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DJARASH – :
Mistermark77 Creed is about 90% synthetic free. So when you say that Creed has gone all synthetic, you better check your facts (because they’re a little off). The regulations put in place by ifra is not on every single note. Musk-yes….. because of the extraction process. Oakmoss-yes because it’s an allergen, etc. But unlike most fragrance makers out there, Creed still uses mostly natural notes.
katzuro – :
This is pure 90’s nostalgia. A gorgeous oriental at a good price. If you’re a fan of Creed Original Santal (before Creed became all synthetic due to regulations) or Montblanc Individual, this is right up your alley. I love it in cool weather. Warm, comforting, rich. Smells more expensive than it is. Lovely
БДЛ211278 – :
I remember thinking, upon its release, that this was a very sophisticated fragrance—and as I recall it was priced much higher than most high end department store competitors. Well, you’re more likely to find Realm, now, at Wal-Mart or Target and while I still enjoy this fragrance, I wouldn’t describe it as sophisticated. In fact, it’s somewhat refreshingly uncomplicated and warm and welcoming. But it’s very dry. Bone dry. It is the absence of wet.
For me, the first word that dominates Realm is powder. I need to get past that powdery dry rush before I can smell whatever mix is in the this presumably re-formulated fragrance. I don’t get spice. I do get lavender. Definitely not pepper, although if you could find a peppery fragrance to complement Realm, you might created your own masterpiece. I cannot detect ginger and the citrus, while there, isn’t assertive. So what creates the dry, powdery rather long lasting fragrance? My nose isn’t sophisticated enough to separate whatever chemical elements they’ve thrown in here but in the end, I think modern day Realm is best enjoyed for what it is: unsophisticated and unassuming and cheap. At $15-20 for a 3.4oz bottle, it’s hard to say you’d find a much better alternative in that price range.
It’s the Pinot Grigio of the fragrance world. Not everyone is going to like it. Snobs will likely look down on it. But a lot of us can enjoy the relative simplicity and refreshing nature of a glass of Pinot Grigio. I feel much the same about Realm. A nice warm weather beach or pool fragrance…in fact most any outdoor occasion. Indoors, this one might be too much powder for the party.
pioner – :
I wore this in the early 2000’s. It was good. It is the most complimented fragrance I have ever worn. It was spicy and pleasant.
I was working construction at the time. The foreman called a meeting after a 12 hour shift. He cursed us and yelled at us and told us some people would be let go the next day. After he dismissed the meeting, he called me to his office. He said, “you smell really good. What are you wearing?”
“Realm”
He wrote the name on his notepad, smiled, and gave me a raise.
Maybe I need to pick some more up on the cheap. I remember liking it a lot. I never thought it smelled cheap.
It smells similar to a lot of warm spicy, slightly sweet perfumes, like a light Obsession or its type from the 90’s.
Update
I just received a 1oz bottle. It does seem different than 15 years ago. The top notes are much less refined now. The opening has a bitter note that I absolutely do not remember. It must be juniper. It is spicy, but not peppery. It is jagged and uneven. This smell dominate the first half hour. Then the mid notes come to the fore and all is well. It is the warm cozies I remember. Orange and lavender dominate for a few hours adding ginger and patchouli as the orange fades out. So the top notes are not as good as I remember, and the mid and base notes seem the same.
To me the opening smelled cheap and loud, even annoying. I hate gin because of juniper berries, and I think I have the same problem with the first half hour of Realm. The drydown is great. It smells as good as any department store scent.
Pheremones? I have no clue about them. It might have intrigued me the first time I bought this as a young man. I may detect a calming effect on myself. I am not certain of it. I haven’t noticed any garter hooks popping when I walk into the office, but here’s to hoping. Fingers Crossed, as usual. I need to catch a break. Realm, don’t fail me now.
I remember liking Realm, and I still do. It is too bad I have to ENDURE the opening. it is not good at all. I still am reminded of Obsession during the drydown, just minus the cinnamon vibe. It is a good smell. I would wear it on any but the hottest days. So I think it is a good choice from October to May.
Scent 7/10 deduction for the opening I dislike.
Projection 5/10 Two or three feet max. It is a skin scent after an hour.
Quality 7/10 Great mid and base note composition
Presentation 3/10 The sprayer is cheap. I like the glass bottle, but the cap is rubbish (a real pain to me)
Overall 6/10 It smells good by the time I get to work. The top notes and cheap spray nozzle deduct from this score.
