I didn't have high hopes for Gentleman Givenchy Cologne. It feels like only yesterday that the historic French fashion house released Gentleman Givenchy (2017) and confused everybody by continuing to sell Givenchy Gentleman, first released in 1974. The 2017 release was decent but didn’t excite me very much. Gentleman Eau de Parfum from 2018 was very enjoyable but rather similar to Dior Homme and Valentino Uomo in its use of a prominent Iris note.
Hence, when I first sprayed Gentleman Cologne (as we shall now refer to it) I was expecting something that smelled nice and fresh and safe. Well, it is indeed all of those things, but the big surprise is that it is also vibrant, elegant and even rather compelling. When I checked who the perfumers were it started to make sense. Nathalie Lorson and Olivier Cresp have impressive track records and have just added an affable and charming fresh scent to their respective CVs.
These are the notes for Gentleman Cologne:
TOP: BERGAMOT, LEMON, PETITGRAIN
MID: ROSEMARY, IRIS, VETIVER
BASE: AMBROXAN, MUSK
By the way, it is an eau de toilette even though it is called a "Cologne". Everybody does it nowadays: Creed's new Aventus Cologne is an eau de parfum. Cologne is now a style not a designation of perfume concentration.
The fragrance opens with a juicy and effervescent burst of crisp and natural smelling citrus. The iris note is very noticeable right from the start and creates a scent that fans of the similarly zesty Dior Homme Cologne will surely enjoy.
The musk and vetiver in the base create a respectably long lasting but understated personal aroma that somehow manages to feel modern, youthful and timeless all at once. I’m a huge fan of Monsieur de Givenchy, which was first released in 1959 and serves a similar purpose in my fragrance wardrobe. That one has a rather more old fashioned feel. Gentleman Cologne achieves a similar effortless elegance with a contemporary yet grown up and sophisticated feel. It does however hang on to a little of that green herbaceous undertone that I find so delectable in old school fresh masculines.
The charming bottle design with its white label suggests the crisp white shirt one might like to spritz this juice onto. I could happily take this scent on a summer holiday and wear it every day. I’d be equally comfortable wearing it to work or using it after the gym.
If the idea of a beautiful combination of iris, bergamot, vetiver and musk appeals to you then you should definitely investigate this commendable release from Givenchy.
The fragrance comes in two sizes:
50ml £49.00
100ml £69.00