Released in 2009, Versace’s feminine-marketed unisex Versense feels like a 1990s throwback that arrived a decade too late. I say this because Versense is a figgy floral that could easily be mistaken for any one of the dozens that perfumed the air in 1998 or 1999. Its appearance on shelves when it did is something of a curiosity, and I’m not convinced the category needed another entry.
It opens well enough, with a bitter, pithy bergamot and lime accord that smells reasonably natural and avoids the waxy citrus aldehydes that tend to push feminine fragrances toward drugstore territory. Many reviewers on Fragrantica wax poetic about the citrus, but I’m less persuaded. Yes, it smells good, but it's thin and somewhat weak. To my nose, it lacks dimension. From there, a lemongrass accord emerges, again faint and difficult to clearly discern. Eventually, vague white floral notes appear, lending a soft green sweetness. This is where the fragrance veers into unisex territory, as the notes that might've sent it firmly into the ladies department are incredibly restrained. And then comes the fig.
It’s a fig accord with discreet vetiver and oakmoss, or something standing in for it, and it’s here that Versense performs best. Fig is an agreeable, nostalgic note. Versace presents it plainly, without complicating the structure, a restraint appreciated. Still, Versense wears like an Italian-style eau de cologne built from mid-grade materials, where one might wish for refinement. Ennui in green, if you will.