Luca75
Reviews
Luca75
Translated
Show original
Why Armani...?
Why take the DNA of the original, round it off until the fragrance is 100% liked by everyone on the planet....I just don't understand it. The new edition is unfortunately inferior to the original from 2020 in almost all respects, but maybe I'm alone in this opinion.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Fragrance DNA:
Do I need to say anything else about the DNA? As with 2020's Profondo, you also have a fresh, slightly fruity opening here, underpinned by a certain aquatic quality. But Profondo (2020) had more to offer here, in my opinion. It had this bitter, mineral and slightly mossy note. It had a cool effect and definitely deserved the "Profondo" label. The new edition delivers all of this somewhere too, but it's dimmed down so much that it no longer contrasts with the other notes in the way I would like it to or know it to. Profondo (2024) is first and foremost a fresh, aquatic fragrance. A little fruity, a little green, a little woody - a little of everything, but nothing really. For me, the stamp is simply missing here. In my opinion, the original was known for this. I could be accused of simply saying that everything was better in the past, but as someone who has already emptied 2 bottles of Profondo (2020), I may presume to be able to pass judgment, at least for me personally. Be that as it may, the 2024 version is a bit of a ripple and then, like the original, becomes a little softer and woodier as it progresses...the fruity initial note diminishes as it progresses.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Longevity/sillage:
Again, unfortunately weaker than expected. For an aquatic fragrance, it's still fully in line, I get 5-6 hours out of it. It's always the comparison to the original version that makes me wonder. If it didn't exist, my review would probably be much more positive, but it's the new edition, so it has to measure up.
5-6h as I said, but very decent. Sillage is also strong for the first 1-2 hours, then it flattens out over time. In contrast to Profondo (2020), I have to sacrifice about 1-2 hours in both longevity and sillage. Without the comparison: still very solid, therefore not a big negative point.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Flacon:
Much more beautiful than the 2020 version, I think. Armani has done a really good job here, the color gradient is just great and it looks more harmonious overall. Thumbs up!
----------------------------------------------------------------
Price:
What annoys me is the reduction in the filling quantity. You now pay the same price for 100ml as the 2020 Profondo for 125ml. I find that...(you know it). Nevertheless, 65-70€ is still okay for a 100ml designer these days. However, the price/performance ratio has definitely decreased for me, simply due to the reduction in the filling quantity and the poorer H/S. Nevertheless, still okay.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Conclusion:
I don't really know where Armani wants to go. Of course, it's obvious: Profondo (2020) didn't go down so well with many due to the notes described, it was too edgy, too mineral, too harsh, too green - whatever. So Armani reacted, adapted the fragrance and it is now, unfortunately, just like the AdG perfume, a rounder version of the original. In my opinion, however, rounder is not always better, as is the case here, for example. It lacks the nuances that made the original so special. The edges did the fragrance good, it was anything but generic for me and also not a typical shower gel fragrance or "Aquate", unfortunately this version is different for me. Well, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that for 70-80% of consumers or the target group, this was the right decision. The fragrance has become more suitable for the masses, perhaps more wearable too - for me it's simply more boring and generic. Profondo (2020) was always unjustly "hated" for me, I really learned to love it. With the new edition, I'm sure more customers will reach for Profondo, but unfortunately Armani has lost me as a lover of the original. Just like the new edition of Profumo, by the way, but that's another topic for another day.
Well, I don't care about Armani as one of many...it's just a shame for me. It's just getting more and more generic in the designer world, the reformulations of the fragrances are a pain in the neck for fans of the originals, as with Profondo (2020) and Profumo.
Am I alone with this opinion? The fragrance seems to be doing really well here, which makes me happy in principle. I'm just reporting on my individual fate here, but enough for today.
All in all, it's worth buying blind if you like this kind of fragrance and are looking for something for the summer - you can buy it without hesitation and get exactly what you expect...at least in 2024 ;-D
----------------------------------------------------------------
Fragrance DNA:
Do I need to say anything else about the DNA? As with 2020's Profondo, you also have a fresh, slightly fruity opening here, underpinned by a certain aquatic quality. But Profondo (2020) had more to offer here, in my opinion. It had this bitter, mineral and slightly mossy note. It had a cool effect and definitely deserved the "Profondo" label. The new edition delivers all of this somewhere too, but it's dimmed down so much that it no longer contrasts with the other notes in the way I would like it to or know it to. Profondo (2024) is first and foremost a fresh, aquatic fragrance. A little fruity, a little green, a little woody - a little of everything, but nothing really. For me, the stamp is simply missing here. In my opinion, the original was known for this. I could be accused of simply saying that everything was better in the past, but as someone who has already emptied 2 bottles of Profondo (2020), I may presume to be able to pass judgment, at least for me personally. Be that as it may, the 2024 version is a bit of a ripple and then, like the original, becomes a little softer and woodier as it progresses...the fruity initial note diminishes as it progresses.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Longevity/sillage:
Again, unfortunately weaker than expected. For an aquatic fragrance, it's still fully in line, I get 5-6 hours out of it. It's always the comparison to the original version that makes me wonder. If it didn't exist, my review would probably be much more positive, but it's the new edition, so it has to measure up.
