New Mauboussin M Generation

Not quite sure about ginger in the top but overall the frag is something I will @ least sample.

The description of the wearer tho comes across as a sad poser. They may want to rethink that.

Wow, Scentimus, thank you for keeping us informed. I only wish you would always follow these up with fragrance reviews when you track down a sample

And that is one sharp looking bottle. I keep saying that in these threads. But that is a good looking bottle. The notes sound good as well.

Bottle is awesome and notes list is better. I shouldn't, but I'm getting my hopes up for this.

A bunch of my favorite notes in there. Ginger, cinnamon, iris, bay, iris & jasmine and guaicwood. Here's hoping!

Pumping: Has anyone tested this scent?

I've never sampled any from this house and always wondered, where is the house originally from? IOW what's the story?
Reading about the notes in their other scents, and looking at the bottles, I'm always tempted.

It's been a while since we've heard anything from this house.....I hope this is interesting.....Thanks for the info!!!
Gary

Has this been released? I can't find it listed on any sites anywhere.

Has anyone seen or tried this? If so.. please do share your thoughts. Based upon the notes this one sounds really good.

I believe this is the same bottle design as the original Mauboussin Homme, the color of the juice is the only difference.
Here's the original:

Who's the perfumer?

I can´t wait to try it !!!.....Renaissance_Man, you must try Mauboussin Homme. A beautiful lavender/patchouli fragrance.Very retro/ barber shop style perfume. It reminds me a lot of Maharadjah from Parfums de Nicolai.

This has been out for a few months now. Does anyone have some thoughts on the fragrance ? Thanks.

Bought it at the Mauboussin boutique in NYC in December. A nice smooth spicy and smoky scent. If you like ginger, you might like it.

Found a nice PDF file out on the web with the answer: Henri Bergia and Claire Chambert perfumers.

I think the previous one was Alberto Morillas on juice and Thierry de Baschmakoff on bottle.

Interesting smaller house that I knew nearly zilch about until this thread, other than seeing the women's fragrance fairly commonly in the SOTD.

Just got a deal on both fragrances. I'm doing the requisite sniffs from the bottles, without having sprayed them yet. There is definitely some homage going on here. I'm getting the lavender in the original, but also some fruit and spices, too. Very nice fragrance. The new one is clearly similar, but far spicier, smokier, and more incense-like, less transparent. Admittedly, these are just initial impressions, but I find those are often useful. I'll report back with more after some real wear.

PS - the bottles are super-bad-ass. They fit the hand like a self-made stone implement. The ad copy for the new one - "the signature of an ancestral innovative spirit" - hey, kinda corny, but no lie. The damn thing is like a cross between a Star Trek phaser and a hide scraper. If you're a bottle guy, you need one of the two. The older one has nice purplish juice with interesting glass effects, and the newer one is partially mirrored with a silvery copper color. Thierry de Baschmakoff rocks!

Thanks so much for posting an update. Please post more once you've grasped the notes and scent itself ( better). Glad that someone took a "chance" on these fragrances. I'm gonna have to track a bottle down when I get the time.

And yes, those bottles do look cool. Nice to read that they still look good in person. You know that sometimes happens. Bottle looks sharp on screen, but in person, kinda cheap.

OK - I wore this all day today (M Generation, that is). Very interesting. First of all, it's very non-mainstream. Surprisingly so, even. The fragrances this reminds me of (not sayin' it's as good - just that it's reminding me of them) would be Santos de Cartier, Marc Jacobs Bang, and Carolina Herrera CH Men. Lighter than Santos, less peppery than Bang, and less fruity than CH Men. Maybe a bit like the new Gentleman flanker of D&G the one For Men. In some ways it reminds me of those modern weak orientals, only spicier. That list of notes up above? (Woody notes enriched with spices / bergamot / Ceylon ginger / nutmeg / pink bay leaf / Szechuan pepper / iris / incense / cinnamon / Egyptian jasmine / labdanum / Moroccan cedar / Guaiac wood / sandalwood). All present and reporting for duty. There is a LOT of spice and incense going on for the life of this thing. There's a fruity note that runs through the whole thing, and combined with the wood and the incense, it comes off a wee bit like Jubilation XXV (I say that while kneeling toward JXXV and begging forgiveness). However, there is a healthy tobacco-like accord in the first half of the heart, and that comes across a lot like Carolina Herrera CH Men - which I was going to buy, but which I probably won't now, because this is very much like it, only spicier and more balanced and reserved on the fruity note.

