Spicebomb Viktor & Rolf (2012)

Bottle Design Fabien Baron

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7.6 / 10 759 Ratings

Spicebomb is a popular perfume by Viktor & Rolf for men and was released in 2012. The scent is spicy-sweet. It is being marketed by L'Oréal.

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Perfumer

Olivier Polge

Fragrance Notes

Top Notes	Bergamot, Grapefruit, Pink pepper
Heart Notes	Chili, Saffron, Cinnamon
Base Notes	Leather, Tobacco, Vetiver

Ratings

Scent

7.6 (759 Ratings)

Longevity

7.4 (552 Ratings)

Sillage

7.3 (558 Ratings)

Bottle

7.5 (579 Ratings)

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View Video of Spicebomb (Vimeo)

Submitted by Kankuro, last update on 22.01.2020.

Interesting Facts

The face of the advertising campaign is US-american model Sean O'Pry, photographed by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin.

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Reviews

11/19/2019

9.0 9.0 9.0 9.0/10

ScentSlave
59 Reviews

ScentSlave

I love Spicebomb (edt AND EDP)

This scent is great if you like the sweet/spicy stuff. I prefer the edt when it’s an outdoor encounter and I want it to project more, and the EDP for the closer, more formal events. The edt has more of a cinnamon blast, and has a wider projection radius, while the EDP is a tad bit lighter on the cinnamon, has more of a vanilla feel to it, and has a slightly longer longevity (but the longevity of the edt is still 6-8 hours). They’re definitely better for the colder months, as they simply PIERCE through the thick air. Both have excellent longevity and sillage, so it’s more of a matter of being inside or outside, how loud you want your projection to be, and if you prefer the cinnamon or vanilla to be louder. Either way I am happy to have them in my arsenal. A worthy buy for the spicy/sweet fragrance lover.

If you’re comparing it to Bvlgari Man in Black, as they are indeed similar; Spicebomb has a softer, sweeter resonance, while MIB is feels slightly more “mature”, and has a bit of a boozy undertone. The cinnamon note in Spicebomb edt is a little bit “louder”, while the longevity in projection is better, and the sillage trail is a bit more intense. I have them all in my collection, and I choose them for different types of occasions. They’re all great in my opinion, as again, I LOVE the spicy/sweet/dark fragrances.

08/27/2019

10.0 9.0 8.0 8.5/10

Andrew18
9 Reviews

Andrew18

Awesome stuff

My go to scent during the winter. This one never fails to impress. Such a good, safe scent. Smells more expensive than what you’ll pay. Plenty of compliments. Love the tobacco and vanilla note. Also very spicy and unique.

Rating: 8.8

04/03/2019

6.0 10.0 9.0 10.0/10

Sandranina
0 Reviews

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Sandranina

Helpful Review 5

Spice bazaar

I originally bought the fragrance for my dad when he was visiting Germany.

When I visited Papa in Brazil a few weeks later, my pretty little half-sister greeted me and I immediately noticed this incredibly good scent on her: spicy, oriental and yet also fruity and fresh at the same time. It suited her and she looked like an oriental princess with her long flowing hair and long skirt.

Of course, I had to know right away what that scent was. The one I gave Dad "Spicebomb". He was dad too strong...

Krass, I had this somehow male in memory, but on my sister he develops totally female.
I advised Papa to build the walls around the house a little higher, finally Princess was only 14 years at that time. :))

Back at home I bought the scent of course and right the first time I wore it a customer in the boique spoke to me and said: "You smell divine!"

For me Spicebomb is a good fragrance for men, but bombastic for women.

The bottle could be designed a little more unisex
I prefer to wear it on warm days and summer evenings.

