Shiseido will launch the third incarnation of its Zen fragrance this September (prior versions were launched in 1964 and 2000). The new fragrance was developed by perfumer Michel Almairac, and is described as a "fresh, floral woody scent" with notes of grapefruit, bergamot, peach, pineapple, blue rose, freesia, gardenia, red apple, violet, lily of the valley, hyacinth, rose, lotus flower, patchouli, cedar, musk, white musk, amber, incense and marine plant.
The "blue rose" springs from the marriage of a rose and violet, according to Almairac, who explained, "It has a very particular odor — a lemony note."
The bottle, by Taisuke Kikuchi, was inspired by a Japanese tearoom. Shiseido Zen will be available in 30, 50 and 100 ml Eau de Parfum. A launch date for the US has not yet been determined. (first quote via cosmeticnews, second via Women's Wear Daily)
Hi, R – How does this compare with the other Zens, do you know? And any idea why Shiseido keeps making new perfumes and calling them Zen? Sorting through scents is difficult as it is! To Google, I guess you'll have to know the launch year you're interested in.
Haven't smelled it so no idea, and can't imagine why they'd want to keep using the same name. I often think that fragrance houses simply don't get how the online world works — they so often use names that literally can't be found in Google.
The first Zen is now Japan-only, and the second will be withdrawn from export now too. I've only smelled the second one, and thought it was really nice.
I completely agree.
Add to that the Lutens/Shiseido alliance and posterior separation, and that only makes it all the more confusing to catalogue shiseido´s offerings.
I can find Basala here in Argentina still, but that was the only men´s frag they got around here.
The others I have tried while traveling have seen either too bland or faint-smelling.
It seems as a contradiction to me that cultures like the Japanese, that are so sensitive to some smells (perfumes and deodorants) are not afraid at all when it comes to cooking smells, and their pervasiveness. Looks compartimentalizes somehow.
Well Just a thought. I hope this Zen is at least half as cool as the bottle is cool looking 😉
The original Zen was one of my first grown-up fragrances. That I began wearing back in the early 70's. I wore it until they discontinued it. It was very much a Japanese scent. Floral, understated, and quite unusual. Nothing else quite like it. The current Zen (white bottle) is a modern (please everybody) kind of scent, that did not impress me at all. Less complex, with a transparancy that the original does not have. I hate to think what this new incarnation has to say.
Another old time, fav is Caleche' the original. The newer ones are very timid in comparison. Lots of timid going on these days.
I think that holds true for a lot of remakes. I say bring on the real juice. I can take it.
Best, Zz…
It is a great bottle, truly. At least in the picture — I am often disappointed when I see a bottle in person.
Never smelled Basala. Shiseido scents are not widely distributed in the US at all.
Zen, in fact, is rather bland — but very likeable (the 2000 version).
I heard it was a great scent, but never got to try it (the original Zen). I like the 2000 one, but can't argue with “a modern please everybody kind of scent”.
Caleche is great, although I like C. eau Delicate too.
Black Zen, white Zen, and now brown Zen? Pretty bottle. Hope it measures up to the packaging.
It is a great bottle, so the juice will have a hard time living up to it!
I do hpe this is very good. I hope it has more of a “Japanese” feel to it, unlike the 2000 Zen (which wasn't bad, but wasn't amazing either).
Shiseido Basala for Men is an AMAZING fragrance. it smells just like you woud expect Japan to. It's definitley one of my favorites, but it's nearly impossible to find. I got a 100ml bottle for $45 at the Mitsukoshi in Orlando. 😀
I liked the 2000 Zen, but entirely agree that there was nothing amazing about it at all. Just a nice scent. Will have to find a sample of Basala one of these days…
It's september 26 now and yesterday I received a sample of the new version of ZEN at Marionnaud here in Prague, CZ.
This is an amazing fragrance, it feels like the makers have finally found the true Zen.
Didn't like the Zen of 2000 at all and was not interested in a newer version either but boy this fragrance stole my heart. It is a work of art, this is really something special. Certainly not just another scent in a long row of familiar scents!
A late late reaction but from an enthousiastic person.
Not a late reaction at all — I'm still waiting to smell it! Thanks for the glowing review.
I am a newbie to perfume appreciation(at least in as much as what I see the standard is around here!).
Anyway, I love this particular Zen, and I was wondering where I could find a real review on it…did Robin ever write one in the end?
Also would love to hear opinions and descriptions from anyone else who likes this perfume.
Like I said, I'm a newbie, I know I like it, but I wouldn't know how to describe it as vividly as you folks do, that's why I want to see a review!!!
Thanks a lot!!!
p.s. the bottle *is* as nice as the photo, in my opinion. When you take off the top, it's delightfully solid, and the way you can play with the transparent/opaque planes is fun.
