Grass by Gap

I absolutely love this scent: fresh, rich, optimistic and full of sunshine. It brings back memories of summer afternoons in jeans and a white tee, strolling through freshly mown parks. At first, it smells of fresh grass or green banana peel, then shifts to a soft green floral. There’s just a hint of sweetness in the background, like green apple or a touch of pear… It’s totally unisex. My only gripe is that it lasts for such a short time; I’ve almost used it as a splash, literally bathing in it, and it does nothing more (like 4711). They say the ‘Grass Body Mist’ is more potent than this ‘eau de toilette’, something I must try. Just in case, I have the new 2020s bottle, not the one from the 90s.

Gap’s Grass has been discontinued for some time now. It perhaps resonates strongly with American teenagers of the 90s (who alternated between Dream and Heaven) before becoming outdated, a victim of its own success. Originally, it wasn’t made by Gap, but by a Californian perfumer whose formula was bought to mass-produce it. It is a cologne, frankly accomplished and very realistic. It smells of freshly cut or watered grass, without sweet nuances or excessive earthiness. There was a reformulation, and the last version lasted very little on the skin and even less on clothes. Nevertheless, it was refreshing, realistic (almost a perfumery exercise in realism), sober and very welcome in summer or spring. Without citrus or sweet notes, I don’t understand why it only returns occasionally as a special edition. Perhaps it’s because this style, similar to Calvin Klein’s Truth for Men but more austere, is no longer in fashion, much to my regret. What is sold at an affordable price is the body spray version, and unexpectedly, it turns out to be more potent than the eau de toilette, something rugged but maximally realistic. Freshly watered grass without restrictions. I like it very much and revisit and use it every summer.