When Gucci Pour Homme was discontinued last year, I went on the hunt for similar scents and I've tried many of those listed here. In the end, I got lucky and found more Gph sitting at a Sephora and I snatched it up! The problem with "smells like" posts is that people tend to pick a note and ignore the rest. Anything with a pencil shavings note will supposedly smell JUST LIKE Gph. But it doesn't really work that way.
Tommy Bahama: Not. Even. Close. Tommy Bahama is light enough to wear in the summer. It's an emptied pencil sharpener compared to a Gph 16th century cathedral. As the scent progresses, the differences become even more stark. That being said, Tommy Bahama can be had for under $10 online, so it's not like it'll cost much to try it. I got mine for $7. I never wear it though.
Dirty English: It's no substitute for Gph, but unlike Tommy Bahama, I have respect for this one. It doesn't have the class of Gph and it certainly lacks the Gph drydown, but it isn't trying to be a Gph. It's more of an intentionally rough scent. More brooding, in a good way. I got mine for $20. I never wear it though.
Zirh Ikon: Totally different scent, but it's something a fan of scents like Gph might enjoy. It's spicy and has an incense-ish bigness to it, not to mention quite a handsome bottle. Love that bottle! I got mine for $10. I rarely wear it.
Dsquared: I've only tried Rocky Mountain Wood, but it's nothing like Gph. I haven't had the chance to sample Potion yet, but I'd love to. If one of their scents is going to come close, I have to think Potion is it.
CdG, 2 Man: Quite a different scent but absolutely worth sampling. It's more... uhm... festive? Playful? I don't own this one yet but I'd like to swap one of my bottles of my Gph for 2 Man. It's different enough from Gph that I think it's worth owning both. And since I own more Gph than I'll ever need, I'd like to own both. Variety is the spice of life. That, and cilantro perhaps. MMmmm... love salsa with cilantro!
CdG, Wonderwood: Nothing like Gph at all.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
catlettsl 
I would say Eau Sauvage. Not a similar smell but same type of vibe(imo) , but I could be wrong bcuz I have only worn GPH 2x's.
Eau Sauvage smells nothing like Gph at all, and yet, I totally see where you're coming from! Eau Sauvage is on my someday purchase list. It has the same sort of classiness as Gph. It's a totally different scent, but yeah, I can see someone who loves Gph also really enjoying Eau Sauvage. It's such good stuff!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
dubayyy
I'd still like to know why Gucci discontinued this after a relatively short period of availability. Was it a licensing issue or just general lack of demand?
I'm just guessing, but, I think that shortly after the release of GphII, Gucci decided to make a major change toward pop culture and youth. Gucci By Gucci is probably easier to sell than Gph at stores like Macy's and Sephora even though it's nowhere near as compelling. Frankly, I think Gph and GphII missed the mark in terms of strategy. They're both superb scents (!!!!!) but with Guilty, Gucci proved there's more money to be made in the lower end of retail than the high end. In a perfect world, Tom Ford would own the licenses to Gph and GphII, and he'd rerelease them as part of his lineup. In a perfect world.
I am certainly no basher of mass appeal scents. I think it was brilliant for Gucci to create something like Guilty to reinvigorate the brand with younger customers (even though I personally can't stand the stuff). I also think Gph and GphII are more high end than the tastes of the customers Gucci is going after. Just my opinion, of course. And lucky for me, I own a lot of each!
