Reviews of Hugo by Hugo Boss
I remember when this icon of a fragrance first came out in 1995. It was like a revolution. The opening is fresh spicy with many things going on. It’s made up of a number of ingredients but not one dominates this fragrance. Basil and green apple on the opening. The heart of cedar wood and geranium. It base is made up from a muted moss, sandalwood and vetiver. This is one of my iconic fragrances.
I like this fragrance, Hugo. I like a few things from around this time, 1995, such as Platinum Egoiste (1993) and CK One (1994), and this reminds me of those. It has a hint of Nautica Voyage (2006), but that one gets cloying to me, and I think Hugo avoids that.
Another fragrance I acquired recently that is similar to Hugo is Dior Dune Pour Homme (1997) - I think I'm liking Hugo more than Dune Pour Homme. I'm actually fairly impressed with Hugo and surprised it doesn't get mentioned more. I got it as a gift.
Update: It's reminding me of Calvin Klein Euphoria Men.
Another fragrance I acquired recently that is similar to Hugo is Dior Dune Pour Homme (1997) - I think I'm liking Hugo more than Dune Pour Homme. I'm actually fairly impressed with Hugo and surprised it doesn't get mentioned more. I got it as a gift.
Update: It's reminding me of Calvin Klein Euphoria Men.
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This fragrance opens up quite sporty smelling of mint, pine, and a somewhat fizzy soap blend from lavender and grapefruit. This sporty freshness quickly calms down to reveal some spicy clove ,geranium, and cedar which filter through the fresh/sporty body. If you sniff at the geranium you'll catch that the rum and clove is merged with it. In the finish I get just a bit of calone that puts a slightly aquatic hint to the mix. I have never detected apple in this fragrance.
Hugo by Hugo Boss is a fragrance I'm revisiting again. I don't think this is as deeply synthetic as others have stated. But I do feel this fragrance was inspired by Ungaro III (1993).
Hugo by Hugo Boss is a fragrance I'm revisiting again. I don't think this is as deeply synthetic as others have stated. But I do feel this fragrance was inspired by Ungaro III (1993).
Doesn't smell bad but does seem cheap and dated, specifically to the 90s. Fruity and slightly green in the opening with an "aquatic-lean" to the whole fragrance.
The dry down is a memory of the opening, everything is mostly there just in smaller volumes.
Performance is average on my skin. Projection is there if you get close and longevity is 5-6 hours.
The dry down is a memory of the opening, everything is mostly there just in smaller volumes.
Performance is average on my skin. Projection is there if you get close and longevity is 5-6 hours.
If there are any scents that bring me back to my high school/college years, this is certainly on the short list.
You couldn't walk into any mall, school, or building without smelling this on someone. It was a ubiquitous '90s fragrance . It straddled the border between smelling classy and at the same time utterly plebeian. It was worn by both successful dads and their numbskull sons. Long story short, this is a fruity fougere/aquatic. More sweet and vibrant than Cool Water (1988), but not as fruity as Nautica Voyage (2006), which, in my opinion, is a spiritual successor to Hugo. The note list in this is impressively large and exotic sounding, but quite misleading, as I don't smell or can barely smell at least one third of the listed notes. It has traces of fougere qualities for sure -- they show up more as Hugo dries down--, but they're muddled into a very synthetic dihydromyrcenol/calone stew that somehow manages to work.
For someone who is more "into" fragrance than your average Joe or Jane, you're not going to get your socks blown off by this. It's a fragrance very in line with the time in which it was created, and it's an easily wearable scent that certainly could qualify as a dumb grab in that you can wear this pretty much anywhere at any time and not feel out of place, but it doesn't excel at anything. Hugo Boss stuck the landing with Hugo, but it was like watching footage of old WWII bombers limping back to base with their fuselages full of holes from AA guns, and the wings near blown off. They made it back, but barely. In that same mindset, Hugo Boss is a thumbs up for me, but barely.
You couldn't walk into any mall, school, or building without smelling this on someone. It was a ubiquitous '90s fragrance . It straddled the border between smelling classy and at the same time utterly plebeian. It was worn by both successful dads and their numbskull sons. Long story short, this is a fruity fougere/aquatic. More sweet and vibrant than Cool Water (1988), but not as fruity as Nautica Voyage (2006), which, in my opinion, is a spiritual successor to Hugo. The note list in this is impressively large and exotic sounding, but quite misleading, as I don't smell or can barely smell at least one third of the listed notes. It has traces of fougere qualities for sure -- they show up more as Hugo dries down--, but they're muddled into a very synthetic dihydromyrcenol/calone stew that somehow manages to work.
