Century
Dunhill (2018)

Dunhill Century is really deserving a lot more respect in my humble opinion. It's a confluence of classical and modern, where this aromatic neroli really does take center stage, but is accompanied by an olibanum note that really blooms in the heart. I have an affinity for this synergy; olibanum is a terrific extender for citrus or citrus-adjacent notes, and even white florals. It's simultaneously zesty and deep. Crisp, freshly laundered, yet with this bold undercurrent.

Cypriol (or Nagarmotha), with its peppery, woody, vetiver-esque and almost bay-leaf like qualities, can prove difficult if not dosed carefully. Here, Carlos Benaim allows it to lend a hue to contrast with the sandalwood in the dry down, while, just as the olibanum, bridging the impression of the top notes into the base.

Plus, it's cheap as chips and comes in a real statement of a bottle⁠—who could argue with either?

Imagine an even more restrained Versace Dreamer.
Indeed there is a similarity to Dunhill Icon, except Icon is more.
I find this an echo of a fragrance rather than a fragrance at all.
Perfect for those days you want to give your nose a rest.

Edit: changed my rating to thumbs up. This has grown on me significantly, I find myself reaching for it often.

Sour, sour, sour, and unbelievably strong! Too much Cypriol here for me. It takes over the fragrance entirely, and makes for a sour woodsy/citrus/neroli sort of scent. Imagine Varvatos Artisan, mixed with L'homme Ultime, and 10x more sour.

I wish I could build up the tolerance to these harsh aromachemicals that others have, but smell wise I can't, and even worse, it triggers my allergies. Cypriol in small doses is tolerable, not like this!

Grapefruit cardamom musk sandalwood are the notes I get with the usual fresh opening and settling down after the citrus burns off to linear for the next few hours. Actually very nice. Generic with a twist this could he a budget signature scent. I was really surprised by this one!

Fragrance: 7.25/10
Projection: 7.5/10
Longevity: 7.75/10

Reminds me of CH 212 men mixed with some decent citrus in the opening. Then a musky, burned plastic smell comes in while that spicy CH 212 smell continues. The later stages of drydown are soft and powdery sweet, almost feminine.

The whole effect is just okay for me. Seems like a decent daytime office scent versatile enough for year round use. Projection was modest off my skin while longevity was good, lasting 7-8 hours.

As this new addition is from the same perfumer as the rather splendid Dunhill Icon, we should be in good hands

Dunhill announce this as a fresh scent, but I feel this must be more around the fact it is not a flanker, but rather a new composition. Despite the listed bright / citrus notes of Bergamot, Mandarin, Grapefruit and Neroli, Century actually comes across almost immediately as a warm, slightly spicy wood / musk fragrance. Although not listed, I would say there is also a hint of sweet floral Iris note in the dry down. Overall, this is a very subtle scent, staying close to the skin, that feels very elegant and sophisticated. Possibly more suited to slightly cooler weather than hot sunny days

Interestingly, I find this projects a very similar vibe to Le Labo's Santal 33 – both share common notes of Musk, Cardamom and Sandalwood. Cypriol (woody, earthy, spicy) is a close cousin for Santal 33's Papyrus note. However, Century feels more refined and reigned in than the very dominant Le Labo scent…to my nose Century is a grown up version of Santal 33, which is no bad thing