Sillage and shelf life are top

3 Replies

03/09/2019

8.0 8.0 8.0 8.5/10

Oldish2002
28 Reviews

Oldish2002

Bad guy cold weather killer

Very good fragrance. I had to start this way. For me, is pretty versatile. I wear it for nights out with friends, dressed like a semi bad boy or something. Also very good for wearing it when you cuddle with your girl. (But very careful with the trigger). Or just casual, nights out but less fragrance applied. It’s not named spicebomb for nothing. Spicy, kinda sweet, sharp and very pleasant. Performance ? I used it only once at the office (just for fun, used 2-3 sprays). I was very surprised. Many people told me that it smells very nice and powerful. I even got a compliment in the elevator, when I entered in. A girl was already there. We didn’t know eachother till that point. The fragrance was going on for at least 8 hours at that moment. The girl told me that I smell very nice and asked me what cologne I am using. So, even after 8 hours this bomb was going through the air. Excellent fragrance for me. Also, many other people have complimented me for it. Great one for my tastes.
Overall rating : 8/10

02/05/2019

7.0 7.0 6.0 7.5/10

3lbows
0 Reviews

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3lbows

Quarter-Pounder with cheese (but without steam)

To get in the mood, I recommend investing two minutes in Bavarian Pulp Fiction on the well-known video portal.

"Now forget moi die, wia wia sogt ma, fragrance pyramid or something. What's the matter now?"
"Woas a ned. So after spices proper ned. Oda in the beginning nice, and then no more."
"Where shall I hoassn, in the beginning scho?"
"Well, so kratzad pfeffrig, wia Tschillie, and a bisserl wie Grapefruht."
"And then nimma, oda wos?"
"Yes, that's yes. Splashes, aba very short, and then, wia soi i sagn, siaß, wia cinnamon, and tobacco, yes, tobacco. Cinnamon and tobacco riach i, and that to the end."
"Seriously, it sounds boring. That's koa spice bomb."
"Des ned, aba riacht trotzdem guad. You should just hoassn differently. Christmas market mix, maybe. Or tonka bean half."
"Tonka bean? Where hostn des her, des hob i ja no nia ghört. And there's the ned in there, like a ma glei nomoi, fragrance pyramid."
"Yes, who ko ko. I'm on Parfumo now, do woas ma such a thing! The tonka bean, although only subjectively perceived, gives the base a creamy sweetness reminiscent of bourbon vanilla."
"Aha."
"Dan findst Spaisbomb guad?"
"Yes, aba hoitn duads ned lang."
"Ned? But since Sepp sucked, it's an absolute powerhouse with monstersillage and stuff?"
"Yes, but the hods will power before 2012. Do hods no mehra herkoitn, and the top note seemed much more differentiated, lively and fresh, with an authentically elaborated, almost exaggerated chili note."
"Oh? But soi i ma des now kaufa? Because now I'm a ned."
"Yes of the muast know himself. That's the greatest thing about perfume. But you're probably a bit z'oid for it anyway."
"Z'oid? Now make sure I don't go there like that!"
"Well, ned bäs gmoant. Abs if we are longer busy with perfumes, so wia i, then ma hoid a bisserl powers wos more complex, deeper, something that does not open up immediately, something that wants to be discovered, tamed and slowly experienced. Host mi?"
"Well."
"Sigst as. And that's Spicebomb hoid ned. A guat gmachta Crowd-Plieser, but without steam."
"Na guad. Try the next one, Tobako Vanilla. Read se wia a Eikrem vom Schöller..."

3 Replies

02/03/2019

9.0 7.0 8.0 8.5/10

DarkWinterCS
0 Reviews

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DarkWinterCS

Catch my pepper grenade !

Another surprise purchase, which I found a few years ago while browsing through different perfumeries. The result is the same as with other adventures in the land of scents: the bottle landed full of enthusiasm in my hand, at the checkout and then correspondingly on my neck. Then as now for me a revelation, since one can hardly resist this spicy-leathery scent. I say right at the beginning that I don't find the extreme that appeared after that nearly as good as the original EdT. This is partly because the extreme on my skin was much more aggressive in character and gave me a trace of too much spice. Surely we are the opposite for other people, so I can only speak of my own experience.
The fact that this fragrance is regarded as very peppery is only partly true. It is clear that at the beginning he fires a full portion of alcoholic sounds with a pepper explosion from the spray head. After a few moments, the alcohol note changes into a spiciness that comes along with cinnamon, clove and other woody notes. Plus a hint of citrus.
In the course of the hours the smell becomes clearly milder and more pleasant. The final notes tend to leather, cinnamon and recurring pepper. A smell that you have to get involved with and test before. For untrained scent lovers surely a trace too violently.

