Reviews of Subtil pour Homme (2003)
by Salvatore Ferragamo

Unlike Bulgari Aqua's 'dirtier' deep sea marine scent, Subtil is light, almost sublime, I guess very much in the vein of Leau d'Issey. It was in fact the first fresh aquatic that could 'teleport' me to the ocean; with it I could feel the cool sea sprays on my face and breathe in the salty air as I sped through the water on a speedboat. Low on sillage and longevity, it ran out after 3 months, leaving a gap in my wardrobe which I have yet to fill.

Great fragrance. Clean, aquatic with some spiciness. Pleasant to the senses. Unpleasant to the pocket. Absolutely not worth the money.......very limited longevity. On me, maybe half an hour if that long !!

This cologne should have been could 'Subtle' pour Homme since subtle is how i define this fragrance. I read in Ferragamo site that ginger is present which i feel gives it a spicy aroma in the top notes. I have smell a freshly cut ginger a numerous times and I could say it is a harsh, sweet spicy frag that will turn off anyone but not as strong as red onion. Nothing to worry about since the ginger in this cologne as well as the other spices are very subtle. I agree with the other basenoters, this frag does not project but if you will like to have something for your own enjoyment try this cologne.

Many people here have commented on how this cologne doesn't project and doens't have any longevity. I personally do not understand where they get this from I sprayed this stuff one time on my arm then rolled my sleeve back down and walked into the house my wife immediately asked me what I was wearing and that she really liked it. It's not a longevity issue because I can smell this on myself clear throughout the entire day with 4 sprays. Subtil is a surprisingly smooth. It's spicy and almost woody yet there are no woods found in the pyramid. Clean, energetic and sophisticated, yet not afraid of proverbialy getting down and dirty. I get a huge cardamom note, and at the end of the day cardamom and patchouli still run that race strong. Good stuff, not great! but I'll probably be keeping this in my arsenal for some time to come.

Similar "blue" or "clean" type of cologne, reminds me a little bit of Hei by Alfred Sung. Subtil has some floral notes, like a jasmine or a freesia. Maybe the slightest bit of verbena, but thankfully they restrained themselves from adding overpowering amounts of orange or lemon like so many other colognes. The citrus levels here are appropriate and controlled. Subtil has a slight "woodsy" tone. It does not contain any pagan sorts of smells to it like benzoin resin or frankincense, nor does it have any musk or heavy "male" notes that I can tell. The topnotes are fresh and clean without smelling like a box of laundry detergent. The middle notes are woodsey, and the basenotes are surprisingly floral. The verbena prevails, mixed with freesia and perhaps a hint of violet. The sample card describes the scent as, "a spicy freshness," and while I would call it fresh I would NOT call it spicy at all. I am an avid cook and passionate about cooking spices, so I think they are just wrong on that account. It doesn't smell like any spice I have in my cupboard! Having said that, I am still happy with Subtil. This would be a good scent for a man to wear to the office; you could sit next to someone in the conference room without overpowering them. It has an overall clean and sophisticated scent without being rough or abrasive. It really is... subtle.

Is it just me or is there like a slight similarity to M7 Fresh? I was in Vegas not too long ago and wore this layered with some Acqua di Gio to give off a fresher/clean vibe...i was surprised with the oh so many complements i received (more so than all my other expensive/niche type fragrances). I was complement by women of all ages..and guys as well (my buddies who were with me on the trip). That said - It now has a permanent spot in my lineup.

This smells good. This is aptly named. This is spicy. This is good for office wear. This is now fruity. This is the middle of the day. This is when you you ant to go home. This is when you smell your subtle cologne on your shirt. This is heaven. Welcome.

Rather generic aquatic scent with a subtle spiciness in the opening. Nothing especially remarkable or unique here. Inoffensive and tolerable, so I give it a neutral rating.

• Top notes of bracing mandarin, lotus leaves, cardamom, and ginger.
• Middle notes of coriander, bay rose, macy, davana, and violets.
• Base notes of patchouli and dry amber and musk.

"A fragrance that exudes Italian elegance, excellence, creativity, vitality, and energy. " ... I thought I had lost all those attributes after taking one whiff of this generic unexciting impotent mess called Subtil pour homme.

I had just had my way with another (and more expensive!) disappointing plasticky aquatic (Clubman by Truefitt&Hill) when a sample of Subtil pour homme dropped into my lap. First impressions were decent; a well executed mandarin note complemented by spices like cardamom, coriander and ginger to perk things up (interestingly cardamom is the Truefitt&Hill house note). Soon after that the all too familiar (and poorly executed at that) "village bicycle" aquatic note corrupts the olfactory receptor neurons causing them to go haywire. The notes pyramid sounds more interesting than it smells...dont be mislead, Subtil is little more than spices + generic aquatic cologne.

If anything, Subtil has slightly more character and panache than Clubman. Another thing...with Aqua Di Gio around, theres no need to invest in this Italian mess. Close the books, this ones not getting promoted to the upper echelon of perfume ranks.

That's right, there is absolutely nothing about this cologne that warrants owning a bottle... unless you count smelling nice a good reason to own a bottle of cologne. If you need a cologne to shout "look at me, I'm wearing cologne!", then Subtil probably isnt for you. Use it around the office, your Co-workers will thank you for being so "me too". :-)

Nice bottle I like it. The smell is so-so. Also there is a problem with longevity. I won't buy again, but at the same time I don't regret.

Incredible top note. That's pretty much the only really good thing about it. It is not very strong (I need about 3 spritzes). It does not last very long (4-5 hours). It also has a horribly deisgned bottle that never sprays where I want it to. The dry down is way too subtle. If you don't like strong colognes, this is for you.

This stuff is subtle, alright. This is a ‘me too’ synthetic smelling aquatic fragrance. It’s very boring, and very insipid. There is nothing about this fragrance that warrants owning a full bottle.

I have only smelled it once in a department store, but I loved it. I didn't buy it because I have bought way too many colognes lately.

I have no idea why the 3 people who reviewed this product hate it so much. I LOVE it! I can't say WHY I love it, but I do. My only criticism is that it fades somewhat after 6 - 8 hours or so. But that's no a bad thing either.

Pure synthetic, did, try this “creation” few times; no this is the some scary-unbalanced water!

Subtil reminds me at first a little of Rykiel Grey, but it's a scoche less spicy. It's a simple, spicy, aquatic fragrance with a lingering fruit note, a woody base and a slightly ambery dry down. I like the top notes but completely dislike the dry down. 15 minutes after spraying the top and middle notes seem to fade down to nothing, leaving nothing but a dank woody dry down. Though initially it smells pretty good, the dry down is so poor and boring that I have to give it a thumbs down.

Lightened dirty-blue (coloured too) S.Ferragamo. Nothing subtile, it's just wasted (along with budget spent to produce it). If you really want "SF light" try Marc Jacobs. If both are too masculine for you, try Un Jardin en Mediterranee Hermes. They just missed a thing after ravable FiFi-awarded original release.