Encounter by Calvin Klein

My mum gifted me a 100ml bottle in 2016. As a novice I absolutely loved that fresh-sweet note. I wore it during the day in summer and at night for going out and it truly shines at night. I haven’t heard anything quite like it despite trying many perfumes. I believe it has been discontinued as I can’t find it in stores; online versions seem to be knock-offs so I wouldn’t risk it. As for longevity it lasts me a minimum of 7 hours on skin and clothes until I wash them. I don’t understand why people say it doesn’t last long. I know it depends on pH but I get between 3 to 7 or 8 hours. I don’t know I think they are trying to give this excellent perfume a bad reputation.

Bought blind the last 50ml batch from 2012 almost given away for $20. It was clear it had been sitting unsold for years and they wanted to get rid of it. I found a fine and elegant fragrance. Searching for familiar olfactory references this smells like a fresher younger vibe than CK One Men’s Prive. In similar scents I see references to Natura Essencial Oud but those Natura ones feel rougher and older compared to this CK Encounter. The aroma is a very rich combination of cardamom pepper and a hint of cognac. If there is oud it’s not noticeable. All this is wrapped well and accompanied by citrus specifically the declared mandarin. It’s a delightful perfume. It lacks the strength to wear to a wedding as other perfumes overpower it but I see it as ideal for lunches or formal dinners or dates (avoid extreme heat). It dresses a young man formally and becomes less formal as he gets older. EDIT 2025: Is this CK Oud Wood? I feel it like that but fresher and more youthful. 5/10

In this case, I’m speaking from memory; my wife gave me a bottle years ago when we were courting. The sensation it created in me was smelling of toothpaste or something similar, without knowing why. I can’t add more, but I wonder if anyone else has experienced something similar.

A very rich masculine spiced and strangely metallic aroma. What a shame they don’t produce it anymore because without a doubt it is one of Calvin Klein’s best. I used to wear it for going out at night; it had a very intoxicating aroma and made me feel very good.

CK Encounter is classified as a woody amber but I perceive it as more spiced actually gently spiced with very faint sweet touches. It is a very fine and elegant fragrance; the dry down shows that reminiscence of early 20th-century perfumes. I consider that if we mixed Sauvage Parfum with YSL L’Homme it would smell very similar to this Encounter. It has a slightly strong opening but nothing of rum quite a lot of extremely high-quality mandarin. On the dry down you perceive a cardamom very similar to what YSL achieves in their L’Homme line subtle woody touches and a cognac that you almost have to guess; actually I can smell it more on blotter than on my skin. The oud none absolutely none. At that point (the dry down) it becomes more linear and it is when the compliments start; it is a very well-accepted perfume you can tell people like it. I think it is ideal for a management meeting; daily use is too little for it it is a bit too elegant for the office but it could be used. Despite the black bottle (and extremely elegant) it is not for night use only perhaps an intimate date with a very punctual person who suits this type of fragrance so a dark blue would suit it better. I checked that girls under 25 hardly like it anymore; they find it old-fashioned. The performance is quite poor and I agree with those who voted: scarce longevity and light projection. I had to resort to the 13-spray trick then it goes from light to moderate in both longevity and projection (1 on the chest 4 on each side of the neck 2 in the hair occipital region hairy base behind the ears and 2 on clothing as a diffuse spray – I clarify it doesn’t stain or dye not even white). Under these conditions it lasted 4 hours and projected between 2 and 3 but it doesn’t hold up for a whole work afternoon. Haha I think the 50ml bottle won’t last me long with this method of use. In summary an elegant fragrance at a very good price; a 2012 batch I found by chance cost me $33 but it is not essential at least for my mini collection. Respectful regards colleagues.

CK Encounter enters with an exquisite development of liqueur blends with that Oud base; the cardamom and mandarin with their non-cloying sweet touch are said to resemble Halston Z14 for me perhaps there might be a faint reminder. This fragrance can be melancholic sad due to its darkness.

