Reviews of B*Men (2004)
by Thierry Mugler

A typical story: some band launches debut album and shows us all its potential, creativity, strength and unruliness (A*Men). Then some big chief from the music industry notices that band and they sign a contract. After that the band launches second album. They still play great but their music is somehow different now… maybe moderated (B*Men)… and the guys from the band say “our music is more mature now” but YOU KNOW that it is not the music you fell in love with.
Are A*Men and B*Men similar? Yes, definitely… they are so similar that I like A*Men very much and I dislike B*Men very much. Both, A*Men and B*Men, are gourmand, but A*Men is “chocolate-ish” gourmand and B*Men is “soup-ish” gourmand.
People from my environment love B*Men quite a lot, especially the young female part of my environment. Their comments are “it smells like a kitchen but it’s sexy, at the same time”, “it wakes up the animal in me”, “I wish every man wore this fragrance”… However I wear it very rarely.
Please imagine this: You should go out. You are dressed well and you splashed some expensive scent. Then you go into the kitchen where your wife or your mother, never mind, is cooking the dinner. You are staying in the kitchen for a while (10-15 minutes) and you “collect” there the smell of the food. After that you’re ready for a good amusements somewhere in the town. You smell of your scent, but you smell of the food as well. Guess what? Your lucky day has finally arrived. You don’t have to bother anymore; you don’t have to waste your time in the kitchen no more. Just buy B*Men… I did…

After many glowing reviews of B*Men, claiming it to be a better, less extreme, less sweet version of A*Men, I had high hopes for this fragrance.

Unfortunately, my hopes were dashed when I actually sampled B*Men. There's a lot of spice and herbs going on here, plus a note that makes me a bit nauseous, which is of course a no-no for a fragrance. Apart from some sweetness and being categorizable in the 'gourmand' corner, I also don't know how B*Men would be related to A*Men.

I like A*Men, I'll pass on B*Men.

Strong and sugary fruit notes intoxicate a bushel of rhubarb, as giant sequoia grows with spiced moss out of a patch of vetiver. For what A*Men overdoes in sweetness, B*Men overdoes in bitterness; the initial spray is about as good as it gets. The rhubarb is too bitter and sour, relative to the "fruit notes" (sugared and caramel-covering, knowing the line of *Men!) which results in a nasty contrast of unpleasantness. Then, as it begins it's ascent into the heart, sequoia notes are present, but they seem rotten. Perhaps the rhubarb and fruits are still present as the sequoia grows, but whatever it is, it leaves the impression that, rather than being fresh and full of life, it's relatively dead. It smells exactly the same as what your dog brings back inside your house after a windy, Fall day of playing outside.... that includes some poop-infused dirt. Thanks to a grey and bland moss, the fruit notes are blushed out and the rhubarb becomes even more sour and bitter, and the base begins to crumble... even the vetiver here is out of place.

I didn't like B*Men at all. Its dark sweetness is somewhat interesting but I couldn't pass that burnt coffee powdery smell! It gets too strong and cloying for me. I think It's almost impossible to wear this fragrance on summer!

oh dear...sorry...but am I the only one in thinking this stuff is horrid? its just too..too. spicy and choloty. it does last a far period but i don't like it. overrated.

I was so excited to get a new fragrance release from Mugler. I couldn’t imagine what they were going to make B*Men like. I was very disappointed when I tried it. B*Men is basically A*Men with all the gourmand notes removed. It’s awful. This is just A*Men with everything innovative and interesting about the fragrance removed.

An inferior product to both A*Men and Cologne. The opening sweet notes are a bit too much, but wear off quickly enough. Once you get past that part, the woods and spices are nice, but not nearly as interesting as the predecessor. If this were release by another label, perhaps I wouldn't be as harsh. But if you launch a ground breaker like A*Men, your followups better be good. Especially if you continue with the naming convention. This one feels more like F*Men, where F is the failing grade. Sorry Thierry, better luck next time.