Kouros (for men)

instantjim

I picked up a couple of 50mL bottles of the EDT that were being cleared (about $5 US ea) without smelling them - at that price why not. When I got home and tried it I was blown away. I love it - it is so rich. It lasts on me 6 or more hours. I made the mistake of applying 3 sprays when I first got it (as I do with some lesser fragrances) and found that waaay too much (my wife said "Don't use 3 sprays or you'll either give me a nose bleed or an asthma attack") - it reactivated on my skin as I was doing some public speaking and made me start to cough.

My wife likes it, my daughter says it makes her gag. This is definitely a masculine scent and probably my favourite - or at least top 5.

guest_

this fragrance reminds me of a clean gas station restroom. very outdated scent if u ask me. i cannot see how anyone under 30 can enjoy wearing/smelling this.

renneyg007

Oh god, this is an all time favourite of mine. I remember being about 16 and smelling this, it was addictive. Hate to admit it but i would follow men wearing this despite my then tender years. Failing that i would spray it on myself for a fix. Its very pungent by today's standards but its one of the most recognizable scents. Complete turn on in a bottle....and yes for men not boys.

krmarich

This is manhood in a bottle. Bold and provocative. The musk & civet scare many wearers off. Yes, I have smelled these notes in urinal cakes. I guess thats part of the appeal. Never has a fragrance caused such a controversy. I have been wearing it since 1986. I have an original bottle that is just as potent. I am the only person I know that wears it, so I guess its my signature, locally. Heads turn, as the sillage is powerful. It is most pleasing after 2 hours. Its a BIG fragrance-the ingredients are complex. This is not unisex-ladies beware! Perfect to wear to the beach or amusement park.

guynspfld

I love it...I remember buying a bottle in the early 90s when I was a teen....I could smell for days on my coat....I still wear it and the compliments pour in......It is very different and not that common anymore

cbstarker

Well, for those of you who love, or for those of you who want to experience this for yourselves, I have a bottle for sale. PM me and we can discuss. I had to try it myself and agree that it is both repulsive and a beautiful work of art. It may be the most impressive fragrance I've ever experienced but I don't ever want to wear it again. And I don't care how many women it is supposed to attract, I have plenty of others that also attract very well. Kouros anyone? I have a speeding ticket to pay...!

shamus1

Yes indeed, Kouros is definitely the perfume you love or hate - there's no middle ground. I love it. I love it for the reason I love Yatagan - it's risky and utterly unconventional. It's got some beautiful citrus/floral top and heart notes (reminiscent of Caron's Troisieme Homme). But then there's the infamous and reviled base - a raunchy, filthy note that smells like sweat and a toilet full of turds. Yes, it sounds disgusting, but the combination of all the notes together creates a very virile, hot-blooded fragrance that only a man can pull off. I come from the school of thought that most fragrances are "unisex" (I hate that term), but I have a hard time imagining Kouros smelling good on a woman. Kouros is quite simply a manly fragrance. Beware, however, and apply it very sparingly - this stuff is so concentrated and loud that if you pour it on people within ten feet of you will be on their knees choking and begging you to leave the room. Worn sparingly, however, Kouros is a masterpiece.

For those of you who are fascinated with Kouros, but don't think you can wear it because it's too heavy, I would highly recommend Kouros Fraicheur, which is a lighter and brighter version of Kouros and is an outstanding alternative.

Aristo

Bitter honey and laurels on an ancient velvet...

Aroma of gods and heroes

susieqrj

Yuk!!!! To me it´s the worst perfume ever!! I really dislike this one and the smell makes me gag. It´s a woman repellent to me: I´d never get close to a guy with Kouros.

Trinity

Yes, Countbernadotte is absolutely right! I couldn't not have described it better! Kouros is, next to Azzaro and Aramis, one of the best, sexiest and attractive male fragrances out there.

These 3 scents separate the men from the boys!

Personally, I want men to smell like men and not like women. A lot of male scents on the market today are overly sweet and (even) fruity….they might smell nice, but they are certainly not sexy.

guest_Luvadventure

Men, I'm a woman who loves good smelling men and I love Kouros, so does my sister. It does not smell like sweat to me, it's sexy and alluring - I agree with Countbernadotte on this - it makes me weak in the knees. Perhaps before you dismiss it so readily you should take a poll of the women you work with and in your life of what it smells like to them. It's my favorite men's scent and it's very seldom I come across a man who's wearing a scent I find attractive. What smells good to you does not necessarily translate into being alluring to a woman.

countbernadotte

Men must view the appeal of any men’s fragrances with respect to their olfactory effect on women. Whenever Kouros is mentioned, I see too many heads shaking in denial, refusal and disbelief that it has merited any mention at all. Yet it’s almost insane spell on women who smell it on their men is beyond explanation!

However, from a man’s point of view, a woman’s fragrance should be feminine; that is sweet, sexy and fruity. If it is reminiscent of perspiration, it repels men regardless of how well it has been marketed as the quintessential feminine fragrance. The same logic should be applied on a man’s fragrance; if it appeals to women; that is feminine women, then it must be masculine. Kouros falls into this category; it is overtly masculine.

