Bulgari pour Homme
Parfum de Toilette, Bulgari (1995)

Bvlgari pour Homme (1995) is a landmark scent for the house in several ways, with the foremost being the use of the tea note the house for some time defined its perfume efforts by, and the establishment of a very clean/safe aesthetic that would carry on until the present being second. Much of the structure Jean-Claude Ellena imparted to the debut unisex Bvlgari Eau Parfumée au Thé Vert (1993) is referenced by Jacques Cavallier in Bvlgari pour Homme, but wrapped in clean white musks and a nondescript grayness seemingly borrowed from another unisex scent, Calvin Klein cK One (1993). That landmark fragrance was composed by Alberto Morillas and Harry Freemont, and is something of an androdgynous 90's archetype that stretches into perfume tropes found on both sides of the marketing-enforced bisecting perfume "gender fence" (although obviously users of perfume fall into more than 2 genders), turning up here in spades with Bvlgari pour Homme. For this reason, you could also read Bvlgari pour Homme as unisex since there isn't anything particularly "manly" about the way it handles the subject, but CIS guys who discovered this in the 90's made it a white shirt office staple which is part of why it saw flankers and support for about a decade from the house, until Bvlgari Aqva pour Homme (2005) replaced it in that regard. I find Bvlgari pour Homme to also be a soft, fresh, comforting scent that epitomizes apologetic and inoffensive perfume paradigms of the 90's, which were in strict reactionary state to the backlash from a very gaudy and decadent 80's perfume market.

The scent opens with a clean bergamot, tea, neroli, and muguet haze. Here Bvlgari pour Homme most resembles cK One, but soon distinguishes itself by having a bit more note separation rather than becoming a "fog" of niceness. The tea lingers throughout the scent, and the neroli soap merges with the orris soap of the heart, also flanked with rosewood, cardamom, and iris flower for even more soapiness. Bvlgari pour Homme in some ways resembles a tea-infused prototype of Prada L'Homme (2016) but minus the powder and with hints of the vintage feel from Paco Rabanne pour Homme (1973), especially with oakmoss and tonka in the base. I'm not implying that Bvlgari pour Homme is anything close to a fougère, let alone such an iconic aromatic barbershop like that, but you can see the inspiration in the construction. A soft amber and laundry musk accord finishes out Bvlgari pour Homme, and the scent has intense if compact sillage like an eau de parfum. Also like cK One, there are so many notes listed that do not register to my nose, I feel like they were added to plush out the spaces between notes I detect, just not to the point of making white noise like with the CK. Some people who found this too feminine would be gifted with the harsher and woodier Bvlgari pour Homme Extrême (1999), a scent that has a very pronounced black tea that in some ways can be seen as a masculine link to the preceding year's unisex Bvlgari Black (1998). Meanwhile, Bvlgari pour Homme itself sings along quietly as the perfect cubicle accompanyment or scent for someone looking to disarm strangers. Wear time is about 8 hours and I find this best for median temperatures (like indoors).

Fans of Bvlgari masculine tea scents would be left out in the cold after Bvlgari pour Homme Soir (2006), although the "Eau Parfumée au Thé" unisex range would continue through 2015 but slowly lost the plot with flankers. Seems these days Bvlgari would just rather treat their perfume range like any other designer perfume arm, with a creatively stagnant line of commercially-maximized fodder that serves to catch impulse sales with brand cachet, alongside an upscale "prestige" tier of limited-production scents that are strict genre or note exercises done to death by the niche market it vainly seeks to compete against. Some say the Bvlgari pour Homme range is going away, but retailers still seem to list it even if aftermarket or gray market supplies are drying up and raising in price, so if Bvlgari pour Homme is a discontinued unicorn by the time you read this, you have a ton of options to replace it so fear not. As mentioned, this rides very close to cK One, and also Hanae Mori HM (1997), plus even Jovan did a take on this idea with Ginseng NRG (1998) around the same time. All of these could sit on a Lazy Susan you turn while blindfolded, and you'd end up happy with whichever one you grabbed. Bvlgari pour Homme is a great general-purpose staple sort of scent with a good concept that showed great promise for Bvlgari when they entered the masculine market, a promise they sadly didn't live up to as they abandoned this concept to chase the same corporte data-backed min/max perfumery that has become the nadir of the designer perfume world. Thumbs up.

