Play Givenchy 2008 Eau de Toilette

Bottle Design Serge Mansau

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6.3 / 10 132 Ratings

A perfume by Givenchy for men, released in 2008. The scent is citrusy-fresh. It was last marketed by LVMH.

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Main accords

Citrus

Fresh

Spicy

Sweet

Synthetic

Fragrance Notes

Black pepper

Amyris

Bergamot

Mandarin orange

Bitter orange

Grapefruit

Patchouli

Vetiver

Coffee blossom

Perfumers

Emilie Bevierre-Coppermann, Lucas Sieuzac

Ratings

Scent

6.3132 Ratings

Longevity

5.890 Ratings

Sillage

5.582 Ratings

Bottle

5.998 Ratings

Value for money

6.516 Ratings

Submitted by DonVanVliet, last update on 07.07.2023.

Reviews

5 in-depth fragrance descriptions

04/22/2012

7.5
Bottle 2.5
Longevity 9
Scent

Barolo
5 Reviews

Barolo

My signature that I'm always trying to replace

My wife is largely responsible for bringing me here. She bought me a 12 cologne sampler from Sephora, for Christmas, and Givenchy Play happened to be in the box with 11 other heavy hitters. The fun thing about the 12 cologne sampler was you got to chose a bottle of the one scent you desired.

I spent a few weeks testing the various samples and decided that I liked Givenchy Play better than Hanae Mori, and YSL L'Homme which were the other two that I was giving strong consideration to.

After choosing Play, I went on a crazy run ordering samples and bottles left and right. I've probably sniffed around 100 things since December and it makes me wonder why people call this one unoriginal? I've smelled nothing like it save for the flankers of the line.

Play Intense is a great scent which is a little more vanillic/caramelic vs. the citrus found in Play.

Why am I trying to replace Play? It's longevity is very disappointing. I bought Play Intense and am much happier with the longevity but I don't quite like the scent as much as regular Play. Play Sport is also semi-interesting but the least attractive of the 3 to me with it's ultra citric content.

I've found that layering Play and Play Intense is nearly perfection for me, but I don't like the idea of having to wear two scents at once.

Finally, I'll never quite understand those who'll pan Play and praise Play Intense. I really don't find that huge of a gap between the two.

01/07/2015

5
Bottle 5
Sillage 5
Longevity 6
Scent

OcD
6 Reviews

OcD

1

Ok, Low End Stuff .

This is ok, for a low end synthetic . It is a citrus woodsy fragrance, that also seems to be powdery at times . This is the cheapest synthetic fragrance that I own . Mainly due to my better half . It is nice though . I usually don't like fragrances this light, but it does work well . Great to wear around the house, or to run quick errands .

03/24/2012

5
Sillage 5
Longevity 7
Scent

Missk
1165 Reviews

Missk

Pleasant citrus

This fragrance is the kind of citrus that I like on a man.

The mandarin, bergamot, grapefruit and bitter orange work in perfect unison with one another. The opening is crisp and energising rather than sharp or headache-inducing like most citrus-based scents are for me.

Despite the fact that Play is fairly unoriginal, it is extremely inticing. I must admit that I don't like the bottle design. It's strange like a remote or something, clunky and looks cheaply made, however the fragrance makes up for the odd marketing.

The pepper and the coffee in the heart does not feature as strongly as I expected they would, however because this fragrance is primarily a Summer scent, the strength of these notes would have inbalanced the liveliness and crispness of the scent.

Like many have mentioned before me, the lasting power is unfortunately quite poor which is a little disappointing seeming that this is one of the nicest male releases this year.

I did however get the chance to experience the drydown before it faded far too quickly, which was an earthy and masculine blend of vetiver and patchouli.

01/08/2012

2.5
Longevity 4
Scent

Thatsmr2usir
67 Reviews

Thatsmr2usir

1

Play Intense is much better IMO

Givenchy Play is a backstreet fragrance. What I mean by that is it hides in the shadows of so many other fragrances of it's kind. I am glad I only got a sample of this. It opens up synthetic with citrus, woods & some coffee.

While this does not sound bad, it is due to the lack of quality that is produced in this fragrance. It should appeal to those teenagers whom are young @ heart, but I can not recommend this fragrance to anyone over the age of 20! Givenchy perfumes are usually a hit or miss with me as they will either last a nice while or will fade away rather swiftly. This is the case with Play. I get a max 3 hours then it fades to nothing. Projects? Not much if @ all. Intense would be a much better option than this. However the bottle is unique.

07/08/2023

8
Pricing 4
Bottle 6
Sillage 8
Longevity 7.5
Scent

DrKong
45 Reviews

DrKong

1

Simple but charming. Memories from the past

Play by Givenchy seems to me a youthful, woody and fresh fragrance. Wearing this fragrance made me think of a young person who wears a fragrance with just enough woods that doesn't make him feel too formal, but also doesn't fall into sportiness despite being citrusy. I think the heart notes are the ones that give the combination of coffee and tobacco flower its own personality, although I don't know what the cuaba flower smells like, perhaps it also contributes its differentiating share.

It is a versatile and pleasant fragrance, as I mentioned, I see it as ideal for young people (perhaps the advertising planted that idea in my head). Duration on my skin greater than 8 hours.