Reviews of Brit for Men (2004)
by Burberry

I consider this one of the best designer scents of the post-Cool-Water era, really standing out from the sea of acquatic boredom and in-your-face artificiality. Burberry Brit has a very clear agenda and fulfills it brilliantly: to build a bridge between the classic British fragrance tradition and an appealing contemporary image, which is of course precisely what the Burberry brand is aiming at fashion-wise. What we get, then, is the citrus top and powdery rose-based florals reminiscent of Floris No. 89 and many other classics, with some modern oriental spice - ginger, nutmeg, cardamom - and a tonka sweetness imaginable only after the "sweetness fo men revolution" of the 1990s that gave us Le Male (1999), Pi (1999) or Jaipur (1997). What Anton Maisondieu has masterfully achieved is to seamless blend these concepts into a harmonious composition, in which all the parts alance each other out wonderfully. Admittedly, men who generally do not enjoy powdery sweet florals will not be enchanted by Burberry Brit, though this is a far more accessible and better constructed fragrance than the ones mentioned above - of which I personally only find Pi wearable, though much less interesting than Brit. Brit is a comfortable scent with a rich lineage, presenting itself in modern garb, yet avoiding the synthetic shrillness of so many of its contemporaries. An aristocat with the refined breeding of his ancestors, yet not beyond working for a living, and perfectly comfortable in the popular culture of the 21st century.

I bought this EDT 2 weeks ago. I checked London too, but it seemed a bit too heavy.
Brit starts nice a bit manly and spicy, but after some minutes it stucks to a baby powder like smell. Kind of makes you wonder.
Overall it's a good scent.

Yuck! I cannot believe that I once owned this. It is a cloying, hazy woody-oriental, but also very much a gourmand, and not a pleasant one at that. It is essentially a ginger overload, with a heart of some sweet spices, and a base of generic woods. It reminded me somewhat of urinal pucks used to control the smells in public washrooms. Despite this similarity, it is still not a particularly great scent. Perhaps it is innovative and different from most mass-market men's fragrances, but it is simply too cloying and sweet for my tastes.

When I first smell Brit from the bottle, I actually could not smell anything at all. I didn't bother trying it, since I was still intoxicated by the Burberry London sitting next to it. I went back a week later hearing great reviews on Burberry Brit to give it a chance. It was totally worth it! It comes off pretty strong at first spray, but then turns into a powdery smell after 20 minutes or so. Not the best I have smelt, but I like it.

Another brilliant outing by Antoine Maisondieu for Burberry. Crisp, classic and timeless, yet with enough of an edge (the sweets and spices) to make it different. Like its twin brother London, doesn't really smell like anything else. Definitely warmer and sweeter than London though -- and while London sings to you in the velvety tones of a cello, Brit announces itself with the bright, upper-register voice of a violin. I could wear both forever. Absolutely love the bottle, too.

Another mainstream generic. Didn't stand out too much for me. It smells pleasant enough, but I like fragrances that are significantly different. Again, since this is fairly mainstream, people were able to identify this one on me.
Its ok with decent sillage and longevity. But it really isn't creative.

When the other reviewers mentioned baby powder and baby wipes, they ain't kiddin'.

I am in the market for a sweet candy fragrance to wear on occasion, but I just cannot handle this one. Initial spray is a sickly sweet scent, almost like a mixture of sugar and water. (lots of sugar) When dry-down occurs, the baby power note really takes over and dominates. I don't hate the smell of baby powder, but for some odd reason it reminds me of feminine hygiene products...? At any rate, as a man I don't want to go around smelling like that. :P

I never seem to get compliments on this scent but absolutely love the way it smells on me so I keep it in my rotation. It smells to me like I'd imagine James Bond would smell. It has a very distinct British Gentleman's Club smell. But it also has a modern smell so its not like something too formal or stodgy. I'd imagine the person who wore this would carry an umbrella by Swaine & Adney and get his suits Tailored on Saville Row and drive a NEW Aston Martin. I think this has a nice modern edge to it compared to some of the classic gentlemen scents like Aqua di Parma and Penhaligon's Blenheim Bouquet. Those scents are like classical music. Brit is like jazz.

