Kouros

@RJMcKinley - tbh the new version smells the worst out of all I've tried, it's supposed to be the most mellow and modern one but to me it's the worst smelling one, I think it's down to the lack of oakmoss and the amped up vanilla that makes it more dry and astringent thus resembling sharp piss in the opening - instead of the nice warm pissiness of the old versions lol. In any case discontinuing Rive Gauche Pour Homme should be considered a crime, same as with Opium pour Homme. Maybe there is some issue with designers having pour homme on their bottles idk. For all their legacy it seems YSL is just becoming a designer brand at the lower end of things, just a ton of mass market deodorant style scents out of that house recently. They'll probably just discontinue this one as well any time soon.. if that makes you feel any better.

Dear YSL, Why, why on earth are you still making this awful horrible substitute for a urinal air freshener cake... and not Rive Gauche Pour Homme? Why???!!! Can't remember what the old school Kouros was like but the recent version is so bad. Terrible... 0/5 stars.

IM SORRY, I WASNT FAMILIAR WITH YOUR GAME!! A GOD MODE MASCULINE CIVET FRAGRANCE IN AROMATIC DIRECTION!! SILVER SHOULDERS - 10HRS SOLID. RECENT BATCHES - 4HRS MAX. If you're from India you can smell a box of incense sticks and thats how it smells in the drydown along with sexy civet.

No matter what anyone says, it’s a summer favorite; its soapy quality is a marvel.

Kouros is an odd one for me. I distinctly remember first trying it in the early 1980s, when I was in my late teens, soon after it had been released. It was the aftershave version that I bought, and I recall thinking how smooth, refined, and sophisticated it was in comparison with some of the other scents I wore at the time. Back then, it never struck me as particularly animalic; there was certainly no obvious association with urine. Returning to Kouros today, however, has been a fascinating experience. At the back of my wardrobe I still have a splash bottle of Kouros aftershave dating, I think, from the late 1990s. Smelling it now, I do detect something distinctly urinal about it, but, as others have suggested, the association is more with urinal cakes and cleaning products than with urine itself. There is undoubtedly a dirty aspect to the fragrance, which at first I thought might be due to bottle's age, but with further reflection, I think the real difference lies not in the fragrance, but in me, or perhaps more accurately, in the world around me. Fragrances do not exist in isolation; they are experienced within the cultural context of their time. The Britain of the early 1980s was, generally speaking, a far less sanitised place than it is today. Many people worked in physically demanding industries such as mining, farming, steelmaking, and manufacturing. Even offices could be grimy, smoke-filled environments; the first office I worked in had several smokers, and there were days when the haze made it difficult to see clearly from one side of the room to the other. Labour-saving appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines were becoming commonplace, but many households still didn't have them. Clothes were often worn for several days before being washed, and daily bathing was far less universal than it is today. As a child in the 1960s and 1970s, Sunday was bath night in our house, and that was simply the routine for nearly everyone of the time. Many homes were heated by coal fires, while factories filled the air with smoke and pollutants. Even the regular visits to the pub meant spending hours surrounded by cigarette smoke. Against that backdrop, Kouros made perfect sense. Compared with the everyday smells of life, it genuinely came across as clean, polished, and sophisticated. Forty years later, we live in a world of antibacterial products, air-conditioned offices, daily showers, fragranced detergents, and smoke-free public spaces. Our baseline expectations of cleanliness have changed dramatically, and perhaps our perception of fragrance has changed with them. I therefore wonder whether Kouros itself has changed less than we have. What many modern wearers describe as "animalic" may always have been there, but in the early 1980s it simply didn't register in the same way because the olfactory landscape surrounding us was so different. Whatever the explanation, Kouros remains one of perfumery's most fascinating creations. It is a fragrance that not only reflects its era but also reveals how our own experiences, memories, and cultural environment shape what we smell. Few fragrances can spark that kind of reflection, and for that reason alone, Kouros deserves its place as a classic. Classic becuase it comes from an era when we were all a little more animalic, even if we were unaware of it at the time. Tested: Vintage Kouros Aftershave (late-1990s splash bottle) Seasons / occasions: Best suited to autumn and winter. More of a fragrance for those who appreciate classic perfumery than for casual everyday wear. Key thoughts: A fragrance whose reputation has evolved as much as society itself. Animalic by today's standards, yet once perceived as smooth and refined. Overall rating: 7.5/10 Buy full bottle: No (although I'm very glad to own a vintage bottle)

Have vintage available for sale. Message if interested

Absolutely disgusting Even after 30 seconds on a tester strip it still smellled way too sharp and synthetic. Probably the worst fragrance ive ever tried (ive tested over 400). The notes look nice but in reality its another story. Yall say it has caracter but yall are gonna smell like everyone 20 years ago

Perfume da alta aristocracia não consigo imaginar um jovem usando um perfume como esse, ao contrário do que muitos influênciadores do ramo da perfumaria dizem esse perfume não é um bicho de 7 cabeças, eu recomendo a compra desse perfume para pessoas que desejam exalar ao poder definitivamente um clássico Projeção 7/10 Cheiro 8/10 Duração 6/10

@donpelletier#2 Best review.

