Cristobal pour Homme (Eau de Toilette) by Balenciaga

Bottle Design:
Yves Fajnberg

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Danke für Eure netten Anmerkungen, freut mich :-) (by Pistazieneis)

Cristobal pour Homme Balenciaga 2000 Eau de Toilette

7.6 / 10 61 Ratings

A popular perfume by Balenciaga for men, released in 2000. The scent is woody-sweet. The longevity is above-average. The production was apparently discontinued.
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Main accords

Woody

Sweet

Spicy

Oriental

Fresh

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

White pepper Coffee

Coffee

Mugwort

Tea

Heart Notes

Sandalwood

Coriander

Nutmeg

Geranium

Base Notes

Benzoin

Amber

Vanilla

Tobacco

Perfumer

Gérard Anthony

Ratings

Scent

7.661 Ratings

Longevity

8.242 Ratings

Sillage

7.041 Ratings

Bottle

7.449 Ratings

Submitted by DonVanVliet · last update on 08/13/2025.

Source-backed & verified

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Cristobal pour Homme Cologne d'Orient

Cristobal pour Homme Après Rasage

Background Eau de Toilette

Reviews

7 in-depth fragrance descriptions

03/16/2015

ColinM
516 Reviews

ColinM

Helpful Review 6

Perfection

The opening of Cristobal Homme is fantastic: that same, unmistakable anisic-fougère structure of Azzaro pour Homme “revisited” with a modern look. Sweet, fresh, cozy, velvety, terribly solid. If you know Azzaro pour Homme, Cristobal will give you a really pleasant feel of “déja-vu”: basically here you get that “old school vibe”, mostly from citrus-anise-lavender-woods, perfectly mixed with a totally compelling “late ‘90s style”: soft creamy woods, tobacco, an overall sweet powderiness. Gerard Anthony perfectly nails it again in creating something smelling irresistibly, desperately good – with again, as for Azzaro, a stunning level of depth and quality (back when budgets for fragrances were still high...). By “smelling good” I mean something which is at the same time easy to pull off, friendly, cozy, probably crowdpleasing, yet sophisticated, refined, and totally distinctive. This is what I personally value the most in perfumery; you need talent to make distinctive “artistic” perfumes, you need talent to make versatile crowdpleasers, you need to be a perfume-making superhero to make something comprising them all this well. So uplifting and enjoyable. The “modern aromatic fougère” par excellence, warm and sweet, perfectly “modern” yet perfectly timeless, which only a nose like Anthony could accomplish. Delightful, sophisticated, versatile. Grab any bottle you can find – go, now!

9/10

04/03/2015

4Scent 5Sillage

Drseid
828 Reviews

Drseid

1

Balenciaga Does Synthetic...

Cristobal pour Homme goes on with an ambiguous fresh synthetic accord with a creamy faux sandalwood undertone. Moving to the early heart the slightly sweet, creamy faux sandalwood takes command of the development with hints of nutmeg spice and rose-like geranium. As the composition continues through the heart phase the faux sandalwood gradually gives way to a slowly growing vague synthetic blonde woody accord that takes over as star with the nutmeg spice and geranium remaining in support. During the late dry-down the composition turns decidedly more dry with the synthetic woods relegated to support as slightly powdery vanilla and relatively dry amber take control through the finish. Projection is above average and longevity is excellent at 12 hours on skin.

