Calvin Klein — CK One Essence
Essence
CK One Essence is a 2024 “Parfum Intense” flanker of Calvin Klein’s genre-defining 1994 unisex sharing-fragrance CK One, released to mark the original’s 30th anniversary and built — like the original — by Alberto Morillas. It is positioned as twice the concentration of the original EDT and as a modern, sustainability-forward upgrade: a clean citrus-tea-musk scent that keeps the CK One skeleton (citrus top, green-tea heart, musky-woody base) but rounds the edges and adds contemporary “blue fragrance” warmth. Catalog identity note: the catalog lists year and perfumer as unknown and concentration as “Parfum” — research confirms August 2024, Alberto Morillas, and a “Parfum Intense” designation.
Scent Profile
The catalog notes (bergamot/blood-orange → green-tea → sandalwood/musk) are the core; a fragrance database lists a fuller pyramid (adding white tea, black pepper, mint, geranium up top and incense/moss in the base). On wear it is recognizably CK One — fresh, citrus-aromatic, tea-tinged — but smoother and rounder. The opening is a sparkling, fairly natural citrus (Calabrian bergamot and blood orange) with a green-tea freshness; reviewers note the original’s slightly sharp “bathroom-cleaner” edge has been sanded off. The heart is a clean green/white-tea accord; the base is a soft, sweetish musk-and-Australian-sandalwood drydown that several wearers say is where ambroxan/modern musks have been “dialed up,” giving it the aromatic, musky, woody feel of 2010s “blue” fragrances.
Performance
Performance reception is the most contested axis. The consensus is that it outperforms the current (weak) original CK One — but many feel it underdelivers for something badged “Parfum Intense.” Negative reports: “performance is STILL just Mediocre,” projection lasting “maybe 1–2 hours only,” and “the ‘Parfum Intense’ branding has no bearing on the actual scent.”
Wearing Context
A spring/summer, daytime, casual unisex fresh scent — work, gym, errands, warm-weather everyday. It is safe, clean, office-friendly, and genuinely unisex (leaning slightly masculine-fresh to some). It feels wrong as a cold-night-out or formal-evening statement scent (too fresh, too quiet).
Comparisons & DNA
The most-repeated wearers comparison is Creed Silver Mountain Water — “It definitely has Creed Silver Mountain Water vibes… performance is much better than regular ck one,” with several framing Essence as CK’s affordable take on that fresh-musky tea genre. The second axis is the modern “blue fragrance” family: reviewers liken the rounded, ambroxan/musk-forward feel to Bleu de Chanel and Dior Sauvage while stressing it remains “undoubtedly CK One.” Additional named comparisons from the wearers: vintage Issey Miyake Pour Homme and Banana Republic White Tea. The single most relevant comparison, of course, is the original CK One (1994, Morillas & Harry Fremont): a fragrance database’s editorial framing (Eddie Bulliqi) calls Essence “in essence, the same fragrance… but different predominantly in longevity,” analogous to Acqua di Parma’s Colonia tiering — “If you did not like CK One, you won’t enjoy CK One Essence.
Reception
Mixed-to-positive. Praise: “the ultimate mass-appealing fragrance at this price point. Surpassing the original CK One in every way,” “blows the original out of the water,” and credit to Morillas for reviving the original’s lost performance and modernizing it; a fragrance database enthusiasm runs to “don’t ask questions, just buy it… 1994 CK One but richer, greener, more tea-forward.”
Versions & Reformulation
CK One Essence is itself a flanker of CK One (1994). It launched August 1, 2024 in 50ml and 100ml, with a 200ml added in April 2025. It has spawned its own sub-flankers: CK One Essence Viva Love (2025, Morillas; a lighter blood-orange/green-tea/sandalwood variant) and CK One Night Essence (2026, Morillas with Frank Voelkl; a darker iris/tea/amber-musk evening interpretation).
Acquisition Notes
Budget/accessible tier and emphatically not rare. Sizes: 50ml, 100ml, and 200ml. Street pricing runs roughly $25–$40 for 100ml at discounters (Jomashop listed 100ml around $39.
Notable Facts & Lore
- The defining story is the 30th-anniversary revival: Morillas returning to his own 1994 creation.
- The sustainability marketing is unusually prominent and specific.
- The alcohol is partly made from upcycled CO₂ emissions produced through Coty’s partnership with carbon-recycling firm LanzaTech (“Coty, working in partnership with experts at LanzaTech, uses captured carbon emissions to produce a high-purity alcohol… through a natural fermentation process”), blended with conventional alcohol under an ISO 22095 mass-balance model so per-bottle upcycled content varies.
- Sources conflict on a second upcycled material: Coty’s own materials describe “upcycled turpentine from the paper industry,” whereas a fragrance database’s news item described it as “a specific musk upcycled from the paper industry” — the paper-industry origin is consistent, the exact material is not.
- The formula is also marketed as vegan, with organic green tea and bergamot/blood orange responsibly sourced from a family-owned Calabrian farm.