Givenchy Gentleman Givenchy for men

Did they changed the formula or is it just me?I bought it for my dad and now I don't like it as much as used to.To my nose it has something in commune with Cerruti 1881, not bad but I haven't smelled that before.

The ladies at the Givenchy counter were absolutely stunned when I told them I was wearing this. Suddenly I went from one sales associate helping me to two, passing me sample cards left and right. "Oooh, you'll love this one" "Try this one", "what do you think about this?"

They didn't even have Gentleman in stock. In as few words, I politely told them I wasn't interested in that "Play" stuff. I left with some Chanel.

Anyhow, on to the fragrance itself. Massive patchouli, a colossally powerful fragrance with the power to strip paint, and yet at the same time the subtlety and depth to mystify and intrigue.

Spray with caution. Best to start with a small dose, then work your way up. I put a couple on the chest, one spray on my wrist then I rub them together. Settles down quite nicely, I get mostly patchouli, leather, vetiver, a bit of moss and musk. I see honey on the notes here but I don't pick it up just yet. It is an impressive composition, nonetheless.

"Classic" staying power. Lasts all day, but won't wear you out. Projects enough to be noticed but doesn't overwhelm, silage is good. Longevity is 7 hrs or so on me before it dies down to a whisper. Even after it becomes faint, it beckons you towards it, to move closer.

Did I say "Intrigue"?

this is my husband in a perfume smell sexy!!!!special and for me this is the one that a real man needs to wear.just perfect gets me in the mood everytime i smell it's juice!
if you have to choose one perfume this is definitly the one!one more time SEXY!

Back in the day, there were only a few scents that stoof out, today too...GG stands out in a subtle, elegant, sophisticated way.

I wore this one non-stop in the late 80's- because I love patchouli. No-one else was wearing it by then (it was Drakkar Noir-land mostly), so I stood out. It saw a revival in the 90's with some of the chillout crowd- which is when I stopped wearing it. I haven't smelled it it since then, but it's one I'll always remember- a definite classic.

It's like pysychedelia trimmed of rough edges and distilled into a bottle. An elegant hippie!

Let’s be a little honest! I myself bought it as well as many of you, but it don’t worth lots of complements as you put on it! It’s old and old fashioned! Like “Aramis 900”! We have had lots of hygienic or beauty products with similar scent, haven’t we? Ok, now we can give it to grandpa and make grandma happy!

یک عطر قدیمی با بوی قدیمی و از مد افتاده که بوهایی شبیه به اون رو توی خیلی از محصولات آرایشی بهداشتی تجربه کردیم با این تفاوت که بوی این عطر انصافاً کمی پیچیده‌تره!! بخدا
با وجود خاطره انگیز بودن، میشه انتخاب های بهتری هم داشت
دوام و پخش بوی خوبی داره

I have the re-formulated version.

This one smells very smooth, nearly 'buttery'. What I smell mostly is strong vetiver with a hint of peppery notes. The drydown shows leather, but just a bit. To me this scent brings up warm/nolstalgic feelings. Not exactly a hiper-masculine fragrance, I find this kinda sweet and old-style. Proper name for the juice. I enjoy it quite much.

One of my favorite patchouli based fragrances. It reminds me of a semi sweet tobacco, patchouli leaves and antiqued woods. A '70's classic, most definitely. This is one of Darren Hayes'(past frontman of late '90's Savage Garden) signatures, so all the more reason I love it. But yes, Gentleman is for anyone who has a nose for classic elegance, and likes to stand out in the best possible way.

I imagine that this one has not so much been reformulated as fallen prey to the Humpty Dumpty syndrome.

Was this really an animalic, patchouli leather? Filthy in that perfect way? It’s now a triple S-bomb: shrill, saccharine, scary. GG takes all the potential off notes of patchouli, groups them together, and then makes a point of adding nothing that might mitigate this fingers-on-a-chalkboard calamity.

