Safari for Men

This is going to be a slightly different review, because while my memories of owning Safari are remarkably vivid, my memory of what Safari actually smelled like...is not. I almost feel like I should be going into a department store to give it a reminder sniff before writing this, but I still think some people may find some value in the review, regardless. I had this when I was about 13 or 14, around 1996-97, and I remember liking it. I think my mum bought it for me, although I can't honestly remember whether she chose it or whether I chose it myself. I have a vague feeling she may have asked me which one I wanted and I picked Safari, but we're talking nearly 30 years ago, so I'm not going to manufacture memories to fill in the gaps. What I remember much more clearly is how this fragrance made me FEEL. At the time, everyone in my circle seemed to be wearing fragrances like Tommy and Polo Sport. I was too, and they're still two of my favourites today, so this isn't me pretending I was some 14-year-old fragrance connoisseur sneering at the pauper-ish tastes of my classmates. But nobody I knew at my age had Safari. And honestly? I liked that. Safari felt much more grown-up. I remember being slightly self-conscious that people might think it smelled a bit too "grandaddy" for a teenager, but I also somehow tried to use that to my advantage. If it smelled different, mature, and unusual compared with what everyone else was wearing, then fine. I'd make that part of the point. I WAS different, confident, and unique. Whether anybody else actually interpreted it that way is another question entirely. I mean, I was 14 - don't judge me. I'm sure there were plenty of people out there thinking I was a bit of a bellend. I mean...I AM. But I always smell incredible. What I remember better than the fragrance itself is that absolutely beautiful presentation. The alligator skin-style embossed box. That magnificent whiskey-decanter bottle. The metal coat-of-arms-style badge on the front. And that big wooden-looking lid that made me go, "ooooh, yeaaahhh...Jaguar dashboard...nice". It looked expensive. It looked grown-up. It looked like something I probably had absolutely no business owning at 14 years old. I'm 42 now, and I'm genuinely curious what I'd make of Safari today. My tastes generally lean towards fresh, citrusy, green, aquatic, and aromatic fragrances, and I've developed an almost instinctive distrust of anything sitting in a bottle looking dark and amber-coloured. My brain sees that colour and immediately goes, "yeah...nah. That's gonna smell like an old man's corduroy jacket with leather elbow patches". So I'm not going to look at Safari's note pyramid today and reverse-engineer some detailed description of what I supposedly smelled in 1997. I don't remember. I remember it being woody, earthy, mature, and liking it, but beyond that I'd be bullshitting. Would I still like it in 2026? I genuinely have no idea. Possibly. I'd like to think I would. But I'm also aware it's been reformulated, so I'd hope what I smelt today would be a good representation of what I'd have smelt in 1996. According to a few on here, it's not the scent itself that changed, more just the longevity/overall quality. But there aren't many fragrances I owned nearly 30 years ago whose bottle, box, and the way they made teenage me feel I can still picture this clearly. And that alone makes me really want to smell Safari again.

@Jurtz he's right. Used to last for days. Left a long trail. Wasn't nostalgia at all. Same thing was done to Carolina Herrera's Men. It's the same scent, but no depth, or strength. Some notes are masked with similar notes and it shows.

There is a place in every mans heart that longs for things unseen. Adventures he's never taken, trails he's never trod, stars he's never slept beneath. Safari leans into that longing like a grove of Cottonwood searching the skies for signs of rain. Safari feels like dust on your boots and sun on your neck. It is the horizon that doesnt end; it only comes back around again and again. Safari doesn’t smell like the kind of adventure you read about in glossy magazines. It's the kind you earn. Hard, slow miles, worn cracked leather, and the kind of quiet you only find where fences give up to the wild and indifferent elements. It opens with a warm green brightness; but not the polite kind. No. It is the snap of fresh sage crushed under a boot heel, the kind of herbaceous lift that rides the wind ahead of you. The citrus glints of sunlight flashing off an old coffee can left on a fencepost to mark the many acres. As Safari settles, it turns into the scent of a man who’s spent half his life squinting into distance and has earned a much deserved rest. The lavender and carnation flirt back and forth like the feeling of cool shade under a deep porch awning; a momentary reprieve before the heat inevitably descends once more. Then the leather, oakmoss, and patchouli roll in on slow, unrelenting thunderclouds. This isn't cowboy‑movie leather. This is the real deal: saddle bags that have seen too many storms, reins that have been repaired by hands all across this cursed frontier. More than once. It's the leather belt that’s outlived three pairs of jeans and promises many more. There’s a woodiness here that feels like the bones of old barns resting on river-rock foundations. Dry Sun‑bleached. Still holding strong. And beneath it all, a faint sweetness, like the last sip of chicory, long gone cold in a dented tin mug. Safari isn’t nostalgic. It’s resigned. It's timeless. It knows the frontier isn’t a place anymore. It’s a feeling. It's a yearning. And it’s getting harder and harder to find. Wearing Safari feels like stepping into a story where the hero isn’t young, but he’s still got a few good rides left. It’s a scent for men who understand that wildness isn’t preachy. It’s patient. It waits in the tall grass. It waits in the space between towns. It waits in the part of you that still believes in open land and open hospitality. Safari is the smell of quiet grit and the hard earned miles on the long way back home. Safari is wide‑sky Americana. It's the frontier melancholy of men who ride out to meet the world where it lives because staying put costs his soul far more than he's willing to pay.

