• About
  • Login to comment
    • Facebook
    • RSS
    • Twitter

Now Smell This

a blog about perfume

Menu ▼
  • Perfume Reviews
  • New Perfumes
  • Perfumers
  • Perfume Houses
  • Shop for perfume
  • Resources

Sean John Unforgivable fragrance review

Posted by Robin on 1 March 2006 31 Comments

Sean John Unforgivable

Sean John Combs (aka Puff Daddy, aka P Diddy) launched his first fragrance, Unforgivable, in 2005 under the slogan "Life without passion is unforgivable". It is targeted at men in the 18 to 35 age group; per Combs, "There are millions of men taking my lead, and I have to take them to the promised land of sexy." (via Daily News Record, 8/29/2005) It is probably no surprise that his idea of the promised land of sexy ruffled a few feathers.

The Unforgivable fragrance was created by perfumer David Apel and features notes of lemon, bergamot, tangerine, grapefruit, birch leaves, juniper, champagne accord, Mediterranean air accord, basil, iris, clary sage, lavender, cashmere accord, sea moss, sandalwood, rum, amber and tonka bean.

Unforgivable starts with dry, rather high-pitched citrus notes, but settles quickly into a warm, slightly sweet scent with an herbal aromatic cast. It continues to get warmer the longer it is on skin, eventually drying down to a mild blend of woods, light amber and lots of musk. The mid notes have a bit of sparkle, presumably from the champagne accord, and the Mediterranean air accord gives it a fresh ozonic-marine feel that lasts straight through to the end.

It is rare that I like anything very ozonic so it is no surprise that I don't adore Unforgivable, but it is a well done fragrance. It is vaguely reminiscent of the classic masculine scents from Creed, but in a more understated vein, and in general I found it to be lighter, cleaner, and more conventional than you might expect from someone who seems to court controversy in other arenas. It doesn't strike me as particularly sexy, or at least not so sexy as you might expect from the ad campaign. I should think you could quite safely wear it to the office.

A limited edition Eau de Parfum "couture version" launched at Saks late last year for $300 for 75 ml, and bottles are still available on the saks website. I am trying the Eau de Toilette which was released last month. The lasting power is excellent. It runs $55 for 75 ml and $75 for 125 ml.

It is bound to hit the discounters eventually, but for now you'll have to pay full price at a department store. Ancillary products are to follow, and a women's fragrance will debut later this year. Wondering what he'll name that one...

Update: see the review for Unforgivable Woman.

Possibly of interest

Regime des Fleurs Chloe Sevigny Little Flower ~ fragrance review
Carrington Perfumes Forever Krystle ~ fragrance review
11 Cheap Perfumes Beauty Outsiders Love

Filed Under: perfume talk
Tagged With: celebrity perfumes, david apel, sean john

Advertisement


31 Comments

Leave a comment, or read more about commenting at Now Smell This. Here's our privacy policy, and a handy emoticon chart.

  1. Anonymous says:
    1 March 2006 at 1:11 pm

    Hello dear R! Great review. Will test when I see it.

    Hope you are well. Mwah!

    Log in to Reply
  2. Anonymous says:
    1 March 2006 at 1:17 pm

    I totally agree with your review. I thought it was well done, fresh & clean and not noticably sexy.

    But then it might be on a man.

    :O)

    Log in to Reply
  3. Anonymous says:
    1 March 2006 at 1:23 pm

    I thought it was a welcome change for a celebrity scent and like you, Robin, I immediately thought of CREED as well though I think even more so – it is a close cousin of Wall Street by Bond.

    I for one, can't wait for this to hit the discount stores because I enjoyed it. The only problem I found is that on my skin after say, 6 hours it sort of fizzled in a bad way almost hinting on sour. But I had a sample in my pocket so I just reapplied…

    But all in all, I think it is a more refined scent for the younger generation and it certainly does not smell like every other over-citrused, uninteresting sporty fragrance on the market.

    And the packaging and bottle are great too!

    Log in to Reply
  4. Anonymous says:
    1 March 2006 at 1:31 pm

    Hey N, hope you are well too!

    Log in to Reply
  5. Anonymous says:
    1 March 2006 at 1:32 pm

    On a sexy man, just about anything would be sexy, right? But Unforgivable didn't seem to me to be likely to in and of itself land you in bed with two women. But what do I know.

    Log in to Reply
  6. Anonymous says:
    1 March 2006 at 1:37 pm

    Apel did Wall Street too, but after reading many comparisons of the 2, I was surprised at how different I found them. At least, I can see liking one & not the other. Of course, Wall Street smells Creedish too, so they do have that in common in addition to sharing some of the same notes.

    Sour after 6 hours is not bad at all. Anything that hangs around that long gets points in my book.

    But what did you like about the packaging? I like the bottle fine, but that lucite outer box thingie is odd and I found it unattractive. Why cover glass with plastic?

