Description
Givenchy Play Sport is a new sporty and refreshing version of the successful men’s fragrance Play (2008) from Givenchy. The fragrance is advertised as the one that brings a wave of extreme freshness, adrenaline and energy and provides the precious sense of freedom and opportunity.
The key ingredient of the whole Play fragrance collection (including women’s editions) is amyris wood. This accord is spiced with pepper in the heart of the sports version. The compositions’ opening bursts with very fresh aromas of bergamot, ginger, mint and lemon leaf, while its musky base provides a modern touch.
The face of the fragrance is the famous pop singer Justin Timberlake. The fragrance is available as 50 and 100 ml Eau de Toilette.
Play Sport was launched in 2012.
GOLD-X – :
It doesn’t worth buying it. Smells boring and really bad performance.
I blind bought it and totally regret it.
There are way better summer freshies for cheaper price.
Not a fan at all.
papasha25 – :
Play Sport Givenchy for men , long story short NOT BAD but NOT WOW EITHER !
xyr268Diobtetty – :
Good scent but sillage is disappointing. Really poor. I dont understand givenchy why produce it with this horrible low degree of sillage.
بوی خوب و دلمشینی داره، یک بوی تازگی که کاملا حس میکنید نت های غالب میوه هستند. بویی خاص نه به این معنی که فوق العاده است و به وجد میاردتون، به این معنی که کمتر بویی اینچنینی حس کردید. به شخصه از بوش لذت میبرم ولی این همه ماجرا نیست. شما حتی با دوش گرفتن با این عطر فقط خودتون حسش میکنید و چه ده تا پاف چه صدتا پاف بزنید کسی که کنار شما راه بیاد هیچی حس نمیکنه. مشکل زیادی با ماندگاری فوق الاده کمش ندارم، چون سیاست عطر سازها و آدمهای این دوره زمونه به سمتی رفته که بوی با ماندگاری بسیار طولانی دیگه مزیت نیست، هرچند ماندگاری خیلی کمه عطرهای جیونچی هم دیگه واقعا کم لطفیش را میرسونه، مشکل بزرگ اینه که جیونچی ظاهرا داره تلاش میکنه پخش عطرهاش را به صفر برسونه. که البته در این عطر استادانه به هدفش نزدیک شده.
در کل بوی خوبی داره واسه کسایی که فقط واسه لذت خودشون استفاده کنند.
Evevainue – :
I’m not one for writing negative reviews but Play Sport is nearly making me write one.
It’s not that I dislike it, it’s just that I find it to be overpriced for such a mild fragrance that is actually hard to notice.
Even if you apply around 8-10 sprays this is barely detectable. You’ll burn through this in no time due to having to spray more of it, and for the price there are better alternatives (in my opinion of course).
On the plus side however, the scent itself is actually really pleasant (that is if you can pick up on it).
I’m actually quite fond of the original fragrance but this flanker just doesn’t have the same punch, unfortunately.
Lexa25 – :
Projection:5/10
Longevity:4/10 (Up to 3 hours)
Scent:8/10 (Summer amazing scent)
Compliments:7/10
Total:6/10
Excellent summer fragrance, girls love it and you may get compliments especially for the first 3 hours. The problem is just in the longevity and the projection.
colia.dragon – :
I hate ginger as an igridient in summer colognes! So,i avoid to buy this scent!
nbCvcvNMzaeRT – :
مثل اکثر کارای جیوانچی خیلی بوی طراوت و تازگی میده
یه ترکیب هنرمندانه مرکباتی زنجبیلی و اسپایسی که جیگر حال میاره
و خیلی دوستش دارم ولی خب ماندگاری و پخشش در حد ناامید کننده ای پایینه
بیشتر باید برای دل خودتون بزنید تا واقعا لذت ببرید از این رایحه با طراوتش
sima75 – :
Another solid scent within the play line !
This is a great scent that opens up kind of synthetic and smells like cleaning products but after a while those synthetic notes fade and the mint comes into play( no pun intended) making this sweeter and more smooth with that white musk in the background.
To me for some reason it reminds me of what the smell of walking through a cloud would smell like.lol
This is a good scent and is a perfect scent for the gym and for when you want to run quick errands but don’t want to waste some of your better or more expensive scents. But because of the youthfulness of this scent it would NOT be good for formal occasions when your dressed up.
Compared to other sport frags I do have to say this is 1 of the better 1s but it’s still not as good as Dior or Chanel’s sport flanker.
