Guerlain - Homme

Thierry Wasser, Guerlains new in house perfumer, surely has a daunting challenge ahead of him. To succesfully take this ancient bastion of traditional perfumery into the new millenium while respecting the rich heritage and at the same time branching out into the mainstream with more modern and accessible products will be very hard. To say the least. Hopefully Mr Wassers surname isn't indicative of what we can expect fragrance wise.

Thankfully watered down is not in any way a main characteristic of the brand new Homme. Unfortunately original isn't either. Upon application it immediately reminded me of Thierry Mugler's B*Men. A similarity that remains troughout much of progression of the scent. Rhubarb is a common note in both, but they also share a strong and sweet woody base with accents of licorice. However Homme is significantly fresher with some pleasant fizziness and mint - something described by Guerlain as a Mojito Accord.

Overall Homme is a well crafted modern fragrance that will probably do well. But as always, it is impossible not to employ a relativistic approach in this type of evaluations. And in the light of Guerlains proud history this will be remembered as just an okay but redundant try of adapting to the times. Which in my mind should be handled more responsibly than with this release. Minus points also for the flacon that feels a bit cheap in reality...

Year of Launch: 2008
Gender Classification: Masculine
Reminiscent of: Thierry Mugler B*Men, Caron Eau de Reglisse
Longevity & Sillage: Good longevity, subtle sillage
Overall rating: 6/10