Photo 1990 Eau de Toilette

Photo (Eau de Toilette) by Karl Lagerfeld
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7.1 / 10 297 Ratings
Photo (Eau de Toilette) is a perfume by Karl Lagerfeld for men and was released in 1990. The scent is woody-spicy. The production was apparently discontinued.
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Main accords

Woody
Spicy
Fresh
Citrus
Floral

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
LemonLemon AldehydesAldehydes BergamotBergamot LavenderLavender Mandarin orangeMandarin orange GalbanumGalbanum
Heart Notes Heart Notes
CorianderCoriander HoneyHoney CarawayCaraway JasmineJasmine RoseRose CarnationCarnation CyclamenCyclamen
Base Notes Base Notes
OakmossOakmoss CedarCedar AmberAmber MuskMusk SandalwoodSandalwood Gaiac woodGaiac wood Tonka beanTonka bean BenzoinBenzoin PatchouliPatchouli
Ratings
Scent
7.1297 Ratings
Longevity
6.7228 Ratings
Sillage
6.5219 Ratings
Bottle
6.7231 Ratings
Value for money
7.150 Ratings
Submitted by DonVanVliet, last update on 14.02.2024.

Reviews

9 in-depth fragrance descriptions
Peanut

2 Reviews
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Peanut
Peanut
Top Review 71  
Three quarters full
I distributed brochures during the fall holidays to buy it for you for Christmas. I had no idea of the scent. I had no idea about scents, woods, oakmoss, but you just had to get it: A photographer should own and carry "Photo", I thought.

I had no idea if it would suit you, because the scent seemed to me irrelevant. It was the name that counted for me. My ignorance paired with good intentions was rewarded: Because "photo" fitted exactly, it smelled something like the water from the pouring bottle that always wafted in your darkroom when I visited you so as not to take the bus home from school. Woody-sweetish and bitter-soapy, somehow generic, yet anything but arbitrary.

At some point the scent fell a little out of time. He became more invisible in the abundance of the ever more sparkling, sporty new releases, but you wore him unflinchingly. Not exclusively, but continuously. I gave it to you every now and then, because it belonged to you like your snap finger, your beard and your loose sweaters.

"There are still personal things in the bathroom," said the hospice nurse as we packed your things. She opened the window and let cold air flow into the room. Outside, people rushed back and forth to do the very last Christmas shopping, to get the annual, inevitable desperate gifts, naturally just before closing time. I went to the bathroom and looked around: Your shoes next to the oxygen bottle, your lavender soap, toothbrush. The bottle "Photo" at the washbasin. I had no idea you had him with you till the end. It was certainly not the same bottle as the one on Christmas Eve twenty-five years ago. But the same.

I put it in my pocket and took it home with me. I couldn't take you home with me anymore. It didn't make any sense to me, it was Christmas Eve. So much to do now - and yet nothing more. What do you do when your favorite person leaves? Where to look, where to find? Can Christmas even die and how long does "never again" last? An empty head, a full heart, a three-quarter full bottle of "Photo" in the coat pocket.

I still have no idea. Your Photo bottle is still exactly three quarters full. I always only sniff the spray head carefully, more than that I lack the guts. Because the last time you sprayed - and I want it to stay that way. None other than your snap finger should ever operate the sprayer. They have also set "Photo" - how cynical. Maybe it's better that way, because it reduces the probability that someone will give it to someone for Christmas. So by pure coincidence, as a gift of desperation just before closing time.
24 Comments
7
Bottle
8
Sillage
8
Longevity
9.5
Scent
Fragrantix

