1872 for Men Clive Christian 2001

1872 is the Sprite of fragrances. Why? Bc the opening is crispier than a muthaf%#ker! For those of you who have had a McDonald's sprite, you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about! Green, fresh, bright upon first blast. The opening is addictive. If I'm not mistaken, this is the cheapest Clive Christian you can purchase. It is certainly not even close to being the worst (scent). 1872 for Men is easily one of my favorite freshies in my collection. It's difficult not to reach for that beautiful green and gold bottle. The worst thing about this beautiful scent profile is the performance. Gone in an hour! I just keep spraying. Might have the largest dent in my CC collection. Personifies spring and will also be great for the summer. Definitely masculine. Carry the bottle or travel atomizer to continue getting your fix.

1872 for Men opens with mandarin orange tempered with a hint of grapefruit and bergamot for zest and even just the faintest whiff of lime for good measure. The heart of the scent is quite the grassy green floral and herbal mixture with primary heart notes of hay-like marigold, clary sage and petitgrain with only patchouli from the base being detectable as it creeps into the heart notes well in the background. Projection and longevity are both below average to average.

1872 for Men is an astonishing disappointment. The scent is quite natural smelling, but when that natural smell is so dated and boring, who cares? It is not a bad smelling scent at all, but it is not really relevant today and its grassy herbal heart smells quite similar to a brand-less bath toiletry I sniffed at a high-end hotel in Las Vegas many years ago. That toiletry was free of charge, but this stuff is over $300 for a 50ml bottle! If you love your scents very green with mild herbal undertones then 1872 for Men may appeal to you and by all means seek out a sample, but before buying this thing just try Hermes' Eau d'Orange Verte that is much better smelling and relevant, just as natural, has only slightly more brief longevity and costs less than 1/6th the price. 1872 for Men earns a middling 2.5 stars out of 5 for the scent (but 0 out of 5 for value if I rated such a thing). What a scandalous rip-off from Clive Christian!

After some years of engagement with perfumes I more and more look at the smaller forms. This notion also determines my approach to 1872 for men which – being a light Fougère – rather stands in the shadows of the more opulent fragrances of the Clive Christian series.

I remember how I first got acquainted with this fragrance – it was quite at the beginning of my travels within the world of perfume. It was in Munich, at the Oberpollinger department store. I was standing somewhere on the first floor, leaning over a balustrade and looking down at the crowd in the basement while enjoying this strange yet light scent.

1872 wrongly appeared to me as a kind of Eau de Cologne variant, albeit with a special and hard to describe green occurance: definitely a beginner's mistake which prevented me from finding access to that remarkable perfume. Although I liked this particular kind of freshness, I could not convince myself of spending so much money on such a faint little Eau. A presumably stronger pure perfume oil of 1872 was available at that time for about 1000 €.

Whatever it is that determines the character of this fragrance – it is still hard for me to give it a name. Everything is light, transparent and herbaceous. It is a green fragrance, but mild and with some discreet floral hints. Besides the mandarin orange, there is a remarkably well integrated pineapple in the head notes – which I usually find a rather difficult note in perfumes. The pungent taste and almost biting sensation that a fresh pineapple can leave on one's palate and teethridge is also inherent to that scent note. Wherever it is used it easily destroys any trace of elegance. But – in 1872 one can find out how this note being considerably tamed down brings an alternative to the usual citric freshness. I do not know any other gents' cologne where pineaple has been used that cautiously yet detectably.

The heart of the fragrance leaves me without a clue. What is all this? A mild an elegant green herbaceousness becomes manifest. It puts a smile on every face, it is so beautiful that it can make your heart jump. If any of the many listed notes is responsible for that – I do not know which it is. I do not know of any direct twin that 1872 for men could be compared with. If need be, I would say that there are a few perfumes with a very similar concept: the green-floral, woodruff fougère Knize Two comes to my mind!

It is the special attraction of this kind of fougères that they pretend a lightness that will later turn out to be a sheer illusion. Notes that we find tender and soft in the beginning can develop vehemence and opulence as time passes – such is the case with Knize Two, and such is the case with 1872 for men. Understatement would not be the right word for it since the impression of a somehow light and easy going cologne does not persist.

Actually the experience of opulence and substance may not arise with a quick test in the perfume shop – especially if 1872 is tested along with other fragrances. In such a situation, 1872 can hardly reveal its qualities, and I suppose this may be the reason for less attention by possible buyers. Isn't also Knize Two standing in the shadow of its far more popular brother Knize Ten? Whoever finds its way to 1872 through all obstacles can be glad about something: to not just consume a fragrance but having worked out a personal approach to that perfume.

It is a matter of opinion whether one regards 1872 as an Eau de Parfum or Eau de Toilette. If applied normally, the heart note might sustain itself for about 5 hours. The following base note is considerably more quiet. It keeps the green vibes of the heart but apart from that it may be described best as resinous. Far apart from the common amber and musk bases of the mass market it just conveys its sophistication but it is difficult to hold on to. I do not find another distinct statement in this phase of 1872's development.