This is a great scent but 1 thing this is lacking is performance. It lasts on me 2-5 hours and has very soft projection which may honestly be good for situations like I mentioned above.
Overall rating 7 out of 10 !
xfxsqqvw – :
Buccia di cedro, le altre note passano in secondo piano,
leggero nel sillage e nella longevità prodotto che non comprerei mai, ho avuto un campione e mi basta. Profumo senz’anima 3/10
LtaS – :
Just purchased a bottle in Australia. In my opinion, it most definitely is nice enough for an office in summertime. It smells to me like live jazz of Yves Saint Laurent. Big times. I wouldn’t venture to say that I can distinguish them every time, blindfolded. They both bear some citrusness and creaminess at the same time. Hopefully I could be of some help to the ones in need here.
denni_10810 – :
The smell:
Starts off with slightly sweet lemon/citrus. Then quickly after, it smells like a recycled cardboard box. This combination gives it a very familiar human sweat smell. Overall, this is a very light scent that will be disappear completely before the end of the day(sometimes that’s a good thing).
I give it points for staying true to its “Sport” name. Possibly the only fragrance I keep in my collection for the sole reason that it actually serves its purpose: perfect for a hot summer day, a workout, or being intimate with someone.
***Update***
Also try Allure Homme Sport: Cologne Sport Spray (the clear bottle, not the grey one).
Averryvot – :
Really fresh, summer scent. It sits closely to the skin and is really hard to notice,longevity is poor. The scent reminds me of grass and wet soil, if that makes any sense. The opening has lemon, but the base is a combination of lemon and bergamot, almost like a fennel smell.I like the scent, but it just doesn’t project or last. Overall 5/10.
ornarmoraph – :
I can’t believe the negativity aimed at this fragrance from the majority of reviews here. On the one hand I agree that play sport is never going to wow anybody with its generic fruity musk and woods but for me it’s a solid citrus release from Givenchy.
Another criticism could be that it doesn’t retain much (if any?) of the character of play or play intense which are popular fragrances and Play Intense is a real true love of mine.
Not only does Play Sport smell very good, those top notes last very well as does the fragrance in general, longer than many niche citrus fragrances I’ve tried.
The opening to my nose is a gorgeous bergamot and mandarin orange which is fresh and zesty then the musk and amyris wood give play sport a solid platform for the citruses to shine for about 6 hours.
I like this…it’s never going to inspire the same fan base as Play Intense for example because it’s quite a flat composition. If you’re looking for a clean linear citrus with good lasting power then play sport should not be overlooked.
zebka50 – :
Tengo este perfume casi al lleno ya que cuando me lo compré sentí las notas cítricas que me gustaron , pero después me decepcionó un poco ya que al pasar un par de horas no me gustó como quedaba en mi piel , así de simple..
nikon – :
it’s nice, too bad it doesn’t last on my skin
AFX – :
Givenchy Play Sport (GPS) really works well for me and the bonus is it keeps surprising me with it’s versatility. I’m not someone who wears cologne to the gym, but I do enjoy citrust fragrances that are done right.
Clinique happy, IAMKing, ADG all smell great but I wanted something with Grapefruit.
Givenchy PLay and Intense were really nice, and on my skin the initial blast from the top notes were gorgeous, but the dry down vanilla and cinnamon or whatever kept me away like most Givenchy dry downs, like the HEWOOD line as well.
Play Sport’s got a great dry down, and is not too sweet. Out of a blind pick my lady picked it out of the three Plays.
ritta9974 – :
Good lemony mint and ginger fresh sports scent with strong hints of pepper and musk with a light green wood. Overall nothing about this is different than the others in the same class. After drowning in it to get the full punch of smells it doesn’t seem to last very long and the silage range is rather small. This should be the perfect cologne for a work space that doesn’t allow bombs in the building.
kullernet – :
This is a pleasant scent, but not as nice as the original Play. It does not project well, and it does not seem long-lasting, unfortunately. It is very soft and the citrus and ginger notes blend beautifully. A very good choice for those who do not like strong fragrance.
ИринаНк – :
I like it a lot, it is fresh,light refreshing, perfect for summer, it isn’t designed to be like the Intense version at all!! This is a playful nicely constructed scent.
There are stronger and spicier scents out there for those who aren’t into light and fresh scents !!??
This is versatile, my husband wears it on occasion. So does my 11 year old!!
Real nice!!
PlafWhals – :
It seems a lot of people dislike this fragrance, but I actually enjoy it.
