Reviews of Unforgivable (2005)
by Sean John

Having a hard time identifying exactly what this fragrance smells like to me. Um...how about soapy cigar water? Yup, that's about as close as I'm going to get.

I wouldn't wear this.

And what do we have here?? Another over priced, boring scent with a celeberty's name on it. Much like Ushers disgusting fragrance. O & did I mention this is 1 tacky bottle?

It's MI minus the watermelon and salt air notes. Still nice but expensive for a designer fragrance and longevity is mediocre.

Overpriced citrus water that smells like a scented "sporty" deodorant/antiperspirant from Gillette or Old Spice.

The tag line of this frag is 'Life without passion is unforgivable.' It is a quote from that super-genius Sean John aka. P. Diddy.

So let's see. 'Life without passion' is unforgivable. This scent is called unforgivable. So basically, this scent is life without passion.

Hence, P. Diddy created a bland and boring juice, put it in an ugly and chunky bottle made of plastic on the outside, and call this the sexiest scent ever. This must be the most stupid name for a scent, and I cannot believe that there is not one smart guy among his assistants to tell him that this is the worst name possible for a scent.

But make no mistake: Wearing this scent is actually indeed unforgivable. It is so generic, bland, cheap, and mundane, it makes my skin crawl. I cannot see any sophisticated man putting this on, and feeling good about himself. And to think that Diddy stole this scent from a Creed creation... It is just sad. Not the fact that he makes scents: let's face it, Jessica Simpson and Patrick Dempsey also have fragrances out, but what is heartbreaking is the very fact that it is some sort of a bestseller. I wish people's noses would evolve a bit more, and they would stop imagining they can be like this neanderthal just because they wear his cheap smelling, cheap retailing fragrance.

Quite fruity! On my skin it is a light scent that does not last very long. It’s more fruity than fresh and I have a hard time finding the aquatic notes some other reviewers mention. Unforgivable is nice, but without personality. Totally inoffensive, but at the same time totally forgettable. And I agree with tdrps that Unforgivable smells girly and not really masculine. Still, I think it is quite a decent fragrance for casual occasions and is probably more suited for younger persons. The fruity notes of Unforgivable somehow just never feel quite right on my skin and when I’m in the mood for casual-fruity-fresh-aquatic, I would prefer Acqua di Gio over Unforgivable.

never smelled the bond scent but i do have MI and smells the same besides longevity. ok casual scent with a bit of a kick. puffy ordiddy remakes everything so this should not have surprised anyone.

The biggest thing that turns me onto this fragrance is the "fizzy" citrusey smell that I get upon application, for lack of a better term, the "spices" seem to pop out of the citrus base and really catch attention. On me it soon mellows down to a soft, fruity/citrusey watery scent, and the real fun is that the distinct spicy "fizzy" characteristic seemingly pops up and then fades back down randomly during the course of a wearing. It took a couple of wearings for me to really appreciate this one, and I find myself using it more and more often. Although I think it would be suitable for either day or nighttime use, this one just seems to work better for me in the evening. I won't address the "knockoff" reputation this has gotten, because even if it is a knockoff, it is still quality. And I find the bottle to be unique and classy in it's own way. The only real chief complaint that I have is that in a couple of hours, it's just gone. I can still smell it embedded in my clothing with a close sniff, but it simply stops projecting way too soon. I have no objections to having to re-apply a fragrance if I enjoy it, though!

Nothing special here. Its fresh citrus and floral opening is nice enough but it lasts all of 45 minutes on my skin before becoming nearly imperceptable.

Body Chemistry.
Short Shelf Life.
I'm not sure which all I know is that I put this on twice and both times I felt like I stank like rotten garbage. People reacted to me in the same manner.

And this, dear reader, is unforgivable and re-taught me a valuable lesson: Try Before You Buy.

So, no, I do not think that this fragrance deserves even to be listed as Best for Day Wear, or Evening Wear. For me it serves as "proof" why one should never buy a celebrity endorsed anything.

Honestly, the bottle and it's packaging is nothing but design hack, nice enough but not worthy of any kind of an award.

Nevertheless taste varies as does body chemistry. So, my recommendation is simply: Try before YOU buy. Also if you like the sample but when get home and it smells bad - Return it Immediately.