I want to be careful comparing this to Amouage, because it's not, BUT I think it is worth sniffing by people who like the drier and/or more complex incense frags such as those. You would not be disappointed by a standard aquatic. Longevity is good because of the significant base - I got 8-12 hours out of it, depending on whether you count the skin scent at the end. It's not very transparent - the closest that it ever comes is in the opening, though it's more transparent than a lot of incense scents. I would say that the finish is better than those for both Santos and Kouros, where things get a bit rough-woody in the drydown. Not this frag - it holds together well, and maintains something like the middle of Santos (i.e., a bit less grand than the opening) for the duration. I, personally, wish it were a little less dry toward the end. It starts off very nicely, with an appropriately EDP-ish feel - just a bit moist and spicy in a complex way, like L'Instant PH EDP (though NO gourmand and no cacao). The slightly fruity tobacco thing was really working for me. My wife complimented me on it when I rolled down the truck window to talk to her. So sillage was decent and not overpowering with 5 small sprays, 4 under clothing.

Oh, yeah - I forgot to mention the second half of the heart. Lots of smoky and candle-waxy notes - like shades of Le Troisieme Homme or Derby, or maybe CdG 2MAN on a diet. That was enjoyable, too. So it's fairly dynamic as well.

It's an interesting fragrance. Glad I bought it. Versatile, maybe more so than Santos - kinda more like Bang in terms of being a regular work or play fragrance. I would feel comfortable wearing this any time.

Not sure I would blind-buy this fragrance. I took a bit of a chance, and got semi-lucky, since it turns out that I was fully in the market for a very similar fragrance. I'm also a bottle guy, and I simply had to own one. But to be honest, it just didn't blow me away, fragrance-wise. I'm kind of hard to blow away at this point, but it wasn't like 2MAN, that really blew me out of the water. It's solid and good, but it just wasn't the greatest thing ever. So I recommend either sniffing, or looking closely at several reviews and making sure that it's pushing enough of your love buttons. Still, the prices out there are damn good if you even just like this juice.

The bottle closes by rotating the small triangular top piece 120 degrees, so it doesn't depress. Rather ingenious.

Thanks, surfacing! I'll post some pictures of the actual bottles soon. They're slightly bigger than hand-sized, so the ad copy does make them look bigger, but they're just as cool as they look in the pics. From the side, they actually have a wind-swept sail vibe - the bottle looks quite good in profile as well.

Red, that post above was first class. Thanks so much for the effort. I know it takes time, so we all really appreciate it.

Your description seems to make M Generation a likely canditate for a blind buy, as long as I don't expect to be blown away. Its hard to be anyways. Most fragrances that do amaze me at first, eventually ( within the subsequent testings), are just decent to me. Excitment wears off. It takes something special to blow me ( us) away. Most often, however ( with me), fragrances grow on me. Sometimes they grow and after a few months I say to myself, "This is great !". It happened with Lyric Man, Declaration, and a few others.

I look forward to the pics

OK, here ya go! I should just warn you that I wore the original today, and am very impressed. An excellent fragrance, that one. Review coming.

Here are some pictures of the pair (front, back, side), plus a solo of the original. Enjoy!

I'm really happy that david recommended Mauboussin EDP Pour Homme, because it's a truly excellent fragrance, as he mentioned.

My first impression upon smelling Mauboussin Pour Homme and M Generation was that they were related. However, the relationship isn't trivial. I want to say that M Generation is something like a hypothetical Pour Homme Extreme, but it's really much more than that. There is a certain combination of spices which links the two. You can smell it a little in Pour Homme, and very boldly in M Generation. The increase in the spice is so strong, it really makes them two different fragrances - not a flanker relationship. The difference is even greater than that between Guerlain Homme and Guerlain Homme Extreme, which many feel are substantially different.