I do detect the musk, ginger (been trying to put my finger on it since I bought this) and tonka bean. I can see the Oriental notes as well. This is a pretty complex scent in my opinion which stays the same from the time I put it on to the dry down. The staying power is very good as well and it will last me through a night of bar hopping. It does have a tendency to stay on clothing, which isn't always a good thing with suits because this cologne does not blend well with others as it is fairly overpowering.

For some reason, any rating I leave on here comes out as neutral. But I love this scent and would recommend it. When I put this on, I just feel more confident.

it's basically minotaure eau fraiche or light or whatever. vanilla and orange lightly done.

Very feminine even more so than Burburry Brit Gold for women!, it has rose in it and turns baby powdery in 5 minutes...I returned my bottle.

Reminds me of a woodier Dunhill Desire (the one in the red bottle) and Azzaro Visit and Armani Code. Has little bit of a vetiver/patchouli thing going on not listed in the notes. I don't smell the florals at all. It's a close to the skin scent; keeps to itself. I'd say its personality is introverted. Ah, well, I like it.

baby wipes is the dominant note. others say baby powder or citrus, but smell it again, it's baby wipes. wtf burberry, you've made a modern kouros.

A very classy winter fragrance. I don't get the citrus at all! I'd describe it as sweet and powdery (must be the rose). Visualize a Xmas fireplace surrounded by loved ones; more warm than sexy...

Very nice and subtle, easy to overdue however.

For some reason Brit reminds me of a spicy rich tea which is very pleasant. This is a great colder month cologne.

It is borderline oriental but does still fall in the same ilk as Armani Code and Obsession Night to give you an idea of the family Brit is close to.

Good stuff with great longevity. The silage though is light, it does not project off the skin. It is just kind of there for those who you might want to get close to you for them enjoy.

I love this scent and the ladies love it on me. I get a lot of "you smell amazing" and then re-smelling my neck. My last girlfriend told me to continue using sweet scents and I do.

Yikes! don't hang me for this one, but this smells hideous on me. The other problem is that I don't like it on anyone else either. Hate to be a party pooper but this smells like rotten pears. I know the popularity, just not my thing

This is a very good, but not very professional or versatile fragrance. I like its over the top rose and floral notes, but its citrus is a little strong. Brit has a very perfumey air about it, but that makes it stand out a little bit.

One of the truly fascinating scents but with a major problem - not masculine enough. Otherwise it would have gotten the perfect 10 from me. Anyway, the combination is smashing, altough the supreme icon of poweriness, it has a certain spicy appeal and a true vocation for being creative and untypical, hard to picture on any kind of wearer. It is one of the scents that start out brilliantly, but leave you nowhere. Anyway, it does however stand out clearly from the current scent market and it's also not necessarily typical burberry's.

The top notes reminds me of Gucci Envy for Men. However, it is not too strong as Envy. A powdery/creamy feels appear after the top notes settled down. Then, the rose notes appears. The rose scent makes Brit a bit too feminine for my taste. The rose scent lingers very looooooooong. I would recommend this for that weekend daytime or that dinner with someone special. Not a very masculine fragrance. Want masculine type? Go for M7.

I wasn't going to write a review about this initially, but there are one too many negative reviews for me not to comment on this excellent piece.
I fell in love INSTANTLY with Brit. Fresh opening, warm yet dry center, and a dry down that's talc-powdery but cedary to make sure it stays manly. Plus you get a bit of the cedary goodness in the opening. The nutmeg in there is also well placed...not too much not too little, but just enough to spice things up a bit.
The one downfall of Brit is in its strenght. Spary too much (as I tend to do) and it can become a bit much. But I have found this to be one of the hallmarks of great scents: you only need a litlle to go a long way. So try it out, but no more than 2 sprays, or try the aftershave. Works well in all types of weather too, but best in the winter. Very good stuf, but then again, nothing bad IMHO has come from Burberry.

