Bang Marc Jacobs 2010

Bottle Design Harry Allen

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7.0 / 10 207 Ratings

A perfume by Marc Jacobs for men, released in 2010. The scent is woody-spicy. It was last marketed by Coty.

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Main accords

Woody

Spicy

Earthy

Fresh

Green

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Black pepper

Pink pepper

White pepper

Heart Notes

Woods

Benzoin

Elemi resin

Base Notes

Vetiver

Patchouli

White moss

Perfumers & Creative Guidance

Yann Vasnier
Ann Gottlieb Product developer

Videos

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Ratings

Scent

7.0207 Ratings

Longevity

6.7149 Ratings

Sillage

6.3136 Ratings

Bottle

7.4151 Ratings

Value for money

7.424 Ratings

Submitted by Seglein, last update on 06/18/2024.

Interesting Facts

Winner FIFI Award 2011: Best Packaging.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Blackpepper

Poivre Samarcande

Prestige 431

Terre d'Hermès Eau de Toilette

Casino Royale Boom Boom Nights Edition

V for Men

Reviews

4 in-depth fragrance descriptions

10/31/2014

10
Bottle 5
Sillage 7.5
Longevity 8
Scent

Teadot
26 Reviews

Teadot

Helpful Review 4

Hit and Run...

Surprising, (given it's name)... Bang! is more pensive than party! Yes, the initial "hit" is agressive, metallic, and all-kinds-of-peppery. But a rosy Pink Peppercorn (reminiscent of cinnamon tic-tacs) quickly segues to a more solemn, subdued Heart. From there, it's all dry coniferous Woods and Black Pepper -mellowed out by a dark velvety Resin in the background. A touch of Oakmoss, lends a mild but stately balsalmic tang... adding pungency and depth. A classy touch. But hardly enough to make the scent "complex".

Yet, Bang! is far from boring. The highlight being an "inky" Vetiver Root (a la Encre Noire) that contrasts nicely to make the glimmer of Pink Pepper, PoP! It's Edgy, but brooding. I dig it. It has neither the sweetness, nor the loudness of Spicebomb (the more popular competitor on the spice rack). In fact, Bang! operates in stealth most of the time. (it's presence felt, more by others than the wearer), and there is next to no sweetness at all (save for the aforementioned tic-tac allusion). Marc Jacobs makes a bold move with this mature and unlikely candidate (in the 2010 marketplace) -Amid a designer landscape of child-pacifying confections that pander to Gucci pocketbooks with bubble-gum taste.

I like "Bang!" in much the same way I like Gaultier's Kokorico. (I don't mean they smell alike). But their approach to "character", might come from the same "head space". Both equally uncomplicated, unconventional, and uncompromising in their sense of style. So, Bang! might be of interest to my fellow "Kokoricans" as well. Or at least to those who are not averse to a good dose of Pepper in their fragrance. Unexpectedly, this fragrance became a staple scent for me this past fall and winter. It may have taken a few innings, but ultimately...

BANG! ...hit a home run.

Longevity: 8/10(in base, as skin scent)
Projection(Fall temp): 6.0/10(in mid, stealthy)
Art/Creatives: 8.5/10 (bottle,concept,
composition)– the 50ml flacon stands
up more stable than the 100ml.lol
How: work,casual,dates,fall,winter,more
serious than playful, try layering it w/Encre
Noire for mutually added depth, anyone 25+.

06/17/2012

10
Bottle 7.5
Sillage 7.5
Longevity 5
Scent

Sherapop
1239 Reviews

Sherapop

Helpful Review 3

Pepper, I repeat: Pepper.

My interest in Marc Jacobs BANG was recently piqued, not by the ad campaign, but by some reviewers' comparison of this fragrance to Hermès Hermessence POIVRE SAMARCANDE. I happened upon an open giftbox of BANG at TJMaxx and could not resist giving it a sniff. My verdict? Pepper. I repeat: pepper.

So, yes, in BANG there is an overlap of the black pepper note in POIVRE SAMARCANDE. Aside from that, however, they could not be more different! BANG has no complexity, could easily be a Calvin Klein launch, and is very synthetic. The longevity is great, but the price I paid was a headache.

The similarities between BANG and Hermès Hermessence POIVRE SAMARCANDE are superficial, to put it mildly. The differences are profound.

04/14/2012

7.5
Sillage 7.5
Longevity 7
Scent

Missk
1357 Reviews

Missk

Helpful Review 3

A bang that goes BOOM!

Bang has a lot of pepper, and all this pepper is working for me.

It's nice to see a commercial release that's just that little bit different to the rest. Bang by Marc Jacobs is an intriguing, spicy and sexually demanding scent on a man, and I absolutely love it.

I don't mind the smell of pepper, but I can't say that this smells exactly like what you'd find on your dining table next to the salt. It's peppery, but also warm and balanced. The patchouli and benzoin compliments the scent, adding a creamy and masculine quality.

