Reviews of 212 Men (1999)
by Carolina Herrera

It is a happy fragrance, urban, uncomplicated.Citrus, water, grass... VERY sweet.

sweet, sweet, sweet is all there is. hardly anything worth paying over 50 bucks for a 100ml bottle which agian is another my infamous habit of "blunder buys" a term which ive assigned to my lack of control. i admit i was really fascinated by the magnectic cap and all, being nice slick and metro looking. its redemption lies in its decent on skin durability and smooth sillage. no sharp twist or turns like HUGO or CK ESCAPE. easily appealing but not worth paying so much for something that just smells of sweetness. id rather they put MORE citrus or some vanilla to give it some dept. i see the descriptions scandal wood and musk and to be honest, i think its minimal to the point of neglect. unless again ure wearing it for ur own pleasure, you should find this pretty boring. nonetheless it does seem to appeal to ladies. id give 212 a vote of confidence, but its flankers are disasters. I die by LDIssey, no matter how synthetic it smells, and i somehow get a feeling 212 is modelled after it. well for what its worth, it doesnt smell cheap. id suggest Aigner X limited which is easily 1/3 the price and similarly sweet.

Good clean experience. Nice trip to freshness and relax. Sometimes I think ....well....original or not? Doesnt matter in this case. The product is good.
Thanks Miss Herrera ....you are a perfect mix between latin america and america design. And 212 is in the same line.
Absolutly recomended for young people (20-35).

Hows about we call this 845, or at least 914? This smells nothing like NYC, with the exception of Cental Park, maybe.

Still though, 212's doin' it's green and fresh thing very well. As it dries it does become a little more generic. Still though, if you're looking for a fresh fragrance, this is a good choice.

this stuff atually makes me gag. i cant even figure out what the worst note is but fact is i had to wash it off after a few min.
go away!!!

Soon after applying this sample to my wrists my wife, who by the way has impeccable taste swiped it. She buys me Hererra for Men every year and now 212 has become both our favorites. Cut grass, citrusy and aquatic at the opening will just keep your wrist glued to your nose. Good enough to wear in warm weather and there is even a hint of green tea which I love.

great clean and citrus scent that last and last. quite a few haters on this board even though you should try yourself.

The fall from grace after the rather lovely 'Herrera for Men' is egregious. Talk about being populist and chasing the money -- this is a nailed on 'what women like to smell on a man' notion, rather than what men would actually like to wear. It's generic laziness and smells ghastly. Avoid.

Kaern

I have nothing positive to say about this. A nondescript chalky, woody green that I think smells awful. The girlfriend likes it though so I guess that's a positive.

When I first smelled this on a piece of paper, I thought it smelled odd. Eventually a month later, I had finally gotten a sample of it and sprayed it on myself. The first thought was "wow, this is nice". The initial blast of crispness was refreshing and it had a nice metallic feel to it. The dry down is a soothing incense with the light musk. This cologne is very well rounded and modern. It doesn't seem like the typical aquatic to me and it smells different than anything else I've tried (except CK Eurphoria, but it doesn't pull off the mossy-green fresh thing as well as 212). Another plus side about this is the longevity. It typically lasts 10-12 hours (or even more, I'm just being modest here). My skin usually drinks fragrances like crazy and this is one of the handful that actually does stick and I can still smell it fairly well the morning after.

Nice fragrance - I think there is a touch of Fahrenheit in there - not too long lasting on me - yeah - it's OK

I see some complaining about the originality and distinctiveness of 212. Well, I'm a "fresh scent" junkie and have yet to come across anything similar to this one. Citrus, Fresh cut Grass, and Pepper notes done so well.

Like AdG, it's probably disliked more for it's popularity than anything, but make no mistake about it, it really is a quality frag.