I don`t find it very oriental, it's more fresh. Could be a very bad summer version of london Men.
:)

I don't know what it is, but this scent works absolutely perfectly to convey the type of image i want. I guess i've got good chemistry with it or something, but i think it works great for me. And i'm no great connoisseur of cologne, but i do know what works for me. And honestly, everything about this works:the spicyness, the citrusy beginning. But my favorite part is the warm, almost powdery finish. I'd recommend this to any guy at any part of the day, preferably for a winter evening. But it works great for me during the hotter seasons too. This one is all about preference, i guess.



My signature scent.

Smooth, spicey, and a little creamy.

Unfortunately, the spiceyness in this one reminds me a little bit of Gucci Envy for Men...

But all in all, a nice, well-rounded fragrance, that I am sure to pick up somewhere along the way...

Love it. Smells like I am wearing the original Burberry while sitting in an English garden waiting for the sun. Lots of floral garden...very happy.

I didn't agree with any of the positive things written here. It's so citrus it's cranked up beyond citrus and is approaching motor oil. It smells really rancid on my own skin. It actually reminds me of that 'timeless' old man gathering dust on your shelves, BRUT.

Sorry, but this comes off as a powdery and banal version of Egoiste. Get your ross elsewhere. Too sweet. Pass.

A sweetened citrus fragrance, like sipping on a lemonade or eating lemon icecream. Not sickly sweet or overly gourmandy, just sweet. More of a floral sweetness really. Underneath the citrus and floral there's a light, transparent woody/musky base. The scent feels elegant and actually quite "perfumey", perhaps because it's similar to so many other scents, feminine and masculine ones. Well done but not special enough for me to buy.

One of the last fragrances my brother bought. Classical oriental style, but with a young note.

The starting note is soft fruity, based on green mandarin, plus some spicy notes of ginger and cardamom. At middle note the spicy vein continues with nutmeg and cedar, but some notes of roses breaks the oriental trend. The final notes are soft woods and tonka beans.

A soft oriental fragrance, not in the sweet vanilla or incense style. The rose note is noticeable (my wife felt it at a blind test) but well blended in a masculine way with the other notes (without roses, it should be considered as another classic fragrance). For daytime, a good office fragrance also suitable for simple evening events. For use at all seasons, range of ages between 25 and 50 years old.

After Burberry London, I was sure I was going to like Brit, even though the in-store tests were basically negative. To my nose Brit's opening notes are too floral and far too sweet, but it's opening notes are fleeting, so this fragrance is about the drydown, and no in store test adequately reveals the dry down. After about 10 minutes or so, on me Brit smells like baby powder. It sure isn't ny idea of a masculine scent, but I could see were some might like it (it smells cute and comfy), but, if, you do (or she does) like it when you wear baby powder.... save your money, and visit the baby section of the local pharmacists.

This would smell great on a man, but I'm a woman who likes wearing unisex fragrances and I'm going to wear this one. It's so sexy. The top notes are quite masculine, but the drydown is more unisex and is my favorite part.

I bought a big bottle, so I'm going to enjoy layering it with various things to try and make it turn more "feminine". Recommended for everyone!

Oriental = Woody

Marriage of woody scent with an oriental refined smells. The base is more woody while the top is more aromatic. Great smell that is sophisticated and pleasant. Unmistakably masculine and to some degrees alpha masculine as a trade off between strong woody smells and an oriental pleasing notes. Nightwear.

To me, this is the ideal "bridge" fragrance. When the boys want to start maturing a bit, and start using something more masculine and not typically fresh, then this might be the perfect fragrance to ease them self to new grounds.

It has the great christmas type sweetness to it. Like a sexy gingerbread man! The rose too lingers on the background and gives it a touch of heart mystery.

It has the little spice in it, that to me is similar to Gucci Envy, and it is like a reminder of the days to come forward. It makes you think

"Hmmm. Maybe growing up isn't that horrible after all..."

Probably the most classiest fragrance i've ever had. Love the wild roses. Better than london and touch.

