Reviews of Beyond Paradise for Men (2004)
by Estée Lauder

Beyond Paradise for Men is essentially a green-tinted, fruity/woody composition in the manner of Cool Water and Green Irish Tweed, though more obviously floral in its heart than the former, and drier and more herbaceous than the latter. It’s also distinguished by a peculiar luminous quality that pervades its structure, the result, I assume, of some potent synthetic base notes that I cannot identify. It’s a nice, upbeat, casual scent, but having worn it for a while, I’ve come to find it disappointingly bland. In this crowded field Yves Saint Laurent’s Jazz, the grand old Grey Flannel, and especially the lamentably discontinued, (though still available) Rochas Globe all offer far more by way of depth and character.

A well made, and expertly balanced fragrance, that ticked a lot of the requisite boxes for a winning formula. However, despite its many virtues, wearing Beyond Paradise was never a terribly engaging experience,and found it lacking in soul and character. In some ways, it was overly polished and a touch contrived. The opening did manage to provide a sweet and fruit laden accord that never became cloying or excessive, and this basic character remained for the duration of the fragrance. The subtle freshness provided by the floral presence in the middle notes ensured that the working phase felt soft and and reserved, which added a slight nuance on the original theme. I really wanted things to kick on and for Beyond Paradise to thrill and delight me, but it petered out, and nothing in the base notes could save it from a rather drab end. There is no doubt that this is an interesting product, but I find it hard to get passionate about it.

I`m one of those people who doesn`t quite follow the Luca Turin`s admiration towards this fragrance. It`s quite strange indeed, isn`t it? :)

On the other hand, I don`t detest this scent by any means, it`s actually quite nice. It smells quite alot like a lite version of Comme des Gargons Dry Clean to my nose. (that one is ultra strong stuff, btw)

I love the pyramid of Beyond Paradise for Men, and like I said, the scent isn`t that bad at all : I get grass, cucumber, a hint of herbs, subtle aromatic woods and something which reminds me of wet concrete - and in my mind this accord especially linked this one to Dry Clean.
I won`t buy me a full bottle, but I presume I would enjoy this scent especially in summertime, when walking down by the water on a sunny day.

But is it one of the greatest fragrances for men ever created, and will it be a classic like Luca Turin said??

Well, what else can I say but...."Opinions are just like a-holes - we all got one."

Turin's rating prompted me to go testing this morning. The SA tried to steer me away to Pleasures implying that BP for Men was actually for the 20-something, sporty type. Anyway, I persisted and got three good shots on my arm. It's unique enough, with some vaguely tropical top notes, but then it settles into something quite sour and run-of-the-mill on my skin. It's only 16˚C outside, so perhaps I'll give it another go in summer when it's over 30˚. I like sweet, I don't object to fruity. But for me there's just too little of either in Beyond Paradise.

Here are the fragrance type and notes, per the Lauder website:

Fragrance Type: Prismatic Wood

Top Notes: Fresh and tangy, with Eden's Mist, Jabuticaba Fruit and Eden Buchu

Middle Notes: Cool, invigorating, energetic with Mediterranean Accord, a blend of Lavender Absolute, Provence Sage, Tarragon and Thyme

Base Notes: Unfolds a masculine sensuality with Golden Melaleuca Bark, Eden Vetiver, Beach Wood, Oak Moss and Patchouli

A few opening comments.

First, I wish fragrance manufacturers would NOT make up bogus fragrance types to sound unique and different. What is a prismatic wood? Is it because the bottle looks like a bit like a prism and scent has wood notes in the base? To me, it is a meaningless label. If I were to label it, I would call it "fruity-woody" or "tropical fruity-woody".

Second, the one thing that struck me on the sample packet I have is the number of synthetic ingredients. Now, I have no problem with the idea of synthetic aromachemicals. They serve a purpose. Typically, on a fragrance container I will see somewhere between 8 and 12 of them. This one had 21 (can't say they are all aromachemicals for sure, but 21 chemical ingredients after 'parfum').

Third, I see some interesting notes here. I try to be literate about fruits, but I had never heard of a fruit called Jabuticaba. I researched it and found out it is a grape like fruit from Brazil that has anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic compounds. Neat. Sorry for the educational aside, but I can't tell you what one smells like, though.

As to the scent itself: two things strike me here: (1) tropical fruits and (2) woody notes. There is a watery undercurrent here. It is an okay fragrance in terms of smell, but it one I neither love nor hate. They could have done a few stupid things here like make it sweeter or drench it with coconut to make it more tropical. I am glad they did neither. I am surprised it is so polarizing here, with currently an equally large number of thumbs ups and thumbs down reviews (11 apiece). For me, it a scent I feel rather ambivalent about, hence a neutral rating.

There is a fruity/cucumbery note that I detect strongly also in Hugo by Hugo Boss. In fact, this smells exactly like Hugo with added patchouli. Good as a beach scent, maybe, but nothing special.

I agree- it starts of sickenling sweet, but its dry down is a pretty good combination. It has a long lasting time, but I would recommend putting this on an hour or so before your event.

Beyond Paradise opens with a quite substantial tangy-melony-tropical fruit aroma that is a refreshing relief from the typical citrus /fruit combinations. It is Caribbean—South Pacific in impact and the notes hold for a very respectable length of time. The movement to the herb and grass middle is smooth, and the herb notes of the middle seem a natural projection of the fruity opening. The dry down is a quite mellow combination of wood and moss. This gourmand / aquatic has unique and interesting notes, is very well structured of quality ingredients, and has excellent longevity. I would love to see myself wearing this while partying and relaxing on the beaches of Cancun or Tahiti, but in real life, it isn’t very often that I want to smell like a mango.

Loved the sample of it I saw in an issue of Sports Illustrated, but once I got a bottle it doesn't seem to have the same effect.