s.Oliver Men s.Oliver 2009 Eau de Toilette

I received the scent S.Oliver Man as a birthday gift years ago. I was initially skeptical, but it really surprised me in a positive way.

It smells very fresh and somehow pleasantly like freshly washed laundry.

I will get it again in the spring.

Well, I gifted the matching fragrance for men to the women's scent. But it arrived and wasn't really a proper men's fragrance after all. I got to test it, and my enthusiasm was limited. The beginning with bergamot and herbs was quite fresh and masculine, but it didn't last long. Quickly, cedar and clary sage mixed in. Quite harmonious, if it had lasted longer. Then a quick exit, where I could only catch a whiff of musk and amber. After half an hour, there was hardly anything left of the scent to smell. What one could smell could have also been a more robust women's fragrance. The scent was fresh and clean, but it's not a fragrance I would gift to any man, regardless of age group. It is very weak and inconspicuous in all respects.

It was my first attempt to make a mark in the world of fragrance! It’s been about 10 years now, just starting high school, I was looking for something fresh, young, and impulsive and found... S’Oliver Men.

What speaks for the fragrance is clear: the price!
What speaks against the fragrance: practically everything else. I recently found it way back on the shelf and immediately put it back there! Unpleasant, forced freshness, super synthetic, and just when you think it’s settling in, it’s gone again.

In hindsight, I would slap my 16-year-old self on the wrist and recommend Cool Water Game... or Tommy instead. But that was a total miss!

First of all, pleasant neutrality, pleasantly unremarkable, unsweet, extremely sober, zero gourmand qualities.

Not mentioned in the list, perhaps not included, but I detect an unsweet iris note at the beginning. That's why it reminds me, among other things, of the Saffron & Iris from 4711 (A Colonia). And since it has no significant citrus and does not open loudly, it could already be its counterpart for that reason alone.

Compared to other easily available fragrances on the market, it has a somewhat herbal quality like sage, yarrow, dill, hops, bay leaf, oregano, and juniper. Again, not sweet, so it might be misleading to mention basil here.

At least the first 20 minutes are very pleasantly peppery and slightly floral.

Overall, it gives a slightly musty impression as if one were smelling mushrooms in a damp stone cave. And that relates to what I like about it. It does not seduce the senses unnaturally like many perfumes do, but gently pulls a few aroma registers from our natural environment.
So I believe it won't disturb anyone on the bus...

The lasting base is somewhat biting or sharp, perhaps resins but also a bit floral? I recognize this effect from Bleu De Ch EDP(!) and something like 007. But here it is only moderate or subtle. Yes, and the mentioned sandalwood is either minimal or so unsweet and thin that it won't overwhelm in any way. So, zero warmth.

The bonus - if one likes the perfume - would be the price. Currently about 5€ for the 30ml bottle.

I believe it's a perfume that can symbolize freedom, colorless canvas, minimalism, and tidiness.

There is a sugar beet factory near us that mainly produces Grafschafter sugar beet syrup. The smoke that can be smelled from kilometers away smells just like this EdT. It was my very first EdT, a gift from my parents. It is sporty, fresh but with this special undertone. Probably a combination of cedar, basil, musk, and amber. I like it, especially because of the associations with my teenage years.

Typical drugstore fragrance longevity and sillage, 2 to 3 hours at most. Works well in any season, for example after sports or showering. Smells masculine. For the affordable price of just around €10 for 30ml, you can't go wrong.