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Devin 1977 Eau de Cologne

7.8 / 10 283 Ratings
A popular perfume by Aramis for men, released in 1977. The scent is spicy-woody. It was last marketed by Estēe Lauder Companies.
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Main accords

Spicy
Woody
Green
Leathery
Chypre

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
GalbanumGalbanum MugwortMugwort AldehydesAldehydes BergamotBergamot LavenderLavender LemonLemon OrangeOrange
Heart Notes Heart Notes
Stone pine needleStone pine needle CarawayCaraway CarnationCarnation CinnamonCinnamon JasmineJasmine
Base Notes Base Notes
OakmossOakmoss LabdanumLabdanum LeatherLeather CedarCedar MuskMusk PatchouliPatchouli AmberAmber

Perfumer

Ratings
Scent
7.8283 Ratings
Longevity
7.8237 Ratings
Sillage
7.2218 Ratings
Bottle
7.1224 Ratings
Value for money
8.369 Ratings
Submitted by DonVanVliet · last update on 12/04/2025.
Source-backed & verified
Interesting Facts
The fragrance was awarded the "Fragrance of the Year – Men's Prestige" prize by the Fragrance Foundation in 1978.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to
Aliage (1972) / Alliage by Estēe Lauder
Aliage (1972)
Devin (After Shave) by Aramis
Devin After Shave
Aliage (2015) by Estēe Lauder
Aliage (2015)
Country (Eau de Cologne) by Henry M. Betrix
Country Eau de Cologne
Halston Z-14 (Cologne) by Halston
Halston Z-14 Cologne
Yatagan (Eau de Toilette) by Caron
Yatagan Eau de Toilette

Reviews

26 in-depth fragrance descriptions
Gmmcnair

40 Reviews
Gmmcnair
Gmmcnair
Top Review 13  
My Personal Replacement for Polo
No, they don't smell that much alike. However, I have a thing for fragrances with a good dose of pine in them, my favorite for many years being (vintage) Ralph Lauren Polo.

My most recent bottle of Polo has not stood up to reformulation at all. What was once glorious pine with wonderful tobacco and mossy notes has turned into pine cleaner and a dirty ashtry to my nose. As a former smoker, that is nothing I want to smell like. Since then, I have had many affairs, looking for someone to fill the shoes of my now lost love.

One Man Show was simply too much. Quorum was too much, and I didn't warm up to it any more now than when I was 16 (47 now). Krizia Uomo is beautiful but didn't do it for me. There's a bitterness on my skin I dislike. Neither did Sung Homme, although I enjoy it now and again. Pino Silvestre is too medicinal to my nose, and Aqua Brava is lovely but too fleeting.

Enter Aramis Devin. Mine is the Gentleman's Collection and is probably a far cry from the original formulation (I know the current Aramis is a much tamer beast). It's still nice, and while it isn't my old Polo, it shares that beautiful dense smoothness when it dries down. That was what I was missing. Granted, it's nowhere near as intense as original Polo, but times have changed. That level of intensity was borderline acceptable in the 1980s and would be really out of place now.

Back to the Devin, I really like the current formulation. Estee Lauder seems to have spent more time and love reformulating their standards, so, while they are no longer the powerhouse fragrances they once were, they're still beautiful, lighter, and incredibly easy to wear (something that couldn't be said of some vintage Lauder frags). They get a unequivocal thumbs up from me for effort, and for results, especially in the face of restrictions. As always, with this kind of fragrance, I recommend sampling before you buy. It's not for everyone.
0 Comments
jtd

484 Reviews
jtd
jtd
Very helpful Review 7  
a fig leaf on Aliage
Devin fits perfectly into the Lauder school of boy/girl pairings. The girl side of the pairing, whether it was the original fragrance or the sequel, seems generally to be the greater of the two. Larger (Aromatics Elixir compared to Aramis 900), heavier (Cinnabar to Aramis JHL), or more forceful (Aliage to Devin.) The Aramis by Aramis/Estée Lauder Azuree pairing is the exception to the pattern. Both are equally sharp, encompassing leather chypres but each takes a slightly different path. Perhaps this parity stems from their origins as descendents of the renown steamroller, the original Grès Cabochard. ‘Greater’ in this case only implies size or volume, not quality. For example I find the softened Aramis 900 lovely, but not quite as appealing as the blockbuster Aromatics Elixir. Yet JHL, with its blowsy, floral side, makes a much more interesting perfume to my nose than Cinnabar on which it’s based. Cinnabar seems to aim for richness and depth but winds up mired and weighed down.

Like JHL, Devin is a toning down of the original on which it’s based: Aliage. Aliage is sharp and direct, but also singing and smiling. Differently than JHL, which redirects the spicy/resinous quality of Cinnabar, Devin filters Aliage. It screens the brightness through a chypre-sieve, unfortunately losing the best parts in the process. Aliage is not so much bright as utterly clear, like brook in a snowy winter. It suggests briskness, even a slap of chill at times. Losing these very qualities, Devin is unfortunately a bit smudged, more room-temperature than cool. Devin feels like Aliage served as reheated left-overs. A particular point, Devin filters out the rich and expansive aspect of galbanum while keeping the sweetness, which, without the compensatory resinousness, appears saccharine sweet, like a shrill whisper.

