Welcome to Fragrance Friday, where each week weโll be keeping you abreast of the newest and most iconic releases in the dynamic world of menโs fragrances. Born out of the desire to showcase one of the most overlooked, yet versatile, elements of any discerning manโs style this weekly column will help you finesse your own signature scent.
Vale Issey Miyake. The iconic Japanese fashion pioneer passed away just a few days ago, and the internet has already been rife with tributes to the highly influential, often groundbreaking designer who was amongst one of the first to really shift the culture of Eurocentric fashion to adopt a broader scope and more diverse schools of thought.
His singular imagination has been celebrated mostly when it comes to his clothing, but itโs important to remember the manโs legacy extends to much more in the world of style. Issey Miyake is also the name of one of the most reliable fragrance houses in the world, Issey Miyake Parfums.
The houseโs first fragrance, Lโeau DโIssey, was released in 1992, kickstarting a distinctive love of natural, typically aquatic notes that are soft, inoffensive and wear incredibly well. With numerous perfumes since โ across menโs perfumes, womenโs perfumes and unisex perfumes โ Issey Miyake fragrances has always been largely dependable for anyone who wants something versatile and pleasant.
I recently included the brilliant woody aquatic profile of LโEau DโIssey Pour Homme as one of BHโs top picks for perfumes that are ideal for a day in the office, but thought in the wake of Miyakeโs passing I would highlight a few others that are great expressions of the brand and what the man has inspired in the world of niche perfumery.
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Best Issey Miyake Perfumes For Men
Issey Miyake โLโEau DโIssey Pour Hommeโ
I might as well start with this one again, since LโEau DโIssey Pour Homme is such a likeable scent and one of the most versatile from the label. The woody aquatic fragrance is soft and usually hugs the skin tight, but what it lacks for in projection it makes up for with gentle nuances that are obvious like lemon verbena working with tarragon and sage, and saffron coming through on the bridge towards a woody dry-down thatโs full of sandalwood, tobacco and amber.
This is a great option if youโre looking for some of the best woody fragrances that donโt use oud.
Top notes: Yuzu, lemon, bregamot, lemon verbena, mandarin orange, cypress, calone, coriander, tarragon, sage
Middle notes: Blue lotus, nutmeg, Lily of the Valley, saffron, bourbon geranium, ceylon cinnamon, mignonette
Base notes: Tahitian vetiver, musk, cedar, sandalwood, tobacco, amber
Issey Miyake โLโEau dโIssey Pour Homme Eau & Cรจdreโ
The most recently release and a rework of the original formula, this expression of the famed LโEau dโIssey line uses cedarwood to give a new, undeniably masculine perspective to Issey Miyakeโs signatures. Marie Salamagne of French perfume house Firmenich tightened this recipe to focus on the interplay between wood and water, solidified with a burst of freshness thanks to cardamom and a grapefruit accord , a synthetic compound called Calone and a woody base of vetiver, patchouli and white cedarwood.
Those who like longevity and projection may find this a bit disappointing, but thereโs no denying this is a great everyday wear scent that, like most Issey Miyake fragrances, is perfect for the office.
Top notes: Cardamom, grapefruit accord
Middle notes: Cedar, Calone
Base notes: Vetiver, patchouli
Issey Miyake โFusion DโIssey Extremeโ
Perfumer Nathalie Lorson wasted no time in elevating his brilliant Fusion DโIssey with an Extreme version a year later. Also a fairly recent release for Issey Miyake and one inspired by โunderwater volcanic eruptionsโ to once again land on a very natural, fiery twist on the labelโs aquatic signature.
The Eau de Toilette moves away from the originalโs opening of coconut milk, fig nectar, and lemon and opts for begamot and cardmom, skewing spicier and bringing out different angles of the heart notes, made primarily of coconut, mint, lavender, solar notes, and mineral notes. Once again drying-down to a woody finish of sandalwood and patchouli, itโs clear Fusion DโIssey Extreme is one of the more dynamic and stronger plays from Issey Miyake.
Top notes: Cardamom, bergamot
Middle notes: Coconut, lavender, mint, solar notes, mineral notes
Base notes: Sandalwood, patchouli
Issey Miyake โLโEau dโIssey Pour Homme Intenseโ
Issey Miyakeโs fragrance line is at its best when its playing around with the original and seeing what kind of new angles it can take the classic recipe. Pour Homme Intense easily fits that bill, sharing much of the same elements to the primordial Issey Miyake fragrance but subtracting a bit of the fresh citrus for something a bit heavier and warmer โ most ideal for winter wear.
The addition of smokey incense to the opening makes a big difference here, flanked by vibrant notes of cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom to create plenty of warmth right out of the gate. What you ultimately get here is something smokey, nutty and slightly gourmand, mostly distinguished by the use of papyrus to bring a rougher, dryer profile that lasts well into the woody dry-down.
Issey Miyake perfumes are often at their best when theyโre playing around with those signature aquatic notes and experimenting with different takes on the famed water-on-skin image that birthed the perfume house. Intense is a much different direction, presenting something a bit stronger and more divisive but none the less intensely likeable. Not bad for a perfume that you can usually find for around $50.
Top notes: Yuzu, bergamot, sweet orange, mandarin orange
Middle notes: Nutmeg, lotus, cinnamon, cardamom, saffron
Base notes: Incense, papyrus, ambergris, benzoin, amber