On its opening it instantly reminds me of Euphoria for women. It is an enchanting sweetness that is not overwhelming and I find it better suited for female use at this point. It also reminds me of Joop! in its sparkling sweetness although they don’t smell the same. Afterwards it becomes cosy and clean and if I see it as usable for a man. It is a very interesting fragrance and stands out in the ocean of generics there are today. If a woman wore this I would be smelling it all the time but I don’t end up seeing myself wearing this fragrance. I see it for winter nights.

If CK cared about longevity, this would be my house favourite. At first, I thought ‘wow, not bad’, but then it won me over: a sweet and fresh tangerine opening with cardamomo, followed by rum and cognac, a real delight. I don’t smell oud, it’s synthetic but tolerable. In the end, there’s pepper and a woody base with rum. It’s rich and youthful for 25+, but the projection lasts only 1 hour and total longevity is 5 hours. It’s similar to Bentley Intense perhaps. Pity about the poor Encounter; don’t use it in extreme climates, just spring and autumn.

Very masculine, it follows the footsteps of commercials and niche fragrances that include liquors since 2010. It has soft, synthetic but interesting oud. It has body, a dense aroma at the start, and transitions to woody at skin-level after 10 hours. On my skin, it’s sweet-woody, highlighting sensual cardamomo with cedar and rum sugar. I notice the oud faintly from start to finish. It’s recognisable, has a good memory effect, and is honest and cost-effective for the price. A magical and different touch from CK, with charm.

Based on the notes on the website, I expected something strong and classic, but it smells exquisite and is UNIQUE. It’s boozy, measured, and mysterious; the trail is delicate but everyone looks at you. After 3 hours, it drops to skin-level and lasts easily 10 hours. The citrus and cardamomo make it special, while the patchouli gives it a masculine touch. I rate it 10 for aroma, though the rest depends on the skin. The bottle is top-notch with a K relief; it’s the only CK fragrance that captivated me.

I picked up this fragrance yesterday in 100ml and it’s exquisite. But it’s more for personal enjoyment, as it doesn’t have great longevity or trail; it’s perceived in greetings or hugs. Although with a little over-application it doesn’t become so light. Anyway, a good fragrance, not one of the best, but good.

DELICIOUS is the word for this Encounter. A fairly accomplished perfume with a rum and cognac touch not pushed to extremes, non-linear but addictive. When I applied it yesterday to go out for an evening stroll, I loved it because it reminds me of a mix between Juicy Couture Dirty English and Christian Audigier for Him, not counting the fruity touch of Audigier but with that soft, sweet alcohol touch. I like it quite a bit and it will be one of the ones I keep in my collection. Very well presented packaging, I like the bottle with that relief on the front glass. Highly recommended for lovers of sweet perfumes with a rum and cognac touch. Repeating, the cognac and rum are not abusive but smell very rich. Approved with a note of 9/10.

Greetings, I’ve just acquired this fragrance. I must say it’s good but only up to a point; it’s nothing out of this world and won’t change the world of fragrances, it just does the job. Woody with liquor notes (I suppose rum and cognac), some jasmine and woods. Its weak point is, as almost everyone mentions, its poor longevity and low trail. Although it lasts about five or six hours, it’s very close to the skin. I still recommend it, but I think it’s for people over 30 and up.

I could say it’s a kind of copy of Halston Z14, but much fainter and less annoying. On my skin it had a moderate to low trail, lower than moderate, for the first half hour. After that, it stayed very close to the skin for about five hours, then simply disappeared. Regardless of its trail and longevity, which are poor or scarce, I think it’s just another fragrance, one of the crowd, bordering on generic and cheap, just like the multi-editions that are little original and boring, such as Allure by Chanel. Perhaps it’s due to the chemicals or essences they use to manufacture fragrances; because of that, there are almost no original creations anymore, most are simple variations of others, just like this one.

Sweet citrus and rum opening, not very natural. Middle notes of jasmine, some cognac, and a soft musk and cedar finish. The oud is almost non-existent. Quite disappointing as a woody oriental: moderate to weak trail, interesting opening but then drops dramatically, lasting more than 7 hours but at skin-level only. They’ve paid well for Alexander Skarsgård’s face, as I don’t think he’d use it. If you want to go unnoticed, this is your fragrance. Don’t look for real oud or oriental. More for autumn.