The Scent Of Peace for Him
Bond No. 9 (2013)

This isn't for me, but I'm going neutral because someone could admire what I don't like about it.

Bond's fruit notes blare like sirens. Whether it's the pineapple and juniper berries here or the grapefruit in Eau de New York and For Fathers, they're harsh and remind me of old ladies who cloud a church in perfume. The sillage is cranked so high that I'm self-conscious to wear this.

At the same time, the masculine base smells like a throwback powerhouse (perhaps the patchouli/vetiver). I get a similar impression with Aventus, and while this could be a plus for some, I think it smells dated.

Sandwiched in the middle are whispers of the original Scent of Peace, which is my favorite part of the fragrance.

This seems easy to like on paper, but I find it overbearing with nuclear strength and longevity. Again, those qualities could be a virtue to someone who enjoys this. I like New Haarlem, Coney Island, and Chez Bond, but SOPFH doesn't do it for me. A dedicated scrub and an additional shower later, and it's still detectable as I type this!

Everyone says Dior Sauvage (2015) was an attempt to make a mass-market version of Creed Aventus (2010), but actually it was this fragrance François Demachy was shooting to emulate and tame, sending Bond No. 9's attempt to court the emerging market for high-end masculine people-pleasers down the drain. Part of the problem was that Bond No. 9 also released a scent called http://www.bondno9.com (2013) the same year as this, confusing the validation-obsessed "FragBro" segment of the market even further because it was very similar in style but labelled unisex (oh no), plus only available online from Bond No. 9 at the time, tugging on those "look at me I'm special" exclusivity heartstrings this same demographic of cash-flush buyer seems to have. In the end, between Dior making the accords found here more-ubiquitous, and Bond making this scent smell too similar to something they just released but also more alluring to Instagram collector types, Bond No. 9 The Scent of Peace for Him (2013) registered a blip among fans after the initial influencer hype, then was forgotten about as Sauvage gained momentum 2 years later. The fact that Bond No. 9 has tons of notoriety thanks to their owner doesn't exactly make being a fan of them any more conscionable either.

The opening is a pure and potent blast of bergamot, pineapple, dry juniper berry, and metallic aldehydes coming across scratchy like the later Gentle Fluidity [Silver Edition] by Maison Francis Kurkdjian (2019) but with touches of the windswept vibe of Sauvage. Sweet blackcurrant enters as a swift transition to the heart begins, the sharp Aventus-meets-protype-Sauvage opening remaining in place as clearwood and vetiver notes establish a masculine austerity. This stuff is absolutely cracking with ambroxide, overcharged well beyond even Sauvage's notorious levels, with itchy norlimbanol giving The Scent of Peace for Him additional pop on skin alongside a tiny bit of airy green patchouli. After about 20 minutes this settles on skin and the final result is like someone broke a bottle of Sauvage and threw it on you, sprayed a few hits of Gentle Fluidity to cap it off, then made you walk through a cloud of Aventus before seeing you off to work. Absolutely ghastly strong, sharp, with touches of fruity sweetness as the only saving grace, The Scent of Peace for Him is anything but peaceful. Wear time is over 20+ hours, sillage is unspeakable, and projection is dangerous. If you are looking for the ultimate "beastmode" masculine that will get everyone noticing you, go for this. Best use doesn't matter here, this stuff will make itself heard anywhere so you better want attention because you're getting it.

Bond No. 9 The Scent of Peace for Him easily smells like the inspiration for Dior Sauvage, but just has even more of everything Sauvage gets accused of having too much of, and doesn't even have the benefit of being somewhat affordable or easy to find because Bond No. 9 tries to price itself to compete with Creed, Parfums de Marly, Xerjoff, and the like. If I smelled this on you, I'd just assume you were wearing and over-application of some poorly-done Sauvage clone and not something that came before it, nor would I call this an Aventus clone like so many seem to do. Bond No. 9 has some good stuff mixed in with a lot of weirdness and Laurice Rahmé's own creative eccentricities if one cares to go looking, but this stuff clearly is not among the better things on the B9 roster. The Scent of Peace for Him does have its fans and if you're among them, no hard feelings, I just can't handle the pure unrefined extroversion bro sauce on display here, and as this blends in too well with the competition anyway thanks to how it was marketed, feels redundant to me besides the fact that the chemical stew amped to 11 gives me a headache. Sample and see for yourself, but the best thing here is the cute tie on the nifty blue bottle. Thumbs down.

I really enjoy this, smells really good, performs really well; the one downside it has is that hairspray vibe when smelled upclose on an area you've made the error of spraying twice.
Overall, one of my all time favorites which i will definitely repurchase;

Middling synthetic citrus opening. I'm getting a cheap pineapple (unlike Aventus, which smells much more natural) along with artificial smoke and bergamot. I'm surprised that anyone finds this to be particularly powerful, as it becomes a skin scent very quickly for me. For me, the best part of the scent is likely the vetiver, which does add a decent greenness that is reminiscent of Tom Ford's Grey Vetiver: but again, like comparisons to Aventus, this smells like a cheaper and watered down alternative. There's a bittersweetness to this from a very cheap juniper berry that makes me want to recoil.

This feels like a muddled, mixed imposter of scents that themselves are not very impressive. Furthermore, there is nothing in the projection or the duration of the scent that would recommend even for a cheap purchase (which this is not). Hard pass.

3/10

Intro is similar to scent of peace unisex version. Then this juice gets confusing at times, with dizzy notes. The notes seem to bounce around and not mesh together. This isn't a bad thing, it's the character and uniqueness of this juice. Juniper berry , patchouli, and musk stands out at dry down. The other version is softer but I prefer that 1 over this 1

A bit of smoke and fruit in the opening, so I kinda get the Aventus comparisons but this doesn't seem near the crowd-pleaser that Aventus is. There's something bitter and airy that persists throughout, I think it's the juniper berry. Just throws the whole thing off and makes it cloying to me after a while.

Impressive performance. Just a couple sprays projects and lasts all day.