@John_P Nostalgia is a powerful thing. Did the "old" formulation really smell better than the "modern" formulation or do you remember it that way?

This is only a shadow of its old self. The pre -reformulated version, from, cosmair, was a straight banger. I know one girl for sure was in love with me because of this smell for far longer than I deserved. The new version smells like a drugstore copy of the original made by someone trying to describe what it used to smell like. It's decent, but it's nothing like the original. It's worth buying a vintage bottle or even a decant.

Smells like nostalgia in a bottle. It's warm. It's spicy. It's citrusy. It's all of that & a bit more; but in a subtle manner. The leather is subdued. All the notes are tbh. Moderate projection. 6-8 hr longevity. Clings to skin after an hr or so. Think of this as a comfort perfume. puts you in a happy mode. It's not a room filler & it will not announce your arrival. But every once in a while you will get a nod from a fellow gentleman. More suited for confident older men. For special occasions, date nights & black tie events. Works best in autumn & winters. More suited for the night though. Got this for 45 usd.

I just received this fragrance because I've recently become obsessed with collecting classic fragrances and those that I wore when I was younger and adding them to my collection. I'm surprised nobody has mentioned that this smells incredibly similar to the original Paco Rabanne XS Pour Homme. I even compared them side by side on each arm, and I'd say they're about 90% alike. For context, I'm 33 years old, and I still feel this fragrance is a little too mature for me. Even my partner, who is 39, said it smells like "grandpa" 😆 So definitely not a women mass appealing however, I honestly love it. It's incredibly masculine, fresh, and has that clean, gentlemanly vibe of someone who just walked out of a traditional barbershop. I probably wouldn't wear it for a night out or to a social meeting or party just yet, but I absolutely enjoy wearing it after a shower or in the evening while relaxing at home with a glass of red wine. Maybe in a few more years I'll feel confident enough to wear it in other situations too. In my opinion, a piece of history that is absolutely worth having in any collection.

This is the very definition of ‘aromatic’ - it is an addictive ‘old school’ scent. Do not confuse old school with old fashioned or dated - it’s ‘old school’ in that classic and yet still somehow modern kinda way. Safari is simply a beautiful masculine number - In the fall/winter its perfect for those days you want something with depth and complexity but also want some freshness, something uplifting yet cosy, easy going yet also classy - the other scents i use for a similar purpose are Dior Eau Sauvage Parfum (2017) and Guerlain Habit Rouge edt. If you want to lean into the very classic and heavier colder weather scents go Guerlain Heritage edt - if you want super fresh and bright go AdP Colonia (or Colonia Intensa) - Safari straddles both worlds, and for that I love it! If you are worried about it being too dated - I love scents like floris 89, polo green, and egoiste, Safari is WAY more modern than those more old fashioned profiles. However if you love platinum egoiste, eau sauvage etc then your will love this.

Doesn't smell like luxury in the obvious way. No sweetness, no big projection. Just smells like conviction. Dry leather, warm spice, something green underneath that keeps it from ever feeling overdressed. Been wearing this for thirty years and it has never once felt dated. Some fragrances chase a moment. This one never did. Still reach for it on evenings outdoors when the light is going and the air has cooled. It belongs in that setting the way very few fragrances belong anywhere specific.

The new batches are not worth the money, they’ve watered it down to the max. Abysmal longevity.

Just got a vintage bottle in today and to my nose, yes, it and Pasha (which I love) could be the same guy at different times in life. Yet while similar the two are near opposites in texture. This is lighter, fresher, and more mossy. This feels.. dryer. I see it kinda like this, so Safari means journey or travel, Pasha is Safari after he's traveled a bit, stopping by a spice shop along the way to escape the sun. Some of the spices there clinging to his light perspiration mixing with his aftershave. It's the same classy gentleman in essences, only less fresh, more spicy and slightly more sexy and provocative after fully mixing with body chemistry and environmental elements. That's Pasha. Safari is before all this happens. When I saw the two compared I knew I'd love Safari as well. And I do. I try to avoid blantant redundancy in my scent-drobe, but there are certain scent profiles that I enjoy so much that variation is welcomed. And between the two of these, the stories of both are extended forward and backward in a way I can enjoy in my personal artistic interpretation and practically. Chronological expressions of the exact same man

This is a good fragrance to me!! Fresh clean soapy, mossy, amber that last all day on my skin and clothing with great sillage and projection. Safari is definitely a grown man scent that I appreciate and enjoy wearing because it has that old school 90$ feel that I love. Paid only 29.00 for a 4.2oz at Burlington coat factory which is a great bargain for the amount of juice but if you enjoy barber 💈 shop fragrances then I would recommend Safari.

