Once Upon a Time pour Homme

The Verdict

Kenzo Once Upon a Time pour Homme was a limited edition release from 2010, created by Christine Nagel and Benoist Lapouza to celebrate Kenzo's 40th anniversary. Built on a quartet of Vetiver, Nutmeg, Ginger, and Coriander, it delivers a clean, spicy-woody composition that the community finds pleasant if not particularly memorable. At 4.04/5 from 90 voters, it performs well on paper -- 32% love it and 51% like it -- but the enthusiasm rarely rises above polite appreciation. The community consensus is captured by one Parfumo reviewer who concluded: "Once Upon A Time is simply a nice spring fragrance, and that's that."

What It Smells Like

The opening is a sharp, fiery blast of Ginger and Nutmeg that several reviewers describe as almost medicinal. One community member called it "a very strong, almost medicinal scent of squeaky clean nutmeg soap -- soapy but not in a lavender/barbershop way." The Coriander adds a fresh-green facet that bridges the spices into something wearable, while Vetiver provides the earthy backbone from start to finish. The composition evolves noticeably: reviewers describe it starting with a spicy character, then moving "more into wood," with an end note that is "soft and sweet."

A Basenotes reviewer offered a more evocative take, describing it as "a semi-sweet, lightly-spiced, woody musk with a lemony top" that "strongly evokes the smell of clean laundry after using fabric softener and tumble-dryer sheets." This laundry-clean quality is either a selling point or a drawback depending on your perspective. For some, the scent of a "strange, dense forest after heavy rain" emerges -- "not fresh, but thick with a pungent greenness." Others find it "linear and does not evolve very much."

When to Wear It

Despite the fairy tale name and anniversary occasion, this is a practical, workaday fragrance. It is office-appropriate, inoffensive, and safe for year-round wear. The community favors daytime use -- 23% day versus 12% night -- though some recommend it specifically for "winter and autumn days and nights" as well as "summer and spring nights." A Basenotes reviewer called it "very safe; ideal for nervous office newbies," which is both a compliment to its wearability and a gentle dig at its lack of personality. Fall is the optimal season, with winter and spring as solid secondaries.

Longevity & Projection

Fragrantica rates longevity at 3.17/5 and sillage at 2.37/4, suggesting moderate performance. The Basenotes consensus is "longevity very good, sillage average," meaning it sticks around on skin without projecting far. Fans note "it's not heavy but strong, so no need to spray it too much," which suggests a close-wearing fragrance with staying power. Expect 4-6 hours of wear time with intimate sillage. Two to three sprays should serve you well.

The Community Says

Opinions cluster around respectful indifference. The strongest praise comes from spice enthusiasts who call it "delicious" and "the best Kenzo." One reviewer loves "the spicy intricacy" and considers it an evening fragrance. But the shadow of the original 1991 Kenzo pour Homme looms large -- one Parfumo reviewer hoped this anniversary release would match that legacy but concluded "unfortunately, it doesn't quite make it." Another bluntly stated: "I hated it a lot. It's a very loud and sharp perfume." The moderate middle ground is occupied by reviewers who find the opening too aggressive but enjoy the mellowed dry down -- "once it mellows, it's nice but there's no wow factor."

Who Should Buy This

If you enjoy nutmeg and ginger-forward fragrances and want something safe for the office that stands slightly apart from the blue fragrance crowd, this is a reasonable choice. The woody-spicy profile will appeal to fans of clean, masculine compositions with a warm edge. If you are looking for a unique statement piece, a worthy successor to the original Kenzo pour Homme, or anything that will turn heads, keep looking. As a discontinued limited edition, finding a bottle requires some hunting, and the question becomes whether the hunt is justified for a fragrance the community describes as "nice."

The Bottom Line

Once Upon a Time pour Homme is a competent spicy-woody fragrance that does not quite live up to its fairy tale name. It tells a pleasant story of nutmeg, ginger, and vetiver, but the narrative never builds to a climax. For Kenzo completists and spice lovers, it is worth sampling. For everyone else, it is a nice fragrance in a world that demands more than nice to justify the effort of tracking down a discontinued bottle.