12/09/2018

8.0 5.0 5.0 5.5/10

Chevalier
0 Reviews

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Chevalier

Less helpful Review 9

Once a fashion has become common, it has survived. Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach

The way of commenting has also changed a bit for me in the course of time. First I looked for the right headlines, then a super good text to do nothing wrong.
At some point I found quotes for my comments, this way of expression fits much better to the emotions I want to express.

Now I'm already writing my hundredth comment and I'm still at it.
There are many veteran writers who have written over five hundred, even over a thousand or two thousand texts.
I would like to mention Apicius, Yatagan, Leimbacher, Turandot with great respect, Taurus1967, Fabian, pudelbonzo, DonJuanDeCat, Skylab, Chnokfir, Jensemann, Moriarty , Profumorist, Parma, Dave Gahan, Mantus and Donvanvliet. A mad achievement, if one sees the not small expenditure and the pertinent care which must be, in order not to be here as I do not know much, writes however gladly simply times a comment, to apply. Therefore, all persons who can take the texts seriously and form their own opinion afterwards. You read them and you feel good. The depth of the assessment is also worth mentioning. They all write far away from gibberish like can openers or coupés of the opposite sex. This pop-up-like kind of contributions seems to me like cheapest populists, who pull too much into the mud, but then after five lines of commentary justify in a hundred contributions why they have written such shit and why one should not be angry with them. This attack is fortunately fended off by moving the stupid lines to some question forum for dummies.
Then the funny jeton Toni and the Schoork who writes anecdotes and those who unfortunately are no longer with us like Lucull, Profumo, loewenherz, tvc15. They united by their own decision, others because they probably are no longer with us.

Not everyone has to be a Tolstoy and write down war and peace, but some style, research and pride for a comment would not be bad.
I also don't claim to write the best comments, but I can say that they are always honest and straight..

I take up the thread to the herb by noticing the opulence, which was probably quite popular in 2012, the year of publication. At the present time, at the end of 2018, I dislike this pushiness. If it has to be penetrating, then please with the right strength and maxim of ambergris which has full on the nowadays only synthetic timpani, this aquatically underlaid or with cinnamon and bergamot, this works very well.
On the other hand, as a second suggestion, there are the reappearing Fougera fragrances or the chypre fragrances which can all be very dominant.
But this one from this spice mix is too unisex. Too sweet with too much heaviness and goes over to the ladies department, doesn't have to be bad, but from my point of view it's not the most popular mix in December 2018.
If you take December as a benchmark, there are of course many fragrances that underline the season. A Bentley for men intense from the following year is certainly more masculine than this rather pompous Allerleimix.
In the higher price segment, you can go to Habit Rouges or L'Homme Idéal, also from the same company, and then back to Dior Sauvage perfume, all of which are suitable for the cold season.
Everything written with a view on my perfume collection....

Loréal as a manufacturer is one of my favourite houses, but they haven't brought much on the top for two or three years. If you add the ingenious Maison Margiela brand, they are still not so badly off. They are currently not in pole position with cashcows such as YSL, Diesel, Lancome or Armani.

However, with a profit of 2.3 billion in the first half of 2018, the Group is still very fast as the world's largest cosmetics manufacturer.
Nevertheless, I claim that Loréal has not only put the focus on good fragrances at the moment, or the good perfumers in the mass market sit with other companies like LVHM, Sisheido, Puig, Guerlain or Hermes.

Viktor & Rolf will be ignored in the following year 2019, because I also didn't like the extreme variant very much. Perhaps in a few years I will judge another than two hundredth fragrance from Viktor & Rolf to be quite good and positive.

3 Replies

09/11/2018

4.0 8.0 7.0 8.0/10

Schoork
0 Reviews

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Schoork

Greatly helpful Review 46

Little Quiz

Welcome to the latest issue of our quiz show " Who will be perfumer?"

I am looking forward to exciting rounds and welcome Mrs. Ursula Surbier in the studio today.
"Hello"
Mrs. Surbier, what do you do then professionally? br/> "I'm a housewife"

This is one of the hardest jobs in the world and in your spare time?
"I read a lot and do crossword puzzles, but only if my Helmut is not there, otherwise we watch crime stories together"

Very nice. Then let's start right away and we start with the 50 € question.
Add the following sentence....The perfumer hats....
A:swear
B:Carrot
C:Fleur
D:Potato soup

"Oh Oh... That's A. A Is that."