Well, I don't think It's an unique fragrance: seemed too close to Gucci Envy. But Envy presents a balanced combination of sweetness with a pleasant green smell and just a bit of powder while Brit is more thick and too powdery and its sweetness is feminine and nauseating as if the perfumer had exceeded the right quantity of each note... It's luxurious but too strong for me. My girlfriend loved it though.

Brit is definitely a sensual perfume. I was lucky enough to get this at a bargain price and I felt like I'd just found gold.

It is one of my fragrances I find is never wrong to wear, never out of place.

One of my favorite scents of all time, this will never fail to get compliments, lasts a good length of time, and just makes you feel good when you smell it.

In theory, I liked the idea of roses (used tastefully) in a male fragrance. In practice, though, it's just too feminine. It starts off as something resembling potpourri and ends up as baby powder.

Lasts a long time on me. Even after I'm used to the smell I can smell it after work. Very nice smell. One of my favorites!

Brit for men is a very unique and versatile fragrance. It is very soapy and creamy (the tonka and the spices), thus very sensual, but remains an unmistakebly masculine fragrance throughout its drydown. Great for work and for play, for any season (maybe not the hottest days) with superb longevity and sillage, though not all agree on that. Anyway, for me this has no faults, and it is in my opinion far better than Armani Code and Chanel Allure Homme to which it is often compared.

I love it! It is my permanent perfume.

Wow! I finally sampled this powery fragrance. I was totally put off by it. When I first sprayed it, the spicy effects were almost rancid. Bleh!

The dry down was almost like baby powder on me. Didn't like this one at all. I'm sure it smells wonderful on some, but it didn't work for me.

A very sophisticated and classy fragrance. Brit walks a fine line but this powdery, spicy, woody, oriental that has enough spices and woods that a man can wear it and not be ashamed. The use of ginger and orange is a great opening contrast and leaves a refined smell of spices and sweetness. The spice of the ginger and nutmeg gives Brit just enough masculinity to create a pleasant aroma. The use of roses pushes femininity in your face but is balanced wisely with cedar wood and nutmeg. The roses give off a powder smell that makes me feel refreshed and very clean. The smell of Brit is something I love and I am sure everyone around me loves too. It is the perfect balance between femininity and masculinity that creates such a unique smell. A great fall/winter scent that will always be in my wardrobe. It is very versatile and is suitable for many occasions. Whether you are taking a walk in the park with a loved one, out to dinner with your love, working hard in the office, or just lounging around the house, Brit does it all. The longevity of this scent will be present all day and the sillage is very subtle but will turn heads. Whenever I wear this, I feel like a million bucks, and I am sure you will too.

The first two levels of Burberry Brit are citrusy, spicy, and rosy, and have a strong, wonderful presence. I like what Burberry Brit does with the rose. It is nicely introduced by the citrus and spices of the opening, and it is well integrated and balanced with the nutmeg and the cedar. Because it is a wild rose note, it is not the usual heady rose aroma: It is sweet and pristine and mixes well with the nutmeg and cedar. In my opinion the dry down is too soft and powdery—it’s weak, uninspired, and a little too feminine. All in all this is a very good scent which might have been great, had it been provided with a little more substance and longevity—especially in the drydown. It does smell very, very good, though.

A very sexy fragrance.At first I thought it would be something for an old man, like typical British scents, but this is awesome:subtle, oriental, with a non-citrusy freshness.

Burberry Brit is a modern ,stylish, spicy-citric-woodsy cologne.
It reminds me a better,well-rounded version of Gucci Envy.
Brit is a nice,unique,amazing,warm fragrance more suitable for the colder days of fall and winter.

I didn't like this at 1st because of the undeveloped smell that came right from the bottle when I sprayed it. But, after about an hour on foward, it smells like a spicer, toned down version of Armani Black Code, but it's still pretty good.

Worst warm fragrances. im sorry but Burberry Brit is rubbish smell.
ughhhhhhhhhh!!!

I love the smell after a night out or when I am doing the laundry it's STILL on there. that's good because you'll be smelling great all night.