5-6h as I said, but very decent. Sillage is also strong for the first 1-2 hours, then it flattens out over time. In contrast to Profondo (2020), I have to sacrifice about 1-2 hours in both longevity and sillage. Without the comparison: still very solid, therefore not a big negative point.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Flacon:
Much more beautiful than the 2020 version, I think. Armani has done a really good job here, the color gradient is just great and it looks more harmonious overall. Thumbs up!
----------------------------------------------------------------
Price:
What annoys me is the reduction in the filling quantity. You now pay the same price for 100ml as the 2020 Profondo for 125ml. I find that...(you know it). Nevertheless, 65-70€ is still okay for a 100ml designer these days. However, the price/performance ratio has definitely decreased for me, simply due to the reduction in the filling quantity and the poorer H/S. Nevertheless, still okay.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Conclusion:
I don't really know where Armani wants to go. Of course, it's obvious: Profondo (2020) didn't go down so well with many due to the notes described, it was too edgy, too mineral, too harsh, too green - whatever. So Armani reacted, adapted the fragrance and it is now, unfortunately, just like the AdG perfume, a rounder version of the original. In my opinion, however, rounder is not always better, as is the case here, for example. It lacks the nuances that made the original so special. The edges did the fragrance good, it was anything but generic for me and also not a typical shower gel fragrance or "Aquate", unfortunately this version is different for me. Well, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that for 70-80% of consumers or the target group, this was the right decision. The fragrance has become more suitable for the masses, perhaps more wearable too - for me it's simply more boring and generic. Profondo (2020) was always unjustly "hated" for me, I really learned to love it. With the new edition, I'm sure more customers will reach for Profondo, but unfortunately Armani has lost me as a lover of the original. Just like the new edition of Profumo, by the way, but that's another topic for another day.
Well, I don't care about Armani as one of many...it's just a shame for me. It's just getting more and more generic in the designer world, the reformulations of the fragrances are a pain in the neck for fans of the originals, as with Profondo (2020) and Profumo.
Am I alone with this opinion? The fragrance seems to be doing really well here, which makes me happy in principle. I'm just reporting on my individual fate here, but enough for today.
All in all, it's worth buying blind if you like this kind of fragrance and are looking for something for the summer - you can buy it without hesitation and get exactly what you expect...at least in 2024 ;-D
1 Comment
Translated
Show original
Get out of your comfort zone - a masterpiece from another time!
Kouros is difficult. Kouros is unique. Kouros seems out of time.
Kouros you can only love or hate - so my experience.
Briefly about me:
Am in my early 20s and student, so in principle actually not the target audience for Kouros, if you believe the people on Youtube, but still I have to give my two cents here today to this masterpiece from a time in which perhaps some things were better? I do not know, am a child of the 2000s, but if you believe some people, maybe some things were really better in the past, but let's finally start.
Scent:
Kouros enters with an olfactory explosion. Bergamot brings in an extremely fresh note, the counterpart is taken over by the sage and coriander, which counter the freshness with a tart note. Immediately at the beginning you know: this is a man's fragrance! Tart, masculine, strong, light hints of a fougère chord. In the heart note, the fragrance becomes more floral. I definitely smell patchouli and that light rose here. The interesting part for many comes in the base, when the animalic notes join in. At first, you don't smell anything of civet, musk or oakmoss. At some point, however, these notes break out and the fragrance transforms. Initially, as described, still rather fresh-spicy with barbershop hints (hints! Please do not put on the gold scale) - later it becomes animalic. You get at some point this note - described by many as urinous effect. The comparison with urine or a train station toilet does not come from somewhere. When I first tested Kouros at Müller some time ago, I also immediately had this association. Immediately I had the feeling that I had peed on my arm. Now this sounds extremely disgusting, but it's not as bad as you think. If you can get that association out of your head, you can. It also took me some time to warm up to Kouros and even when I still smell my arm today, I think about it - but it just doesn't bother me as much anymore. It's part of the scent and it only smells that way directly on my skin. When I walk through my own scent cloud, the scent smells much milder - nevertheless, we have an animalic here that you have to like and be able to wear. Many people can't, hence the criticism of Kouros. The scent also gets a bit sweeter to it in the base. The evolution of Kouros is stark and almost borders on niche quality for me. With few designers today you still have such a stark development of a spicy-fresh fragrance to an animalic-spicy and dirty fragrance.
