Description of Flowerbomb Perfume for Men

This 2012 fragrance from the Dutch fashion house of Viktor & Rolf is the second one aimed at a male audience after Antidote in 2006, and corresponds to the men's equivalent of the emblematic Flowerbomb for women, highlighting in the name the association which is usually made with the spices that take on virile, masculine traits, analogous to the flowers which take on a more feminine character. The packaging includes a bottle shaped like a grenade that is more realistic than the gem-like version used in Flowerbomb, with smoky gray colored glass and the designers’ logo stamped in lacquer, hooked to the top like the pin on the grenade. On their site, Viktor & Rolf give a description that the basic notes in the perfume are: chili, saffron, leather, tobacco, vetiver, bergamot and grapefruit.

At first, the perfume feels fragrant and bold, with dominant tones of agarwood that open to sweet labdanum, taking a step closer to hookah tobacco and after 5 minutes incorporating spicy notes, ranging from anise and cinnamon to noticeable fresh notes which are perceived in the nose instead of heat, giving the idea of interwoven lavender and adding an extra touch of classic lemon after 10 minutes. In the middle phase after 20 minutes, the aroma starts to bring back memories of the style of other classic perfumes, with mixtures of parts of La Nuit de L'Homme and M7, both from YSL, with portions of Lolita Lempicka au Masculin, deepening with a non-spicy liqueur-type anise that changes to hints of vanilla and caramel after applying, with a linear trend that is maintained after 2 hours with a light balance of the same notes. After 4 hours, the perfume feels more soothing, with tones of tolu balsam and syrupy resin derivatives that preserve the sensation of baking aromas in the background around cinnamon-like spices, almost giving the feeling of a male version of the cake scent in Fantasy by Britney Spears, with light spots of wood after 6 hours that also bring back memories of the discontinued Nemo from Cacharel but with a sweeter character and no smokiness, opening at this point to honey and traces of bergamot with a return of sweet tobacco and traces of ginger cookies. After 9 hours, the resin feels more ambient with greater presence of spices in a role that mixes with warm tonka beans, giving way to oriental wood and tobacco with honey, at 12 hours giving a sweet touch of oriental vanilla with more honey and resins with hints of leather and mild pepper. In the final phase after 24 hours, the scent combines fruity tonka with secondary sweet resins and tobacco with honey, with spicy anise notes and a stronger presence of pepper at the base and more traditional light base notes of mild, dry vetiver.

Because of its general composition centered on resins with spicy variations, the scent shows an inclination towards daily non-sporty wear almost exclusively in winter, moving away from more stringent and complex social lines, standing up to use for personal enjoyment without feeling wasted if you are alone. In the office, the scent presents a striking character with a good memory effect due to the resins, with hints of classic styles of men's fragrances but distancing itself from this trend for notes reminiscent of cake which promote a good memory effect, achieving an optimistic and empathetic disregard that works in a range of situations that goes from casual winter to young formal with suit and tie, working well in meetings, presentations and interactions with colleagues. For nighttime, the fragrance handles additional applications in order to stand out at hip parties, pubs and get-togethers, expanding to more elaborate dinners and wedding parties for someone younger. In a romantic sense, the perfume properly balances ideas of empathy and sensuality, breaking away from the ordinary and even achieving an addictive effect that entices others to stay close by. Age range from 25 to 45 years.