Coty has paired with superstar athlete David Beckham to produce his first men’s fragrance, Instinct. A sporty and fresh scent, Instinct was created by perfumers Alain Astori and Beatrice Piquet and has notes of bergamot, orange, mandarin, star anise, cardamom, red pimento, vetiver, patchouli and white amber.

Though I didn’t have high hopes for this one, being both a product of Coty and another “celebrity” scent, I’ll admit that it’s pleasant. Reminding me of Dior Higher Energy with main notes of citrus, vetiver and musk, Instinct opens with a rather nondescript citrus accord, sweetened by white amber. Though the olfactory notes would suggest something darker, and slightly spicy, the fragrance basically stops here, continuing on the skin as a sweet citrus. The pimento makes a brief appearance, though really doesn’t bring much to the composition other than a slightly watery green edge. The scent has very little sillage and 2 full sprays to the left arm lasted about 2 hours. I keep wondering where the patchouli and anise are, expecting this scent to take a dark turn…but to no avail…

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