"Givenchy Gentleman" is one of those scents that whether you like it or not (personally I don't, as I find it old in a suffocating way) we must admit that is best representative of a whole era! Actually, it would be nice to see it on the market forever. :)

UPDATE: the one I sampled today, after quite some time, is so much better than what I remembered. It has been tweaked and improved considerably! Still oldish but in a modern way. Actually, even younger guys can wear it now, very good job I must admit even though at its drydown it tickles my throat and makes me cough. :)

I now have both the reformulation and a 1 oz bottle of the vintage and in my opinion the reformulation is superior. The vintage has less aggressive patchouli and while it might be slightly more animalistic, the overall effect is of it being a weaker fragrance. in all fairness it has to be said that I am a patchouli nut and so I like the reformulation.

patchouli in combustion on Russian leather.
masterpiece!
Smell something mature? yes
is this a powerhouse style? yes
has great longevity? yesss
does it seem a little dated? yes

but you´ll like to wear it.

This is a uniquely elegant masculine fragrance. The masterful blend of patchouli, vetiver and Russian leather produces a scent unlike any other. The dry down is incredibly gorgeous. Whenever I wear this I receive positive comments and I feel sophisticated. It has great longevity and a wonderful sillage. This is one of my favorite fragrances of all time.

very strong fragnance.

unfortunately my wife doesn't like it so I am willing to trade it if someone interested in the UK

half of a 50 ml bottle

Im about to go out on a dinner date and this classic sexy fragrance never fails to intercept and allure the prescence of an attractive lady! Always complimented on this elegant gentlemans scent..I just love it! and beleive me, so does she..*winks*

It is not a mainstream woody fragrance rather it is more inclined towards oriental/spicy group to my way of thinking. Overall, it is a good solid masculine fragrance and it can't be worn by a woman. It starts with notes of tarragon and bergamot, there is some smokiness towards the beginning which stays for quiet a time then leather accords with musk and strong spices come into play and finally there is a trail of vetiver, vanilla and patchouli. It is an extremely classic fragrance more suitable for mature age group. It is not extraordinary and doesn't scream but yet it is compliment-able. There is sophistication and elegance and it will remain one of the best in its genre. Longevity is good stays quite close to the skin, better projection in winters. Suitable for formal and casual occasions can be worn at evenings and nights. Bottle and packaging is simple nothing particular.
I give it 8 out of 10.

Hadn't expect something like this phenomenon from Givenchy which is playing with kids nowadays!
This fragrance is so classy and matured, well crafted and absolutely classic without any touch of modernism.
It starts resinous and warm in musky and spicy way which transfers a little to deep sweet woody odor.
The scent is dark and charismatic proper for manly men and not boys, maybe even not for me! So sophisticated and seductive.
Just a comprehensive release from the house.

longevity 10/10
sillage 9/10
scent 10/10

Occasion: Winter and fall, day time, formal.

Longevity: 8/10
Projection: 9/10
Scent: 7/10
Uniqueness: 8/10
Versatility: 4/10
OVERALL: 36/50

My favorite French fragrance. Exotic, manly, refined, dry, distinquished, high fashion and sensual.

true masterpiece. classical

however, only use at home, subjective power works

but not for others, just for me!

patchouli offensive from start to finish, I like

this Exquisite old gentleman unfortunately belches out its power ...

a penalty

my grandfather has been wearing this all his life i think.
whenever i enter into his house, this is always around :)

This is one of the best scents in thw whole world.
Classic clean clear well balanced scent.
Somebody said its not for woman hahah?
Whats the definicion of man or woman fragrance????
U r using what U like. !
arabic Woman wearing oud wich in our culture quite masculine and the man r wearing roses culture and economy iis stimulating whats for man or woman!
In 18 century franch kings were wearin floral scenys being inspired buy their gardens separating scents for masculine or feminine doesnt make any sense.