I struggle with this fragrance, because to my nose, I get this distinct fried something smell. It's like wearing a nice powdery cologne to work...at Burger King or KFC for 8 hours and then capturing the resulting smell and bottling it. And most of C Herrera's line is like that. It seems to have a great following though, and it has been copied time and time again. Lanvin L'homme comes to mind, so does Society (tall cylindrical bottle). Others include Paco Rabanne XS and DKNY Men in the funky long and skinny rectangular bottle.

Very good "Modern" scent. I cannot help but get a headache when I wear this delightful scent.


It has a very aquatic smell. Which IMO leads to it being reffered to as "modern". Very fresh and great longevity which came as a shocker to me. I figured it would evaporate off the skin easily, but lasted well into 10 hrs.


The grapefruit note in this is very very prominent at least to myself. It blends marvelously with the aquatic molecule note to provide you with a strong top note.


Great fragrance, but I would advise you to wear it for a day before purchasing as the scent evolves quite a bit after application.
My favortite modern scent

- Jay

I had an aunt who used to work in a fine women’s clothing store who avidly kept up with fragrance introductions. She’d wear each new one home, layered thick like a winter coat, and hold anyone within her proximity an olefactory captive to “the latest thing.” Much like my aunt, 212 Men has much to recommend it: an intriguing mix of notes to which I’m generally strongly drawn, market savvy, and native intelligence. Yet, when my male test subject tapped on just a bit, I was sucked back into my aunt’s dressing room and had to run for fresh air. Later, he confessed he’d “tolerated" the 212 trial on my account. I wish I could present a more rational review (say, "the spice is occluded by gardenia," which is so), but to me 212 is the smell of a nice older woman with a solid fashion sense who flounders in trying too hard.

This one makes me re-think my approach and purchases. How can something so cheap, so commonly worn, and so inexpensive smell of such high-class, high-quality ingredients. Smells like fresh water, not much citrus, a bit of springtime grass, ocean mist, and a hint of musk. This fragrance is unique, original, and has been copied 100s of times by others. The bottle is very original.. I can see myself wearing this instead of Creed and other "designer" fragrances. Simplicity can be beautiful and good, and while this frag is not too simple, it's so commonly worn, people label it "simple." I guarantee if Creed made this fragrance, it would cost 10x as much, and people would be lining up in droves raving about it. It has made me realize I have sort of been duped into believing Creed and other houses are the best because everyone says so. This fragrance has garnered 100s of compliments and could be worn to dinner, a dance, or work. It's inredibly well-crafted. A shame it's so popular, but perhaps there's a reason it is..

The metallic grassiness of the topnotes doesn't appeal to me, but the white musk drydown is great. Hang your shirt on a chair or a door at the end of the day and experience the amazing sillage eminating from that shirt for the next day or two. What a work of art the 212 drydown is! I don't wear it very often since I'm more inclined towards sweeter scents, but when I do, it elicits a lot of positive response. Great for summer. More unique than Allure Homme Sport and easier to wear than L'Eau d'Issey, although the drydown of Issey is also top notch.

on me, the topnotes until middlenotes smell like CHIC (less melon) later the drydown reminds me of Armani Mania, very good fragrance (masculine) and the best longlasting (like Versace Dreamer) until 8 hours in warm climate

At first I thought it was very similar to Paco Rabane's XS, but when comparing both fragrances side by side, XS on my left arm, 212 Men on my right I came to the conclusion that 212 Men is a more unique scent.
(XS is sort of an archetype of a fresh scent to me, but a type of fresh I find too common to like, not enough spice also)
212 Men has a nice touch of 'milky' green which reminds me a lot of Yves Rocher's Nature for women, a fragrance I liked very much (beautiful bottle as well), but is discontinued for some odd reason. It is not a men's fragrance per se, more a unisex.

Well I don't think the scent will suit me wearing it for a longer period, but I'm enjoying sniffing at the sample or at a tiny drop of juice on my wrist.

It smells brilliant. A must have.

