Tom Ford for Men

This is a very peculiar fragrance that is vastly misunderstood. I have come across thousands of fragrances, but this one performs quite differently. If you plan on wearing this fragrance, it is an absolute must that you intend to be out in a warm environment where your body heat will increase. It's unfortunate, but the one wearing this fragrance usually goes anosmic to it, but rest assured the scent is still there as you move around this aroma will gently swirl off you and provide a nice, intimate bubble. If it's winter or you are going to be in a cool, mild temperature then forget about it. Spectacular fragrance and is a wonderful choice for those who want a charming, yet mild-mannered scent.

I managed to get a bottle of this a few weeks ago. This is "middle-aged gentleman freshness" in a bottle if it were the early 2010's. It somehow makes me think of my late father, and I'm going to savour every spray I ever take as if it were the last. The citruses and ginger is perfectly blended, making it pop out so much more. It develops beautifully over time, the woods and spices in the heart and base keeps it ever evolving. If you ever get the chance to smell this, please do. It's very easy to wear, and could be an absolute everyday scent.

Tom Ford For Men was certainly quite a surprise with how the brand launched its feminine perfume line with Black Orchid. To release a very understated classic-masculine-type scent after giving us that banshee wail in the feminine line was a head-scratcher. But the original Private Blends lineup that came out the same year more or less informed us that maybe For Men was a bit of an aside. Perhaps this was simply something Mr. Ford really wanted to have, either for himself or to be able to finally check-off of his list a perfume he had been wanting to make. Regardless, Black Orchid, this, and the Private Blend lineup created a broad palette of fragrances that stated Mr. Ford was taking perfume creation for his brand very seriously. For Men has been a cool weather staple of mine to this day very nearly since the year it was released (thanks to backup bottles) and is one of my favorites to have come from the brand. Bergamot and orange open the perfume and are immediately joined by massive amounts of parched green herbs. There is a lot of thyme, some rosemary, and something a bit herbal lemony like verbena. There is no moisture or sweetness to this at all; it is dry, bitter, and bracing. Next up is a layer of very gentle florals tying to the orange-like note from the top. This could be either orange blossom or neroli, or maybe both, but it’s hard to tell because of how much it overlaps with what seems to be a very dry, citrusy, and resinous cypress type note that's been pulverized into powder. Edgy and metallic like neroli, but something vaguely soft like orange blossom, and citrusy resinous. The piquant and spicy qualities continue here as well, further complicating note detection. It’s a very pleasant and classically masculine melange, if a bit nondescript. The final skin scent is gently mossy and woody vetiver forward, with plenty of peppery cedar in the form of iso e super to boot, and wisps of dry patchouli. This works almost like snapshots stitched together of some of modern masculine perfumery's stylistic inflection points in its timeline, as if we went from the 40s/50s or so at the start through to the 60s and 70s and fast-forwarded all the way to the 00s predominant use of synthetics for woody bases. Yet it’s very quiet and restrained, with barely any projection or sillage, but as an excellent retro masculine skin scent it will last for most of the day and it will also be quiet memorable for those that get up close and personal. For Men is not a statement so much as it tries to be a part of your person; very comfortable, very wearable, with just a bit of a modern edge to make it striking. Perhaps this is not as head-scratching as I made it seem, since we know Tom Ford's fragrances very frequently hark back to Mr. Ford’s favorite perfume genres of yesteryear, but that For Men does so without caring if you notice - which is not a characteristic of the majority of modern masculines, little alone the masculines of the 70s that inspired it - imparts a quiet but established confidence in personal taste and style that men very rarely get from fragrances designed for them. A man who knows what he likes, what he wants to smell of, and doesn't give a damn if you notice until he invites your nose to his collar.

Judging from an ancient sample vial I managed to procure. This smells extremely 2000s era in a very positive way. I miss fragrances like this. Shame this was discontinued. If you're a fan of white-collar masculine fragrances, i.e., Platinum Egoiste, Grey Vetiver, Terre d'Hermes, then you will 100% love this as well. Doesn't smell like any of those at all, but fits the same "family" as those in terms of the vibe it gives off when worn. This would be an immediate buy for me if the discontinued grey-market prices weren't so obscene. $200 to $300 USD for a bottle of this is just not worth it. This is an excellent fragrance, but it's not "that" excellent. There are current, absolute car crash Tom Ford fragrances still in production that don't deserve to be; it was a mistake to discontinue this. Very much something that could be used in rotation with Grey Vetiver for a different feel in the week. 7.5/10

Found a decent cheap clone ($13) at Burlington called Snack House Mandarin Pepper. OG is better quality but not by much compared to the price.

