In the wonderful world of men's fragrance, there are all kinds of different scent profiles on offer. Some enjoy woods, others go for citrus; some use leather and tobacco, while others seek out exotic ouds.
Recently, I've been testing Goldfield and Banks Ingenious Ginger. As the name suggests, that's a bottle with a notable top note of fresh ginger, which has ascended to immeasurable popularity on TikTok.
From the first whiff, it's not hard to see why. The concoction is majestic, with that opening pang of spicy-sweet ginger cutting through like a knife. It's combined with things like lemon and bergamot, which makes for a really bright, citrussy opening.
The real magic comes in the dry down, though. When you let those top notes burn off, the resultant olfactory experience is electrifying.
Base notes of vanilla and amber offer a solid, warm base for the leftover ginger and citrus to work its magic upon. Add in middle notes of fragrant floral and a smattering of wood at the base, and the result feels full but not dense, with a freshness which really opens it up to a range of different uses.
All together, my nose picks up an overall scent not dissimilar to cola early on – much more so than Tom Ford's Bois Pacifique, which is lauded as a cola-smelling fragrance – before settling into something altogether more wearable. It's sweet and light, but still feels substantial.
It's not hard to see why this scent has become a firm favourite of fragrance lovers on TikTok. The brand is seriously stylish – just look at those bottles, for starters – and its scents really are a solid pick for almost anyone. There's a lot to love here, no matter what your usual fragrance picks would be – and given the niche nature of the brand, that price tag is a steal.