This givenchy is simply classic scent vanila light rose and later patchuly dry wood and leather making that scent defenetly unforgetable.
Huge class for ONLY distingtive people

Gentleman Givenchy (Original Formulation)

A great peppery leather fragrance that shows no aging. Hints of cinnamon on a considerable dose of patchouli and vetiver. A simple formula that's still incredibly compelling. I will never understand why at Givenchy they needed to reformulate this little masterpiece. Buy it while stocks last.

The original forumaltion had a different packaging form the new one. You can make sure you're buying the original Gentleman by looking at the box that has to be with the Givenchy monograms printed in white instead of grey.

Rating: 8/10

I have to love the smell of this scent overall, but I can't be too big a fan of such a classic scent and I certainly couldn't justify wearing it.
Gentleman is, in my opinion, a serious gentleman fragrance.
Very classic, exceedingly successful, ultra professional, I can picture Italian suits going with it.
I really don't think a laid back 27year old who's often mistaken for a 20-24 year old uni student or graduate can wear it without feeling somewhat out of place and awkward.
There's admiring a fragrance for it's quality then there's loving the scent so much as to wear it proudly.

For the smell itself, it would easily be seen as an old-man scent to a young nose and nil respected. Think of Habit Rouge, but with a dominant body of patchouli and florals, and a slight, sweet hint (which I guess is the honey and rose) that barely softens the scent but still has a subtle impact on my total opinion. The rest of the composition escapes me, I'm bot sure my near is cut out to pick apart a classic scent.

A true classic indeed. I can't think of anything else quite like this, and for that reason it stands out from all the rest for me. Not one single feminine note here. This is all man. I would not want to smell this on a woman. Ever!

I first had this as a twenty-something and liked it, but I don't think I could appreciate how great it was back then. I've noticed other reviewers think the current scent is different from what it formerly was. It does seem as if there's a sour almost urine like element that is missing from my new bottle. However, I find the current scent is still excellent. It's definitely like I remember it. The strong almost pungent scent of patchouli that is etched in my memory. A friend of mine said it reminds him of the warm, damp wood of a sauna. Definitely no fruit, flower or spicy notes here.

In it's new version(if that's what it is) the scent is very straight forward. It doesn't have the two distinct elements playing off of each other as I remember. I might not have noticed this if other reviewers hadn't brought it up. I still love the smell but there's not much complexity or change going on here from beginning to end. I get woodsy(cedar) and patchouli from start to finish. Still enough there from the old scent that I can't stop sniffing my arm. It's simple but very intense, almost too intense, but that's the magic of it I guess.

It does seem like warmer weather or a little activity recharges the scent. It lasts all day. If everyone was wearing it I wouldn't like it as much as I do.

This is a very classy cologne. When wearing this and share the company of a woman they always react to it .

very nice fragance, but not for young men, its perfect for men in their 50s

Quality ***
Versatility ***
Durability **
Sillage ***
Top *
Heart ***
Base ***
Final score ***

Minireview from a partial wearing, I hated the opening very much so.

At the begining i did not like this and i kept in my closet for a long time until one day i wanted to geve it another try.
I dont know what happened but when i put this again i was impressed with the beutiful soapy smell i got. it lasted and lasted also i got compliments from friends...i dont know how i did not like this in the beginning but this one is excellent and makes me happy

One of the superstars of the olfactory art...

Very vintage stuff... Dunno why, but it always reminds me of the 70s Hi-Fi systems... Crazy, huh? :) But I like it.

It has a very earthy scent, with no traces of aromatic herbs like lavender and rosemary, which I don't like them. It has a unique bitterness that gives it a special identity. I guess the vetiver/oakmoss/patchouli and oris root combination creates that in a very crafty way.

Top notes are feeling sweet with a touch of honey, which vanishes soon in favor of a much better scent, even.

The middle notes are a sweet/bitter/woody/leathery combo. Unfortunately this part made me all the time sniffing myself more and more and tire my nose. Such a beautiful scent!

Base notes are still the same as heart notes, just a bit more woody and bitter, yet you feel a tiny spark of sweetness present.

Longevity appears so-so on my skin. Sillage and projection are excellent.