Although Tom Ford for Men may appear complex on paper, in reality it is a far more straightforward fragrance. Cassar’s composition moves from a fresh, citrus-driven opening through a sweeter heart and into a woody–musky base, where sweetness intertwines with a dry, restrained character. Traditional inspirations behind the construction of this scent are clearly evident. Importantly, however, Tom Ford’s creation does not draw from the fougère tradition, nor is it a reinterpretation of any classic I am familiar with. Instead, it follows its own path. It is a fully realized and original men’s fragrance, well suited to the role of the first masculine release in the American brand’s portfolio. It is worth noting, though, that the much-discussed advertising campaign generated more controversy than the fragrance itself. Tom Ford for Men remains firmly within the bounds of good taste. Even so, it possesses a certain undeniable allure. I would particularly recommend it for a date. My rating: Recommended. (6/7)

A nice fresh scent unlike anything else yet has a similar vibe to many such as Gio but very different. Nothing like Elysium which turns very woody from a strong citrus blast, or The one which is very creamy, this is just Ginger and woodsy tobaccoish but very fresh the natural citruses evaporate leaving a subtle ginger scent. Its very unique yet people like to compare it to many others that only have similar vibes yet very different aromas. Good for office or summer days just casual use.

It really is just a base scent, a core. Will anything interesting happen here at all? Surprisingly, there’s a note of Versace pour homme. Also, somewhat distant lemon, a bit vague. So far, it’s a worse, less distinct Versace. Versace is, of course, totally open and fresh, but here there’s a slight blur and closure. There’s something almost unsuccessful here, reminiscent of a toilet air freshener in a shopping mall. This scent can be compared to Versace and, for example, ROJA Elysium. There’s practically nothing here. More mature, but worse Versace. Moderately satisfying freshness. But you can’t make this a starting point for other fragrances and have it be so noticeable. Yet, that’s exactly what it is. Tom Ford tries to be fresh, tries to be like Elysium, a light Aventus, etc. It would probably be better if it was just light, rather than an Extreme version that seems to distort it. Yes, it’s clearly the vibe of Elysium and Aventus. Strange that I didn’t catch this right away. It’s like Elysium after two days.

The feel of Tom Ford for Men reminds me a lot of Pasha de Cartier Parfum. It’s similar in that it’s a bit of a fougere/amber mashup, clean but rich. This is a bit lighter than Pasha Parfum, though. This feels appropriate year around and for basically any occasion, very balanced. It’s smooth and understated. Very much an “invite you closer” fragrance rather than a “smell it across the room” fragrance. I understand why some call it generic but I would call it classic instead. I like this but not enough to spend what it costs from questionable sellers on eBay now. It’s nice but not *that* nice.

I have the parfum variant and it does last but not as long as the Invictus parfum. My skin chemistry is on the dry side. Cold and dry weather affects it unfortunately. I wear it sparingly as it's cons is the price. I like it a lot and hoping for a duty free sale soon I'm getting another bottle.

Maybe someone wore this when I was growing up as this this is just how I expect a man's fragrance to smell. For me, it's pretty much perfect, fresh yet warm, complex and beautifully blended. I had no idea it had been discontinued until I saw it on here today. I'd agree with other reviews that it stays fairly close to the skin but longevity for me is excellent. I did one spray on the back of my hand yesterday morning as soon as got out of the shower and I can still smell it the next morning.

I remember when this first came out, people were saying bad things about it. That it’s not unique and smells cheap and weak, but man come on this is so classy and alluring scent, people didn’t know that Tom Ford wanted it to be a classy signature scent. Not too strong that can be used all year around, high quality and full of charisma. Having this bottle nowadays can tell how good this fragrance is. It’s better than all designers men’s fragrances in the market right now easily. If they bring it back again with the extreme version they will hit the market so hard and people will go crazy to buy them. I love them both so much sadly discontinued.

This comes off as something particularly special to me. Wearing it, I feel as though I smell like a romance novel love interest.

A beautiful blend. Sad they discontinued this. Longevity wasn't great, but worth decanting and reapplying, as it is lush. Considering paying over the odds for a bottle for the nostalgia. Edit: I paid a reasonable price for a 30ml of this. Is it as good as I remember, given I've smelled 100s of fragrances since? No. Is it still decent? Yes.

classically masculine, resinous, and an amazing performer.

Female perspective here: I bought this for my significant other a few years ago...I cannot understand why it smelt so sour...cat urine comes to mind. At first I was hopeful that the middle or base notes would save it but the sourness remained. Perhaps it simply did not mix well with his body chemistry... He quite liked it but to my nose it was VERY off-putting. I very much regretted that purchase.

