What has honey, civet, musk? Is there anything?

Eau de Patou pour Homme by Jean Patou comes close although more of a honeysuckle than honey.

If you're looking for scents solely based on the three ingredients, try the search on http://www.fragrantica.com/ingredients-search/

Givenchy Gentleman Givenchy and Joint pour Homme Roccobarocco could be something you'd be interested in?

I love Kouros and have several bottles of the older juice, before it was totally changed! IMHO, there might be some things that come close to this, but will never be able to take the place of this juice. I would rather not wear it at all, then wear something that only resembles it ever so slightly

+1 Givenchy Gentleman

This one's for the ladies - Shocking Elsa Schiaparelli - comes closest to your requirements, but floral too. One of ex's fav frags...

Fumerie Turque has some honey , musk and smokiness. Not a lot of civet or none actually.

Muscs Koublai Khan has plenty of muscs and civet, but relatively little honey (but then, I'm not sure honey was prominent in vintage Kouros either). MKK is a straightforward musk, though, so it lacks the clean, "urinal cake" aspect of the Kouros experience. Kurkdjian Absolue pour le soir also has the musky aspect, without the clean one; it is even more expensive than MKK.

In vintage, but way more expensive than Kouros, there's Schiaparelli Shocking. Animalic honey.

cacio

To me, quite simply smellgood4u...there is no replacing Vintage Kouros.

I have a lot of admiration for Vintage Givenchy Gentleman (patchouli-laden), Vintage Jacques Bogart Furyo (Nag Champa incense) and other wonderful scents - but both of these can be more expensive than Vintage Kouros without getting into the scents mentioned by my friend, cacio and others.

My suggestion - pay the price from a reputable seller who has a "Buy it Now"...and don't look back. Life is short, and finding Vintage Kouros is not impossible. One must be willing to simply pay for it. I have missed on bottles too, in auctions, so I know the feeling. A little goes a long way - a 50ml bottle of Vintage Kouros can be used for a more wearings than most fragrances (incredible depth, longevity & in warmer weather...a light wearing is fantastic). A large (100ml) bottle could last you for years.

Yves Saint Laurent's classic masterpiece by Pierre Bourdon - simply nothing like it. Nothing before or since. Good luck in your quest...!

Cheers,

ericrico

Miel De Bois from Serge Lutens came to my mind when i first read your description. So i guess you may like it if you're going after honey civet and musk. It certainly is one of those love or hate fragrances and i am totally on the hate side. That high pitch honey(beeswax) note smells disgusting to my nose, but to some, that note makes the fragrance warm and comforting.

Don't forget Ted Lapidus for Men!

Duplicate post

Dirty honey? Check out M/Mink. It makes Kouros smell polite.

This is, in Vintage formulation, a really wonderful fragrance. I would think that you would know about it...word to the wise, the reformulation is not like the original juice.

Rich aldehydes, fresh-squeezed orange (as well as other citrus) and a sharp, fresh carnation opening that very smoothly (great use of honey here, yes) into a rich patchouli-laden scent (green & earthy) with a nice rose note that comes forward in the heart with nice spices. Oakmoss in the base, but really an oriental with amber, vanilla, tonka bean, benzoin & smooth sandalwood. This stays in the oriental woody realm for the entire wearing, but also incorporates a lot of nice complimentary notes that could be seen as more floral and even boozy (in the opening). Great use of oakmoss with the honey and oriental notes.

Here is where one would like to draw parallels with Kouros...but they are very different in feel. While there is a clean musk note in the base, there is nothing really animalic in the composition that stands out. The warmth of the scent is part of its beauty - and it is powerful. If you haven't tried it and like Vintage Kouros, I highly recommend it as it delivers great depth of notes and a rich aura scent to the wearer. However, as much as people put it next to Kouros - I find it is vastly different. The civet and heavier musk of Kouros makes it very unique.

For me, Ted Lapidus Pour Homme perhaps has more similarities to Kouros, but is a true Oriental with rich honey, tobacco, incense, fruitiness, and a large number of common notes. However, no civet or animalic musk (although, there is a musk note as well here). Actually, it has more in common with Giorgio for Men - and even then, different.

Vibe here, to me, is everything. Vintage Kouros is far more distinct with fantastic quality ingredients...not to say Vintage Giorgio and Ted Lapidus are poorly made - but a step down and no animalic qualities (civet or civetone in later Vintage Kouros is essential and what makes the bottle so special). Bourdon (for the YSL house) created a classic that is incredibly sensual, powerful yet has a barbershop vibe to it. On clean skin, Kouros is brilliant. That is when I prefer to wear it. While it has the deep spices, honey, oakmoss, incense, leather, patchouli and cloves...somehow, to me - it maintains a wonderful radiant aroma of masculinity. There is a paradox - cleanliness with the 'dirty' undertone that comes from the animalic notes blending with the other parts of the composition. It takes a man to wear any of these scents - not for boys...Kouros perhaps is the most polarizing scent ever created.

Don't try to find a substitute as you will not find one...cheers,

ericrico

I believe Absolue Pour Le Soir is what you're looking for.. It's the dirtiest honey I know and despite civet isn't described as a note, it screams really loud.

Dior Leather Oud

Balenciaga Pour Homme might be a good replacement, initial notes are quite similar to Kouros.

+ 1,000,000

One of the best fragrance deals around if it works for you. The 8.4 oz bottle for $230 is a STEAL.

Another vote for vintage Givenchy Gentleman

Personally, I get a strong connection with Kouros when I wear Jacques Bogart Furyo ..

Tom Ford Noir might fit your bill...

Tsuzumi, +1 on the Ted Lapidus Pour Homme, for sure. I get the sweetness of honey, the earthiness of patchouli and tobacco, and the musk is a bit smoother (I think it's more of a 'leathery' feel). No civet, no nastiness, but it IS bold! Look for the light grey, opaque bottle with the integrated sprayer.

Oh, and Giorgio Beverly Hills for Men, has honey and patchouli, but the base is more a chypre, and to my nose, the progression is steered by aldehydes and the floral 'punch' of the carnation. An attention-getter, but nowhere as brash as the fabled (and now seemingly rare) vintage Kouros. My best bud in high school wore GBH for Men. I think it's great stuff, but may not make your heart sing, smellgood4U.

Good luck in your search and have fun!

I agree, beautiful fragrance.

I've never smelled Kouros. However, Sova from the Slumberhouse line is dirty honey all the way. I definitely get an anamalic note as well with Sova...must be the Castoreum I see in the notes. Give it a try.

So Furyo is based on nag champa?
Interesting...

1st thing pop in my mind with honey/civet/musk is MFK Absolue pour Le Soir

It's a unique frag IMO.

You might find honey, musk, and civet in lots of frags but you will not find any that combine that with the brilliant soapy clean like Kouros does. Thats what makes it the masterpiece that it is.
Joint pH Roccobarocco is mentioned a lot though.

After comparing older and newer bottles of Kouros (not the newest one, which I have yet to try), I have found the newer one to be more animalic and probably having more honey, actually (speaking of the drydown). The older one seems to be a bit more vanillic and also has a kind of "clean" smoke/musk that I don't find in the newer one, which is "dirty" all the way through. The newer one is closer to Sung Homme than the older one.