Obsession for Men 1986 Eau de Toilette

Obsession for Men (Eau de Toilette) by Calvin Klein
Bottle Design Pierre Dinand
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7.4 / 10 748 Ratings
A perfume by Calvin Klein for men, released in 1986. The scent is spicy-oriental. It is being marketed by Coty.
Pronunciation
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Main accords

Spicy
Oriental
Sweet
Woody
Gourmand

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
CinnamonCinnamon CorianderCoriander LavenderLavender Mandarin orangeMandarin orange BergamotBergamot GrapefruitGrapefruit LimeLime
Heart Notes Heart Notes
CloveClove JasmineJasmine MyrrhMyrrh NutmegNutmeg PinePine RosewoodRosewood SageSage Red berriesRed berries
Base Notes Base Notes
AmberAmber MuskMusk VanillaVanilla PatchouliPatchouli SandalwoodSandalwood VetiverVetiver

Perfumer

Ratings
Scent
7.4748 Ratings
Longevity
7.8623 Ratings
Sillage
7.5604 Ratings
Bottle
6.5605 Ratings
Value for money
8.2291 Ratings
Submitted by DonVanVliet, last update on 01/05/2025.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to
Obsession for Men (After Shave) by Calvin Klein
Obsession for Men After Shave
Obsession (Eau de Parfum) by Calvin Klein
Obsession Eau de Parfum
Obsession for Men (Body Spray) by Calvin Klein
Obsession for Men Body Spray
Musc Ravageur (Eau de Parfum) by Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle
Musc Ravageur Eau de Parfum
Lapidus pour Homme (Eau de Toilette) by Ted Lapidus
Lapidus pour Homme Eau de Toilette
CK One Shock for Him by Calvin Klein
CK One Shock for Him

Reviews

22 in-depth fragrance descriptions
7.5
Sillage
7.5
Longevity
8
Scent
Missk

1357 Reviews
Missk
Missk
Top Review 7  
Incense sticks
When I smelt Obsession for Men for the very first time I was amazed that I hadn't come across this fragrance sooner. It has all the qualities I desire in my own perfumes, let alone what I wish every man would smell like.

I love the scent of incense, particularly sandalwood, patchouli or vanilla based incense sticks. This fragrance smells like a beautiful combination of the three, all smokey, spicy and sweet.

Obsession for Men does perhaps smell a little 'churchy' and a little too oriental for some, but this fragrance intrigues me. There's nothing about this fragrance that speaks 'overly dated 80's scent' to me.

I find this fragrance to be very unisex. It smells very similar to a lot of fragrance's I have on my own wishlist right now, like, Myrrhe Ardente by Annick Goutal and 31 Rue Cambon by Chanel.

Despite its obvious incense note, this fragrance does tend to have a soapy quality that is lovely and clean smelling, taming those sometimes harsh spicy notes. Obsession for Men is the kind of fragrance which is sexy and cuddly at the same time, two conflicting feelings in one bottle.

The sillage and lasting power are great, and at such an inexpensive price, I'm amazed that this isn't more popular than it is.
0 Comments
7.5
Bottle
7.5
Sillage
7.5
Longevity
6
Scent
Drseid

820 Reviews
Drseid
Drseid
Helpful Review 5  
The Calvin Klein From My Youth That Went Unnoticed...
*This is a review of the vintage version of Obsession for Men.

As I was in my mid-teens when Obsession for Men was initially released it is with some embarrassment that I admit to only trying the vintage version from my youth just recently, additionally not really noticing it on others over the years. The Calvin Klein release that I kept smelling back then (and loathing with a passion) was Eternity for Men... So with those unhappy memories of Eternity for Men coupled with my other failures with every Calvin Klein release I have come across, I forced myself to finally take a chance and blind buy a small bottle of the vintage Obsession for Men to see what I may have been missing all these years...

Obsession for Men (vintage) opens with powerful lavender before quickly morphing to its starring carnation and rosewood tandem in the early heart. The rosewood definitely features its rosy floral aspect that compliments the carnation while its woody facet grounds the composition. Joining the heavy woody florals is an underlying mild cinnamon and nutmeg spice combination that acts as further support for the woody floral accord while powdery vanilla from the base makes its way to join the party early in the late heart. As the fragrance enters the late dry-down, the powdery vanilla takes over as the focus, joined by slightly sweet amber and deep musk that replace the earlier florals, giving the composition a more warm finish. Projection is good, and so is longevity at 8-10 hours on skin.