For someone who is more "into" fragrance than your average Joe or Jane, you're not going to get your socks blown off by this. It's a fragrance very in line with the time in which it was created, and it's an easily wearable scent that certainly could qualify as a dumb grab in that you can wear this pretty much anywhere at any time and not feel out of place, but it doesn't excel at anything. Hugo Boss stuck the landing with Hugo, but it was like watching footage of old WWII bombers limping back to base with their fuselages full of holes from AA guns, and the wings near blown off. They made it back, but barely. In that same mindset, Hugo Boss is a thumbs up for me, but barely.
Hugo by Hugo Boss (1995) is a scent that defined a generation of men, and gets wrongfully accredited as the first Hugo Boss masculine because it's literally named Hugo, but is actually more like the fifth. This stuff can sort of be seen as a reboot of sorts to the house, since all previous scents were rather formal or mature affairs stuffed with rich mosses, animalics, patchouli, and the like. Hugo took a different approach, a very 90's approach, of something familiar from the previous decade but "watered down" with what where then newfangled aromachems like dihydromyrcenol, and calone, making something fresher, lighter, cleaner, and more vibrant without reinventing the wheel. The perfumer on deck was Bob Aliano, an American perfumer that really achieved no great success in life other than this fragrance, with his only other major documented composition being Giorgio Red (1989) for Giorgio Beverly Hills during it's years as Avon's higher-end brand. Aliano's take on the "freshie" involved taming the green aromatic fougère, taking the likes of scents such as Duc de Vervins (1985) or Tsar (1989) and infusing them with fruity and aquatic elements to make something still green, outdoorsy, but also edgy and energetic. I suppose the hiker's water canteen bottle design with it's attached cap sort of gave this away, but the scent likely didn't see any adventures more exotic than trips to the local mall, according to the demographic to whom this was pitched. This stuff radiated off collars of teen guys all through the 90's and mid 2000's. I can hardly believe Hugo has survived over 20+ years in production since it feels so forcefully "sporty" and thus tacky in the way many of it's long-gone peers also were (like everything Adidas from the decade), yet remains in places like Macy's and even Nordstrom.
Hugo opens with a bright and sweet fruity green melange, featuring Grapefruit, Green Apple, and bergamot. Later on pine, and kitchen herbs like thyme, basil, and spearmint leaves show up to make this feel woodsy, but it's just the start of the green accords as the middle is stuffed with sage, cloves, and cedar. Lavender and geranium are claimed to be in here somewhere but they're buried in calone and aquatic aromachems by this point, and even a listed rum note is supposed to be present but it's just not there. Oakmoss and sandalwood anchor the base, but they are likely very sparingly used or syntheic proxies, because I don't feel the mass of either very much. Vetiver is also supposed to exist here, and maybe it does, but I don't get much of a grassy or smoky finish here. although I do read some suede at the end. Mostly what I find is a green apple and citrus transition to herbs, then fake woods, moss, and finally ending in aquatic notes making this feel like Tsar merged with Cool Water (1988), which isn't exactly a bad thing if you always wanted a greener Cool Water without having to spring for Creed Green Irish Tweed (1985). Something familiar, some different, something old, and something (then) new basically define the approach taken by Bob Aliano, and based on his "a pinch of this and a pinch of that" mentality here, I can kind of see why he probably didn't climb any higher in the perfumer ranks after Hugo, since this smells almost like an accidental success rather than something carefully orchestrated. The transition from fruit top to herbs and mossy aquatic base is pretty clumsy, with the sweet apple lingering long after it should, giving this the ability to be cloying if over-sprayed, like walking into a cloud after a young guy has been testing spray deodorants at the grocery.
