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By Man Dolce & Gabbana 1998

8.6 / 10 186 Ratings

A popular perfume by Dolce & Gabbana for men, released in 1998. The scent is spicy-sweet. The longevity is above-average. It was last marketed by EuroItalia.
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Main accords

Spicy

Sweet

Woody

Oriental

Floral

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Hedione

Nutmeg leaf Pepper

Pepper

Heart Notes

Artemisia

Lavender

Base Notes

Ambrox

Gaiac wood Amber

Amber

Sandalwood Leather

Leather

Ratings

Scent

8.6186 Ratings

Longevity

8.1148 Ratings

Sillage

7.9148 Ratings

Bottle

7.4160 Ratings

Value for money

6.963 Ratings

Submitted by DonVanVliet · last update on 04/08/2025.

Source-backed & verified

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Pour Homme

Intrigo Devastante Intense

Intrigo Devastante

Kristiansand New York

Zebra

Nuit

Reviews

10 in-depth fragrance descriptions

06/28/2022

9Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

Smellavision
205 Reviews

Smellavision

1

Nutmeg, lavender and CREAMY sandalwood...

While some of the male fragrances from the 1990s and backwards in time in my personal opinion are extremely overhyped (yes, I'm looking at you Habit Rouge and Caron Pour un Homme) others are just outstanding. By for Man is one of the latter. The juice is so thick it's almost an oil. The scent itself is a little animalic and musky, so much that it gives off a slightly dirty, almost sexy vibe. A spicy yet sweet, peppery and woody oriental with a touch of fougere.

The opening actually leans slightly feminine but the hedione/jasmine effect in the heart notes is just to die for. The drydown of sandalwood and tobacco gives a creamy smooth smokiness that is excellently executed. Very well composed, unique and with just the right hint of animalic musk. The bottle is a love or hate subject, but my best guess would be that the striped zebra should symbolize the animalics in this.

One of D&Gs finest moments and unfortunately, in todays market I cannot find any fragrance that comes close to this...

03/01/2012

7Scent 7.5Longevity 7.5Sillage

Missk
1357 Reviews

Missk

2

Fantastic masculine

I happened to stumble randomly across this fragrance in my local department store. While it has indeed been discontinued, this particular store is still selling it.

This fragrance, that I luckily had the opportunity to test, is quite amazing and unique. Perhaps it is its unique nature that caused this fragrance a lack of sales.

By for Men is a combination of herbaceousness, pepper and nuts. The scent itself is rather bold, a big commander of presence.

I found this perfume to be both sexy and soothing, particularly with the lavender note. In all honesty, I wore this fragrance on two occasions, and I concluded that this fragrance could be unisex.

The tobacco and sandalwood in the drydown, ends By for Men with a deliciously rich smokiness which I really enjoyed. Every time I think of this fragrance's beauty it makes me quite angry to think that in the near future, this fragrance will be a distant memory.

The longevity was very good and the sillage quite strong. The bottle design was also a hit with me. It's such a shame that Dolce & Gabbana didn't think this fragrance was worthy of remaining in their collection for the long-term. By for Men is refreshingly modern, and I feel that it deserves more praise than more recent releases like The One for Men and the Anthology series.

10/25/2013

8Scent 7.5Longevity 5Sillage

Leimbacher
2873 Reviews

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Leimbacher

Top Review 18

The Aura of the Priceless Zebra

A few weeks ago, I would have thought that I would never own D&G By Man, perhaps even never get to smell it. Simply way too rare, scarce, one could say extinct. Prices well over €200 on eBay for 50 ml - incredible dimensions and probably one of the most expensive mainstream perfumes of all time with extremely loyal fans and admirers. But then a good offer for an almost full 100 ml bottle here in the forum coincided with my salary payment - I couldn't resist. The legend of the zebra is mine. But with all the posthumous hype reminiscent of deceased stars like Elvis and MJ, I was particularly curious about the scent that has captivated and literally enthralled so many. It's certainly not worth €300, but is it good? Oh yes, but quite different than expected.

It reminds me a bit of Lalique's White. Only instead of lemon, it is spicy-sweet. It also comes off as powdery at times. Timeless definitely, a beautiful progression. Harmonious, balsamic, warm - just really tame and quite close to the skin for me. At least that's how it seems to me. I can't really imagine it at parties. Or only with difficulty. But I should test that. Another perfume it reminds me of is Jungle PH by Kenzo - also a representative of nutmeg.

By Man starts off sharp and sour for me. Not very pleasant yet and a bit biting. I thought it had gone off, or at least the top notes, but it hasn't. It seems to be due to the indefinable Hedione. Then quite quickly a lot of spicy-soft nutmeg comes in with a bit of bright pepper. It sounds spicy, but is pleasant, approachable, and in a good mood bright. The lavender certainly contributes strongly to this chilled base mood. The powdery sweet background noise comes through stronger later, the scent becomes sweet without being overpowering. Amber, wood, and the finest, only hinted leather. Dusty and dry, like in the zebra savannas of Africa during a sunset - yes, that could fit.

