The $kull by Philipp Plein Parfums bottle
Philipp Plein Parfums

The $kull

3.3/5 · 132 votes Masculine 2019
Main accords
Where to buy
Love The $kull?
Save it to your favourites and discover similar scents in the Nardinum app.
Get the app

Fragrance notes

Top notes
Heart notes
Base notes

Character

Longevity3.3/5
Sillage3.0/5
Day62
Night100
Winter98
Fall96
Spring80
Summer42
Our take

A splash of cold water hits first, sharp and metallic, before cardamom and black pepper cut through with a spicy, almost abrasive clarity. The middle unfolds as a slick black leather jacket dragged through wet asphalt, dark woods adding a stiff, unsmiling base. Then the dry down arrives, and the Bourbon vanilla and black amber step in to smooth over the rough edges, turning the whole thing into a syrupy, boozy pelt left to soak in a rain puddle. That is the image: a leather cuff studded with crystals, dipped in ocean foam and dried with a blowtorch.

It feels synthetic in the way a flashy nightclub feels synthetic, the aquatic notes clashing with the animalic leather like ice cubes in a shot of cheap whiskey. The sweetness from the vanilla does not balance so much as coat everything in a sticky film. With a rating just above average and below-average longevity and sillage, this is a fragrance that promises a roar but delivers a hoarse whisper by the third hour. It suits someone who wants to announce rebellion but will settle for a fleeting comment. Anyone seeking nuance, naturalism, or a dry woodsy scent should skip this entirely.

Wear it to a loud winter party where you want to be noticed for ten minutes, then forgotten. It works best below forty degrees, when the cold air blunts the harsh aquatic top and lets the burnt vanilla linger like a final, sugary exhale. Does it need more backbone to match its price? Absolutely. But for a one-night statement, it gets the job done.

Smells similar

Built from the same materials — ranked by how unusual the shared notes are, not by how many.

More from Philipp Plein Parfums

All Philipp Plein Parfums →