★★★☆☆December 7, 2013
It's high quality lemon, and not much else...
A brief blurb to place my fragrance sensibilities: I'm a middle-aged professional man, father, who enjoys a nice wardrobe, including fragrances. My collection is considerable, numbering in 'several hundreds'. I enjoy anything that is well put together, smells pleasant, and has acceptable longevity. I despise cloying fragrances, especially artificial ones, cheap, synthetic "woods and spices" types (astringent old-man smells), and many "red" fragrances for lack of a better term, based on cinnamon, cardamom, amber. Things often called "Desire" or "Night". I love aquas, chypres, florals, fougeres, oudhs, attars, orientals. Good ones anyway. I was very excited to try Truefitt & Hill after reading reviews here as well as on basenotes.net. It sounds like a great British perfumer; similar to Czech & Speake and among their full range of fragrances, it sounds like it's hard to go wrong. I purchased 5 of them: Trafalgar, Grafton, Freshman, Clubman, and West Indian Limes. Trafalgar, as with the other bottles, has a terrific presentation. The box is ornate and very neat; the bottle is heavy, solid, has a matching ornate label on the front and a gorgeous etched pattern on the back. Wonderful. The fragrance itself is a bit of a letdown. The topnote was lemon. One of the better, natural, lemon-forward scents I have experienced. The mid-note begins to dry down into a really subtle, pleasant jasmine and what seems like a seriously subtle hint of rose. Then, the basenote... lemon. Just lemon. I couldn't pick up anything else. I had a clean palatte and really, it's pure lemon. I simply can't pick up anything T&H describes this fragrance as having. Additionally, the longevity is dismally bad. After an hour the sillage was down to about 1 inch from the application, and after about 3 hours, there was no trace whatsoever. I chose to move on trying something else; I didn't even need to wash my skin or change shirts. It was simply gone. It does appear to be high-quality, as every review does claim about other T&H fragrances. It seems to be very natural, and as such, it's tough to combine that with longevity. I'm thinking Creed; some of those fragrances are spectacularly nice, but don't last. The fragrance is so linear, one-dimensional... it's an excellent lemon-forward fragrance if that's what you're after, but it really is nothing more than that, just a great natural lemon. There's just a bump in the midnotes that you won't notice if you aren't really paying attention, smelling for it. The longevity isn't even half-day, so it won't last you until a lunch date. For the price, the lemon just doesn't add up. I'm still very optimistic about the other ones. I will review them all in turn. However, this one leaves a lot to be desired; it's OK, short-lasting, and not special, not unique. I would have loved it if that jasmine kept blooming in the basenote but instead it receded behind the lemon. As far as this particular scent, I can't endorse it simply because of the price. It'll be nice enough to wear but really isn't exceptional and is overpriced for what it is / does. Cheers.
Real Raleigh ReviewerVerified purchaseHelpful (22)
★★★★★April 1, 2012
Elegant!
It's difficult, unless you are "super-nose", to quantify the nuances that complex fragrances bring, be it wine or a product such as a cologne. Rest assure though, this is a rich, complex, 'heaven on earth' experience as soon as the cologne touches the skin. Maybe it's me, but the ladies seem to like it. There's a real good chance that they are smelling something uniquely sublime. Which never hurts..... ;)
cosmicmesVerified purchaseHelpful (7)
★★★★★July 24, 2013
Smell like a LORD
I bought this in London at the Truefitt and Hill shop and am really happy with it. If you don't know what the scent is like I suggest you buy the sampler pack or try their shaving cream first before you plunk down the change. It smells exactly like the aftershave and the shaving cream. In layman's terms the scent smells kind of like a mix between tea leaves and spicy woody smells. It is definitely a different scent but is a very nice one. If you want to smell like a lord this is probably the scent to go for. Longevity is pretty decent, around four or five hours depending on how much you put on. This is a very refined scent though. I'm not sure if its perfect for mornings at the office since it is pretty upscale. If you are looking for something light from the Truefitt and Hill line I suggest the Freshman, Sandalwood (very nice), or 1805 colognes.
