Reviews of Kiton Men (1996)
by Kiton

I originally liked Kiton so well that I bought a bottle of it. After wearing it a while, it had grown to bother me so much that I finally had to wash it off immediately after applying. I later figured out that it was the violet note in the heart of Kiton that I could not tolerate – I had grown sensitive to chemical violets, and this dislike of violet extends to most fragrances with violet in it. Kiton, Green Irish Tweed, and Narciso Rodriguez for Him have so strong of violet notes that I dislike them strongly. Kiton was a good scent for awhile but now I have to vote it thumb's down... but only because of the violet. (Edit of 15 October 2006 review. Changed from a thumbs up.)

I really like Kiton Men’s aromatic, bergamot, and floral top notes: they’re rounded, naturalistic, and smoothly blended. From there Kiton moves very slowly into a soapy floral and wood heart with just a touch of fruit to sweeten it. With citrus and lavender over a tonka-seasoned foundation the basic outline is that of a “fresh” fougère, but this example is both drier and more overtly floral than most other entries in the field, making it more “grown-up” and sophisticated by comparison. As so often in contemporary men’s scents, the drydown is the least successful aspect, with the woods eventually turning harsh and chemical, and the tonka (coumarin) cloyingly sweet.

Moderation seems to be the principle behind Kiton Men, both in style and strength. The potential cost of this approach is blandness, from which I’m afraid this scent ultimately suffers. Until it reaches its drydown Kiton Men is pleasant and well-made, but also ordinary, and I’d want something more distinguished in the middle to make up for the awkward base notes.

This does not last on me at all which is hugely disappointing. It's a nice light scent. Maybe that's why? Spicy woods with citrus and and a floral roaming about.

I agree with most people here, finding this a very good fragrance. Just be sure not to spray too much of it, because of it's sweetness. When added in the right amount it's a very fresh, but not to overwhelming fragrance. It's got some green notes in it and a very good duration.

Official PR pyramid: <br>Citrus, green notes, Provencal lavender, Italian clary sage, Brazilian rosewood.<br>Sicilian melon, Italian linden blossom, Turkish rose, cedarwood.<br>Italian iris, Moroccan coriander leaf, amber, tonka.<br>Alternative pyramid from parfyym.pri.ee:<br>bergamot, lemon, clary sage, pineapple.<br>Violet, Lilly of the Valley <br>Tonka, cedar, moss, musk. <br><br>Ketone, I mean, Kiton is a fair fragrance, but hardly worthy of the renowned name it bears, a name that stands for high end rather than middlebrow. It would do well enough as the olfactory backdrop to an off-the-rack suit and perhaps even lend the wearer some sophistication, but I doubt whether wearers of Kiton suits would not prefer a fine Creed over this standard designer fragrance. <br>Kiton Man is not fresh as in zesty cologne fresh. The top is fougery creamy green and the fragrance is quite powdery and floral in the middle, with some modern synthetic notes (Sicilian melon, haha) to keep it young. The divergent olfactory pyramids available (the first sourced from Michael Edwards) for Kiton Men suggest they are only window-dressing, the percentage of synthetics seems high to me indeed. I do not much enjoy the floral notes, finding the violet in GIT far preferable. Cedar, moss notes, musk and a little sweetness are identifiable in the base. This should be lightly applied, for me it has cloying/headache potential and it does remind a bit of hairspray. GIT is far better and, as pointed out elsewhere, Fahrenheit is much bolder, which, to me, leaves Kiton without much of a purpose.

The man I'm dating swears by Kiton and as a woman, I love this scent on him. It's sexy and charming; both masculine, but warm, and inviting. I think the citrus/pineapple top notes makes it rather fresh and chill. I think it's great for a man who wants to come off layed-back, slightly off beat, and approachable. This fragrance doesn't drive me wild (like Lolita Lempicka) but it does make me quite happy. I would suggest it for a man from 22-40.

