Ice*Men by Mugler

Mugler-style freshness. The opening is similar to Pure Energy/Shot: strong and unpleasant at first, but after five minutes it turns into a fresh sweetness dominated by mint and patchouli. As it fades, it leaves a very pleasant sunscreen-like sensation.

Another perfume they stopped making for no reason. I liked it. It was fresh with very pleasant woody touches. On my skin, nutmeg stood out with the patchouli (medicinal, spicy, clearing up the nose, haha) and a subtle cedar note, very soft. Excellent performance, trail, and longevity (those were other times), and the bottle is nice. It’s different from today’s citrusy fresh scents. At its core, it was a refreshing oriental. It’s rare to say this, but that’s how it feels to me. Very aromatic. Don’t buy this relic blindly. It doesn’t suit everyone. Like all Mugler scents, it’s love it or hate it, no middle ground. A game-changer.

Continuing with my Mugler collection, I got this fragrance one time. Being from the house, you already trust the quality and buy without testing. The opening is powerful, herbal, minty, and very plasticized; it feels like a menthol and pepper alcohol bomb that overwhelms. Curiously, no notes are listed. You wait for its evolution. In the heart, an unvelvety, acidic, bitter musk appears, like urine, with raw minty freshness, smelling of fresh cilantro. The nutmeg and wood that would give it volume never show up. The patchouli is just an illusion. It wasn’t what I expected; the intense freshness fades quickly, like an ice cube in the sun. Light-years away from A*Men. Resignation: nothing more suits me. The final phase, close to the skin after 30 minutes, has a slight floral note, but the plasticized sensation remains. Absolute disappointment. The transparent, ice-like bottle looks dull in its simplicity, and the broken detail matches my urge to throw it away. Not recommended.

One of my favorite perfumes. A dry, fresh olfactory marvel featuring patchouli. Great projection and longevity in the summer. Discontinued much to my dismay. It has to come back because it’s an amazing fragrance. I see it more as the fresh version of B MEN rather than A MEN.

I picked it up in the early 2000s, and the moment I applied it, Othello—that 80s cologne—flooded my mind. It transported me back to my teenage years, those nights out with friends filled with jokes and adventures chasing girls, pure nostalgia moments. Ice*Men is a summer perfume; maybe today it seems more geared toward people over 30 since it’s not as sweet, but back then, it looked much more youthful in an era without so many sugary fragrances. It’s fresh with a sweet touch, in the Mugler style, without being cloying or annoying, thanks to its mentholated patchouli and the wood that gives it body and balance. The longevity is notable for a heat spray, lasting 6-8 hours on skin even in high heat, whether humid or dry. It made me really happy to see it back in perfumeries, since they said they had discontinued it, yet it still holds up and now I can find it in several places.

In Mugler’s ups and downs, there are worthy examples and others that look better in the box. Ice*Men arrived in my collection a few weeks ago with a reputation I’m not sure it deserves. Compared to Kriptomint and other fresh accords, Ice*Men achieves its own personality; it’s more accomplished and refined, recalling the philosophy of B*Men. You can feel the A*Men structure, but the heart and dry-down have a less dense top, with fresh, boreale vegetal impressions and a mentholated patchouli (unlisted mint). It’s an A*Men with a green organic accord, very pleasant; an atypical and beautiful fragrance that squeezes juice from the traditional base with a creamy, fresh, and slightly sweet twist. Excellent performance, about 8 hours with medium projection; it needs generous application. Compared to Kriptomint, it’s rounder and sober without being adult; Kriptomint weighs down youthful routes. Recommended.

A fragrance I use a lot in the heat when A*Men is too potent and sweet. You can feel the backbone of patchouli and coffee, but with a refreshing mint. I’ve read it’s identical to A*Men Summerflash, but to my nose, they’re just very similar. Let’s say this Ice*Men is more ‘Ice’ than A*Men, while Summerflash is more A*Men than Summerflash. The bases are the same, but the top and heart notes of Ice*Men are better crafted and less piercing. Average trail and longevity. It has earned me compliments. Greetings from Chile!