Not sure if I would call Safari a fougere. But it is definitely one of the most beautiful, mass pleasing, effervescent, classic masculine perfumes out there. No it does not smell like Pasha, even though they share some notes, but Safari is way more pleasant smelling, nothing to complain about, nothing challenging. I would rather say it shares more similarities with Tsar, which is beautiful too. Yet Tsar drifts more into the fresh fir direction, while Safari has a slight transparent fruity touch. I don't smell the leather here. If you like fragrances like classic masculine perfumes like Tsar, Rive Gauche, Jazz, Paco Rabanne pH, New York Intense etc. then Safari is a must have, as simple as that.

@BritvaSpark calm down mate

I went and tried Pasha just to see if it was really anything like Safari, just because 219 people on Fragrantica say it is. Pasha made me fukking yakk, and I couldn't conceive how anyone thought they were similar. Pasha is a hazmat situation. It's not just unpleasant smelling, it's like being force fed soap right in my mouth. A couple weeks later I put on Safari again, and... I smelled Pasha ffs. You assholes. I can't unsmell it now. And Safari is ruined for me.

Safari is on my list ! Is this similar to the 1881 Cerruti? Also has a fresh barbershop feel.

My cousin stole my 1st bottle way back in 92 when this 1st came out. Now I got a new bottle and this is the same fragrance from my prom night back in 92 I was killing it that night. Safari was brand new and I knew I had the fragrance of the night on. This is classic at it's finest, this doesn't remind me of anything else on the market. I'm so glad that I repurchase this fragrance. Last all day very strong with a lot of notes that keep making guest appearances from the opening through the mid til the end. Excellent fragrance excellent performance, simple beautiful and a great designer.

Well HELLO beautiful SandleWood dry down! Why isn't YOUR PART brought up more often during reviews cuz I had NO IDEA!?? Oh Man! Safari for men smells pretty amazing! Not super classic/Old School, but def a more mature 90's style frag. From my brand new bottle Im getting moderate to good longevity (5 to 6 hours) and MAN!! Safari smells so good! The opening somewhat reminds me of Aramis' - New West with the way the Citrus, Green notes and Aldehydes are used along with a hint of that Leather from the base, but as it dries down that GORGEOUS, creamy "Classic SandleWood" sets Safari apart and is just to die for! Plus those basenotes really do stick around for a long time once the top notes fade albeit giving more of an intimate sillage at that point, but as most of us know, the performance almost always improves with maturation so Ill be back with an update within a month or so to report. Still tho, Safari still smells really great and currently has decent performance so if ya'll enjoy that creamier, "Non-Pickle Juice SandleWood" then this fragrance is a definate must in your collection. Thanks to whomever took time to read my review.. An 8.5 outta 10 by Ralph Lauren....CHEERS! P.S. (IF) anyone also owns Aramis'- New West, try doing a spritz over a couple spritzes of Safari. They really do smell alike in the opening and therefore blend perfectly together making those top notes and the whole experience last longer. Again tho, Safari is AMAZING on its own as well!

#1653 in my “Tour de Fragrance” I got this as a spray sample from scentswithsense.com. If you’re a fan of perfumer Veronica Kato you’ll appreciate this. She’s the creator of nearly all of Brasilian fragrance maker Natura’s “Essencial” line of men’s EDPs. Others like this would be Arab perfumer Nabeel’s men’s EDPs. There’s a place, usually in warmer weather, for this “kitchen sink” type scent, by which I mean they toss in every note on the shelf and blended something nice and inoffensive. But it’s also kind of traditional and indistinct, maybe a little dated, but Hell, so am I. Since this is an EDT the potency is on the lower end of middling, providing just a few hours of noticeable performance, I recommend you check out the notes of the Natura Essencial fragrances. They’re EDPs. You can get them from purebrasil.com for around $20 more than this. I have them all and I think they the same sort of traditional male “kitchen sink” fragrances as Safari but with better quality. Good Luck and Good Hunting!

This scent is a grown man who knows a thing or two, the type of wisdom that comes packaged with wrinkles and silver hair. For $35 at the rack store this serves as an aesthetically pleasing olfactory time capsule in my vanity. Doesn’t get too much wear but does what it does well without reservation.

A fresh barbershop fragrance, similar to Polo EDT but not as harsh. The more bitter herbal notes are swapped for warmth, made up from the amber and cinnamon.

