kenzo

Kenzo Homme Intense EDT by Kenzo

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Kenzo isn’t a brand that I talk about much on the site. I’m going to try and change that, as they do have some worthwhile fragrances in their lineup. I recently bought a sample of their 2021 release, Kenzo Homme Intense EDT. How does this cologne smell? Does it last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Kenzo Homme Intense smell like?

Notes include: calypsone, pink pepper, Hatian vetiver, fig wood accord, Australian sandalwood

Click here to try: Kenzo Homme Intense

My Full Review

Here’s how Kenzo describes it: Inspired by the intensity of bamboo and the serenity of sea breeze. A marine, woody and warm signature.

Kenzo Intense opens up with its aquatic notes out in full force. It’s a calypsone note with some more generic sea breeze/water aroma blended in. Not super oceanic or anything, more like a watery aroma mixed with some melon juiciness.

At the start, you will also get a pink pepper fresh spiciness. It’s fine, but I’m kind of tired of pink pepper mixed in aquatics right now, as I’ve worn Light Blue Living Stromboli quite a bit.

Here, it’s going to be subdued eventually by the calypsone and the fig accord. So, Kenzo Intense actually feels like a colder freshness initially, that will warm up later.

The fruitiness here is that melon-like effect from the calypsone, but also the fig fruit itself in the fig wood accord. This gives Kenzo Intense a unique vibe, especially once that pink peppercorn has burned off.

It comes across as sweet, aquatic, with an almost menthol sort of coolness.

The next phase, will have Intense turn woodier. Here, the fig wood and vetiver really come into play. Much less fruitiness and this one starts to warm up and have a creamier profile. Fig and the later sandalwood note, lean into this a lot.

It’s a bit strange at times, with a wet woods smell. But, that is always blended with a creaminess and light sweetness. Not completely amazing, but it has its moments. Much less spicy and aquatic, in the dry down.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Intense is a breezy aquatic, so, it’s not going to be a heavy scent. However, the sillage is actually deceivingly good. You might not think that you’re leaving a scent trail or that it’s projecting off of the skin much, but it is.

Not a huge heavy cloud, but people will notice it. Sprayed on clothes, I could catch whiffs of this from 5-8 feet out during the first hour to hour and a half. Not massive, but above average, and kind of surprising.

I bet with a full bottle sprayer, this one wouldn’t require too many sprays to be effective.

On my skin, I also got good longevity. Intense maxed out somewhere in the 8.5 hour range for me. Much better than most aquatics on the market and eau de toilette concentrations. Kenzo didn’t skimp on this one.

Seasonally, Kenzo Homme Intense is all about the spring and summertime. It does have that interesting shift from being a colder scent to a warmer and creamier one. Still, that shift doesn’t particularly hurt it in the heat.

Kenzo Homme Intense is going to be a casual daytime wear for the most part. If you’re not blasting the sprays, it should be fine for most office environments during the hotter days. But, it’s not really a formal kind of cologne.

Overall Impressions of Kenzo Intense

Overall, do I like Intense? I like it well enough. It’s not the most amazing thing out there, but it does have periods during the wear, in which I really enjoyed it.

I don’t really care for the opening act. It comes across as annoying and kind of synthetic. Though, once I get less of the pink pepper, Kenzo Intense gets much better.

I like calypsone, even if it isn’t a naturalistic aquatic aroma. It’s fresh and does a good job in the mix. The fig accord and sandalwood, are the standouts to me. I like the middle act a lot, where it is a true woody aquatic. The later forest and creamy smell, is okay, sort of strange to my nose.

Performance here is great, especially for an EDT. Not elite, but it holds up for a long lasting experience.

Is it worth a buy? Maybe. I don’t think everyone is going to enjoy this cologne. Even I don’t like all of it. Overall, it is unique and does everything pretty well. For a casual spring and summer wear, it has its merits.

Kenzo Homme Intense is worth trying out. If you can get a discount on a bottle and it sounds like something you’d like, I’d probably go for it. Full price blind buy? Ehh, not so much.