The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
U by Ungaro for Him arrived in 2008, created by Emilie Bevierre-Coppermann. The brief was simple on paper: a masculine fragrance that carried the house's Mediterranean drama into something new. What emerged was anything but safe. The choice to open with pomegranate, bright, tart, almost bleeding, departed from the citrus and marine notes that dominated men's fragrance at the time. Grapefruit reinforced the unexpected direction, adding a sharp, bitter edge that kept the top from feeling like a dessert. The house's own philosophy embraces contrast: bold statements beside subtle accents, vivid color beside architectural restraint. This fragrance took that principle and applied it directly to a male fragrance structure, trading convention for conviction.
The unusual top note pairing, pomegranate and grapefruit, is the statement move. Both sit outside the traditional masculine vocabulary; pomegranate especially belongs in women's perfumery. The heart leans into warmth: immortelle brings a honeyed, slightly hay-like richness, while cardamom adds aromatic spice that bridges the opening to the base. The base structure relies on cedar, patchouli, and vetiver, earthy, woody, grounded, while Peru balsam adds the balsamic warmth that ties everything together. What makes the composition interesting is how the sweet-fruity opening transitions into warmth, then settles into woody intimacy. It's a three-act structure that doesn't play it safe in any of them.
The evolution
The opening hits immediately: pomegranate's tart, almost-bloody brightness against grapefruit's sharp citrus. No softening. The whole thing feels green at the edges, medicinal almost, a bold choice for a designer fragrance in 2008. Around the 15-minute mark, the top notes begin to recede and the heart takes over. Cardamom arrives quietly, not as a spice-bomb but as something warmer, rounder. Immortelle follows, honeyed and slightly animalic, wrapping around the cedar as it opens. The sweetness doesn't disappear, it deepens, becoming less fruit and more warm resin. By the 2-hour mark, the base announces itself. Tonka bean dominates, pulling the fragrance into sweet-vanilla territory. Vetiver adds an earthy, slightly smoky finish. Patchouli lingers in the background. The drydown stays close, intimate, vetiver and tonka bean holding on well into the evening, 6-8 hours from the first spray. Worn on clothes, the tonka persists into the next day, warm and subdued.
Cultural impact
The 2008 launch positioned U by Ungaro for Him as a bold, expressive masculine option. The unconventional pomegranate-grapefruit opening distinguished it from the aquatic and aromatic men's fragrances dominating that era. The fragrance bridges designer accessibility with niche-level boldness, appealing to wearers who want something expressive without extreme projection. Moderate sillage and strong longevity make it versatile: present without dominating, warm without overwhelming. The sweet-fruity opening has polarised opinion, but those drawn to it find a warm, woody drydown worth the initial surprise.