This has a thing I don't know how to describe, but it seems to me to be common to a certain group of 1970's-80's-early 90's American fragrances. It's kind of a "wet" sensation of fumes. I don't mean an aquatic scent profile or anything remotely related to that, I mean kind of an impression like the fumes are wet, like the juice is dripping off a guy. It's not a particular scent note or accord, it's more like a tangible texture to the sillage and you do feel it in your nose. In your head. It's really hard to describe. In Safari for Men, this fume sensation I'm talking about is golden, it's sweaty but in a fresh way not in a dirty way. It brings the word "sleazy" to mind, though that's not to say that the fragrance is sleazy. That's just kind of a free-association that comes up when I try to put this particular fume texture into words. It's like something that would wick through the air in a hetero disco on a hot night in 1979. It can even seem a tiny bit hot-and-fresh-pissy, when certain scent notes are carried by it. And it seems to be unique to American fragrances: Some CKs had it, like Eternity and Obsession. Some RLs, though maybe none as much as this one. Old Stetson stuff. Giorgio Beverly Hills. It has been a long long time since I smelled Brut but maybe that had it too? idk. I think it probably did. Bill Blass for Men. I'm talking about frags which didn't smell alike at all, but had this certain volatile, fuel-like quality to the way they vaporized through the air and re-condensed inside your nose. Like, it makes me wonder if Americans were using different solvents than everyone else during those years? Does anyone know what I'm talking about or relate to this kind of fume sensation from that time period? There were other BIG fragrances in the late 70s, the 80s and early 90s but only the American ones seem to have this extra dimension of how their volatility got into your face and up your nose. Anyway, as far as review goes, I love Safari. How golden and rich it is, how citrusy even well into the dry-down, how macho, how "IDGAF" it is. Wearing it indoors is like bringing something barely appropriate in from the outdoors on a hot and excessively sunny day. Wearing it outdoors is giving the finger to all the blue freshies and showing them you dare to just own your own sweat. It's delicious to people who hate green frags (looking at you, Polo). And it has more than enough body to go out at night and slay.

Versatility and charm to spare. Genuinely a 10/10 if not for the absolute dog shit performance of newer bottles.

I paid $40 for a brand new bottle with complete presentation in a sealed authentic box, and for that I say this is money well spent! I never smelled the original formulation but this juice is great! Fougere at it's finest, elegant bottle, super versatile, everything about it is great except for the longevity. Citrus Coriander Lavender Carnation Cinnamon Sandalwood Leather That's mainly what I get, along with the other notes that are all blended beautifully! Bottle -10 Scent -10 Price -10 Versatility -8 Longevity -7 Overall -8.5/10

Actually really good too bad it’s an endocrine blocker and fucks up womens hormones other than that I feel like a g smelling like a manly man

Great signature scent. About performance, after 6 hours still here with me. Fresh, green, has this “retro” masculine touch and a warm drydown that makes it sensual.

I have worn this to work a couple times now. I would say this is old school but not "old man". It has a spicy, rugged, leathery feel. It's complex and interesting, but well blended in my opinion. It reminds me of a few others in my collection (Red for Men by Giorgio, Enrico Coveri Pour Homme, and Pasha by Cartier). I like Safari more than all of those. I get good performance on my skin. I still get wafts of the scent well over 8 hours, with just 2 sprays. Not sure if this will be ideal in super high heat. I noticed when walking outside on a sunny day that the animalic notes are amplified in the sunlight (but it still smelled great). But overall I would say it's a casual 3 or 4 season scent.

This is not for the young crowd. It reminds me of a barber shop back from the 90s. It smells like someone's father. Some people are not going to like it but I love it.

Safari was to the 1990s what Polo was to the 1980s, a rich, complex, signature-worthy flagship fragrance that actually did pretty well. What surprises me is how well Interparfums preserved the formula. The oakmoss is gone, and this stuff kind of needs it, but otherwise this smells correct to me, basically Polo Crest but a bit sweeter and a touch cheaper in execution, probably because Safari was a global mass release while Crest was more of a regional North American limited edition flanker. Of note is the unusual opening accord of eucalyptus and cinnamon leaf. The only reason I know what cinnamon leaf smells like is my fiancée had cinnamon leaf essential oil in her bathroom cabinet (she hated it) and I would sneak a sniff now and then. It's an unmistakable smell, and it's here in spades. The citrus and lavender take a backseat, but they're also noticeable. The artemisia is restrained, and the rosy florals of the mid settle nicely on a base of synthetic sandalwood and patchouli with a pleasant amber in tow. More Giorgio Beverly Hills Red for Men than Pasha in flavor, Safari for Men remains a throwback 1990s classic that I think is still worth owning and wearing in 2026. Very nice stuff.

Its one of my favorite scents, but i have to carry a small bottle in my wallet in order to reapply it after 4 hours.