Classic everytime i wear this i receive compliments galore at times even over whelming i love this scent i give it a 10 out of 10 thumbs up

It reminds me of Allure Sport. A very nice cologne, appreciated by everyone. Fresh when worn right, stuffy when worn wrong. I usually go with two sprays, 3 if I'm feeling daring. A little goes quite a way. Lasts great. I can still smell it on my shirt/skin from 8 hours ago, and always. Darker than your typical fresh scent. It's very unique, imo.

This has got to be the best scent ever! Seriously, I've gone through one 50mL EdT in a blink (gift from my gf) and yesterday went to pick up a 100mL EdT. I didn't even try any other perfume, went right for the 212 Men. I tried the 212 Sexy Men earlier this year, but it wouldn't suit some occasions. I learned how to use 212 though, and this time I won't be wearing it on a everyday basis. It'll be kept for those special moments. It certainly is a remarkable scent, fresh and gives me a lot of confidence. Ladies love it and so do I. And so will you if you try it!
Regarding longevity, I think people still recognise it after a day and even if you go out at night. Great EdT!

I ve always loved CH because of the feshness and longevity of her fragances. The first time i smelled 212 at a friends house it pissed my nose off because i felt it too acid when it was still opening, but in a couple of minutes i was so intoxicated (in a good sense) by the smell that i went to get my own bottle. A must buy.

Amazing when it was launched back in 1999 and even during early 2000's. Now I find it very common, popular. My number 1 CH fragrance for men has been Chic, a more classy and metrosexual version of 212.

I'm not impressed by the scent. I think Herrera by Carolina Herrera is better.

This frag has a unique feeling when first encountered. Like the bottle too I must say. The citrus and the cut grass somehow makes a beautiful original opening. After a while it settles in and becomes a fresh modern scent comparable to Armani for men. I've considering buying this so I recommend people to test it.

I'm only uncertain how long it lingers on.

It's a nice scent - cool and fresh. Like someone said before, excellent longevity. Having said that I'd never wear it - I find it a bit too feminine

Contrary to many rewiews here, a very unique frangrance when I compare this to what I had or currently have in my wardrobe. The one thing that stands out to me is the longevity and super-excellent sillage - if I could give 212 10 stars I would. The only "problem" is that one's nose doesn't detect it after a while...
Make no mistake - after numerous experiments, this one made a huge impression. IMHO

well...at first i like this fragrance,when i tried on a paper,smell not bad.when i tried on my skin,smell like cut green grass...after few minutes its smell more sexy..after few hours its smell great on my skin!then i went to perfume shop to try and trying for few times...at last i decided to buy it.you know what,i bought the 50ml,and i get 250ml shower gel for free!wow!i like the shower gel very much coz its long lasting on my skin,i never use such lasting shower gel.overall this 212 MEN smell sexy,masculine,modern.and the most important thing this fragrance is WEARABLE! ANYTIME ANYWHERE! THUMBS UUUUUUUUPPPPPPPP:-)

A very pleasant and fresh scent but unbelievably generic. I like my fragrances to be more distinctive, thank you very much.

It’s nice enough but it’s definitely not an award winning scent. It’s very fresh, very neat and kind of cool. I could never understand why it sold so many bottles for so many years. Maybe I’m missing something others can smell that I I just can’t. I can even detect now when someone uses it but it’s more like: hey someone’s wearing 212M, and never: wow! That’s so nice 212M! who is it? Ahhh!.
It’s very safe and a bit common nowadays. I’d even prefer one of the 212 special edition summer clones, and that doesn’t say much. Decent longevity, good sillage. I would even prefer Vodka by Carolina Herrera, sorry , I meant Aqua by Carolina Herrera.

after the gorgeous and amazing carolina herrera man this company and I guess it was her daughter launches 212- it is a sad copy of thousands edt you can buy evrywhere-okay the outer appearance, the package and design are nice but the perfume is to me a grat deception-very poor.I expected her to develop again a great scent but 212 is average-freh,clean and similar to the rest.If you look for something different, special, individual then have a look at creed,annick goutal,nicolai or etro.Hopefully Carolina Herrera presents next time a perfume that is worth to buy!

