See Prices

More

We may earn a commission when you buy from links on our site, including the eBay Partner Network and Amazon.

Versace 2000

7.1 / 10 123 Ratings

A perfume by Versace for men, released in 2000. The scent is spicy-woody. The longevity is above-average. The production was apparently discontinued.
Compare

More

We may earn a commission when you buy from links on our site, including the eBay Partner Network and Amazon.

Main accords

Spicy

Woody

Green

Earthy

Sweet

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Orange blossom

Bergamot

Iridescent Screw

Heart Notes

Cocoa

Fig leaf

Base Notes

Patchouli

Vetiver

Musk

Amber

Vanilla

Calibrated Lint

Perfumers

Geoffrey Nejman, Jean-Claude Astier

Videos

Watch video

Ratings

Scent

7.1123 Ratings

Longevity

8.0109 Ratings

Sillage

7.7113 Ratings

Bottle

8.0114 Ratings

Value for money

7.117 Ratings

Submitted by Michael · last update on 06/10/2024.

Source-backed & verified

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Intoxicated

Lui Rochas

Private Label

Shaded

Timbuktu

Oud Shamash

Reviews

10 in-depth fragrance descriptions

11/25/2021

9.5Scent 9Longevity 9Sillage

NXXo
3 Reviews

NXXo

1

A masterpiece

I don't leave a lot of review on perfumes in general, but for me this one should be much better rated than what I see. This is without a doubt the fruit of a great olfactory master. It is a heterogeneous perfume, which deserves a place of choice in all collections that respects itself.

A long longevity a perfect sillage and a certain olfactory detour. It begins in force with a nice touch of citrus, orange well felt and expands quietly on something more earthy that is sweet. I semelle the vetiver and a very soft touch of cocoa that gently turns to warm caramel. A very nice touch of greenery, but not too present, but more like freshly cut grass coming through your window on a summer day. I smell a touch of certainly cook and musk.

This scent is like nothing I have ever smelled before. It is special and also makes me feel that way when I wear it. I deeply love this scent because it is masculine and mysterious. Perfect for winter and fall, but forget about summer with it. I recommend putting it on an hour before going out, as I find the middle notes to be the most appealing and remarkable.

This is not the kind of purchase to make without testing it, but if you are lucky enough to find it jump at the chance.

for me it's an 9/10

10/26/2017

9Scent 7Longevity 5Sillage

Meggi
1018 Reviews

Translated · Show original

Meggi

Top Review 37

Encircled

Akowa was one of my most challenging test candidates so far. A quiet and unspectacular - in the sense of: un-spectacular - perfume that reveals enormous depth and soulful dignity in return. Moreover, it has a singular presence. I am very taken with it. Not every phase of the scent appeals to me equally, which is why I hesitate to award the highest scores. However, it is damn close.

At the same time, I found (and still find) it very difficult to approach the scent, to even put it into words. After all, I have blocked its escape routes, encircling it with the placement of other fragrances. No scent twins, that should be emphasized. But rather, those from which I hoped for vague insights that would help me understand Akowa better.

The first: Monsieur. by Frederic Malle. Related in its dark calm to the types of wearers, although the two have little else in common besides the patchouli.

The second: APOM by Francis Kurkdjian. Until now, I had not really tested it beyond "quickly in the store," but it reminded me of a woodsy-resinous framed, thus somewhat domesticated orange blossom, which might help me get closer to the colleague in Akowa. Consequently, a reasonable test of APOM was quickly prioritized. However, in APOM, the orange blossom is at the center, while for Akowa, it is a tool.

The third: Reflection Man by Amouage. Due to the temporary laundry-freshness that Akowa offers in the late morning - see below. This is also attributed to the white floral faction.

Unfortunately, all these approaches ultimately do not make it easier to describe Akowa. I could try to be objective:

After a brief aquatic-metallic opening (a first greeting from the orange blossom; even a hint of lavender-metal seems conceivable to me), a mélange of unsweetened cocoa, Tipp-Ex incense, and freshly cared-for fine leather from the patchouli corner emerges. Within half an hour, the metallic note - as hinted - reveals itself as orange blossom. Green and wood become stronger over time, but never dominant; every other mentioned ingredient remains on board in a variable and gradually diminishing weight share. In the afternoon, vanilla increasingly delivers sweetness.

