Diesel Zero Plus Eau De Toilette Spray for Him

I like different kinds of aftershaves from time to time, but sometimes I can be more of a traditionalist with my vintage fragrances and only a few outside my realm of premium products have raised my interest. “Red Diesel Zero,” has been for me, a rather challenging product over the years. Given and received both as gifts to friends and from friends from 2007 onwards, it still remains a mystery to me as to what age group the producers had in mind for this product. Many versions exist of Diesel Zero however, from a green bottle marketed both for men and women and a further Red bottle similar to the man’s one for women! How confusing! I used to think that Red Diesel/Diesel Zero was no more than Old Spice but having smelt it on other people; I’m starting to think otherwise now.

The Price, The Product & The Promise

I have seen Red Diesel Eau de Toilette in the form that I bought at Semi Chem seven years ago for the low price of £7-99 75ml reduced at Semi Chem for example from £13-99. Other prices such as Boots charge up to £14-99 whilst city dwellers who find this brand hard to resist shouldn’t even bother going to House of Fraser’s or John Lewis as the price is extremely marked up to £35-00 and beyond. From 2012 onwards, you may be hard pushed to find it at the major department stores, and instead outlets like “The Perfume Shop,” and pharmacies like Superdrug and Semi-Chem. Online companies like www.chemistdirect.co.uk are selling this product at £9-79 per 75ml.

Other versions of this same red bottle, namely for 75ml come in a cheap Tetra-style milk box carton package that can be thrown away because guess what, this package has an additional pull off metal top that goes with the bottle, unlike the traditiona plastic dome encased version that doesn’t come with a small top. Either way I think is a waste of packaging even though the whole thing is recyclable, look out for the Tetra pack instead for the additional perfume bottle cap.

In the seven years that I first discovered Red Diesel Zero aftershave, I have only ever seen one other version of this aftershave for men – a shower gel wash tube that cost £15-00 per 100ml and it seems to be a product that is very rare.

Packaging & Design

The packaging is a delight for some, and cheap for others. Including a plastic glass like top with a frosted clear plastic bottom, the whole product either looks like a hand grenade or a time capsule. Without this rocket like dome cover, you wont be able to keep the bottle without a top as no top comes with it – so don’t throw away this gimmicky dome as it has a use! It couldn’t be anymore masculine in its design if it tried, though.

The bottle on the other hand, is a beautiful item to hold. The outer casing which cannot be removed is a an “Ultra Red,” casing which is delightfully soft and smooth – no matter how many times I have used this to apply, it is one of very few aftershave bottles I have dropped – it seems to grip skin very well – and the red coating is difficult to scratch off. I use the term “Ultra Red” because in actual fact it is a clear see through red which allows the proper undercover casing of the all metal bottle to shine through, but it could be termed as “Laser Red,” as well.

Original bottles of Red Diesel came in chrome like paint on the bottle similar to Limited Editions of Fahrenheit but they were taken off the market very quickly and replaced with this Ultra red colouring.

The Eau De Toilette is actually called “Zero Plus Masculine,” and it is written in shiny chrome lettering as opposed to silver writing, which is the most apparent type colour on the bottle.

What Does It Smell Of?

The first swoosh of spray from this aftershave reveals a very similar talcum powder like scent, knocking on the door of a mild Evening Primrose with a bit of Johnson’s Baby Powder, but as soon as the scent allows the air around you to circulate I would say that the final smell is very woody. However, it all begins to change once the aftershave settles, which isn’t always a good sign. Through the scent I detect pine, but no sandalwood, a slight under tone of Lychees as a bonus tone of sweetness, but ultimately can become too heady if you spray too much in one sitting.

Longevity & Delivery

It can take a few moments for this aftershave to die down. In terms of longevity, Red Zero Hero can come across too flowery for its own good at times, but it depends on how much you use in one go. Sometimes one squirt is all you will require, especially in warm rooms or places that brings out the cosy warmth of the product. Other times if the room or venue I’m in has a colder temperature, Red Diesel Zero responds correspondingly with its powdery like Old Spice delivery and will hover around the area you’re in for a few good hours. Generally the scent is very long lasting then, and possibly worth the money if you are into it. Overall, the scent is woody, flowery and almost peppery. Sadly however the content might be long lasting, I do have to mention that the first time you spray this on your hand for testing analysis, there is an awful amount of alcohol that is present before you are even allowed to detect the scent. A quick glance at the bottle reveals that Alcohol content is a whopping 82% for the whole volume!! There are no prizes to guessing then that this product is highly flammable.

General Performance & Downsides

Apparently this is a scent that is best used for evening time and social occasions. Whenever I have worn it, people around me do remark how fresh I smell and people have asked me what it is that I have on! Having said that, I do prefer this scent to D&G for Men because the latter is too understated for me and I like to be able to mix and match other scents for combinations of aroma. However having owned this product again for a couple of months, it rarely gets used. For more formal occasions I don’t choose to use this. Here is why:

I find if you spray this scent directly to skin, about 3 inches away, the woody fragrance sits on skin and stays there all day but it seems like it looses its freshness. It doesn’t ever lose its scent but it almost appears as if it gets stale but not in a heavy sweaty kind of a way. It’s hard for me to pinpoint what I am actually trying to say about the properties of this scent. If however you spray more directly away there seems to be more freshness to the scent than allowing it to just stick to one patch of skin. Like the former direction then, it keeps fresher when you direct the spray further from you than near you.

Final Thoughts

If you like heady scents that last for ages, then this is a product for you that has different facets and almost a double personality dependent on the temperature it is inclined to thrive in. Entwined with woodland scents such as pine, slightly fruity but definitely flowery yet can burn wet-shaved skin no part due to its alcoholic edge, Red Diesel Zero is a very fresh scent and is liable to cling to clothing too that can be disadvantageous the next morning. Thanks to that abundance of alcohol, the product also has a tendency to stain white or bright clothing! For a heavy Eau de Toilette for men, Red Diesel is the one for many but not for me.

Although this isn’t a scent that I’m particularly fond of, I find myself buying it from time to time and find it better as a mixer scent rather than wearing it alone. The green version has a much more open balance compared to “new age Old Spice,” here but can be equally difficult to find despite it being marketed as a unisex fragrance. But for the reduced prices though, it is hard to resist a bargain on a scent that is fairly versatile. It isn’t a saviour for me, I won’t mourn its absence if it finally disappears and for that reason alone it’s a Zero Hero, despite the versatility of its scent. Thanks for reading. ©Nar2 2012