Ugh oh, Houston we have a problem... After being so impressed with many other offerings from Balenciaga it seemed like a relatively safe bet to blind buy a bottle of Cristobal pour Homme, emphasis on "seemed"... Unfortunately, this composition is nowhere near in the same league as the other Balenciaga offerings I have tried over the years. The primary culprit is the highly synthetic smelling nature of the composition (and in this case, I mean synthetic in a bad way). First off, is the faux creamy sandalwood (similar in smell to the stuff used in Floris Eau de Santal). This stuff may be fake, but when used properly it can smell quite good as it does in Eau de Santal. While it smells good elsewhere, in Cristobal pour Homme it definitely doesn't. Problematic faux sandalwood out of the way, we now come to the worst offender of all, the dreaded synthetic blonde woody accord (AKA Cashmeran). Cashmeran is a tough synthetic to control in compositions, and it is not skillfully implemented here, overpowering most of the other aspects of the composition until the late dry-down. Doubly problematic is when it is paired with the faux sandalwood it just emphasizes all its worst aspects. The only saving grace to this unfortunate concoction is the late dry-down as the vanilla and amber take over the focus, but it is just too little, too late, and indeed the Cashmeran remains in the background still to make sure you don't forget it. At the end of the day, one could do a lot worse than the minor mess that is Cristobal pour Homme, but one could also do a *heck* of a lot better. The bottom line is the approximately $125 per 100ml bottle on the aftermarket Cristobal pour Homme is a moderately disappointing concoction of synthetics that try way too hard and don't succeed, earning it a "below average" 2 to 2.5 stars out of 5 and a modest avoid recommendation. This one was a blind buy gone bad, I'm afraid.

04/23/2012

7Scent

Barolo
5 Reviews

Barolo

This individual wants his piece of the pie

I just got this one in the mail, today...

All I keep thinking is...this is a lot like Givenchy Pi mixed with Mont Blanc Individuel. If you like both of those scents, you might find something extra magical about this one.

The initial blast lacks the synthetic cacophony of Pi, and the smell of vanilla is immediately prominent.

A few minutes later, an Individuel vibe crops up that is not quite as sweet as Individuel which is a very good thing.

Perhaps, I wrote my review in earnest because it's only been 10 minutes, but this one is rather pleasant. It's not quite as unwearable for me as Individuel but it tends to the unisexy side. Female fans of Pi are sure to love this one.

Overall, I wish it tended more toward Pi than Individuel but it's a nice step up from Individuel making it something I would actually consider wearing out my front door.

04/01/2013

8Scent 10Longevity 7.5Sillage

Chnokfir
213 Reviews

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Chnokfir

Helpful Review 6

More Volume

There are fragrances that simply make you wish for more volume. And then there are those scents that have so much volume that it hardly seems to fit into a single perfume. Yet, the components blend together wonderfully, providing a fantastic, long-lasting olfactory experience. Cristóbal is one such wonderful fragrance from this second category.

Cristóbal is THE fragrance of the haute couture label Cristóbal Balenciaga. The scent makes a corresponding statement. Confidently, the sandalwood door swings open, accompanied by a hefty dose of pepper and a smoky benzoin note. For a brief moment, the wormwood brings a green freshness. Then come a few spicy hints; I believe I can smell a bit of nutmeg. From the depths arise warm and sweet notes like amber and leather, but much stronger is a robust vanilla. This not only reads opulent, it is opulent. No wonder I only know the ingredients tea, coffee, geranium, and coriander from paper.

When I wear this fragrance, I conjure a smile on my colleagues' faces from afar. The powdery-vanilla-woody-aromatic cloud is more than evident and lingers in the room for several minutes. Even worn clothing can smell pleasantly for more than a day. This sounds intense, and it is. However, it is by no means excessive or even overpowering. I have yet to receive any negative opinions. On the contrary, Cristóbal is often referred to as a feel-good scent, bringing warmth to autumn and winter. However, it should be used sparingly and with emphasis; too much is eventually too much of a good thing.

The bottle presents itself somewhat reserved yet still confidently. A classic square shape, but with a satin finish and slightly wavy back, giving it both structure and playfulness, making it a delight to hold. A simple matte gold square cap completes the fragrance elegantly.

Unfortunately, Cristóbal is now hard to come by. It's a shame, as it is one of those warm-soft scents that possess the volume and character that I sadly miss in many modern fragrances.

02/24/2010

7Scent

FrauHolle
556 Reviews

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FrauHolle

5

peppered amber vanilla sandalwood

Actually a pretty average scent, yet interesting because it starts fresh and ends sweet.
In the first five minutes, alcohol and pepper bite and annoy me, but soon the wood takes the top spot and amber + vanilla do their part for the original victory of this fragrance.

Coffee/tea drinkers unfortunately won't get their money's worth here and should rather continue buying their perfume at Tchibo and Milford.

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