The best thing about 212 is its bottle.The scent is nice but not very impressive.There is nothing distinctive about the scent and not very long lasting.

It´s nice, reminds me a little farenhait i don´t know why.
My partner use it and smell lovely on him, on me it´s bold
:(

Been wearing this pretty much every day for the past two weeks - and I've got to say I like it a lot.
It suprises me that it's created by the same nose as M7 - which I couldn't wear at all. 212 is both light and complex - the green notes seem to last a long time on me.
Reminds me an awful lot of DKNY Be Delicious Mens, which was last year's fave.

Smells like the ingredients. Lemon and freshly mowed lawn. It's light, on the sharp side in terms of spice, and "aquatic" which to me means it has that Cool Water type background.

It's a little feminine, but these days with Joop, and Pi, and Hugo Boss Rouge, and Davidoff Echo, and hundreds of others I haven't tried, what doesn't?

It's more girly on the first spray, but after 5 minutes it starts to blend in with one's skin, and if one should happen to be a male with male skin, it will turn more masculine.

Interestingly, I find that this smells quite wonderful on women. Meanwhile 212 for women is quite repulsive. They should just mark this as a unisex, and recall all the 212 for women, and set it all on fire, perhaps in a fragrant fireworks display.

Doesn't last super long, but these kinds of scents usually don't. Not my favourite, but still nice.

212 is a nice fragrance. Refreshing and very green, nothing outstanding though. The magnetic cap is amazing and the overall look of the bottle are very beautiful. I wish the sweet notes had more "presence" in the drydown. They are there, but It's a far smell submerged in a sharp green cloud. It's far from the complexity of most of the 80's scents, but if you're into the aquatic stuff, it's a nice bet!(From Herrera, I still prefer her new AQUA)

Not the best scent for going out but great # 1 scent for office wear. probaly cause your inside and the grass smell.

"..."I'm amazed at the positive reviews and popularity of this cologne... This is a VERY effeminate scent; the flower notes seem to dominate in a sickening, allergy provoking way."

DITTO!

I can't believe there are possibly people who don't like this. This is by far the most elegant, unpretentious, and beautiful scent for a hip and modern man. Right after the initial spray, the smell is very aquatic, fresh, and green, but not sharp. After awhile, it mellows down to a warm and soothing greenish, marine, and metallic smell that smells so darn sophiscated. It smells very elegant too with with a slightly sweet musky note and the little floral notes all blend beautifully. The entire drydown progresses smoothly and makes the individual herbal, woody, and marine notes stand out all while wearing close to the skin, awesome!! It lasts pretty long on me, more than 6 hours( and I have dry skin). Everytime I put this on, I swear I always find that girls sitting next to me at my University keep pulling themselves closer to me. Thumbs way up for this modern classic!!!

Thumb up, what a sexy scent? Very sensual and outstanding. Will get another bottle once this one's finished. Love the bottle too, but would be good if there's a see-through part.

Freshly cut grass, citrus and pepper are the dominant notes of this excellent summer scent. A touch of green tea and ginger linger in the background. Wears out into mostly green pepper. Below average longetivity. Light acidification. Lacks depth somewhat but is nevertheless one of my favorites.

