Givenchy Gentleman Eau De Parfum Boisee Review – 2020

Given that I often go on (justifiable) rants about the dreck that mainstream brands currently try to foist upon men, I thought I ought to review one new-ish scent – Givenchy Gentleman eau de parfum boisee – that isn’t as moronic as many of its brothers. Indeed, we could almost say that, in a sense, it’s a release that has grown and matured under our noses.

In 2017, Givenchy released Gentleman eau de toilette — and immediately angered fans of the 1974 scent which had the same name but, to put it mildly, a very different olfactory profile. This new beast was very definitely of the 21st century cardboard-cutout variety: ‘citrusy’, ‘spicy’ and ‘woody’ in the all the unconvincing ways we’ve come to fear and dread. Then a year later came the eau de parfum version — and against all the testosterone-pumping odds, it wasn’t at all terrible, emphasising the iris note that just couldn’t pluck up the courage to stand tall in the first incarnation. Now we have Givenchy Gentleman eau de parfum boisee, and even though I can’t help but find its name disappointing (it’s precisely the sort of lazy, borderline-crude shorthand for ‘man’ which brands should be trying to avoid) I find myself enjoying many aspects of the scent, especially those that appear towards the later stages of its development. 

The opening is still too brash: those woods and citruses elicit a cringe and make you worry about what’s going to come next. But then — like someone at the end of an infuriating day unwinding with a glass of chilled red — things begin to settle. The iris appears and softens proceedings. The nutmeg introduces a glow of warmth. And the woods envelop the whole in a believable sense of darkness — a suggestion of mystery that most mainstream masculines never even begin to convey. Everything concludes with a more-than-palatable drydown which provides an important reminder that although the sheer volume of releases means it’s more difficult than ever to find commendable ones, there are still a few out there, waiting to be discovered. 

Persolaise

[Givenchy Gentleman Eau De Parfum Boisee review based on a sample provided by the brand in 2020.]

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