Desire by Alfred Dunhill

Desire by Alfred Dunhill enjoyed plenty of popularity after its release in 1997. That popularity has waned some since then, however, that doesn’t mean that it has suddenly become a bad scent. This is a rather unique cologne for men, which will fill a certain niche in a man’s inventory of scents or become a daily wear for a certain type of guy. In this post, I want to explore my thoughts about Desire, after wearing it around for a few days in the past week and whether or not I would recommend it.

What does Dunhill Desire Smell Like?

Notes include: rose, vanilla, apple, bergamot, orange blossom, lemon, teak wood, musk, and patchouli

Click here to try: Desire By Alfred Dunhill For Men. Eau De Toilette Spray 3.4 Ounces

My Full Wear Review

The immediate opening of Desire strikes me as a unisex fragrance bordering on a women’s perfume. The fruit and rose notes are immediately detectable and have a delicious quality to them. It is bright and dynamic when first applied, with an underpinning of the musk and more woodsy notes.

Along with the rose, I get orange blossom, as an additional floral note. The floral presence is moderate, but definitely not overwhelming. In the opening act, you get apple as the main note, with a grab bag of citrus aromas coming in. Again, pretty unisex, at this point in time.

Desire, as its name suggests, is a cologne which is set up to be seductive and bring women closer to you. I definitely get that kind of vibe from this scent, it has a unique and attractive profile, that should perform well on nights out on the town.

There is a exotic/oriental type of spice which develops after a few minutes of wear. I think it is the combination of vanilla and musk which provides this light spiciness.

After about an hour, the fruit notes begin to lose some of their potency and Desire evolves into a more woodsy and oriental type of fragrance. It is still sweet, but you get more of the teak wood and musky base.

In the end, I am left with rose, vanilla, musk, wood, and some lingering sweetness from the fruit notes. It’s nice with a warm sweet/spice blend, quite attractive overall.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The projection also seems to die down after a while, the cologne is still detectable but it’s definitely not as loud as it was during the opening phase. Strong opening sillage, then, much more moderate.

I don’t don’t find this cologne to be super long-lasting, but it seems to perform rather, well throughout the day. You’ll get around 7 hours, out of it. That seems to be the consistent result, from my testing. Though, I wouldn’t put it at the top of the list of longevity.

For this price range, it’s really more than what you get with other comparable fragrances. No real complaints because Desire is still is above average in sillage and longevity.

Desire for Men is a pretty versatile scent. It has a pleasant enough aroma to be mass pleasing, yet, it is unique enough to stand out from the crowd. It can be worn in almost any season, though I would avoid the hottest days of summer.

The citrus allows it to venture into the warmer weather, but it won’t perform near it’s peak when it’s blistering outside.

It is safe enough for daily office wear, if needed. It can also venture into the nightlife. I would probably reserve it for casual wear or other social events, but it does have the ability for other purposes.

One further thing to mention is this does have a unique vibe. Even back in the late 90s this one was pretty different. Now? It’s miles away from most designer offerings. There aren’t too many men wearing Dunhill Desire and it’s formula is just distinct.

Overall Impressions of Desire

Overall, I would say that Desire is worth a try. It might not fit every guy’s style but I think it will be appreciated by many and is appealing enough to attract the ladies.

The fruity rose part, does have a unisex if not a women’s level of sweetness and style. But, that musk and vanilla dry down is better for most guys. When it becomes woodier, less sweet, and more balanced overall.

It has grown in appeal, because you can pick up bottles of this stuff for under $30 nowadays, which makes it a bargain. Even updating here in 2023, it’s still around for the same price.

It smells good and provides solid performance. This would never become a signature scent for me, as I’m not that big on rose as a note in this, but it is something that I wouldn’t mind wearing some more. Desire is a good cologne, that has the potential to be great, for the right guy.

Best Men's Colognes

Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.