Another 180 on my behalf. For many years I dismissed this as a run of the mill aquatic crap-scent. How I was mistaken. 212 is a perfect musky blend with some floral elements and that cool Herrera metallic house-note. The green pepper gives it some edge and the incense delivers a smooth and balanced drydown. It sticks around forever to, especially considering it's light and carefree aura. 10/10 - Good Stuff!

hooo,.. im in love with 212 too.. really is an outstanding fragance, very comfortable, easy to wear with a nice woody/green/floral base that make it very interesting, atractive and masculine..

great staying power on skin.,

a masterpiece

All sorts of green in the opening—smells so much like cut grass that I wonder why there isn’t the occasional whiff of lawnmower exhaust. Not a very complex scent to my nose—seems almost linear. The cut grass smell is attention getting and actually very pleasurable at first, but on my skin it soon turns stale and that staleness just hangs on and on. This is about as interesting as…watching grass grow. After an eternity, when the grass is ready to stale itself away into oblivion, I get a stab of floral and ginger, then everything peters out. Why are the sandalwood and incense so anemic? —Dying of boredom I would guess.

It's a citrus scent that starts off smelling like fresh cut grass. It's actually not bad, but the ginger note gives it a sharp spike that doesn't sit well with me. It's quite apparent and clashes with the rest of the scent IMO. I think this would be so much better if the ginger was toned down a bit and if the incense was replaced with tonka and maybe just a slight hint of vetiver.

some people hate it, some love it. i don`t like it anymore

Come to think of it, the name is probably the best and the most innovative thing about this fragrance. Packaging is nice, and the fresh grassy notes are agreeable. But overall, it is a true symbol of the Year That Imagination Died. I am not aware of any launch year more completely deprived of imagination than 1999.

I fell in love with 212 Men at first sniff. Its extremely familiar fresh notes of green grass and lavender remind me of a serene field in Spring. Unlike the 'fresh' scents released at around the same time, 212 Men is unique (doesn't contain aquatic notes) and highly versatile.

I was disappointed, nothing really new or invigorating about the scent. It's actually pretty bland. It won't offend, so you can't go wrong, but I was wishing for something more sophisticated and metropolitan.

very light and modern....the tea notes are inviting and very relaxing...you can get a great night sleep with this one....perfect for the day or the afternoon.....

Honestly, I don't know what the big deal is about 212 men. It's nice, but not really that different from soooo many others right now. I like that it stays close to skin, and if you must have a clean, modern, youth-oriented scent this is a good choice. I want something more original. However, 212 is well-complimented, and is the crabby boyfriend's favorite on me (He says I always smell too musky and old... whatever, that's how I smelled when we met, he should just get used to it). 212 is a 5 out of 10.

this scent is truly unique.Doesn't jump out yellin at you,but it gets the point across. My wife doesnt like it,and she's just about the only one who dont.

212 was a fragrance that I set out to buy specifically after reading all the wonderful reviews on Basenotes. Even though I'm giving this one a thumbs-up, I have good news and bad news about it.
The good news is that the scent is indeed incredible. It's hard to define, but I catch a refreshing yet "dark" citrusy feel from it. Straight-out, the scent is a winner. And, yes, the packaging is way cool. The base of the cap is magnetic and pulls the cap down when you put it back on. Want to have some fun? When wearing 212, leave the cap off, then ask someone who doesn't know about the magnetic cap to close it for you. When the cap "snaps" down, it'll freak them out for a second and it's worth a cheap laugh.
Anyway, on to the bad news. On my skin - and I realize it may just be an issue with my skin - it doesn't last very long at all. I've even applied numerous squirts of the stuff to my neck before going out, and the scent just doesn't last very long on me. It's really a pity, considering what a high-quality fragrance 212 possesses. I still give a "thumbs-up" to 212; despite its inability to stick around, it's still a very high-quality fragrance.

Sophisticated, urban and versatile, 212 has everything to offer. A differrent fragrance from the routine type. Long lasting at the same time subtle. Excellently crafted fragrance.

See now this is the thing about 212, a lot of people on the forum like it and it is a good scent BUT its B-O-R-I-N-G. nothing original. textbook lavender citrus woody fragrance. YAAAAAAWWWWWWNNNNNN! If ya like it enjoy it, its excellently crafted and of great quality but it aint got any zip to it. [UPDATE: July 2002, Al likes 212 now!]