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AttimeRit – :
I really want this juice
Ромчик 2 2 – :
I’m surprised people don’t realize this is Youth Dew for men. To me it smells nearly the same. Deep dark rich spices and sex appeal. A floriental soaked in class and elan.
s4ipa – :
JHL is what YSL’s Opium Pour Homme should have been, — only JHL was several years ahead. It is the perfect consort to the original Opium for women — rich, spicy, intense, elegant, sensual, sweet, and warm, with incredible lasting power. This is not for the timid, or for young men. It takes considerable panache, maturity and confidence to bring off a heady borderline-sweet scent like this. Obsession, Lagerfeld, KL Homme and Chaps are all close relatives, but none of them have the gravitas of JHL.
This is one of those scents that should be saved for special occasions — it’s too intense for everyday wear. But for a night at the opera, or a tryst at an elegant hotel, perhaps a formal New Year’s Eve party — bring it on! JHL is at home amid rich velvets and brocades, heavy draperies, and crowds dressed to the nines. It conjures up a sultry night in a Sultan’s palace in the Arabian Nights, although its heat and richness makes it more of a wintertime scent than one to wear in the summer. This is a 5-star classic if ever there was one, but only when used sparingly in the proper setting.
Oleksandr – :
I keep flirting with the desire to buy Aramis JHL but the price tag has, so far, prevented me. I owned a 4 oz. bottle of this, in a splash, back in the early 90’s and I was in love with it.
I haven’t even smelled this beauty in 20 years because I lost that potion, along with the rest of my collection, due to a concatenation of unfortunate events.
I recall that every time I put some of this on I’d say to myself, and never to anyone else, “Ah, sublime Nectar of The Gods.”
JHL was the product of the ultimate alchemist’s dream, an elixir vitae; a delight unmatched in perfumery.
I’ve checked Ebay from time to time for the price of a replacement JHL and I see that a bottle of the 4 oz. splash that I owned in the 90’s is now considered vintage.
It requires an outlay of $250 to acquire that phenomenon so sweet which, each time I smelled it, made me think of the lovely perfume, Ciara, what I consider JHL’s feminine doppelganger and which I like to call Christmas Candy.
Oh to dream and aspire to reach that which is beyond grasp!
Someday . . .
natasha310804 – :
Classy scent and quite affordable. the concentration description is very wierd “Custom blend cologne !!!”
for me its a decent EDT concentration as it dose last long and projects nicely.
away from performance the smell is spicy/floral/woody. reminds by dioressence but in a much masculine way.
aldeyhdes , cinnamon , woods and floral notes are very notable and will blended.
I see it for the age range 30+ , this is ascent for a gentleman wearing a sharp suite.
Cheers.
pet-pso – :
excellent scent. blind bought based on the positive reviews and glad i did. excellent projection and sillage. drydown reminds me of Chanel Antaeus (which I love) and less so like YSL Opium pour homme.
A lover of these scents could blind buy this and not worry
serega-vip – :
Perhaps one of the best “Autumn in a Bottle” colognes for men, especially during peak foliage season in New England in October. It goes perfect when my wife wears Cinnabar, which I always enjoyed on her but found too feminine for myself. I love when autumn rolls around and she pulls out the Cinnabar for our weekend trips to apple orchards for hot apple cider, pumpkin spice pie, and all the goodness of Autumn. Now, after acquiring the male version of Cinnabar in JHL, we can both smell like the fall season. But I couldn’t wait until fall 2017, I wore my JHL yesterday for the first time before putting it away for the spring and summer. It quickly became one of my favorites.
At first, I did get the “old lady perfume” vibe others have indicated. But once it settles down, it’s as masculine as many other classics from the 1970’s and 1980’s era of alpha colognes. However, I don’t think guys in their 20’s to mid 30’s can pull this one off. It’s more of a mature scent, for a gentlemen type… not a cologne to wear when hanging out with male friends watching football at the pub, or riding your motorcycle around town, or other “male bonding” activities. JHL is more reserved for times alone with your wife or girlfriend, a romantic dinner date in the fall/winter, sitting around the fireplace during the Christmas season watching holiday movies such as the classic ‘It’s A Wonderful Life.’ JHL is for enjoying time with your partner… and I believe that was the intention of Mrs. Lauder when she designed the fragrance for her husband..