Joshua P. FloresHelpful (5)
★★★★★June 14, 2012
Great Cologne
This cologne has a great spicy, lemony fragrance with a hint of bay rum. It refreshes your face very well after shaving and doesn't burn. I also like the fact that it is not as oily as some men's colognes. Well worth the price.
Michael T. StephensVerified purchaseHelpful (3)
★★★★★September 8, 2015
... product came in before it was promised and I love it. Very old fashioned scent
This product came in before it was promised and I love it. Very old fashioned scent, very low key and soft.
propadjVerified purchaseHelpful (2)
★★★★★September 13, 2016
This kicks ice!
This it really a high quality product! It stays with you for hours and is very pleasant. I found it to be somewhat spicy, but not overpowering. It is a bit pricey, but a little goes a long way so you will not be buying another bottle for quite some time, even if you use it every day.
Amazon ShopperVerified purchaseHelpful (2)
★★★★★September 21, 2014
Refined and clean
This is my favorite fragrance. Clean, fresh, just enough sweetness and briskness. It amazingly does not come on too strong when first applied, yet lingers pleasantly for hours. A bit pricey, but a little goes a long way. Worth every penny.
Sierra BobHelpful (2)
★★★★★April 17, 2024
Wonderful scent
First time user and really like the scent-matches well with after shave balm
Springer WalkerVerified purchaseHelpful (1)
★★★★★July 22, 2025
Wonderful Fragrance
This is my third purchase of Trafalgar. I like the fragrance very much. Especially pleasant in the Spring and Summer.
SteveVerified purchaseHelpful (1)
★★★★★May 1, 2025
Mrs
Great product, timely delivery.
Rose ShearinVerified purchaseHelpful (1)
★★★★★July 16, 2018
Spicy, Light, Cedar, Sandalwood, Jasmine, Spice
Bay Rum guy but tried T&H's sampler. This Trafalar is great. From the T&H's website: "Spicy, Light, Cedar, Sandalwood, Jasmine, Spice." The scent is complex and wonderful, I just wish it lasted a little bit longer. (Also a historical note on why T&H's Trafalgar cologne is called that. T&H started in 1805 in London, which in October, 1805, Commander Nelson (Lord Nelson) who was in charge of the British navel forces engaged in the "Battle of Trafalgar" against the French and Spanish forces off the Cape of Trafalgar, (hence the name). Look it up, because Lord Nelson wanted a "pell mell" battle and broke every rule in the navel engagement book, e.g. Nelson allowed the French and Spanish ships to "cross the [British ships] T," which every navel commander seeks. But Nelson knew what he was doing because he knew the Spanish ships could only fire one shot, the British ships could fire and re-load.) Please note the difference in the types of men's "scents." The least powerful is the "spray;" next is "aftershave;" then "eau de Cologne, then the "eau de Toilette," then the "Eau de Parfum," then the most concentrated and powerful, and expensive, is the "Parfum ". So you could buy the same brand, but depending on what it is, it could be a completely different "power" of the "scent."
bowonwingHelpful (1)
★★★★★May 6, 2026
Worth it
THE CLASSIC British cologne
Anthony McclureVerified purchase
★★★★★March 14, 2017
Cologne
Love it
charles c elliottVerified purchase
★★★☆☆September 15, 2022
Ok
Too $ofe
darnell hendersonVerified purchase
★★★☆☆November 7, 2025
If you are looking for Sandalwood fragrance, this is not the one for you.
I was expecting a stronger Sandalwood fragrance, but the fragrance it did have was nice.
CLESTERVerified purchase
★★★☆☆September 12, 2014
What happened to this cologne ?
I have had this Cologne before and immediately I could tell this bottle was a little different -perhaps a slightly different formula or something.. Watered down? It is not the same.. Perhaps it is very old stock ? Have loved this scent over the years, but this bottle is not up there compared to bottles of the past..
DanFVerified purchase
★★★☆☆August 25, 2019
Normal product
Quality good but average nothing special.
ALI ALNEYADIVerified purchase
