Truth For Men Calvin Klein cologne – a fragrance for men 2002

Some reviewers said it rightfully so – this is without a doubt the definition of underrated. Most of you might relate, and those who can’t relate, perhaps will relate in the future when they are at that stage after smelling/using hundreds, if not thousands of fragrances only to reach to the realization that some of these underrated, now-cheapies from yesteryear are actually, amazing blends. Calvin Klein – Truth is straight up there at the top category in my opinion when it comes to the decade of 00.

It is strikingly similar to Comme des Garcons – Odeur 71, which came 2 years earlier than Truth, and is considered an art piece by many but I think many fall into the illusion of CdG’s genius marketing and descriptions. You won’t see people losing their minds under Truth reviews 🙂

Now let’s look at the announced (marketing) notes. I can see how it doesn’t always resonate with some people. Resins? Patchouli? Exotic woods? Huh? The only notes that really makes sense and can be noticed are the green/grassy accord (not a single note), basil (with anisic-sweet fresh herbal at the top), cardamom (giving fresh spicy kick but hardly noticeable on its own, likely because it is carved into the blend itself and its effect can only be understood if we had the chance to smell the formula without).

My notes interpretation from what I could catch within my experience of perfume ingredients (and some information from the books I read) would be:

Basil – Pineapple – Pear
Green grass, leaves – Cardamom – Galbanum
Sandalwood – Cedarwood – Calone (Aquatic notes)

Green/Grassy top accord: Triplal (common green leafy aldehyde), Galbanum EO with its sharp green balsamic mastic gum nuances)

Fruity-green top accord: Dynascone (common pineapple-galbanum ingredient, also key top-heart in Aventus) and touch of lemon/bergamot (limonene, citral, linalool). There is also a violet (ionones) note with a pineapple-pear-green ingredient to give a nice shade of fruity pear effect. This is where the connections made by most people to Dior – Higher, and it is accurate.

Spicy-top-heart: Sweet basil oil (anisic, fresh herbal), cardamom seed oil (spicy citrusy and terpenic fresh) – these create an amazing accord in combination with the green and fruity top.

Musky-woody base: There’s Calone (watermelon aquatic watery), white musks, likely Iso E Super and some amber nuanced Cedramber (this combo could be what they market as red cedar) and maybe in combination with cedar virgina oil, and there’s definitely sandalwood (what they market as exotic woods) which is Javanol (one of the finest sandalwood synthetics).

For me, Truth’s charm comes from this hidden sandalwood note that wraps the entire fruity watery greenery like a blanket.

And the more you learn about perfumery, these so-called “cheapies” that are brutally disregarded (most likely because people see them as outdated or the brand/marketing is not appealing to snob-perfumeheads) shine in a different light. Always remember that perfumery sales is driven mostly based on marketing and not based on ingredients (even though marketing likes to lie about “finest ingredients, highest quality ingredients” etc). There is no finest, rarest, highest quality ingredients in mass production. There is only one thing, economical production.

I was never one to use a perfume for its hype or status, but purely by its scent and the feeling it gave me. Lanvin Oxygene, Issey Miyake – Bleu d’Issey, Carolina Herrera – 212 Men, Dior – Higher, Tommy by Tommy Hilfiger, Givenchy – Blue Label, Armani Lui/He and many more…These are amazing value for price today, and CK – Truth stands right there with them.

So use this and others that “you” like regardless of what the impression is in full confidence knowing you are not spraying something much inferior to, say, one of those expensive Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Aqua Celestia, Forte, Masculin etc…