Kouros is great in its own way. Getting used to, but a masterpiece through and through.
Durability / Sillage:
Both very good, although my newer batch is not as brute as claimed by many.
I get a good 9h out, sillage initially for it really strong. Could also be that I get smell-blind, but well dosed you can put the fragrance on well.
Much more I can not say about it, with the evaluation here I go in principle.
Can give you there also a dewy example, so you can estimate the sillage:
This morning Kouros applied, then been away for half an hour, came back and the stairwell has smelled as if I had just run through - no kidding, I was shocked myself how intense the scent is, although I no longer perceived it so myself. Therefore, rather something gentler with the sprayers, you do your fellow man with it no favor.
Flacon:
I celebrate! Kouros is an icon on the perfume shelf. Anyone who deals with perfumes or knows anything about them will probably take a step back upon sighting Kouros on your perfume shelf. The bottle and its contents are intimidating these days, you get the feeling. The bottle has cult status, but is quite well made and massive even so. The sprayer is only okay, I think.
Price-performance:
Admittedly, the fragrance is not quite cheap, about 70€/100ml. For this you get here but also such a unique fragrance with cult status and very good durability and sillage. I can not complain - here there were already fragrances from YSL in a similar price range, which were significantly more boring.
Back to the beginning, after we have worked off the fragrance rating:
Kouros is not a fragrance for everyone. Kouros is not a fragrance that I would put on every day. Why? Well, Kouros is brute in all forms. The scent is too potent and too intrusive to squeeze into a room with 300 other students with. The scent is too potent and intrusive to shine with in an office. You have to admit that we are no longer in the 80s, when (as I know from stories) many things were more "egal" than nowadays. Today, people feel attacked if you have applied one spray too many perfumes. The current society is definitely a bit too prudish in some points. Sure, there are people with allergies etc., but from my own experience I can say that nowadays people get triggered much too easily and are much too sensitive in some points. For me, it is part of it not to overdo it with perfume and take certain consideration for other people in this respect, but if you are then insulted even with 10 sprays of "Versace pour Homme (Eau de Toilette) | Versace" (an incredibly shallow fragrance) because someone does not tolerate citrus notes - you have to ask yourself. After all, no one takes me into consideration, I have the feeling. Very masculine fragrances are nowadays no longer so the thing - we all wear somehow only Naxos, Le Male and Co. (which are super cool fragrances, serve only as an example). That's why it's always a bit of a shame when I'm standing in front of the shelf and would love to wear Kouros and the first thing I think of is, "Who could I get on my nerves with this?". I hope you guys get my point and don't feel attacked. I, as already written, extra do not wear Kouros in such situations where it could be inappropriate - although sometimes I would feel the need to test it ;-).
Kouros can already be a kind of "get out of your comfort zone" for some, because you just need balls and confidence to wear that one.
You will be noticed 100%, I can assure you. But you have to live with receiving certain comments that are negative. You have to live with the fact that some people might remember you as the guy with that scent that smells like "cat piss".
But: You will be remembered! That's already more than you achieve with many other fragrances today. For me, Kouros has been a special experience and he has given me again a completely different look at fragrances or put me also times completely different fragrances in front of the nose. Through Kouros I came across "Antaeus (Eau de Toilette) | Chanel" and "Lapidus pour Homme (Eau de Toilette) | Ted Lapidus". The second is now also in my collection and is also incredibly good. The fragrance definitely seems a bit out of time, but I do not find that bad - it revives charm.
Conclusion:
Kouros is a masterpiece in every respect and a piece of fragrance history to take home.
Whether there will ever be something like this again?
Long live Kouros!
Kouros you can only love or hate - so my experience.
Briefly about me:
Am in my early 20s and student, so in principle actually not the target audience for Kouros, if you believe the people on Youtube, but still I have to give my two cents here today to this masterpiece from a time in which perhaps some things were better? I do not know, am a child of the 2000s, but if you believe some people, maybe some things were really better in the past, but let's finally start.