Mauboussin Pour Homme starts off reminding me very strongly of Voyage d'Hermès. Imagine Voyage d'Hermès with a bit more spice, a bit less cooling, and a perfect commingling of lavender - a level matching the spice in exquisite balance. Now amplify both the fruity note and the musk in Voyage d'Hermès - just the right amounts. This is where the fragrance makes a strong impression of tremendous multifaceted balance during the opening (and makes me wonder if "multi-faceted" was actually in the brief from this house known more for its jewelry than its fragrances). The muskiness is a bit bolder than Voyage d'Hermès, and the fruit note a bit more center stage. Never skanky, the musk is still manly and compelling. The fragrance has balls, as Tania Sanchez would say - though I would hasten to add that they just got out of the shower and saw a quality body wash. The musk is only slightly soapy, and not terribly powdery to my nose. It is more like a clean yet skin-originating and animal-attractive scent.

Longevity is good, and the fragrance stays balanced during the whole show. I don't want to call it linear - it's just nicely multi-faceted for the duration. I got a good eight hours out of it, and I could still smell almost every facet in the final skin scent. This thing is very well-made.

I think it's quite versatile. I plan on wearing it to everything from burger runs to concerts. It's not so noticeable that it seems out of place with casual clothes, yet it does feel classy. It also seems perfectly suited to any time of year. It's less stand-out than M Generation, and that's not a bad thing for me, because I like some of my fragrances to play nice, and this one will. You might say that it is more mainstream than M Generation, but that's not a bad thing. It's still not your average department store aquatic, chasing after the American market. This is a very French EDP for men. I see this house as being a bit like Lubin and Rochas - undervalued in America, with quality scents that not everybody is wearing.

Apparently, the original design for the bottle was inspired by this hotel.

My recommendation: BUY. Or buy both.

Yep, those bottles look cool. Thanks for posting.

Its good to read that the longevity is good for them. Even thought both are listed as EDP, you still never know. I will try to track down a bottle of one of them ( hopefully the M Generation).

Great to read your thoughts, Red. Very descriptive and well put. Thanks

Thanks RP for two fantastic reviews. They sound great and those photos...eye candy...I wanted to reach and grab them.
I hope I'll get to test these soon.

I've always read rave reviews of the ladies version EDP as a most delicious and comforting gourmand. You're right. Looks like a quality and undervalued house.

The bottles are gorgeous. The fragrances sound...sketchy.

A huge thanks to Redneck Perfumisto for such an in depth look at this new fragrance !!!
Back to Mauboussin Homme, I would just like to say that I have both the edp and edt version and I find the eau de toilette version far superior - and still very long lasting. The edp has a harsh edge to it, which is especially noticable when worn at neck level or smelled up close. Somehow the edt is higher quality juice for me and still does the job, and perhaps more elegantly than the edp.
I do definitely find a similarity between Mauboussin Homme and Maharadjah.

You're welcome! Glad there's some interest in these.


That's what really predisposed me to try these - the women's version seems almost revered. I was delighted to see that there were men's scents as well.

I was somewhat taken aback by my own earlier comment linking this house to Lubin and Rochas. I got to thinking - what the hell does a jeweler with a handful of fragrances have to do with these smaller but very dedicated fragrance houses. I'm not quite sure, because I don't really have a strong perspective on the question, but I think it may have to do with their size, in that it lets them be a bit more visionary. Too big, and all sorts of large-scale commercial concerns start tampering with the fragrance. Stay small, and you can say what you want to say with the fragrance.


Yes - the bottles have a huge wow factor. The fragrances are not a sure thing. Although I have to say, I'm really falling for M Generation now. Every wear gets better. I even gave a buddy of mine a quick, single shot of M Generation before he had to run. The next day, he was gushing about whatever it was I let him try the day before. I almost hate to tell him it's a 30-buck frag.