    Log in to Reply
  7. Anonymous says:
    1 March 2006 at 1:38 pm

    I am scared to even think of what his feminine scent will be called. The juice itself will probably be just as inoffensive as this one.

    Log in to Reply
  8. Anonymous says:
    1 March 2006 at 1:40 pm

    I think it would be comical if he called it Forgivable. Won't be surprised if we just get “Unforgivable for her”.

    Log in to Reply
  9. Anonymous says:
    1 March 2006 at 2:26 pm

    I don't get the spin on the name and the ad copy:

    X = Y, using Y if you don't have X, or vice versa, confers equivalent status of the other thing. In this case:

    “A life without passion” = Unforgivable

    So if you wear Unforgivable, you are living “a life without passion”, per the ad? Makes even less sense if you put it together with the print graphics.

    What is considered too sexy to wear to the office?

    Log in to Reply
  10. Anonymous says:
    1 March 2006 at 2:48 pm

    Yes, of course they have their differences, but the first thing I thought when I smelled Unforgiveable was “Wall Street” but it's interesting that you say they're quite different.

    The bottle, hmm…I guess maybe for a man who only has one fragrance, the lucite cradle might be interesting on a dresser, but I love the bottle alone, it's elegant and understated, it's like a black pearl, isn't it? I can't remember…

    I'd be fine with no lucite cradle as I love that little bottle but like I said, I think it's sort of a neat idea.

    And I also have praise for his sleek, elegant little blotter cards. I want that paper by the roll!

    Log in to Reply
  11. Anonymous says:
    1 March 2006 at 3:55 pm

    Thanks for the review R. I'm not sure I'll buy it, but I'll definitely be testing it for the dh.

    C.

    Log in to Reply
  12. Anonymous says:
    1 March 2006 at 4:02 pm

    Ah, see, this is why we need to be careful about women wearing men's fragrances — what if I wind up in bed with two women?!?

    But it sounds like this juice won't get me there anyway.

    Log in to Reply
  13. Anonymous says:
    1 March 2006 at 4:15 pm

    too funny!

    Makin' me laugh, thank you!!!

    Log in to Reply
  14. Anonymous says:
    1 March 2006 at 5:05 pm

    I doubt we disagree much, really — they have a lot in common. I just didn't think Unforgivable was an exact dupe of Wall Street. Personally I like the Unforgivable better.

    I like the bottle too, just not that cradle. Now I'll have to go look for the blotter cards!

    Log in to Reply
  15. Anonymous says:
    1 March 2006 at 5:10 pm

    LOL — I don't think the ad copy can be deconstructed to that extent. Elsewhere, they also said “it smells so good, its unforgivable”, or something to that effect.

    Hmmm, can think of lots of women's scents that are too sexy for the office, but fewer men's. Not sure if that is because there are fewer sexy men's, or just that I've smelled fewer. The only thing that is coming to mind is M7.

    And mind you, people should wear whatever they like to the office. Unforgivable just doesn't smell like a sexy, night time, get-the-girl fragrance to me.

    Log in to Reply
  16. Anonymous says:
    1 March 2006 at 5:12 pm

    LOL!

    Log in to Reply
  17. Anonymous says:
    1 March 2006 at 5:12 pm

    Maybe he'll love it, C.

    Log in to Reply
  18. Anonymous says:
    1 March 2006 at 6:05 pm

    I thought that it was very nicely done and very elegant. I am actually very curious about women's fragrance. I wonder what it is going to be like.

    Log in to Reply
  19. Anonymous says:
    1 March 2006 at 6:41 pm

    I did try this one, and I thought the opening was a terrific play on sparkling citrus, but that it moved way too quickly to a pale wood-amber-musk drydown, which, while warm and inoffensive, was nothing to write home about. Now I know why the woman with her head in his lap in the ad looks so sad and wistful looking at his crotch: She's thinking, “I guess that was a nice five minutes.” Unforgivable.

    Log in to Reply
  20. Anonymous says:
    1 March 2006 at 7:33 pm

    Shall we take bets on whether or not it turns out to be a fruity floral?

    Log in to Reply
  21. Anonymous says:
    1 March 2006 at 7:34 pm

    LOL! Good one, T.

    Log in to Reply
  22. Anonymous says:
    1 March 2006 at 9:33 pm

    Maybe he will call the feminine version of Unforgivable “J-LO”.

    Log in to Reply
  23. Anonymous says:
    2 March 2006 at 11:23 am

    Another good one!

    Log in to Reply
  24. Anonymous says:
    2 March 2006 at 4:13 pm

    At the flagship Saks, rather than paper blotters or bits of ribbon (a la Burberry or Miller Harris), we were handed pre-spritzed squares of black synthetic satin…meant to suggest pocket squares? the sophisticated man of style, etc? I'd never seen that gimmick before.

    Puff Daddy (or Diddy, or whatever) makes me laugh, for some reason I can't quite articulate. The fragrance is nice enough, though.

