Catalyst for Men (Eau de Toilette) by Halston

Bottle Design:
Marc Rosen

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Alchemie geglückt, Gold gewonnen 👑 - (Vintage Mini) - Herzlichen Dank an alle für eure lieben Rückmeldungen 💛 (by CharlAmbre)

Im Labor des Alchemisten - Vintage Mini - Vielen Dank an alle 💛 (by CharlAmbre)

Catalyst for Men Halston 1994 Eau de Toilette

7.7 / 10 95 Ratings

A popular perfume by Halston for men, released in 1994. The scent is spicy-woody. The production was apparently discontinued.
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Main accords

Spicy

Woody

Earthy

Smoky

Resinous

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Galbanum

Sage

Basil

Tarragon

Caraway

Jasmine

Lavender

Tuberose

Bergamot

Mandarin orange Mint

Mint

Narcissus

Orange

Vodka

Rose

Heart Notes

Nutmeg

Chamomile

Cinnamon

Grass

Bay leaf

Blackcurrant

Geranium

Lily of the valley Violet

Violet

Rose

Base Notes

Frankincense

Labdanum

Leather

Oakmoss

Benzoin

Cedar

Tonka bean Amber

Amber

Musk

Patchouli

Sandalwood Vetiver

Vetiver

Coconut

Perfumers

Ilias Ermenidis, Harry Frémont

Ratings

Scent

7.795 Ratings

Longevity

7.481 Ratings

Sillage

7.276 Ratings

Bottle

7.986 Ratings

Value for money

7.510 Ratings

Submitted by Apicius · last update on 11/08/2025.

Source-backed & verified

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Catalyst for Men After Shave

Dunhill Edition Eau de Toilette

Man Pure Eau de Toilette

Boss Spirit Eau de Toilette

Lapidus pour Homme Eau de Toilette

Reviews

12 in-depth fragrance descriptions

06/29/2023

10Scent 9Longevity 10Sillage

LuisFelicio
4 Reviews

LuisFelicio

Very helpful Review 8

The perfect 10

I discovered Catalyst in the late 90's, but unfortunately I never bought a bottle, recently I smelled the aroma again through a miniature and since then it's been an intense search to get more bottles.

It's hard to describe what this perfume does to me.

It is the perfect perfume, which grows with time of application.

The notes (38 in total !!!) stand out more and more over time.
It is floral, it is fruity, and then it becomes woody, Bergamot and Mint stand out, passing through Rose, Leather and finally Amber, just to name a few, almost all of which can be distinguished one by one.

It's the perfect blend, a work of art.

10/10

Music Bolero by Ravel

10/28/2018

8Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

Numcks4frags
21 Reviews

Numcks4frags

1

Spicy comfort scent for cozy flannel days

Sage, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. Very spicy, but also musky/woody in the dry down and with some nice floral notes and orange peel/apple in the opening. A good Thanksgiving frag to go along with the savory fixin's and spicy pumpkin and apple pies.

10/10/2025

Krmarich
230 Reviews

Krmarich

1

Everything but the kitchen sink!

This was my "work fragrance" in the 1990s. I had the edt and aftershave when it was released. The bottles were hefty and fun. I loved shaking the aftershave and it was nice on my skin! I paid little attention to the notes at the time. Seeing them now makes sense! It is massive. The noses must have spent years on this giant.

The opening is complex and has more notes than most men's offerings currently on the market. This is the only men's tuberose that I am aware of. Its bold, sexy, daring and masculine. Just the opening is unisex-so popular in the 90s. Then come the heart notes that are unforgettable...

I would say this is a floriental-rare for men! It is as complex as the 90s offerings could get without ever becoming heavy. The mint/grassy note keeps things cool. Violet, jasmine and rose peek in and out of the spices. There is a booziness here. The bay, nutmeg and cinnamon work in warm weather somehow (I had my best memories of it in the summer) and the orange, coconut and sandalwood/incense create an original masterpiece. No wonder I loved my job! This is pure bliss.

