Reviews of Kouros (1981)
by Yves Saint Laurent

I was surprised and impressed when I first smelled Kouros a few months ago. Not only did I recognize it from my childhood, but it also wasn't quite what I thought it would be. I expected a beast, a tyrant of fragrance, something akin to a mountain of urinal cakes. Well, yes, it does smell a little like urinal cakes, but not enough for someone to say "Dude! You smell like urinal cakes!" And this is coming from someone who thinks Muscs Koublai Kahn smells too much like genitalia. Anyway, Kouros to my nose is more along the lines of a slightly honeyed incense over vanilla, oakmoss and a strong note of civet (which smells a bit like pee but makes this fragrance what it is). I like it, but I would never wear it, as I find it to be too dated, along with the parachute pants, mustaches and fanny packs of the 80s and 90s.

If you grew up in the 80s or 90s, this is what your tall, buff and hairy grade 6 gym teacher who wore really small shorts and hit on all the female teachers smelled like. He was cool back then but when you look back on it you're not quite sure what to think anymore...

A classic? yes. A masterpiece? Sure. But it's still not quite wearable for this kid here.

7/10

I consider Kouros one of those "presentational" scents in design where notes are clearly arranged around a concept. If A*Men is a "candy store," this one is truly a "public bathroom" albeit a somewhat ancient one connected to a Greek temple. That's the complexity part alright of bodily function and the admixed cultic incense drydown. Does it settle down? Sure, like an argument. That explains in part the love or hate category for such scents, IMO, aside from their components. The barage of aquatics doesn't make this one greater for me really, and like another "masterpiece," Grey Flannel (hypergreengentleman, in this case) I say good for you if you (must) love it but bad for me. If Calvin Klein had marketed this it would have been called "Compulsion." Mythology makes this one a winner and human need to make a statement. For me, ultimately a museum piece.

Its sillage and longevity is really impressive but that’s where all the praise stops, I’m afraid. I have to admit that the drydown can be at times lovely but, essentially, I have no desire to smell like a recently cleaned public toilet.

Oh, how this house despaired when those little pink urinal cakes blossomed and thrived in popularity…

[Original submission date: 14 April 2008]

One can only applaud YSL for producing a way to market the smell of waste material expulsion. At least that is the impression one is left with having had to endure the opening, which lasts an inordinately long time. On my skin it took some two hours before there was even a minimal diminishment in the absurdity of the opening. The ingredients in the top notes appear to have been contrived solely to cause a jarring discord, a means of getting your attention from the outset. You may like or dislike Kouros, but you simply cannot ignore it.

The dry down is a much more engaging affair, in particular fusing the edginess of the Geranium and Cinnamon. The jarring notes within the top note ensemble remain well into the middle notes, but they retain only a faint echo within the dry down, allowing Kouros to evolve into something of great interest, a delicate balance of right and wrong.

The base notes supply the earthy impetus to drive the fragrance along, ensuring that its dynamism and sillage remain undiminished. The reliable ingredients in the base are oft used fragrant stalwarts, supplying the finish to many fine products, and this follows suit with few surprises.

Kouros delighted and appalled me in equal measure, and I knew within those opening hours that it would be impossible to compensate for the revulsion the top and middle notes supplied. All in all, this is an unforgettable fragrance that likes to be the centre of attention. I just could not get past the egregious opening.

This is strong. Too strong. People can smell you three blocks away if you are wearing this stuff. I have never had any positive comments while wearing the original Kouros. Someone bought me a 100ml bottle from the airport, so I felt obliged to try and persevere with it but I just had to give in because it is just too overpowering.
And also, one of the middle notes seems to be urine.

Powerhouse eighties.

Definitely some urinal cake vibe, and a very strong musk in the background. You cannot wear this and not think of Reagan and Gorbachev. It's a time machine. It's butch. It's Kouros.

Blimey, are people still buying this? I think I received a bottle of this as a present about 25 years ago and even then I thought it was ok and a bit dirty/musky, but that there must be better out there. I think Kouros may have sparked my interest in different scent notes and was a bit better than other fragrances I had been given and for that reason alone I won't thumbs down. Times change, tastes evolve -- I couldn't wear it now. It would be like slapping a kipper tie on and growing a mustache.

On the tester paper, Kouros has a long-lasting sour pine scent that reminds me of freshly crushed pine needles. There is a faint whiff of a male animal nearby, but just enough to ground the composition.

On my skin, it just seems to burn off to a faint echo of the top notes; the pine scent and an aura of soft musk seems to linger in the room better than it does on me. Excellent sillage then, but this just doesn't work for me.

To me, Kouros is instantly recognizable whenever, wherever, and on whomever I smell it. I had a brief dalliance with Kouros in the 1980's, but had to leave it behind - this is in spite of me still being a fan of a few other of the "powerhouse" 1980's scents that are still available. It is the instantly-recognizable quality that turns me off - it's just too obvious. It's also a scent that needs to be applied with extreme caution, because the "animal" components become almost unbearable when it's over-applied. You can stink out a whole cocktail-party with this brew. I'm giving it a neutral rating, because I don't hate it, I just can't wear it.

First spray.... moldy pee pee. Wow. Awful.

Things got better from there. I really wanted to like this but it didn't work out. Almost became pleasant after awhile but I don't think my skin is right for this. Fond memories of bubble bath aside this one was a big disappointment from a huge YSL fan.

this is a pleasent smell but when its been on my skin for a few mins i can think of only one thing. BABY POWDER, and i hate that.