It is a pleasing fragrance in my book, if you know what to expect. It is worth the online price. 1oz bottle was $6. Money well spent. Gotta go. I am being chased by horde of randy tomcats. THANK YOU pheremones!
ohp432intitytek – :
A nicely blended, subtly spicy ambery-vanilla-y oriental. I can’t speak to any effect the alleged pheromones may contribute, but it’s a nice enough scent that smells a LOT like original Guess for Men. There’s a hint of a toned-down Obsession and a resemblance to Pierre Cardin, Lagerfeld or KL Homme as well. Sillage is mild, longevity is decent.
Realm isn’t a dramatic or “statement” fragrance, but it’s quite pleasant in a subtle way, and there are times when that’s just right.
kavain_kyn – :
Pheromones lol. Maybe, maybe not. But me and my wife dont care for this frag. Didnt work on her.
zheka777 – :
I just bought Realm intense for men ( new realase 2015 ) but it hasn’t been added to fragrantica … It is a very nice cologne, I’m getting heaps of compliments from it… If you see it, try some on your skin .. I got much more then I expected from it, hense the reason for buying it…
ogs839bedyWelty – :
It is very weird .
When I first bought this perfume when i was 20 years old, it was very nice and attractive scent. The one I ordered was very small one packed with really tiny box (smaller enought to be grabbed with one hand)
Now I am 25 years old and a few weeks ago i ordered this perfume which is 100 ml and when i tried it, i was so different with what I used in 20 . I really don’t know why this happened.
It’s really different scent thoguh the name of the perfume is same. Do you know why ??? It’s not the scent that I felt when I was 20 years old. Is productor changed ???
3,80973E+11 – :
A clean, powdery, orange/ginger fragrance for a budget. Very heavy lavender once it settles for about 30 minutes.
The opening is definitely missing something… A spice, perhaps a cardamom note, would really tie this up into a quality fragrance. The dry down also is missing a note, perhaps a sandalwood note, that would reduce the strong powder element.
This has been reformulated and is certainly no longer as loud as it once was. It is still unbalanced and somewhat “cheap” smelling. This occasionally makes it’s way into my rotation as a rainy day fragrance, but I wear it alongside a Ginger & Orange lotion from Bath & Body Works that seems to be spicy enough to cut through the cloud of powder that develops with the lavender/juniper/patchouli mid-section of this fragrance and actually makes it quite subtle and clean with good longevity and silage. I would never wear this without the lotion to compliment it, though. It would be much too powdery.
In summation, you get what you pay for. $6.59 at K-Mart for me. Works great as a rainy day if used with a spicy compliment that accentuates the ginger, besides that I would stay away from it.
Megastar – :
This is too sweet for me. Reminds me a little of Joop! or Mont Blanc Individuel. I got this for $10 at Ross, along with Grey Flannel also for $10. I’ll be keeping the Grey Flannel but throwing this in my “unwearable” drawer.
Lionne – :
My father wears this and I looove it because of that reason. Reminds me of my childhood.
lcq460Negeltzex – :
I can’t wear the cologne because it smells too powdery but I like the aftershave balm and shower gel. To me, it has a deep, woodsy, musky smell. However, it is difficult to find the real thing and there are a lot of knock offs that smell nasty. I would not purchase the aftershave balm and shower gel unless it is in the original black tube which says it contains human pheromones. Btw, I’m not sure if the pheromone thing is gimmick but the fragrance does smell good.
Alnaumka – :
Please add Inner realm for men!!!
sekir7 – :
I’ll let the golden noses praise Realm or pick it apart. What i know is that I’ve got a respectable collection of fragrances that range from lowly drugstore classics to well-heeled upscale collectables and the fragrance which continuously draws the most positive comments from strangers is Realm.
I have other options that I find to be more to my liking but the compliment count doesn’t lie.
lkc647speagoessenda – :
Love this scent!! Starts off very strong! But it changes very soon… after about 30 minutes it becomes a different scent… love the fact that it has staying power! Dont base your thoughts on it for the first 30 minutes.. give it time.. it will grow on you for sure!!!!
Spicy but not overbearing then you start to get the sweet mandarin/citrusy smell for the longest time… wears off to a woody smell towards the end. Always get compliments for it! For this one a little goes a very long way.
iuretss – :
Purchased this as part of a lot of fragrances on Ebay. For me linear, floral and overbearing. Huge sillage and long lasting. For me as overbearing as Grey Flannel.
viktor676 – :
Holy cow, this stuff is stringent. It’s powerfully sharp, and made me and my wife literally gag. Spicy, overbearing smell. I detect no citrus. Only the cloying spiciness. This one will attract attention for sure, because it is powerful. But probably not the kind of attention you are looking for. 😉
Also, the whole ‘pheremone’ business seems to be a selling gimmick. A quick google search will reveal that the pheremone is hardly included (due to such small amounts) and it’s a feminine pheremone anyway (not attractive to females, but supposedly males). Gimmick!
