Icon Dunhill (2015)

Bottle Design Mark Eisen

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7.9 / 10 457 Ratings

Icon is a popular perfume by Dunhill for men and was released in 2015. The scent is spicy-fresh. It is being marketed by Inter Parfums.

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Perfumer

Carlos Benaïm

Fragrance Notes

Top Notes	Italian bergamot, Neroli absolute, Black pepper, Petitgrain
Heart Notes	Cardamom, Provençal lavender, Sage, Juniper berry
Base Notes	Iris, Oud, Vetiver, Leather, Oakmoss

Ratings

Scent

7.9 (457 Ratings)

Longevity

7.6 (404 Ratings)

Sillage

6.9 (406 Ratings)

Bottle

9.1 (437 Ratings)

View Video of Icon (YouTube)

Submitted by Michael, last update on 06.07.2020.

Interesting Facts

The face of the advertising campaign is model Andrew Cooper, photographed by Annie Leibovitz.

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Reviews

06/01/2020

7
Scent 5
Longevity 4
Sillage 9
Bottle

ScentSlave
71 Reviews

ScentSlave

Helpful Review 2

This one has a great smell;

I feel a lot of similarity to Terre d'Hermes edt in the opening, but I don’t get as much in terms of sillage. MAYBE a 1.5ft radius when it’s fresh. As it dries down it gets a bit sweeter, but still very similar to TDH. When it dries to the middle and base notes is where it really shines best. It softens up a little bit as it sweetens, and it’s GORGEOUS at this point. It also DOES indeed have a good staying power as a skin scent, so it would go well for work/business, and it’s quite inexpensive, so I’m not complaining about anything. It’s another slightly mature, very masculine scent that I have for formal occasions around people that I’m not so familiar with. It’s a nice, fresh, and slightly smoky citrus that you can wear freely, with no worries about offending anyone.

05/27/2020

8.5
Scent 8
Longevity 7
Sillage 9
Bottle

Salva

Translated Show original

Salva

Very helpful Review 12

Stylish gentleman

Hello friends,

this time I'm gonna go after Dunhill Icon EdP. Because after a certain time, in which I wore it again and again, I want to bring it a little bit closer to you
I was looking for a somewhat simpler, more straightforward, yet noble and interesting fragrance. A perfume that you can simply reach for and wear without hesitation. Although I - like many others - like to wear certain scents "with pleasure" and others only "with pleasure", I still want to build up a collection in which I am prepared for all occasions and have at least 1 beautiful fragrance for each occasion.

About 3 months ago I told myself that besides my BdC EdP, I could use another "gentleman" scent... xD [...]. I wanted a "quiet" and "silent" representative in my collection and so I went to Turquoise and another department store, where I didn't really find anything. So I searched through various YT reviews and other online sites where I eventually came across the Dunhill Icon series. "Hmm, Dunhill? Isn't that Alfred Dunhill, that luxury goods entrepreneur?", I asked myself (I was quite familiar with that name). Until that time, I hadn't been aware that fragrances were also produced under his name. But after a short google I had the confirmation...
[...].

So I watched several videos of all the icon scents, read a lot about their scents, ratings etc. and came to the conclusion that the Icon EdP could be exactly what I was looking for. (His scents already appealed to me...).
Now the icon series wasn't available in any shops and at that time I didn't know anything about this community (Note: Shortly after buying this perfume I registered here...). So I just decided to order it blind. "At this low price you won't break a leg," I told myself. No sooner said than done. At a well-known online shop I ordered the big bottle...

Full of anticipation I waited a few days for my parcel and could hardly wait to open it. When it finally arrived at home, I opened it and was thrilled by the flacon on the one hand, but at the same time "shocked". It is a rather heavy bottle that could be used as a "weapon" to physically hurt someone or something... xD [...].
(Well, anyway, still very noble in beautiful silver). I opened the somewhat difficult to open lid and sprayed my wrists...
"Mmm, that's exactly how I imagined you, I really like you very much...", I thought at once. So I sprayed myself with 6-7 sprays and went to visit my parents. When I arrived at my parents' house my mother told me: "Today you smell ultra fresh and clean, like a real gentleman. I really like it!" [...].

I spent 2-3h hours at my parents' house and afterwards I met a buddy for a cocktail. In the café I asked him how he liked my new scent and let him smell it on my wrist: "Jo, is good, has something noble."
(Note: None of my buddies is as good with scents as I am; all of them "no perfume people" who simply don't wear any scents... :D ).