I don't hate Hugo, but it's the kind of "candy aquatic fruity fresh fougère-a-roo" that was everywhere in the 1990's, and was a jumble of "energetic" notes assisted with the latest in chemistry of the day so the young guys trolling for dates could smell like Jolly Rancher candies rolled in Skin Bracer (1932) so the love interest would find them "delicious". Once you factor in sweaty unwashed bodies carrying their own musk (which these kind of loud and edgy fragrances were NOT meant to cope with), or cigarette smoke and a used car full of illegally-obtained half-empty beer cans, and the happy-go-lucky Hugo is no longer so happy, but just perfume on a pig. In the 21st century, nothing really screams "I never left high school" on a thirty-something more than wearing Hugo, with even Tommy by Tommy Hilfiger (1994) having a slightly greater degree of maturity thanks to it's Estée Lauder parentage and similarities to the darker Aramis Havana (1994). Younger guys can still get away with this now, and that's perhaps why this still moves units. Hugo has had several special edition bottles over the years, just like Calvin Klein cK One (1994), and seems to be an ingrained part of "street culture", which ironically further removes it from it's original theme of being an outdoorsy adventurer type of scent but with a youthful kick. Budding frontiersman wear their dad's Polo (1978), but the guys pulling stunts in their cambered Honda Civics down the main drag after midnight wear this. I admit there is a certain nostalgia factor that keeps me coming back to visit this old soldier, just like Nautica (1992) and Polo Sport (1993), but I just remind myself after I do why Hugo will always belong to the youth, and put that bottle back on the counter.
Hugo opens with a bright and sweet fruity green melange, featuring Grapefruit, Green Apple, and bergamot. Later on pine, and kitchen herbs like thyme, basil, and spearmint leaves show up to make this feel woodsy, but it's just the start of the green accords as the middle is stuffed with sage, cloves, and cedar. Lavender and geranium are claimed to be in here somewhere but they're buried in calone and aquatic aromachems by this point, and even a listed rum note is supposed to be present but it's just not there. Oakmoss and sandalwood anchor the base, but they are likely very sparingly used or syntheic proxies, because I don't feel the mass of either very much. Vetiver is also supposed to exist here, and maybe it does, but I don't get much of a grassy or smoky finish here. although I do read some suede at the end. Mostly what I find is a green apple and citrus transition to herbs, then fake woods, moss, and finally ending in aquatic notes making this feel like Tsar merged with Cool Water (1988), which isn't exactly a bad thing if you always wanted a greener Cool Water without having to spring for Creed Green Irish Tweed (1985). Something familiar, some different, something old, and something (then) new basically define the approach taken by Bob Aliano, and based on his "a pinch of this and a pinch of that" mentality here, I can kind of see why he probably didn't climb any higher in the perfumer ranks after Hugo, since this smells almost like an accidental success rather than something carefully orchestrated. The transition from fruit top to herbs and mossy aquatic base is pretty clumsy, with the sweet apple lingering long after it should, giving this the ability to be cloying if over-sprayed, like walking into a cloud after a young guy has been testing spray deodorants at the grocery.
I don't hate Hugo, but it's the kind of "candy aquatic fruity fresh fougère-a-roo" that was everywhere in the 1990's, and was a jumble of "energetic" notes assisted with the latest in chemistry of the day so the young guys trolling for dates could smell like Jolly Rancher candies rolled in Skin Bracer (1932) so the love interest would find them "delicious". Once you factor in sweaty unwashed bodies carrying their own musk (which these kind of loud and edgy fragrances were NOT meant to cope with), or cigarette smoke and a used car full of illegally-obtained half-empty beer cans, and the happy-go-lucky Hugo is no longer so happy, but just perfume on a pig. In the 21st century, nothing really screams "I never left high school" on a thirty-something more than wearing Hugo, with even Tommy by Tommy Hilfiger (1994) having a slightly greater degree of maturity thanks to it's Estée Lauder parentage and similarities to the darker Aramis Havana (1994). Younger guys can still get away with this now, and that's perhaps why this still moves units. Hugo has had several special edition bottles over the years, just like Calvin Klein cK One (1994), and seems to be an ingrained part of "street culture", which ironically further removes it from it's original theme of being an outdoorsy adventurer type of scent but with a youthful kick. Budding frontiersman wear their dad's Polo (1978), but the guys pulling stunts in their cambered Honda Civics down the main drag after midnight wear this. I admit there is a certain nostalgia factor that keeps me coming back to visit this old soldier, just like Nautica (1992) and Polo Sport (1993), but I just remind myself after I do why Hugo will always belong to the youth, and put that bottle back on the counter.
Very pleasant leather and pungent citrus scent from Hugo Boss!
Hugo feels friendly and safe, fit for informal occasions. It has a warm, masculine sensation that stays pleasant to the very end (it doesn't last too long on me, though).
Great go-to scent for on-the-go casual occasions. Unbelievable number of fragrance notes in this one, but it doesn't smell contrived nor synthetic…just smooth and predictable. Invictus Aqua really resembles this.
The intense version is even nicer, taking what's so nice about Hugo and turbocharging it!