Now, it is priceless if you can find a bottle. Turn up the techno music and grab a cocktail-the party is still going on with Catalyst for men!!!

01/02/2013

7.5Scent 7.5Longevity 7.5Sillage

Yatagan
416 Reviews

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Yatagan

Top Review 19

From the Cauldron

A first glance at the peculiar color of this potion suggests that this little water might not be entirely trustworthy.

In fact, I have somewhat reliably confirmed information from well-informed spiritual circles that the scent was commissioned in a witch's kitchen well-known to connoisseurs. During its creation, nearly all ingredients that could have hallucinogenic or intoxicating effects were thrown into the cauldron.

Nutmeg, one of the few ingredients that even non-witches can perceive in this brew, has a euphoric effect when enjoyed in larger quantities and in the right preparation.

We don't even want to talk about frankincense, which, while used as a pious incense offering in church services, unfortunately also enjoys unbroken popularity in witch circles.

One cannot forget the intoxicating floral scents that may compel unsuspecting victims to willing acts of love, especially jasmine, tuberose, daffodil, and rose.

Listen and be amazed: A splash of vodka was also reportedly poured into the cauldron by the witch sisters, so that the wearer and their surroundings might succumb to the effects of alcohol intoxication.

We all know the effect that musk and amber can have on the opposite sex, and thus these ingredients were not spared in completing the potion.

All the other ingredients likely served only to round out the devilish recipe and probably only unfold their effects in the complex interplay, about which even chemists, as I have been told, have only a vague idea.

It goes without saying that such recipes can no longer really be washed off the skin, at best only through a counter-spell in the shower. The longevity can therefore simply be described as eternal.

The immediate surroundings will also be affected by the effects of the potion with appropriate dosing and may even sway when they come too close to the wearer (or the wearer, as potions always affect both genders).

Last but not least, this witch's brew could only be bottled in a flask that, in the smaller 50 ml version, even rests in a safety stand, so that the liquid does not ignite too quickly and send the careless wearer to the afterlife.

I admit that I quite like this mixture, even though I still have chances to free myself from the spell. My wife has ensured that the flask is placed in the back corner of our poison cabinet. What a shame.

No wonder, then, that this scent was banned after a short time. Safety experts had noticed that this recipe did not come from the labs of honest, solid perfumers, but from a witch's kitchen.

03/17/2010

7Scent 7.5Longevity

Apicius
1328 Reviews

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Apicius

Very helpful Review 9

A Classic Spicy Fragrance

When Catalyst was released in 1994, I really liked the scent, but I didn't buy it back then. Catalyst is the exact opposite of a 90s fragrance. While elsewhere the trend leaned towards fresh, synthetic mediocrity, Halston brought out a fragrance that continues the traditional line of classic men's scents like d'Orsay's Le Dandy or Caron's Le 3me Homme. Catalyst was heavily marketed, and the bottle design is original. It is inspired by the shapes of technical glassware used by chemists: test tubes, flasks, etc. In perfumeries, gift sets with various products from this line were stacked high.

So, it is a spicy fragrance. Nutmeg and clove are predominant, especially nutmeg. This direction gets a herbal punch from the top notes. In particular, sage remains present for a long time. In the base, sandalwood defines the masculine, rugged direction. I really like the musk. It is not dominant but still softens the overall scent. A very subtle soapiness comes through nicely. It gives this otherwise quite gritty spicy fragrance a certain freshness and balances the spices well. Despite the musk, Catalyst is not a completely bright spicy fragrance; it clearly differs from the aforementioned ones. Still, it somehow stands closer to them than to other darker spicy fragrances like Gucci pour Homme. Although it is itself rather dark-toned and somewhat sweet. I find it very successful.

It has disappeared from perfumeries, so you can no longer test it. However, it seems to still be available. There are numerous offers online. I have already seen the 100 ml for under €35. In my experience, now is the time to grab it. If you like spicy fragrances, you can exceptionally risk a blind buy here.

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