For people who collect fragrance, there’s always that bottle that lingers in the back of the collection and tends to be forgotten because new things are being added all the time. Then as you spend a few minutes going through what to wear, you happen across a bottle that makes you remember and wonder, “I haven’t worn this in a while, why not?” So you spray it and that level of familiarity comes out and hearkens back memories of why you chose to add this to your collection.
Must de Cartier Pour Homme is one of those fragrances for me. As I move bottles to and fro among my own collection, this is one that keeps being shoved to one side as something else takes center stage. Then recently, I decided to give this one another try.
Must de Cartier Pour Homme (2000): Yes, this is now eleven years since it was produced. It’s readily available in most major department stores (Nordstrom’s stocks it, I’m fairly sure you’ll find it at Macy’s and Dillards), and it hasn’t quite lost its edge over that time. In fact, in 2008, it was featured in Maxim magazine as a must-have fragrance with glowing commentary that suggested it made a subtle but strong statement and exuded a personality of masculinity and control.
Not that I personally take my advice from a magazine notable for scantily clad women and video games, but simply saying.
Given that it’s now been around for some time, one can locate it via reputable Web retailers for around $80 or less. Strength is EDT, and I’ve already disclosed that this is part of my personal collection for good reason. Cartier generally isn’t known for commissioning junk, and this is no exception. Ingredients are well-composed and not overdone.
Top notes include coriander, carnation, green mandarin, grapefruit, anise, bergamot and olive leaf. Ginger and cinnamon form the heart, although I’ll dispute that momentarily, and the base is composed of sandalwood, Tonka Bean, patchouli, vetiver, vanilla, musk and cedar. This is a very spicy oriental fragrance as noted by the influx of coriander, mandarin, and anise.
And it’s the anise forming that subtle reminder throughout the fragrance and never quite vanishing that reminds you of some sharpness in the mixture. The citruses are not loud and obnoxious as other fragrances of the period, and dissipate as they should quickly after opening. The coriander and anise are the elements left to carry the opening through to the ginger, signalling even more of an oriental flavor to the composition. Cinnamon, while sharp, is slightly noticeable as it lingers just off the background. The Tonka, woods, and vetiver give the base something interesting to help carry the every-present anise toward the end, vanilla remaining to add some subtlety though never very strong. The closing note of musk continues the brightness until it finally — and this is not a relative term — dries and dissipates.
That vanishing act will occur more toward the end of a marathon day, as longevity is excellent for something in an EDT strength. Projection is moderate, meaning that people within an immediate radius will notice the scent, and it will linger behind.
This has the capacity for being a classic scent. It’s just bold enough that it does manage to push the envelope slightly. It’s well-mannered and balanced. As inexpensive as it is, it doesn’t feel “cheap”. It feels deserving of a place in a well-dressed gentleman’s wardrobe. Despite being a mass-market fragrance, it has the makings of a very good niche contender, and there are quite a few niche fragrances over which I would prefer Must.
Rating: 4/5. Recommended.
Bottom-Line: Though Cartier is not characteristically a “niche perfume house” — it stands to earn more from its fashion and design lines, its fragrances existing only to enhance the name — it’s deserving enough of recognition as much as any niche fragrance. This is a great all-purpose fragrance, potentially a good signature scent if you prefer Oriental Spices. I would also recommend Must de Cartier over Must de Cartier Essence, as Essence is more elemental and missing much of the overall impact of Must.
It’s worth sampling, and in my view a very worthwhile fragrance and strong addition to anyone’s collection.
I'm Andrew Buck, the man behind the words. I'm a published author, project management practitioner for over 20 years, work on Wall Street, and am a fragrance aficionado. I've had a passion for fragrance for 30+ years, and enjoy trying scents and adding to an expanding and rotating collection for some time now. 
