Davidoff will launch Hot Water, a masculine follow-up to their immensely popular Cool Water fragrance from 1988. Hot Water is described as a sensual oriental, and the press materials promise a “burning, latent heat”.
The fragrance notes feature absinthe, red basil, pimento, patchouli, styrax and benzoin…
After my Yves Saint Laurent L’Homme review posted last week, many men wrote me at my Now Smell This email address “confessing” their love for L’Homme; these men were unwilling to “admit” their admiration for L’Homme in my review’s comments section because I called the fragrance “standard-issue men’s perfume.” I think women are more willing to proclaim: “Call this perfume crap if you like…but I LOVE it!” All you sensitive perfumistos out there: I have a confession to make — I, too, like my fair share of “standard-issue” men’s fragrances.
Perfume addicts are inclined to enjoy categories of scents: ambers, vanilla fragrances, rose perfumes, mossy aldehydes…. Me? I like citrus perfumes, leather scents, smoky/incense fragrances, and vetiver and tea colognes of all types. If I come across a fragrance full of lemon, orange, petitgrain, a hint of vetiver and wood — chances are good I’ll enjoy it, even if there are 100 other fragrances that smell pretty much the same. Today’s scent, Diesel Only the Brave, is not innovative or “strange”, not by a long shot (it reminds me of Zirh Ikon for one), but I’m partial to its components, and I like it.
Only the Brave contains lemon, leather, cedar and amber. The fragrance opens with an ozone-lemon accord which is followed by a talc-y (super-light) leather note…
The inspiration for Burberry's The Beat for Men, according to Burberry creative director Christopher Bailey, was music, specifically the music of the bands Razorlight, the Fratellis, Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian. “I think there is so much crossing over between creative mediums,” said Bailey. “Art, design, fashion, music — they all feed off each other and inspire each other. So I sat with the perfumers and gave them a ton of music. I think it’s a bit lazy to say, ‘The guy is 18 to 25, lives in that type of house…’ I don’t care how old or how young the guy is. It’s the attitude, and what taste the direction goes in. So the perfumers listened to the music as they were creating the fragrance, and they got it instantly.”*
After implying The Beat’s target audience’s age didn’t really matter, Bailey said “being young and effortless” was the attitude he wanted for The Beat; the fragrance should “be about movement, energy — a younger, cooler, more urban Burberry.” According to The Beat marketing materials, the men in The Beat ads ARE dissimilar in occupations and backgrounds but they all look somewhere around age 20…
Diesel will launch Only The Brave (shown above left), a new fragrance for men, in March, although it is not expected to reach the US until May. The new fragrance was named for Diesel founder Renzo Rosso’s Italian holding company and his charitable foundation, both of which have the same name. The bottle is modeled after Rosso’s fist…
Coming in March from Guerlain will be Habit Rouge Sport, a flanker to 1965's Habit Rouge fragrance for men.
Habit Rouge Sport is described as a fresher fragrance than the original Habit Rouge. The notes include citron vert, bitter orange, pink pepper, bambooo, jasmine, leather, vanilla and patchouli.
Guerlain Habit Rouge Sport will be available in 100 ml Eau de Toilettte…