Well, does that make your mouth water? Of course not. Such sober words are completely unsuitable for hinting at the effect of the scent.

Let me try it more lyrically:

It opens with a short-fresh start, already permeated by the cocoa-patchouli. It does not come across as bergamot-bitter or -harsh, but rather mild. In style, it resembles a more mature mandarin. The cocoa stays on this side of the chocolaty and is surrounded by a clerical-white incense impression à la Cardinal.

Beneath the surface, leather and a bit of green stir. Very delicate leaf green, which only shows itself at this early time upon repeated testing of the scent. It runs through the entire fragrance, often more as a hint than as certainty. I do not find the scent green; I find it brown. Soothing natural brown, a barren landscape at dusk. The last red-golden rays of the sun flow, the warmth of the day wafts away from the earth.

Already after half an hour, a hint of seriously unsweet vanilla appears. I could sink into it. Absolute tranquility. Not a lazy, sleepy calm, but rather a powerful, self-assured serenity. This is magnificent.

In the second hour, Akowa experiences a touch of sweetness. Yet it continues to ground that patchouli note bordering on the chocolaty, which never quite reaches it. Soon, I feel reminded from afar of Reflection Man, in this combination of creamy wood and floral, which there created a kind of laundry-freshness "in reality," meaning not the scent that the marketing department of Henkel would like to suggest to us, but the one that emanates from a freshly opened washing machine drum when the detergent might have been slightly overdosed. In a way, I feel something similar here, only sweeter, more intimate, and more flattering. And above all, less intrusive.

No. The entire paragraph does not quite capture it. The path to Reflection Man is - literally - a wooden path. Against Akowa, the Amouage seems downright…primitive. Let’s forget this trail. Figuratively: "Whatever you do, do not think of a pink elephant!" Such things, of course, do not work. Well, a repressed-distant thought of Reflection Man may linger. Nothing more.

Just as the scent seems to lose tension, it frees itself from the laundry drum. In the fourth hour, the dark, earthy parts become stronger again, without fully returning to their old form. It remains brighter and friendlier. An airy cedar note emerges around midday, surrounded by the aforementioned brown-green charm, which (at least for me) makes the uniqueness of Akowa.

In the eighth hour, Akowa is seeeeeehr quiet. Indeed, the longevity is a small downside, although around six hours gives no cause for greater complaint. The overall picture does not seriously diminish that anyway. Give it a try!

I thank DaveGahan101 for the sample.

Updated on 06/10/2024

04/20/2016

Apicius
1328 Reviews

Translated · Show original

Apicius

Top Review 29

Alchemical Moments

There seem to be themes in the art of perfumery that perfumers rarely dare to tackle, and one of them is the understated representation of the note fig leaf. The public's perceptions of fig leaf perfume seem to be firmly cemented since Diptyque so demonstratively brought this greenest of all notes to the forefront with Philosykos. Numerous imitators of all price ranges are now found in stores, but I do not like them.

Who still remembers the wonderful men's fragrance Salvatore Ferragamo? There, the combination with smoky vetiver created, to my knowledge, a previously unseen olfactory experience full of elegance. However, after the perfume was discontinued, it was hardly ever referenced again.

Among the few who seem to have kept this theme in creative memory is Jean Claude Astier from Micallef. Several years ago, he created such a perfume in the Micallef "Private Line" series. It was called "Richard" after the managing director of Beauty Affair in Düsseldorf; they had ordered it in a small batch after a visit to Micallef in Grasse.

We can be pleased that Micallef is now presenting this fragrance direction to a larger audience. We can understand Akowa as an evolution along this line. "Richard" already interpreted the combination of fig leaf with what I suspect is vetiver in a more delicate, transparent, and finer way than the discontinued former success scent from Bella Italia. A wonderful pleasure, especially now in spring and summer.

Vetiver and fig leaf share common but also contrasting properties: both notes are attributed the color green, yet fig leaf is fresh and vetiver is smoky-woody. Perhaps this is the prerequisite for that quasi-alchemical moment that, in the best case, creates something wonderfully third. In the case of Akowa, the PR texts speak of a secret ingredient. I understand this to mean that the note fig leaf is partly represented here with an alternative scent substance. It's impossible to say what that could be. Here, art fails; let everyone discover the secret for themselves.

