Rochas Man (1999)
by Rochas

How can you not like this one?? In fact, people tell me often how great this smells on me. I knew fresh out of the bottle that this one was a 5-star fragrance. Its got a great top of bright bergamot and lavender, but the combination is not entirely citrus-like. In fact, the coffee from the base is present from the beginning. The result is that as the fragrance transitions from top to bottom, the coffee changes from a fresh, crisp coffee and mocha aroma, to a deep, sweet, vanilla and mocha in the base. The quality that sets this fragrance apart from all the other designer gourmands on the market (specifically A*Men, Animale Animale, Hanae Mori, Very Irresistible, and maybe a few others I forgot to mention) is that its potency has been fixed just right. Gourmand's have a tendency to do one of two things: they either shout, "HERE I AM! THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY IS THIS WAY!"; or they say "LOOK HOW MANY NOTES I CAN COMBINE WITH CHOCOLATE!" (I'm talking to you HM & VI). The beauty of Rochas Man is that is does just enough without doing too much, at least in my opinion. I'm sure the fans of A*Men and Animale Animale will find this one too modest, but I would argue otherwise. Its a great piece of perfumery and the only gourmand I wear nowadays. Great longevity and appropriate sillage - 10/10 in my book.

Rochas Man is one of the several popular gourmand woody orientals that followed A*Men’s lead in providing extreme alternatives to the aquatics and Cool Water clones that comprised the bulk of 1990s male perfumery. A prominent and persistent licorice note aligns Rochas Man especially closely with Lolita Lempicka au Masculin and Body Kouros, not to mention the original Lolita Lempicka, all three composed in close succession by Annick Menardo. Rochas Man represents Maurice Roucel’s take on Menardo’s basic formula, and for the most part sticks close to the model.

No one could accuse any of these scents of subtlety, but Rochas Man is possibly a touch less loud and sweet than the others, and it shares with Body Kouros and Lolita Lempicka a degree of balance – imparted I suspect by astringent herbaceous notes – conspicuously lacking in au Masculin. As other reviewers have implied, it actually benefits from being slightly less complex and dense with olfactory detail than its peers. I might even go so far as to argue that Rochas Man is best defined by what it lacks: the strident patchouli of A*Men, or the existential horror woody amber drydown of Lolita Lempicka au Masculin. I’m not normally one to enjoy the more neutral outings in a given fragrance class, but in a genre virtually defined by excess, Rochas Man pleases more than most. Were I choosing a scent of this sort, Rochas Man would stand beside the original Lolita Lempicka and Body Kouros as an acceptable alternative.

I'm not so much into Rochas scents, but this one is pleasant to smell, even if not to be worn; at least not by me. A little too much sweet, honey and winter-spice notes for my taste, but otherwise a nice combination. Another scent reminding of incense sticks made of sandalwood, yet not as offensive like A Men, with whom i would compare this one due to the same powdery, syrup quality, even if i like this a little better. Mixture of sweetness and dark notes also resembling of Allure Homme and Hugo Dark Blue, even a little fruity pineapple, apple touches in Boss Bottled style. Just can't decide if I should start using this one or avoiding it completely.

Simply awful stuff! Like a mix between Bulgari Black and Lolita Lempicka L. Nauseating, smoky vanilla and coffee with some disconcerting, chemically, unrecognizable notes make this just a total scrubber. To mention this in the same breath as A*Men or other quality gourmands is just reprehensible!

A lovely gourmand that oozes sex appeal. I find the caramel creaminess of this easier to wear and admire than the harsh and unpleasant A*Men. Unfortunately, it very quickly stays too close to the skin and its longevity is not as good as it could (and should) be.

Rochas Man is still worth investigating, though.

[Original submission date: 10 April 2008]

a sugary sweet gourmand and a favorite of the ladys, warning tho projection and sillage are very strong! apply lightly! it does leave a sugary trail that girls will follow it a smoother version of joop homme IMO, thumbs up