You're entering an office building for a possible business deal. You have an appointment with one of the ceos, but he's delayed, so you have to wait for a while. You take a look around.

A clean building with tall white walls. The sun enters the building through the roof of glass. People are friendly and smile at you.

A professional in his early 30s, wearing a slimfit chino and a perfectly tucked in, crisp white shirt with vertical blue lines. Although you don't see his shoes, you know his medium brown belt matches them perfectly.

His hair is blond to light brown. He looks like he knows what he's doing. He looks serious, but still friendly.

Don't worry about that talk with the ceo, you already know it. Employees like this get the job done. Easily.

This professional is polite, friendly and calm. But he's serious. Maybe a little too serious. You'll never see him in a pub. He rather enjoys the monthly diners with his parents and sister.

That's what I smell in Bvlgari Pour Homme. A very mild and friendly scent for a very friendly guy.

But it lacks some character. It's clean and crisp, but a bit dull.

Having said that, it's an excellent scent for those who like to fly under the radar. While it's friendly, it definitely isn't too sweet. Rather clean and crisp.

I wouldn't wear this, but I can appreciate it.
6.75/10

Light, green, airy, citrusy opening. The drydown for me is a peppery tea that smells clean and crisp.

Smells like a versatile spring or summer scent that would work well casually or dressed up.

I get good projection for the first 3-4 hours and then it sits closer to skin for the remaining longevity which is around 7-8 hours.

Bvlgari pour Homme, composed by Jacques Cavellier and released in 1996, is an aromatic citrus fragrance, underpinned by musk. Bvlgari has since added two fragrances to this range - Extreme and Soir. This is undoubtedly the most beautiful collection of masculine fragrances by Bvlgari, and each one is a play on tea. Bvlgari's romance with tea in perfumes begins with the now iconic Bvlgari Au Parfumee The Vert, composed by J.C. Ellena in 1992. Since then, tea has been a signature note for this brand, incorporated successfully in many compositions in the 90s and early 2000s.

Bvlgari pour Homme begins with a subdued bergamot, with hints of florals and other citruses. Very soon the tea note comes to the fore, abstract yet very reminiscent, and alternating between leafy green and smoky black. The florals harmonise the tea note, and a smooth, soft musk note is the string that binds lightly all the elements together. This is the fresh musk I appreciate: clean, soft, very slightly sweet, yet far removed from any laundry detergent association. The musk is dealt with a light hand so as not to overwhelm. The tea-musk accord is the centrepiece of the composition, and dominates from start to finish, from a refreshing opening to a comforting dry down.

Bvlgari pour Homme is very muted on my skin, though duration is about adequate from a generous application. I am partial to the Extreme flanker which is stronger, greener, and has a faint zing of ginger. While pour Homme doesn't work for me, this is recommended to anyone looking for a fresh, balanced tea scent that is soft and discreet.

3/5 (neutral)

Tea, citrus, woods and oakmoss, in a summer-friendly and subtle delivery. Undoubted masculinity has never been so understated. Highly refreshing. Looking forward to a fuller review in time, but right now, thumbs up.

LOVELY

Tea, bergamot and musk - you can't go wrong, really. That would be my main criticism, the fact that it's so darn likable. I usually like my smells a lot more edgy, so I was surprised how much I love in. It's the most wonderful, lovely scent there is. It makes me feel in love. So perfect, so balanced, and so downright wearable - every season, every part of the day. If you're a little shy about smelling too weird, this one's for you, after all, we can't all wear Encre Noir or Yatagan. Yes, the longevity is lousy. The good news is, you can spray it as often as you like. I keep a bottle in the office and one at home. I get a lot of pleasant reactions and, well, what's wrong with being liked?