Masculin Pluriel by Maison Francis Kurkdjian

Except for the very citrusy opening that reminds me of citronella, it’s spectacular. Clean, soapy, with lavender as the star, subtle vetiver, and a rich sweetness. The dry-down is top-notch: 60% fougère, 40% wood. An elegant, daytime scent for shoulder seasons. Normal longevity, about 6 hours on a personal bubble that’s addictive.

It’s a refined fougère. If you like them, you’ll love it. I like the longevity: the refined lavender lasts the life of the perfume, the woods are just a base, and the patchouli is imperceptible to me.

If well-made perfumes exist, this is one. It captures the essence of classics and elevates them to a modern, bright, and refined plane. Super crisp aromatic lavender with patchouli and woods… how could that combo fail with MFK’s quality? Worth it to project class and good taste. Ideal with a white shirt, short hair, and a fresh shave. Edit: After a year of use, it became my absolute favorite, the #1 in my entire collection. The more I wear it, the more I love it.

A good option if you like fougères. It doesn’t reinvent anything, it has that DNA, but it adds something different. It enriches without losing style: abundant lavender, woods, and vetiver, with a creamier, darker base that makes it round, losing a bit of its vintage character to modernize it. I don’t feel the leather. I like the bottle, it’s masculine and for all year except cold. Maybe it lacks performance (4-5 hours) and there it loses to others. I’m not sure if I’ll buy it, but it will definitely be on my mind. Very good scent.

An extremely masculine (though genderless) and classic woody fougère, but modern. Longevity is excellent (more than 12 hours on my skin), but the sillage is moderate, almost low; noticeable for the first 3 hours, the rest you have to bring the nose close. Another excellent creation by Mr. Kurkdjian.

Brutal fragrance by Francis Kurkdjian. Very aromatic, the lavender takes charge. It evokes nostalgia for classics, elegance, and cleanliness. The dry down of woods, patchouli, and vetiver is exquisite, with an almost imperceptible touch of leather. Ideal as a signature scent for intermediate seasons, very versatile. Performance is correct (around 6-7 hours), and although it’s pricey, I have no regrets. Probably my favorite from the house alongside Grand Soir.

Smells very masculine and vintage. One user mentioned it smells like their grandfather’s shaving cologne, and while I’ve never tried that specific scent, the lavender note is curious: it’s not the typical barbershop smell, but rather something rugged, herbal, and earthy, with well-blended wood. It’s quite different from MFK’s usual minimalist and unisex style. A pleasant fragrance.

Smells like an angry man.

If you like lavender and think this is the ultimate scent, think twice. It’s not worth the money. Gucci Guilty Black is a much better lavender reference and costs five times less.

Smells like the cologne my grandfather used to wear after shaving, filling up the bathroom. The dry-down is super clean lavender with radioactive projection; once it settles, it becomes soft, creamy, and slightly sweet due to the cedar and patchouli. It’s 100% masculine, of superior quality, just like everything from this brand.

I had my eye on this fragrance. I already own one from the house (Amyris) that I love and a decant of another (BR540) I tried this week which I liked less. After reading negative reviews, I was pleasantly surprised upon trying it. It’s enchanting, with good projection and excellent performance. I wore it at noon and a colleague at the office said, ‘Damn… you smell great.’ Hours later, my wife asked what cologne I was wearing and added that she loved it. Compliments are always good, but mostly, I liked it myself. You can feel the quality and it suits my style. I’m getting a bottle. In perfumes, there are no good or bad, only nuances that suit you.

It’s different from typical lavender scents: it’s not strong or complex like a barbershop blend. You can smell the lavender and vetiver from the start, and as it dries, cedar and patchouli appear. In my opinion, it lacks the magic of other Kurkdjian fragrances. It doesn’t stand out in anything, perhaps except for a vetiver note that’s too strong and might not appeal to everyone. I can’t think of an occasion to wear it: it’s not elegant, not sexy, and lacks that dark mystery like Encre Noire. The quality doesn’t feel like other creations from this perfumer. Masculin Pluriel is completely dispensable. Projection is average (one meter for an hour) and longevity is about 7 hours. Scent: 6/10, Price: €140 (70ml), Uniqueness: 4/10, Emotional Impact: No.

Lavender, lavender, and more lavender. Smells like a car deodorant.

I don’t like it. It has a tone that bothers me, as if they wanted to use current ingredients to imitate old perfume structures. I don’t notice much beyond the lavender and maybe some leather. The rest smells quite linear and I got tired of it very quickly. It’s a mature blend that vintage lovers might enjoy, but it has a note I can’t define, something pasty and sweet that gives me the creeps.