Zino Davidoff Opinions?

Lavender, "dirty" jasmine, a sour citrus, transitioning into a heavy patchouli/vanillic amber/wood base, with a hint of tobacco. Sound good? Grab it !

I have it and like it just fine.

It's wonderful!

It's a great 'dirty' masculine rose. Creamy with great sillage and longevity. There's a lot of love on BN for it and a lot of dislike as well. I happen to love it!

Almost a "gourmand powerhouse", lush notes of wood, tobacco and spice

it is a good buy, get it.
Very good longevity and great depth.

Can somebody confirm that it has been discontinued?

It's an acquired taste. I enjoy wearing it from time to time, but it's something you have to be in the mood for.

It is not listed on the Davidoff site and is disappearing from some of the discount sites. Maybe not confirmation but a powerful indicator.

Davidoff's best!

Where did you see it for that price?

I love it too, my only criticism about it is that it feels a tad synthetic to me.

it's lovely , but do not apply this in the heat

It's a bargain,you will get the best available fragrance these days from "Davidoff" man's line.

One of my all-time favorites. 5/5 for me.

Yes, it's a great fragrance, but it is, in my opinion, rather of it's time so I don't wear it too often.

It always makes me think of a white jacket, open shirt and big medallion.

A good nostalgia trip every now and then though, to a time when I had a full head of hair. Alas, no more....

Great frag. I've been enjoying a mini in slightly cooler temperatures than we've got at the moment. As soon as the mini's gone, I'm ordering a bottle.

Dirty animalic opening that reminds me of Zoo with nice flowery drydown. If you can get past top notes that lasts like 2 hours it is rather enjoyable fragrance.

I am glad I experienced it but it is not for me.

It's a classic.....And I like it.....Gary

I just noticed it is in CheapSmells Autumn sale - £22. I have of course bought a bottle! The sale lasts until the end of today (9/10/2011).

Just a heads up to other British BNers looking for this one at a good price.

Agree.I like it very much.

I think i need it, never tried Zino. I do like Davidoff original but if this one is even better, i will buy a bottle NOW

Absolutely true. It's nothing like Cool Water (which I like) or Adventure. It's a spicy aromatic rose scent.

Davidoff Original is awesome too, but I like Zino even better. Davidoff is a balls-out powerhouse, where Zino is much more restrained.

Zino is quite low in volume daniel. And I guess you like your frags with the volume knob on eleven.
Although, it's very nice. I would say it's a floral woody. The sweet touch doesn't smell unnatural to me.

One of my favorites when it was released. Blindbought several bottles this year, but I hate the fragrance now.
Sour to my nose and to everyone that smells it. Might be an old batch though as it is discontinued.
Tried giving the bottles away to friends, but they all passed it on, so I'll say: test first!

I wore Zino today - the new label (possibly it was slightly reformulated or toned down - this was the last bottling before being discontinued) with the BLOCK letters of "DAVIDOFF" and A is stylized.

Any way, it is very good on top and in the middle, but longevity is an issue. After a couple of hours, this becomes a skin scent. Cold weather here and I reapplied twice to get the notes back.

However, Davidoff's "original" with the green juice - that is amazing juice and a truly magnificent bottle of fragrance! I want to get an older bottle of Zino with the script logo to compare...but, you cannot make up for the incredible richness of the long-discontinued original bottle by Davidoff. My ratings are Zino - 7.5/10 (Block logo) vs. Original/Classic green juice 9/10. One is good, possibly very good. The other is excellent.

Zino is trying to dethrone Fahrenheit as my #1 favorite.

A great fragrance by Pierre Bourdon and Michel Almairac.

It goes good with a woman wearing Opium.

Zino is a descendent of Jicky imo -- a pretty good one, and a very good value. Rather heavy so it can cut through cigar smoke. Sweet, floral, but juicy (and crisp in the opening) while not thick in its vanilla. I also can attest to a very animalic civet opening along with the citrus and lavender. Well constructed.

Well put.

To me, it stands next to Iquitos in this regard.

The best from Davidoff is overused(Cool Water), the second best(Zino) is not as good as its flanker Héritage(Guerlain); you can forget the rest!

To me its the best of Davidoff..even in its current incarnation it has that moist, damp floral-woods accord which is quite addictive.

I agree.

I don't agree.......