Notes:

Top: Bergamot, Lemon, Mace, Pineapple
Middle: Violet, Lily of the valley
Base: Tonka, Cedar, Moss, Musk

Kiton is one of the most exclusive fashion houses in the world. Their suits normally take about 20 hours of labor and atleast 45 tailors contribute to one. For sure Kiton won't be outsourcing the stitching and sewing of their suits to south Asia to be hand knitted by 10 year olds at $1 a day anytime soon. Unfortunately Kiton Men (KM) doesn't exhibit any of that fine attention to detail. While far from a substandard fragrance, its mossy-woods composition exhibits characteristics of a wearable and well-made designer knock-off.

KM opens with tangy citrus accords and a floral heart of violet notes which immediately brings to mind the hypnotic, unique and bewildering "green and gasoline" accord of Dior's classic Fahrenheit. This floral gasoline accord is toned down in KM, and is infused with tangy citrus notes of pineapple and lemon. By comparison, Fahrenheits honeysuckle and violet dominated "gasoline-like" accord is richer, smoother and overall more satisfying to my nose. KM can be viewed as a sporty version of Fahrenheit; it might be more approachable for noses which can't fully inhale the floral motor oil wonder accord of Fahrenheit. The dont detect a lot of moss in KM's basenotes, but there is a woody floral tinge in there somewhere (is it the lily + cedar ?).

Comparisons to Creed's Green Irish Tweed: KM is far more similar to Fahrenheit than is it to GIT. The violet note in GIT is more grassy, and is of a different character than in KM and Fahrenheit.

Overall, KM is a pleasant "green" fragrance with good longevity and sillage. Its composition doesn't posses the snob value or the superb artistry of the Kiton suits, but it does pay homage to a fragrance which does. And that's not a bad thing, is it ?

Rating: 7.5/10

I've never truly liked a green scent before. It seemed that they were always too sharp...too dry...too grassy...too something. But Kiton Men just NAILS it. Perfect 10.

It starts out with a spicy zing that immediately catches your attention. You think for a second that this might be a Fahrenheit copy without the gasoline note. But within a few seconds it morphs into more of a floral green, and all but a hint of the spice has vanished. Kiton stays at this stage for quite a long period, announcing its utterly refreshing and smooth elegance with respectable sillage. The drydown is actually quite different from the rest of the scent for me. Almost powdery in an irisy kind of way. But I don't see iris on any scent pyramids, and I'm not sure that iris has the stamina to show as a basenote anyway. It's probably a subtle tonka note that's "greened" by everything around it. It’s Perfect for any situation and any season, though it's probably best for summer and spring. I love it.

I was in Nordstrom's when I discovered this CLASSIC scent. At first whiff...DEJA-VU definitely kicks into gear, so you keep smelling, wondering of you will EVER figure that scent out?!?!?......but you won't. It's extremely masculine with a certain distinction. Not for teens. This is a Man's perrogative here. It does lend to this 'rubbery' type accord other Basenoters proclaim, but not in a bad way. Dry sweetness, throughout.
The drydown is coooool. Sweet coolness, imagine Bijan Style.

I THINK I FIGURED OUT THE DEJA VU!!!

Bijan Style

..Yup, intially the Bijan Stlye scent is IDENTICAL to Kiton. In Style however, there is a herbal Tea like sourness, same dryness though! Kiton's drydown takes literally the term, DRY, unlike Style which is sour.

nothing special,ok but it does not make you dream of more!Kiton-well-known for it´s suits etc.had to launch a perfume as all others-and hurry up, mix whatever and launch it with a perfect marketing campaign-and make money....what a pity!what a deception!but this is how it works today......germaine Cellier, Ernest Beaux and all the other great perfumers would be ashamed and embarassed.....

Pretty decent fragrance. My first impression was similar to that of others except this is a green I can wear. No where near as biting as GIT, but a variation similar to it. I get black pepper in the mid-notes and something that reminds me of the sea. This is the first Italian fragrance I've tried that did not have the traditional Italian note (I don't know what it is) I got this accidentally, but I'm glad I did. Slated for the chopping block, this is worth hanging on to and I don't know anyone personally who has even tried it.