JHL is even better when your lady is wearing Cinnabar as the fragrances compliment each other perfectly. Although I never smelled the vintage JHL, I really don’t want to because this latest version is perfect for me. My wife loves it, and her lady friends want to get it for their husband — that’s a winner in my book.
JHL actually changed my entire seasonal cologne rotation. Up until yesterday, before trying JHL for the first time, I use to wear colognes by the four seasons – winter, spring, summer, fall. I wore about 40 colognes per season out of my 160 fragrance collection. However, after wearing JHL I decided I could not just enjoy this wonderful fragrance in the fall. From here on forward, I combined my fall/winter fragrances, and my spring/summer fragrances so I can get 6 months of enjoyment of JHL and other favorites. However, I’ll always keep my fall/winter rotation separate from my spring/summer. There are just some fragrances that only work for certain seasons. For those of you that do the same, you understand how much more enjoyable it is to wear fragrances that best match the season. It builds memories for you and the people around you… nothing brings back memories more than a scent. As for my wedding day fragrance, I limit myself on wearing it only once per year, which of course is our anniversary. Am I crazy? Perhaps, but it allows me to get the most enjoyment from my collection. Memories of certain colognes is what got me into fragrances, and will probably be the reason I’ll always be a fraghead.
garik1971 – :
I used to dismiss Aramis fragrances. I thought they were grandpa smells. I was either ignorant, younger, or inexperienced, but boy… was I wrong!!!
Aramis has been a very rewarding discovery. Its fragrances are mature for sure, but in the sense that they appeal to a different time and sensibility. They r not gourmands, aquatics, fresh woody, etc, etc, etc. No. They are distinctive, opulent, classy and sophisticated fragrances that stand on their own.
JHL has been compared to a few juices, but it distinctively reminds me of three. On its current composition, its fresh opening reminds me of Versace L’Homme. The cinnamon immediately makes itself present and at this stage it reminds me of Opium (not Opium homme) and the dry down, possibly my favorite part, reminds me of Youth Dew.
I have always been a fan of the classics from EL (Youth Dew, Cinnabar, Estee) and to me they smell beautiful… on ladies. There is something about the female skin ph that makes these creations come alive. Same thing with Clinique’s Aromatics. These are fumes to be smelled on women, because they were meant for them and because let’s face it, when I smell Youth Dew or AE on myself… it smells nice, I like the smell… but something is missing.
Therein lies the beauty of JHL. It reminds me of Opium and Youth Dew, but this time it smells right.
Lovely fragrance, and as always, wear what you like no matter what.
Smell great my friends.
Evgen176 – :
nuclear sillage and duration, very retro feeling but a wonderful creation, reminds me of Krizia Moods Uomo!
Spicy oriental slightly soapy and camphorated!
suq150intitytek – :
The house of Aramis began with a trio of increasingly unique chypres, each of which remain classics. Aramis is quintessential leather; 900 is an animalic floral beast; and Devin is a delightfully twisted burst of green.
For its fourth fragrance, Aramis went in a different direction. The house took the subtle subversion of its earlier chypres, and unleashed that rebellious spirit onto an oriental. The result, JHL, is every bit as classic as its forerunners.
JHL is an excellent spicy floriental. The most prominent note is a heady cinnamon that is incredibly potent, yet smooth and rich. The note is worlds apart from the cinnamon in Obsession for men, which to my nose has the olfactory appeal of a splitting headache. It’s more like the classy cinnamon of YSL’s Opium for women. That spiciness blends nicely with carnation-heavy floral notes, a dash of patchouli, and a smooth accord of amber, musk and rich balsamics.
I haven’t tried the original JHL formulation, but it must have been amazing if the current Gentleman’s Collection blend is anything to go by. I paid a small premium over other the other scents in the collection because JHL is becoming harder to find. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s been discontinued, again, so I had to get it before it was too late.