Most masculine fragrance ever created. This was the staple of the masculine fragrances... children stay away

A perfect example of how you should never trust perfume reviews. I had read so many reviews here saying Kouros smells like a public men's room, like a urinal puck, like piss, etc. That intrigued me. I've always wanted a fragrance that smells like a public men's room, or like piss. So I blind bought a bottle of Kouros. What a disappointment! When the bottle arrived, I couldn't wait to put it on the next day and go to the office smelling like a urinal. But no. Instead, my co-workers told me I smelled like a well shaven aristocrat. That was an insult! Next thing you know, people will think I'm James Bond. Fuck that!

VERY floral, quite feminine...Not sure what the thought was here. The notes seem very off from what I smelled, it's all flowers and perhaps musk. Did I get a bad sample?

This is what the Oval Office smells like after a diaper incident.

the absolute king of the summer fragrances

Got to buy a 100ml flacon of this a couple months back and already have worn almost half of it. I've frankly always had a great appeal towards stuff like this, but i knew first other fragrances sometimes compared to it in some way. Stuff like Quorum, (Animalic/moss) Lapidus Pour Homme, (Sweeter Kouros?) Givenchy Gentleman, Paco Rabanne Pour Homme, (Honey / animalic / oakmoss / smoke) Jacques Bogart One Man Show, Chanel Antaeus, et cetera. I can see the comparisons but Kouros is completely its own thing. With this i don't mean the others lack their own identity, but rather, they're not the same. At all. My bottle was made in 2023. In the opening i get a bit of the animalic nuances (Mainly given by an animalic musk base, not related to civet at all. Much more realistic civets, actual civet - based products, are present in stuff like Gentleman or the vintage CK Obsession for women.) completely covered in honey and the aldehydes accentuating the alcohol blast, so it has that macho, "in your face", decadent warm - spice and liquor - like accord. A bit of herbals as well. The animalic nuances are never overwhelming or disgusting. Good dose of oakmoss, declared in the box as natural, Evernia Prunastri extract, a good amount of amber making the fragrance much sweeter than previous formulas, a very present white musk note giving it a soapy nuance, woods, herbals, florals in the back. I don't note on it significant vanilla (Other than the amber) or tonka bean notes, nor i find the patchouli a significant note on it or stuff. I think it's amazing, can be worn daily without issues, just avoiding wear in heat season, i can apply it liberately without it being overwhelming, i usually do some 6 - 8 sprays of the current formula and get some good 6 - 8 hours of performance. It's an EDT at 10%. However, if i were to keep this bottle some, say, five to ten years, i am entirely sure the animalic notes and the oakmoss would amp up in strenght and depth, frankly, that's what makes a vintage formula so potent, the oxidation of the raw materials, more than their quality and amount, alongside the evaporation of ethanol. I've also got myself a few treats in the form of clones, one by the infamous EBC collection, much like a 90's formulation, sticky, much more animalic, and the spanish brand Divain, which i diluted down since it was around 40% in concentration, so, 100ml became 400. Vintages were much less sweet, white musks were much weaker, and the main accord was this brutal, animalic musk and honey being up front, like smelling the air in an alley beside a bar where folks pissed throught the night. I find the vintages way less wearable, unless i am missing something and they are just as nice and versatile as the current. Either way, i have literally half a liter of this to wear for the next five years or so. Literally could spare 100ml per year without an issue. Salut By the way, go show your lack of experience somewhere else, people who can't stand (And understand) Kouros. Come back when you actually know something about fragrance. This is for real conossieurs, not sissies who wear Le Male Elixir or the newest Sauvage or Bleu or any mediocre parfum they put out nowadays.

This is a must have for anybody that is not afraid to sport some old school fragrances!! This is very masculine but also very unique.. I'm not quite the note master, so I can't really detect all the different ingredients, etc. but if you like classics like Obsession, Aramis, old spice, etc. (not saying this smells like any of those in particular) but it's definitely from around that era of 80's fragrances and the scent is really good but can be a bit overpowering if you put too much on, so be easy on the trigger. I suggest getting the 0.27oz travel size before investing in a bigger bottle just because you may or may not like this as much as I do but for around $15 it's worth a shot!