At some point I was at home and after about 5 hours I could still notice it on myself, even if only inconspicuously. On my skin it lasts 5, max. 6h (depending on how much I spray), then I have to spray again. The Sillage can be perceived well in the first 2-3 hours, after that it develops into a "skin-scent"
The fragrance opens mega sparkling fresh with a certain spiciness; this will be the bergamot in the combination with the black pepper. But at the same time I perceive something slightly spicy-bitter, for which Neroli is probably responsible. This top note is joined after a short time by cardamom, which keeps it masculine and spicy, and lavender, which not only keeps the fragrance fresh and herbaceous, but also gives it a slight sweetness (that's how I perceive it). However, this sweetness is quite discreet, which is very pleasing, especially if you get the sillage yourself by a gust of wind... Because then this scent is wonderfully beautiful... And the base makes this scent in my eyes (or should I say in my nose:) ) a real gem! Because with the iris and the vetiver, the fragrance becomes slightly floral and delicate again, without neglecting its masculinity. But I don't perceive oud, especially because my nose is not quite as good yet... But overall I find the fragrance development very positive!

Conclusion:
Just what my mother said was my very first impression of Dunhill Icon EdP. A really super clean and fresh, yet noble and reserved fragrance. It suits stylish and confident men who show good manners, politeness and friendliness and are appreciated and respected by their fellow men for their honesty and seriousness.
You can wear this fragrance without any problems during the day and especially in the office without getting on anyone's nerves. I think people in the area will find this scent very "welcome" and comfortable.
MMn it is a super great everyday scent that you can always use if you don't quite know what to use. You can't do anything wrong with it. It is wearable in every season, but it fits mMn best in spring and summer. And it's a wonderful alternative to the Prada L'Homme EDT, because this Dunhill Icon EdP is a true, stylish, English gentleman that should not be underestimated... :)
[...].

So, hope you had fun and can do something with the contribution. And I thank each and every one of you for reading it and make a wish!
VG

3 Replies

05/19/2020

8
Scent 8
Longevity 8
Sillage 10
Bottle

Scentisfy

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Scentisfy

Helpful Review 17

Business a bottle.

This is my first comment here ever on a fragrance.

Dunhill Icon - Or also Business in a bottle.
I work in retail and I was searching for a long time for a fragrance that would tell me A pleasant, not too playful scent, which looks masculine and at the same time leaves an impression in the nose that suggests that you know what you are doing. Phew what a sentence. But here it is - Dunhill Icon.

You don't often smell that scent. Never really, and that's a good thing. Admittedly, I have to say that at the beginning I had doubts whether I could wear it or whether it would suit me. It definitely does not suit everyone.

About the scent: Some people say that after the drydown he smells like a toilet stone or an "old man". That's complete nonsense if I have my way. It smells spicy and cytric shortly after spraying. This disappears after a short time and gives the impression as if you have been in a barbershop shortly before as others had commented before me. It smells pleasant and signals self-confidence, assertiveness and credibility and underlines the masculinity of the wearer. Just as one imagines a man in a suit who could work in an executive position. Only that I have exchanged the suit for my grey shirt which I always wear to work.

It fits perfectly to the spring/summer but is not a fragrance that will make a woman's skin crawl out of her sandals. Rather a fragrance that makes you think "Wow, that smells good!". Well-groomed and masculine. Perfume has to bring a lot of things with it so that I can rate it well here, because Sillage, the fragrance itself and the durability are important to me. It brings a good performance and is still smelling after a working day (8h +) including sweating and cooling down again. I would compare the shelf life and Sillage with Dior sauvage. But the scent itself is much more interesting and in my opinion better and more "unique". It is difficult for me to "recognize" the individual fragrances or to distinguish them. Maybe I'm still a bit green behind the ears, but I think with this fragrance it's just really hard for me. I hope I was able to give you an understanding of the fragrance and if you work in an office, trade or similar, Dunhill Icon is the perfect choice if you want to be a little more masculine and don't want to smell Prada L'homme, boss bottled or any other well-known "office fragrance"