But if I put them in perspective and drop the momentary infatuation, I would say that Mauboussin Homme EDP is comparable to Voyage d'Hermès, and that M Generation is comparable to one's mid-favorite CdG incense scent, whatever that is. Not a bad place to be in either case - especially at the price - but not guaranteed to please. Even as much as I've describe these, they're complex - blind buys are still a risky venture when so many notes are popping up.


I will definitely try the EDT at some point. I saw both of them for sale, but opted for the EDP since I tend to go for more concentrated juice, and didn't want to blind-buy both of them. And I clearly need to sniff Maharadjah now, too!

ps....I forgot to mention Mauboussin Emotion Divine. See my recent thread. See also the reviews for this perfume on Fragrantica. Unfortunately this perfume is not listed on the basenotes fragrance directory.

Thanks, david. I will keep a lookout for that one. It seems rather hard to find, but very interesting - almost in a Le Feu d'Issey way. I noticed that Mauboussin has a variety of intriguing discontinued scents - e.g., Histoire d'Eau, a floriental with Christine Nagel as perfumer. An fun new part of the perfume world to discover!

Red, I am also interested in these scents.

Many of the women's scents from Mauboussin, from my research, are deemed unisex.

Hi everybody,
I know it's kind of late for this but it's the only place where I found some nice and complete reviews for Mauboussin M Generation.
I just wanted to thank Redneck Perfumisto, hednick and others for reviewing it. Not to mention that I ordered a big M Generation bottle blind online and I just can't wait to arrive. If will be not too late, I will post also some personal thoughts about it.

Just picked up EDP of Mauboussin femme and the M Generation, these bottles are insane. Thick and heavy almost feel like crystal just a wicked looking bottle for both.

Going to test the juice this afteroon !!

Hope you like M Generation. I have it and think it's not bad.

I hope you like both of them.

wow talk about Unique scents, kind of reminds me of a few scents when I was stationed in Sicily. M Generation boy I am not sure what all is going on here but I like it and it's crazy different right now. The EDP of femme is gorgeous, not sure if I can pull it off but it's pretty awesome smelling. It's kind of remindimg me of my eau claire de marveille for some reason, but the M wow nothing like this in my wardrobe AT all.

Yeah - I'll say one thing - they're not just plain old scents. I don't wear them often, but when I do, they're pretty wicked. Revisited M Generation recently, and enjoyed it.

I went through a week where I wore the women's EDP until I was totally overcome by the sweet fermented fruit thing and just couldn't take it AT ALL. It's tough to pull off even for women - it's just totally out there - smells great, but it's like a decayed fruit vuvuzela.

Hmmm does M-Generation come in EDT concentration?

M Generation keeps coming up when I search for fragrances by the notes I'm looking for. I appreciate the commentary here, especially the extended review from Redneck Perfumisto, because this one still isn't in the BN directory. I've been looking for something wearable but not too run-of-the-mill and the price is very reasonable.

Has anyone else had any experience with Mauboussin M Generation?

I prefer not to blind buy, so I'm hoping the Mauboussin shop in town has testers... if not, I'm very tempted to risk it!

From what I've read, it sounded like Listen for Men by Herb Alpert (beyond the opening), so I didn't think I needed another version of it.

Thanks! I know that Surfacing eventually got a hold of it, and was a bit underwhelmed. Hopefully he'll see this thread again and fill in the details.

I'll do my best, although I have not sampled this in a few months. I actually accept this a bit more now and have really been hesitant to swap my bottle. There must be a reason and a sharp looking bottle is only novel for a short period of time.

First, I do like the ginger and spice opening. It sounds "foody", but its not. After a bit it dries down and forms a nice light woodsy accord. A dash on incense, a dash of spice....its not bad. I blind bought this and i wanted it to blow my mind.....not sure why because few fragrances ever do. The price is also right on this bottle.

In any event, I think this a pretty good scent and something I really have come around to liking. I don't wear it, but will give it a spin soon. Thanks for the reminder !

I will touch base here after that SotD and follow up with some comments.