While there are similarities between Unforgivable and Creed’s Millésime Impérial (MI), I think it is oversimplistic to say that the scents are identical. The opening of Unforgivable is very different from MIs. Herbal notes overlay the aquatic character in such a way that they blunt it. I find the opening to be disappointing compared to MI. (I think Kenneth Cole’s Reaction is much more similar to MI in its opening, but develops differently). After about 30 minutes, Unforgivable’s fruity-aquatic character begin to dominate, and yes here we see a strong similarity to MI. However, it is not as potent as MI, nor as long lasting. There are some pleasant and interesting ‘purer’ (i.e., not fruity) aquatic notes later on that I find enjoyable and different than MIs. Overall, I think Unforgivable is less interesting than MI and should not be viewed as a substitute. I think it has merits of its own and certainly I cannot fault anyone for choosing it. I don’t have enthusiasm to buy it for myself.

I think this smells EXACTLY like Bond No 9 Wall Street!

Since I have not read any of Basenotes review guidelines, I will try to be as clinical as possible. To my nose, this scent is not only not good, it is objectionable. I cannot overemphasize the degree to which I disliked this product.

As another reviewer recommended, you can save a good deal of money by buying "Unjustified" at Wal-Mart which advertises itself as a clone, and, in fact, smells very much like the original, but only costs about $8.

I tested both the original and the clone. Unfortunately.

Try before you buy. Make sure you have a wash basin nearby. If your nose is like mine, you'll need it.

I don't get the comparison to Creed's Millesime Imperial, but I do think its a very close copy to Bond No. 9's Wall Street - In fact, I am sure that the creator had WS in mind. I think that the difference lies in that the ingresients used in WS are of a higher quality and have much greater staying power. But Unforgivable is a decent alternative if you cannot shell out the $$ for Wall Street.

On another note, I am reminded of the original D&G when I smell Creed's MI. D&G is a bit harsher, whereas MI has a more smooth, mellow basenote. Eventually, after the dry-down, they smell very much alike.

Ok...Tried this one before I smelled Creeds MI and liked it a whole lot! On my skin there was NO dry down. I smelled like a basket of fruit all day long. I felt like a fat woman who wears Victoreia Secret lotions. I'll still give this one a thumbs up, but go ahead and spend the extra coin to experience MI.You will not regret the work of art especially in warm weather....

I tested just because it won a Fifi Award. Nothing special, it remembered me some notes from Aramis Life, but a lot intense.

The start had orange, bergamot and grapefruit notes, very strong, intense and not fresh. Some vetiver and soft lavender at middle notes, plus some sage notes (I never liked it). Notes of sandalwood at base notes, some amber, musk and marine notes.

Due to its strengh I didn't know it should be suitable for summer use, despite their citric notes. At winter it should fit for evening use... for office use it's a bit disturbing. Range of age between 25-40 years old.

Add my vote to the Creed Silver Mountain Water similarity. A co-worker of mine wears Unforgivable a lot (a little too many sprays too), so when I finally got the chance to smell SMW I was immediately reminded of him. I didn't know what scent he wore so when I asked him, he said Unforgivable.

So there you go.

Creed Millesime Imperial and water. Stay away unless you like the bottle.

Alright, first off, the scents not that bad, after all it did win an award. I know Puffy can be a pain in the ass, even I get annoyed with him, the guy doesn't have an original bone in his body, I know. I mean, he's so good at ripping music and fragrances, etc. that he even copyed his own fragrance (Unforgivable) and re-made it again (multi-platinum), than put it in the same bottle except the color's different! IT'S THE SAME SMELL!!! AHHHHHH!!! Buuuut he's Puffy! What are ya gonna do, y'know?! lol! But I like Unforgivable...sorta! It's a warm citrusy/syrupy aroma with a fizz to it, must be the sparkling champagne accord. Anyways, yeah, he ripped off Creed, I know because I did the research and I owned MI. There not exactly the same though, Unforgivable's more citrusy and youthfully sexy/sporty, Creed MI is sexy, but contains more natural and clean green notes with little citrus and it's airy and clean. Can't really say which one is "better", but, for what it is, it's a good scent, I just wish that it lasted longer, it has some of the worst longevity that I know of. If you buy it, get the 4.2 oz bottle, you'll need to spray throughout the day.

