Reviews of Catalyst for Men by Halston

Four years after Halston's passing, his namesake brand lived on and produced mid-market releases in the 90s, like Catalyst and the offspring of that master-brand, Catalyst for Men. It's a jolly, warm spiced orange with a thick, spicy heart, showcasing cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. It is the caraway, however, that stands out the most for me: sharp, sweet, and aromatic, always adhering to my skin in the most delightful manner. While it opens with fervent fanfare, its dry down is a velvety amber and mild-mannered musk.

I still recall seeing the ads for it in the 90s with the catchphrase "boys like to experiment" and my even adolescent self couldn't help but to think it was some sort of coding. Catalyst won't necessarily leave sophisticated noses feeling astonished, but to me it is such a likeable and cozy wear for autumn. I am happy to own a test tube atomizer bottle and a wee little Erlenmeyer flask mini.

Catalyst is just fun.

Yes, nutmeg & cloves. Cloves & nutmeg. So many of the ones I like most have either or both these notes. I perceive Edition far better for this type scent re quality and performance however Catalyst is great when the flannels come out and the schedule involves less formality than say office work. Like a cudgel flanker. A good value at around $5/oz and the moisture providing quircky green after shave is great. I suggest going old. It's a favorite dumb reach.

Stardate 20161209:
Vintage Version.

This is a powerful masculine fragrance that lasts more than a day. Spices and SW.

The citrus,spice and SW makes it a cousin of Vintage Dunhill Edition.
Or more like a bastard child of Dunhill Edition and Aramis Havana.
It may be redundant if you have vintage Dunhill Edition (which is smoother).
But it is a cheapie so why not indulge.

An underrated, overlooked scent to add to one's collection! A surprisingly mature fragrance that is at once simple, then very rich and satisfying. The bottle is quite interesting, too. ;^>

Genre: Woody Oriental
Catalyst's spiced apple pie top notes are at once foody and a mite chemical in a car air freshener/cheap scented candle sort of way. The fruit component bows out quickly, leaving the stage to a straightforward nutmeg and clove accord. Clove, being clove, (which is to say loathe to share the spotlight,) soon dominates, so how you feel about Catalyst will depend mostly upon how much you like clove. Woe betide you if you don't, because Catalyst is extremely potent, and even a dab is enough to fill the room.

Catalyst ultimately winds up smelling like part of a fragrance. More precisely, it smells like part of Michel Roudnitska's Noir Epices for Frédéric Malle. I realize it must seem both unfair and elitist to compare a bargain-priced scent like Catalyst with an expensive, limited distribution niche fragrance, but Noir Epices is so apt a demonstration of what Catalyst could have been that I can't help myself. The Malle smells like US $135 retail, and Catalyst smells like every one of its fifteen dollars. Do I sound churlish? Just remember, a bottle of McCormick's clove extract costs even less.

In my nose only Nutmeg and Cloves...but very good fragrance super long-lasting and overwhelming... Smells in every time and every situation, Warm and comfortable scent ( Like Aromatherapy)... A improvement version of Jacomo by Jocomo...CATALYST Loved n´ Recomended.

Sage, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. Very spicy (to the point of harshness), but also musky/woody in the dry down and with some nice orange peel/apple in the opening. A good Thanksgiving frag to go along with the savory fixin's and spicy pumpkin and apple pies.

I think this is what a Cowboy would wear when they have a night on the town. The sandalwood and musk can be overpowering if your not easy on the trigger.

The poor man's Havana, or if you will, the poverty stricken man's Cacharel PH. A spicy fruity concoction that is ridiculously cheap.

Please recommend this to the next teenager that asks for an alternative to John Varvatos.

7/10?

Even though this came out back in 1994, I still consider this a latter day Halston (who died in 1990). This is interesting because it is certainly the spice-centric scent that everyone comments on--there is NO missing the clove and nutmug in the middle notes. However, the spice is underscored by a clean musk that takes this away from being a heavy oriental and becomes more of a musky skin scent, especially in the drydown. I actually like it although I rarely wear it. This was a real departure for the brand as it was a high concept fragrance compared to the pared-down, typical Halston/Elsa Peretti offerings that came before it. In chemistry, catalyst referrs to a substance that causes or accelerates a chemical reaction without itself being affected. This fanciful notion that this bright orange juice causes a chemical reaction--and is presented in test tubes and laboratory bottles--is a little precious for what was once a serious fashion brand. The aftershave, which I have, has the typical astringent lotion as well as a differently colored (green) emollient oil that separates until you shake it. A bit of a gimmick, but the product is actually very soothing to use. Overall, not from the great years of Halston offerings, but very nice to wear as a casual musky skin scent with a spicy heart. Just right for autumn, I think.

like opening an old wooden draw full of memories, pleasant memories!

Remember smelling the spicy pot-pourri and thinking you could almost eat that or infuse it with boiling water and make chai. Once you've quenched your thirst, why not moth proof your world with this spicy treat? It starts off with a boisterous homage to bay rum- well, boisterous but safe. It doesn't assume a you-asked-for-it attitude but the suspicion that one might spritz a room, a linen press, a spouse, each of the wardrobes and the interior of the home and improve one's quality of life immensely begins to dawn.The cloves are restrained and the nutmeg is even more contingent upon the will of the sandalwood. This is the only note that doesn't appeal to me but I won't complain since it dominates the musk and keeps it from becoming too saccharine. When I think of powerhouse fragrances, I think of a series of cascading elements that rise to prominence and dwarf what went before, and then develop an altogether new quality through creating a kind of aesthetic story telling, or a journey of sorts in which fragrance dictates terms to the mind, the memory and the emotions. This is no powerhouse. It is a composition of well balanced elements that serve to create a unified and harmonious liquid pot-pourri for you to use to terrify the pets but improve their waft and your own altogether.

