1994 versus 2018
Givenchy is a enigmatic perfume house. There is no such thing as a bad Givenchy, but some are kind of so so, and some others are true masterpieces. Some are elegant and light weight, and some others are real scent bombs.This dissertation may lead us to an obvious question that I have seen being argued passionately more than once:
- Which is the best Givenchy masculine fragrance to date? .... and for a vast portion of the fragrance comunity that question is equivalent to "which version of Givenchy Gentleman do you like the best?"
I guess the opinions may be divided between those two main streams, one from 1994 and the other from 2018. Some people will choose "Gentleman" and some others will prefer "Gentleman". If you ask me, I may have to ponderate it for a while, but probably I opine it to be "Gentleman". I also would place "Gentleman" in the second place. It's really a gentleman trivia.
Whatever is your opinion, my opinion or anyone's opinion, almost everybody agrees that "Gentleman" and "Gentleman" are two very well designed fragrances. Both of them have strong "personalities", are very aromatic, quite alluring, with near "beastmode"performance, with a fantastic blending, and a simple but elegant presentation. And their similarities end about there.
In between a third Gentleman has been edited (EDT 2017) but it seems to be quite forgetable when compared with the other two.
2018
Olivier Cresp and Nathalie Lorson are far from being fragrance nose rookies. Between the two of them, designer landmarks like Angel, Midnight Poison, Encre Noire and Bentley for Men Intense, were created. Givenchy decided to create a brand new "Gentleman" line instead of bastardizing their icon masterpiece from 1994. And they were clever enough to keep both lines in production or at least available for purchasing. That admirable state of mind had already given benefits when the "Les Parfums Mythiques" series was created.
The 2018 EDP has probably generated enough quorum to be considered the best designer fragrance from 2018. We, amateur fragrance lovers, tend to create anchors to reference a new perfume design, and even in the very same day of the fragrance presentation, happened the unavoidable comments of it being similar to Dior Homme Intense or to Valentino Uomo Intense. I must admit for myself that Gentleman EDP 2018 is quite intense but follows a different path of those two ilustre predecessors and competitors.
The notes listed in Parfumo are almost the same as those published at www.givenchybeauty.com; however if you look at the official ingredients list, you may conclude that other notes are used as well to compose this symphony. Those notes are at least light citrus (bergamot) at the top, moderate to heavy cinnamon and moderate cloves in the heart together with benzoin and tonka in the base. Limonene, citronellol, cinnamate, cinnamal, benzyl benzoate and coumarin are ingredients that do induce some of those "added notes".
Givenchy classifies this Eau de Parfum as a woody-floral Oriental.
Gentleman 2018 opens with a spicy-floral accord of lively pepper with the gentleness of aromatic lavender and a touch of bergamot freshness.
Contrasting notes battle in a floral heart. I thank god this perfume not having a very lipsticky iris, although this note makes the fragrance follow the actual trend for distinguished designs. So iris is blended with warm balsamic and ambery tolu balm, powdery violet scented orris, fragrant sweet cloves and a sesuous bittersweet cinnamon, giving to the fragrance a masculine pitch feeling.
The base blends a woody earthy patchouli with the sexy gloomy sweetness of black vanilla, some hints of sweet resinous vanilic benzoin and the bittersweet almond facet of coumarin (tonka).
The drydown shows some resinous spicy hints, but consists mainly of warm sweet cinnamon and a still dark and masculine vanilla.
As a summary I would say that the House of Givenchy presents us a very good perfume with this 2018 EDP edition. It leads us to forget the 2017 EDT flop. Undoubtedly it must be considered a sweet fragrance but without any gold lingots or handgrenades complexes. I also judge it to follow a different path from Dior Homme Intense and Valentino Homme Intense. Some other comparisons with fragrances like a few Prada juices or Zara 9.0 just does not make any scense in my opinion.
Givenchy declares Gentleman EDP 2018 as an Oriental fragrance and with an explosive signature capability. I tend to agree but I will only give a definite opinion after a math analysis.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Scent opening...........8.75 (very good peppered lavanda accord)
Scent Dry Down........10.0 (Excellent dark vanilla, superior earthy/resinous/sweet hints)
Longevity (h) ..............8.5 (up to 9 hours with 2 sprays)
Sillage (ft)....................8.0 (5 ft with 2.5 h of projection)
Versatility....................8.0 (Above average; avoid any tipe of hot weather )
Usability......................8.5 (To intense/sweet for the office; avoid gym and beach)
Compliments..............9.0 (A compliment magnet, although not the market best)
Uniqueness.................9.0 (Some vibes in common with other upscale fragrances)
Quality........................10.0 (high ingredients quality, excelent cap & sprayer, heavy bottle)
Presentation...............9.0 (a matter of opinion)
Price.............................7.0 ($ 53 plus taxes for 100 ml)
_________________________________________________________________________________________
- Average:................8.7/10.0
between 7 and 8 => above average;
between 8 and 9 => recommended;
equal or bigger than 9 => don't miss it;
Opinion on this alluring Gentleman:
Good presentation, very good overall scent, pleasing a lot of people! Above average performance. Pricing still a bit expensive. During 2019 the on line price will come down to the actual level of Gentleman 1994.
Recommended? I suggest you to try it before purchasing it.
Blind buy worthy? Yes if you feel confortable with its type of scent and fits your budget.
Music: Gentleman - "Superior"
Top Notes
Heart Notes
Base Notes
Rate
Collection
Souk
Classify
Notes