Scent:
Kouros enters with an olfactory explosion. Bergamot brings in an extremely fresh note, the counterpart is taken over by the sage and coriander, which counter the freshness with a tart note. Immediately at the beginning you know: this is a man's fragrance! Tart, masculine, strong, light hints of a fougère chord. In the heart note, the fragrance becomes more floral. I definitely smell patchouli and that light rose here. The interesting part for many comes in the base, when the animalic notes join in. At first, you don't smell anything of civet, musk or oakmoss. At some point, however, these notes break out and the fragrance transforms. Initially, as described, still rather fresh-spicy with barbershop hints (hints! Please do not put on the gold scale) - later it becomes animalic. You get at some point this note - described by many as urinous effect. The comparison with urine or a train station toilet does not come from somewhere. When I first tested Kouros at Müller some time ago, I also immediately had this association. Immediately I had the feeling that I had peed on my arm. Now this sounds extremely disgusting, but it's not as bad as you think. If you can get that association out of your head, you can. It also took me some time to warm up to Kouros and even when I still smell my arm today, I think about it - but it just doesn't bother me as much anymore. It's part of the scent and it only smells that way directly on my skin. When I walk through my own scent cloud, the scent smells much milder - nevertheless, we have an animalic here that you have to like and be able to wear. Many people can't, hence the criticism of Kouros. The scent also gets a bit sweeter to it in the base. The evolution of Kouros is stark and almost borders on niche quality for me. With few designers today you still have such a stark development of a spicy-fresh fragrance to an animalic-spicy and dirty fragrance.
Kouros is great in its own way. Getting used to, but a masterpiece through and through.
Durability / Sillage:
Both very good, although my newer batch is not as brute as claimed by many.
I get a good 9h out, sillage initially for it really strong. Could also be that I get smell-blind, but well dosed you can put the fragrance on well.
Much more I can not say about it, with the evaluation here I go in principle.
Can give you there also a dewy example, so you can estimate the sillage:
This morning Kouros applied, then been away for half an hour, came back and the stairwell has smelled as if I had just run through - no kidding, I was shocked myself how intense the scent is, although I no longer perceived it so myself. Therefore, rather something gentler with the sprayers, you do your fellow man with it no favor.
Flacon:
I celebrate! Kouros is an icon on the perfume shelf. Anyone who deals with perfumes or knows anything about them will probably take a step back upon sighting Kouros on your perfume shelf. The bottle and its contents are intimidating these days, you get the feeling. The bottle has cult status, but is quite well made and massive even so. The sprayer is only okay, I think.
Price-performance:
Admittedly, the fragrance is not quite cheap, about 70€/100ml. For this you get here but also such a unique fragrance with cult status and very good durability and sillage. I can not complain - here there were already fragrances from YSL in a similar price range, which were significantly more boring.
Back to the beginning, after we have worked off the fragrance rating:
Kouros is not a fragrance for everyone. Kouros is not a fragrance that I would put on every day. Why? Well, Kouros is brute in all forms. The scent is too potent and too intrusive to squeeze into a room with 300 other students with. The scent is too potent and intrusive to shine with in an office. You have to admit that we are no longer in the 80s, when (as I know from stories) many things were more "egal" than nowadays. Today, people feel attacked if you have applied one spray too many perfumes. The current society is definitely a bit too prudish in some points. Sure, there are people with allergies etc., but from my own experience I can say that nowadays people get triggered much too easily and are much too sensitive in some points. For me, it is part of it not to overdo it with perfume and take certain consideration for other people in this respect, but if you are then insulted even with 10 sprays of "Versace pour Homme (Eau de Toilette) | Versace" (an incredibly shallow fragrance) because someone does not tolerate citrus notes - you have to ask yourself. After all, no one takes me into consideration, I have the feeling. Very masculine fragrances are nowadays no longer so the thing - we all wear somehow only Naxos, Le Male and Co. (which are super cool fragrances, serve only as an example). That's why it's always a bit of a shame when I'm standing in front of the shelf and would love to wear Kouros and the first thing I think of is, "Who could I get on my nerves with this?". I hope you guys get my point and don't feel attacked. I, as already written, extra do not wear Kouros in such situations where it could be inappropriate - although sometimes I would feel the need to test it ;-).
Kouros can already be a kind of "get out of your comfort zone" for some, because you just need balls and confidence to wear that one.
You will be noticed 100%, I can assure you. But you have to live with receiving certain comments that are negative. You have to live with the fact that some people might remember you as the guy with that scent that smells like "cat piss".
But: You will be remembered! That's already more than you achieve with many other fragrances today. For me, Kouros has been a special experience and he has given me again a completely different look at fragrances or put me also times completely different fragrances in front of the nose. Through Kouros I came across "Antaeus (Eau de Toilette) | Chanel" and "Lapidus pour Homme (Eau de Toilette) | Ted Lapidus". The second is now also in my collection and is also incredibly good. The fragrance definitely seems a bit out of time, but I do not find that bad - it revives charm.
Conclusion:
Kouros is a masterpiece in every respect and a piece of fragrance history to take home.
Whether there will ever be something like this again?
Long live Kouros!
3 Comments