The pay-off was enormous, however. This scent really performs. Longevity is monstrous and projection is huge. This is no wallflower – prepare to stand out from those wearing the inexplicably popular watery-sweet abominations that pass as fragrances these days.
JHL is a timeless classic – just go easy on the trigger.
afanasev176 – :
Following my pleasant experience with Lauder Inc’s reformulation of Aramis Devin, I decided to try out another one of their classics, JHL. And just like I anticipated, it’s a hollowed out version of itself. It’s notably less sweet, very diluted, less cinnamon (yayy!), less oakmoss and sandalwood (of course!)…but greater longevity. All in all, just what I expected but still disappointing.
Some people are of the opinion that JHL is arguably the best masculine oriental and I belong to this camp. But with the current version, it’s a precarious position to be in. It’s still head and shoulders above what’s currently out there, but it’s not a strong lead anymore.
One thing I did notice during the reformulation’s drydown: I never realized what strong resemblance JHL has to a vintage Brut. It seems like Lauder stole a classic fougere, turned it into an oriental, and got away with it.
———————————–
It’s easy to reconstruct the reformulation into faux vintage: Just add oakmoss (a fair amount!), opoponax and sandalwood. Nothing else is missing, but good luck looking for that mysore sandalwood.
2016-06-04. I also tried adding aldehydes C10, 11 and 12…but they were disasters. hehehe…. You might have better luck.Now where can I get my filthy hands on some nitomusks?
Shershenn – :
For those who prefer the Vintage JHL I have dicovered a knock off that very closely resembles the original much more than the new version.
kvadra1 – :
Manly Spice…
This is one I like quite a bit. It’s a variation on Estee Lauder – Cinnabar, which is a spicy oriental floral, and a contemporary or YSL – Opium. This is the male version of those fragrances.It is rumoured that Estee Lauder herself created this fragrance for her husband Joseph H. Lauder, hence the fragrance name JHL.
The level of spice in this fragrance is not something I see in many designer fragrances these days. There is such an array of different notes here it is almost overwhelming. Mainly, Carnation and Cinnamon. Those two dominate this fragrance for me.
I could see this one being worn in the cooler months. I don’t see it being something to wear in the heat of summer. Except on cooler nights. It has a tenacity and robust quality which I admire very much about it. To me it’s a great example of a spicy fragrance for men but still with a refined quality about it. Not “over the top” in any way.
I think this is still a great fragrance which can be worn today, however there is a slight dated aspect to it, but not as bad as other fragrances of the same era. Many of the best fragrances of all time were created in the 1970’s, and for men I think JHL is a great example of a fragrance which is classy, elegant and refined. A really nice one IMO.
straponi – :
Finally finally found a vintage mini of this and was able to sample it. The vintage is in very high demand and that is reflected in its price. Now, it’s true that this cologne is very aged,but the first thing I was struck by was animatic odor…something like castoreum. It’s not listed in the notes, but I swear it was there. So this is a dense floral rich animalic fragrance with nice cinnamon like notes. It is strong, slightly dated, but for those who like the vintage Antaeus and vintage Perry Ellis Original for men, this will most likely be right up your alley. If you hate floral notes, steer clear.
PS The animalic aroma didn’t last too long…perhaps it was just aged yang ylang or sometimes heady jasmine gives me an animalic impression.
x3y – :
The original JHL was – by far – the best mass-produced (under $150) men’s fragrance EVER. I discovered it at about age 25, and wore it (carefully) for years. It was VERY bold, but settled into a rich, individualistic character after a while. It actually had that “walking a cute dog” effect . . . women would literally stop me and ask what it was (guys, if THAT’S not enough for you, just buy any old cologne). Unfortunately, as with many fine, bold fragrances, this was “reformulated” with less expensive ingredients (said ingredients being what made it so special). The new JHL pretty much smells the same in the bottle, but it does NOT wear the same. Oh, how I wish they would bring the original JHL (and Calvin in the blue bottle for more casual use) back! You can find bottles of the “vintage” original, but I’m a little leery of buying 25 year-old cologne. I think I still have a couple of the original bottles with the copper bottom (which this new formulation doesn’t have).
