VIP for Him Platinum Edition Playboy 2015 Eau de Toilette

I had hoped that Playboy, after the extremely positive development of VIP towards the VIP Black Edition, would possibly take it a step further and release the Platinum Edition as a potentially lighter, fruitier variant of the warm-winter hazelnut hit called VIP Black Edition (at least that was my association with the name). The approach is definitely there, but the execution is more disturbing than pleasing.

The first confusion set in for me right after spraying. Subconsciously, I recognize the VIP fragrance concept again, meaning a chocolatey, sweet, and slightly creamy base. Over this, I smell a layer of vegetables. A spicy-green scent aspect (reminiscent of celery) pushes to the forefront and gives me the impression that it is vehemently fighting against the sweet base. This first impression is thus the stark opposite of being sales-promoting! My hope is entirely on a fragrance development towards the sweet part of the perfume. Unfortunately, the green-spicy notes linger on my skin for another hour and slowly evoke the need to get rid of this olfactory vegetable bomb. I hold on. One positive aspect I can already note: The sillage is really good for a perfume in this price segment.
After an hour, the green notes have fortunately decreased significantly. The sweet base remains, and I even find that the fragrance generally becomes a bit fresher. Unfortunately, this freshness doesn't quite fit into the overall concept and comes off as rather cheap, like many aquatic scents from the drugstore shelf. There is a certain fruitiness to be sensed, but it comes across as extremely diluted. Here, the perfume could have really scored (for me). Overall, the scent is now just average.
The unnatural freshness remains for a long time, until after about 4 hours the scent increasingly moves towards the original VIP, that is, in the chocolate direction. Now, finally, the point is reached where I like the Platinum Edition.

Longevity: 7-8 hours, nothing to complain about

Sillage: very noticeable in the first 4 hours; slightly intrusive

Bottle: the typical, unattractive standard bottle

~Conclusion~

Overall, I am disappointed with the Platinum Edition. I can only label the initial phase as "horrible." It seems an attempt was made to combine completely different fragrance directions. However, this does not represent an optimization of the two predecessor fragrances at all. Should the scent now be made somehow more summery/fresher/fruity? If so, then something has gone seriously wrong! At the beginning, it’s VIP with salad dressing, then VIP with a splash of synthetic fruit water, and finally like VIP, just a bit less sweet and airier. Even with high-quality ingredients, perfumers would probably struggle to create a coherent scent from this! The Black Edition remains the best choice if you are looking for an extremely affordable, coherent gourmand scent, and for me, the only drugstore fragrance that will likely be repurchased.