Pino Silvestre
Silvestre (1955)

A nice clean everyday scent, opens with pine, basil and an almost menthol opening. Very refreshing and very light. Dries to a subtle pine smell, good cheap scent for everyday wear without breaking the bank. Does not last long, maybe a couple of hours and needs frequent tough ups. However it is clean, fresh and good for anytime.

My least favorite pine centered fragrance that can't hold a scented candle to other legends like the Original Silvestre by Victor (1946) or it's big brother Acqua di Selva by Victor (1949), the 2 fragrances Pino Silvestre is most commonly compared to.

6/10

pity that it has been further reformulated and watered down. it is much lighter than the one I used as a kid over 20 years ago, but it still remains very pleasant and fresh. Suitable after a shower to have a refreshing and energizing effect, or to wear for a short outing without obligation (such as taking the dog down, etc.). It is always and in any case very pleasant to smell, very masculine.

What I get is a fresh, powerful citrus, a touch of thyme, and a dollop of pine. When the citrus starts dying down I can detect some basil too. But don't expect anything complex, after all it is named after pinus sylvestris and the bottle is shaped like a pine cone.

Pino Silvestre is what old men in Italy have worn from the mid-fifties onwards. That popularity means the scent got heavily assimilated into industrial products. Personally, I am incapable of not being reminded of the green car fresheners by Little Trees or Magic Trees or Arbre Magique or whatever they're called in your neck of the woods, but I can still enjoy Pino on some level. The newer versions smell more synthetic to me - beware.

Mine is a splash bottle from the late 80s so I don't have to deal with the renowned messy sprayer. On my skin the juice projects for about an hour, becomes a skin scent within 2 hours, and lasts maybe 5 which is good for something that costs less than €10.

Masculinity Level: The tragic figure that is Swamp Thing.

Ahh, the great fragcomm punchline that is Pino Silvestre.

Seriously though, for all the derision flung at poor Pino, it is definitely not the worst-smelling frag. Not by a long shot. You have to give credit to what my nose detects as natural oregano (where is it in the note breakdown!? it is THERE), thyme, and caraway oils. And for a pine scent, it thankfully isn't overdosed with Pine Sol-esque Isobornyl Acetate. It's actually fairly balanced, if not a bit skeletal.

I could see Pino as good for layering with a rose or patchouli scent. Or it could be layered with other conifer-centric scents, like Yatagan.

7.5/10.

Ah nostalgia and memories can play havoc with my middle aged brain. So many font memories of colognes from my childhood and early memories of looking forward to manhood.

I am a collector and have many vintage fragrances in my collection. I recently purchased this at a discounter for less than $20.

Huge anticipation of pine forest, fresh, barbershop fragrance so I was so disappointed when I got hit by the smell of mothballs, yes nasty mothballs

I cannot recollect the original fragrance but this is nasty stuff with no redeeming features what so ever - AVOID