Itavoignvog – :
This review is for the vintage (original) formulation. I will ALWAYS have this in my collection. It is, and always will be, simply the best oriental ever produced (In my opinion)!
Banknotes did a poll of the greatest oriental of all time and JHL came out on top . . . I wholeheartedly agree.
Mebqy866intitytek – :
Boozy “old lady” perfume smell, really rich and opulent. After the amazing reviews, I was shocked how outmoded and out-of-place it smelled to me, how little I could identify with it. Similar to the cheapies Stetson, Chaps, and English Leather Musk which to me aren’t the slightest bit masculine. The booze is appealing but the powder is out-of-control, with a heavy stifling sweetness. Without this, the underlying smooth wood would be along the lines of brands that I like. The base becomes less harsh and more cinnamon-centric, but by then I’ve given up.
road_dogg – :
A very rich fragrance for special occassions. Feels like wrapping yourself in a warm blanket of masculinity. Not for boys or everyday use. For grown men, alpha males, who want to smell aristocratic. I can easily picture the guy in the Dos Equis commercials probably wearing this or something similar. Also probably worn by Don Corleone in The Godfather.
Stay thirsty my friends.
DGokep – :
This fragrance is one of my favorites. A classic thats been around for many years,but stopped being sold in stores in the late 80’s. I bought a bottle back then,and still have the old bottle. The new re-formulated version is good,but the old version is a little better. It’s a very elegant spicy woody fragrance. I smell mainly the spice of Cinnamon in it. I’de say it’s the masculine opposite of Estee Lauder’s “Cinnabar”. I’ve tried other spicy fragrances;i.e.Vetiver-by Guerlain,and Habit Rouge–by Guerlain and possibly Terre D’hermes-by Hermes to name a few but JHL is the best.
igor33019 – :
Aramis JHL is a beautiful darkly austere oriental. From the listed notes you would expect something more along the lines of a warm spicy oriental with a sweet tone. There are elements of that genre in JHL, but they are joined by prominent cedary and herbal notes, putting it somewhere between an oriental and an aromatic fougere. The top has a dark citrusy note with a slightly astringent waxy or piney edge, the middle is mildly spicy, dense, and rich, and the base has a more cedar and vetiver feel than the listed notes, with only a touch of benzoin-vanilla sweetness. It is very strong – spray lightly.
Apparently this was named by Estee Lauder for her husband (Joseph Harold Lauder) either just before or after he died (depending on whether or not the release date is exactly correct). I like to think it is a memorial to him. If so, JHL would have been some comfortable mixture of Ernest Hemingway and Beau Brummel, and his memorial scent is a wild safari to the spice islands brought back to the fashion runway. Refined and urbane, but hinting of explosive passions in hidden places. (And then I have lunch with my daughter and have her smell my wrist, and she says “Nice!” and changes the subject. So much for my purple prose, but at least she said nice.)
Кристи – :
OVERALL RATING: * *
A synthetic aldehyde bomb that smells more of onions than cinnamon and roses. It is reminiscent of some feminine Chanels; not at all my cup of tea. This fragrance is all business, all the time. Sterile and asexual.
Scent: 1/5
Sillage: 4/5
Longevity: 3/5
cheapjerseysoc3 – :
If it’s like Cinnabar……I really want this one!!
thercass – :
Too overpowering for me, especially cinnamon. I like cinnamon but this has a full cinnamon tree in it. Probably it works better if not overapplied and for colder weather. Not for warm weather though…
fitorodnik – :
Let me categorize these men’s things: most gorgeous goes to a Cartier, most excellent goes to an Hermès, most sensual goes to a YSL, most plush goes to a Bond, and most affluent goes to a Creed. But FAVORITE goes to JHL. This is an orange-cinnamon Youth-Dew milkshake that starts as a glossy homage to 80s excess and recedes to an aldehydic (electrical) aura of confidence. Nothing was spared in the making of this, but it is uniquely balanced and somehow not overdone: cinnamon oriental, brisk incense and balsam, gentle carnation, vintage vanilla rubbing a handsome and friendly musk, bitter citrus, rich wood, and even a greenish chypre in the background. Better, and less pricey per ounce, than anything.