Ah well, try before you buy. But be careful, this still will stick to you all day long!
barsa07 – :
I just recently “blind bought” this bottle. If you want to smell like a barbershop then go ahead. Please do not wear seriously, wear for fun. Very very sharp somewhat perfumey scent
Fox667 – :
Back in the mid nineties I bought a bottle for my boyfriend. Eventually, I would ditch the boyfriend but keep the cologne. I absolutely loved the smell. It was warm and comforting and gave me a confidence. I had no problem wearing it and I liked the way it would make me feel. The women’s version was such a let down compared to this. Glad to see its still around. Insert nastalgia here.
Anastasya25 – :
My ex wore this and I could not figure out why his cologne made my knees weak… never been so attracted to another mens fragrance like this. He told me shortly after we started dating what he was wearing and said that it is it was his “special chick magnet” … I still to this day when I see him and he’s wearing it have a brief moment find myself wanting to jump right back when we were together. Even if a guy is not attractive and I know he’s wearing it it’s still brings back those memories… gimmick or not this scent just does it 4 me!
seriy2 – :
Picked up a small bottle of this a few years back. This is a very warm, sensual and spicy fragrance with a musky feel. I don’t know if the pheromones actually work or not but this is a nice scent for a decent price. This is actually the only musky fragrance that I have.
When I smell this it kinda reminds me of those guys wearing the cheap suits at the clubs with their polyester shirts halfway unbuttoned, with their chest hairs poking out with a tacky gold chain on. This would have worked very good in the Disco. But I do like it and wear it occasionally.
dorneadurne – :
I have to admit, I picked this one up because of the pheromones. Its not bad a bad scent, although it is a bit sharp, so if I wear it now I will layer it with something else to smooth it out.
If you find it on sale, try a bottle.
uip670JeomiWogkig – :
This fad fragrance made lots of headway when first introduced. It was promoted to attract women with the pheromones in it. Looking back…it was all a gimmick. But this obsolete old school fragrance still smells great! I have 1 bottle, but use it infrequently.
V-GERA – :
When i first smelled this, i had no idea it was supposed to have pheremones in it or anything else about it. I just knew i adored the way it smelled and had to know what it was. Sadly, the scent doesn’t quite work on me, and it isn’t as good on my husband as it was on the man who wore it when i first discovered it, but i love this fragrance… i’ve yet to find a single other man’s scent that i like anywhere near as much.
apop – :
Hello All,
This one hit the scene pretty hard when I was in High School. Yeah… All us guys HAD to have a bottle! We believed it to be a magically powerful and mystical panty-dropper of sorts! A real life ‘Love Potion No. 9!’ WoooHooooo…!! We were on our way! A fast track to countless orgies and chicks just ripping their clothes off as soon as they smelled us!!
Ummm… … … Well, as it turns out, us guys seemed to be more attracted to the fragrance than the girls. Now don’t get me wrong, my girlfriend liked it. In fact, she even kinda’ played along (though the act was VERY short-lived) with this whole ridiculous notion and acted like my fragrance made me “utterly irresistable” to her. Bless her heart for that. She soon became less & less tolerant though – to the increasing amounts of Realm that I applied/doused myself in (with naive hopes of increasing its effects, DUH!), which soon thereafter led to us “conveniently” finding ourselves stopping by the fragrance counter at the local Macy’s (even though she had told me that we were there for some makeup crap or whatever), where she very convincingly relayed to me that she was getting me 3 new frags… Oh, and that I basically had no choice in the matter. So I just smiled and said, “k’ babe,” and sadly realized that my Realm days were now behind me – *sigh*.
Oh well. So it wasn’t what most high school guys thought it would be. Nevertheless, I enjoyed my little ride and still catch myself popping the cap every so often & smelling my memories… Anyway, thanks guys and take care!
P.S. – There is definitely amber in this fragrance 🙂
I know it’s not listed, but I’m sure of it. Let me know what you think 🙂
Thanks again,
JJ
lavrov-56 – :
It’s extremly sensual. You know, it’s a good mac scent! You know it really has a FRESH edge! It’s very spicy! It’s definitely something women would never dare put on their butt!