    Log in to Reply
  25. Anonymous says:
    2 March 2006 at 4:19 pm

    Interesting. I would have guessed “meant to suggest black satin sheets”, maybe.

    At any rate, they aren't doing that at Macys, LOL…

    Log in to Reply
  26. Anonymous says:
    3 March 2006 at 2:49 pm

    A few weeks ago, my guest slapped Puff Daddy and Estée Lauder for their yucky ad. I don't greatly care what the stuff smells like: the ad campaign is 'unforgivable'.

    Log in to Reply
  27. Anonymous says:
    3 March 2006 at 3:23 pm

    J, I see your point, but I find so much fragrance advertising objectionable that I just sort of ignore it.

    Log in to Reply
  28. Anonymous says:
    13 January 2007 at 4:05 am

    Surely such a 'strong and powerful man' such as Puff Daddy (or Poof Diddy, as me and my staff call him) would have a strong and powerful scent? Unforgivable does die down much quicker than I expected. Its way too watered down. He is incredibily brave (or stupid) to have approved that name for his debut fragrance – it just screams to be poked fun at!

    Log in to Reply
  29. Anonymous says:
    13 January 2007 at 10:48 am

    It is true, the bravery is all in the name & the advertising, it is a fairly conventional fragrance otherwise.

    Log in to Reply
  30. Anonymous says:
    17 January 2009 at 2:16 am

    Truely I did not find anything extraordinary in this fragrance for men. I feel it has a weak fragrance strength and it stays close to my skin for about 4 hours. Notes are good though.

    Log in to Reply
  31. Anonymous says:
    17 January 2009 at 5:48 pm

    What a shame — I had much better luck w/ the lasting power than you did!

    Log in to Reply

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Advertisement

Search

From NST at Twitter

  • "Cult Shop: the perfumer drawing on her Māori heritage" (financial times) https://t.co/9HmkvBfcvm,
  • Imaginary Authors' limited edition Decisions, Decisions from 2020 is available again for a limited time… https://t.co/CL55QrsyTB,
  • "Scent-a Fe: New Mexico could be first state with official aroma" (guardian) https://t.co/zt7NB3n20L,
  • "The Smell of Magic: A new crop of scents reference long-held beliefs about the connection between perfume and the… https://t.co/6OeiuFOYtf,
  • "Can 'perfume regression' solve your stress problem? I put it to the test" (cosmopolitan via yahoo) https://t.co/SRtzlLLFd4,

Browse by...

Topic

Perfume talk New fragrances
Shopping Books :: News
Body products Home fragrance
Polls Another subject

Date

January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022

Prior months

Author

Robin Jessica
Angela Kevin
Erin Guest Author

Tag

Celebrity perfumes
Cheap thrills
Collector bottles
Perfumista tip series
Video
The complete tag index

Recent reviews

Atelier Cologne Love Osmanthus
Moschino Toy Boy
Arquiste Misfit
Diptyque Eau Capitale
Zoologist Bee
Parfum d’Empire Immortelle Corse
Comme des Garcons Series 10 Clash
Frédéric Malle Rose & Cuir
L’Artisan Parfumeur Le Chant de Camargue
Yves Saint Laurent Grain de Poudre
Régime des Fleurs Chloë Sevigny Little Flower
Chanel 1957
Gallivant Los Angeles
Amouage Portrayal Woman

Blogroll

Bois de Jasmin
Grain de Musc
Perfume Posse
The Non-Blonde
More blogs...

Perfumista lists

100 fragrances every perfumista should try
And 25 more fragrances every perfumista should smell
50 masculine fragrances every perfumista should try
26 vintage fragrances every perfumista should try
25 rose fragrances every perfumista should try
11 Cheap Perfumes Beauty Outsiders Love

Favorite posts

The Great Perfume Reduction Plan
Why I Love Old School Chypres
New to perfume and want to learn more?
How to make fragrance last through the day
Fragrance concentrations: sorting it all out
On reformulations, or why your favorite perfume doesn’t smell like it used to
How to get fragrance samples
Perfume for Life: How Long Will Your Fragrance Collection Last?

Upcoming

List of upcoming Friday projects

4 January ~ damage poll
4 February ~ winter reading poll

TBA April ~ swap meet

Back to Top

Home
About Now Smell This :: Privacy Policy

Shop for Perfume Online
Perfume Shopping in New York
Perfume Shopping in London
Perfume Reviews
New Perfumes
General Perfume Articles
The Monday Mail

Glossary of Perfume Terms
Perfume FAQ
Perfume Links
Perfume Books
Fragrance Awards

Noses ~ Perfumers A-E :: F-K :: L-S :: T-Z

Perfume Houses A-B :: C :: D-E :: F-G
H-J :: K-L :: M :: N-O :: P :: Q-R :: S
T :: U-Z

Copyright © 2005-2023 Now Smell This. All rights reserved.