The essential reason for me to loose 1872 out of sight was the very high price that was being asked – and still is! But some time ago I found out that by now, Clive Christian offers different sizes. The smallest size of 30 ml (app. 1 oz) is available for about 200 € - and a bigger amount is surely not needed. The reason is that such a green-floral opulence is something one also can get fed up with, if overapplied or worn on a daily basis. 1872 is simply too demanding for an everyday fragrance.

Whoever wants to seriously get involved with 1872 for men should take the utmost care when testing it – apply it without a second fragrance on your other wrist, and then take your time!

I like comparing fragrance to fashion because there is a lot of overlap: they are both products you put on your body as a means of personal expression. And I feel like they are both subject to the ebb and flow of vogue/trendiness, although it moves a lot more slowly for fragrances than clothing.

I've been following men's style influencers a bit and one of them (I believe it was Tanner Guzy/Masculine Style for those interested) mentioned how it's nice to incorporate vintage stuff into your look but you don't want to wear a full vintage outfit because it will look like a costume, and I noticed that some of the content I was consuming in the past (e.g. Gentleman's Gazette) was kind of pushing me down that road.

I think if one's not careful, fragrance can do the same thing too. Wearing something like Bois du Portugal or Polo Eau de Toilette in 2026 is a bit like wearing a vintage clothing "costume." You're just trying to be someone from the 80s, rather than incorporating elements from 80s culture into your personal style.* That's where 1872 comes in. While it's not a new fragrance by any means, 25 years old at this point, it modernizes that aggressive oakmossy nature of those 80s fragrance into a more palatable wear by combining it with elements of early 00s "blue" fragrances. Nowadays even the blue fragrances are going out of fashion but I think by wearing something like this which is a combination of 80s and 00s styles, it's like wearing a colorful 80s windbreaker with baggy 00s jeans that definitely won't look out of place in 2026 and signals you know what you're doing if your overall style matches the energy of this fragrance.

So that this review is not just about fashionability and vogue of fragrances, let me break down the actual scent: it opens with a bright citrus in the vein of Renaissance, with the aromatic elements not far behind. Surprisingly oakmoss is missing from the note breakdown but it is definitely there in the base, giving the composition that old school barbershop-y vibe. But it never gets too intense and dark, keeping that playful nature throughout its lifetime, probably owing to more modern elements like liberal amounts of airy ISO-E Super and macrocyclic musks. Unfortunately the performance isn't that great; you're lucky if you get 5 or 6 good hours out of it. But for the few hours it does project, it is really a great fragrance, and I think even worth the money if you can get it at discounters for under $300/100ml or under $250/50ml.

*Of course, fragrance is only a small part of style, and you can combine a vintage frag like those with more modern style elements in terms of fashion and accessories, to achieve a cohesive vibe. But my point still stands that if you're wearing BdP or Polo with just jeans and a t-shirt, you're going to give off the vibe of wearing a fragrance "costume." It has to be intentional.

From the moment you apply it, it is easy to see that the dominant aroma of Clive Christian 1872 is citrus green, with the most prominent citrus in this composition being petitgrain, which is nothing more than essential oil from the lemon leaf. This oil is special because, while most citrus is extracted from the peel of oranges or lemons, petitgrain is extracted not only from the peel of the bitter orange tree, but also from the young branches and leaves. Therefore, in addition to the characteristic citrus nuances, there is a slight bitterness, clean and pleasant, green and a woody touch. The quality of the ingredients used in these notes and chords really impress!

It also has a sweet grapefruit mixed with the fresh sweetness of a ripe pineapple, which sometimes even reminds me of Creed Aventus. Along with that, there's a fresh, green herbaceous note, perhaps of rosemary with a slightly dried lavender. That's when you sniff it carefully and try to figure out what's in it, try to dissect it. However, once it spreads, it is no longer complicated; on the contrary, it creates a slightly floral citrus vibe with a hint of soft wood. Which combined with spices such as pepper and nutmeg, create the perfect transition to complex drying. The naturalness of the raw materials used in this fragrance are exceptional!

At the base come tree notes with a fresh cedar and sandalwood also with an earthy patchouli blending with a white floral accord with emphasis on freesia and jasmine with a herbal touch of sage balancing the richer surface notes, and situating the fragrance in the fertile English landscape and transporting those who wear it to the heart of a forest. A very exquisite amber, bridging the initial fruity sweetness and joining with a delicate musky incense-incense resinous touch adds even more sophistication to this luxurious fragrance.

And one of the things that pleased me most about Clive Christian 1872 Men is its evolution. Usually in citrus fragrances, these notes usually fade quickly after 1 to 2 hours, leaving mostly wood or musk. In 1872 it is different; It maintains a very stable citrus structure. After about another 2 hours, if you smell it again, the citrus will still be there. The most noticeable difference from the opening is perhaps the wood becoming more prominent. And the aroma practically doesn't change anymore; it just stays that citrusy, green, woody, deliciously fresh. And it still has a great performance for this category of fragrances.