The wonderful carnation and rosewood tandem featured in the early heart has a passing similarity to the heart accord of one of my favorite compositions, JHL by Aramis, but the two are dissimilar on the whole. Things get less desirable during the early dry-down as Obsession for Men (vintage) gets quite powdery; and when the powder combines in the late heart with the remnants of the carnation and rosewood it can be a bit too much at times. That said, once the floral aspects finally dissipate during the late dry-down the powder becomes much more tolerable and the composition is easy to wear again. The bottom line is Obsession for Men (vintage) has a lot to love with its fabulous carnation and rosewood early heart accord, but the later powder from the vanilla really ruins the effect to a great degree. Intrusive powder aside, Obsession for Men (vintage) is still a "good" to "very good" rated classic composition that earns 3 to 3.5 stars out of 5 and should be on any powder lover's radar as vintage bottles can be found relatively inexpensively on the after-market.
1 Comment
Akela

10 Reviews
Akela
Akela
4  
It smells nice, but .... poor performance
I bought this perfume again, which I knew was wonderful. But I was shocked at how much his performance was reduced. Please believe me that it has reached below the levels of Ferrari perfumes. Rain water. I throw three jets on my hair and after half an hour the one next to me can hardly feel it. I clearly don't feel it anymore. I'm sorry about him. But if that's the fate of all budget perfumes ... then ... I better buy fishing tools because I'm more earned !.
2 Comments
9
Pricing
7
Bottle
7
Sillage
7
Longevity
9
Scent
Tobii

4 Reviews
Tobii
Tobii
Helpful Review 5  
A marvelous blended mix of spices.
Alright, this fragrance always seems to compel me in such a way, that I keep smelling it. It might be old from the 90s, and you can kind of smell that too. But this fragrance is wonderful. Let me try to explain why.
When first applying it, you smell a short fresh rush of citruses accompanied with cinnamon and coriander. I do not really smell lavender myself. This quickly transforms into a spicy, slightly animalic sillage. After a while you can definitely smell the gum-resin myrrh, together with rosewood, the spices and I guess a bit of the sage. Because it does have an incense kind of vibe.
When finally arriving to the dry-down after a couple of hours max, you can smell a comforting mix of vanilla, amber, musk and some typical sandalwood/vetiver. But I find it hard to distinguish these.

All in all, this scent has a special place for me. It once was gifted to me by a very special person and I do get a compliment every now and then when wearing this. To me, it's unique and comforting. I must say, that you can easily dislike this fragrance, because it does have a kind of barbershop-ish/old-man vibe to it. But don't be discouraged, it's a good mature-smelling scent.

Lastly, I want to emphasize that everyone's nose is different and that this review is of course an interpretation of mine. Always sniff it yourself and then decide!

Have a nice day.
0 Comments
BrianBuchanan

353 Reviews
BrianBuchanan
BrianBuchanan
Helpful Review 2  
Obsessed no more
Obsession for Men is the perfume equivalent of an 80's soft rock ballad. Foreigner's Waiting for a Girl like You is a good metaphor of the anxious sentimentality expressed here. (The track came out five years before but it's still relevant due to perfumery's
peculiar temporal dislocation from other arts - an idea put forward by Chandler Burr - which does seem to have some merit.)

In my original review I wrote OfM is 'more than just a comfort blanket', now I'm not so sure. These days it strikes me as little more than a bitter sweet amber with herbs.
0 Comments
More reviews

Statements

20 short views on the fragrance
ElysiumElysium 9 years ago
8
Bottle
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
10
Scent
CK Obsession can touch you one time, last for a lifetime, and never let go till you're gone. I was fascinated by that scent and I'm even more
0 Comments
ElqwertyElqwerty 6 years ago
7
Bottle
7
Sillage
7
Longevity
9
Scent
This was my clubbing parfume and it never dissapointed! Really fits in a dark environment or in the colder nights/days.
0 Comments
Jazzy76Jazzy76 7 years ago
6
Bottle
8
Sillage
8
Longevity
8.5
Scent
Not a son of the minimalist 90es: it's opulent, rich, spicy, aromatic. Strong sillage and risk of addiction for women too!
0 Comments
Topfpflanze3Topfpflanze3 4 years ago
6
Bottle
8
Sillage
8
Longevity
8.5
Scent
My favourite old school fragrance. It triggers some memories in my brain that make me feel nostalgic. It thinks its still wearable
0 Comments
ChicoRoch1ChicoRoch1 2 years ago
8
Bottle
5
Sillage
5
Longevity
8
Scent
Please buy Vintage ONLY, otherwise you're wasting your time AND money
0 Comments
HanyolabyHanyolaby 3 years ago
2
Bottle
3
Sillage
3
Longevity
9.5
Scent
Disappointing

The new formula has no sillage or lasting power whatsoever.
It lasts 1 hour with very soft smell.

should be an aftershave
0 Comments
MossoakMossoak 2 months ago
8
Bottle
8
Sillage
7
Longevity
8
Scent
Can't believe how good this still is. Not 'good for the price', but good, period. Spicy, musky amber that's not too dense. American Classic.
0 Comments
RobbieXRobbieX 2 years ago
8
Bottle
9
Sillage
8
Longevity
10
Scent
A classic for men. Warm smooth cinnamon, and gingerbread. It's Christmas in a bottle.
0 Comments
TruckladyTrucklady 6 years ago
6
Bottle
8
Sillage
8
Longevity
8
Scent
I ADORE it on me, not on other people. Best thing CK has released; an Opium for the gents, I suppose.
0 Comments
SoapySoapy 1 year ago
The very first version of Obsession for Men is nothing short of magical. Lots of oakmoss, huge cinnamon, and a soapy feel.
0 Comments
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