Man in Red by Ferrari

There are numerous fragrances by Ferrari with the color Red in the title, which can be confusing when referencing one of these scents. In this post, I want to focus on Man in Red, which is one of the more recent additions from the brand. What does this cologne smell like? How long does it last? Is Ferrari Man in Red worth a purchase?

What does Man in Red Smell Like?

Notes include: pink pepper, lavender, apple, cedar, bergamot, plum, cardamom, tonka bean

Click here to try: Ferrari Ferrari Man In Red Eau De Toilette Spray 100ml/3.3oz

My Full Wear Review

Man in Red opens up with quite a familiar profile. It strikes me as very similar to Scuderia Black but with some slight differences. One of them, is the presence of a pink pepper note, that is quite comparable to Guess Seductive Homme.

The pink pepper adds an extra layer of warmth and spiciness to Man in Red and it never has quite the same sweetness as the Guess cologne.

It’s a pretty strong fruit note, mainly apple, but there is also some support from the citrus note, and a tart plum. The spicy notes aren’t very intense but really do remind me of Scuderia Black and that is what the cologne becomes for the first hour or so: Scuderia Black with pink pepper.

During the dry down, Man in Red fully takes on it’s fruit-laden aroma. It’s apple, plum, and pink pepper as the main attractions.

Other than that I get the clean smoothness of lavender and a somewhat creamy tonka bean on top of a cedar base. The dry down period is where it separates from Scuderia Black in terms of its smell, this doesn’t have the same spice.

So, you get a nice fruity fragrance that is clean and has a nice woody freshness coming from the base. Not super complex, but has a nice presentation.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, it’s light to moderate in its sillage. People will be able to smell it from a few feet away, but not across the room.

Man in Red is not a bomb of a fragrance at all. Over the hours, it becomes more and more of a skin scent. So, moderate opening to pretty light middle act.

The longevity is in the 6 hour range, like seemingly most of the scents from this Ferrari line, it’s okay but not amazing. Solid deal for the price. After a few test runs, this is about all that this fragrance seems capable of. Not high end, like the cars.

I tried to apply more to see if it would go further. Nope, at least on me.

The warmth of the fragrance puts it more in the cold weather wear category, but I think it’d be fine in the spring, not the extremes of summer. Cold to warm days.

It’s a casual scent that can be worn to work or perhaps for drinks afterward. It’s nice and attractive but not a club scent or one that is particularly sexy.

Man in Red leans toward being more for a younger guy, but it doesn’t have a total teenager vibe. It’s put together well enough for older men to wear around. It doesn’t go overboard with a candy-like sweetness, so you get more versatility out of Red.

Overall Impressions of Man in Red

Overall, do I recommend Man in Red? It’s a nice cologne for the price, I like how it’s sort of a mix between elements of Scuderia Black and Guess Seductive Homme. I like the Guess better than either of the Ferrari colognes, but between those two it’s a toss up to which I’d prefer.

If you need something inexpensive for daily wear, this is a good low key choice, that is safe to wear and generic enough to enjoy a wide appeal. It’s not going to blow anyone away, but it doesn’t do anything poorly.

That apple, plum, and pink pepper mix is cool. I like the addition of the plum note. Not extremely powerful, though it provides a little something different from the colognes that I’ve compared Man in Red to.

Also, I like the bottle design, it’s got a nice style. It’d be better if the contents were elevated to a higher level, though. For $10-20? You could do a lot worse and probably not much better.

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.