Gentlemen Only Intense by Givenchy

I have already reviewed many scents this week, including Gentlemen Only. Since I’ve also got a mini size of Gentlemen Only Intense, I thought that I’d go ahead and do a review post on it. This is another cologne from Givenchy and one which is masculine and suited toward the cooler months of the year. How does it stack up? Is it better than the original? Please read below for my full take on this scent.

What Does Gentlemen Only Intense Smell Like?

Notes include: tonka bean, birch wood, mandarin, patchouli, leather, amber, and cedar

Click Here to Try:Givenchy Gentlemen Only Intense Eau de Toilette Spray for Men, 3.3 Ounce

My Full Review

OK, so after trying the original Gentlemen Only and enjoying it, (only to later be disappointed by its longevity), I was looking forward to trying the Intense version of this cologne. As it turns out, I actually like this one much better.

Let me state beforehand that I love sweet/spicy/leathery fragrances in the fall or winter months. I am a fan of tonka bean (Versace Eros), leather even in something like Dirty English, and the sweet/spicy incense of something like Body Kouros. As such, I was drawn to this fragrance right off the bat.

The opening is a sweet blend of tonka bean, amber, and the leather note. This is an interesting departure from the original which featured more of the birch wood, mandarin, and vetiver, which are downplayed a great deal in Intense. The opening has a bit more fresh spiciness, than this one will later feature. You get some of the mandarin, mint, and pink pepper.

The composition is pretty inverted from the original. As such, you are hit with a different sensibility and less of the dry sweetness than Gentlemen Only. Intense presents itself as much more of a sweet/incense take on the original, that at times seems somewhat gourmand without going overboard (like in Very Irresistible by Givenchy)  but keeping an underlying smokiness.

Again, this one might not be for everyone but if you enjoy that kind of sweet/leathery/masculine type of scent this could be a good look. The dry down becomes a woody, sweet, leathery, creamy/amber-laden affair.

It has that Gentlemen Only dryness, spice, and smokiness but those are relegated to bit players. It all comes together, as being super smooth. I really enjoy the way that it smells, even if the development isn’t too complex.

Sillage and Longevity

Projection wise, it is pretty good. It’s not a beast but it is better than Gentlemen Only, though, I believe Intense is a misnomer…it’s not intense but quite moderate. Even with that spiciness. It’ll project itself 4-6 feet from the skin for a while, before settling back down, closer to the skin.

Longevity was the drawback of the original and honestly, Intense isn’t much better in this regard. 4-5 hours of life at most. The only saving grace is that I feel that this is a nighttime fragrance and so that longevity might be enough in that situation.

However, it really should be better than that and I’m disappointed that it isn’t. Shouldn’t an ‘intense’ fragrance, have a strong sillage, and staying power?

I think others have gotten a slightly better result with this one. For me, it refuses to stick around for very long on my skin, which is usually fine with not ‘eating up’ colognes.

When Should Gentlemen Only Intense be Worn?

Again, to me, this is a nighttime fragrance. The original was more of the office type of daily wear, while this one is a sexier evening wear option. On a cold evening, Intense is actually really awesome, and will get complemented.

Well, at least for those first few hours. It is a mature fragrance and will generally be a better fit for those in their late 20s and up.

Overall Impressions

Overall, is it worth a buy? Maybe. It smells really good, in my opinion, but the longevity questions remain. The fragrance itself is an awesome blend of sweetness, woods, leather, and spice. On that end of things, Gentlemen Only Intense is pretty brilliant.

It’s not an all-time great or anything, but this had the potential of being a under the radar favorite. The tonka bean and leather combination is so good here.

It’s one that I could definitely find a place for on occasion, but, at the price I could get something else that is a much better performer. It’s not a bad fragrance, actually quite good, but it could be magnificent.

Updating this post, a few years after the initial review, I think that it’s been discontinued.

I still have a mini bottle of this, wear it occasionally, and still cannot believe what a missed opportunity this was for greatness. You might be able to pick up a cheap bottle, at the discount sites now, and it would be worth a shot.

Newer Update: I just saw it going for around $100 when I looked it up, which is a bit of a stretch in my opinion. So, you’ve probably missed out on getting this one for anything reasonable.

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.