5 Replies

05/18/2020

9
Scent 8
Longevity 7
Sillage 10
Bottle

Kaffee42

Translated Show original

Kaffee42

"Old school" barbershop with good mood guarantee

Dunhill Icon is a great office fragrance for warm weather, but I'm only slowly falling in love with it. In the opening, it starts with a light citrus note that reminds me of 4711, and then quickly evolves into a neroli scent. It reminds me a bit of Tom Ford's Grey Vetiver, only a bit better for me, as I don't find it so "old" and it's rather gentle. The strongest notes I can smell are neroli, pepper, vetiver, lavender, leather and very little wood (it's supposed to be oud, but I can't tell which).
Dunhill Icon is for me a fragrance for spring, summer and autumn, but the best time is spring. He stays about 7 hours with me, which is absolutely ok for me. This is a safe choice for the office. Icon is my favorite among the vetiver scents.
A colleague who noticed the scent at my place remembered the scent from a barber shop in the 70-80s. It's a bit "old school", except that it has a modern touch due to the peppery background and a light lavender.
When I wear Icon, the fragrance puts me in a good mood and gives me self-confidence. For the price, it would be a mistake not to buy this fragrance. I don't need to mention the ingenious bottle here. It's the only one of my fragrances that stands in the living room and at the same time it's a small art object.

2 Replies

05/05/2020

9
Scent 9
Longevity 9
Sillage 10
Bottle

Knechtobald

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Knechtobald

Turkish barber at its best!

Hi, also I am totally lost and spend half of my salary on fragrances.
Dunhill Icon was a blind buy too. You can't go wrong for the price, especially with this fragrance!

First of all the smell made me think of 4711 (not only because I'm young and cologne) and the stuff that Ali sprays on your neck after the hairdresser and burns hard. But little by little my stupid nose grew up and I got to know all the nuances of the fragrance. He is a dream! Not just for the office. Someone wrote here in the comments that although it is so cheap it is only used very sparingly because it is so valuable to the colleague. I can absolutely understand that! Neroli is simply extremely well represented and it smells as if you are walking past a lilac bush. Recently I smelled Tom Ford Neroli at the airport for 6 times the price and I thought my part who spends so much money for Dun Hill Icon with Tom Ford label
Can you do nothing wrong with, so do not buy all of them, so that it is reserved for me! Anyway, a really bad smell ;)

04/14/2020

8
Scent 7
Longevity 6
Sillage 9
Bottle

Elysium
343 Reviews

Elysium

Helpful Review 2

A New Star Is Born

I’ve been a long time fan of Dunhill fragrances, having used X-Centric, Dunhill d, Desire Blank, Desire Silver, and Dunhill Fresh in rotation for a few years. If I have to find cons, that is Custom; I was so thrilled to get it and then disappointed by the bad performance despite the tremendous overall smell. However, this time I was excited to discover the most recent release from Dunhill, called Icon. Thus, on a lazy day in lockdown in April 2020, I decided to buy it online without trying it, and the moment I got and had the first spray, I was wow, left dumb.

Icon pledged to be a perfect aromatic woody transitional fragrance into spring and summer with its top citrus, floral notes and powdery leather base notes. The juice, once it reaches the skin, unfolds with a zesty burst closely followed by the sweet, oily essence of Neroli that brings an orange floral touch. The bergamot adds flavours that are reminiscent of Earl Grey tea. Meanwhile, the petitgrain and black pepper to create a spicy, masculine background. The overall accord likens a barbershop cologne.

The transition to the heart includes a more considerable amount of buttery iris, which develops a healing fresh green herbal accord, marked by a clean, soap-like sheen as a pale caramelized lavender note permeates throughout and creates a much more floral bouquet. Overall, this forms a sophisticated contrast with the aromatic notes of sage and cardamom. And there’s even a hint of finger-licking sticky notes in the background, suggesting that Carlos Benaïm was keen to include a reference to our current adoration of gourmand notes. A hint of juniper makes it liken to a gin-based drink.

The dry-down is what ties it most to its sensuality. The combination of dry resinous woods, grass and dusty notes anchor the aroma in spring where I believe it’s best suited. The notes of labdanum add an oily, animalistic musk. It further brings out the dusty-leather accord created by the orris and agarwood resinous aromas. Dunhill Icon is a neroli-centred perfume with both a soapy iris note and dusty, medicinal Western oud vibe, not wealthy and not dominant. I like the vetiver that shows up near the end, a slightly acrid and sweaty take from the pungent root. Icon’s composition seamlessly transitions through it dry-down to such an extent that some may claim it to be linear. However, the broad taste of diverse notes ensures that the fragrance follows a constant theme. Each cycle phase is long enough to be noticed and enjoyed before the powerful, oily resins emerge from the base.

