Our take
What does Total Rock smell like?
IKKS, the French fashion label, launched Total Rock for men in 2011. The name promises leather and distorted guitars. The scent is much better behaved than that. The opening mixes mandarin with cardamom and pepper for a fresh, slightly prickly start. The heart rests on Virginia cedar, dry as a freshly sharpened pencil. Cinnamon warms it up, and some people even pick up a gingerbread note. The base is classic: vetiver, musk and tonka bean. Tonka adds a softness that rounds off the edges of the wood. Nothing here is groundbreaking, but the structure holds up from start to finish. The brand doesn't name the perfumer. Compared with Paco Rabanne's 1 Million, released three years earlier, Total Rock is far less sweet and woodier. It sits squarely in the woody spicy family and aims at men who want something easy.
When to wear it
An everyday woody scent for the office or autumn weekends. It makes a good first fragrance for a young man.
It belongs to the Woody, Spicy family. Total Rock is one of 4 creations by IKKS in our encyclopedia.
