About once a month I take a field trip to the local mall and stroll through the fragrance counters at the major department stores. It is a valuable experience for me to find out what is selling, to see the influence of trends, and to try whatever is new since my last visit. The department store fragrance counter has become a fairly monolithic collection of fruity florals and sport fragrances. The sales associates are pretty used to my blank stare as I am handed a strip and smell the tropes that are endemic to this segment of the market. It is because of this sameness to the fragrances being sold which makes something different stand out. So when I went on my field trip at the beginning of this month I was surprised to find the new Kenneth Cole Mankind is one of those which separates itself from the crowd.
Claude Dir
Perfumer Claude Dir under the creative direction of Jennifer Mullarkey has somehow created a department store fragrance which trends towards being as quirky off-beat as any niche entry. If I handed you this note list: cardamom, pineapple, ginger, cinnamon, tarragon, sandalwood, vetiver, oakmoss, tonka bean, and musk; I would bet the department store isn’t where you would look first. Ms. Mullarkey is one of the more accomplished creative directors in the masstige area because she isn’t afraid to take risks in a risk averse situation. For Mankind she collaborated with M. Dir on a top notch fragrance that feels like an oddity with its weird green quality and spice.
Jennifer Mullarkey
Mankind follows the blueprint of many commercial fragrances to grab you with the top notes. M.Dir using cardamom and ginger, while not common, has shown up here and there. The pineapple is what really makes the opening feel not quite as boring as most of its neighbors on the fragrance counter. The cardamom persists and the cinnamon intensifies the spiciness and then the tarragon completely transforms Mankind. It adds a really deep herbal green quality which along with the spices turns the middle development into a different shade of green than you normally find here. This stays on my skin like this for a long while and it seems to have a number of subtle qualities which are nudged along by vetiver and oakmoss for a while. It finally settles down into that typical combo of musks and woods typical in this sector.
Mankind has all day longevity but the interesting parts last for about 4-6 hours. The sillage is above average.
Mankind is a surprising department store fragrance and worth a try. It is definitely one of the best new things I’ve tried an all of my field trips for this year, so far. Next time you’re in your local mall give it a try I think you might be surprised at what you find.
Disclosure: This review was based on a sample provided by Macy’s
–Mark Behnke