Welcome to one of the most versatile scents in my wardrobe. Wonderful powdery sweetness that manages to be masculine yet avoids the Alpha-Male cliches that a lot of frags do. Brit can be worn just about anytime and is very inoffensive. A great "blend in" scent, and as previous posts have mentioned.. one that gets a lot of positive feedback.. That being said, it is also one that is worn quite frequently here in Ottawa, Canada... but nonetheless, i love my brit and wear it quite frequently..

it got panned on the board a bit, but I'm a big fan of this. It's not overly complex or overly strong. It's a wonderful casual scent that illicits a great deal of positive feedback. Perfect for a weekend of casual shopping or lunch. Excellent scent and another winner from Burberry....now if they can just do something about the clothes :)

Sweet and powdery. One that takes confidence to wear. I would say that it's a cologne for someone who is extremely self-aware of his wardrobe. Not quite sure why.....

This fragrance is Burberry's best in my opinion. Definitely versatile. I can use it for casual and formal stuff. Brit has a somewhat woody, modern scent, something in its own category. This refreshing oriental is sexy and rather stylish with its unique notes that make it "different" than your average everyday cologne out there from any designer.

Classy, not overpowering, and can be worn day or night. This will absolutely be added to any collection of 'must haves'. The only draw back (and it's not major) is that it doesn't seem to last very long. Other than that, if you have been disappointed with previous Burberrys, do yourself a favor and give it a chance. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Very sweet, somewhat feminine. Suprised Burberry puts this juice out given their conservative fashions (plaid?). I would describe it like a Gingerbread house built with a Tonka bean floor, roses for the ceiling and baby powder for the air conditioning.

I don't know if you think the same, but for me this fragance smells like "Giorgio Beverlly Hill" (1984). Brit is a good fragance...but reminds me my father(he used 5 bottles of Giorgio).

Hmmmm, I like it, it smells good, and then it disappears. I wish it would make more of a presence on my skin. Unusual in it's sweet and floral notes (reminds me of Hanae Mori a bit in that respect) yet retaining an oriental character (think Casran or Samourai). Hey Burberry - launch an EDP for me, please.

I don't think so - irritating sweetness & too feminine.

There's something I like about the scent. Unfortunately, I started to get a headache from it. When I asked a co-worker's opinion, her response was "You didn't buy that, did you?"

One of the few rose scents I like. It's light yet warm at the same time. It smells like Christmas to me and reminds me of a freshly baked gingerbread house. The only downside is that the drydown can be a bit too powdery at times. It lasts pretty long and women love it. In fact, I know a few women who like to wear it themselves. It's not a girlie scent, but it could pass as a unisex frag.

I wasn't too sure about this frag when i sniffed the bottle and didn't even bother spraying it the first time around, next time around however my father put some on and i sprayed a tester card and took it home with me, the card sat next to my computer for about a week and the basenote smelled so good that i'd make sure i'd sniff the card all the time, i became addicted to it, the basenote was candy-like and i had to have it, got the gift set for Christmas and it's been a wonder since, def gonna be my signature scent for this winter, its a cozy warm make you feel good and get compliment fragrance that lets yourself be known to the room without out having everyone rush for fresh air, a def must-have...Gio

Nice scent. It's very soft and not sharp like all those 18-25 "fougere" scents. A classy scent. I compare it to BLV by Bvlgari, but better. Brit has a great, little "baby powder" type smell to it that women go for. Some say it's all for winter, but I am going to wear this in the summer as well; even if I smell like a real baby!

This should be classed as Unisex it smells more feminen then CK One, did not like this at all.

A wonderfully "powdery" scent that lasts ages and works well in the tropics, unlike Burberry "Touch" which goes sour.
Ironically, "Touch" is supposed to be less citrusy, yet in the heat and humidity of where i live, "Brit" smells like fresh powder all day and "Touch" smells like old orange juice.

Got it as a gift. It smells wonderful and very long lasting. 1 of my favourite scent now. Well deserved a FIFI Award.

