I'm on my second bottle of CK MAN, I recently bought back after using it over a decade ago, when it was just launched on the market. I just wanted to write a statement here, and so I retrieved the bottle, regrettably empty, only to remember the smell through the sprayer. A bit of perfume remained in the straw, enough to spray. And that spray immediately reminded me why I fell in love because of the nuance that recalls the masterpiece Nino Cerruti pour Homme dated 1979, in a more modern key. Happily, this new bottle has the same smell as the original one, maybe did not suffer too many reformulations. There is always a level of snobbery in the fragrance community, so something as big a market as CK won't get much recognition. For me, this is one of my favourite releases of them. For a perfume collector, this will not be anything revolutionary, but for me, it's a great general smell. It is fresh, sharp and versatile.
The bottle is quite minimalist, square, clear-glass, without too many frills, front and back covered with an asphalt-black film which results in stylish dark-coloured glass and a light grey juice inside. And the box is nothing more than the bottle itself, the design and colour are identical. The overall fragrance smells like the air after a light morning rain in the woods, the atmosphere comes alive with a fresh smell, hard and pungent. The forest floor is scattered with coarse bay trees, their cinnamon-like odour tingling in your lungs. The wild nature of melted mushrooms comes with fresh raindrops, eucalyptus and abundant moss soon they also make their way. The air smells good. It may have the trail of damp moss, rain, wet tree trunks, flowers and a path covered with needles. Walking through a damp forest after the rain has a unique smell. The hush of the forest takes hold of your wandering mind, and it forces you to face questions of your being.
CK MAN is like open arms; ready to embrace you without judging, to give power and support. It caresses you with its beauty, sounds and smells, and it feels good on your skin, too. Stepping into this cologne is like walking through a gate. You leave all the fuss, busy life and smooth asphalted roads behind, to be greeted with peace and fragrant nature.
It has fresh spicy, aromatic, and woody main accords. Upon opening, I get the blend of zesty sweet mandarine and green, vivid violet resulting in gorgeous harmony. Soon it melts with a touch of creamy bergamot velvetiness and mentholated rosemary aromaticity. It is a crisp, incredible opening, with bay already lingering in the air. The herbs keep the overall overture a bit enticing.
Middle notes of bay leaf, incense, nutmeg, and mint follow. The minty accord mixes nicely with a subdued, unburned incense aroma; the heart of the fragrance with its minty incense is my favourite part of Calvin Klein MAN. As the mint calm down, I can detect the spicy nutmeg.
And when the nutmeg shines, it signals the start of the fragrance warm finishing of guaiac wood, with a tinge of rosy aroma, sandalwood, amber wood, cypress, and musk notes closing this masterpiece. The dry down adds a warm incense-cypress woodiness in the concoction with a little smokiness and a dark, scratchy tone while the sweetness and softness of sandalwood keep it in balance. Amberwood joins the dry down with gorgeous Iso E Super and pristine white musk, the threesome becomes dominant and mesh with the green notes giving CK MAN a charming, pleasant, green, clean scent.
With moderate sillage and longevity, this scent works well throughout the middle seasons, Spring and Fall, at any time of the day and evening out. A strong, bold and hard-muscled perfume with an arduous and assertive character. It is subtle and close to skin type and supposed to be layered on the skin and although not to be judged at initial spray, let it settle and project with a man's natural scent upon dry down, it complements your natural fragrance. Earthy, green and woodsy like a rugged man.
This is a classy, unique, elegant, crispy and spicy aroma without going into so played out watery-woody territory. CK MAN is unique, sophisticated and intriguing in an understandable and widely acceptable manner. It is one of those scents that you need to test on your skin, and not just that...you need to wait for the dry down. As most of the CK perfumes for men, in my humble opinion, this one is underrated too, yet it has a grip of steel. It smells fresh and young, but still distinguished.
Stay well; stay healthy.
-Elysium