Exactly and we continue with the 100€ question.
Spicebomb looks like a....?
A:Renate
B:Garnets
C:wafers
D:Asians

"Yeah, wait... I got it. Here, this is answer B"

Super Ursula, that's right and going on with 200€.
Which perfume does Spicebomb like to be compared to?
A:1 tenths
B:1 hundred
C:1 madness
D:1 million

"That's D. I don't think so. My Helmut says that would be different, but so popular with young people." And even if...Püüüh"

Right Ursula again. Let's continue directly with 500€.
Which fruit does one smell very good in the top note in Spicebomb?

A:Grapes
B:Kiwi
C:Mango
D:grapefruit

" This is also D, whereby my Helmut says that it also smells somehow orange, which would fit well."

Toll Ursula and the 500€ are definitely yours.
Let's continue with the 1000€ question.
What ingredient dominates the fragrance?

A:Cinnamon
B:Saffron
C:Curry
D:Peppers

"Yes well, that's A. I know that because then I always feel like cookies and Christmas. And because of the orange Helmut said that it goes well together"

That is pointed Ursula and we go now directly to the 5000€ question.
What is most built around cinnamon?
A:jugged hare
B:Black pepper
C:Connecting goals
D:tree

"Oh, I have to think about that. Oh sure... that's B, because it gets a little spicier with chili, that gives it all a little pizzazz. He's usually so sweet"

Are you sure Ursula?
"Yes B"

Then we'll be another round. And there follows the 10000€ question.

Ursula, listen carefully. What can you still smell out well from the heart note to the base?
A:Tic Tac
B:Knickknack
C:Tobacco
D:Lacquer

"Uiuiuiui that's easy that's the tobacco, so C.It has to be C, I'm sure"

Ursula we have now reached 50000€, 2 more questions and you have won this one.

"I am also quite excited, as if my Helmut comes too late from early shopping".

We are also curious. Here's the question...how long does Spicebomb usually last?
A.Well
B:Longer
C:I have to re-spray
D:Is there a rule?

"Whoa, can I call my Helmut?"
Yes we take the phone joker and call Helmut.
#br/> #br/> #br/> "Oh no... he's not here, he's at the Yupp today, they have skat round."

"I'm not quite sure, but I'll take D. That's different, right? Helmut has been through it for a few hours."

Great Ursula and with that we are in the final.

How are you doing? Are you excited?

"For God's sake, I already have goose skins."

It is about 100000€ now and we would like to know the following....

Is Spicebomb good?
A:Yes
B:No
C:Which Spicebomb?
D:I don't understand the question

"Well, here's what I have to say before. I was also surprised that my Helmut likes and I find not only the young boys can wear such a thing. I had no expectations and it was really pleasant for me and my Helmut. When it's winter again, we can imagine that when we bake cookies together.
So answer A is correct here"

Congratulations Ursula Surbier.

17 Replies

06/02/2018

8.0 8.0 8.0 9.5/10

Carlitos01
249 Reviews

Carlitos01

Greatly helpful Review 8

Paris, Mid Spring, 9:00 AM - the culprit for the pyramidal admiration interruption.