Floral, sweet, soft...deffinately not what you think of when you think "quality men's scent", but somehow, Burberry makes this work...The scent is cool and dignified, a true gentleman's fragerance...it harkens back to olden times, perhaps around the 1920's gents dressed to the nines with lovely ladies on their arms, ready to paint the town, with a nice rose in his lapels, and a slightly cedary cigar in his jacket pocket for later...in all truthfulness, though, this could just as easily be worn by a woman, but is still a great scent for a man...

Very nice. Not too strong and pleasantly sweet. Goes with any type of clothing.

too floral and sweet for my taste

This fragrance is not really so unique as is thought. After the dry-down it is very close to either Burberry for Men (Original) or Derby by Guerlain both of which I liked quite a bit but have disappeared. Upon the introduction of Brit I can now have nearly the same experience as I had in the past with one of those two. Brit drys down to a soft yet adamant presence for one's evening business or pleasure. It does not lend itself to either the daytime or Summer weather. Women take comfort in men who exude this quality of quietness, stability and capableness of which this fragrance bespeaks.

A little too powdery for my tastes. I like Burberry scents for their simplicity. They're very different from other European houses in that they don't go for that balls to the wall "Here I am" in your face spice. Very light and easy wearing.

as said, its quite youthful, but certainly not philistine. very autumnal, as it is both crisp and warm. my girlfriend's favorite.

i love this cologne :)

When I first smelled this I didn't like it at all. But then something always made me come back to it. If I was somewhere that had a tester out I'd spray some on. I just didn't understand this fragrance at first but now I can't get enough of it! On me it turns into the perfect balance of powder, cream , and spice. To me this is more for cooler weather, and I can't wait til fall so I can wear this all the time!

Was sceptical about Brit at first, mainly due to what I perceived as lousy staying power. After a few revisits I now find it very nice and actually sporting decent longevity. It's a very subtle scent, modern musk with floral elements, mainly rose. The drydown reveals a spicier side though, and after an hour or so your skin will smell of delicious dry and spicy gingerbread. A nice "grower"-scent. Another hit from this brittish house.

I was a fool. I sprayed this on paper instead of my arm at the store. I cannot wear this scent. It makes me a bit ill as it dries down. It is rich and powdery and sweet. I can't pinpoint what I dislike so, perhaps the cedar/nutmeg combination. Be sure to wear it before you buy it.

Great scent! Sweet and "plump" without being overbearing. Easy to wear too. Thumbs up here!

Finally, a nice break from the citrus trend! It's excellent from application to dry down. And it's quite long lasting too (traces still linger up to 4 days if sprayed on clothes). At first, I was wary of buying this, since I figured it will be as tacky as the bottle it came in (really, plaid? thet's the epitome of tacky!) But curiosity killed the cat, and I tried a spray. At first, it was heady, but a few minutes later, it warms down and softens up (though not disappear completely). Very comforting, recommended for daytime Fall/Winter wear.

This stuff is awesome. Everytime I smell it I fall in love with it over again. This was really my first cologne I've started to use regularly. Makes me feel good inside and makes the girls want to stay around me.

With Bulgari BLV Notte and the new Blue Issey Miyake, this is one of the best fragrances of 2004. It is without doubt the most original of the Burberry fragrances for men and has a really nice dry-down. A lot of unique components pack a nice punch to this fragrance and give it uniqueness. That being said, it is never cloying or too sweet. A splendid job. Kudos to Burberry on this one.

This one is terrible, it is to sweet and pestilent. The design of the bottle is nice. But this doesn´t help.
By Matze Germany, Aschaffenburg

A smother and sweeter touch. I don't get any rose out of this. Just the musk.

The ginger and cardamom notes create an olfactory profile similar to a spice cake, which is a good thing. I find this aspect of the scent most unique and comforting. It isn't overly sweet, but isn't dry and totally woodsy either. The rose notes are very pale, but still make their appearance in a dry fashion, as if their petals were ground up for the "cake batter". The woods are more prominent than any musk notes to me, but the spices seem to linger forever. My favorite release in 2004.

Absolutely fabulous, unique sent! Just make feel good!

A bewildering hybrid of Rochas Man and Voleur de roses. Actually it's quite interesting in a playful, unserious way.
Try it!