Hugo feels friendly and safe, fit for informal occasions. It has a warm, masculine sensation that stays pleasant to the very end (it doesn't last too long on me, though).
Great go-to scent for on-the-go casual occasions. Unbelievable number of fragrance notes in this one, but it doesn't smell contrived nor synthetic…just smooth and predictable. Invictus Aqua really resembles this.
The intense version is even nicer, taking what's so nice about Hugo and turbocharging it!
This scent evoked rebellion when I wore it. Even the people around me felt the same about me seeming rebellious and I got negative service from people in the service industry.
I can't wear this scent and be taken seriously.
I can't wear this scent and be taken seriously.
This is an amazing scent still to this day IMO. I have had a bottle of this in my collection since it came out in 1995. I believe this was the Hugo house attempt at Creeds GIT. GIT is more of a gentleman's scent. Boss was going for the 20 and 30 year old crowd with this juice. Some of my friends call it a "frat boy" fragrance. I find that to be an insult. The note tree for this is extensive but to my nose it is well constructed and a pleasure to wear. I find it a great spring / summer scent and doesn't disappoint with longevity on my skin. A solid 8 hours on me. After 20 years still puts a smile on my face when I wear it. Enjoy!
One of my earliest purchases and at the time a good one; however, as my collection expands I'm not fond of it anymore. Supposed to be a fresh, classy fragrance but these days it just smells like a slightly richer cousin of CK One to me - citrus but with a sour note and doesn't last long at all. Not terrible but not one I'd purchase again.
This is a very fresh, pleasing and inoffensive fragrance suitable for almost all seasons and all occasions but mostly for casual wear in spring and summer.
The opening of the fragrance is a fresh, green and clean aroma followed by smooth floral notes.
The lavender note in this fragrance is much more toward it's floral nature and it has an airy floral and soft clean/soapy vibe. mint also gives this fresh start a green feel and with help of some citruses, increases the freshness of the scent.
Overall feeling of the scent is fresh, clean, green, bitter, aromatic and cold breeze kind of like smell which is nice but also it does smell very familiar and generic!
As time passes by, I'm getting pretty the same smell but now less fresh and green and a little more bitter with kind of mellow smoky aura. I don't know if there is incense in this fragrance or it's synthetic cedar (Iso E Super) note that creates this bitter woody and kind of smoky vibe but it's there and I can feel it. no changes till the end.
Projection is above average and good and longevity is around 4-6 hours depends on your skin and the season that you're wearing it.
The opening of the fragrance is a fresh, green and clean aroma followed by smooth floral notes.
The lavender note in this fragrance is much more toward it's floral nature and it has an airy floral and soft clean/soapy vibe. mint also gives this fresh start a green feel and with help of some citruses, increases the freshness of the scent.
Overall feeling of the scent is fresh, clean, green, bitter, aromatic and cold breeze kind of like smell which is nice but also it does smell very familiar and generic!
As time passes by, I'm getting pretty the same smell but now less fresh and green and a little more bitter with kind of mellow smoky aura. I don't know if there is incense in this fragrance or it's synthetic cedar (Iso E Super) note that creates this bitter woody and kind of smoky vibe but it's there and I can feel it. no changes till the end.
Projection is above average and good and longevity is around 4-6 hours depends on your skin and the season that you're wearing it.
I used to wear it in my 20ties and I used to get a lot of compliments with it.
But it bored me after a while and I think the formulation has been modified by more synthetic ingredients.
It think it's more suitable for young people and beginner noses.
Pass!
Forgettable 5,5/10
But it bored me after a while and I think the formulation has been modified by more synthetic ingredients.
It think it's more suitable for young people and beginner noses.
Pass!
Forgettable 5,5/10
Classic....tons of character and plenty of fruit and charm. This is probably the scent i've owned that has had most complements. Thank you Hugo!
I really like this one. To me there is nothing artificial about it. In a sense nearly every frag is going to be artificial. How often in life will you encounter any combination of smells from any one fragrance at once? Never. If someone cant complain its artificial then they will complain its linear. IMHO HUGO by Hugo Boss is a classic that should be revered and put up there with Fahrenheit, ADG, and cool water. Just because a fragrance is older doesnt mean it isnt any good. There is a reason this has been in production for nearly 20 years. I dont think this is for the younger generation though. There is a lot going on. This seems to contradict the hugo marketing but I would say this is a great staple for someone in their mid to late 30's who grew up when this scent was created. What I love the most is that I get something different every time I wear it. And to my nose it is plenty strong with great projection and it gets a lot of compliments.