First of all, it’s a sports fragrance, so you have to go in expecting something light, fresh, and not that unusual. Now I’ve always thought the purpose of a ‘Sports’ flanker is to provide an aura of cool cleanliness–something that beats the heat and keeps you smelling good while active. To that end, I think Givenchy Play Sport hits the mark.
The impression Play Sport leaves me with is that of a cool, minty, floral aquatic that is intentionally transparent. So while many reviewers have remarked that it’s “weak,” I disagree. I actually find that it projects well, and has a nice, diffusive sillage. Most appropriately, it is never thick or dense. This is a fragrance that smells MUCH better from a foot or two away than with your nose pressed up against your wrist or forearm sniffing obsessively. Up close, you lose the nice top layer–the transparent airiness that defines Givenchy Play Sport and carries with it the cool mint and light florals. And up close there is a bit of an overtly synthetic quality to it that could be annoying. But that’s okay, this isn’t meant to be a close-up, cozy, cuddle-me fragrance–it’s a sports fragrance, an active day-time fragrance, and its most likely that no one will be sticking their nose up against it for an extended period of time. And from a foot or two away, you will smell very good. Longevity is average, but increases with body temperature. You can go a little heavier with this one–4 to 6 sprays is my recommendation. Just as an aside, the center of Play Sport (not my favorite part of it) is mostly ginger and woods.
There is an overabundance of aquatics and sports fragrances on the market–there’s no denying that. But before writing them all off, I think it’s important to judge each one on its own merits. While sports flankers and aquatics may seem similar at face value, there are often significant differences between them which distinguish the ‘good’ from the ‘bad.’ Givenchy Play Sport, with its pleasant, cooling mint and light, transparent citrus and florals, provides a refreshing aura of cleanliness without become overbearing or distracting from the activity at hand. In my book, that’s a ‘good’ sports fragrance.
wiever – :
Mi hermano lo tuvo y no me gustó… Es pura mandarina.
note – :
One of the only fragrances that has nauseated me from smelling. It is very very bad in my opinion. I HATE IT. Play Intense is so good, Play Sport is so bad. Something about it gives off a very medicinal smell to me. It’s disgusting. 1/10.
ppj – :
Oh my goodness… This is not a solid realese… Not in my opinion. I do like the original, and Play Intense is one of my all time favorites, but this does not keep up with them. This is the very definition of a poorly done sport fragrance. Watered down lemon juice. Yes, it is a synthetic lemon and yes it does resemble the smell of cleaner. If its any consolation it does stay true to its predissesors with the signature Amyris wood drydown that is common between the Play fragrances. Overall this smells a lot cheapier than it goes for and is not up to par with Givincheys previous releases. Not to me.
Rating:
Projection 4/10
Longevity 4/10
Scent 4/10
Versatility 5/10
Value 0.5/5
*Bonus Marks*
Presentation 1/1
Marketing 1/1
Extra Long Lasting 0/1
Extreme Compliments 0/1
Underpriced 0/1
Overall 19.5/45
pelmeshek – :
The way to spray this seems to affect the longevity enormously for me. On the skin and after 40 minutes I only get a very soft smell with my nose buried into my skin. Spray it on my clothes and it can last for hours! Still the silage wont be much but its still better than when I put it on my skin.
As for the smell i really love it. Sweet-vanilla-ish. And with that a little prickly-powdery feel, tingling to the nose. I only get the powdery smell when i put it on my clothes. On the skin I only get the prickly smell. Guess that doesnt sound that special. Still because of the subtlelty/soft sillage i like it. Bought it to wear this fragrance in the gym. I’m a heavy sweater and when i take a little break I dont want to have my super body odor in the dry-down 😉
upsi33 – :
This one is closer to boring Dolce & Gabbana The One Sport than to powerful Dior Homme Sport or Armani Code Sport. Givenchy Play Sport is a citrusy, a bit woody and even peppery fragrance. (I don’t feel any mint here.) At the same time it is too light and smells like a watered down version of the regular play maybe with an addition of peppery notes.
denis050778 – :
It passed one hour by now, and at this point the smell has been very weak. Here it looks more like a generic (maybe because too weak) sport scent, and thanks!, because I disliked it very much when I first put on. And when I put it again… Yuk. What a difference compared to others releases which, if nothing groundbreaking, smell far better. Armani Sport Code for instance, and the unpretentious (and also better to my nose) Davidoff Champion Energy. This Davidoff is the closest thing I can compare to … the white frozen bottle (both), the red/white/silver paper box (also both). And it beats up Play easy easy …
Some ingredients may be in other recent sport scents like Sport Code, to mention one. But they didn’t go well on Play, in my opinion.