I will never buy a Creed fragrance, maybe perhaps except for Bois du Portugal and Tabarome (vintage [the more expensive version that smells like root beer] and millesime [the one that smells like acidic pipe tobacco]). In my opinion, ALL the Creed fragrances have the same basenotes, which makes them all smell similar in one way or another. Besides the markup is a real consumer rip-off, especially when you can buy fragrances just as diverse and appealing for under $10, as compared to Creed's range between $90 and $500. It's ridiculous! Anyway, I do find Unforgivable to be a quit pleasant fragrance. It's lasting power leaves a lot to be desired, SOOOOO, I bought a bottle of "UnJustifiable", an imposter of Unforgivable, at Wal-Mart the other day for $8. It is uncanny how similar this is to the original, and IT LASTS 10 times longer than the original. I find that this fragrance has a definite cumin note; however, UnJustifiable smells absolutely heavenly about half an hour later after it dries down. The heavy cumin note is straight out of the bottle, but it dissipates and dries down to a very sexy masculine fragrance. I sprayed it on from the tester and then left the store, but I had to return to buy the fragrance after smelling it still on me when I got home an hour later. UnJustifiable really has lasting power, as opposed to the original Unforgivable. So, save yourself $60 and spend only $8 on UnJustifiable and get better staying power and, in my opinion, a superior version of Unforgivable. By the way, UnJustified is made by the "Classic Match" line of fragrances. They also make an EXCELLENT and potent long-lasting version of Polo (original) and Polo Blue, both of which are near identical to the originals. I give UnJustified a "thumbs up" and Unforgivable a "thumbs down."

Mass-marketed mass-produced lolly-water.

There is very little here that defines 'Unforgiveable' as a scent with clout. It is a typical "run-of-the-mill" celebrity scent with more effort invested into the marketing strategy, than the composition itself.
This will seal the fates of millions who "don't know better" and thus will sell hand over fist.

Everyubody says Millesime Imperial from Creed, my nose says Silver Mountain Water.
I don't know. But it is a cheaper version of a popular Creed scent, but cheaper only in the wallett. I actually think this is better than the Creed its supposed to immitate.
So sad that people are ripping on the dude for no reason. HATERS, I say. Is S. Combs the first designer to rip off another designer? What about all those 'reputable' houses that ripped off JPG Le Male?

At the begining I did like this scent. However, it has the worst shelf life ever. If you are going to buy it, get a small bottle, I didn't even get trough half of mine.

For me, Unforgivable reminds a bit of Bond No. 9 "Wall Street"; Creeds "Millésime Imperial" and DKNY MEN!!! I love fresh and warm scents...for that price it is ok! But i also wear my Creeds (for me the best house and the best scents).
Thumbs UP

Yes, a clone of Creed MI. But its top note has nothing to compare with Creed as it's synthetic and isn't as loud as the niche one. However, I like it enough that I have purchased 2 large bottles for a good price, about US$41 each.

I stated here on this very forum back in April 2006 that this was a very smooth smelling fragrance that could win an award. It was brought to my attention that "Unforgivable" has received the FIFA Award. Numbers don't lie, this fragrance is a winner, plus my wife loves to smell it on me.

Once again, I heard a lot of negative reviews on this from the Basenoters which generally means for me I am going to like it...well...Mr. Combs fragrance really isn't that bad. I smelled Crave before and I do not even know where that comparison comes from. I am sure it does remind someone of a Creed cologne because for most Creed fanatics, every cologne is a copy of a Creed. Regardless, I like it, the top notes isn't that great but once it dries down, definitely it was the winner out of samples that include amouage silver and terre d'hermes.

Very cheap smelling. It reminds me of something you can find at a drugstore. Not that theres anything wrong with that; you can find Eternity, Angel, and even some brand new ones there...BUT.
I guess it reminds me of the ones that are at the drugstore cause they belong there, not because they're popular.
The thumb speaks for itself.
Puew.

I actually really love this scent. Even though I completely hate the top notes of citrus, I just try to wait 15 minutes and not smell myself until it drys down a bit, and then it becomes very seductive. My new favorite.

To me it smells like Puff Daddy, who samples everything else, simply re-worked Calvin Klein's Crave...and it's not too different...so me thinks this'll be discontinued sooner than later...