The best of Davidoff imo are Zino and Relax and certainly not the overrated Cool Water. The problem is almost noone knows Relax! (or Davidoff Davidoff Classic for that matter (as both are discontinued) which is also an excellent fragrance but way way too heavy for current generation). For me the smell of Zino is one of the best smells ever as is Relax which has a one of a kind delicious original heavy smell!

Zino is not discontinued! (not yet at least)

Likewise, very well put in an encapsulated way. I am definitely in the strong "like" category. If it lasted longer, I would say "love" - I am working on getting a bottle of the older juice (script logo - not the last formulation with the Block letters) which should not be too hard.

The dark, deep earthy and wood notes - patchouli and rosewood - do wonders here. Somebody once said it is not a "first date" scent. I laughed, but realized they are right. There is some risk - an "I wear it because I like it attitude" could be brash. But, if you are with a woman of taste - it's a great 3rd date scent...when you are intimate and things are beyond cheesy getting-to-know-you conversation. I have to say, as a close-in, skin scent the longevity is pretty good - about 4-5 hours. I hope the older juice is stronger as I've heard...

I don't either get anymore longevity out of Zino than 3/4 hrs (new formulation) too bad for such a great scent!

Cool Water is for the mass-market - it is decent for high-school and people who still can't tie a good knot in their tie.

Zino is very good - new packaging/possible reformulation is diluted, I believe - but still very good. Just low on longevity. Very strong top and great middle with a very nice drydown. However, a skin scent for the last couple hours of a 4 hour (or so) ride.

The Davidoff Davidoff Classic (long discontinued) is, bar none, the best ever from this house. Probably not for the current generation - you are right. But, that is fine - I still listen and play vintage late 60's and 70's classic rock (Zeppelin, Doors, Hendrix, Stones). Current generation music sounds like synthesized crap - as most of the non-niche fragrances smell like synthesized crap. Let the new generation buy it - I won't.

I agree that's why I bought the last two 75 ml bottles of Relax here 3/4 of a year ago (not to get anymore now), an aftershave of Davidoff Classic and Vermeil 100 ml for men (discontinued as well) which is 99% identical to the Davidoff Davidoff Classic version and Zino of course!

You have great taste in fragrance, Slayerized! Your Top 10 has about 5-6 fragrances out of my top 10 - Paco Rabanne Pour Homme (Vintage) is my all-time favorite...period.

However, I also have a very, very strong passion for Vetivers and have always loved classic Gucci (including Original Pour Homme and the Tom Ford era).

But, sad to say - those of us who know Zino know that 3-4 hours is not what is expected. I will keep my current formulation and get an older one and write an in-depth comparison. I have heard that they have discontinued it (read Scentimus' posting) and the last formulation was produced by a division under Coty. A final, slap-in-the-face send-off of a very original and remarkable scent that should have been respected and simply discontinued.

Can you describe Relax? I'm curious about that one. Very difficult to find it, too.

I think Cool Water is good stuff, although lacks "wow" factor. It's one of a very few scents that I find myself jonesing for, though. Unsure of why that is, especially since I still have Aspen and GIT.

One of my two reviews I ever wrote is about Relax! (read it! lol)

Notice: I am not a note or "real" frag expert like so many here but I know the basics and what I like to smell........, so the other reviews on Relax are probably way better regarding "depth" and notes.......

@ericrico: Yes, for me the opening of Paco ph is the best opening off all! Absolutely stunning and delicous! Old school or not, I just love it!

***UPDATE*** - A very full and "complete" wearing today of Zino Davidoff. After finally acquiring some true Vintage juice with the script logo bottle (original formulation), I am ready! I had been contacting literally dozens of sellers who show that bottle but came clean and admitted they had the new reformulation. Several honest ones changed pictures - and some even lowered their prices accordingly...kudos to righteous and honest sellers on eBay (and other internet retail sites)!

On my left hand and inner arm is 3 full squirts of the reformulated juice. I am getting the very good top notes here (originally a 7/10 for scent - I would even bump it up to 7.5+/10 for pure top and middle notes - the drydown & longevity is lacking as we all know). Fantastic "dirty" rose, patchouli, wood (rosewood and sandalwood) intermixed with other nice "fresh-cut" florals and green herbs...very nice indeed! This maintains a lot of what the other had as pure notes and "cleaned them up" and rinsed off a good deal of the earthiness. This has a very "smooth" texture to it...creamy is word I don't like to use with fragrance, but this is. Not at all bad - I think I was disappointed by not getting the power before, but the sheer beauty is still here in the current juice - the bouquet is actually fresher but noticeably lighter and lacking the darkness and depth we know Zino had.