At first impression, there is something strange about Akowa. What is the cocoa note doing in this context? We recall Mr. Astier's preference for a certain oriental opulence, which indeed characterizes the style of Micallef.

The test initially presents an inconsistent picture. In the top notes, nothing fits together yet. The notes stand side by side: we already recognize the bitter vetiver base, the fresh fig leaf, the green secret, and in between, the somewhat strange cocoa. Additionally, there is a wonderful delicate-sparkling aroma from the slightly citrusy range, which noticeably enlivens the scent.

One must give Akowa some time; then everything comes together on the skin into a unified whole. The cocoa is no longer isolated; it may help provide a solid foundation in the base of the fragrance along with others. Fig leaf, vetiver, and the secret note have come together. Suddenly, Akowa feels like a seamless creation, an extraordinary olfactory experience that one must attribute uniqueness to.

Who is Akowa made for? A nice story has been concocted, revolving around the mystical secrets of an eponymous African tribe, which is said to be very secretive. It is quite natural to think that one would like to smell Akowa on a tall, black man.

In reality, however, it is the unusualness of the olfactory experience that makes it not so easy to find one's own access. Akowa has style and elegance, but it also conveys a feeling of strangeness and unfamiliarity that must be overcome by the wearer. After the Africa story, the designation as an "exotic" fragrance seems appropriate, but ultimately feels too euphemistic for me.

I perceive Akowa in such a way that it makes little sense to spray it only occasionally. One must appropriate it, wear it, and wear it again until it permeates and shapes clothing, aura, and style - perhaps another alchemical moment. One may also occasionally reapply, as the vetiver base is comparatively quickly reached. You shall have no other fragrances beside me! A great testing experience is permitted.

03/31/2019

7.5Scent 9Longevity 9Sillage

Torfdoen
41 Reviews

Translated · Show original

Torfdoen

Top Review 28

Journey to Africa

Just a moment of inattention and already the bite with the vetiver poison tooth. Patch shoots into the bloodstream, plastic tingles on the tongue. Lying on the ground, I stare into an orange blossom sky. The pepper in my eye blurs. Cocoa smoke devours rubber fabric. Can someone please put out the fire on my skin? The spot is black and woody. Cramps begin, I can't breathe. Gentle vanilla paralysis. When I open my eyes, the orange leaves sway in the wind.

Suddenly all tidy in the Kouros aftermath. Sterile azure. Much, much less ordinary floral splendor, rather a small fig tree in front of the genitals. The bite has disappeared. Breathing works again, despite the ozone-laden air. The walls are smooth and soft like rubber, releasing poisonous green citrus mist into the atmosphere.

A huge tree in the middle of the cave. A small bowl of cocoa powder. With a pocket knife, I cut a lime from the tree.

I cut it into individual pieces.

And now coat all the pieces in cocoa powder. I take a small bite. It is really very, very sour, a bit chemical, like a cleaner. It doesn't exactly welcome you with open arms.

The cocoa is nice, even becoming prominent over the decades.

Otherwise, an undefined greenish tint still dominates, rubbery green woody. Pure nature.

Behind the big tree, I discover a door at the back of the wall. I see a colorfully dressed African woman sitting at a table next to the door.

Does this lead outside?

50 cents. She points to a small plate with various coins on it.

I have no money with me, gracious lady.

50 cents.

Listen, I only booked a package holiday, I need to get out of here now. They are waiting for me. Please, make an exception.

50 cents.

As I turn around, contemplating simply sweeping the plate off the table and sneaking through the door, I see a large number of Rhineland carnival revelers marching towards me from behind. I can think of nothing else but to shout loudly: Helau! and get swallowed up in the throng of passing masses.

Then awaken.

Mister, Mister! How do you feel? The vague sense of revival creeps over me.

Where am I?

You almost fell victim to a black mamba.

Oh dear. And the African woman?

She administered her special medicine to you: fig leaf, limes, and healing cocoa powder.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

A beautiful country, Africa, I stammer.

01/12/2016

9Scent 10Longevity 9Sillage

Cravache
64 Reviews

Translated · Show original

Cravache

Top Review

The Magic of Africa, Captivating, Mysterious Mysteries - and an Appeal Against Top Note Pornography

Akowa is restrained expressionism, down-to-earth surrealism, naturalistic cubism. If Akowa were a painting, it would most resemble “Landscape in Green” by Paul Klee. Akowa would certainly have been Paul Klee's signature scent.