Snore, snore.
A generic scent smells like half of the current male scents out there at the moment. Make me something exaclty like "insert name here" but with a bit more/less of this note.
Diddy did OK but nothing to get puffed up about

I want to thank Sean Combs for Unforgivable a wonderful fragrance i love it everyone enjoys my presence when i have it on and yes smells like creed but last longer and is cheaper again thanks Sean Combs

While I agree that this is blatant copy of MI, I must say it is superior in terms of longevity and sillage. That said, it not as as high quality a scent, but at least i can tell 30 minutes after application.

i've been on a cologne kick as of late. I recently bought issey miyake which is my date cologne, and dolce and gabbana which has become my nightclub cologne. In searching for the perfect day cologne I asked the woman behind the counter what her favorite was. She pointed me to Sean Paul's Unforgivable. This is a pretty good scent. It is a big step above the tommy boy and nautica's but not quite in the class of the top rated most expensive ones. I will say this, no negatives so far. It is somewhat manly, but light to the senses. I almost pick up a cherry smell. This has become my daytime cologne. Maybe not for everybody but you won't dislike it.

This scent is hilarious!
It supposed to be the embodiment of tough, rich, macho sophistication. Instead it is an unbelievably girly, woody scent. Add to that the unintentional hilarity of Mr Combs(anyone seen the ad campaign? Gold!).

That said I quite like it myself, for my(female)self.The intrinsic comic value adds to the appeal. I'm not sure if Diddy would like that!

I thought this smelled just like Coca~Cola...

I'm quite irked by this....I really love MI and now thanks to Piff diddy/ Puff Daddy, whatever his name is, I'll probably smell it everywhere! I have nothing against "mainstream" fragrances-it's just that it's nice sometimes to have a scent that isn't worn by 10 other people at the office, gym, subway, supermarket etc..
He's got enough money to develop his own fragrance, so why not hire someone to create something unique? rather than copying Creed? No originality whatsoever.

I took a spray on my left wrist. Sillage was poor, the top note was a clear citrus fruit note (tangerine?). I checked back in 2 hours. Nothing. Gone. Granted I had been working out for an hour. However this is supposedly a summer time fragrance. I sweat far less in the gym with AC then in the 90 degree heat of the south. VERY DISSAPOINTING. No real dry down, nothing. Just gone after 2 hours. I expected better from Sean Combs. I guess his fragrance is like his music.

First of all, this is a VERY pleasant scent. Although it's a little pricey, it is long lasting and definitely classy. I do agree with the other comments with regard to Creed MI. This is a twin. My humble advice is that either one would be a solid addition to a cologne lover's wardrobe...but to own both would be redundant. Cheers!

I had never been a big fan of Sean Combs, but as of lately, Ive been feeling him. I think I like his image more than his music, although presently, I really like his single "Come to me." All that said, Unforgivable is nothing special. I cannot detect individual notes in this. It seems to remain uniform until it fades. That is not so bad in itself. My favorite fragrance, Dolce and Gabanna has this charateristic also. The scent itself just isnt unusual or a nose catcher to me. I expected something more elegant or sophisticated...a power scent. Also, the bottle is ugly and Im not crazy about the name. This will end up like "Curve." Everyone will be wearing it. My girl seems to like it. I told her she would have to buy it for me. I havent smelled any of the Creed fragrances. If this smells like anyone of them, Im sure I would pass. Unforgivable doesnt give me that feel. Sorry Diddy.

A blatant ripoff of Creeds MI which I don't like any way. Why dont these rich wannabes get a life. This reminds me of my friends Uncle who invented the first computerized drafting machine only to find a few years later it was ripped off except for a few different bolts in another place on the machine. He won a lawsuit and I think Creed might to but I'm sure Olivier understands this is a sincere form of flattery. Stick to music SeanJOhn.

Despite what others have stated, I don't find it that similar to Millesime Imperial at all. If Unforgivable is a rip-off, then I think it's more of a copy of Bond No. 9's Wall Street (I almost bought a bottle of Wall Street until I smelled this). It has the same cucumber note along with that good old sweet aquatic ozone freshness that exists in many scents today. I don't detect any watermelon in it as I do in Millesime Imperial. Sure, Unforgivable doesn't stand out nor does it last long on me. But I still enjoy wearing this as I find it a good casual and carefree scent. While I wouldn't give it a thumbs up for creativity, I do have to give it credit for being a pleasing scent.

Unforgivible is similar too Mi, but has a more citrusy fizz to it.