Can't sounder stand the problem with this one, I have had this in my collection for many years and one things is for certain it definitely attracts females, sillage and longetivity is mild but gotta take the good with bad and the smells for for this Hugo Boss fragrance is most definitely good! Try it on a night out in town will not disappoint
To my nose, elusive. Runs scared for the shrubbery straightaway from slyish ingenue of canteen bottling. I can agree with comparison to Diesel Fuel For Life, but Diesel sticks around much better. Not a bad scent at all, quite agreeable actually, but this liquidity is as camouflage in a bottle. Watery Diesel's Foreshadowed Incognito.
* I wish to offer this scent an earnest apology. I must have had winter time lack of proper smelling abilities on the day I slandered its good standing. Not near as weak as I initially thought. All in all, not bad at all.
* I wish to offer this scent an earnest apology. I must have had winter time lack of proper smelling abilities on the day I slandered its good standing. Not near as weak as I initially thought. All in all, not bad at all.
After having tried this on, one can see it was developed in the 90s. It surely smells like it.
Simply put it's boring...
Simply put it's boring...
nice fresh/green combo. apples galore with some musk added for maturity. a staple in most guys wardrobe since the mid 90's. very affordable and a classic. should be mentioned with acqua di gio and cool water.
This was the only fragrance I owned back in high school and I use to wear it a lot. I did not like it, but it was better in my mind to wear at least something.
To cut to the chase, it smells a lot like apples. I'm giving it a thumbs down becuase I remember it smelling very artificial, too brash.
To cut to the chase, it smells a lot like apples. I'm giving it a thumbs down becuase I remember it smelling very artificial, too brash.
Not bad. Slightly woody and smooth frag. Kind of boring and synthetic. Gave this one away. I noticed I was never reaching for this one. But this is not a bad scent. Just one I won't care to wear much.
One of my favorites, very masculine scent to me. I think mature man that is wealthy. Anyway i really do enjoy this scent even if it does smell a little synthetic. Like the bottle also pretty cool screw on cap. This scent isnt going anywhere anytime soon (live one baby)
One of my all time favorite designer fragrances in high school, and still gets much wear from my collection, as I proudly own a 5.1 oz bottle. With such a clash of notes, all of which are highly synthetic smelling, they manage to come together nicely to make one accord in the opening, which to my nose smells like pineapple, cypress, and a little leather. As it dries it gives this "old cheese" smell to many, I see this too, but for some reason, I don't mind it. Hugo doesn't last more than 6 hours on a good day for me, and projection is pretty weak after the first 30 minutes. Overall though, it's quite unique for the designer market, from its release to this day, I haven't come across a big hit like it. Probably because they would have to clone all the synthetic smelling notes in this to generate this overall synthetic smelling accord. I'd hate to throw around the term "synthetic smelling" over & over, but that's what I get. Personally.. synthetic smelling is never a bad thing for me, as long as it comes together well. To an extent, this has some of Tommy's DNA in it, but with more going on. Hard to describe, but easy to wear. A must try in my opinion, but very VERY love or hate.
Three words. Masculine, compliment getter.
While a lot may be said for its synthetic notes, I for one must say, synthetic or not this juice smells good. It has a sort of green smell, on my skin the rum and green apple pop out at first followed by a delicious mossy sandal wood.
I would not recommend this for a blind buy because on some people it just doesn't smell well. When testing make sure to apply to skin because it smells different on the strip.
Best suited for days when you just feel like a man who needs to take care of things. great for office and out on the town night or day. Great longevity and projection.
Only con is the evolution of the notes on me. 15 minutes of delicious apple and rum followed by the smooth masculine mossy sandalwood. The middle notes are just kinda detectable.
Still great buy especially for the compliments I'm getting. just today A woman asked me what i was wearing so she could get some for her boyfriend.
While a lot may be said for its synthetic notes, I for one must say, synthetic or not this juice smells good. It has a sort of green smell, on my skin the rum and green apple pop out at first followed by a delicious mossy sandal wood.
I would not recommend this for a blind buy because on some people it just doesn't smell well. When testing make sure to apply to skin because it smells different on the strip.
Best suited for days when you just feel like a man who needs to take care of things. great for office and out on the town night or day. Great longevity and projection.
Only con is the evolution of the notes on me. 15 minutes of delicious apple and rum followed by the smooth masculine mossy sandalwood. The middle notes are just kinda detectable.
Still great buy especially for the compliments I'm getting. just today A woman asked me what i was wearing so she could get some for her boyfriend.