I found the scent to be healthy, but not overpowering throughout the day as I wore it, occasionally catching the odd whiff. A solid daily wear fragrance for work and casual nights out or in. Projection is moderate, and longevity is around 6-8 hours. For those that aren’t fond of animal musk or woody incense, Icon may not be their ideal fragrance. As already said, in terms of seasonality, I consider Icon to be a spring or summer fragrance. However, I find that the use of warm, aromatic and deep resin makes it suitable for fall days. It would be an ideal choice for most special occasions from dates to formal gatherings. The leather accord brought on by the agarwood and labdanum is both romantic and elegant. Ultimately, some people compare Icon to Cartier’s Déclaration and Terre d’Hermès, or even a mashup of both, but I think Icon is a perfume in its own right. After all, everyone interprets a given fragrance slightly differently, like a fine whiskey or wine.

Review based on a tester I own bought in April 2020.

Stay well; stay healthy.

-Elysium

2 Replies

03/12/2020

8.5
Scent 9
Longevity 9
Sillage 10
Bottle

Libre

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Libre

Top Review 26

The modern "oldschool barbershop scent"

I don't know where it comes from, but I've developed a penchant for barbershop fragrances recently and have tested all kinds of scents from young to old. Unfortunately, no clear favourite has been shown yet...

Yesterday I wore the Dunhill Icon again after a long time and the scales fell from my eyes. Why wander far away when good things are so close. The project "Barbershop" was put aside for me
If you now say that this is not a classic barbershop scent, I completely agree with you. But for me, barbershop primarily means masculinity, spice and freshness. That's where the icon scores and adds warmth and creaminess with iris, oud and cardamom.

As a point of criticism one could mention that Neroli is very dominant at times. This is what gives the fragrance a mature character with all its advantages and disadvantages. I could already listen to "he smells like an old man". In my opinion, this is not due to the fragrance itself but more to the association many people have with neroli. To be honest, sometimes I still feel the same way. But that may simply be because my grandma loved 4711 and the brain simply makes connections and evaluates them accordingly ;-)

Dunhill Icon is a fragrance that needs to "mature", but also needs a certain maturity to wear and appreciate it. I appreciate it a lot by now and I can only advise anyone to test it if they are into masculine scents with an intense shelf life and good silage.

@Henryhill667: Before I wrote this comment, I also read some other comments. With your statement "must be saved" I had to smile. No idea why that is so, but I feel the same with this fragrance. I treat it as if it were the most precious fragrance in my collection. Maybe someday I will realize that it always was. As I said, the scent has to mature ;-)

17 Replies

01/20/2020

6.5
Scent 7
Longevity 6
Sillage 9
Bottle

FoxyJackal

Translated Show original

FoxyJackal

Turkish pepper not for everyone...

...and unfortunately not for me! But from the beginning: the fragrance starts strongly citric. Too citric for me. Malicious tongues would dare to make a citrus-scouring milk comparison. Fortunately, the citrus effect quickly diminishes a bit and the trademark icon comes out. Pepper, pepper, and pepper again. The peppery note is really very intense. I felt a little like sniffing a pepper pot. At this point the spirits will probably also separate. The intensity is really amazing and special, but for some (including me) just too strong. After a good hour the pepper layer relaxes a little. The sage and the lavender come out noticeably and remind me, despite the lack of sweetness, of strong spicy sweets. The North German may know pepper liquorice (Turkish pepper). That's about how the icon smells to me. Dominant for my nose remains for it however completely clearly the pepper.

A really very intense and high-quality fragrance, but with the best will in the world it does not meet my taste. It is really special and probably cannot be worn by everyone. You should definitely get a bottling instead of making a blind purchase. Silage and shelf life are all right, but nothing special. But the flacon is completely different, because it is indisputably a real eye-catcher.

1 Replies

01/19/2020

8
Scent 7
Longevity 7
Sillage 9
Bottle

Fresh21

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Fresh21

Top Review 32

Neroli & I ... that I can still experience this :)

The current average rating of 8.0 from 371 users speaks for itself, which is not a bad figure. And yet it should take a good three years until Dunhill's Icon moved in with me again, after he landed too fast in the bay at that time ...