On my right hand and inner arm is 3 full squirts of the Vintage juice. Immediate and noticeable difference even from the top...the richness, power and depth are impressive! The definitive "dirty rose" note is still very distinctly there, but covered in more earth (even dirtier is this rose). A huge blast of patchouli, rich and powdery vanilla, great wood (dustier sandalwood and rosewood) and a great cedar note that strengthens the deep, dark and dank base of "stewed" florals. Lavender is sharper here and the herbs are edgier - rosemary comes out pronounced. This is a magical forest after a fresh rain with a blooming rose gleaning through the canopy! I also get a slightly smoky note out of the Vintage juice that is non-existent in the current reformulation, but not invasive or overpowering - I believe it comes from the vanilla (I have smelled a similar note from high-quality vanilla incense burning...you smell the true scent of vanilla, but as a plume passing by - gorgeous). This is downright mysterious and I cannot put enough superlatives together! It is stunning. No other fragrance smells like this and I have other rose scents that I could start adding things to like a witch's brew and never get even close (even if I had the entire scent pyramid and a chemistry set)! But, this is a masterfully-blended composition that is so intricately and beautifully woven - one must just stand back and purely admire. In the drydown - which happens much later (starting at 2-3 hours and going for the duration we expect from Zino), somehow the composition's darkness seems to lighten. My wife compared this entire scent to an incredible incense-smell herself - very interesting. At this stage, she said that the incense has already burned (smoke is gone), but the entire room is radiating the incredible notes and you smell (individually) the deep rose, rich wood, now smooth vanilla, earth and herbs. Wow! Vintage formulation - 9+/10!

Here is the kicker - when I started writing this, I also sprayed a couple shots OF EACH formulation on my neck, chest and clothes...what I am getting from those places is the best of both, radiating very strong!! I am in a cloud of Zino Davidoff right now while typing this. Olfactory fatigue could set in after a while (since I applied a generous amount overall), but this is so heavenly right now...

*Final update - I came back, just before posting this (as I wanted to get a true sense of longevity), and smelled my clothes I wore that day (which had several shots of both Vintage and Current formulation Zino sprayed on it). I wanted to be patient, so please know this has been almost two full days since applying - my clothes smell so incredibly full and rich of Zino Davidoff. It is as if I just applied it a few hours before! I stuffed my face in my shirt and could not believe it - I could actually smell it distinctly from about a foot away even! This is the Zino Davidoff that we know and love...I could literally put my clothes back on and leave the house without re-applying any scent. That is a true testament to the power and longevity that we were used to.

Personally, I absolutely LOVE Vintage Zino and can absoutely tolerate current formulation with the mindset that I will need to reapply. So, my answer to this dilemma was already given - spray both formulations on together (which I do with virtually every scent that has been reformulated), enjoy the incredible, radiating cloud of Zino's fantastic top and middle notes and know that you will have the drydown of the Vintage that you applied for a lot of hours on your skin and several days on your clothes! I will definitely be buying more Vintage in order to enjoy this for years to come. In my Top 10 with Vintage formulation...bottom line.

***UPDATE*** - A very full and "complete" wearing of Zino Davidoff. After finally acquiring some true Vintage juice with the script logo bottle (original formulation), I am ready! I had been contacting literally dozens of sellers who show that bottle but came clean and admitted they had the new reformulation. Several honest ones changed pictures - and some even lowered their prices accordingly...kudos to righteous and honest sellers on eBay (and other internet retail sites)!

On my left hand and inner arm is 3 full squirts of the reformulated juice. I am getting the very good top notes here (originally a 7/10 for scent - I would even bump it up to 7.5+/10 for pure top and middle notes - the drydown & longevity is lacking as we all know). Fantastic "dirty" rose, patchouli, wood (rosewood and sandalwood) intermixed with other nice "fresh-cut" florals and green herbs...very nice indeed! This maintains a lot of what the other had as pure notes and "cleaned them up" and rinsed off a good deal of the earthiness. This has a very "smooth" texture to it...creamy is a word I don't like to use to describe fragrance, but this is. Not at all bad - I think I was disappointed by not getting the power before, but the sheer beauty is still here in the current juice - the bouquet is actually fresher but noticeably lighter and lacking the darkness and depth we know Zino had.