Women are aroused by a man’s sweat after a good work out in the gym. The odder of a man’s sweat, provided it is not a stench, is not offensive to women, in fact, studies have shown that women think of it as sexy and arousing; the whole mark of a man’s power and strength.

The folks at Yves Saint Laurent conducted an extensive market study to find out what men’s scent most women consider as sexy and arousing. The specter of a man hard at work in the gym, perspiring and showing muscle strength came as the number one attribute of sex appeal, ergo, they went to work to reproduce the closest scent that would represent this sex appeal to women in a man’s fragrance.

If men find Kouros by YSL unattractive and disconcerting, it is because men’s perspiration does not, nor should it, arouse other men, whereas, the same scent drives women putts when they smell it on an attractive man.

This should not be interpreted that Kouros smells of men’s sweat, it doesn’t. The thing is: it is not the classic scent men had come to expect out of a fragrance. The masculinity is derived from deep, deep wood and animal scents, strong and overpowering. What remains to be an absolute fact is: it drives women week in the knees, very week in the knees, …… Very, very!

For those of you who still find it too strong, please refer to my article on Opium Pour Homme by Yves saint Laurent.

Toni Lop

Smells much of musk amber ... very deep in sensation ... good for night wear ... for it gives a woody heavy smell to it leaving an elegant touch in you

LuckyStar1

I once tried the Summer version of this many years ago and i still found that was too strong. Although the summer version smelt a lot better than the Original which is too overpowering and dated now.

bamacharm

The intent of the perfumer is to create an aroma of stale body secretions reminiscent of a musty smelling weight training facility and locker room one might associate with body building. Kouros, however, is an example of synthetic musk being overused to the point of making the fragrance nauseatingly animalistic. I was unable to detect anything of redeeming value in this scent and I'm perplexed that some actually believe an aroma which conveys soured body secretions is somehow desirable to others, especially in countries where daily bathing is the norm. It makes little sense that one would spend good money on a fragrance whose sole purpose is designed to produce the unwashed effect. Wouldn't it be easier and less expensive to simply stop washing? You make the call.

Rockdj

a real masculine scent, i just love it it's simple it has an strong smell that u will never forget it, it get stuck in ur nose. the only fragrance that i like it from yves saint laurent. its a sophisticated compose hardly to describe but very pleasant to use it. is sexy and masculine at the same time and terrific long lasting!

arzacu

I don't like it.

I s one of that fragrances that you love or just hate.

personally I hate it, too strong and smells very synthetic.

dasa

hey slipcat, where did you hear that YSL dont produce Kouros anymore? It is one of the classics among parfumes, and it will be produced for many years to come. YSL would be crazy if they cease it from production, and I hope that day will never come.

dasa

This one is sooo strong... I had it and I will have it again. Really masculine and unique. Comments on Kouros are very different when I wear it; some girls love it, some find it repellant and vulgar. Whats important, is that I feel powerful when I wear it. And I like that feeling.

fredward

This infamous fragrance is like some kind of joke. WAY too strong, nausia inducing from beginning to end. Smells wierd and artificial at first and then the unclean body odor accord sets in and it really gets repugnent! This is a startlingly vulgar scent.Must be smelled to be believed.

originaldeftom

Outstanding in a sense there is nothign that smells like this! Very masculine and machismo.

Greek Gods would have smelled like that as it is THE bodybuilder frangrance and very 80ies! Still a classic and very suitable for very self confident men. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Claude Van Damme, or Tyson Beckford would smell like this. Very homo-erotic as well.

Fresh, citrus, soapy, white linen, white flowers, amber, and heaps of musk....an aphrodisiac.

Cassiano

This one is very difficult to describe: some love it and some hate it!
It is agressive to others noses, but is sensual, warm and sexy for those who wear it.
I like a lot this scent. Besides that, is just necessary 2 or 3 sneezes to smell for the entire day.
One who loves this scent will be loyal to it forever!

suelle

Very masculine, but one of my favourites when I need to make an aura of strengt around myself. I'm a heartbraker wearing this one.
And it has all my favourite ingredients.

Perfumaniac

Very strong long lasting scent. Not for summer use!

slipcat

One of my all-time top colognes. This cologne got me a lot of "positive" attention from the women and was a great ice-breaker. I am very sad to hear that they no longer make it. Perhaps my highest recommended cologne.

guest_redwine

I love to wear this and I am a woman...love fragrance with a bite..this has that , yet I find it kind also...very sensual...I am an American woman from Gerogia ! (I do weight train also!)

guest_desmondorama

This is an all-time, sexy, masculine fragrance that every man should have in his fragrance wardrobe. Long-lasting and great sillage. Wear this and know you're sexy. Not for the faint-hearted!

Abbas

one of the most aromatic and long lasting fragrance that is masculine and sex appealing.

quite differnt scent

afraafra

You either love it or hate it, I hate it, it must be the civet, or artemesia

elgab89

Very masculine scent. Works great on a more mature man.