I get something sour or bitter off the initial blast. I think it’s the lemon leaf oil? Anyway, it’s a little strange if not attention grabbing. This has a nostalgic feel to it reminiscent of something like Obsession for Men; not that they smell similar but the vibe they give the wearer. Having said that I really do enjoy this. It has fougere-ish elements to it without going into the barbershop direction (no lavender). Other notes I really pick up on are the pepper and cypriol oil. Spray heavy, doesn’t seem to have a reasonable presence. If they brought a new rendition of this and modernized it a bit, I think it would do very well. Thumbs up!

Why do you think it’s discontinued?

Since this is discontinued, does anyone have a similar alternative?

The notes blend harmoniously -- I have trouble picking any one note, besides ginger, out on its own. This does not come off as anything particularly special to me. Wearing it, I feel as though I smell like a generic romance novel love interest.

I don’t know why people don’t compare this to Dolce and Gabbana The One, they are so similar with the same vibes but D&G is a bit sweeter.

Lets not forget theres Lemon Leaf Oil & Mandarin Orange on its initial opening. So when we're testing & constantly smelling this frag up close looking to pick up the other notes it should be expected to go nose blind to the citrus. For me TF For Men is a Summer Night fragrance for small events. I spray my skin as well as clothes & I get good performance for the 6 hours I'm out. My body heat keeps it activated & subtle winds carry it to noses. For example I wore this fragrance to a friends Yacht Party. We all drank, danced & were fairly sweaty in the evening Sun. I couldnt smell the fragrance at all. However, my wife said that she could smell me the entire time. But then, at night it cooled down a bit, & we got this subtle breeze, & I could smell the fragrance again. And thats when I started to receive compliments on it. This same friend throws backyard parties & invites Local Bands out to perform. I wore TF For Men again, & this time I got better performance in the yard than I did on the Yacht. I literally smelled the fragrance the entire night we were out. And again, received compliments. So dont count TF For Men out on performance. You just need to figure out the best weather condition to wear this fragrance in. And for me its Summer Nights where theres a very subtle breeze. Dont forget To Spray Your Clothes......

One of the most simplistic, uninspired chypre fragrances i have ever smelled. Words like "generic" and "basic" come to mind each time i sniff it. Given the name, one would expect this to be the staple scent of the whole house, but it couldn't be further from it. It's more like if Tom Ford was an influencer and this was his mass produced OEM influencer fragrance. It's far cheaper than private blend, but you will still be overpaying for this. Cannot recommend.

I was not expecting the dry tobacco note to be so prominent upon first sniff. After a few minutes, I start feeling the oakmoss. This is definitely an older gentleman's cologne in the "vintage" style, and I don't think I'm ready for it, even in my 40's. However, even with these dry, usually heavy ingredients, the cologne itself is quite light. Like a modern, more modest version of an "80's powerhouse". If you like Dior's origninal Eau Sauvage, this might me a nice "night" version with the dry tobacco added to the light old-fashioned citrus. This would definitely be in the Dos XX guy's arsenal.

@Ignia5888 I sent you dm

On me, I really get the basil, ginger and pepper, with some light floral. The citrus is a bit subdued, which is okay with me. I love the scent - it’s clean and fresh. The green part of it reminds me of CK Encounter. I would say it skews more mature, and could make a good office scent if you don’t overdo it.

Super easy and likable summer citrus. Maybe for a little older than teenagers... 25yo plus. It has that deep and more than just citrus smell. I really enjoyed it. Price for TF is not too bad (if I remember correctly it was some 120€ for 100ml) but.... Unfortunately underperforming. Better than lets say L'Homme from YSL but still not good enough. Scent 8 Performance 6

didnt care for it smells like alot of other colognes

I am totaly agree with @Ham23. Great description! I add by my side that for me that fragance is the rich cousing of Obsession by CK

When we think of Tom Ford we unavoidably think Private Blend line - the bold, exoctic, ground-breaking scents for fragrance enthusiasts. Tom Ford for Men is none of that. In fact, it's the opposite. It's refined, subdued and classy, while also a bit more casual. Tom Ford for Men is a signature scent worthy of a name. It's safe, versatile, easy to wear, well blended, and has it's own character. It's not a niche scent, but a broad scent for all occasions, hence the signature definition. It opens with a blast of Citruses and a heavy punch of spicy Ginger, which for me is the main note here that stays for the whole duration. Citrus fades and opens door to a Tobacco note with some Spices. Towards the end of it's short - 2 or 3 hour - duration, a Leathery note can be felt. All of them background notes to Ginger. The scent is gone after about 4 or 5 hours, with only 1-2 of decent projection. This can be a plus. If it wasn't for the poor performance, I'd rate TF for Men much higher. But overall it's decently priced in the line, and is a good designer fragrance.