The day was one of those when it was no longer Winter, but the cool morning air came in through the few forgotten buttons loosened on my clothes.
I left my hotel in "Rue de Rivoli" and strolled towards the Concorde without any precise destination in my mind, only to enter in the "Jardin des Tuileries" probably attracted by the freezing wind and the burst of the garden light that succeed to the somber sidewalks from the "Rue de Rivoli" bordering the Louvre.
While the cold was getting into my clothes, I was patiently losing my warmth while a citrus and red pepper scent was spreading around me.
Strolling through the park, Paris sprinkled moist generously, consequence of night dew that was formed during the icy night. Around me the air was impregnated by the exotic aroma of acrid and sweet spices, as well as by a damp, moist alluring tobacco scent. Women dressed in black passed fleetingly on the streets looking at me lightly. Yes, they seemed to look at me, but in reality they looked through me wandering where was coming from the the cinnamon and the red pepper wave that hanged in the air.
Slowly the aroma became more sweet and seductive. The scent did not really matched neither my "Caterpillar" boots, nor my loose jeans and leather jacket, nor even the broken scarf around my neck. Fearless pigeons fluttered about me as if there were crumbs of cinnamon cake around to fill their gizzards... stupid birds... they really do not know what a perfume is.
Next to the Louvre the tourists were lazily sitting, not aware of the time, contemplating the glass pyramid. From time to time they were distracted by a lingering imaginary scent of "gaufrettes" with cinnamon and sugar. The scent of cinnamon mingled with that of soft leather, led for them to stare at my jacket as if it was clearly the culprit for the pyramidal admiration interruption... well it probably was...
I also sat down because I kept my eyes fixed on the pyramid regal majesty, statically pointing to the blue sky. I continued amusingly and lazily sitting on the stone bench and staring at the pedestrian traffic around me. My attention turned to the near passing-by ones. They sought the source of the alluring smell of sweet tobacco, or yummy cinnamon candies, or perhaps even from spicy sugar snacks. Invariably, the stares stopped at me and then they continued on their way. A pretty brunette turned back twice as if to confirm something in me... She gave me a look that seemed as she knew me and then continued toward the "Arc du Carrousel".
Two pesky little girls played and jumped around my seat. "¿A qué estás oliendo?" One of them asked without shame. And then she added, "¡Usted esta oliendo mejor que mi papá!".
Slowly, as if carrying the splendor of the square on my back, I began to walk again, crossing the garden towards "Rue de Rivoli" and planning a breakfast in "Les salons de thé de la maison Angelina." I longed to prolong my spicy, greedy fragrance with the dazzling scent of Angeline's magnificent delicacies.
How nice it is to be in the Tuileries at nine o'clock in the morning and wearing Spicebomb ...

Let's confirm my opinion with the Spicebomb math:
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Scent Opening:.......... 9.5 (my judgement; 1/2 point taken for the initial alchool burst)
Scent Dry Down:.......10.0 (my judgement)
Longevity:....................8.0 (8 hours with three sprays)
Sillage:..........................8.0 (8 feet projection at its peak, with 3 sprays)
Uniqueness:................8.0 (I praise Man in Black as much as I praise Spicebomb. They are very similar but not really a clone of each other. Some reviewers claim that fragrances like Insurrection II Dark, 1899 or Spicebomb flankers are very much alike. Well, I opinion that there is a visible amount of individuality in each of them)
Compliments:.............9.5 (It's a serious compliment grabber)
Wearability:.................7.5 (Use it day or night during Winter and Fall; You may experiment it as well in Spring colder days and nights)
Versatility:....................7.0 (Don't abuse of it as a day scent. Don't use it in the office. Avoid using it in beach, sunny events and workout.)
Quality:.........................9.5 (my judgement)
Presentation:...............7.5 (imaginative flask although I don't appreciate it very much)
Price:.............................7.0 (90 ml tester for € 46 + shipping)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Overall rating:..............8.32/10.00
- between 7 and 8 =above average;
- between 8 and 9 = recommended;
- bigger than 9 = don't miss it;
I recommend this fragrance in Paris and in a million of other places.

Music: Spice Girls - "Spice Up Your Life"

1 Replies

11/24/2015

ColinM
516 Reviews

ColinM

Computer says no

I don’t have a problem with sweet fragrances, but Spicebomb is just really too much for me. It’s pure, crude, nondescript plastic sweetness which I have a hard time considering a grown man’s fragrance. Or actually a “person’s fragrance”, of any kind. Again, sweetness is not the issue, neither the “generic” factor, which I’m very fine with most of the times. The problem is that Spicebomb smells like if they accidentally switched the nozzles with a barrel of something meant for a candy factory, and bottled that, and sold it. Leather? Saffron? Elegance? This is a juvenile, sticky bubblegum cascade of cinnamon, vanilla, musk, nonsense synthetic gummy bear stuff all wrapped in a bare “masculine” frame of woody musk and spicy amber. All in the worse quality you can imagine – flat, cheap, extremely linear synthetic stuff as in any drugstore shower gel, with no qualities whatsoever except the ability of making you feel in a time machine ready to throw you right into Justin Bieber’s arms in 2005. I’d choose lifetime chastity over any woman complimenting this abomination.

