No 23 Aventus

Creed's Aventus set the template for the modern fruity-smoky chypre, and No 23 follows the same structure: pineapple and blackcurrant open with a bright, tart sweetness, birch and patchouli carry a smoky, slightly leathery heart, and oakmoss with musk settle the base. The opening is a fair match, pineapple-forward with that distinctive smoky birch running underneath, which is the combination that made Aventus so widely imitated. Where it falls short is in how long the smoky birch-oakmoss character lasts. Creed's version holds a dense, powerful chypre base for most of a day; No 23's base is comparatively light, fading into a plain woody-musk finish within a few hours rather than the original's sustained smoky power. Projection starts confident and fruity, then settles close to the skin. As an affordable way to try the pineapple-birch idea that built Aventus's reputation, it does the opening justice, but doesn't carry the powerhouse longevity that made the original a menswear staple.