I would give it 8 of 10. This masterpiece has got a lot of character among other 70s feats like Azzaro Pour Homme and their contemporary frags...

A woman can certainly pull this fragrance off. I wear it, and I wear it proudly.

Givenchy Gentleman is all about soft woods, cinnamon incense, earthy patchouli and sweet musk. To my nose, as strange as it may sound, this smells like an old-fashioned closet full of musty clothes and pink candy musk sticks.

My god this is heavenly. To be honest, I love it so much on myself that it'd be hard for me to smell it on my man. He's used to my masculine and smokey scents, yet the other day when I sprayed this on my neck he had no clue it was marketed for men. Bless his heart, he actually mistook it for Chanel No.5 Eau Premiere.

Towards the drydown Givenchy Gentleman becomes quite powdery and tends to resemble the scent of shaving foam. I've actually resorted to shaving my legs with men's shaving foam seeming that it's a whole five dollars cheaper than feminine shaving foam, so I'm used to my body smelling like this.

It makes me feel so refined yet powerful at the same time. This is one of those great powerhouse scents from the 70's with amazing longevity and sillage, however I must add that I don't find this fragrance dated.

Oh, it's just so comforting, like a hug from your loved one while you're curled up beside a fire on a cold Winter's night.

This the first fragrance of my life that had a leather note. Though it's not a leather perfume but still I consider it to be one given my introduction to leather scents through it. It was 1996 when I was 18 I bought this one, I didn't know then what opening note, middle/heart note or base meant. Now I know and that's why is the review. It opens with a strong honey and cinnamon's amalgamation. Though Bergamot is listed but my nose failed to find it. Then after sometime the patchouly and cedar takes command and a hint of the leather. The leather blossoms quickly and settles down and stays till the drydown, patchouly and leather all the way till you wash it off. The darkness of oakmoss and vetiver add richness to the smell. It's the scent of a real man. Though I don't suggest anyone below 28 to use it. It's good for all weather and all season. I don't actually recollect how it smelled then back in 1996 but I liked it then. I guess the smell is a little different these days. But mind you, the richness, warmth, darkness and manliness haven't been lost over time. And, that's why I never forget buying it when the bottle finishes. I kept having it since 1996. The longevity is unbelievable, silage is great. If I, at all, have to mark, then I wouldn't give less than 9 out of 10.

The best ever!!!!!! Amayzing x

*This is a VINTAGE Gentleman review*

I got to know the older and wiser gentleman, and if the updated version doesn't at least walk in the footsteps of it's classic superior... I don't want to know this gentleman. It's so old school, but so immortal. Patchouli is layered in the composition, but done so precisely and strapped down to be tamed by fine leather. Roses and jasmine gives this gentleman life. Honey and vanilla keeps him from being so rough around the edges and dark cinnamon makes him daring and known without being obnoxious. A king among fragrances!

★★★★★

The best fragrance in the whole world and a big class !!!!!

there were times i had to check the bottle again n again to be sure its from givenchy, this a nice one, strong, over-powering, masculine and classic!
love it!

sooooo niiiiiiice better than these days perfumes ,very unique i cant beleive its since 1947

Classic men's woody chypre. Wood and moss and rose. Very nice. Strong.

Thank you Mister_Chaz for swapping me this delightful fragrance.

Maybe i am overreaching but I think a woman can pull this off - but strictly for the corporate setting, I imagine a confident CEO wearing it to a Board Meeting.

To my nose it smells vaguely similar to Gucci 3, except that Gucci 3 has a slightly soapy nuance and GG's opening is sweetened by it's honey note.

I like how it smelled on me but it really blossomed when my dad wore it, so much so that i had to give him my newly acquired mini.

Very powerful, a strong floral to start and a leather/patchouli ending, lasts all day, and excellent sillage. One of the most potent patchouli scents. Givenchy Gentleman is fabulous. It has to be a classic!

