Guerlain Homme (2008)
by Guerlain

The mojito note is surprisingly tasteful and long-lasting on my skin. Mint isn't a note I'm usually attracted to, but placed in this nice boozy nest, it doesn't come off as toothpastey or too sharp like it usually does.

The middle florals are light and pleasant, and I still get just a hint of that boozyness to keep things interesting. As others have said, the base is certainly nothing groundbreaking. But again, it smells good. Just because Guerlain is a mighty house doesn't mean everything they produce HAS to be groundbreaking throughout its evolution. The top and heart are distinctive and effective enough that I'll let the base slide and give it a thumbs up.

Guerlain homme isn't a fabulous nor a desatrous fragrance. This parfume is just really mainstream and simple which isn't bad but many other fragrance can do the same job for less expansive. Also, I found this fragrance to be aim at a more mature crowds. At 25, I do feel like this smell too old on me. I might recommand it to a 40+ men but not for a 25 years old, like myself.

I gave a neutral thumb because isn't a bad fragrance but isn't amazing, specially for a vetiver and for Guerlain. You will not offend anybody with this one. Make sure you look into different Vetiver since, IMO, there's a lot better option open to you.

i found it fabulous in its style : it is certainly not a smell that we use to know from Guerlain even if i think they tried to make a synthesis of different notes from their other compositions
the head is very fresh with lime and mint (a note found in some aqua allegoria, closer from the mint in Mentafollia rather this of Herba Fresca) and green and a little bit acid (with rhubarb), but the note of rhum was not detectable to me by itself but it certainly adds some strenght

the floral accord in the middle is very pronounced with the geranium overwhelming (a strange unusual note indeed very masculine and also fresh); a hint of green tea is also present

the drydown is maybe a little bit more formal and conventional but the woods are elegant, mixing vetiver and cedar (the vetiver note is a tribute to JPG's Vetiver) and very well crafted, but i did'nt perceived the rhubarb note; when i smell these basenotes it reminds me many things from other compositions (without being able to told which, something familar from other Guerlain)

my overall impression is that they created something new, very different of the other fragrances for men released nowaday (of course they want it to be a good seller) with still the high standards of quality of this noble House

the bottle is heavy and masculine and i like it a lot

I don't know why so many people are hating on this fragrance. Yes, it may not be on the caliber of most Guerlain fragrances, but I don't think its a flop like many are implying it is. It starts off sweet and sour with the lime and "mojito" accords. I agree with the fact that the "mojito" accord really isn't all that prevalent, but it IS there. It adds a bit of sourness to the top/middle notes that makes it stand out. There is a sweetness that lingers below it along with some very light floral notes. These notes last for about 2 hours before the woody accords start to come out. What remains is a nice cedarwood base with a touch of the lime and floral from the drydown. Depending on how much you apply, this fragrance lasts about 5-6 hours on me and is great on a hot summer day.

Again, not Guerlain's best, but a good warm weather fragrance.

After I sprayed on the sample, I was very surprised because Guerlain Homme smelled exactly like one of those Adidas shower gels I used to use after a fitness workout. The shower gel assocation never left my mind while wearing this fragrance. Other assocations are youthful, sporty and energetic.

I think Guerlain Homme should have been promoted as a sport fragrance. It is very contemporary. It combines fresh notes like lime and mint with a vague sweetness, that fits well with a metrosexual image of masculinity. To me the sweetness gets annoying, but I can understand that it can be appealing to other people.

Guerlain is clearly trying to reach a younger generation with Guerlain Homme, hoping this will be a bestseller. Probably hoping also that those young people will get curious about the other Guerlain scents. A perfectly defendable management decision. But I doubt if this will succeed. Guerlain Homme is a bit more expensive than most of the scents marketed at a younger agegroup, but it's not significantly better. Guerlain Homme is a decent sport scent, quite nice even, but being nice may not be enough.

Although it’s not a completely generic fresh scent, Guerlain Homme still remains a complete and utter disappointment from this classic house. I’m so disappointed by this wishy-washy offering that I can’t even be bothered to write a proper review. So, below are some of my thoughts:

1) There's hardly a mojito accord to my nose – the mint and citrus are too subtle.
2) It smells more like an updated version of Vetiver, with a dominant 'clean' vetiver accord.
3) Its sillage is minimal with a longevity of about 3-5 hours.
4) It smells more synthetic than I would normally expect from a Guerlain.
5) After the top notes disappear (whatever you can detect of them) the drydown is generic and very faint.
6) It reminds me more of a Bulgari than an actual Guerlain in more ways than one.

Obviously, Guerlain Homme is an attempt to create a mainstream release for men and, to a certain degree, they have probably succeeded (because it's an extremely boring and cheap-smelling creation). Unfortunately, the consequence of such an achievement is that the reputation of Guerlain has been further stained by yet another below par release.

This is something Jean-Paul Guerlain could have quickly rustled up in his sleep.

[Original submission date: 10 December 2008]