Reviews of Hypnôse Homme (2007)
by Lancôme

The opening is a rather attractive citrus / herbal accord – very much like the openings of countless other modern designer fragrances. It is quite nicely done except that it is unimaginative and common, From the opening, the fragrance goes nowhere. A major problem with Hypnôse is that it doesn’t move. The sharp lavender from the top follows through to the base – and about the only thing that happens is that the lavender grows a little weaker and less sharp and the sweet, generic amber / vanilla from the base comes on stronger. Yawn. It has good sillage, and it has good longevity. Performance wise, Hypnôse Homme is a pretty good fragrance, but it’s structure and notes are so uninspired.

I tried this recently whilst in Thailand - it did not dissapoint. Lasts a long time on my skin, which I love.

It´s a great fragance a litle oriental,very masculine with a good silage.
better for men >40

1 ml of "joop homme" + 1 ml of "polo double black" + 2 ml of "azzaro now". that's what hypnose is. and beside, it is not cloying like joop, not subtle as polo db and not feminine like azzaro now. perfect for everywhere and every day&night. i think this will be a classic amongst the new ones.

I'm shocked at the reviews that describe Hypnose as cheap smelling.... I can understand not liking it, but it does NOT smell cheap. I don't find it too much like LeMale, either (which I don't like). The heart of lavender, vanilla, and amber are strong and stay throughout the development and into dry down. Catching a whiff of myself as I sit at the office brings thoughts of eating rich chocolate, or perhaps drinking a rich liquor.

I agree with the comment that there are really no 'age groups' for fragrances, but those complex, rich scents are associated with more mature men. Hypnose seems at home on a date to a fancy restaurant and then back to your place and not a college frat.

An eau fraiche version was just released.... If anyone likes Hypnose but finds it too overbearing I'd look in this version. Unlike other fresh versions of colognes, this one really does seem to be just a lighter edition of the original.

Fasten your seatbelts, because Hypnose is in for a rough ride.

This scent would be exquisite, with it's electrifying and vibrant bergamot / mint opening, coupled with a mandarin and cardamom whiff, on a heavy and empowering note of lavender. It would be stunning, with the amber bleeding through the heart of bergamot, and the patchouli flirting with the mint, while the musk accentuates the cardamom and mandarin. It would be a genuine treat; a sense-sizzling, sex-appealing, summer-time snowcone of sugary sweetness, except it's already been done. A lot. Too many times, in fact.

What we have here is a Le Male; a dash short on the synthetic sweetness, only to be accentuated by a fresher accord of spices. Not quite as synthetic and choking as Le Male, but definitely much sharper on the nose, in a very citrus, lemony way. Oh my, what else do we have here... Au Masculin? Yes; void of the licorice and vanilla base, and instead, fond of light woods which allow the top notes to direct the drydown of the scent. Which is strange, considering the pyramid for Au Masculin doesn't resemble the structure of Hypnose (Le Male does, though. They both share bergamot, mint, cardamom, lavender, amber, and a little musk; albeit very synthetic in JPG's rendering).

How then, do we arrive at such a conclusion? The answer is simple; while the top notes of Hypnose are somewhat related to Au Masculin, and the base is not, keep in mind that the top notes control the drydown in a scent where the heart and base are so weak, and the top notes are so strong. With Au Masculin, the progression is noticeable; your cedar and vanilla beat lighter top and heart notes out of the way and demand attention. Even to the heavy-hitting heart notes of violet (stronger than lavender), there is a very noticeable change. However, with Hypnose, the base notes are so weak, that the top notes remain dominant. There is no real progression, until it begins to fade away -- and that's the only real change.

Amidst all of this, I do think there was some creativity involved. Hypnose stands out as a fragrance with a very long-lasting top, which controls the fragrance and drives the heart and base to feed it, rather than eventually settling and being replaced by other scents. I somewhat like it's monotony, because for what it is, it's well done. I would never buy a bottle; the diabetes-inducing sweets aren't my forte, but for someone who likes sweet scents that make Boucheron's Jaipur seem bitter, I recommend this one.

Very sweet and quite sickly at first, although the drydown gets better. On the same line as Ghost Man but more subtle. Not overly impressed.

Lavender is the sustaining note throughout this fragrance. It is so pervasive I really don't get to enjoy the unique opening notes listed above. Drydown gives the amber/patchouli/musk base a chance to shine. Overall, a slight disappointment remains for not being able to experience those interesting top notes. Maybe lavender is the wrong choice for the heart of this scent...