Pure clove extract, a bit sweetened with cinnamon. A bit sharp and a bit synthetic but clove has never smelled natural to me anyway.
Its structure is really simple, like this is some kind of basic chemical ingredient used in a lab: a catalyst which accidentally also smells good, masculine, provocative.
Has this oriental feel without being an ambery fragrance.Warm but not cozy, it tingles the senses, keeps your attention, like a real catalyst should.

Odd. The Clove overpowers most of the top notes when you first apply it citrus lasts for 30 seconds then its cloves and sage. This strikes me as having a strange discord amongst the notes up front. Then it turns into musky woody cloves with a dash of nutmeg that reminds me of some sort of cheap bay rum aftershave but much more concentrated, doesn't let up and is on the sweeter side, like spiced cookies. Only reason I give it a neutral as opposed to a thumbs down as it is at least an attempt at something somewhat different, just not in a good way.

Catalyst shares bone structure with its siblings I-12 and Z-14. If Aramis' Havana or Stetson's Sierra were evaporated, leaving only their spice elements behind, the result might smell something like Catalyst. If you hate cooking spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon, I can't imagine Catalyst is for you.

Not especially original, but not bad for the low, low prices for which this can be had. Longevity is measured with a calendar, not a clock.

Catalyst bothers and delights me. I am fond of the artemisia in the opening (as I usually am), and am intrigued with how it plays with the other notes to make that curious spoiled apples accord (Xeryus Orchard Edition?), but I wish this green tinged start wasn't so short-lived. The musky clove in Catalyst is unrelenting, and apparently everlasting, and while I feel it's nicely done it does make me feel as though I'm being prepped for the oven.
Doesn't work too well for me, but we're still on good terms because I like the way this Wild Card of the 90's flew in the faces of all the marine fresh taste makers. Go Halston, Go!

Edit: The older version does smell much nicer on me, and the clove note is a little more smoothed out. Catalyst and I are good friends now. The only downside is that (and boy, is this rare) the current formula projects better, whereas the vintage is little more than a velvety aura (at least on my skin).

Catalyst is a really a monument built on sage and cloves. If you don't like either, then it's best you move politely along. If you long for bold spices, then Catalyst is your frag. There's nothing polite in this frag as the sage really hits hard in the opening blast. Cloves follow with the 1-2 punch and rounds out with a surprisingly light wood/musk accord. This should have came out in the 70's but it came out in, shock, 1994. Out of step and in your face, finally a powerhouse frag that your children can claim as their own.

Powerhouse smell, very well blended, but basically smells like mold.

What to say? It strikes me as cheap rip-off of Givenchy Xeryus. I have the aftershave which is maybe not the best thing to base a review on, since they've done something to the juice to make it look and act like a Lava Lamp. All I'm getting is overripe, if not rotten apples. This came out well after Halston himself passed away, so clearly he cannot be blamed. None of the scents bearing his name (post 1-12/Z-14) have been very good...they've all smelled of poor quality to me. The packaging and overall presentation of Catalyst is just a gimmick. They should've used that time to come up with an interesting, high quality fragrance. Someone needs to rescue and revive the Halston name, which was once synonomous with glamour. Liza, are you listening?

Catalyst is a scent that is both friendly and close-to-the-skin, although it does have a naughty side to it. I think of it as a good scent for someone under 25 or 30. It is good for dates or other times when you will be intimately close to a girl. To my tastes, however, it is a little polite.That said, given the spiciness that overlies its fresh fougere elements, it is also maturer than Eternity, Animale, Photo, Tommy, etc., which feel a little puerile at times. Although it is not something that I would wear, it is a promising start to something that could have been better. Amp up the projection or throw in a greater variety of notes and I would gladly wear it; in fact, I would anticipate anxiously the fragrance that did that, as I wanted Catalyst to be so much more.

Wow this really is just a barrage of spice...I guess cinnamon and nutmeg? Something about it smells harsh and chemical to me, and therefore cheap. Maybe the little bit of orange in the opening reminds me of Orange 409, Orange Windex, or what have you. The bright orange color is tacky but justified by the amusing erlenmeyer flask design (or 1 oz test tube with stand in my case). I bought it in the hopes of finding something as unclutteredly spicy as Dunhill Edition (may it rest in peace!) and for $5.50 was semi-satisfied at first, but the harshness of the first several hours was just too much for me. It's too bad, because it's unusual to find something that is just straight spices without woody or "fresh" elements.

I picked up a bottle of this based on the reviews here on the site. It was actually the thumbs-down review that "this smells like something you'd put on a ham" that clinched me wanting to try it out. And I am glad that I did. I love rum type scents, this one certainly has some rum, but more than that is the nutmeg note. I've gotten many complements from women (& men) wondering what that scent is. On a side note, I thought the bottle looked kinda silly in the photos, but when I opened the box and put it on my bathroom counter it's very apothecary/scientist bottle that elixers and experiments would be made with.

cozy and thick, starts off sweet,then musky

As dull as dishwater................totally devoid of any interest at all. Avoid!