Followed
Kerosene (2022)

This is no joke.. the strongest fragrance I've ever encountered. The reviews and stories are true.. you will need a skin transplant to get this off your skin. That said.. I personally love how it smells.. but those around me have been mostly repulsed. I applaud John for his risk taking, and also making something he adores, coffee fragrances. I think he knew what he was getting into with this one, the title says it all, you will be Followed, as people will either be intrigued, or following you to trespass you from their establishment, for disrupting the public, with this fragrance. I live in Florida.. so down here.. people will do anything to start some drama. This fragrance has gotten me kicked out of a hospital, and escorted off the property by police! As the hospital staff accused me of vaping. Pretty crazy, right? All from just wanting to smell good. I digress though. Some people seem to get more tobacco and smoky accords than coffee out of this. I guess to each their own. I get more coffee than anything, and a very realistic coffee at that.. not a creamy creme brulee type, like the majority of other fragrance that claim coffee notes. And ya.. if you hadn't heard already.. performance is topo notch. I doubt you will smell anything stronger than this.. and if you have, I'd love to know what it is. Even vintage Joop, and A*Men, are not nearly as strong!

"Followed" presents a sweeter iteration of the original fragrance. The initial version lacked any sweetness and had a somewhat burnt coffee note. Personally, I lean towards a coffee experience with a touch of sugar and cream, which is why I find myself more inclined toward this rendition. Nonetheless, it's important to note that around 60% of the composition comprises coffee, while the remaining components are caramel and vanilla, resulting in a decidedly sweet coffee aroma with hints of maple syrup—almost akin to a breakfast treat.

If you possess a heightened sensitivity to sweeter fragrances, you might perceive this as more of a gourmand scent rather than one centered solely on coffee. The performance of this fragrance is strikingly robust, leaving you enveloped in its scent, reminiscent of a syrupy spill. As the fragrance evolves, the coffee note takes a step back, allowing the syrupy aspects to persist. While it beautifully captures the essence of a photorealistic caramel latte and syrupy pancake breakfast, I personally yearn for a tad more emphasis on the coffee note or a slight reduction in the sweetness. Ideally, a blend of the original and this iteration would strike a perfect balance, intensifying the dark coffee aroma. Nevertheless, even a small application of this potent scent goes a long way.

Considering its lasting power, I'd recommend reserving this fragrance for the colder seasons of winter and fall. It's worth no
ting that I find "Follow" a touch too dark and burnt, while "Followed" veers towards the sweeter side. Don't get me wrong; the sweetness is masterfully executed. However, if applied too generously, it could become overwhelming, though it undeniably represents a well-crafted gourmand fragrance with a genuine and high-quality appeal. Personally, I'd prefer a slight reduction in sweetness to allow the coffee notes to shine a bit more. "Expresso Royale" by Sebastiane strikes that delicate balance, but it falls short in terms of performance and has been discontinued.

In conclusion, "Followed" is an exceptional gourmand fragrance that justifies its niche price tag. While it might benefit from a touch less sweetness for those seeking a more pronounced coffee essence, it remains a superbly crafted scent that offers a realistic and luxurious olfactory experience.

[Update] This scent has lingered almost a month on my jacket. The insane longevity actually hurts my overall rating because I do not want my fragrance lasting that long if I want to rotate through my fragrances.

Kerosene Followed is the house’s most recent release (from 2022), a follow-up to the very popular coffee-rich Follow (from 2016), and it has a similar note list to Follow in that it involves coffee, vanilla, and amber, but also cocoa and caramel, and to my nose, a bit of maple/sap, it’s sweeter, less coffee-focused, and perhaps even more of a gourmand. It’s the answer to those who enjoy a sweet gourmand but for whom Follow is a bit dark, with too much coffee. I love that upon first smell, Followed is recognizably related to Follow while nonetheless being noticeably different. There’s not too much else to say. It’s outstandingly rich and sweet while not feeling overdone, with still a good bit of coffee in the mix, a bit creamy and resinous, with excellent performance.

Followed is priced at $152 for 100ml, the brand’s updated pricing, in EDP concentration, sold via the house site and a variety of boutiques in the US and Canada, including Luckyscent, Ministry of Scent, Smallflower, and Indiescents, and performs comparable well to Follow and some of the others in the line, so it remains one of the best bargains out there, particularly given the diversity and richness of the catalogue.

Given how much I love Follow (and coffee-rich fragrances, generally), I’m not sure I particularly need to buy Followed, but I’ll give it some thought.

8 out of 10

Similar to Follow but different.

Follow is very much a coffee forward fragrance with amber, benzoin and vanilla. A slightly sweet but dry (to me) fragrance with monster longevity and moderate projection.

Followed is a different beast altogether. It's like Follow to the power of 10 with the coffee taking a back seat and sweet caramel and roasted maple syrup taking the forefront. It doesn't feel viscous and syrupy but it certainly smells like it should. Longevity is eternal and projection is massive, I sprayed one spray from a sample (I could smell it as soon as I opened the packaging) onto a tester strip and my wife, in another room, asked what I had just sprayed. I left the strip in my living room for the afternoon and the scent of caramel and roasted maple didn't leave the room for almost a week.

This is definitely one for sweet gourmand lovers and while it's not personally for me it is an absolute work of gourmand art.

Unless you are a sweet gourmand lover and love notes of caramel and maple this is not a safe blind buy, however, it is most definitely worth sampling.