L'Eau d'Issey pour Homme Issey Miyake 1994 Eau de Toilette

Certainly a really complex, refined and intelligent composition; maybe too much for some noses unable to smell anything other than farts and sugar.

Its sophistication is evident, this is simply a masterpiece: The delicate smell of a typical Zen garden, full of nuances. This male iteration simply brings us closer to the woods and grasses on the shore of the little “mental” lake, while the female version takes a little more pleasure in the flowers. But both are in the same garden…

This fragrance has average longevity and projection; maybe at the beginning it was bigger, but currently it isn’t negligible at all. Certainly not.

In conclusion:

- This is an impressionistic fragrance: The mental picture of a Zen garden. It could perfectly float in a luxurious spa.

It’s a witty, delicate and wonderful scent: Simply a timeless masterpiece.

By the notes you'd guess this would be a feminine perfume, it isn't REALLY masculine, id call this unisex if anything since it first came out in the 1990s unisex craze.
Blended yuzu and mandarin at the top that's actually so well done & delicate, you dont see that combo a whole lot, soft white florals with soft-sweet spices and a woody backbone.
No need for a blue fragrance when you've got this masterpiece that won't offend anyone and will always bring your mood up.

Thats a wonderful citric floral for all seasons.

It's classic and timeless.

Not too sweet, not too citric: it's a very well balanced scent - lots of yuzu and other citruses very well blended with herbs and a little of woods.

Sillage, projection and lasting power are excellent!

Definetely a MUST HAVE! Worth a bottle and a backup bottle! Thumbs up.

Updated January 2014

L'Eau d'Issey pour Homme Eau de Toilette has established itself as a true classic in the fragrance game, similarly to Terre d'Hermès Eau de Toilette, for example. Back in the late 90s when it was released, it offered a modern character that was hard to fault. But that was back then. And while I believe that true classics never go out of style, whatever L'Eau d'Issey pour Homme Eau de Toilette has become nowadays just simply doesn't hold up to its name anymore.

That is to say that either we've gotten spoiled with more "in your face" compositions that made L'Eau d'Issey pour Homme Eau de Toilette take a step back, or it has suffered some reformulations along the decades. After some digging, reformulations definitely happened, but not enough to catastrophically alter the original DNA. So in the end, I simply think I'm not a huge fan overall. It is pleasant, undoubtedly, and very easy to recognize. It opens very sharp with a yuzu squeeze, offering that lovely zesty, gently bitter citric character, whilst being complemented with some juicy and less effervescent mandarin. The aquatic accord is immediately set up after that opening, with a more clean, out-of-the-shower rendition of aquatic and less marine/briny. Frankly, it smells exactly as if you've just come out of the shower. Some very gentle nutmeg brings a touch of spicy warmth, next to the water lily which is at the helm of the aquatic structure.

Little else happens afterwards. I get a rather faint woodiness, very airy and light, that presents a somewhat sweet ambery accent. But neither the sandalwood, nor the vetiver truly stand out with one of their signature attributes. Just a mingle of shy and very clean woods. Now, I respect it for what it has done to the industry, and it is without doubt a pleasant, classy citrus-freshie. But... it just falls a little bland, especially if compared to other classics (I keep coming back to Terre d'Hermès Eau de Toilette) that seem to offer something more standout, distinct. L'Eau d'Issey pour Homme Eau de Toilette doesn't really stand out to me in a special way nowadays, which is why the lower rating.

Let's be honest: it doesn't take much to tell that performance here will lamentably be underwhelming. On my skin, I actually sort of got 6-7 hours of longevity (fair, in ideal testing conditions), which is a pretty good showing. But projection was simply not offering much after the first hour. You get largely all the pushing power and sillage squeezed out in that first hour, instead of having a more steady bubble for longer. L'Eau d'Issey pour Homme Eau de Toilette, like many others, just go all in at the start, and by the 2-3 hour mark largely no one will be able to detect it anymore.

Let's be honest once more: it takes even less to tell just how versatile L'Eau d'Issey pour Homme Eau de Toilette is. It kind of had to be, in the end; niche compositions weren't quite as popular back in the 90s. People simply wanted to smell good rather than "interesting". And there I believe that this fragrance succeeded the most. It can be worn to school, to work, to sports, to family gatherings... It's signature worthy too, but it might come across as a little "older" nowadays, but if I'm being honest, I'd rather be told that I smell like grandpa rather than "modern" with an ambroxan/amberwood bomb.

That's also why I'd much rather pick L'Eau d'Issey pour Homme Eau de Toilette than any highly popular hype beast that's making waves at Sephora. Issey Miyake's signature piece still holds up, and with prices being rather friendly too, why not if all you want is to smell good? You could argue I could say the same for any synthetic piece of crap out there, but in the end, if I have another option that while not "up to date" for today's standards, misses out on the soulless, synthetic-to-the-gills money-grab structure, why would I ever choose the latter? But also, if I have something like Terre d'Hermès Eau de Toilette, why go with L'Eau d'Issey pour Homme Eau de Toilette? Sure, the Miyake is an aquatic, while the Hermès focuses more on an earthy, dirty citrus. But when put side-by-side, Terre d'Hermès Eau de Toilette just comes on top, no diff. It offers a better-put composition while also having more character. That doesn't rule out L'Eau d'Issey pour Homme Eau de Toilette completely; by all means, it's a good fragrance still and worth considering. But it's not a classic I'm personally drawn towards.

Overall Rating: 5.2/10

L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme is lovely and crisp. Issey Miyake is certainly the house to go to if fresh, citrusy or aquatic Summer scents are what you crave.

Scents like these are often what my male friends tend to always smell like. For this reason, crisp and clean scents put me at ease, however they don't entice me or turn me on. Which is a good thing.

The scent is a little predictable, however I really like it in its inoffensive and refreshing state. There's nothing nicer than a man that smells clean.

L'eau d'Issey Pour Homme opens with zesty citrus, mostly the bright, sparkly, yellow kind, with a subtle hint of garden herbs. As it develops further, the watery aspect becomes apparent with a slight sea water saltiness counteracting with the woodsy and somewhat bitter vetiver.

Some reviewers are saying that this composition is quite synthetic smelling. While I somewhat agree, being one that finds almost all aquatics quite chemical, L'eau d'Issey Pour Homme doesn't smell too much like a scientist's lab. The synthetic ingredients are only very light on, not nearly as harsh as some aquatic fragrances are.

The longevity is superb, if not the longest lasting masculine aquatic I've ever encountered. I can understand why this fragrance is so popular amongst the men during Summer and a particular favourite among the women.