китано – :
Pheromones or not, it smelled so good on my ex, I almost hope he’s still wearing it.
rolexreplica85175 – :
I remember reading in Omni Magazine that they had discovered a gland relating to HUMAN pheromones. They were calling it the VomeroNasal Gland or VNG for short (this is from memory, so forgive if the spelling is off). It was a tiny pit in the upper regions of the nose specifically built for analyzing scents in a much different way than “taste.” From this information, they had supposedly isolated a human pheromone, and Erox had patented it and put it in its cologne called “Realm.” Realm made a small splash when it hit the market, but the makers said they didn’t include the pheromone that would attract the opposite sex in their respective perfumes. The men’s cologne would have a pheromone that would make MEN feel good, and the women’s was the same for women. They said they did this for ETHICAL reasons…right, a business with ethics, isn’t that an oxymoron?! So, if I wanted to make WOMEN feel good around me, I would have to wear the women’s perfume. Now if you were gay, you were in luck (or so my twisted logic thought), and I remember I gave a bottle of this to a gay friend for Christmas and asked him to report the results. He never got back to me. Hopefully he was too busy fighting off all of the men, because of the Realm.
As for the aroma of Realm, being the scientist, I had to experiment with this stuff, so I did wear it for awhile. It is not a scent I would normally wear. It is loud sweet…I think someone else classified it as an Oriental Spicy, and I believe it is closer to that than an aromatic Fougere. This stuff is potent patchouli and ginger…definitely screams 80’s to me. I worked as a limosine driver, so I was in an enclosed area for long lengths of time with people. To my surprise, people actually said this cologne smelled good.
Since then, I have always kept a small bottle of this in my cologne collection. I don’t wear it these days…except for one day, I don’t know what possessed me, but I stepped into a few spritzes. I got quite a few comments about “that horrible cheap smelling stuff.” Now if people don’t like a scent enough to comment on it, I will listen. This may have been acceptable in the 80’s and 90’s…I think this hit the market in the early 90’s…but if they want to market their pheromones in a wearable scent, they need to reformulate.
sach377 – :
I have a confession…I was intrigued by the listing of Pheremones in this one’s notes. I vaguely remember this one being released in the mid-nineties but was quite the Benetton Boy back in those days. I recently picked this up on a whim at _-Mart and it was much better than I thought it would be…
As far as pheremones go Galleddrim summed it up very well; you can’t actually smell them they are more of something you sense and react to as opposed to smelling and picking them out.I have received some compliments on this one (mostly from the 30+ crowd) but suffice it to say it is a very good frag at a decent price, though some may find it too “cologne-y”…
This could be called linear by some as the predominate notes of juniper and ginger are detectable throughout. It is fresher at the start and warmer and softer after it dries. The orange is in the mix with a citric sweetness but it is blended well with the warm aromatic green. The lavender adds to the manly scent and keeps it from getting too spicy. The patchouli is light and grounds it well without being too dirty. All things considered it is a good value for the low price it goes for and it’s worth trying out…
Sillage: okay
Longevity: average
Overall: 3/5
Despite it’s spicy aromatic approach and it’s warm “heart”, on total drydown I get a hint of something soapy that tones down the initial blast and smooths the overall feel of it. This is a good one for cold winter nights when you snuggle close to someone you love..
BoombWobLof – :
got this as a gift, HATED it right out of the bottle, Hated it on me, hate it on other people. Smells like alcohol to me. -2
SvetaLodernfreefly – :
This is a very Spicy Oriental cologne. Its very strong when you first apply it. It works well during the spring and summer by itself, but I think it lacks a certain warmth during fall and winter. So i use realm and Armani Code black. Very Unique smell, and a Great combo!
stik78 – :
It’s not bad. Very, very spicy fragrance. I recommend you spray this only once or else you’ll go into the deep end with spices. Pretty much as cheap as a gallon of milk, so if you’re broke, this one’s for you :p
WikOL2 – :
ignore the pheremones, this is kinda masculine and fresh and smells better than beckham, CK, all the commercial frags
this is definately a good hybrid it has oriental, fresh, sweet and masculine notes all together so its very versatile
uxu636speagoessenda – :
I think Realm gets no respect because so many people see it as a “gimmick” fragrance. Just because they threw some estratetraenol (EST, pheromone chemical) into the mix.
First, as EST is a feminine pheromone, Realm is not intended to be a babe magnet. Rather, at such low levels, the pheromone would only cause what are known as self-effects, EST acting as a calming and focusing agent (Androstadienone has similar effects on women).
As for the fragrance itself, it is rather nice. Very decent sillage and longevity. The scent is rather linear, but rich, classy, and romantic.
The ginger is prominent, without making Realm smell like ginger bread the way Gucci Envy tends to (though that’s nice too), as the florals and herbals balance the ginger nicely.