3/10

1 Replies

11/16/2015

5.0 7.5 7.5 8.0/10

K1
121 Reviews

Brace yourself for winter with the most gorgeous weapon: Spicebomb!

If you care for compliments, get this with no doubt. This is absolutely a gorgeous spicy cinnamon yummy fragrance that goes for both women and men.

Oliver Polge has releases his spicy pinnacle after his father's Égoïste which is a cinnamon masterpiece. Spicebomb is rounder and sweeter with less animalic nuances and more tobacco and pepper. A touch of leather and vetiver prepare the throne for this divine sweet warmth.

It reminds me Burberry London in a way but not exactly overlapping with each other. Spicebomb has strong longevity and powerful projection.
8.5/10

05/13/2014

10.0 5.0 10.0 10.0/10

Prosperonlin
16 Reviews

Prosperonlin

Comfort Bomb

My initial fear was Spicebomb being too strong and really for clubbing. But once I got a full bottle blinded I had a wonderful surprise. Spicebomb is not all that that hype talks about. It is sweet, but not too much. Reminds me of MKors for Men but nicer and more uptodate. The tabacco note resembles others like EdB, J Bogart pH, but again nicer and friendier and smoothier. There are some florals but very subdue and not feminine at all. Cinnamon and woods feel like DsQ2 Potion in the final phase. It is never loud, never too this, never too that. And most of all it is a comfortable scent. All seasons, too. Perhaps not for the hottest of days during daytime in the high Summer. But as the sprayer releases a sort of mist, it can be controlled enough to wear in the Summer, too. All in all, I couldn't be happier. And I will make a lot of use from my 150ml bottle.

To those who say it smells artificial, I desagree immensely. The quality of Spicebomb is what really puts it apart from all the other smell-alikes. Also, it is so classy I can't imagine it in a night club. Sorry.

03/02/2013

10.0 5.0 7.5 5.0/10

Miaw2
339 Reviews

Miaw2

Not a bomb neither spicy...

Lots of cinnamon and tobacco leaves.

Sweet and powerful, it has the same vibe of 1 Million, 212 Sexy... powerful sweet scents.

Not as unique as Antidote.

Reminds me of Versace Dreamer and CK Shock.

Sillage, lasting power and projection are high.

Not spicy neither a bomb, just a good sweet scent.

Updated January 2014

12/30/2012

7.5 5.0 7.5 7.0/10

Missk
1165 Reviews

Missk

Helpful Review 3

A fragrance that women can wear too

When trying Spicebomb in the department store, I was surprised by a sales assistant that suddenly appeared around the corner, and immediately asked, "are you looking for a perfume for yourself?" At this point I replied with a yes, expecting a long spiel about how Spicebomb is a men's fragrance, and that Flowerbomb would be more 'me'. Instead the sales assistant nodded her head and continued by saying that Spicebomb had many female fans, and that they bought it for themselves rather than for their loved ones.

As I sit here and inhale deeply, I somewhat agree with Spicebomb's feminine tendencies. This fragrance is indeed quite spicy, however it also has a rather sweet and gourmand edge. In this respect, it smells quite beautiful, like something a woman could wear with ease.

The opening was when Spicebomb was at its most sweet, with cinnamon, candied citrus and a dash of pink pepper. The blend is smooth and sensual on the skin. I must admit that on the right man, Spicebomb could smell very alluring to the opposite sex.

Do not fret manly men, because fortunately the sweetness does dissipate over time, becoming increasingly more masculine towards the drydown. Tobacco and subtle leather accords balance out the composition, providing a somewhat masculine touch. I found the drydown very different from the initial stages of Spicebomb. It was almost an entirely different scent, which brings me to conclude that it's a rather complex blend overall.

Spicebomb is pleasantly soft and inoffensive, which was a really nice surprise seeming that I was expecting a literal 'bomb' in terms of sillage. The longevity is good too, which I suppose makes up for the rather high price tag. I'm impressed, but admittedly not blown away by Spicebomb.

