Alien Man by Mugler

Alien Man was released in 2018, named after the long-running and popular ladies’ Alien line of perfumes. It’s kind of surprising that they waited literal decades after the women’s fragrances had been released to put out a men’s counterpart, but whatever. I recently grabbed a sample of the stuff, to put it through its paces, and see if I liked it. 

What does Alien Man Smell Like?

Notes include: anise, dill, leather, mint, lavender, pepper, thyme, lemon, vanilla, amber, and more

Click here to try: Thierry Mugler Alien Man, 3.4 Oz, Multi color

My Full Review

Before we get into my review, let’s see how Mugler describes this one: Alien Man EDT, a vibration of aromatic freshness, mysterious woody and sensual leather notes.

So, the Alien name becomes quite clear from the jump, because this one does smell pretty different. I think that it dries down fairly conventional, but it does start out with a weird sort of blend, that I’m not sure how to feel about.

First, there is a blend of smoky woods and the ever-present leather. However, along with that is a dill note and also thyme. Oh, also a cooling mint and fresh anise. Yes, indeed the dill does give it a slight pickle juice aroma. It’s not too noticeable on my skin, but it is there. Kinda strange.

Thyme and dill aren’t included in too many fragrances out there, even the women’s Alien went with being a jasmine bomb, and not venturing into odd notes. 

Alien Man is at least interesting. You get cool herbal freshness, sweetness (dare I say powdery), smokiness, and the usual leather and woods. Plenty of depth and the notes don’t always stand out individually.

I won’t say that it smells like Drakkar Noir or Passion by Elizabeth Taylor, but at times it definitely has that same kind of style. That classic style sitting underneath a different sort of opening act.

The middle will be a transition, loss of the dill and thyme influence, more of the herbal cool freshness. That will lead the way to the woods and leather’s growing influence.

The final dry down to my nose, is a fresh blend of woods (with surprisingly less smoke than it had before), with leather, herbal notes, and an amber/vanilla thickness. It’s deep and dark with its presentation.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage here is somewhat strong, though, I’d say that it’s in the upper range of moderate. It does have a thick/heavy kind of aroma and can be over-sprayed. Though, with a few sprays, it’s very tolerable. 

That opening can come off as kind of aggressive. I don’t think that it is massive or a slap you across the room sort of cologne. However, with the early note structure it does ‘feel’ stronger than it actually is.

The longevity is excellent. On my skin, this stuff can go 9-10.5 hours while holding on to much of its power. Mugler definitely comes out with some unique fragrances, but they are usually always awesome performers.

Seasonally, I’d stick to autumn and winter with this one. It’d be a mess in the heat of summer. Especially, that start. It really needs the crisp and cold air to be fully appreciated.

To me, this has a classic sort of smell, and can totally be worn at the office. That initial period of time, provides the futuristic aroma, before falling back into a leathery aromatic/barbershop scent. It fits well for all age ranges, really.

Alien Man is an anytime kind of fragrance, during those cooler months. Maybe go with something else for romantic or nightlife, but it can sort of fit in anywhere.

Overall Impressions of Alien Man

Overall do I like this fragrance? Not too much, but I don’t hate it either. I gave it several tries and I can appreciate aspects of it, just not the entire thing.

The opening is pretty strange to smell on my skin. Then, the smoky woods come in, with leather, and some sweet vanilla. When that happens, it feels a lot more familiar, while still maintaining some level of uniqueness.

It’s just an okay smell to me, overall. The dry down is basically a modern take on an old-school style that’s been done a thousand times. It’s fine, I like it enough to wear on occasion, but not for a full bottle. 

The performance and the uniqueness are all pretty top notch. That’s to be expected with pretty much all Mugler fragrances. They provide you at least something different and are bold with how they come across.

As such, if you dig the scent itself, it does present a very nice buying opportunity. I don’t fall into that camp, personally, but plenty of you very well may. 

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.