Get this if you want a beast mode version of versace blue jeans. Smells like spiced up bug spray

for me and for few of my friends it smells like pee

One of the greatest fragrance's of all time, no question.

Good Heavens Kouros is still a belter! Created at a time (1981) when heft and good humour still had a place in fragrances created for men. Pierre Bourdon’s invention for YSL is unafraid to seduce and/or offend. Fresh as a cold morning shower but feral in a way which cannot be spoken about politely without blushing. Once you’ve sprayed it on yourself there’s no going back; you’re stuck with it, hand in glove, for better or worse. Spicy, citrusy, woody, floral and animalic; all of these. A bravura burst of hopelessly randy aromatic energy! Not for those of a nervous or retiring disposition. I love it!

It took around a year to work this into my rotation. I'm so glad I kept with it. So much history in this fragrance. It's a trip down memory lane when I wear it. It's got pedigree. It tells a story. It passes a tourch. It's an aldehydic bomb for a mens fragrance. The dry down is a very nice spicy and musky sandalwood. It's one of my favorites now for that sandalwood incense smell. I won't stop whining about the state of sandalwood compared to what I used to have the pleasure of experiencing 25 some years ago. The civet is kind of at the top with the aldehydes, citruses, flowers, and herbs. The musk in the base is the old man musk a le eau Sauvage by his mentor. You can spray any tart citrus fragrance over this, it tones it down and takes it in that eau Sauvage vintage direction. Issey Miyake or Artisan Pure are ones that others are likey to have easy access to and both worth it to have in a rotation. Give yourself a chance with this. Put on some pads and training wheels and get some experience with it. I want to smoke inside now.

@Meanwhile, sorry to break it to you, but such crass comments coming from a person such as yourself act as compliments to this fragrance. I agree Kouros can be a bit rough around the edges but who new it can also act as an incel repellent all the same.

Smells like dirty laundry because of aldehydes and patchouli

A very dangerous, yet milestone of a cologne in fragrance history. I MUCH prefer Chanel Antaeus, Dior Farenheit, Jacques Bogart One Man Show, and other powerhouses to this that are in my collection, and still, it is a pleasure to own it for what it represents, and the occasional wear.

I picked this up at my chemist as a full tester for only $15. And I love it. It’s definitely got that animalistic note. And you’ll either love it or you’ll hate it. I love it. And to me this is a unisex fragrance, not just a man’s fragrance. Because I have smelled very similar fragrances that are listed as unisex. I can honestly say this one is now in my favourites collection.

This was fucking trash. The first time i smelled it it fucking gave me a headache and made ne gag unstopably. This is diabolical

Love the smell of cats butt hole. All the 55 year olds want my Wang when I wear this little scented tart

Smelled it in store, didn't have super high expectations. YSL is normally a pretty safe bet, but good lord is this not the case with kouros. I have never seen a cologne go band for band with vanilla sex for an opening pee smell like this ever. Completely ruined my palate for the day. If you hate your friends, wear this during a hang out. Or maybe the dry down is better, I could be wrong. My take: AVOID. Def not blind buy safe. This is just my opinion though.

Nose Note #1039 I'm surprised to see such a low rating. This is not much different from other classics of its time like Aramis Aramis, Azzaro pour Homme. Huge leather/civet/animalistic accord + aldehydes + carnation. Sounds familiar? Take out animalics and you'll get Chanel #5. Men only. Very very satisfying performance. 7.4/10

The review below me stated some very important facts, this isn't going to smell good on a strip right after spraying period - it's too potent and complex it needs a bit of time to develop, when I see people doing that with fragrances in general and coming up with an opinion on the spot it grinds my gears. Having said that today's market optimizes fragrances to smell good on strips so that consumers get seduced by a quick wiff at the mall, this is the opposite of that even the new formulation is going to smell horrendous on a strip for the first minute or two, but that's ok this fragrance gatekeeps itself that way. One other thing to notice with regards to vintage is that in the newer formulation the honey civet and oakmoss are really toned down which I think is a shame. I don't care about the civet much it shouldn't really announce it's presence but that base is what gives this fragrance it's depth. It seems that the vanilla/coriander is amped up as well in the newer version which I don't know if I am a fan of. In other words I think this can still be saved without going full beast mode it just seems a bit unbalanced currently.