Lemon in zest
Kilian (2015)

The orange and lemon turn candy-like with the orange brandy. It's centered by the patchouli and vetiver which steer it away from anything like floor cleaner. This is an incredibly intelligent scent that could mess up along the way, but doesn't. Gourmand lemon candy that is wearable.

I managed to get this one for a reasonable price ($0.80 / ml for 100 ml) but right away, I noticed that it wasn't going to be as 'potent' as I would like it to be. I already own Chanel's EB, but I have to say, I do like this one better. If only it lasted longer and wasn't watered down as much as it it...After about 2 hours or so it's nearly impossible to detect, and this is in a very warm climate, 90 degrees with very high humidity, and still, there are longevity and projection issues. I'm not sure what Kilian is thinking with these recent scents like this -- the Miami Vice ones are even worse.

If you want something light that smells semi-unique that is a great summer scent or a work scent (there aren't many lemon gourmands like this, and even this is a bit more distinct than EB) and you can get this for a reasonable price, go for it -- but I can't in good conscience recommend that anyone pay full retail price. It's pretty insulting IMHO what they charge for this at stores.

I actually find Vodka on the Rocks to have superior silage to this one just by a hair, though I can see how some people would find them similar. So if you're familiar with VOTR's silage, that will at least give you a ball park of what you're looking at here.

Confounding, considering the original "Lourve Noir" collection from the house of Kilian had none of these silage problems, and were quite potent scents.

Definitely one of the best lemon-intensive fragrances I've tried, Lemon in Zest By Kilian, the Lugano boutique exclusive, is a very good balance of lemon, a boozy spiciness, and a vague earthy drydown. Per the official narrative, Lemon in Zest is designed to remind us of the liqueur limoncello. It does have the booziness, tartness, and sweetness of the drink without the drydown getting in the way too much, so in that respect it is probably successful.

Much like Vodka on the Rocks, I have some rservations about the performance of Lemon in Zest. Projection is good for the first hour or so but it quickly fades, probably to the point that I would need a few sprays on each arm for this to hang around a lot, so it's a tough sell at the higher By Kilian pricing of $295 for 50ml.

I might be mistaken, but it seems like the boutique exclusives are now available at Saks Fifth Avenue (online, and in bigger stores) in addition to the By Kilian online store, so they're a little more accessible via that single high-end department store in the US.

I'm on the verge of this being a "love" and not a "like" but the performance kind of knocks this down a peg, especially at the pricing, and especially given that I own one of the sweet lemon all stars in Chanel Allure Homme Edition Blanche. Still, for lovers of lemon, Lemon in Zest is a necessary stop on your journey. Many are bound to love this unequivocally.

7 out of 10

This is a great lemon fragrance. The lemon zest tartness has a slight tangy sweet background and stays strong and refreshing for a couple hours and then is slowly overtaken by a mellow woods note that reminds me of cedar / sandalwood, although the notes list says it is patchouli and vetiver. Overall a very nice combination of notes for summer that smells natural and and easy to enjoy and this is one of the more interesting lemon fragrances around. Lemoncello on a seaside deck? I had initially suspected this fragrance might be a renaming or mash up of Killian's last lemon - Straight to Heaven Splash of Lemon, which I happen to own but no its not. This is its own thing and its uniqueness lies in the hint at a lemon cordial drink - this separates it from the closest rival which might be Profumum's Aqua Viva which is also tart lemon followed by dry woods. The price of each is similar too which is kind of high for a summer citrus scent - with the Profumum you get 100 ml. while the By Killian gives you only 50 ml. both for around the $250 mark - kind of pricey for a summer lemon fragrance but both are far cheaper than the price of airline ticket to the Amalfi coast which is what you've got in a bottle. Well done!