Toy Boy

Toy Boy is Moschino's 2019 eau de parfum for men, composed by Yann Vasnier. It smells of a spiced rose: rose absolute pressed together with clove, nutmeg and pink pepper, over vetiver and cashmeran. It took the house's playful Toy series somewhere unexpected by putting a full rose at the centre of a men's fragrance, and that choice is what people either love or argue with. The name is a wink, but the composition underneath is carefully balanced and more serious than the branding suggests. Fragrance Notes Top: Bergamot, Pear, Elemi, Pink Pepper, Nutmeg Heart: Magnolia, Rose Absolute, Clove Base: Vetiver, Cashmeran, Sandalwood, Amber, Musk Full note breakdown on Fragrantica. The Scent The opening is brisk and fruity. Bergamot and pear give a fresh, slightly watery sweetness, elemi adds a lemony resin, and pink pepper with nutmeg brings a dry, warm prickle that hints at what is coming. The rose arrives early and takes over. It is a rich rose absolute, but clove pushes it somewhere sharper and more savoury than a classic floral, giving a tangy, almost sour spice that some wearers find addictive and others find odd. Magnolia softens the edges with a creamy, lemony bloom. This is the stage that defines the fragrance, and the one most worth paying attention to on a first wear. The dry-down settles into soft woods. Cashmeran gives a musky, slightly mineral woodiness, vetiver adds a grassy dryness, and sandalwood, amber and musk round it into a smooth, warm skin scent. The rose fades back but never quite disappears, leaving a gentle spiced-floral trace over the woods. It is a soft landing after the drama of the heart, and the woods give the rose a clean frame rather than a heavy one. When to Wear Its fresh fruit opening and warm base make it flexible across the year, with spring and autumn showing it best, and spring evenings suiting it especially well. It suits evenings, dinners and dates, where its distinctive rose reads as deliberate, and it is wearable in the daytime in cooler weather. It is less of an office default than a fragrance chosen for occasions. On a night out its unusual rose reads as personality rather than as a mistake. Who Is It For It suits a man who is tired of blue and woody scents and wants a fragrance with a recognisable personality, and it wears just as well on women. Someone who already enjoys spiced florals will find it easy; someone who has only ever worn fresh scents may find the clove-rose takes some getting used to. For a collector it fills a specific gap: a rose fragrance from a designer house, sold to men, that does not hide its flower behind leather or oud. See the house's other Toy releases, such as Toy 2 Pearl, in our Moschino collection, or browse other clove and pepper compositions in our spicy fragrance collection. Toy Boy is decanted here in 3ml, 5ml, 9ml and 15ml sizes.