Devin is one of the few instances where a chypre base is unsuccessful. It weighs Devin down without adding the smolder or mystery that the drydown of a chypre typically implies. It gives a dull opacity that constrains Aliage’s defining characteristic, which is an expansiveness, a clarity. Aliage’s drydown starts about 4 to 5 hours into wearing. Devin’s starts in 30-45 minutes. Devin ends quietly and stays very close to the skin, possibly a goal given its male target audience. Drydown is its best side, though, and I should add that Devin, when reactivated by a little sweat/activity hours after application, has a lovely musky closeness.

I’d prefer not simply to compare perfumes. You know, the whole ‘by comparison we suffer’ bit. But all of the Lauder twins, by nature of their parings, implicitly ask for this sort of examination. With most of the other pairs, I’ve savored both and appreciate the different statements they make. I own and wear Aromatics Elixir, Aramis 900, Azurée, Aramis by Aramis. They’re sensational and each has its place. In this case, though, I’ve never had an instance where I’d wear Devin when I could choose Aliage. Boy/girl versions cannot be easy to compose. This sort of statement about gender and perfumery requires expertise and nuance in order to succeed. While I don’t love Devin, the four Lauder pairings are a tribute to Bernard Chant who composed them all as well as Cabochard. Brilliant thinking, brilliant perfumes.
2 Comments
Drseid

828 Reviews
Drseid
Drseid
5  
A Bit Dated...
Vintage Devin opens with a blast of semi-soapy aldehydes that comes off a bit harsh on skin, combined with a somewhat synthetic carnation and a ton of patchouli. The scent then adds pine in its heart notes with maybe just a hint of cinnamon. The patchouli only strengthens further in the base notes, while joined by a leather and musk tandem to smooth things out. Projection and longevity are excellent.

I really hate using terms like "dated" and the like to describe scents, not to mention I don't like them associated with my personal favorites from others. That said, in the case of Devin, I really kept thinking to myself over and over again while wearing it that the scent just seemed out of place in present day times. I kind of like it, but I doubt I will crack open my vintage bottle more than once a year, if that. The dry-down is the best part of the scent for me, but getting there is too much of a chore as the top and heart notes don't really interest me much. For those that like old fashioned scents, Devin may be right up your alley but in my mind it does not rise to the level of a classic like many others do from its time period. What Devin *is*, is an above average scent that earns 3 out of 5 stars and an indifferent "neutral" opinion. One of the weaker Aramis releases, IMO.
0 Comments
Smellavision

205 Reviews
Smellavision
Smellavision
3  
Well... this one kinda walks like John Wayne but talks like Kevin Costner...
A leather chypre that opens with citrus, going through a slightly sharp and dry herbal green exotic grass phase, into a floral heart with spices and a hint of mildew to a base of incense, leather, patchouli, tobacco and moss. Definitely rugged and masculine, but not coming on as strong as many other scents from that period. Biggest surprise was probably one evening while wearing it, suddenly my girfriend mentioned that she "really liked the way I smell", which is NOT typical for colognes from that era.

It's not that I don't like it - it's just sort of.. meh... a middle-of-the-road scent. Not recommended for blind buyers.
0 Comments
ChicoRoch1

163 Reviews
ChicoRoch1
ChicoRoch1
2  
A bonafide classic
Devin from Aramis was launched in 1977. What a beast this fragrance is. Very long lasting and leathery and spicy. A bit harsh in the opening but it smooths out as time goes on. I have a vintage bottle and a current bottle. Not much different except the vintage one is a little darker with tons of OAKMOSS! DAMN THAT IFRA!! A new current bottle is easy on the wallet but if you go vintage, be prepared to spend well over $100. A beautifully sophisticated scent and much like it's legendary brother Aramis 900, I'm thankful it's still in production. This is a country setting type fragrance so it'll fit right in on the golf course or the ranch. I really love this unusual scent but since it's from Aramis how can you NOT love it. Some people will find it a little harsh but if you can get past the first 20 minutes you are in like flynn. Pick up a bottle today you'll be glad u did.
0 Comments
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Statements

59 short views on the fragrance
5
4
Bittersweet herbs, soapy lavender, warm spices.
The marks of oldschool greatness are intact BUT
Only for 3 hours. Look for a vintage bottle.
4 Comments
2
A deep earthy green musky fragrance. Try before you buy. I love it now, but wasn't sure at first. it's potent. Now gorgeous. Masterpiece
0 Comments
1
Woody, aromatic chypre with a rough classy masculine vibe.
0 Comments
1
One of the greatest by the House of Aramis. Even the current bottle is nice
0 Comments
1 month ago
1
How do you turn greatness into dullness?! Further to discontinuing! Bad job Aramis.. bad job Estée lauder..
0 Comments
57
48
Feel like Kojak
Sitting in his green Cadillac
Sweating chest hair
On leather seats
Black Jack
Wooden card wins
Lemon pins
Call me Devin Kerouac
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48 Comments
38
53
Devin with a leather fetish
Has cinnamon on his mustache
Animals dwell in the spicy-herb carpet of chest hair
Cumin sweat beads are dripping
18+ film
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53 Comments
36
41
My beloved, galbanum-green citrus herb has been so ruined by nasty clean flowers & musk cream that it turned into a chypre.
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41 Comments
26
22
Sorry Devin, no second date!
Your clove chatter was annoying, your mugwort was on my toe, and I could only think about your brother Aramis.
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22 Comments
25
25
Rural natural beauty, similar to Aliage. Blooming jasmine bushes at the edge of the forest. In the base, more rugged, masculine than its Lauder sister.
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25 Comments
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Images

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