To s2164059: gotcha!
Gremlinoff – :
extremely nice and fresh but the longevity is poor 🙁
klem1998 – :
I get a mojito vibe from this one, which dries down to a ginger and lime base. A pleasant scent, but the projection and longevity are weak, even for a sport fragrance. Save your money.
nikii – :
Top: In the opening of this fragrance I get a nice blast of citrus and mint. The citrus in here smells like mandarin, but there is not in here. There is a slight ginger in the back, but not enough to really be noticable.
Heart: The heart of the fragrance leaves more to be desired as the mint and ginger fade away and you get a very bland pepper note and mild citrus. The Amyris wood that is in here must be hidden behind this pepper.
Base: In the base I get mostly citrus which at this point is very close to the skin, and skin which I guess could be considered some sort of musk. But then I guess you really couldn’t consider it a note.
Overall this is just another plain, bland, run of the mill fresh fragrance just like every other sport fragrance this year. Save your money and buy something more worth wild. Shop around, but don’t let a sales SA put this down your throat. Back to the drawing board for Givenchy.
zeek – :
Listed Notes: bergamot, mint, ginger, lemon leaves, amyris wood, black pepper and musk.
Notes I pick up: Mandarin orange, smooth mint, airy ginger, lemon (listea cubeba-ish), salt, hints of vetiver, smooth white musk, hints of smooth but slightly medicinal sandalwood, hints of coumarin and vanilla
Perfumers: Emilie Copperman & Lucas Sieuzac (these two are responsible for Play and Play Intense as well)
If a sport fragrance is intended to be worn during actual sports or sports-like activity, then I can say that Play Sport earns its title well. I put some on this morning and it behaved a bit differently than on paper, but perhaps most importantly, it has survived a fairly intense weight lifting session and best of all, was never obnoxious or intrusive in any way.
I think the reason for that is tri-fold. First, the scent is very light – somewhere between an aquatic and a citrus, but structurally leaner than most aquatics or citrus scents. That’s not to say ‘thin’ with the negative connotation that term typically carries when applied to a fragrance. Amazingly Play Sport doesn’t come across as thin despite bean very lean. Secondly, it has a cooling, almost chilled vibe to it thanks to a very unique mint element. It also has that icy/aquatic/floral musk note that appears in Reflection Man (also by the same perfumer, Sieuzac), Montauk, Secretions Magnifique, and Bosque. I wish I knew what chemical this is, because I absolutely love it. It starts out icy and cool, salty and a hint metallic (smooth metallic, though), and eventually showcases an interesting floral element. Third, the scent is smooth. The citrus is never sharp or biting as in say, TdH or Orange Verte, and yet it is not that overly smooth synthetic citrus in say Le Roy Soleil. It is smooth and yet there is a hint of tartness and even more fitting to the sport theme, a saltiness present. Behind all of that is a hint of creaminess that thankfully is NOT from the now ubiquitous tonka in so many designer scents. No, this creaminess is different – a bit like a leaner take on Allure Blanche and maybe a hint of Guerlain Homme in the mix, too.
I really like that the saltiness persists throughout – it gives a kind of natural, fresh and clean sweat vibe, while the gentle creaminess and other fresh notes (a long last but almost “white” smelling lemon note) do suggest, as per Octavian’s less than flattering review, a deodorant. Overall, I find the scent to be a simple pleasure (although there is actually a lot of noticeable note movement and interplay in the first 30 minutes, from a beautiful and direct mandarin orange opening, and then the lemon and ginger sneak in and the powdery/green/cool mint and aquatic element surfaces, then a saltiness emerges as the smoothness of the mandarin fades, etc). It’s fresh, bright, sunny, and perhaps best of all it truly smells optimistic – if such a feeling could be translated into fragrance. I always thought CK One was the scent of optimism, and really very few other aquatics ever struck me as being so happy, so joie de vivre, because they either came across as too chemical or caustic or forceful or what have you. Now, I’ve got to add Play Sport to that list of ‘happy scents’ – a list that I would love to keep growing.
