Relax (1990)
by Davidoff

Only one shop here in The Netherlands still sells this amazing fragrance. As a lover of 70's and 80's (powerhouse) fragrances I bought one 75 ml bottle blind after reading all reviews I could find about it.
My research was not in vain cause, as expected, I really love this discontinued fragrance. I do not know how old the bottle is but the scent is still amazing with huge sillage and longevity. Compared to its lovely brother Zino, I get at least 4 hours more longevity!
As it's only available in one (online)store here and for the rest only to be bought in Germany (Douglas), as far as I could see on the net, I bought myself one back-up bottle. The back-up bottle smells exactly the same as the other so, if stored properly it lasts for years imo.
What to say and to add about the scent after some really good reviews here?
First of all I do not see any similarities with Zino at all. Zino is more macho, darker, has that animalic vibe, has way less sillage and longevity compared to Relax and has a vanilla dry down as well but different. The base of Relax is more like creamy/milky vanilla and Zino more sugary. Both are to me sexy smells though, imo, Relax is also to be worn at the office while Zino is more an evening scent.
The mix of notes in Relax are really magnificantlly done! For me the perfect original!, not overpowering nor offensive scent that can be worn almost anytime!
I agree on the remark that if Davidoff would've spent some really serious advertising work on this one, instead of all attention on mainly "Cool Water" they would have had a bestseller, imo. Maybe I am glad they didn't as I know almost noone here has this scent! A missed opportunity for Davidoff though!
5 Thumbs up!

22nd July, 2011.

To quote Frankie Goes To Hollywood: "Relax! Don't do it!"

This scrubber is very sweet, floral, and fruity on top, Relax at first smells like a tropical vacation. Then again, maybe its just the fluid’s Caribbean green color. Or the name. The tropical drink accord is soon joined by a generous helping of powder, plus some very soapy lavender and plenty of syrupy immortelle.

By the time it settles into its heart, Relax has grown into a powdery gourmand, backed by a bitter soap accord and some very musty wood. I guess I could call it well blended, since it’s hard for me to pick out individual notes. My impression is that it’s supposed to be a nice fluffy pillow of a scent, but to me it’s just flat, dull, and cloyingly sweet. The olfactory texture is the equivalent of milk-of-magnesia, and like the medicine it has a metallic chemical edge that’s just plain unpleasant. I think I actually like this less than Cool Water.

18th December, 2009.

Yep, Brut by Faberge. It opens with a Joop! sweetness, then quickly transitions into Gaultier's Fleur du Male. Shortly after, it turns into Brut, very strong Brut. Babershop at its best and worst, I can't help but get images of a hairy man getting a shave from a barber, the red white and blue striped spiral pole spinning right outside the window, and the hearty chatter of politics and sports fill the air.
If that's your sort of thing, Relax is for you...otherwise, stay clear!
Thumbs up because it does smell good, you just hav eto be at least 50 to appreciate it. :)

29th August, 2009.

It certainly shares a similarities to Zino, there is no doubt about that. It`s mainly that patchouli note (playing with some other notes) which is extremely similar in these two. It`s easy for me to bet my life on that they have same perfumer(s), too.
So if you have smelled Zino, and then wonder, "hmm....how that oh-so-hard-to-get Relax might smell...", then I suggest you to imagine this : Cut off the bergamot burst opening from Zino, take that animalic charachter of Zino a bit down by grinding the patchouli a tad rounder and reducing the amount of indoles, and then add a healthy amount of sweet, warm and a bit smoky benzoin to it.

Relax is a good, long lasting fragrance. It is still lightyears away from the magic of Zino, though.

6th November, 2008.

Davidoff Relax, you are an odd creature. I find you comforting yet I cannot take you outside. You are a loud, obnoxious fougere. When you are around you have to tell everyone around you who you are. You are relentless and obscene and you smell like you've been drinking. Relax, big guy and douse yourself with some mint to cool your nerves. Ahhh no not with a mohjito... ah well.

30th October, 2008.

This was chosen for me as a gift by my then companion during my year abroad in 1990-91. He had Cool Water, which was, at the time, wonderful (first I'd encountered it), because it hadn't "arrived" in the States yet, and, not yet being ubiquitous, was tremendously sexy for a guy in his 20s. So he chose Relax for me.

Now, to Relax. Yuck. The drydown is too powdery for me. It has a complexity that doesn't feel well integrated, but overdone. The powderiness has a cloying quality that makes it almost unbearable in warm weather. The patchouli/amber feels too rich and aromatic and sweet.

The astringent ingredients don't seem to keep this one clean. The sweeter and spicier notes dominate in the blend, and could really use that offset to keep it clean. That lack of cleanliness makes me only yearn for the craft of the much-maligned Cool Water even more (but one can't wear the same as one's companion). alas, I had to wait until the year was up to ditch this one.

24th April, 2008.