Bang has a smooth and lovely woodsy drydown, which is rather classy. I don't see why men can't wear this to a formal event, it seems perfect for it.

I actually love the bottle too, I think it's different and exciting. It really suits the scent. Modern yet edgy.

The longevity and the sillage are fairly strong, which is great. The peppery spiciness I get from this with the woodsy undertones gets more and more addictive everytime I smell it. Unfortunately I don't know many men whom this fragrance would suit. It has a very fashion-conscious metrosexual vibe to it.

02/27/2012

10
Bottle 6
Sillage 7.5
Longevity 9
Scent

Rmf1112
16 Reviews

Rmf1112

Helpful Review 4

A peppery Bang with a soft undertone

I recently purchased Marc Jacobs Bang at a nearby discount store for a good price. That place is great for cheap frag finds. So, I see this gets good and bad reviews, but I always try to see why a frag is liked/not liked to see if it lines up with my tastes personally, even if there aren't many favorable reviews. Such was the case with this one- what turns some off in this fragrance seems to be much of the same things that are favorable to others. The huge pepper note in the beginning is certainly one of the major discernible elements here. So it stands to reason, If you don't like pepper, you won't like this either. Myself, on the other hand, am a very big fan of pepper- I've gone so far as to acquire Demeter Black Pepper fragrance and wear it by itself or layer it with others to add some peppery notes into the mix. I am more of a fan of black and white pepper than of pink, however, I find it to be a bit more sharp and astringent perhaps than warming, spicy and full like its monochrome cousins- although pink peppercorn isn't the same family as black, white or even green which are just various preparations of the same fruit.

So, with the background in place as myself being a fan of pepper and spice, etc., I was ready to accept this with open arms into my fragrance life. After removing the paper sleeve, the box is matte black with chrome panels, the front appearing to be dented in with the impact of the word "BANG" itself centralized in capitol lettering. Retrieving the bottle from inside I was amused with the bottle, originally appearing to be a thin smoked black bottle with chrome front and back before "BANG" came by and again makes an impact, contorting the shape of the bottle this time- clever. As far as art goes, this flacon is definitely modern compared to some of the other classic bottle stylings offered by others such as John Varvatos or Tom Ford. It is also worth mentioning, however, that although some don't care for the style, it was awarded "Best Packaging Of The Year - Men's Luxe" for 2011, by The Fragrance Foundation.

Going past the imaginative bottle however, there was some disappointment when the time came to test the scent itself. I suppose I should have been clued in by the chrome front, but this is initially a very fresh fragrance, not so much the dark, warming black pepper I referenced earlier. Smelling it from the bottle, it initially reminds me of Oxygen by Lanvin, how the juniper berries played a prominent role in that offering, so too are the pink peppercorns here a major element. It is a punch to the face of mostly pink and white peppercorn, with a touch of fresh cracked black pepper hiding in the background, mingling with the other, more subtle woodsy notes- and the even less prominent but still somehow there vetyver and patchouli. I have tried this a couple times as a couple sprays to the chest, and haven't
been impressed, but I tried a nice spray on the arm and it smells very different and more full. I can also detect resin-y notes (benzoin and elemi perhaps?) that are fairly pleasant and smooth, like a yin and yang with the contradiction to the sharp pepper. These two combine nicely and form a very analogous relationship with the wood notes, which in turn, give way very nicely and subtly to the resins and patchouli/vetyver combination at the end. This
is very interesting to the nose- it seems to start of fresh and spicy, but changes to a nice resin-y incense like quality that doesn't smell like traditional incense, but more to church or religious type- sublime, really.

While the end is very nice, and it for the most part seems to be well constructed, transitioning smoothly from one phase to the next, the top is rough and doesn't seem to have much longevity or sillage after the initial peppery blast. However the perceived flaws, I think this may still be a bit
under appreciated- maybe its just my tastes or the way it combines with my skin, but this, especially the middle and bottom notes, is very pleasing to the nose and is a sexy skin scent, if only it would stay. If the pink pepper was replaced with the black, instead of merely playing a spicy support role, I feel this would have been very well balanced, warm and much more approachable- but maybe that's the point. Perhaps much like the bottle itself, it is not to be appreciated by all, but is in your face whether you like it or not- brash, loud and a bit hot-headed. Indeed, much like modern art, it is controversial and against conformity for some and for others is the very reason they embrace it.

Scent-
Top gets low rating, but I really dig the rest
4/5

Sillage-
nonexistent under clothes, maybe 12 inches on arm but I can see aspects of this traveling further.
2.5/5

Longevity-
Less than an hour under clothes, maybe twice that outside
2.5/5

Bottle- Very clever and original, not a classic but nice
4/5

Overall- Great idea, decent construction, falls short a bit for me however
3.5/5

If you like spicy, woody fragrances -and this is spicy- with a quick drydown, leading to a subtle skin scent, try it out.