On my skin it smells a lot at beginning like old shave-cream (caused maybe of oily lemon, cinnamon, rose & bergamot combo), a strong and linear smell, little complexity but long lasting...then a LOT of patchouli and vetiver (it reaches to middle after 3-4 hrs !), ending with leather, amber, musk, patchouli (again !) oakmoss & vanilla. Overall not bad, a classic 80's, I would buy it maybe with a good deal and I think it could be combined w. other simple nowadays fragrances (b.t.w. Zino is far better!). 7.6/10

Classic and original fragrance. You cant mix it up with any other perfume.
Unfortunately it smells bad on me but i still love this smell.

Ok. So I have had this for a couple of weeks now. I am really impressed with the patchouli in this fragrance! It takes no prisoners! The strength of the fragrance to start with is breathtaking. On me the patchouli is balanced with an incensy/camphorous/sweetness which only just takes the edge off the patchouli. The patchouli is really as strong as it can be without being offensive. It lasts all day on me with little change.

one of the best stuffs in the gentlemans parfumerie, long lasting and powerfull. for me an old friend from the early eightiesone of my first fragrances.

Some years ago, perhaps eight, I tested this at a department store. WOW I thought, one day I must get this. The fragrance then seemed to disappear for some years. I would ask after it, but no one had it and many sales assistants had never even heard of it. I was delighted to see it again on shelves in the last year. In the intervening time it had built up an almost legendary status in my mind as something of exceeding quality. I finally got a bottle of this today (bought on ebay for about 40% of the retail price here in Australia). From other reviews I see that the current offering is a toned-down reflection of the original fragrance. This is quite a revelation. The fragrance I now have in my possession is simply, magnificent, it makes me ask "how is it possible that this could have been better?"

The aromatic/camphorous woodiness make this a classic. It is almost overpowering at first, but after a few minutes it displays its true beauty. It is really hard for me at this point to give a review which really does justice to this after having it for only a few hours. So I guess I will have to give a further review when I have had more time enjoying this fragrance.

Now that I've had the chance to wear the new version of GG for two weeks now, I'd like to amend my previous review a bit. Although the new version lacks the richness and complexity of the original, and I'm sure it was reformulated largely for financial reasons, I can now see the virtues of this new formulation. What I like most about the new GG is that it truly can be worn any time of year in any type of weather. The vintage version, though great, was so heavy, spicy and sweet as to be overbearing in anything warmer than cool weather in the autumn (see also Gucci Pour Homme and Mazzolari Lui). This new version, on the other hand, not only smells very good any time of year, but I think it comes alive a bit in the warmer weather. I think fans of the vintage GG would be much less upset if Givenchy simply renamed this as something like "Givenchy Gentleman Leger" or "Eau de Givenchy Gentleman", and left the vintage version alone. I realize that a lot of my initial disappointment with the new GG was its lack of complexity compared to the original, but now that I've worn it for two straight weeks, it's really grown on me, and I really enjoy it. Still not as good as the original, but still a worthy purchase in its own right.

There was a time hippies used patchouly. Most claim it was a way of hiding the smell of marihuana. Maybe it was because they were in love with all things from India, and since patchouly is from India and sandalwood is so expensive... patchouly must have been the logical option.

Well, I imagine Givenchy working on the burgeoise version of a patchouly-based scent. So, here we've got a reminder of how the 1970's smelt like: unpolitically correct, opinionated and revolutionary. The way men were supposed to be before this metrosexual revolution.

This was once an outstanding spicy, rich, warm, woody oriental, but it's unfortunately been reformulated for the worse. Now, it's a fairly dull, linear and one dimensional woody chypre. Givenchy seems to have eliminated the civet and amber, which gave it a sweet but animalic punch. The patchouli is still there, but doesn't smell earthy or natural as it should. It's not a terrible scent now by any means, but it never really evolves with time, just keeps playing the same synthetic smelling patchouli tune throughout its duration. It's a disappointment for anyone who wore the original version, but I still think I'd be unimpressed with this even if I'd never tried the original, due to its linearity and lack of complexity.

