Kenzo Power
Kenzo (2008)

Power has an aura. It's one of the fragrances where you may put your nose to your skin and think it's quite subtle and diaphanous, but as it warms on the skin there is this radiance that belies this seeming translucency.

Did you know that coriander is one of the key ingredients to the Coca-Cola formula? In Power's opening, there is both coriander and cardamom, and the linalool content of the former with the camphoraceous spiciness of the latter impart an effervescence, fizzy, a foam saturating the floral heart that is vaguely jasmine, rose, freesia, violet perhaps. With the cinnamic tolu in its base and a general resinous fixation to the floral heart, we get that "florals marinated in cola" effect, which reminds me of a more sheer and warm weather friendly Youth Dew with modern elements. I love it.

Several hours into its development, this prepossessing accord dries into a sensuous, mildly ambery, cedary talc with nary a sharp woody amber aromachem to be detected (what a relief, this was 2008). Just gorgeous, like a song that fades out very slowly.

Can we also talk about how difficult it is to photograph this beautiful mirrored bottle? It took me dozens of attempts to get to one photo that looked halfway decent.

It's sad to see this disappear in North America. I have heard that it has made a comeback in Europe, but it is still a little difficult to find.

This was my first Kenzo fragrance, and I wasn't fond of it at first. However, after a few months, I started to enjoy the tolu balsam and cardamom. The opening is a floral Coca-Cola without the abrasive fizz. Then, a floral mixture of labdanum and a hint of cedarwood makes a presence in the mid and base. The floral doesn't lean too powdery since the cardamom and bergamot give it a slight freshness.

Although other fragrances like Prada L'Homme have been mentioned, this one still feels unique to me. My favorite part is the opening, as it just smells like a realistic bouquet of flowers. It's perfect for spring and fall, as well as summer evenings. You could also wear this in the winter if you want to lighten the mood, and the tolu balsam makes it appropriate for the cold.

I sincerely hope that this fragrance is brought back to North America as it is probably in my top 20 fragrances of all time.

My initial impression of Kenzo Power is that it resembled The Dreamer in certain ways, minus the tobacco of course, after it progressed from a fruity opening and into the powdery, floral drydown. I was pleased to read that Colin Maillard saw similarities with Escada Magnetism for Men in his review, which is a scent that also reminded me of The Dreamer. Looks like the Escada and Kenzo Power both share Tolu balsam, which is nowhere to be found in the Versace. Maybe it's the floral-amber drydown that I'm getting from all of these. It's very casual and pleasant from beginning to end, very nice.

Projection is average for the first few hours and then it sits close to skin for 8-10 hours.

His flower powder
Was subtle yet tenacious
Like a dandy's charm.

Another example of a “potential niche sensation” in a “neglected mainstream bottle”. Give this an obscure hipster name, make 50 bottles per batch when you feel to and get rich (if not in money, in praise and hype). Jokes aside, Kenzo Power is an extremely interesting fragrance, surely one of the most creative ones by this brand, and most important, tremendously easy and enjoyable to wear regardless of any added value. Power is a really bright, white, talc-like powdery scent with a fantastic bergamot opening, a sort of gassy-spicy vibe and a really recognizable tolu balsam note, which brings it really close to that other tolu bomb – Escada Magnetism for Men. Both share that same exact sort of “creamy-powdery-medicinal Cola feel”, and while in Escada it was bolder and more predictably integrated in a YSL M7 kind of structure, Kenzo Power brilliantly and perfectly fits it in a completely different, almost opposite ambiance – a delicate, weightless, futuristic sort of abstract floral whiteness, which gets some “substance” and a sweet darker shade precisely thanks to this odd balmy feel coming and going, cleverly balanced by a subtle but persistent feel of aromatic zesty freshness (bergamot). The only far comparison that came to my mind at some point was some sort of translucent lab hologram of a grandnephew of Jaipur Homme and Escada Magnetism for Men – fresher than both. Quality-wise the blend smells synthetic in a really pleasant, creative way, somehow soothing and somehow aloof, the kind of synthetic which you quite never smelled before (who said syntethics don't require as much talent and creativity than naturals?). The result is a really clean and bright scent with a ton of personality, some really charming and enigmatic shades, decidedly androgynous, creepy and comforting at the same time. Fantastic for summer days. Really well done.

8/10

Genre: Floral

Power goes on as an understated, crisp green floral composition with a soapy-clean undertone: in other words, Alliage Lite. After a time the merest touch of indole begins to rise from the depths and ruffle's Power's squeaky clean surface. Not much later comes a note that reminds me disturbingly of Froot Loops. The resulting heart accord smells like a bright, synthetic floral grafted onto a hackneyed fruity-aquatic fougère men's fragrance structure.

Unfortunately as far as my enjoyment of Power is concerned, it's the artificial “froot” flavoring that grows to dominate the composition. So much so in fact, that after an hour on my skin, Power feels a lot like one of those crass fruit concoctions in candy-colored bottles that are sold to teenage girls. The drydown is powdery coumarin and fabric softener, which I suppose is meant to leave you feeling well scrubbed. Personally, I find that bathing works just as well. I imagine the folks at Kenzo think it's daring to hawk this kind of scent to men, but if your chromosomes read “XY” and you'd like to wear a green floral, I say just suck it up and buy Chanel No. 19.