KENZO HOMME Eau de Toilette Intense

Today I'm going to give some first impressions of the new KENZO HOMME Eau de Toilette Intense, an Eau de Toilette inspired by the intensity of bamboo and serenity of a sea breeze.

Initially I got the bottle; a unique style, shaped almost  like one of those "memory crystals" that Superman would use in the Fortress of Solitude to access Jor-El's artificial intelligence and interactive holograms. (One for the kids maybe). 

Felt a bit plasticky in truth, though the cap has been designed to save 34% of plastic and the bottle is made of 10% recycled glass and offers an extra 10ml. At least they're doing something and I tip my had to that. Other big named brands do much less in that department. According to the press release the new KENZO HOMME intense blue bottle is an ode to poetry. Its shape mirrors the strength and flexibility of bamboo and its design is all about verticality. Fair play. 

Kenzo Homme Eau de Toilette Intense by Kenzo is a Woody Aromatic fragrance for men. The nose behind this fragrance is Quentin Bisch. Top notes are Calypsone, Sea Notes, Spices and Pink Pepper; middle notes are Fig Tree, Fig and Vetiver; base notes are Sandalwood, Akigalawood and Patchouli

My Thoughts

On the initial spray, the fig and the sandalwood and spices were prominent. Unsure which really captured me if any. It's not a smooth fragrance, more of an equation that left me to ponder for a few. It has a subtle saltiness, and I'm finding that pushes through further on the dry-down. 

The woodiness is there throughout and the pink peppercorn comes over the top of everything to give it a welcome complexity. It has a slight bitterness, that removes that marine/aquatic promise, but it's not unwelcome, perhaps just a bit jarring and dare I say, slightly off brand. 

Overall I would say this packs a lot of adventure. It has an incredible amount of silage and projects like Freeman and Costner over the castle walls of Nottingham. (Timely Robin Hood reference). I enjoyed the dry-down perhaps more than the opening. It has an original woody-aroma quality that I enjoyed. I wore this to a couple of cocktail press parties recently and got some good compliments. I don't know if I'd level this up to Black Tie, or seemingly throw it into my gym bag for an after work out fragrance .

Maybe a guys get-together, an event where you'll hope to make an impression, or a simple date night fragrance would be suitable for this. 

Available to buy at The Perfume Shop - 60ml for £53 - 110ml £70