I was truely excited when i saw that they had this on sale i jumped over to it and tryed a small sample but was a bit disapointed.Like ZeeK said it does last along time its not very sexy.not somthing i would wear around my wife or even to go out.it smelled like a old man to me. even gave me a headache.So i stayed far away from it and bought a Eternity and 212 bottle and left pretty happy.

I love how this marks a man....he is sexy, intruiging and sooooo mine :)))
Very energetic and not too loud.
I absolutely love it on my man

Probably, Givenchy thought of a perfume that doesn't only make you smell good, but feel good as well. Just like some have said, it makes you a confident and elegant man - IMO it doesn't matter what your outfit is. Like happened with OdeKlotyo, Gentleman's one of the few scents that ever got me some compliments - the others being from the house of Givenchy as well. These guys know how to make a perfume that'll stand out.

I'll start talking about lasting and projection. On my skin, it goes through the whole day. After 12 hours, it's still there. Sillage is good for the first 4 hours, but is reactivated if it gets warmer. Then it gets close to the skin in a slow pace.

Now, the engineering chapter. The first blast is strong and pretty much unlikeable. A nose repeller - I'll talk about it later. This lasts for some 15, 20 minutes. Well, let's call it maturation, for what comes after is the art of perfumery in its highest form. Patchouli is always there, but some times you smell hints of leather, cinnamon, honey, roses, a low vetiver...
I walk out the office to have lunch - from the air conditioner to the warmth of the Brazilian sun - and it changes. It starts to rain and it changes. It gets dark and it changes. Have in mind that all these mutations are exceptionally good - not included those damn first minutes. Gentleman has the most beautiful drydown I've ever seen. Yet to be found in other scent, this dynamic quality.

I kinda made this my signature scent, and that's where those terrifying first minutes prove to be useful. Whenever a person goes to a store and have it sprayed onto his skin, he'll think "holy shit I'll never wear this for the life of me". The nose-in-a-hurry repeller effect. Those who can wait a quarter of an hour to seal the deal will end up gifted with an almost exclusive scent that'll most likely become their signature.

IT'S ONE OF THE BEST SCENTS I HAVE EVER SMELL.....BEAUTIFUL WOODY, ALDEHYD BASE NOTES AND...THIS CHARACTERISTIC SWEET-COLOGNE SMELL AT BEGINNING.....REALY GOOD MASCULINE PERFUM (it's smells on the background like CHANEL 5-my mother use givenchy gentelmen too)

Really like this smell on my husband. Classic and confident.

I bought a new bottle of Gentleman recently, after having had a small 30 ml/1 fl.oz. "vintage" bottle from '98 that lasted for quite a few years, and I couldn't help but notice that the volume has been turned down significantly in the new one, with a concomitant shorter tenacity, and most obviously that dark, sweaty animalic note (the civet that is often perceived as urine) was at least partially removed or replaced with something, hm, lesser. But it's an ill wind, so the toned-down temperament of its current incarnation will render it more wearable for many.
It's still an elegant, charming, classy and gentlemanly scent. And very Givenchy. On the right person, and on the right occasion, it will work wonders.
(Funnily, this is one of the very few fragrances that I EVER got complimented on.)

There is no doubt about lasting and silage. But it is not sexy from any angle, just an old classic (for those who dare to wear it) but not a masterpiece. By sniffing this one I got the idea of what people call dated and old-school actually, I am sure since its existence it can’t be liked by majority even only 5-10 out of 100 may like this perfume.

Many resemble it to the smell of urine. But I think it is not that correct but only a way to show their disappointment with Givenchy, Gentlemen, but for me (even I am very fond of classics) it gives the affect of some nasty-sour mixture of water and salt sprayed over to grass, dry bushes, broken branches and smelly stones.

No woman should dare to try this one. A true masculine scent. And a classic one. I love it!

A most classic fragrance and a favourite of mine. Very frankincense and leather. Long-lasting, good sillage, very different from any other scent on the market. Instantly recognisable. Reminds me of a great time in the mid-70s when people knew how to enjoy the good life and glamour.