Man Extreme
Eau de Parfum, Jimmy Choo (2024)

Man Extreme by Jimmy Choo (2024) is another pleasant surprise from a range that I had not much love for, outside the odd flanker. I guess this is another such odd flanker I can say I enjoy, but not enough to pick up. In some ways this feels like a "designerized" take on Creed Viking (2017), in that Man Extreme fools around with geranium, pepper, and what feels like something minty in the base, but the big switcheroo into that comes only after a misleading fruity opening. Leave it to underappreciated fragrance maestro Anne Flipo to build a designer fragrance in 2024 that has honest-to-goodness transitions in it instead of being a big old block of something for 80% of its formula like what is expected. Perfumer Tanguy Guesnet is the sorta overseer of the line too, and had a hand in this as well.

The "red thyme" and black pepper here read similar to the tart berry notes in things like Montblanc Legend Red (2022) or Bath & Body Works Canyon (2021), but perhaps a touch rounder and sweeter on the approach. Beyond that, things don't remain similar for long, as a sage and minty geranium note enter with a smooth aromatic nature that contrasts the pepper perfectly, hence my initial comparisons to Viking, and things only stay in that vein the further this goes into the dry down. Before long, some dusty mulled spices go along with patchouli, akigalawood, clove, and tonka, making Man Extreme more classically masculine than anyone has any right to expect from this brand, let alone this line. A real headspinner, this. Performance is moderate, so the "extreme" moniker is somewhat belied, but you don't need more.

is this something I'd buy? If I had a smaller collection or didn't own other fragrances that cover similar enough territory to get by, absolutely. In this stage of my hobby, I don't think I'd need this scent, and since I basically skipped town on the entire range anyway, circling back to cherry pick certain flankers I can get on with feels a bit like a lack of integrity on my part, with all due respect to Flipo and Guesnet. Like I said, I already have things I could wear close enough to this, and I've made my bed with the brand, plus my collection does not need this in it. You on the other hand, oh random reader on the internet looking for honest fragrance opinions and advice (if you still exist), could very well do with this in your collection if you want something that doesn't smell too traditional, but is obviously masculine and not a sugar bomb dipped in caramel and rolled in ambroxan crystals. Not too shabby. Thumbs up

The geranium and pepper are above average in this gem. Before I initially sprayed this on skin, I assumed it would be another designer fragrance. I have to say I was wrong about this one. I also get a slight green in this as well. 7/10