Jungle pour Homme (1998)
by Kenzo

I am pleasantly pleased with the sample I received of this. I like an evocative fragrance, and Kenzo Jungle feels tribal, if only in a National Geographic kind of way. The unconventional spread of ingredients is more ingenious and simple here than overblown (see; John Varvatos). It's a pleasant, warming, and slightly tropical scent on me dominated by a sweet, citric, creamy nutmeg accord. Very nice.

21st April, 2011.

Let's call this one strange. An epic strangeness. From the bottle (wavy tiger stripes and Mohican brush on top) to the juice inside, this may be the oddest men's designer frag still in production. Sour lime meets sharp cardamon and nutmeg to produce one obnoxious accord. As it matures into the base of guaic wood and amber, it gets more bearable and wearable. But the first few hours are simply intolerable. This one is definitely outside Kenzo's minimalist approach, and I can't help but think they got this one horribly wrong.

20th March, 2011.

No doubt, best part of this, is opening.
I think it's because of Lemon note that it has in topnote. And that Lemon note make it a bit fresh and wet in opening. In drying down projection decreases tangible and what you have is a dry fragrance with dominant Cinnamon, Cardamom.
I like the smell, but wish it had more freshness and projection. 3/5

30th January, 2011.

Big up for Kenzo. I'm SERIOUSLY digging their frags. This one is subtly sweet. Though I haven't tried it on skin and tested the top and mid notes, the prominent notes that last through the base note are cedar, sage, some kind of wood (maybe synthetic), ambergris, a touch of vanilla (just a touch, not like a Givenchy Pi 'smash you in the face repeatedly with a mallet soaked in vanilla'). The sillage is great, longevity is medium. As with any fragrance that doesn't stick like glue, just spray it on cloth - collars and cuffs - and you'll smell it fine all day. My wife liked this one INSTANTLY, and after enjoying (or SUFFERING, as one may say) a collection approaching or exceeding 300 fragrances, she has become quite a critic. If you must wear it on skin, maybe you'll be disappointed by the longevity, but I usually put my frags on my cuffs - if you can roll with smelling it on a fabric, this one is sublime.

16th April, 2010.

I think the name suits the fragrance: a sweet, potent tropical lime, coupled with animalic undertones, and warmth throughout. This is the Jungle alright. A nice scent!

11th February, 2010.

Jungle pour Homme opens with an appealing candied citrus rind and spice accord that evokes holiday baking without slipping into syrupy excess. What smells to me like an indolic orange blossom adds animalic flair as the scent develops, while the spice resolves firmly toward nutmeg. Tonka and buttery woods, especially guaiac, establish a smooth, plush texture that strikes me as the ofactory equivalent of dark velour. Once the woods and nutmeg fall securely in to place Jungle holds to a linear course for several hours.

When it arrives, the drydown is a soft, coumarin-infused woody oriental structure, which while appetizing, is too dry to rate as truly “gourmand.” At no point in its development is Jungle a loud scent, and while I wouldn’t call it weak, it neither projects too far from the skin nor leaves clouds of sillage hanging in the air.

Despite the moniker, Jungle pour Homme is a polite oriental that would not be out of place in the office. If you’re familiar with Armani Code for Men you’ll have a fair idea of Jungle’s overall demeanor. It’s undeniably pleasant, it won’t offend anyone, and nobody will remember it after you leave the room. If you like this genre, you might want to try Habit Rouge or Jaïpur Homme, both of which run along vaguely similar lines while packing much more punch.

13rd December, 2009.