Lauder for Men

I read somewhere that when Estée Lauder launched this in 1985, she threw a luncheon at New York’s Helmsley Palace for a hundred of the city’s supposedly most handsome men. Andy Warhol showed up. Lauder announced that she’d spent three years perfecting the fragrance, testing it on just about every man she met. I love this little piece of 80s New York. And just look at that bottle! All sharp edges and ribbed glass, golden juice, a massive racing-green cap topped with gold, and LAUDER emblazoned across it. It looks like something you-know-who might’ve commissioned for one of his hotels in the 80s. Gaudy as hell. The funny thing is that the perfume inside is considerably more restrained. Aromatic, green, floral, mossy, with a lovely warmth from amber, sandalwood, and musk underneath. It belongs unmistakably to that great American tradition of perfumery that gave us Aramis and the Lauder chypres, but it’s considerably more restrained than you might expect. Next to my vintage Aramis, Lauder for Men feels more mannered, softer-spoken, without sacrificing any of its character. I have an older green-capped bottle (I hear the current stuff is pitiful, sadly), and I don’t experience this as the bombastic 80s floral powerhouse some reviewers describe. It’s actually quite versatile, perfectly suitable for the office or dressed up for an evening. I wore it last night and can still smell it on my arms this morning, so longevity certainly isn’t an issue. But it wears with remarkable discretion. Does it smell like the 80s? Sure. Does that make it dated? I don’t think so, though I’m hardly an impartial judge: I love the old-school.

This stuff delivers. They did a fantastic job on the re-release of this fragrance. I am not left wanting.

probably my most loved designer, a very well blended fresh and light green perfume with very good performance that isn't overbearing. This is one of the greatest perfumes to get if you just want to smell good and don't care much for perfumery. It is only one of the very very few bottles that i am considering getting a back up of.

The one this scent isn't is a Fougère. It's a gorgeous green, yet plush, chypre with some warm spicy notes added in, it keeps away from the more extreme leather/tobacco/animalic side of the genre although there are clearly some musky notes going on in the base. Where Aramis was rather bold and uncompromising, Lauder for Men is a touched more refined. The florals are every present but feel restrained compared to a few other men's chypres of the time. Perhaps a slightly easier wear these days compared to say Derby or Bel Ami (even if I probably prefer them overall). It is one of the few scents that I feel in love with from the first sniff. It gives off an impression of being beautifully turned out, well dressed and elegant. It deserves to be better known.

Always after shave.

How the hell is this a men’s cologne!? Was Lauder having a big gut-laugh at men’s expense in 1985? It’s an enormous green floral chypre perfume quite similar in character to Youth Dew, Azuree, Private Collection, Clinique Aromatics Elixir (also a Lauder) and then Knowing that would follow Lauder for Men; it smells just like what they would make for their blockbuster feminine perfumes. Which, this said, means that I find Lauder for Men to be a brilliant creation, but I don’t understand how this would’ve been acceptable to men in the 1980s. Lauder for Men just goes to show, as did its predecessors and a very small number of contemporaries, that Lauder is perfectly capable of creating brave and beautiful perfumes - so how, when, and why that changed to where the brand is at today is a sad mystery. Bergamot and lemon and orange juice - not just one or two of them, sharp green galbanum, marigold, spices and herbs and juniper are all shoved into the opening in completely incomprehensible sizes and proportions. I distinctly remember the first time I sprayed Lauder for Men and my first sniffs; my reaction included words not quite appropriate for a public forum. I was completely overwhelmed at the enormity and the expansiveness of it. Sour, juicy, bitter, spicy, herbal, floral, waxy bitter fruity, aldehydic, and everything else in between without seeming like a complicated morass. The heart section takes the same approach with jasmine, carnation, rose, muguet, and cool seed spices, the latter spice notes being far less prominent than the florals almost to the point of not really being individually distinguishable, but they’re there to make sure the florals do not become too engrossing despite their enormous size. The huge oakmoss at the base also works to keep the florals on the “masculine” side of proceedings in so much as Lauder for Men can be, and, just like the rest of the perfume, this oakmoss is enormous. Beautiful, woody, damp green leaves and earth that will fill a room and trail for miles. Further into the dry down a soft worn-leather note pairs with sandalwood and patchouli for a classically earthy, woody, and animalic finish that is superbly dialed in. When it comes to “men’s fragrances”, wearing Lauder for Men is an experience like wearing Amouage Gold Man. They don’t smell similar, but they have very similar personalities: very powerful, very floral, very complex pieces of work to only be worn by the brave, bold, and the classy. You are going to get noticed, so make sure you are ready to be noticed. This is easily one of the best fragrances Lauder has ever made, right up there with its feminine marketed predecessors but standing aside from them because of its completely baffling personality and mandate. Love it. Potentially more thoughts to come for a vintage 80s vs. new formulation comparison if I feel like attempting that.