Sllash – :
got a sample, someone I shared notes with suggested I try it since I liked derby so much but so pricy.. after trying this I sort of get the derby connection plus a cinnamon after taste. a very nice fragrance. JHL has that old school vibe or powerhouse aromatics, i agree with the luxurious comment of an earlier poster..JHL is a well blended fragrance and is quality, it announces that right away. To me JHL is similar to derby with an Opium chaser.. JHL is heavy handed, you will get noticed when you wear it .. I view it more for the sophisticated man who enjoys his old fashioned with a good cigar. Handsome devil. thumbs up.
pashulya20126 – :
Cinnabar for Men. End of story here. It’s really the same template, similar sillage and longevity, almost identical booziness about it.
All of that said, this is still very much a classic scent, though the audience has just grown beyond the sheer heaviness of the scent. Don’t expect me to decry the depth factor in this, but this isn’t something that I’d expect someone under say 40 to fully appreciate.
Bottom-line for me: It’s not something I would own, but it’s otherwise a very classic fragrance that continues to be relevant in the same way Guerlain’s Shalimar continues to be timeless. Someone new will discover this and simply say “wow”.
Алекс_ – :
I don’t have a lot to add to what others have said about JHL, and certainly nothing particularly clever, but I would like to add my applause. What a great fragrance for men, and thank you, Aramis for re-releasing it. I would love to smell this on a young person who might discover complexity, plush and density from this fragrance from another era and sensibility. I don’t mean to be cynical about the state of most men’s designer fragrances these past few years, but JHL stands resolutely apart from them. It’s funny, actually. My real complaint about most men’s designer scents is that there are so many, and they vary from each other in such small ways that they smell the same even to people who are looking for distinctions. And yet look at JHL. It’s Cinnabar and Youth Dew with some carnation! Given this slapdash approach but brilliant result, I suppose I can hardly level the ‘sameness’ complaint against current men’s designer scents.
JHL is a beautiful example of Estée Lauder’s transplantation of French sensibility to American perfumery. It’s a rich combination of many ingredients (hesperides, culinary spices, balsams, florals, amber), beautiful evolution over time, and coherence from start to finish. JHL is a tribute from Lauder to classical perfumery, but the way she overlaps genres (spicy, amber, floral) gives us something that likely would not have come from France. Kudos for not sparing the voluptuousness in a men’s scent! We like a little lavishness too!
absereory – :
An “old school” oriental. Unlike many “men’s” fragrances of this type, there is no noticeable lavender. However, there is a dry, “soapy” quality, apparently mostly due to the spices and florals. The notes are “legible” yet contribute to a nice blend that possesses reasonable dynamism. It also smells reasonably natural, with a nice sandalwood note. Overall, there is nothing negative one can say about this fragrance, assuming you understand and enjoy the genre. Longevity and projection/”sillage” are at least very good. Presumably, this is best for romantic occasions, bur not for the youngsters. Ispahan by Yves Rocher is similar, but without the strong woody quality of JHL.
leon1 – :
One of my first fine colognes. Very heavy at first but settles down nicely.
tixexcept – :
Perfectly fine on a female, too!
KemHergeBeamp – :
I totally agree with Castor; it’s a male version of “Opium” by YSL – the way it should have been!
I know, because I’ve been obsessed with Opium since it’s release in 1977.
Very retro masculine fragrance and worth owning for serious collectors.
frunzik76 – :
BEST WHEN WORN LATE FALL/AUTUMN AND WINTER.I SWEAR THIS JUICE LASTS 36 HOURS ON ME.BELIEVE ME WINTER? HERE IN PUERTO RICO’S MOUNTAINS CAN DIP TO 46F. BUENAS NOCHES/GOODNIGHT.