On my right hand and inner arm is 3 full squirts of the Vintage juice. Immediate and noticeable difference even from the top...the richness, power and depth are impressive! The definitive "dirty rose" note is still very distinctly there, but covered in more earth (even dirtier is this rose). A huge blast of patchouli, rich and powdery vanilla, great wood (dustier sandalwood and rosewood) and a great cedar note that strengthens the deep, dark and dank base of "stewed" florals. Lavender is sharper here and the herbs are edgier - rosemary comes out pronounced. This is a magical forest after a fresh rain with a blooming rose gleaning through the canopy! I also get a slightly smoky note out of the Vintage juice that is not existent in the current reformulation, but not invasive or overpowering - I believe it comes from the vanilla (I have smelled a similar note from high-quality vanilla incense burning...you smell the true scent of vanilla, but as a plume passing by - gorgeous). This is downright mysterious and I cannot put enough superlatives together! It is stunning. No other fragrance smells like this and I have other rose scents that I could start adding things to like a witch's brew and never get even close (even if I had the entire scent pyramid, ingredients and chemistry set)! But, this is a masterfully-blended composition that is so intricately and beautifully woven - one must just stand back and purely admire. In the drydown - which happens much later (starting at 2-3 hours and going for the duration we expect from Zino), somehow the composition's darkness seems to lighten. My wife compared this entire scent to an incredible incense-smell herself - very interesting. At this stage, she said that the incense has already burned (smoke is gone), but the entire room is radiating the incredible notes and you smell (individually) the deep rose, rich wood, now smooth vanilla, earth and herbs. Wow! Vintage formulation - 9++/10!

Here is the kicker - when I started writing this, I also sprayed several shots OF EACH formulation on my neck, chest and clothes...what I am getting from those places is the best of both, radiating very strong!! YES!!! I am in a cloud of Zino Davidoff right now while typing this. Olfactory fatigue could set in after a while (since I applied a generous amount overall), but this is so heavenly right now...

Olfactory fatigue never set in at all - just hours of pure Zino pleasure. The current formulation faded quietly and the drydown of the vintage came in seemlessly, and I was left in pure awe.

*Final update - I came back, just before posting this (as I wanted to get a true sense of longevity), and smelled my clothes I wore that day (which had several shots of both Vintage and Current formulation Zino sprayed on it). I wanted to be patient, so please note this has been almost two full days since applying - my clothes still smell so incredibly full and rich of Zino Davidoff! It is as if I just applied it a few hours before! I stuffed my face in my shirt and could not believe it - I could actually smell it distinctly from over a foot away even! This is the Zino Davidoff that we know and love...I could literally put my clothes back on and leave the house without re-applying any scent and get compliments. That is a true testament to the power and longevity that we were used to.

Personally, I absolutely LOVE Vintage Zino and can definitely tolerate current formulation with the mindset that I will need to reapply (or layer with Vintage). So, my answer to this dilemma is simple - spray both formulations on together (which I do with virtually every scent that has been reformulated - Paco Rabanne Pour Homme, Versace L'Homme, Gianfranco Ferre for Man, and many more), enjoy the incredible, radiating cloud of Zino's fantastic top and middle notes (from both formulations) and know that you will have the drydown of the Vintage that you applied for a lot of hours on your skin and several days on your clothes! I actually preferred the combined formulations the most of all - with Vintage standing out with the power and depth and Current adding beautiful smooth overtones and added creaminess from the start. I will definitely be buying more Vintage in order to enjoy this for years to come. In my Top 10 with Vintage formulation...bottom line.

This was a ride I didn't want to get off - fantastic!

Ericrico@

Thanks a lot for this extended post about your Zino experience!
Very clear and well written!

I think on next Holiday in Spain I will try to find some of the vintage juice as here it's almost impossible, but there I know some stores.........

For now I layer my reformulation of Zino still with vintage Heritage edt which works perfectly as well!

Yes thanks for your detailed review man

For 21 pounds it's well worth it. It's a nice fragrance

Excellent review. Thanks.

The only word that immediately come to mind is "erotic." The whole fragrance seems alive. Wife also goes nuts whenever I wear this, which is another plus.

+1.

Best by Davidoff, if able to get it, do so!

The rose note dominates this fragrance for me, so Zino is good if you want to smell like roses. Quality ingredients. Doesn't smell cheap, even if the price is.