This is the male companion to my favorite chypre, Estee Lauder Knowing. Brisk citrus, green notes, and spices with a touch of juniper and anise in the open. The sharp open mellows in the heart with carnation, lily, jasmine, and rose (hard to distinctly get them all); the masculinity of the heart is maintained by an inclusion the late heart of patchouli and vetiver. For the base we get heavy moss, sandalwood, and a musky ambery vanilla for warmth and sweetness. It's extremely pleasant, but I do believe Knowing is the superior companion scent.

My grandfather wore this. It’s taken me a while to warm up to it. Very classy.

Classic fougere, it is a paco rabanne pour homme cousin but different at the same time , I got lots of green notes at the top then the middle note appears I smell the carnation with rose after that the base not comes out sandalwood and the patchouli. I don't smell any vanilla at the base note. Try it if you like classics fougere

Smells like grandma's floral soap on a scent strip. Smells like smooth, mature, masculine elegance on skin.

This one sets you up for a lovely day. So elegant, vibrant and gentle. Masterpiece.

Esteé Lauder earthy/woody florals never miss…

Why this was discontinued I will never understand 💔

Stereotype, but what can you do when you have to talk about how the 80s smelled. Rich and aromatic, all in an art deco bottle. What more could you want? Bought about 3 years ago, I rediscovered the bottle on the shelf and suddenly, bang, the memories!

The opening is, I would say, dirty. Classy and mature, has this retro vibe that probably needs a real perfume lover to like it. I consider it quite versatile. Dry, green, someway bitter.

A true masterpiece from the 80's my gf gave me this when I was in college & 35 years later we are still together & we are happily married & I still wear it for some special occasion 🤗 by the way even the current version is not that bad! It's my favorite scent ❤️😀

Pure class feel rich without money in my pocket 🤣

I pissed myself in the lobby of Trump Tower.

My cock hangs just a little longer when I wear this. Smells the way a man wants the world to see him. Rich. Strong. Masculine. Ready for sex. Not for the timid. If you can pick up the vintage with the gold cap, along with After Shave, do it. They compliment one another exceptionally well. Its "clean" in a "I am taking a shower with your woman" kind of way. I can almost hear the cheeks clap. Dior is Depp. This is Burt Reynolds in his prime.

Been researching about this, and it has not been discontinued. Just not available everywhere - they changed their distribution to reduce cost. Not available in UK retailers, for example. But it's available in the US. Even according to their website... They only have 3 colognes for men listed - Lauder, Pleasures and Aramis. That's all they are producing for men nowadays. esteelauder dot com/products/8257/product-catalog/fragrance/fragrance-collections/for-men

Thought Estee Lauder had discontinued this, but when I saw it at FragranceX I quickly bought one. Mine is right now at JFK, waiting to be delivered!!! Can´t wait! A true classic, a true masterpiece.

The opening really is Lippizan-like, plus some green notes reminiscent of Bogart. The question is how much of that green is actually there, because it’s not a desirable element. Can the whole thing truly be considered integral, elegant, and refined? Sometimes the green is noticeable, sometimes not. What does “on skin” even mean, if you’ll never actually get close to the source of the scent? The opening is exactly what I was looking for. If Lippizan simply fades and becomes a shadow of itself, here you get a transition into a rough, old-school barbershop-style greenness. If the green wins out, we’re dealing with another variation on Caractère and One Man Show. If roundness prevails — then it’s something more interesting, on par with vintage Paco Rabanne or even Balenciaga PH. It’s hard to say for sure, because the scent moves along the edge between these two sensations — up close, it’s green; in the air, more like Lippizan. ⸻ It’s a safe choice within my favorite corridor of strange aromatic tension — the kind found in the opening of Kouros, Portos, 1881, Lippizan, Aramis, maybe even a bit of Boucheron PH.