I do like this perfume, was thinking of attempting a description, but am embarrassed!
Anyone?
I still haven't tried it, sorry! Hope to soon, but it's a busy fall for new perfume launches and it only recently made it to the US.
This is a kind of old article, so you're not likely to find many other responses, I'm afraid. If you want to see what others think, you might try a board search at MakeupAlley, or check their Productville section, maybe there are reviews there.
Thanks for answering my comment…I'll try what you've suggested. Let me take advantage to compliment you on your blog and your perfume reviews, extremely interesting and very refreshing to read, most pages I see with reviews are basically people ranting and raving in different measures and ways on how the particular perfume they are reviewing is the best ever…Refreshing to hear justified opionions and well thought out criticisms as well. And you write very well, as well!
Take care!
Thanks so much, you're very kind!
I was shopping in the mall, and I was walking past a Shiseido counter, so just out of curiosity I sprayed some of this… I liked it so much, that right away I ended up with a pretty, 30 ml bottle of this. I absolutely love the citrus opening, it is very nice at the beginning, but it could suggest a light-summery fruity floral… but then it changes into something a spicier and deeper, so You would think it would be a spicy oriental… and then suddenly it changes again and becomes a clean, powdery, woody scent. It's like this new Zen could not even fit into just olfactory group, this scent is so different. After wearing it for a few hours, it is nothing like the scent You first put on Your skin. The best thing is that it is never overwhelming, never cloying and changing all the time. Also the bottle is so cool!
Drat — I keep looking for this & not finding it, but probably was looking in the perfume dept. & not at a Shiseido counter.
I'm happy to weigh in for the newcomer who was hoping to hear a review. To my nose, the new Zen is zesty, slightly sweet grapefruit and pineapple up front, with some soft, creamy, well-blended florals at the heart and very, very light amber and wood grounding it all. It's pretty and very easy to wear, and a little more sophisticated and distinctive than your usual fruity-floral. I can see it appealing to a wide range of ages, since it's fresh and modern and sweet enough for a younger woman and rich and interesting enough for more experienced noses. Personally, I'm not blown away by it — it's not what you'd call arrestingly original or fantastically complex — but. as our blogmistress Robin often comments, I'd happily wear it if a bottle fell from the skies.
Hey, sounds nicer than I'd have expected. Good.
I was at a MAC counter last night and the gal doing my makeup was wearing Zen. She smelled good so I asked what she was wearing. I went over to the Shiseido counter and spritzed some on. What a wonderful, spicy scent. While strong and rich at first, the dry down is so so mesmerizing. It is one of those scents that gets into your brain and you just keep coming back to it. The MAC gal was a redhead and I instantly thought of Zen in terms of a color – a rusty red with gold highlights.
Ah, thanks! I really wish this stuff would get to Sephora already…if it's coming there at all.
Just wanted to comment a random anecdote. The bottle to this perfume, while very nice, is rather delicate. I'm frustrated with this perfume because I've just broken my second 50 ml bottle before I was even halfway finished with it. My first bottle was understandable, I left it on the couch as I was unpacking from a trip and my two year old picked it up and promptly threw it on the tile floor. (the plus side: my living room smelled great for a few days!!)
But the second time around, it was in its box and got slightly jostled and the neck of it broke off inside the lid. How annoying.
I would like to buy another one just to be able to say I finished one, but this lil perfume is starting to come out costly.
Just thought I'd let you all know, be extremely gentle with this one if you buy it.
Oh my, that's awful — 2 bottles! Keep your next one in bubble wrap, I guess.
I received Shiseido Zen for Christmas and I absolutely love it. I have had several people stop me and ask what I was wearing. Very interesting and not overbearing. I am a Paramedic and I can wear it to work or for play. Great scent!
How nice!
I have been searching for a non-sweet scent that is not overly harsh, “oriental,” or cloying but clean, interesting, and soft. With a name like “Zen” produced by a Japanese cosmetic company, I thought this might be it. It was not to be. The reviews I have read are pretty much right on. The perfume starts off citrusy, gradually winding down to a softer, slightly musky, but, alas, still a sweet, lingering scent. The scent did not last. And, at the end of the day, the skin where the perfume made direct contact smelled like I used a very nice, expensive soap during a bath. Although a nice fragrance, it fell short of the zen-like experience I was expecting.
Hello! I’m new here. My mother wore Zen back in the 60s and 70s and I remember the mysterious looking black bottle well and the deliciously intoxicating scent. I haven’t tried the new version yet. I bet mum still owns the original bottle… I found that she still had the first Jean Patou Joy dad bought her years ago (she keeps everything!). Although I love both the original Zen and Jean Patou Joy, I can’t wear them because to me, they are “mum’s” scents.