I really loved the first notes, because the urine smell was masked by the citrus. But as the perfume progressed and the middle and basenotes arrived, it was basically urine that I was smelling. It is very difficult to judge this perfume because it is very pleasant in the beginning. But I feel I don't have the guts to wear it in public, because people will think I wet my pants.

I can appreciate this scent as imaginative, intriguing, and complex but as far as personal fragrances are concerned, I think one would be better suited by hanging 4-5 of those pine tree shaped air fresheners around your neck.

This is a beautiful refinement of the smell of a urinal cake, and if that is what YSL was trying for it was a remarkable success. Kouros gets a neutral rating for being of excellent quality, but having no real use as a personal fragrance. IMHO.

You can't sit on the wall with this one, you either love it or hate it.
Whilst I would never wear it as I find the musky civet note suffocating, I can appreciate that it is amongst the best of the big 80's fragrances and I'm secretly jealous of men that can pull it off.

Tested this the other day at Perfumania, where the SA (who likes BLV Bulgari and other light scents) was repulsed. I don't care, she was also repulsed by Shalimar and many other great feminine scents. I happened to love this one. I won't bother listing the notes, but it is oddly fresh and spicy at the same time. I think it is the florals that keep me coming back, I love geranium. For some reason it conjures up vivid feelings of nostalgia; to me, this is the most important part of fragrance. I think I remember smelling it on my dentist? Not sure, but I will buy a bottle soon enough!

Powerful- yep
long lasting- My word
sexy- matter of opinion perhaps
wearable- not on me!
I think the frachises on this one have been a lot more palitable and despite comments to the contrary I think Body Kouros carries off the fundamental notes very well.
At least it provokes a reaction whether it be good or bad!

Sex, semen, various other bodily fluids - what?!? I don't get any of that from this juice at all. What I do get is a bold blend of spices and incense that to most Westerners would come across as exotic, evoking the Middle East or India - and herein is were I think Kouros has earned it's "bad boy" rep; it's foreign-smelling, unexpected, and not the least bit apologetic about it. That said, I don't think I could sport a decent spritz of this without becoming a tad ill from it; the lingering base is actually quite pleasant - warm yet maintaining its exotic flair - but the drydown period for me features other notes that are too pungent for my taste. Of course, I couldn't stand Islay malts when I first tried them, and later became quite their champion; so it is I may come back to this one day and find I've acquired an appreciation for it. But for now, I'm leaving it be.

My first week with this and I am leaning towards not likeing it. My first spray with it and I remember likeing it, but wearing it for the whole day gave me a really bad impression the top notes smell like what most people keep saying, that is a public toilet after it has been cleaned with chemicals, the drydown is what I like but what I dislike the most about Kouros is the base I just don't like the BO smell that reminds me of the Toilet.

My husband used to wear this when we were dating in the early-mid 80's and I LOVED it on him! Some powerfully sexy stuff! After we married and I was pregnant, he wore it again and I was sicker than a dog from the smell! So, this neutral rating is essentially a combination of love & hate. After reading the 45 previous comments I can honestly say each remark is accurate!!! This is one scent you'll just have to try for yourself.

A bit of an antique really. Still spicies up the mood....but not for everone

Regardless of whether or not a person actually enjoys inhaling Kouros, it's a difficult proposition not to hold a certain degree of respect for this deadly potion.

Far from ruining the scent, the pissy-fecal undertow is what makes Kouros so transfixing. It's problem rests in its overall resemblance to a particular type of institutional urinal cake. I can't say for sure whether this is due to actual olfactory overlap with the cakes themselves or merely the confluence of pungent deodorants and "bathroom smells."

Whatever the case, the whole sacred-profane flip-flop routine is tough to ignore. Do your cubicle mates a favour and leave this one for after midnight.

This really doesn't work on me unless I skip showering. The top notes give me a headache, but my patience is rewarded with an awesome incense drydown. It smells really perverted along the way. I'm still trying to find an appropriate way to wear this one. As a fragrance, it's extremely bold and impressive, but there are few situations where I can make use of it. The eucalyptus helps me go to sleep.

i have it but am unable to use it oftenly i still couldn't get it

While the top notes of this scent start off ok while still being very bold, less than 5 minutes later it starts smelling like the fresheners put in urinals. No kidding. Some people like it because it is so different and sticks out so much (people 5 feet away can smell it). While I wouldnt recomend this to people who like to smell clean or to people with small dogs (this smell may scare them) it is still a classic that all should at least look at. But please, dont just go out and buy it. Go to a store where you can test it first. Yet, for all of this there is still a quality that makes me want to give it another chance over and over again. Maybe I just don't learn of maybe there is actually something appealing about this cologne.

Oh, how I wish got some of the wild results with Kouros that the other reviewers do! I bought it un-sniffed after seeing all the fuss about it. I love sexy, controversial scents and figured this would be the grand-daddy based on the reveiws. On me, Kouros smells like a freshly printed photo crossed with dryer sheets. I get none of the incense, musk, vanilla, herbs, or animal notes mentioned-- just ink and fabric softener. Oddly enough, I always have women sniffing me down and complimenting it, but can never smell it on my skin after an hour. Hpmh? Well, I still wear it once in awhile just to see what happens.

A very strong, masculine but slightly old fashioned scent which is strong enough to knock out a football crowd! A frangrance only for brave men.