trend is towards "transparency" and fewer notes. At the time, Activist was priced more like a drug store fragrance (aNd I don't mean the ones they keep in a locked glass cabinet .)

I bought this scent for my boyfriend based on the fragrance description on this site. I went in blind and rolled the dice. It really paid off. He loves it and I love it. To the point where I was envious there wasn't a more feminine version of it. He isn't normally one to care about cologne but he mentions how much he likes this one all of the time. It has a subtly sweet masculine scent. Lots of woody and spicy notes with a touch of something sweet and clean.

PLEASE! I'm begging! If someone knows something that's actually similar to this, or has a similar scent DNA, please tell me! this was my first fragrance and though it smells cheap now to me (or perhaps its gone stale?) I crave this DNA!! I simply must find something with the same citrus-spicy, fresh oriental vibe...

This is the fragrance I created an account for - it is so underrated! Almost no reviews on youtube and none of the big channels talk about it. It is such a fantastic fragrance and so unique. Nothing else quite like it. This will always be on my shelf.

This is very nice perfume from Body Shop, I can feel calmness in it. It started mild fresh then it drydown to little bit sweet aromatic. Its very nice to wear in the morning before you go to office.

One of the few spicy, energetic smells. Not a very unique smell but it definitely is a pleasuring smell to wear. Fresh, spicy, & little green. This one is for the fresh & sport fragrances fans.

I bought this for my guy a couples years ago and it's still one of his and my favourite it smells soooo good on him. he gets compliment on it all the time and the price is also really good

one of my absolute favourite body sprays of all time. layers well on top of something deeper. its warm and spicy, elegant and strong. lasts a long time when sprayed on clothes.

I am totally love this fragrance. I think it similar to Lapidus Pour Homme but this frag is less powdery compare to lapidus..

The Body Shop's website lists these notes, later in the description paragraph about Activist. I believe the above listed notes/accords were merely the thesis statement of the brief description: "...Top notes: lemon and orange combine to create the citrus top notes- Helps to moisturize the skin. ....Middle notes: cedarwood and ylang-ylang combine to create the spicy heart note. ....Base notes: sandalwood, patchouli and amber combine to create the warm, woody base..." This is still in production (Jan 2018) but 40% off right now on TBS website! NB: Also, since I have been seeing it (and gift sets featuring it) here & there in grey market retailers; I am assuming it may become discontinued. (So naturally I bought roll-on deodorant, body wash and 100 ml EDT! What? It came it a great retro/throwback tin!) It's very ubiquitous (spices, citrus, greens) yet there is something undeniably something dark and sensual going on here. A languid warmth is lurking underneath the notes, padding softly like a black leopard, purring and ready to pounce...or not, depending on the intensity of the scenario. It's no drop-dead gorgeous niche diamond-in-the-rough or anything; it is a dependable fresh green spicy woody scent wearable just about anywhere, in any season. It smells good...but the more I wear it the more I feel myself falling under the spell of that delicate ylang that is threaded so artfully through the entire composition, so it never gets boring (or hasn't the last few times I sported this). smell swell & be well, GP xox

Quality: 4 out of 5 – It’s a beautiful, high quality scent. Originality: 4 out of 5 – It’s quite original yet reminds me of the dry-down of Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male. I’d wear this over JPG which is quite amazing at this price! Projection (Sillage): 3 out of 5 – moderate; Only people in your immediate vicinity can smell your scent. Versatility: 3 out of 5 – This scent works well for night, autumn/winter, ‘dressed up’ occasions for males over 25. Value: 5 out of 5 – At £16 for 100ml (before adding promo codes); instead of grabbing a fast food meal, I’ll get me a bottle of this stuff! Compliment Frequency: 2 out of 5 – Nobody moved away yet I didn’t get compliments when wearing it either. Packaging (Bottling): 3 out of 5 – The bottle and sprayer are functional, but nothing special, aesthetically. Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 – Great – This fragrance does just about everything you could ever want from a fragrance of its type (meaning it’s good enough for a lack of projection, compliment frequency and plush bottling to ignore). There aren’t any significant problems with the fragrance, but you are not left in complete awe, either. Recommendations: Try before you buy but only because everyone has different nose and skin combinations. Personally, I’d check the notes in this fragrance and if you know they are also found in some of your other favourite fragrances, I’d do a blind buy.