1 Review
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Fragrantix
Fragrantix
Top Review 20  
My 25th anniversary with "Photo"
In the summer of 1995, I found out that the fragrance that had often been noticed by others and that had always fascinated me was the fragrance "Photo" by Karl Lagerfeld. A Mitazubi had bought it. Immediately I went to the next department store and got myself a big bottle, but not without spraying it with the available tester
"Photo" fascinated me from the first moment on. This ever-present soapy and flowery aura, with perceptible tangerine and metallic notes in the top note, rounded off in the further course of the fragrance by increasingly mild spiciness (wood notes, soft leather in the background) as well as an increasing powderiness, immediately captivated me. And this spell has remained until today, the year of my 25th anniversary with "Photo". "Photo" smells and looks to me like freshly washed laundry, which smells so clean and noble that I can't get enough of it. The fragrance always manages the balancing act between sweet and tangy-spicy scents, without ever appearing overly sweet or extremely tart in the overall impression. It skilfully forms a bridge between the tart barbershop scents of the 80s and the more airy scents of the 90s. Even the reformulated version, which Coty released in 2005 and which is often criticized here, still manages to do this to a large extent, although not quite as expressively and fluently in the course of the fragrance as the original version from 1990.

Unfortunately "Photo" has disappeared from the market in the meantime. You can still find some leftover stock on the internet at proud prices, but you should be careful with the original version, which was offered until 2004 (the flacons with the green calculator writing on them). Many of the flacons still on offer today are probably from the 90s. Unfortunately, the many years have not been good for the fragrance, the ingenious top note is now almost regularly broken. This is expressed in a rather musty-looking opening, the heart and base notes now tend to be more than intentionally spicy, even if the fragrance itself still works here. In the reformulated version (2005-2012, white print on the flacons), the fragrance is still ok in my experience, but unfortunately the ravages of time are gnawing at the remnants here as well. It's only a matter of time before these too become unusable.

There are some replicas from German, Austrian and American suppliers and I assume that I have tried all available ones by now. I don't have anything against replicas per se and some to other classics are also made quite passably, but everything I was (had to be) allowed to smell regarding "photo" so far, was unfortunately not usable. Either they are too spicy or too flat, the characteristic flowery soapiness is missing on all replicas so far.

However, I still hope that the fragrance will be re-released sometime or someone will release a good (or at least passable) replica of it, so that "Photo" and I can celebrate our 50th anniversary as well
12 Comments
7
Bottle
8
Sillage
8
Longevity
9.5
Scent
Buenolfato

3 Reviews
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Buenolfato
Buenolfato
Top Review 13  
Horror is spreading..
Not about the scent, but about the fact that the production of Photo has probably been stopped for some time, which unfortunately somehow passed me by
So the time has come for profiteers, as can be seen from the fact that in the large online mail-order house someone actually offers the 125ml bottle, which Rossmann wasted every month for a twenties just a few years ago, for 260 euros.

I have come to terms with the inevitable and will therefore write a little farewell review to one of my favourite waters and long-time fragrance companions.

Whereby I suppose that the photo fans of the first hour like Scorpio from the end of the Lagerfeld brew are not so taken along now.
And I can understand it quite well.
The original, unreformulated version, which I got to know myself at the very beginning of my Photo-Liason, was indeed a different, better caliber than what followed later.
A real feast for the senses, especially the senses of smell.
Herb, fresh, flowery, always a bit "dark" and mysterious.
Even the opening was unusual in comparison to many other men's perfumes in this direction.
The indicated shot of photo bowl synthetics, bergamot, lavender, mandarin and all the fruit that was buzzing around; this inimitable mixture has left a deep impression on me.
The beautiful woody chord, which was later added with further spices like coriander and which determined the scent experience until the end, made Photo unmistakable for me and above all designed in such a way that I never had enough of it despite frequent use.
Something that only few other fragrances can claim from me.

And the new photo?
Yeah, dimmed down, faded, ironed smooth, sanded. Evil tongues also say: castrated.
In the mainstream, fewer and fewer manufacturers want to challenge their customers with fragrant corners and edges. Still, I liked that one too.
Perhaps also the imagination that he still possessed much of the aura of his predecessor made me graciously overlook his quirks.
At least the projection and the durability hadn't changed too much.