The bottle is a classic and the zebra-deodorant look is just ultra-cool and well done. The sillage is medium strong, but definitely not a going-out perfume for me; one could almost describe the zebra as shy and timid. But the scent, as mentioned, also has a sweet side that some of my predecessors might have interpreted as extroverted. But to be honest, compared to Joop Homme or A*Men, this is just a mini-whiff. It is even a really good signature scent with office qualities. Amazing, maybe it has also lost some strength over the years it stood still. But it hasn't gone off even in the slightest. It lasted a good 8 hours, but you can hardly smell it yourself without going to your wrist. It's not like it constantly releases clouds.

I am glad to have this myth in my collection. It's just a pity that I will use this treasure so rarely, even though it would be versatile and ready for the working world of 2013. One of the great but shy attractions in my fragrance zoo!

08/22/2018

10Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

N471v3
134 Reviews

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N471v3

Top Review 14

An Animal Paradox!

This rare zebra is truly an animal paradox...

Black but white.
Originally not expensive but now priceless.
Not available but easily obtainable through its clone.
Clearly for men but completely against the grain and unconventional.
Mainstream but special.
Fougère but not Fougère.

I first tested BY MAN with 10ml, and I knew right away: Wow, this one has something.

It builds olfactorily on the basis of a Fougère / Barbershop scent, which is creamy and soft, to the exact point where it is no longer old-fashioned, but somehow modern to timeless, and infinitely sexy!

It has a slight freshness and sweetness, imagine it a bit like Prada L'Homme... Just a softer and more natural sweetness, better embedded, and thus more effortless and natural. One could also say that "The One" from the same house is an ideal successor, so- it smells different, but the concept of this sweet, smooth kind has been somewhat retained. However, The One is much more mainstream and pleasing, it just never has as much class and uniqueness for me as By. (:
By Man reminds me a bit of a strong sunscreen, but far more noble and focused. It also has for me a slight reminiscence of Le Male, basically this creamy sweetness WITHOUT the maritime note.

And as you can read between the lines, I find it too good not to buy it. Speaking of availability...
As I spoiled in my initial comparison, there is a perfect clone of this scent that I tested.
Namely "Intrigo Devastante Intense" by Parfums Vintage. I can tell you that I am very critical and usually recognize when a scent deviates even slightly from the original. And this clone deviates only to the extent that the creator indicates:
"Intrigo Devastante is based on D&G 'By' Man. Discontinued due to the soar in price of Mysore Sandalwood. He's also done an intense version of this with (sic) 'boosted naturals in the mid and overall concentration 1% more'.

But even with the Intense version (I haven't tried the normal one), the DNA is SO authentic that I think I wouldn't recognize it in a blind test.. And the cool thing is, you can apply it for the price and layer it to your heart's content, which is a joy. For this work, I would like to thank Parfums Vintage, as it feels to me like they have helped to protect a world heritage :D

In any case, for lovers of the genre and enthusiasts, I really want to recommend my new favorite (whether the original or the clone).

It has simply quickly become a scent that I often use when I don’t want to impress anyone, but just want to smell excellent for myself. It works every time, and I feel really special with it! :))

Scent: 11/10 points. It immediately climbs to position 2 in my personal scent charts (see my collection, the higher up, the better). (I’ll still let myself be embalmed with a vintage bottle of La Nuit)

By by.. uh, Bye bye. ;P

02/07/2019

8.5Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

Morpheus1
72 Reviews

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Morpheus1

Helpful Review 14

The Legend of the D&G Zebras

...could also be the title of a film or a myth, a story told full of exciting moments.

No, this is about the rare black-and-white striped D&G Zebra "By Man".
A species of a discontinued fragrance that is no longer seen in the wild, very shy, expensive, and rare.

You can no longer spot it through the binoculars on the scent safari. No matter how quietly you try to sneak up. Unless you pay a hefty ticket to catch a glimpse of it, or even to smell it once.

Some visitors of the safari have already seen it on parfumo, smelled it, and admired its special beauty. The D&G Zebra.

Yes, the zebra is surrounded by a special aura. I can confirm that.
So I also booked a ticket to experience it once. I ordered it "blind" and was not disappointed. It smells better than expected.

It marks its territory with a special, finely tuned scent. A unique composition that no longer exists today in this finesse and quality.

Masculine spicy barbershop style meets a creamy soft sweetness with minimal floral notes (Hedione/Lavender). The notes blend perfectly and emanate from the zebra. Not too sweet, just right. Wonderfully fragrant.
It is not loud, but always present in the right measure with good longevity.

Now, are the ticket prices for the experience justified? Recently, a 100ml bottle was sold here for 270,-. 300-400 euros are often common prices. No, in my eyes, the zebra is not worth that much.

But whoever has the opportunity to add this shy creature to their collection at a reasonable price should seize the chance and give it a good home. Forever.
For its kind is strongly threatened with extinction!

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