No, Akowa is not a typical Micallef fragrance. Micallef is known for gourmand honey ouds and sweet, floral scents. The matte black, heavy, largely unadorned bottle, reminiscent of Cretan geometry, stands out among Micallef bottles. Akowa is strongly floral, crisp and fresh, dry, earthy. A fragrance that is animated by the tension between self-chosen restraint and inner strength.

Akowa is the name of a tribe in central African Gabon. Gabon is a little-explored country. The highest mountain in Gabon remains unknown to this day. Untouched nature and vast areas of tropical rainforest characterize Gabon, sparsely populated by many different ethnic groups that have largely preserved their traditional folk religions and rites. This includes the Akowa tribe.

The scent of a mysterious plant or root plays a central role in the mysteries and rites of the Akowa. Mysterious mysteries and rites that the Akowa pass on to their descendants like a closely guarded secret, inaccessible to outsiders.

And Micallef's fragrance Akowa is also somewhat inaccessible and mysterious. There is no fragrance pyramid for Akowa. Martine Micallef insists that the published fragrance notes are merely more or less free associations. They have captured the scent of the mysterious cult plant or root of the Akowa tribe.

Akowa starts fresh-green. The dominant note is orange blossom, smelling green and white. No intoxicating warmth, no fruity orange note. Rather, it is an unripe blossom, crushed between the fingers. Quickly, an intensely rainforest-green leaf note joins in.

The top note of Akowa is refreshing and quite beautiful in an aesthetic sense. Yet the fragrance does not touch, and one forgets that they just applied a scent to their wrist. Akowa enters a temporary beauty sleep of olfactory boredom.

But after a few minutes, one might have already left the perfumery, the fragrance bouquet ignites. Suddenly, one finds themselves in a delightful, captivating green fragrance aura - and wonders where it comes from. Akowa makes a comeback in a true fragrance explosion.

It is not that there is a break in the fragrance development; rather, it is similar notes, slightly shifted in nuance, that make Akowa suddenly appear so powerful. The rich, green leaf note is joined by earthy, damp patchouli, somewhat smoky and musty. At the same time, aspects of lush green vetiver and a bit of cocoa, powdery, not chocolate, can be discerned.

The fragrance image presents itself in the heart note in strong green with some brown facets. The fragrance notes are not intertwined but fragmented, comparable to Paul Klee's “Landscape in Green.” A harmonious juxtaposition, olfactory spotlights that ignite individually for the observer and transport them into a green world.

Towards the base, Akowa becomes warmer. The green leaf note is still present, but significantly quieter. Dry, powdery vanilla, warm dark amber, and soft musk carry the remaining green notes.

On clothing, Akowa is greener and less warm than on the skin. Akowa takes on a certain formal character on clothing. The earthy, smoky patchouli note is much less pronounced. Instead, the green note occasionally reminds one of the green notes in Photo by Lagerfeld, but Akowa is less chemical.

In its top note, Akowa is somewhat inaccessible; the magic of the fragrance has not yet manifested for the wearer. But suddenly, the wearer experiences an olfactory enlightenment - the fragrance explosion of Akowa towards the heart note. As if one suddenly understands the mysterious mysteries and rites of the Akowa tribe.

In a perfume world of almost pornographically spectacular top notes, followed by nothing (except disappointment), Akowa is an exotic. Akowa is a powerful natural event. Those who wear Akowa walk in another world, carried by a green oasis. For themselves, sheltered, inaccessible to others. Like the customs of the Akowa tribe.

More reviews

Statements

36 short views on the fragrance

Siebenkäs

8 years ago

7.5Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

24

8

The green conceals something.
The cocoa lies.
Twilight
And no post, no control,
no barrier at the border
between smell and fragrance.

Translated · Show original

RobGordon

9 years ago

7Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

18

6

Smells like trying to mask the smoke from melted plastic on the stove with green air freshener. Exciting! :)

Translated · Show original

Yatagan

9 years ago

8Scent 9Longevity 8Sillage

15

2

Almost a little trend: fragrances with a fruity top, bittersweet heart, and patchouli base. Akowa is no exception: an innovative concept with a future.

Translated · Show original