Eternity for Men

Eternity for Men is Calvin Klein's love letter to the aromatic fougère tradition, composed by Carlos Benaim with a distinctly American sensibility that marries Mediterranean brightness to classic men's grooming. The lavender here isn't the sharp barbershop variety—it's sun-warmed and almost honeyed, immediately tempered by a tart mandarin-lemon-bergamot triumvirate that prevents any stuffiness. What makes this particularly interesting is how the basil and sage in the heart create an almost culinary greenness, a herbal verve that sits oddly well alongside the more conventional jasmine and geranium florals. There's a soapy quality to the lily of the valley that some might find dated, but it also provides a clean scaffolding for everything else to rest upon.

The base is where Eternity shows its age most clearly—that amber-musk-sandalwood trio feels distinctly early nineties, smooth and unabrasive in a way that modern noses might read as polite rather than provocative. The vetiver adds a whisper of earthiness without ever getting too rooty or bitter. This is the fragrance of men who bought their suits from department stores and meant something by wearing them, who understood that smelling "nice" was a form of respect. It's neither aggressive nor timid, sitting at a register that would now be called "safe" but in 1990 represented a certain aspirational masculinity. The performance is moderate—Eternity doesn't announce you before you enter a room, but it lingers politely in your wake. Perfect for the man who wants to smell groomed without making a statement about it.