Spicy and sweet, Activist is a welcome part of The Body Shop's men's line. I get vanilla, black pepper, and amber mostly. I don't get a green vibe, nor do I smell any citrus, though it's possible that the citrus simply fades very quickly. There's not much evolution--it opens brighter, and dries down to something softer. Projection and longevity aren't much to speak of, as it's a very light EDT concentration, but this makes for a pleasant light cold weather scent to be applied in informal situations. I liken it to C.O. Bigelow's Elixir Black, although Activist is somewhat sweeter and has a less alcoholic scent. I liked the Antaeus comparison as well, though the sheer strength difference makes it difficult to compare, and Activist is much sweeter than Antaeus. At $28 for 100ml, and often on sale, Activist is a great item to have in your rotation for casual and daytime light wear during the colder months, for which I believe it is best-suited. The scent is pleasant--it's fun to smell while it lasts. 7 out of 10

I won this in a raffle during Christmas 1996. Thought it would be naff, had a conception that The Body Shop was for women and being a teen I wanted to smell like a man and attract ladies like the ads on TV. Only used this as I wanted to save my Jazz and I ran out of Old Spice. After the first few sprays I was addicted, the scent and the way it progressed was amazing, how stupid was I to think like this as a young teen. It knocked Jazz off the shelf. I went through another bottle and I enjoyed everything about this scent. Started being interested in Frags again and purchased Ted Lapidus Pour Homme and immediately I was transported back. Quite simply this is a weaker less complex version of TLPH. Similar notes and similar DNA on my skin anyway. Unfortunately after finding and loving TL there is no going back to this for me. I will always be thankful for the memories, my trusted wingman for a few years!

If you really like super amber-ry fragrance then Activist is for you. The longevity is close to 6-8 hours on my skin and the sillage is soft for me. I wear this in monsoons (rainy season in India) and winters. The opening has lot of spice and a unique green grassy feeling. Its a very unique fragrance with loads of amber which makes it a cool weather fragrance but one can surely pull this off in an air-conditioned office through out the year. One thing to be noted here is that my nose does not get any citruses here.

Nice! Not the best from the Body Shop men’s collection... try Kistna if you want the best one from their range. Smells like loads of mens designer fragrances all mixed into one in a way... so I think it would be a good choice for a teenage boy first getting into fragrances and wanting to invest in his first cologne after graduating from Lynx Africa. Kind of an everything smell, hard to dislike but not the most complex or interesting from the Body Shop. Definitely nice tho.

I had tested this one, and at first was very impressed, the woodsy and amber scent really stood out, however as the day progressed it really died down and didn't stick around on my skin. The second time I tested this, I was disappointed, as I had remembered I really liked it the first time but the second time when I was deciding to buy it was weak and turned me off of buying it. overall it is a pleasant scent but just not for me.

Got a tiny bit of this left and treating it like liquid gold after they discontinued it (and I sent a tersely-worded email to let TBS know what I thought of that). Warm, comforting, spiced-eggnog kind of scent with a woody backup. Perfect for indoors, snug and comfy, while it's howling awful weather outside. Good value for the inexpensive price tag.

Nice warm, spicy amber feel to this frag, but at the same time its got a freshness to it on top of that, grassy with hints of citrus (not sweet to me at all though). Lasts a decent amount of time too, on me about 5-6hrs. I'd say get it if you can, inoffensive and for the price point it's hard to go wrong!

There’s something so comforting and nostalgic about this scent. The scent is perfectly balanced, giving off confidence without being too strong. Despite its woody and spicy notes, it still feels refreshing, making it perfect for any time of the year. It’s truly timeless.

Would choose this over Kistna any day. Smells very sweet that I almost mistook it for a woman's fragrance. It also lasts a few minutes longer than Kistna. Overall I think it's something that a chill yet fun guy would wear.

This is interesting. very unique and sophisticated. more of a oriental vibe. very spicy and woody. i don't know how to describe it other than dusty? but overall it is solid.

I used to wear this ALL THE TIME in college (I'm female). Not sure if I would wear it now. But boy, I loved this fragrance.

This is a lovely fragrance, nice and masculine but at first smells like alcohol to me.

Unique, minty and masculine. I like it.

i love the spices in the perfume...

Im going to be one to buck the trend and say I dislike this, tried some and yes it does smell spicy but for a mans fragrance it does smell very feminine (there is a sweet fruitiness to the scent) which is unfortunate as this fragrance really does last a long time and so is good value for money. I think on a lady I would probably like this fragrance (in moderation) but as a mans fragrance there is nothing here for me to recommend UPDATE 12/01/16 : Have done a complete 360 on my opinion of this scent, whilst I initially found it too sweet it has really grown on me and it does not seem nearly as sweet as I first recall. Maybe with all the current sweet mens scents my nose has grown accustomed to sweeter fragrances. Since having grown fond of Opium pour homme I have a real fondness for spicy, warm scents and this fits that niche perfectly, a real warm cozy fragrance

I was assailed by its top notes of lavender, patchouli and citruses. Fell in love with the bit of paper it was tested on. Bought it on impulse the next day, sprayed myself with it and all i got was a bloody headache from the saccharine bug-spray-and-spoiled-root-beer concoction. Totally noxious; nothing fresh, sensual or uplifting about it except for the first two minutes of volatile citrus woodsiness. I noticed it got increasingly balmy, a cloyingly sweet Sarsi(the fizzy drink)+Chinese herbal ointment odor the minute I walked into the sun or started sweating (I live in Singapore by the way, it's summer all year) A total waste of money. Spent about 3 more months on the shelf before I gave it to some jerk i once dated as a lethal parting gift, haha!

