Reviews of Kenzo Power (2008)
by Kenzo

Power is, ‘on paper’, a fragrance that easily entices my curiosity: The perfumer is Olivier Polge (Dior Homme, The One for Men, Flowerbomb); it’s a floral fragrance marketed to men; the shiny, stainless steel ‘sake inspired’ bottle is modern, sleek and just gorgeous.

What struck me at first, when I carefully read the box was Kenzo released this scent as an Eau de Toilette Fraiche. Most men’s fragrances are usually released as an Eau de Toilette first, and then if the scent is popular they’ll roll out a flanker product (Light, Summer Version, etc.) With Power, they released the ‘lighter’ version first. Which got me wondering: Has anyone ever done this before, in a men’s release?

The top notes, immediately upon impact with my skin, smell fruity, powdery and creamy. If you know me, you’ll know that I find this mixture oddly uncomfortable. Perhaps the only way I could describe it is: powdered cherry soy milk. If there was such a thing. Once my skin warmed up, the fruit became more subdued and the creamy powdery aspect of the scent transitioned into a much more floral scent. Let’s talk about those ‘florals’. Like Flower by Kenzo (their woman’s scent) Power attempts to recreate an ‘imaginary’ flower smell. So, what does this imaginary flower (for a man) smell like? A few things: sweet, sugar sprinkled iris; a little violet, but extremely light violet notes; powdery floral notes – reminiscent of something slightly edible (remember those purple and yellow flowers made out of icing that you see on wedding cakes – that smell).

A man uncomfortable wearing iris (as I mentioned in my review of Infusion d’ Homme) or other flower prominent scents (Fleur de Male by Gaultier, Insense by Givenchy, and Saville Row by Richard James – to name a few) will probably not enjoy Power. Having said that, I think men and women who love subdued floral fragrances will adore this scent. I am amazed that Kenzo chose this as a masculine (rather than releasing it as a unisex) scent.

Once the fragrance has warmed on my skin, the florals pull a ‘Houdini act’ and poof (!), they’re gone. Replaced by a very hushed woody base with a touch of powder. There is a drop of something aquatic also in the base, but I can’t put my finger on it. I’m reminded of the watery woody He Wood by DSquared₂ - whitewashed woods floating on sweet, cool, lightly floral water.

Which leads me back to my first statement – yes, this scent has enticed my curiosity and my nose but I can’t imagine wanting to own a bottle. I’m reminded of a few scents that I’ve tried over the years, fragrances that the guys and gals over at Basenotes go bananas over. I hunt down a sample, try it, sample it a second time, put it away, re-try it a third time…you know the story.

I find it extremely admirable that a designer house is marching into the masculine fragrance world with an extremely flower prominent scent. Big thumbs up! But still…

Power is a scent I want to love. But I don’t.

Smells excactly like a expensive red leather sofa!
Or dried linen on the shoreline an early august-morning.

Long lasting,not cloying,
and just about the perfect amount of Labdanum!

Enjoyable?
Yes very much!

This is a wonderful scent! Nothing ground breaking, along the lines of Fleur Du Male although more fizzy. I dont get any aquatic notes like the original Kenzo PH as stated below but I can detect a bit of L'eau Par in it. Wonderful fizzy floral, but do try before you buy as this one is not as "safe" as most of the new releases (thankfully!)

The girl in the parfume shop gave me a test-bottle of this last saturday.. I sprayed it on, and it was fantastic! I coud`nt get it out of my mind, so i know i just had to by it. It is amazing, and smells like nothing i smelled before.
It has a uniqe caracter, and it`s very soft,elegant and smooth. The bottle is one of the coolest i have ever seen! So strong and masculine. I think this will be my new signatur-scent, together whit Burberry Touch..
Congratulatjon Mr Olivier Polge! You`ve did it again! You`re one of the best.

This stuff is bad. I got a sample from Paris a few weeks ago, and thought maybe it was just a bad sample. Then I tried a tester bottle, and the same thing...very bad. When I reviewed 7:15am in Bali, the other 'new' KENZO scent, I mentioned the fact that it smelled like a combination of 2 existing KENZO fragrances. I thinnk this is the same situation...smells like a combo of L'Eau par Kenzo and Kenzo pour homme. The result is very bad...there is a note that dominates, but I can't quite put a finger on what it is.
Stay clear...don't waste your time/money.
Quadriple thumbs down.

Concerning about the previous fiasco launches of my favourite Japanese perfume branch, I was kind of a "scared soul" regarding of what I was going to get with this new perfume for the male, but I can only say now, after giving it a try, that could be easily, the male version of “Flower by Kenzo”, and I have a feeling that it will become quite successful in the market, asit has been the above mentioned version for the ladies.

We know that Kenzo always has been fond of flowers and that is why he has based his latest fragrance for men on their image. He has envisioned the abstract flower: a wild tulip and the idea of how could smell like, something that he tried with the poppy in "Flower", before.

Power doesn't actually smells massively flowery, as it just has the enough amount of a vague balanced dose of flowery smell that make it appealing.

It start fresh and greenly soft spicy with burst of coriander, cardamom and bergamot, with the synthetic hints of the aldehydes.
It quickly lays in pieces into a resinous, dark musky balsamic character yet oddly flowery.
The juice mostly show true colors and goes deep and hypnotic with the presence of the tolu balsam and the violet leaves. In fact all is a reminiscent of a mineral-slightly powdery-salty-ambery-floral scent. Rather unusual for a male perfume. I like it.
The musk here comes far prominent, could it be easily marked as pungent, a vivid animalistic note accompanied with the labdanum plus a soft note of iris that instantly reminds you “Dior Homme”. I can detect the soft rock rose floating ghostly around in a shy background.
In the dry down the scent loses the powdery accords and the mineral ambergris is more noticeable, although the whole juice remains dark yet resinous still. I can detect a cola like note (maybe is the freesia note blended with the cedar wood). Highly pleasant.
The final result is an impressive odd floral fragrance, being rather dark musky, kind animalistic than a clean wood scent that you could spect:
My impression is a long lasting deja vú of other flower for man colognes. It has hints of the successful “Dior Homme” iris, the “Lèau Bleue” deep-resinous-dark flowery accents, aldehydic notes like "Farhenheit32", the animalistic notes from “Charonge”…

“Kenzo Power”, brings back the excitement of the old time house references, nostalgia of well blended and peculiar previous scents like the original “Kenzo Homme” or “Jungle”, and, at the same time follows the new trendy generation of floral for men.

The long lasting is terrific and it has a distinctive projection.
A must have for dark scents fans.