I don’t think many here will love the scent, and I can understand why. It’s not daring or out of the ordinary in the way most perfumistas are looking for in their scents, but to me it does stand apart from other fresh scent offerings and will fill a gap in my wardrobe – smooth, natural, easy to wear and cooling citrus that is great in extreme heat and/or sporty or athletic acitvites. Also Play Sport does not project nearly as much as most scents in this category – a huge plus, in this instance, as far as I’m concerned, as that is what lends to its wearability during strenuous activity. I don’t advocate wearing scents to the gym, but if I were going to wear one, Play Sport would be my first choice.
I think I’ll get rid of Varvatos Artisan or Hugo XY to make room for it in my ‘drobe. Maybe I’ll dump both, as in some ways Play Sport is kind of like a combination of the two.
—-
tl;dr
Play Sport is a nice, simple, smooth and natural chilled citrus scent. Imagine Allure Blanche, with less woods and pepper, less creaminess, and a bit of mint and salt. Or imagine Guerlain Homme if it was made with lemons instead of limes and with a lot less powder. Or imagine the scent of a slightly sweetened lemonade, garnished with a mint leaf and some salt on the rim of the glass.
xko742Bessinepome – :
Smells like a latex balloon…
fr1zer – :
Probably not as vile as other more popular fragrances who play the same (trite) citrus-aromatic theme but nowhere close being vaguely interesting. Aseptic, cold, generic. Would probably suck as well if released as a cheap shampoo. Frosted bottle included.
Rating: 4/10
PacTaMaH – :
Very elegant and refreshing cologne,feels that you are sitting on the beach and inhaling a deep breathe of fresh air and then you smell green naunces of a beautiful garden.Very unique and modern scent and not a generic citrusy smell despite its citrus components,the. Wave of extreme freshness settles down in avery clean and sensual musky base,stunning.
Jasonp – :
As a huge fan of Play and Play Intense I was curious about this flanker.
That note that is present in regular Play is here in this one…has to be the Amyris wood, which I love. In this version, the Amyris is buried beneath a very fruity citric blast much more pronounced than regular Play.
I think Regular play is still my favorite…Intense is the caramel vanillic version…and Sport is the extra citrusy version.
Play Sport is pretty good but a distant 3rd in the Play line for me.
leantod – :
Reminded me a lot of the white summer limited edition.
Light calm oceanique orangy musky green .
I hate this word but i’ll use it here , i dont know why but the whole play line is boring , when i mean this , i mean that when i tested it i sniff it ounce and dont want to smell it again !
Young and happy but there is much better choices for summer or sport.
Longevity and projection are about 2 hours.
holmes_chel – :
Shame on you Givenchy! You used to be innovative, original and unique, intruiging and mysterious – and now what do we get? A copy of much cheaper and synthetic CK Crave, both scent and bottle wise. Plain kids stuff, generic and boring, I guess if some kid wants to get a cologne for the first time he wont be wrong getting this.
disirk – :
Color me surprised!
Givenchy Play Sport is not as bad as I thought it would be. While the whole “sport” concept is getting to be ridiculous, this is actually a decent fragrance that I prefer to the original Play (although I still like Play Intense).
To my nose, Play Sport is a minty citrus concoction, with some grassy notes and fruity notes as well. It’s fresh and pleasant, but also unique. I would actually think of it as a spiritual successor of sorts to Sport de Paco Rabanne (1986), one of the first true “sport” fragrances – that one was a fresh, grassy/fruity fougere, and some of the “feel” of Sport de Paco lives on in Play Sport, at least to me. The longevity isn’t superb; maybe five hours at the most, but this is one I wouldn’t mind reapplying. I might just have to get a bottle of this one.
I also think I’m a sucker for frosted bottles with a matte finish – Play Sport, Kouros Fraicheur, Guerlain Homme L’Eau… I find these things to be hopelessly attractive.
babay_73 – :
I actually tested this out while I was walking around in a department store. This was sprayed on my right arm while D&G The One Sport was on the left arm.
In my opinion, Givenchy Play Sport begins with a generic “sporty” clean smell, which could be boring for most of us, but what gets my attention is the smell of this cool mint with a sprinkle of sugar and a very very subtle floral accord, which I still have no clue what flower that is. I also get a really faint and dry vetiver too.
Between these two, I think Givenchy gears toward a younger crowd as it lacks a prominent woody quality. Not sure if I would purchase any of them however, but if the price is right. i would go with this Play Sport.
dimaxxxyyy – :
Very nice and fresh but reminds me CK Crave which is also very nice and fresh but 70% cheaper.
In general very good summer fragrance which most will love at first smell.
8/10