Shiseido / 資生堂
Shiseido / 資生堂
121 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The kumquat and nashi pear combination hits with almost unsettling brightness, all candied sweetness and juicy tartness, whilst bergamot weaves through as a citrus afterthought. The freshness here feels slightly synthetic, suggesting this fragrance will announce itself more confidently than it ultimately does.
Violet and nutmeg emerge with genuine personality, the spice warming those fruity top notes into something more complex and almost meditative. Rhododendron adds a whisper of green vegetation, whilst the patchouli begins its modest rise from underneath, creating a more composed, less exuberant version of the opening.
The leather and musk base materials attempt maturity and gravitas, though they arrive so faintly they become suggestions rather than statements. What remains is essentially a soft, somewhat soapy skin scent—pleasant enough when you remember it's there, but rapidly approaching olfactory invisibility.
Zen for Men arrives as a peculiar study in restraint—a fragrance that announces itself with genuine vitality before seemingly apologising for doing so. Françoise Caron's composition opens with a bright assault of kumquat and nashi pear, those top notes arriving with almost aggressive freshness, almost punchy enough to distract from what's genuinely interesting happening beneath. The bergamot enters not as the expected citrus anchor but as a subtle facilitator, allowing those stone fruits to dominate the opening minutes with an almost candied sweetness that verges on gourmand without fully committing.
What distinguishes this scent is the violet-and-nutmeg heart, which transforms the fruity opening into something unexpectedly contemplative. The violet doesn't arrive as the powdery, soapy rendition common to masculine fragrances; instead, it sits alongside nutmeg's warm prickling, creating an almost spiced-floral tension. Rhododendron—an oddly specific choice—adds a subtle green herbaceousness that prevents the composition from becoming cloying. The patchouli-and-leather base attempts to ground these ethereal middle notes, though here lies the fragrance's fundamental contradiction: there's insufficient projection to allow these base materials genuine voice.
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3.8/5 (309)