Gucci Guilty Eau pour Homme
Gucci (2015)

Goes on nice fresh citrus but dries sooooo fast to a mouthful of sugar. I can't belive this is for men. This isn’t even unisex; It’s too citric to be fully feminine, but too powdery and sweet to be masculine. I pretty much get fresh lemonade washing down strawberry cotton candy. It wears so very sweet on me and is also slightly powdery. I can maybe see a young boy wearing this, or a woman in a flowered dress, but it doesn't read Homme to me at all. It's a pretty, powdery sort of citrus scent with a warm base, but it is the epitome of indecision on my skin. Try before buy.

Gucci Guilty Eau pour Homme by Gucci (2015) is the third and last flanker from the P&G Prestige Beauté era and last fragrance released under creative director Frida Giannini, bringing an end to the creative nadir some people accuse Gucci perfumes from this era of having reached. Personally, I don't think this, Gucci Guilty Black pour Homme (2013), and the dual release of Gucci Guilty pour Homme (2011) and Gucci Guilty pour Homme Intense (2011), get enough credit for their influence; since the DNA first unleashed by Jacques Huclier in the initial men's pillar (plus to a lesser extent its intense variant) would actually begin a trope that was transformed via MFK Amyris Homme (2012) for the high end, then Paco Rabanne Invcitus (2013) for the sporting/clubbing crowd; which would ultimately result in one of the most-popular tropes in men's fragrance over the course of the next decade plus. Most folks like to credit Invictus because it ultimately became the form most-copied by further also-rans; but for me this is unfair to the Gucci Guilty range as they were the origin of the species. Granted, if you absolutely hate this DNA (and I myself hate many of the also-rans), I could totally understand you wishing this never existed instead of congratulating Gucci for doing the job Chanel or Dior usually does in this segment. This is all much a do about nothing in relation to Gucci Guilty Eau pour Homme, as it was just a cog in the engine that never got to really step out from behind the others when the transition to the wild bohemian phase for the range under Michele occurred.

As for Eau pour Hommeitself, it feels like a mod of Gucci Guilty pour Homme, just like Black and Intense; perhaps the biggest failing of the Giannini P&G era of Gucci Guilty is that the flankers barely distinguish themselves from one another, and sometimes don't at all if you want to count the limited-edition repackagings like the 2013 "Studs" and 2015 "Diamond" bottles. Luckily, the 2016 "Platinum" bottles would be the last of that, and probably wouldn't have happened at all if it wasn't already in the pipe when Alessandro Michele took over. Eau pour Homme is a lighter, fresher, drier, and brighter take on the OG DNA. So, you can expect juniper to join the lemon and bergamot up top, with the ethyl maltol turned down so the neroli facets smell more floral and less fruity. The note pyramid names iris although I don't really detect any, so in all likelihood it is just ionones being named something familiar. The patchouli and cedarwood are there, and stand more naked than in the original fragrance, as there is less tonka overall, with additional ambroxan and other white musk compounds, albeit not soapy ones. This scent unintentionally predicted the resurgence of dry juniper and juniper berry notes in modern designer masculines, and had it come out in 2023 instead of 2015, might have been a bigger hit. Performance is going to be lighter, although just as long-lasting if not a little more than the original, since the cedar sticks to you and the juniper pops out often. Best use is in casual situations although I wouldn't say this is particularly summery.

Unfortunately, Alessandro Michele would make the call to discontinue this and replace it with a lighter, fresher option from his own oeurve of Gucci Guilty pour Homme flankers, being Gucci Guilty Cologne pour Homme (2019). Of course, being as this flanker was not super popular, it has taken a long time for prices to slowly rise on it, with it still being below retail price as of 2023. I don't expect that to remain the case for much longer, especially as retail prices for all Gucci eau de toilette scents cracked over $120 also as of 2023, meaning that a discounted bottle of the wildly-popular original (the one you think would be the cheapest) was about the same price as this in the gray market. Gucci Guilty Cologne pour Homme was a much more unique and superior freshie to this anyway; but I was forced to say "unfortunately" since that too (along with most of the Michele ouevre) is also discontinued. With the Gucci Guilty pour Homme range being restructured to mimic Chanel's concentration-differentiated offerings, Gucci Guilty Eau de Parfum (2020) and Gucci Guilty Parfum pour Homme (2022) now sit on top the 2011 original, making it the default "fresh" option. Eau pour Homme will always be for me the best of the original Frida Gucci Guilty masculines because that juniper and cedar make it an earlier (and better) version of what Burberry Hero (2021) and the like now try to do, but that isn't justification enough to advise you into hunting a bottle. If you find one for the right price, and your major gripe against the original was sweetness, this is a perfect substitute for it methinks. Thumbs up

I like this a lot. Overall I find it citrusy, like the citrus in Davidoff Cool Water, a combination of that with Armani Black Code. The citrus is not sharp like Eau Sauvage but rather a fresh citrus blend and slightly on the floral side. At the beginning, the dominant note is the orange blossom or a combination of that and the citrus top notes, and for the first few hours, the citrus plus minor floral dominate. Then the citrus recedes somewhat and more of the Black Code-type notes come forward to balance it, meaning the floral, the iris, plus patchouli and musk, though these are not loud. At times I picked up a slight saffron-like note like that in Armani Mania, and a slight note of what seemed like the dark sensual spice I got from Penhaligon LP No. 9, though I don't see any spice listed for the Gucci. The whole scent is very smooth. And it's rich, so I wouldn't overspray. Though not "remarkable", I think it's a good, good quality, inoffensive, well-balanced scent for the office or casual wear. I can see a guy wearing this at work, then meeting his lady for happy hour, by which time she might enjoy the drydown if she gets in close. It lasts long on me with only medium projection with three sprays, though the sprays are on the small side, so you could try more pumps.

Out of the pre-Absolute Gucci Guilty series of flankers, I found Guilty Eau pour Homme to be the most wearable and memorable. (Absolute is in a different category altogether vs. Guilty Eau and the others.)

Gucci Guilty Eau is a fresh, citrus scent. It begins with a citrus hit from lemon and bergamot, meshing with the exotic fruity heart notes of orris and orange blossom - a delicate, spiffy combination! (Can't figure out what the "snowberry" note - not listed above - actually smells like.) Combined with the patchouli-musk foundation, Gucci Guilty Eau ends up as tangy, powdery, and having a subtle touch of floral fruit and sweetness. Very nicely made and great to wear for casual occasions any time of day.

Guilty Eau seems to be exactly what it's name implies, a lighter, more watery version of Gucci Guilty. It's very fresh and synthetic, so it should get compliments.

Projection is decent for the first 3-4 hours and then it sits closer to skin. You can still smell it on your skin after 9-10 hours.

A slightly orangey and lemony mix, with touches ofnbergamot and overripe sweet grapefruits opens this olfactory journey. This opening is not too bad, but a bit watery.

Orange blossoms, whiffs of muguet and a bit of iris develop in the drydown, whilst the base is dominated by a sweetish-musky note and a soft, somewhat perfunctory patchouli.

I get moderate soft sillage, good projection and seven hours of longevity on my skin.

This spring scent's top notes are bearable, albeit a touch dull, but the rest never develops into anything satisfactory on me, including the iris impression. The heart notes and the base are atrociously chemical, straight from the laboratory. A slightly fruity and sweetish undertone displays the same artificiality, but the more into the base it goes, the more generic and unoriginal it becomes. Gucci has produced some wonderful classics, but this is possibly a nadir in the olfactory history of this house. 1.5/5.