Question:
Naturally a portion of this resides in self-interest, but I am genuinely interested in hearing some debates regarding 'Those' frags from people who seem to know what they're talking about.
What absurbly popular fragrance do you hate? Why, beyond, 'It smell like ferret puke.'? (In other words, what accords of ferret puke do you find distasteful and what would make it more nasally palatable?)
What constantly maligned fragrance do you love? Why, beyond, 'It's not yet been determined whether or not I'm legally insane.'?
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For my part: I couldn't stand Kouros. I don't like just randomly agreeing with unseen people, but I very much felt the "Urinal Cake" vibe. Not so much as an innocous random urinal cake, mind you, but one shoved directly up my left nostril every time I sniffed my testing arm. It was an experience... (Note, not a 'Bad' one)
I was in that realm of sensation where you find something which hurts and you kept poking at it.
Sniff Arm = 'Blaaarrrgh...GAACK!!'... *pause* Sniff Arm Again = "HRNK! GRRRA...hak hak PFFFFT!" *pause* Sniff Arm AGAIN = Etc.
In other words, it -was- enticing, yet not in a good way. Kind of like that odd compulsion you have to taste something the person offering has already forwarded tastes horrific. "God, this is AWFUL!! No, no, really...try it!!"
On the 'Pro' side: I'm swiftly becoming a lifelong devotee of the maligned Quorum. I could hose down a T-shirt and sit in a quiet room snorting said shirt for the good part of a day. I'll agree that there's a 'sharp' note in there groping for my attention in a prom date sort of way, yet I -like- it. Grope, prom date, grope! I'll just pretend to protest for appearances.
Ya'll?

Answer:
Well, the two biggies are Kouros and Angel but there are a ton more. That's one of the fun parts about this hobby!
My stinker that everyone seems to hate but I LOVE is Paul Sebastin "Fine Cologne!!" AHAHA!! "Kingdom" comes to mind as well.

Answer:
Just an odd thought:
In my (admittedly limited) experience, many of the most debated, or polarizing scents are also the great masterpieces of the perfumer's art. Just read some reviews of Jicky, M7, Muscs Kublai Khan, Habit Rouge, or Bulgari Black. Not too many neutral stances on these.
Why are so many classics love-it-or-hate-it scents? Simple, really. It's because great fragrances take risks, break new ground, or at least show character. The truly "bad" scents, as far as I'm concerned, are the dull and derivative ones, and those are rarely all that controversial.

Answer:
I think sometimes this is a generational thing. For instance, I think Chanel Antaeus is one of the all-time masterpieces of modern perfumery, but most younger dudes seem to dismiss this as a "grandpa" scent. Still, a lot of graying types like this one a lot.
On the other hand, there are very few "marine" or "aquatic" scents that I can stand, yet a lot of people who were just starting out with scents when these were coming out find them as natural as the breeze. Go figure!


Answer:
Definitely polarizing: Boucheron Jaipur Homme and McQueen's Kingdom. Yikes.
Spraying Jaipur on myself was the olfactory equivalent of pouring an entire bottle of baby powder onto my arm and rubbing it in, and yet most people seem to love it.
Kingdom was one of the most foul scents I have ever encountered, ever. Some claim that the top notes are bad but the base is fantastic. My thinking is that a truly great fragrance shouldn't take an initial sacrifice to appreciate. Still, Kingdom remains one of the most debatable scents around.

Answer:
Originally Posted by Domer04 ...Kingdom was one of the most foul scents I have ever encountered, ever. Some claim that the top notes are bad but the base is fantastic. My thinking is that a truly great fragrance shouldn't take an initial sacrifice to appreciate. Still, Kingdom remains one of the most debatable scents around. You're reminding me of my reaction to Ambre Sultan. It has an opening accord that I detest, but which I also believe to be a necessary component of the scent's magnificent development and drydown!

Answer:
Love: Guerilla 1 by Comme de Garcons - a lot of people said they were really disappointed with CdG when the Guerilla's were released...yeah they're no Incense Series, but there is simply NOTHING out there that smells like this in the perfume world (yes the drydown smells like a butcher shop...I happened to have fond memories of a butcher shop in my youth)
Loathe: There's a few - let's just say that most of the really popular 'marine / nautical' scents out on the market now (Including some that BN's love) I REALLY CANNOT STAND ANYMORE!

Answer:
I'm gonna diss on some beloved fragrances.
Egoiste, waaaaaaaaaaay too much rose.
A*Men, can't STAND the synthetic notes (especially the tar, ew)
That's all for now.

Answer:
Too much rose, really? I never thought it was very prominent in Egoiste, probably because coriander numbs my nose first. However that may be - only Iquitos is more deadly for my olfactory alarm system. How it could win the BN Annual Award as best masculine fragrance beyond me, and it would be the same if I loved this cologne dearly. It has been around for almost 17 years by now.
Polarizing perfumes I adore: Lutens Arabie, Montale Aoud Cuir D'Arabie. Both were not loved from the start though.

Answer:
The top notes of Santa Maria Novella's Acqua di Cuba will make most people gag if not more, but the drydown is sophisticated.
There's often beauty and the beast in one and the same fragrance. Imagine a guy sniffing AdC after several hours in the drydown on someone and then testing it right out of the bottle in a perfumery. I don't think he will buy that bottle! LOL!