Dunhill
Dunhill
172 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
A brisk blast of citrus—lemon particularly sharp, bergamot rounded—gives way almost immediately to that distinctive apple note, slightly fermented and honeyed. The neroli adds a delicate floral whisper, briefly suggesting something pristine before the composition pivots earthward.
The patchouli and teakwood combination creates a woody backbone that's simultaneously warm and slightly dusty, like opening an old mahogany wardrobe. Rose petals bloom gently, never precious, while a subtle spice-tinged quality suggests the patchouli's darker facets; the sweetness from the apple still lingers, creating an almost confectionery quality against the wood.
Labdanum and vanilla emerge with understated amber-like warmth, whilst musk softens everything into a skin-scent whisper. The fragrance becomes decidedly creamy and intimate, the woody elements now merely a ghost, leaving only gentle sweetness and subtle animalic warmth against the skin.
Dunhill's Desire for a Man arrives as a peculiar collision between fruit-forward freshness and woodsy warmth, a fragrance caught between two identities rather than fully committing to either. The opening salvo of green lemon and bergamot promises crisp elegance, but that apple note—slightly jammy, almost cider-like—immediately complicates the narrative, lending an unexpected sweetness that undermines any austere pretensions. There's something decidedly unmodern about this composition for a 2000 release; where you'd expect clean masculinity, you're confronted instead with a warm fuzz that feels almost retro.
The heart reveals the fragrance's true character: a tender marriage of rose and teakwood that suggests a perfumer willing to embrace softness. The rose doesn't arrive as a classical beauty; instead, it mingles with the patchouli to create an earthy, slightly creamy backdrop against which the teakwood can provide linear structure. There's an unexpected spice threading through the middle accord—perhaps from the patchouli's natural peppery qualities—that prevents this from becoming cloying.
Add fragrances to your collection and unlock your personalised scent DNA, note map, and shareable identity card.
4.0/5 (189)