Two things kept me from approaching him again: I remembered the distinctive scent more and more herbaceous, and according to the scent pyramid it contains a good portion of neroli. But now I simply ordered it again as a bottling with, and what should I say?

Wow ... give it to me !

So it worked out in the second attempt after all and the British beau was allowed to move in with me again, which also refers to his bottle. Because in terms of content, it's rather an odd one, even if a good one: Icon smells pretty unique, which is why I found something of its perfumer Carlos Benaïm on the Internet. To me this seems a bit irritating, almost like a personal record, although you please forgive his broken English:

"Damned... need more money, ... what can I do? Make a new frag... mmh, ... what sells? What shall I put in? ...I tink I taik neroli. When notting goes, neroli goes. Neroli is a crowd pleaser*. I will taik many neroli. But maybe neroli is too women-like... what shall I do? ...need to balance... let me see what I have on the men side: Pepper! ... "Yep, I will taik many pepper and other spicy stuff... so many that nobody easy tink Neroli is in..
This section should be sufficient at the moment to convey the essential scent of Icon. And sorry again for the bad english, whereby I would translate this *crowd pleaser with "Gruppenvergnügler", even though he is no "Everynicer" ;-) Because this Dunhill's too special for that. Here are the details:

Right when you spray on the WOW effect: What? Never smelled like that before. Unusual and really good. Basically, Icon throws everything it has into the balance, and then draws a rather linear scent progression. Although initially a beautiful citric note and a slightly smoky tobacco(?!) note is noticeable, the fragrance is always dominated by the combination of neroli + spice.

After about 1.5 hours, Icon begins to soften a little, become warmer, almost sweet, with the neroli increasingly blending in with the other notes. Fortunately (for me), because this is actually not a typical Neroli scent, because the black pepper always clearly resists. It brings a nice spiciness, which makes the fragrance tingle properly and always keeps it masculine. But cardamom, sage and juniper berry are also noticeable and make up about 50% of the wort in the mix, while the other half is accounted for by pepper.

Overall, the icon is very well balanced. A fine, soft, warm but at the same time lingeringly spicy fragrance. Its dense lightness is light, never heavy or dark, but pointed, peppery, a little provocative, but also sweet and soft. He hugs and pricks you at the same time - unusual, expressive, valuable !

On the skin it projects 5-6 hours at half arm length, on a shirt 3-4 hours longer. Dunhill's icon may not be a blind-buy candidate, but it is an absolute recommendation for striking fragrances. If Neroli wasn't standing in the fragrance pyramid, I probably wouldn't have gotten there right away, it is so strongly balanced by the spices. That's why this note became attractive for me and my personal highlight is that the icon becomes even better when it's placed backwards, with a bit of clear vetiver to counter it. So Carlos Benaïm actually managed to put a neroli scent on me and I thank him for it with the words

Neroli & I... that I this once experience may :)

23 Replies

12/30/2019

9
Scent 8
Longevity 8
Sillage 10
Bottle

SvenScent

Translated Show original

SvenScent

Top Review 13

Already a classic!

To come straight to the point, this chypre is great, has class and is even now a classic for me!

The opening is tangy, sparkling and somewhat pungent (neroli and petitgrain), which may put some people off at first, but the fragrance quickly takes a turn and the citrusiness is underlined by a smoky and woody, extremely masculine spice. It retains its original freshness for quite a long time before it, which for me is the real highlight of the fragrance, changes into a very nice basic chord dominated by vetiver and a great touch of animal oud, which I can hardly get enough of. All in all, a fragrance course in which all kinds of directions can be perceived; partly simultaneously, partly one after the other.

Why people often criticize the durability of icons is beyond me. It is without doubt one of my most durable fragrances. This is where the tried and tested phrase comes in: Each perfume smells differently on each skin; and the same applies to the durability...

Then there's the bottle. Yes, this flacon. chic, noble, valuable, it is looking for its equals: absolutely matching this perfume. Luckily it is rippled, because if it is dropped accidentally there is a risk of craters forming in the floor, that's how heavy it is!

Dunhill Icon is for me handcrafted clean and furthermore "very unique". An indication of its uniqueness is also that here at Parfumo no fragrance twin is performed. However, as I have already pointed out elsewhere, especially due to the opening, the austerity as well as the vetiver, a certain affinity to Terre d'Hermès cannot be denied - another of these classics...

8 Replies

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