It is highly unlikely that a fragrance from 1991 will smell like one from 2010. Different aromachemicals used, different times....etc. Especially when you compare a 1991 scent that has been discontinued to a fragrance like M Generation which comes across as quite contemporary.

Thanks for that and I look forward to your follow up comments!

The wood note that eventually comes out in Listen is very similar to the one in Kyoto (which is there at an earlier time) but before that, there is a similarity to Santos, and judging from another BNer's comments about what M Gen smells like (since I haven't sampled it) that sounds like a "dead ringer" for Listen. Those who read BN for ideas can make of this what they will.

I haven't been able to find any samples of this and, apparently, the only Mauboussin boutiques in Asia are in Singapore and Korea. It is very interesting to note, however, that there is a pdf spreadsheet on their website showing where the fragrances are available in France and it is five pages long. Is this a common fragrance in its home country?

I've been eyeing this on Strawberrynet.com since I first found this thread a while back. On top of their already discounted prices, Strawberrynet are offering an extra 10% off everything on their site until February 2nd. As an added bonus, their warehouse is in Hong Kong, so I get free shipping and an additional 5% off.

I think my girlfriend could be convinced to get this for me for Valentines, if only for the fact that they throw in free lipstick to first time customers. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll actually like it!

^ If you are up for a blind buy, I'd say go for it ( as long as you accept that this may just not work out for you). Blind buys are always a gamble, I encourage them, but I never encourage the whining that ensues from alot of guys on here after a blind buy ( OmGZ, WorZT BliDNZ BuYZ eVVVer !!!).

By the way Ronin, I wore this again for a SotD on Sunday and I said I woud get back to you on that.

I still like the smell. I still wish it would radiate better or project. Longevity is good. I also sprayed abit more this time, as the sprayer maybe sprays half the amount of juice ( to me) as other atomizers do. I love the bottle and packaging. I would miss this one if I let it go. At the same time, I don't know how often I would wear it. But I like the smell and how it develops. It gets a bit sweeter with time, but never too sweet.

This is an EDP fragrance and thus, like most EDP's, wears closer to the skin on me. I'm gonna keep it around until spring and try it then. Would I recommend this ? Yes, but only if you are okay with having your fragrance wear more close to the skin. Although keep in mind it could just be me.

Thanks for getting back to me about this one, Surfacing. I think I am up for a blind buy and I promise I won't bemoan my fate if it doesn't work for me. Luckily, the cost is reasonably low, so the risk isn't too high... I guess I'll just consider it to be a 100 ml "sample."

I'm generally quite open to different scents and have worn things in the past that were given to me as blind gifts: Jazz, Fahrenheit, Azzaro PH, and Burberry London. If it is milder than Santos, less peppery than Bang, and bit like Gentleman flanker of D&G the one For Men (as Redneck Perfumisto suggested) I'll probably like it. The bigger concern is whether or not my girlfriend will like it...

As for the projection, I'm actually OK with it being mild, as long as it has decent longevity. Some of the social circles I run in are not conducive to massive sillage.

Smell-wise, I'm really intrigued because searching for a fragrance by the notes that I'm looking for keeps coming up with Mauboussin M Generation. It basically has everything I'm looking for in a woody-spicy scent and nothing that might concern me. I'm especially curious to smell how the Szechuan pepper/ginger will play out against the rest of the woods and spices...

My girlfriend did indeed get me M Generation for Valentines and I love it. Luckily, so does she! It is a voluptuous ball of spicy, incensey, fruity, woody awesomeness and the powers-that-be at Basenotes have now added it to the directory:

http://www.basenotes.net/ID26133601.html

First off...Whew !!! Of course, I am the one who knew this would work all along and had indeed been the one to orchestrate your girlfriend to purchase the bottle ....actually, I am just relieved that I wasn't gonna get lambasted for convincing someone on blind buy. Glad it worked. I knew you were above the whiners who cry about failed blind buys ( after asking Basenoters on what they should buy, which is in itself odd).

Second.....since when did they start adding fragrances into the directory ? But anyways, thanks to the Mods and Admin for doing so. Its nice to see M Generation up.