And we have a blind-buy SSSCOOORE!😁!! Wow! So freakin' GORGEOUS! Im so glad I that got over my fear of "redundancy" due to me collecting quite a few mens classic Fougeres as of late! Ive been debating grabbing Lauder for men for about a year now, but as soon as I confirmed that this fragrance is now dicontinued I just went aghead and pulled the trigger and after trying it fir the first time I am SO GLAD I DID! Now, if Im being honest I am getting shades of Azzaro Pour Homme and Aramis-Tuscany, but Lauder for men is much for floral and seems a bit fresher that either if those which really does help set Lauder apart from those making it it's own thing. I feel like its a combination betweern Estee Lauder's Knowing and Azzaro Pour Homme making Lauder smell more like a Chypre/Fougere. Now where Lauder truly comes into its own, unique fragrance is further in the dry-down where I could swear that I get a very strong Minty/tea note with hints of sweetness along with tbose classic aromatics making Lauder quite unique indeed! I have yet to give it a full wear so I cannot honestly speak on the performance, but I think it'll be great! Ill be back for an edit soon when I report back! Im super excited about having Lauder for Men in my collection! 😉

@elyssium *Edit to your deranged anti-American TDS comment "The bottle reminds me of the Trump tower 🥳 🥂 🎊... totally a throwback from the 80s alright. 😏" Upvote this comment if you're with me! 🇺🇸

The bottle reminds me of the Trump tower 🙄... totally a throwback from the 80s alright. 😏

An under the radar classic. You don't hear much about this stuff. It's still available. I just went to the Estee Lauder site and it is for sale; a great value I might add. It's not super cheap but it's not Creed either. The initial blast of fragrance reminds me of licorice. The citrus notes appear next and then it settles down into a classic fougere that will remind one of the good ol' days. A little bit of tobacco and leather on the dry down. This stuff's great for work, it definitely won't offend anyone. I love it in warmer weather, it's the perfect late Spring fragrance for me. Highly recommended!

I have a bottle of the current formulation. Notes are different from the laundry list on this page, they are as follows: Top Notes: Lemon, Mandarin, Sage, Coriander, Cardamom Middle Notes: Patchouli, Sandalwood, Vetiver Base Notes: Oakmoss, Amber Beside the notes listed above, I also get very strong floral accents, I'm guessing its the carnation I'm smelling because it is the most prominent part of the fragrance. Bright lemon opening with a lush and green oakmoss throughout the life. Definitely very unique for a men's fragrance compared to modern releases. Longevity and sillage are both very good, clocking in at about 8-9 hours of solid performance. I think a lot of men would consider this to be too feminine leaning for them due to its strong floral nature. Its overall greenness and bright florals and citruses make this a great choice for spring/summer wear. It is definitely a product of the '80s and smells bright, strong, and bombastic. Not a bad thing. For some reason, this makes me think of Jeremy Fragrance yelling "POWER!!!!!!" Beautiful bottle, by the way. Reminiscent of an Art Deco skyscraper. Shame the cap is cheap plastic "/

The present version of it is not stunning as a vintage maybe can stuns. This version has some aroma chemical molecule, that also has DIOR Eau Sauvage Parfum (2012/2016), and it is impossible to my nose to bear it and to wear it accordingly. I don t know what smell had a vintage bottle, but for some reason I’m sure that old Lauder sounded not so bad, without this chemical note. This modern chemical component is a something new to the perfumery, especially for a cologne made for the first time 40 years ago, and unfortunately, this note ruins everything in how the modern “Lauder Men” does smell. By the way, the base is also very expressionless in the new version. I have been very sad after the testing this.

If Kouros is king of 80’s men’s fragrances, then Lauder for men is the prince of 80’s men’s fragrances. Lauder screams 80’s but somehow is timeless, like a Bob Ross blue button down shirt. I can imagine this has been worn by many white collared men over the decades, especially during the “greed is good” time it came out. Lauder has an earthy freshness, both green and clean. The galbanum and oak moss are strong, but not bitter. This is balanced just right that it’s on the sweeter side while being a masculine powerhouse. Like a lot of 80’s fragrances, there are many fragrance notes, so it’s hard to point out specific ones. Other than the galbanum, oak moss, and green notes, I can’t really detect any other strong notes. I can see why it’s still in production today, I have gotten compliments when wearing this and it lasts all day while projecting just right. May not be a safe blind buy, but I don’t think any man over 30 will regret buying this, especially if you’re a fan of vintage fragrances.

With experience I'm looking for leather and/or vetiver as part of the ingredients. This is still modern, like the best perfumes always will be.