Not offensive, simple, yet appealing fragrance. I bought it to my friend many years ago, 15 or so. It is a spicy aromatic fragrance, which is not as overpowering as many in the category, therefore it can be worn pretty much anytime. Perfect for colder climate, evenings. The composition is overpowered by citruses, which give off a bit of freshness. It is rather well blended, however staying power, silage, potency - are all lacking. It is a bit "boring" in a sense that such fragrance can be worn when you don't know what you want. Or perhaps it shrouds one with a sense of safety and borrowed dignity? It is versatile, and I would not mind wearing it myself, I have checked it again at the store a while back. 7 of 10. Naturally smelling, however the recent reformulation remind Edc rather than Edt. However I would rather spend a few more Euros and buy a peppery lavender Loccitaine eau (blue bottle), which offers better longevity and more complex notes.

First spray, I find spices and amber appear, then followed citruses, wood and a little sweet honey.. (wait,. I find a little bit of incense smoke too..) I hope will get an end note like a sensation on Hugo Boss no 1. but it turns out I was disappointed, because the fragrance only lasted about 3 hours in my skin.. longevity is poor .. (should not be named activist .. because it would be many people will misunderstand .. and expect more , which in turn is disappointed). however this scent is not bad.

Don't remember how I got this, but it was rather a while ago, in a cute gift set with a deo stick and in a metal toiletries bucket which I still have. Inoffensive and sweetish green fragrance with a nice mild bite...perhaps a distant cousin to Chanel's ANTAEUS. Decent sillage and earned me a few compliments. Not too sure it's still around, but a very nice and masculine scent, especially considering the price point.

...since the initial spray of aroma spices and a little vanilla already dominant, then followed citruses and wood notes .. and then an hour should I spray again, because the smell has disappeared, .. after the second spray this juice will stay longer.. actually not the scent which suits me, but it's enough for daily use..

This is a real "get up and go fragrance"... Very aptly named I think. Love the name, love the very reasonable price, LOVE the cool clean peppery blast that comes from the first skin contact. HATE the bottle it comes in! So ugly and cheap. For this reason I've barred it from joining my fragrance collection!! Lol.

I don't usually like and wear a woody, spicy, warm perfume for daily use. But this one is an exception! This is quite heavy but somehow it is really gorgeous and smell like no other! The body shop is really underrated. Always 95% hit and 5% miss for me (based on experiences). And this on is really a HIT!.

2nd Review: Today I spray it on my arm. This time it smell dominant citrus and citrus drydown. Where all the magic gone? I might remove this from my wish list. 1st Review: Always want to add this spice to my collection. For me this is spice, and balsamic. Very sweet, too sweet for me to be honest.

I think it reminds me of a lighter version of Joop Homme. Bitterly sweet medicinal, very oriental, amber. Not my cuppa tea either but I just received one as a holiday gift set this '13 holidays. Possibly be a re-gift item for next year.

I Love it its a very good sensual plum fragrance mmmm yummy yummy but not cloying ! Andthe price tag is unbeatable 22 bucks 100ml inclusive shipping !!! Similar Fragrances You could like/love are - Kapsule Woody Lagerfeld - Frapin 1270

It's nice, fresh, a bit warm, and distinctive. It's masculine and a bit seductive. It's very similar to Noir for Men by Bath & Body Work. I agree White Musk for Men is the best thing from the Body Shop! :)

Now on sale! I bought two bottles of this one yesterday for $10 each at the Body Shop (Stonebriar), I’m in Lewisville Texas. Smells good, it’s warm and woody, I love it. 100ml for $10 it’s a bargain.

Fresh scent with a great opening that is instantly recognizable. Subtle spice note works really well but the dry down gets musty and loses the freshness. Average longevity.

It’s back! It briefly was discontinued but now it’s back. Hope they bring back the soap and shower gel and all black bottle. Was a lot cooler. This smells amazing. Love it.

This one smells really good from opening to dry down... Except for that annoying but quite tolerable spicy ointment/balmy whiff I get from it.

I have to agree with thomkallor - it's a version of ANTAEUS by CHANEL! I enjoyed wearing it at the time of it's release, but I've moved on.

Pleasant enough as day wear, seems to be the only body shop fragrance that lasts on my skin,