12/26/2012

7.5 7.5 7.5 8.0/10

MemoryOScent
37 Reviews

MemoryOScent

Flowerbomb for Him

The last mass market release that I remember enjoying was L’Agent by Agent Provocateur. Most of what I have tried was not only boring but at times made me mad because I could see the disrespect for the market in the composition. I could see marketing specialists behind one way mirror glass looking at the reactions of testers with no particular interest in fragrance (“if we can get them to notice we expand the market”). The problem is that perfumes hitting the market this way could be very nice laundry detergent scents, chewing gum flavours, room fragrances but they definitely are not engaging, emotional or even intelligent.

Viktor & Rolf (or their marketing specialists) have actually created a scent that feels like a natural development of what they have done till today. Nothing irritates me more than a “for her” and a “for him” scent with the same name and nothing in common in the end result. Although Spicebomb is not named Flowerbomb for Him it definitely is. It opens with a very clear note of pink pepper that makes a somersault in the topnotes and before I can blink is covered by a sweet citrus scent, mandarin I think, and a bit of bitter almond/tonka. Development however is fast. It is like peeling away layers of an onion. In the middle stage of its development it feels bittersweet, creamy and vanillic and reminds me quite a lot of Antidote. It is like they took the creamy, shaving cream-like middle of Antidote, removed the jasmine from the composition and added a vague spicy substitute. Cinnamon mostly but not very clearly delineated. Spicebomb at this stage is sweet. There is a maraschino note, the combination of cherry and almond, but very well done and restrained. I do not find Spicebomb to be a clear-cut masculine scent. It is definitely a unisex scent and many of the women who like Flowerbomb in any of its versions, especially the eau de parfum, will definitely appreciate it for their significant others but will also steel some for themselves. The sweet middle phase lasts a lot but in the transition from to the drydown a dry powdery note appears. It reminds me of coffee but looking at the official note listing I notice paprika and it does ring a bell. A little bitter, a little tangy, a little woody. There is also a hint of tobacco but I feel like it is a composite of other notes interacting and not a direct tobacco accord added expressly in there. Some of Antidote’s jasmine adds a floral layer in the late middle development and I like this continuity. I like the fact that they didn’t call this Antidote Extreme or Hot Antidote or Antidote 911. It is a no-brainer of course that they preferred the name association with the much more successful Flowerbomb but it is nice to see that they did not renounce the heritage of their first masculine release. Even though it wasn’t a hit, I loved it.

After all the layers have been peeled back the deep drydown is a peppery, powdery patchouli base with a coffee note that I like very much. First of all it is surprisingly dry. All the previous sweetness has been harnessed. It is almost identical to the patchouli-hazelnut base that I smell in Flowerbomb. I cannot say that I can pick up a serious leather note and the tobacco note is more of the cherry pipe flavoured variety of Chergui and less the real deal of Fumerie Turque or Fougere Bengale. To put things straight, tobacco does not smell like cherry! It only does if it is flavoured.

I thoroughly enjoyed Spicebomb. I like its complexity, the overtly sweet middle stage, the references to Antidote and the warm patchouli base that they have transplanted straight from Flowerbomb. It does not feel like a committee decision or I should say it feels like a decision taken by a very intelligent committee that was targeting Viktor & Rolf clients and not World Fragrance Market Domination.

09/20/2012

6.0/10

PBullFriend
300 Reviews

PBullFriend

Helpful Review 4

the most demure bomb I've smelled

As far as I'm concerned, winter is incomplete without large doses of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, saffron, and other spices. In our bitter cold winters, I pull myself through with big cups of spicy chai tea and generous spritzes of PG Un Crime Exotique, Kenzo Amour Holi, and L'Artisan Tea for Two, among others.

So I was quite excited when Spicebomb came out. Who would love a bomb made of spice more than I do? I thought it might be too much for me, though. The advertisement states: "Infusing the codes of masculine perfumery with olfactory dynamite, Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb is an explosive cocktail of virility that transforms you into a powerful, intense and daring man."

No such luck. The polite hints of ginger and chili here are undetectable even a few inches away on first application. It does last well, but only if you put your nose on it. It most reminds me of Tea for Two, but without all the delicious smoked tea. It does cost less than niche ($95 USD for 90 ml). I'd recommend, though, that someone who wants powerful spice try Mugler A*Men Gout du Parfum instead. It's packed with coffee and chili peppers, costs $90 USD for 100 ml, and comes in one of the gorgeous Mugler rubber flasks. (Or you could haunt eBay for the sadly discontinued Tea for Two.)

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