I tried the new Tommy Forever fragrance – it's a solid, retro-inspired perfume for little money

Whether you have a collection of the best men’s fragrances or just want a scent for every occasion, it’s important to look for value. Some fragrances can be absurdly expensive and it’s not always worth paying a lot for them.

Luckily, there are a wide variety of more affordable scents to choose from. With that in mind, I’ve been testing the new Tommy forever perfume by Tommy Hilfiger.

It’s a recreation of the brand’s classic 90s perfume – perfect for those nostalgic moments. Plus, it’s cheap as chips, selling for just £36 (approximately $47 / AU$70) for a 100ml bottle. But is it worth buying? Well, let’s go inside and take a closer look.

Tommy Hilfiger Forever fragrance

(Image credit: Sam Cross)

So what does that smell like? Well, let’s talk about the scent profile. The brand suggests that users can expect top notes of lemon and black pepper, trails of “modern” lavender, and base notes of patchouli and salt for a warm, woodsy note.

In my experience, things are not that complicated. The base note is woody, but not in the traditional sense. It’s not like the Jusbox Beat Cafe I recently discovered.

Instead, it offers a strong, resolute body without conveying much character. A strong citrus character sits on top of this, leaving this with a blend of the best of all worlds.

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Tommy Hilfiger Forever fragrance — (Image credit: Sam Cross)

Perhaps the most interesting part for me was the smell of the dry trail. A soft passion fruit note was really apparent to me – something I’ve never seen in other fragrances.

One thing I will note this for is longevity. We are very blessed in the modern world of fragrances, with most bottles remaining around for quite a while. That’s not the case here. In testing, I found that it had difficulty lasting more than three hours.

Still, for a fragrance that retails for just £36, I think this is a solid buy. It wouldn’t be the only fragrance for me, but as a solid, versatile option that can survive in a wide variety of situations, it’s an inexpensive choice.