Rykiel Homme
Sonia Rykiel (1999)

Anorexic Cool Water clone.

Quite a pleasant fragrance from Sonia Rykiel; I went ahead and plunked down a premium amount for the EdP version of this now discontinued gem.

I've been a big fan of Rykiel Homme Grey for over a decade, and it's taken me a while to go ahead and check out its predecessor, Rykiel Homme. (Plus, I noticed a bottle of this fragrance present in the collection of scents that Howard Saint, the main bad guy in "The Punisher", had on his counter(!) - lol, that piqued my interest as well.)


According to what I purchased, these are the EdP notes as listed by Sonia Rykiel Parfums-Beaute itself:

"Fresh, aromatic, woody, spicy"

[Head...] Yuzu, Grapefruit, Cardamom, Wild stream Mint
[Heart...] Violet, Nutmeg, Cypress (Hinoki), Cinnamon Ceylon
[Base...] Amber, Fir Balsam (Canadian Pine), Sandalwood, Cedarwood Virginia

The initial spray hits me with strong citrus (the grapefruit and yuzu), conjoined thereafter with thick, bright mint accented nicely with cardamom. That combo seems to dominate for a while, with the heart note elements squeezing through in tiny bits to add subtle definition and never "yelling" attention to themselves.

Jasmine clearly is in the heart of all this (oddly, not mentioned in the Basenotes.net note triangle above nor in the reference notes for my bottle), adding a tasteful floral touch synergizing with the citrus-mint stronghold. Fig leaf (also not listed above nor with my bottle) does appear in the midst of this dance, giving me brief flashbacks of Salvatore Ferragamo's original cologne. In the base of this EdP, I eventually recognize the presence of sandalwood and vetiver, also injecting themselves to reinforce the main stronghold rather than diminish / alter it. Pine and cedar are clearly emergent notes that hold it all down with confidence.

The end result: A clean, aromatic herbal citrus green scent that has a whiff of nostalgia, tipping its hat to classic scents of the distant past (like Hugo Number One, Quorum, Opium for Men, Ted Lapidus, Pino Sylvestre et. al.) as well as the recent past (Hugo by Hugo Boss, Zirh for Men, and Encre Noir by Lalique, most notably).

Rykiel Homme EdP manages to keep its own distinct character, even with commonly used notes like yuzu, mint, fig leaf, nutmeg, violet leaf, cedar, pine, etc.: Classy, steady, linear, and proud. As other reviewers have noted, the fragrance notes in Rykiel Homme EdP are well-blended and tastefully constructed. I'd wear this for casual occasions (as I have with Hugo, which is VERY similar in finish to this one), maybe more so more formal ones esp. with cooler temps. (Perhaps the EdT, which I haven't tried, is a bit more versatile in that way.) But I suspect that the EdP is good enough to wear just about anywhere and anytime of the year - it's that good.


Glad I bought this one. It's not revolutionary nor 100% unique, but it certainly does its job quite well and is worth checking out (esp. as bottles disappear and prices soar!).

Rykiel Homme is a little known fragrance in the fragrance community however has a small following that swears by this fragrance.

Nose behind this is Jean Marie Santantoni. This will be my first review of a Jean Marie scent which intrigues me since his resume is pretty bare in the men's game.

The idea behind Rykiel Homme (EDP) is a green scent that has a huge backbone of Styrax.

Upon smelling Rykiel Homme you are met with a very fresh and invigorating opening of greens and some excellent citruses mainly the Yuzu. The greens including the violets truly make this opening a solid one. You are met with some sweetness and a hint of spice to put everything together.

The drydown shows you much more depth including some of the opening notes that continue to push (mainly violets) with jasmine to continue the sweetness. The styrax is the star of the show imo which without it Rykiel Homme would be losing most of it's appeal. The styrax which was mentioned in other reviews mentioned the incense like accord however I never smelt a smokey tinge at all in this scent, the styrax however gave me a spicy resinous appeal like tolu balsam, it gave me an idea between clove and labdanum.

Overall, Rykiel Homme is a solid release. I don't think it will be heavily missed in the fragrance community (discontinued). It was truly a very pleasant surprise from a little known house.

Rykiel homme reminded me of Hugo by Hugo Boss (mint and greens), it's best for Daytime and casual wear and I loved wearing it during the spring (because of the greens), fall and summer nights. It is work appropriate since it's never pushed much on my skin, signature scent worthy yes but now being harder to find I'd pass on it.

Projection: 4
Longevity: 5 (4-6 hours)
Compliment Factor: 3 (Luke warm reception)
Uniqueness: 5
Pricing VS what you get: 3 (time of writing this it was 70-120 USD)
Versatility: 6 (above average)
Smell: 6
Overall: 5

Buy Try or Pass: Pass (not worth to search it out)

This is a review for the EdP. The combination of notes in Rykiel Homme and the blending are outstanding. The yuzu and mint are there in the opening combined with the berry. The opening reminds me of those multi colored dinner mints. What I get next is that big jasmine note that is like the line drawn in the sand and really the dominant note. On the other side of the line you have the nutmeg and spices giving it a really nice comfortable and outstanding dry down. I'll be honest and say I'm not a fan of this until about the 20 minute mark when everything seems to meld together. Once it does though it really exudes class and uniqueness. This is a good one and very under rated.

Green Gem With a bottle like a tee shirt, I thought "a casual vibe." And yes it is, but really there is more to it inside. The sweetness of the berry–the citrus kept it checked, And the dry, green notes determined that I give this Homme respect. At play, at work, at banquet–this one will smell good on ya, More people should discover it, and so I thank you, Sonia.

Light and clean mint with a touch of amber and cinnamon. Not cloying at all. A nice gym scent. Projection and longevity is average and won't offend others around you.

Definitely one to try.