Catalyst (1993)
by Halston

Seldom do I find a floral fruity fragrance that is easy to remember, and rarer still would be one that I would wear. But Catalyst is a stonking wall of indolic flowers sweetened with just a hint of peaches and some amber in the base. I've read many claims that there is no sweetness in Catalyst, but this is not true; there is just enough sweetness here to structurally support the towering bitter herbal green. This is basically an old-school chypre without the leather. That said, women under twenty-five would most likely find this unwearable. Men over twenty-five, give this a go.

8th March, 2011.

Floral green with a bit of stinky herb's and stuff. A cacophony,yes....but it's fabulous. Most definitely unisex. If you can find it, you must try it.

A huge thumbs up - way, WAY up!

27th January, 2011.

This is a beautiful scent, very grassy and slightly herbal. A beautful touch of sweetness too. Very unisex and doesn't smell dated at all. Love it! It can be had for less than £5 for a 100ml EDP at the moment, a steal!

30th July, 2010.

I wear this EDT & the Parfum and I love it. It's smooth, rich, and confident. I think this is a wonderful fragrance for gentlemen.

27th February, 2009.

this is for pure perfume. Sweet cloying and nostalgic with violet Jasmine sandalwood and oakmoss. I do not anything green. I do not prefer to wear these old style, old lady scents but this one is better than many.

12nd August, 2008.

Potent to be sure: Catalyst has an impressive list of florals—jonquil, tuberose, rose, jasmine, lily of the valley, violet; but it is also well represented green notes—galbanum, chamomile, and herbs. I get a tiny bit of dissonance at first but it is rather hard to pursue because the power of the opening overwhelms the individual combinations. After that collision of the notes in the opening, things settle down to a catching floral / green accord that holds on through the heart notes into the drydown. The jasmine is the star of this fragrance as far as I’m concerned: I usually get strong indole notes during and immediately after the opening. For the base I get a solid oakmoss and musk made lighter by a clean patchouli. Catalyst starts out potently, but quickly moves to a normal strength. It is an excellent scent, it has great longevity, and it is very reasonably priced.

5th December, 2007.