Anyway, now both are no longer there and I have to turn to other waters.
But not without thanks to Master Karl for a wonderful and, in my opinion, the best of his perfume creations, with which I combine many beautiful hours and experiences.
3 Comments
8
Bottle
5
Sillage
6
Longevity
5.5
Scent
Mikka01

8 Reviews
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Mikka01
Mikka01
Helpful Review 6  
The original is...
.... unfortunately not to compare with the last sold version. I had remembered the original as an incredibly unique fresh scent. When I then only got this reformulation, I was almost shocked. The original scent was still recognizable, but after a short time it only smelled synthetic. But unfortunately perfumes have this fate.
2 Comments
8
Bottle
8
Sillage
8
Longevity
9
Scent
Schmutzfuss

31 Reviews
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Schmutzfuss
Schmutzfuss
10  
A Kölsch for Guido!!! - It's on me!
What did I love the fragrance and how much I would love to call it my own again! But on the auction portals there are mostly only greedy cutthroats and shady rabble :-(
I had my first contact with fragrance only at the beginning of the 00s. In order to earn some money on the side, I waited or was the "Zappes" behind the counter of a restaurant/bar/pub of a good friend. The job was fun, one earned good tips and the guests were also nice and friendly to 99%. At that time I wasn't as addicted to scents as I am today, ( unfortunately or thank God?) but one of the most striking memories is the smell of one of our regulars. Guido showed up every weekend with his wife and a couple of friends and they always occupied one of the tables near the counter. So he was in my "responsible district". Guido was a well-groomed, typical Cologne moustache in his late thirties and always dressed in summer with a polo shirt (only real with the rider on it) and Chino-Bermuda as well as sailing shoes. Besides, this group of guests was always very nice, uncomplicated and humorous.
One day - when Guido & Co were our guests again - I went to the bar table to take the order. Immediately I noticed a wonderful scent, which I had never smelled before. When I asked who or what smells so great here, Guido grinned meaningfully. "Photo" of Lagerfeld was apparently what I would smell. Unasked I sniffed at his neck, the group giggled and I was blown away! I quickly noted the name of the fragrance on the beer mat and put it in my pocket Thus, over time, a certain ritual developed when Guido stopped by for a Kölsch. I sniffed (with pleasure also acting-exaggerated) at his neck and turned the eyes. And Guido I usually never disappointed, because he usually always wore the scent at that time.
So it went on for a few weeks and at some point Guido came to me at the bar some evening when he was a guest again. He handed me an almost 1/3 full bottle of Photo and grinned. He had bought this bottle some time ago, but now he had "smelled it tired". He knew how much I would like the scent and would like to give me the rest. With me he would know that I would appreciate the gift as well. Man, was I happy! I thanked Guido in the proper way by not having to pay quite a lot of Kölsch that evening... Me neither, I was standing right at the source
Oh, crap, I should write something about that scent. I almost forgot, sorry!
As far as I'm concerned, there's musk and moss in there. That's almost always enough for me to like a fragrance like that. I can be easily manipulated if the mixture between the two fragrance components is right.
However, the start is not typically masculine, but rather pleasantly fruity and fresh. But after a while it develops a really distinctive dynamic: masculine, spicy, woody. And yet it doesn't lose its freshness and fruitiness, which disappears easily, but is still noticeable. A terrific combination, which I haven't smelled anywhere else for a long time.
When writing, I really start to rave about the "good old days" and I give Guido a Kölsch beer and say "Thank you very much!"

5 Comments
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Statements

3 short views on the fragrance
ChicoRoch1ChicoRoch1 1 year ago
8
Bottle
5
Sillage
5
Longevity
8.5
Scent
Not what I remembered even tho it's supposed to be a vintage bottle
0 Comments
SantinoJoSantinoJo 2 years ago
7
Bottle
6
Sillage
6
Longevity
7.5
Scent
A nice spicy fougere. Good scent but sadly it's a bit weak. Could be a good gift for your dad.
0 Comments
KimJongKimJong 4 years ago
7
Bottle
5
Sillage
6
Longevity
8
Scent
Current version: a gloomy spicy fougere, feels like Tom Waits in Jim Jarmusch's movies. Good scent but it's a bit weak.
0 Comments

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