Wearing M Generation for the first time today. Nice so far. Listen is much more old school with its use of herbs and florals. I don't smell any relation at all here.

Well, my brother got me a bottle of M Generation for my birthday. First off, I really love the bottle. Not only does it look cool and original, it's also highly practical with its twisting shape that fits the hand perfectly, and the twisting sprayer. Unfortunately, I had forgotten that there were two concentrations! I had no idea which I had, but I certainly know now: I had the EdT, and got the EdP as a gift.

I much prefer the EdT unfortunately. The EdP is primarily sweet, rich wood, almost a mahogany-cedar vibe, and has a little more fruity sense, while the EdT, not surprisingly, is more bright, hesperidic and aromatic -- extremely good stuff for the price, and it indeed does smell like the notes in the pyramid. Let's see if I can finagle the EdT out of the retailer.

- - - Updated - - -

Hm, I don't find an EdT anywhere on the web. But I swear my (unmarked) sample differs from the new EdP bottle I got. It's brighter, more aromatic, less woody-sweet and more complex.

Has anyone seen the EdT anywhere at all recently?

I have never seen the edt as well. I think there is only an EDP, actually ( I checked the site).

Some places have mentioned that it is available as an edt ( Fragrantica), but I believe they are mistaken.

I've only seen the EdP, which is what I have in my wardrobe. As Surfacing says, the Mauboussin site only shows the EdP.

I don't find it particularly sweet, at least not in a sugary sense. The fruitiness is there as dried fruit, to me, and gives it a bit of sweetness, but in a very solid, understated way. This means the ginger and bergamot are rounded and muted, rather than having the spice and sourness one would expect from a fresh version of those notes.

I'd classify it more as a spicy/woody fragrance, with some supporting fruitiness and a vein of labdanum. At first, spices such as sichuan pepper and cinnamon are prominent, before it evolves and the incense, followed by sandal and cedar woods, come forward.

Where did you get this bright, hesperidic, aromatic sample, MonkeyBars? You say it is unlabelled?

It's a handwritten sample.

Okay I did 5 sprays of my new EdP bottle before heading to the farmer's market. I think it's possible that the first couple sprays in the tube had been a bit dried-down. The experience of that very animalic labdanum (almost a civet-honey impression), balanced with sweet spices and dry, sharp cedar today was truly superb. Perhaps my sample was just a slightly more fresh decant than what I've got -- the very start is slightly brighter, but then it's indistinguishable. What an excellent fragrance. The composition is a bit edgy with the pepper, halfway between designer and niche, while the ingredient quality feels niche all the way. Projection is mild; this is well-rounded and somewhat polite frag. Not very potent for an EdP. I could easily do 8 sprays when going out at night.

So now my question is for david if he's around. He says he owns both. Can you compare them? Perhaps the EdT was only available in France.

He was refering to Mauboussin Homme when mentioning he owns both the edt and edp.

Thanks for clearing that up man. Makes sense.

Curious to try Mauboussin Homme, as it has been compared to Davidoff Zino and Gucci Envy, which I enjoy.

Blind bought it today hopefully it lives up to the expectations.

Give it a full wearing and let us know what you think!

I also blind bought it and found that Redneck Perfumisto's description was quite accurate. Love this stuff

I think it's a bit too gingery! Not sure what the dry down is but I can barely smell it. I don't know what is wrong with my nose these days, I can barely smell anything apart from Montale on myself!

But will post when it dry's down and see how it transforms. Projection seems to be OK.

Overall just an OK smell for the money paid!

- - - Updated - - -

As it settles down, ginger fades away and it becomes more metallic and perhaps a skin scent. I can't say what the projection or silage of the smell is.

Really like this juice, but it's not particularly potent -- especially for an EdP. 5-10 sprays is about right for me.

Bgoc, give it some time. I was dissapointed at first, but it really grew to me and is now one of my favs. I do about 4 or 5 sprays on my chest and it seems to work fine. I prefer to wear it in warm weather ( but not hot). It seems to really come alive then.