I found this scent fairly unique and pleasant. I think it smells similar to "Unforgivable". I would definitely reccomend it to others. Difficult to find, but it is available at "Big Discount".

I've been wearing this stuff for years. It's a great one for work, although it holds its own out on the town, once occasioning the following chat-up line from a woman in a bar: "You smell nice, mister!" (Yes, it was in London.) And, as has been said before, nobody seems to wear it.

Not the holy grail I am looking for in the "ultimate manly barbershop fragrance", but very nice-- VERY nice. Yes, maybe a bit generic, but not lacking in character and distinction, in fact it has a lot a character, structure and poise. Men can confidently wear this. It is subtle, read that to mean modern. Kiton makes the finest and most expensive menswear in the world. That does not influence me in the least in this review, and it surely should not influence anyone in making a fragrance choise, but once I made up my mind about this one, I looked back and said, "yes" I can see how this reflects that sense of Italian good taste. Don't buy it to impress; don't buy it for the name. Buy it because you tried it, and it works for you and says something positive about you-- in a very subtle but very nice way. Think Cary Grant. I know, I know Green Irish Tweed, but if he were here today, he would like this. So would David Niven and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.

Not bad, I think someone else hit it right on the head. Take the floral notes out or reduce them and this is one hell of a fragrance.

A fantastic fragrance if you can find it! Woody, green, fresh, floral and semi-spicy; there's nothing out there that smells like it which makes it a wonderful sleeper to everyone around me that smells it. Overall, it's a very masculine and classy fragrance that's good for any occasion particularly for daywear or office.

Not bad but not that good either, it was kind of too floral and plain for me, and the lasting power was not that great at all.

Sophisticated floral chypre. When I saw this at Nordstrom's I almost overlooked it because of the tacky promotion display surrounding it. It's a classy fragrance that would go well with a nice suit, hence the businessmen posing in the ads. I think this one could easily pass as a niche fragrance. With its semi-hefty price tag, it might as well be. If you like citrus-floral scents with a woody base such as Platinum Egoiste, then this is one you should definitely try. It's even better than Platinum IMO.

Generic...but in a good way...if you can get past the inital smell which is hard to describe...almost a "soapy-bacon fat" smell, then you get, a typicak "perfume counter" men's scent...a pinch of floral, a bit of spice...eh...it is what it is...this scent is a cup of coffee at starbucks...safe, you always know what to expect, yet ho-hum...not a classic...but still very wearable...

Have you ever had a feeling of deja-vu? Kiton struck me as a nice scent, however, it seemed to delve into a floral-like Green Irish Tweed drydown. I'm not sure what the notes are, but there's something "Green" to be found in it. Not a bad scent, by any means--however, I just felt like it would get that much use and found a better home for it.

Similar to Moschino's Uomo and even Cacharel Pour Homme in an updated way. Nutmeggy freshness and a sophisticated contemporary feel. I see this as a professional scent, best worn with a crisp white shirt and perhaps a meticulously tailored suit from it's Napolitanian parents;) .Lasts well too.

Amazing fragrance. The first time I smelt this I thought 'Fahrenheit' as it has that balsamic floral quality. This is a very, very complex fragrance and one that says class and wealth. It just smells expensive in a way that other colognes cannot match. If the smell of cash is distilled down, this is what it smells of. There is a very peculiar drydown that hints of printer's ink. It really does smell like money, I kid you not. The rarity of this is no coincidence as it echoes the exclusivity of Kiton's suits. If you ever see this stuff, don't buy it. The fewer people wearing this the better.

At first, I was very skeptical about this one. It took some getting used to. It has a similarity to Fahrenheit in a subtle way, but wow it is classy and different! Very hard to find; I got mine at a reasonable price from a local Nordstrom's. Kiton grabs you from application to drydown with a sophistication that even reminds me of the way Creed fragrances make me feel: Confident, daring, energetic. Bravo, Palladio! ;-)

This is a wonderful fragrance that's not very easy to find. The cologne and the spray deodorant have the same warm, clean, fresh, and very classy scent. If you like warm, clean, and fresh...I highly recommend it