Fragrance One
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
That mandarin hits like sweetened concentrate, syrupy and immediate, with bergamot and lemon providing brightness that's been filtered through a decidedly synthetic sweetness. The cardamom flickers briefly before the fruity-sweet wave subsides into something more controlled, though never subtle.
Ambroxan takes command, radiating that salty-woody warmth that's become synonymous with contemporary masculine fragrances, supported by vague woody notes that suggest cedar without committing. The patchouli and musk begin their ascent, smoothing everything into that safe, crowd-pleasing territory where edges disappear and comfort reigns.
A soft musk-patchouli blend dominates, with vetiver offering gentle earthiness that's been stripped of its characteristic smokiness and rendered skin-safe. The oud remains decorative at best, whilst the base settles into a sweet, woody, indistinct warmth that hovers close to the skin—pleasant, forgettable, designed to offend no one.
Date for Men announces itself with the saccharine intensity of mandarin concentrate rather than fresh citrus, a deliberate sweetness that Alberto Morillas has dialled up to almost confectionery levels. This is citrus through a synthetic lens—bergamot and lemon rendered hyper-real, boosted by what reads as ethyl maltol or similar sweet musks that give the opening an almost orange-flavoured quality reminiscent of soluble vitamin C tablets. The artemisia and cardamom attempt to introduce herbal complexity, but they're swiftly overwhelmed by the dominant sweetness that defines this composition.
The transition reveals where Morillas's hand becomes more apparent: a substantial core of Ambroxan that provides that now-ubiquitous woody-amber glow, buoyed by indeterminate "woods" that feel more molecular than botanical. It's a skeleton key formula—familiar, safe, designed for broad appeal rather than innovation. The oud here is purely notional, a whisper of oudwood-type synthetics rather than anything approaching genuine agarwood. What emerges is that 2019-era masculine blueprint: sweet, smooth, woody-ambery, with patchouli and vetiver serving as reference points to "masculine fragrance" rather than distinctive personalities in their own right.
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Diesel
2.7/5 (78)