It would seem most reviews so far are pretty accurate. Created by the man with more names than the artist formerly known as Prince, it comes as no surprise that this fragrance is a copy of Millisime Imperial by Creed as he is known to enjoy wearing that very fragrance. He clearly felt it was time to share the experience with everyone. One of my biggest gripes with M.I was that it had no staying power on my skin. I have to say this version of the classic suffers no such problems. OK, its not spot on but its as good as and I have to say, I like it! The packaging is over indulgent and ostentacious (not unlike my choice of words). Where Davidoffs Cool Water is the poorer brother of Creeds Green Irish Tweed, Unforgivable by Sean John is the non-identical twin to Creed Millisime Imperial.

Total cheap knock off of Creed Imperial Millesime. I used to love Creeds Scent but after this hit the market, everyone is smelling like a cheap knock off of it.

You can feel how artificial it is and Millesime is more refined whereas this gives you a head ache after a while.


This is truly "unforgivable" To knock off the House of Creed

Unforgivable is one of the better celebrity endorsed fragrances out there. Its well known that P Diddy is a fan of the classic Millesime Imperial (MI), and this fragrance (sort of) pays homage to it. However, it is not a copy of MI, as others have stated.

Unforgivable starts off with bright, sharp citrus notes - the notes remind me of the fizzy smell which emanates when you plunk an Antacid into water. Its different, interesting and nice. The middle notes introduce a "mediterranean accord"..however, it stays in the background most of the times, dominated by the fizzy citrus. The base is a mix of musk and a bit of amber, which an occasional whiff of the fizzy top notes reappearing every now and then. I would say that the main difference between MI and Unforgivable is that in MI, the fruity mediterranean accord is far stronger - and is the main characteristic. In Unforgivable, the fizzy top notes are the distinguishing notes. However, MI lasts far longer, and is a more slickly created fragrance. I will give P Diddy a thumbs up for this one - he pays homage to a personal favorite of his, and tried to create a decent fragrance at the same time.

Yes, it is a familiar smell. In my country, there still are old perfumers who once used to sell flower extracts and smiple fragrances developed over generations..but times have changed and now they are reduced to selling home made imitation concentrates of famous brands. Some extremely good and similar, others just plain offensive. I am sure I have smelt this at one of those shops...an attempt at imitation gone bad. Unforgivable. (aptly named)

Cheaper,Sharper,Weaker version of "Millesime Imperial"

Oh I love MI, now I cannot bare to wear it because of that idiot Sean John, It has just been released here and I have already smelt it around a lot. Thank you Sean John for ruining Millesime Imperial, you idiot.

This should be called Be Milesime or Delicious Imperial. A complete rip off of MI and Be Delicous. Basically both mixed together!

This cologne makes me want to snuggle with myself, there is this distinctively familiar scent that I can't put my hands on. Unfortunately, I sprayed it on my hand and it didn't last more than 3hours for me.

I tried this fragrance today. We all know how diddy supposedly wears Creed MI. I can't put my finger on which Creed, but I am positive this scent is made to be similar. The scent is nice but not long lasting. I am not a fan of diddy so I wouldn't buy this but that is just me.

You know, this sure does remind me of Millesime Imperial by Creed. Nice splash of freshness. About as long lasting as Millesime Imperial too....that being almost nothing to even comment about. But if you like the Creed, you might like this one for les $$$.

What a shame... this fragrance is nearly an exact ripoff of Creed's Millesime Imperial, right down to the "Mediterranean Air Accord." The only difference is that this smells cheap and synthetic, while Millesime Imperial smells natural, and MI's drydown is orders of magnitude better than this. That they would so blatantly rip off Creed is, well, Unforgivable.

Fruit punch. The red kind in the gallon-sized plastic bottle.

It's actually good, considering this is one of the run of the mill fresh scents. Opens balanced and citrus, with hints of that 'champagne' note. Lasts long for a fresh scent, and I was surprised to notice that this scent had elements of the niche Bond No. 9 Wall Street, and Creed's Millesime Imperial *gasp!* It's okay, people, even if Estee Lauder created this for Sean Jean, it's still good, at least I can afford this one and willing to admit I like an inevitable mainstream scent.

This fragrance comes very well packaged, and it's a good thing too...because that's about all the bang you're going to get for your buck with this scent. It's a slight citrus that is not distinctive and doesn't last. try a sample before you buy. Joshaugustt

tried "unforgivable" today in Saks...surprisingly a very nice fragrance...loved the citrus notes and I usually do not like citrus...a very meditteranian fragrance