Gentleman Eau de Parfum Boisée
Givenchy (2020)

It starts out with such promise. The initial blast of pepper and iris is superb. But after an hour, on my skin, it has mostly disappeared and what is left is boring, unremarkable pedestrian skin scent. Not worth the money. Big disappointment here.

This fragrance from the Gentleman Givenchy line was a pleasant surprise for me. I've never been particularly interested in the line, but the blend of iris and cocoa in this scent is unique and intriguing. Both notes are equally present, and the fragrance avoids feeling too floral or lipstick-y due to the grounding effect of sandalwood and a touch of cedar. My initial impression is quite positive, and I expect the longevity to be decent. The projection is not overwhelming, which I appreciate.

While I wouldn't necessarily describe this fragrance as niche quality, it is a well-executed designer fragrance. I'm not sure if I'll buy a full bottle, but for those just starting out with fragrance, this is a great choice for fall or winter usage. I encourage others to give it a chance - you might be pleasantly surprised.

Despite its final prominent synth peppery-cedary (and vaguely "gassy-leathery" a la Fan di Fendi Pour Homme) chemical woodiness (which is typical of dozens recent or relatively recent releases) I have to say to moderately appreciate this well combined Gentleman's "nutty-chocolatey-woody" night-time flanker focused on yummy patchouly (nothing rooty or earthy in here but a musky-cocoa centered oriental bombastic modern sweetish patch), seasoned woods, chocolatey semi-gourmand tones and soothing iris. Definitely a dark combination of notes aiming to perform in to glamour-chic urban dark territory. A night time fragrance imo, far better suited for social down town after sunset events or romantic dinners. Manly (in a way partially conjuring Paco Rabanne Xs) and modern. Smooth (vaguely powdery, kind of slightly rubbery) iris and musk provide a general musky floral aura counteracting the angular lingering vibe provided by woods, leafy geranium and spicy (not listed but slightly present imo) leather. In this case synth boisé scents a la Montale Aoud Musk, Les Liquides Imaginaires Fortis, Nasomatto Black Afgano and Duro, Tiziana Terenzi Laudano Nero, Marc de la Morandiere Kozmic Oud, Bruno Acampora Nero, Carner Barcelona Cuirs, Orto Parisi Boccanera etc. jump more or less on mind with their intense musky woodiness and a part of their spicy/woodsy characteristics - in particular the final musky-oriental sandalwood's tone - (at same time as ideally related to brand new chocolatey/musky creations a la Valentino Uomo, D&G The One edp or Ferragamo Uomo Signature). Connections with the new 2017 Gentleman's formula jump as well on mind in particular if we imagine the basic structure of the new Gentleman 2017 and replace the freshness provided by citrus, fruits and lavender with a darker musky/nutty-chocolatey/boisé spicier "olfactory basement" (overall with a subdued leather's presence). Lingering on the notes evolution itself the top notes are definitely fresh and spicy under my nose due to this combination of leafy geranium, coriander and pepper. This introduction does not depart energically from the Gentleman 2017's top stage (which is just fresher, more aromatic and probably fruitier). Iris and cocoa (in their stout semi-oriental soothing/darkening/sweetening connection supported by this musky patchouli) by soon encompass the fresher top notes (heating those up) and lead the aroma down towards a darker more sweetish/semi-gourmand/oriental affair (quite woody but mellow, moderately sweet, chocolatey/nutty, barely ambery and musky). Along the way the woody-boisé spirit of the juice comes up along the development's long tale and this more angular synth sandalwood's tone emerges with its touch of intense (almost salty/burnt, vaguely pencil-shaving, barely leathery and definitely intense) harsh woodiness (the synthetic part which I less appreciate). This new Olivier Cresp/Nathalie Lorson's flanker is closer to the Eau de Parfum Gentleman's 2018 formula than to the 2017 new edt remake but while the 2018 Edp deflects finally towards a softer still musky but more vanillic field (tolu balsam and vanilla) the boisé more recent formula is more focused on woods and bitter cocoa (more restrained and finally less balmy) in to a more properly "harsher" virile way. Well made but too much woody for my full pleasure. Recommended to all those urban wolves of the metropolitan night with a decadent romantic intimate soul but all at once with a "disposable" social "dodgy clubs roaming for-oriented" damn chic attitude.

Decent woody fragrance that is safe for daily wear IMO. On the spicy side, but not to the extreme. 7/10

Gentleman Eau de Parfum Boisée by Givenchy (2020) is a surpise like for me, as I haven't been very kind to the rest of the Gentleman by Givenchy (2017) range. The reason for my ire has been obvious, as the landmark Givenchy Gentleman (1974) is one of the greatest patchouli fragrances ever made, so the modern soft-reboot (they kept the original too) should also at least be prominently featuring patchouli, but it didn't. Instead, we got something that had fractioned patchouli molecules in the mix somewhere (for that generic olfactive mayonnaise thickness), and a boring sweet nothing-doing generalist in a bottle resembling the gentlemanly classic. I didn't hate Gentleman by Givenchy, but it was nothing to write home about. The subsequent flankers did nothing to help the line's case for me, as they just presented different shades of the same boring color palette, but it looks like line perfumers Olivier Cresp and Nathalie Lorson actually got their act together here. Gentleman Eau de Parfum Boisée actually has a noticeable patchouli riff now, even if it is still the sweet terpine-free processed kind, which can still be good if executed correctly as niche perfumer Ramon Monegal showed us with his Mon Patchouly (2009) over a decade prior. The rest of Gentleman Eau de Parfum Boisée still feels familiar enough to tie it in with the Gentleman range, but has a few extra tweaks that make it finally feel like the modern classic this range was supposed to be. Does this redeem Givenchy in my eyes? No, not really, because they still either killed off or rebooted everything of value they've made in the 20th century to wring blood from the short-term profits turnip.

Gentleman Eau de Parfum Boisée opens much the same as Gentleman by Givenchy except for the lavender and fruity pear/pineapple notes being replaced by geranium and coriander. The sweet citrus is still there, as is the ambroxan warmth, but it no longer comprises the base like it did in the original Gentleman by Givenchy. The iris has been moved down to the heart and next to that iris is cacao pod and a woody note that is listed as cedar but likely is some aromachemical. I actually think it works well because the patchouli comes in fast to thicken and round it all out without any kind of scratch entering the picture. This non-green patchouli then becomes the focus alongside gourmand tones of the cacao and a high-quality synthetic sandalwood note (similar to what Cartier uses). Finally, touches of oakmoss that provide linkback to the original Givenchy Gentleman, and some late-stage musk (but sadly not civet) finish the job. The added woodiness, mossiness, and chocolatey tones really work well to visualize Gentleman Eau de Parfum Boisée as a modern Givenchy Gentleman, using sustainable materials, and tweaks for modern palettes not okay with paint thinner patchouli accords and cat pee notes in their oriental fragrances. There is something still irreproachably genteel and perhaps a tad more virile in the original Givenchy Gentleman that this can't begin to accurately envision with it's current olfactive makeup, but Gentleman Eau de Parfum Boisée is an enjoyable wear despite that so long as you can handle some sweetness. Overall, what makes this work is that gourmand sweetness tempered by iris, spice, wood, and the patchouli itself, making for an almost-niche experience within designer taste ranges and materials budget. Wear time is easily over 10 hours and this feels mostly of the romantic persuasion to me, useful more in cool weather than warm.

In summary, Gentleman Eau de Parfum Boisée is as much a legitimate patchouli fragrance for men as Givenchy Gentleman, so much that I think this juice should replace what is in the bottle of the original Gentleman by Givenchy, and then everyone can forget that ever happened. Gentleman Eau de Parfum Boisée presents the idea of the original Givenchy Gentleman with 2020 designer eyes rather than 1974 ones, meaning it is coming into a world where green notes and animalic musks feel archaic at best or offensive at worst to the mainstream man, since everyone has a sweet tooth regardless of gender where fragrance is concerned and wants to smell attractive yet inoffensive. Social consciousness didn't exist for designer perfumes in 1974, since they were still expensive high-art exercises meant to showcase how ahead of things the designer making them was with their overall vision of fashion. People who wanted safe and comfortable smells wore Avon or drugstore brands like Shulton, Revlon, and the like at that time, and used the pricier designer stuff to make a statement. Nowadays drugstore brands are all but extinct, and designers have bloated out market-wise to encroach both on that utilitarian market and the upper-end luxury stuff, with no need to make bold artistic strokes to impress anymore, which is why Gentleman Eau de Parfum Boisée better fits the idea of a men's patchouli from the house. Perhaps this is to Gentleman Givenchy as Drakkar Noir by Guy Laroche (1982) was to the original Drakkar (1972). One can only hope, but if this instead proves to be a limited release that goes away too soon, we'll have another Givenchy unicorn on our hands like Insensé, you'll see. A far cry from their best work, but the best men's fragrance Givenchy has done in at least 5 years. Thumbs up.

Starts with a rich, warm, dark oriental, spicy-sweet woody opening. Cacao starts to come into the mix next with supporting florals. After the first hour or so, it starts to fade away just left with some spiced wood. Reminds me of D&G The One in the drydown.

Feels best dressed up and for cooler weather.

It does last for 8-9 hours. Projection is good but it's not a beast.