Dune

(Bottle c. 1992) It’s 100 degF outside, and I’m wearing Dune EdT. Bold, you say? You bet. But then, so is Dune. Dumb to wear an old school amber on a sweltering day, you say? Nope, I say it isn’t dumb to wear this amber - and neither is Dune dumb. It is bold and highly intelligent in the most ephemeral way. Before I begin, a confession: this isn’t my favorite Dune format. That’s the Esprit de Parfum. See my review on that format if you’re curious. But, honestly, if I had a gun to my head and had to pick my absolute favorite and coherently and logically justify why, I would be sweating bullets. All I can say is that the Esprit is the best characteristics of both the EdT and the Extrait in one, but all three concentrations are works of art that deserve every bit of praise they have ever garnered, and more. Part of the reason for this is that the formats behave in different ways that makes sense for the different concentrations - what a novel concept lost on many of today’s brands! This big and bold amber EdT, for example, on this super-heated day, is actually very well behaved as an EdT should be. Wearing the Extrait or Espirit on a day like today would definitely be ill-advised, but the EdT, no. It can take the heat, it wants the heat, and it sits beautifully on my sun-kissed and slightly sweaty skin like a fine and sticky sand. I certainly know it’s there, like you would any amber in this heat, but, like a fine sand that clings to you, it doesn’t crowd me and instead adds to the mood rather than subtracts. I know Dune in all formats is supposed to evocate bronzed, slightly wet and sticky sand dunes with thick blasts of marine air crashing into me, but - perhaps revealing a bit about my age and interests - I can’t help but think of the movie Dune and the material Spice, that magical golden-orange-bronze, and sparkling substance that commanded the attention and ambitions of worlds of civilizations. Personal timing and nostalgia plays a huge part in my attachment, as it does and should for every perfume connoisseur, but just like the movie the perfume is a sci-fi epic. It is otherworldly and larger than yours or my life experience. That blast of fetid salty marine water and oranges at the beginning is startling; you need no more cue than that to know you’re in for a ride. But what follows is heart-wrenchingly commanding: the most gaseous and colorful swirl of white, pink, red, and orange florals you could imagine. If Edmond Roudnitska smelled this before he died I wish I could’ve witnessed his reaction (does anyone know if he did? I’ve never bothered to check.). It surely would’ve knocked the Master of Floral Amalgams right on to his keister. Jasmine swirls quickly in front of you, like the bright white sheet of a specter, backed suddenly by a quick burst of orange light from what I think is orange blossom or a weird lily or marigold, then another plasmatic burst of pink gas from the creamiest rose and lily-of-the-valley combo. All of these florals, like plasma shooting from the surface of the sun, are emanating from a nuclear core made of the richest but most weightless and air-filled amber of benzoin, vanilla, patchouli, and sandalwood. Those moments where that glorious light-show floral heart cedes to the warm but diffusive base is completely transfixing for me. I get lost, and the hair on my arms and neck stand-up like I’m high on the ethereal plasmatic gases Dune puts in my mind’s eye. I’m not wearing Dune, it’s wearing me. It doesn’t care about me and it won’t acknowledge my existence or what I want it to do. The confidence and strength of personality you need to have to successfully wear this perfume is high. For most perfumes this is a negative, but with Dune I am happy to be its source of energy that it uses to release its gorgeous self into the air around me, to swirl through the air and molecularly penetrate everything in its path. How could I not be?

I feel many others here have written fantastically about this scent, so I’ll just add my impression from a newbies perspective. I bought 2 vintage partial 50ml bottles from different sources. I liked the first one and won the backup on an eBay auction. Both bottles smell identical. Opens woody with some citrus and bright soapy aldehydes. Not sweet at all. Feels like the driest slightly bubbly white wine. Maybe getting a touch of peony/florals but super easy to miss as they’re very subtle. Not sensing any patchouli. Not immediately registering as vintage and definitely seems more niche. Unisex 100%. As it dries down, the aldehydes fade and turn powdery, the wood softens and turns a bit warm musky. Starts to feel slightly vintage but not dated, more “classic.” Starts leaning slightly more femme with the powderiness in the drydown but not too much. I get the “sand” impression. I kind of want to try this in the heat. I’d describe it as more of a soft solar woody skin scent. I see zero resemblance to Obsession. Obsession opens with big spice and incense and dries down to the most amazing vanilla cinnamon incense scent on me. I’ve worn it for days on end. It’s warm and sweet and extremely gourmand on my skin like a campfire charred marshmallow floating in an extra spicy chai latte. It has no strong wood notes at all, it’s pure warm spicy sweet. Dune on the other hand has nothing gourmand to it at all. I don’t get the “spices” people refer to in either of my bottles of Dune, aside from them piquing memories and lines from the classic film. Maybe it’s a bit peppery but not in a cinnamon incense way like Obsession. I’d describe the accords for Dune as woody fresh citrus. Perhaps my chemistry is different from others. I don’t think Dior makes scents that work well with my chemistry. Poisons all turned to pure playdoh on my skin, white florals get pissy on me. Any notes that can turn bad on someone will on me, but only if it’s a Dior scent... But I like Dune! Surprise, my first Dior love! It’s strange and fun. I also have been getting more and more into vintage scents and developing an appreciation for them that goes well beyond most newer perfumes. I feel like Dune doesn’t have the chance to do much in cooler weather and can see it becoming more awesome in the sun+heat. I live in a dry windy desert with no humidity, so “sand” scents really have a place to shine here. I can see this smelling sandy. Maybe not creosotes in the rain type of sand, but more so lounging on a teak patio chair in the sun on the beach type of sand. I remember years ago discovering Bronze Goddess Eau Fraiche, a scent that has nothing to do with the OG EDP of this line. When I fell for that scent, people compared it to Dune. While not a dupe at all, there is a similar dominant woodsy note and sandy vibe that defines both scents. However, BGEF has a lot of citrus in the top notes, doesn’t really have an aldehyde note that I can recall/sticks out, and stays pretty woody without turning powdery. I’d say BGEF is the only scent I’ve ever come across that smells anything like Dune. It’s still quite different though. Overall I do love it. It’s a bit strange and definitely something I will need to be in the mood to wear, but the same is true for most of my collection. I wouldn’t blind buy this if you’re on a budget, but I would recommend sampling this for every fraghead and lover of vintage scents.

Dior Dune is the ONE fragrance that the current version does not quite live up to my memory from the 90s. I believe this could partially be due to the fact that the one I remember from the 90s was an edp?... back then, I thought it was simply the most beautiful, almost mystical scent. But it was ruined by a family friend who must have bathed in it. I’m not kidding, you could smell her approaching from afar, before you could even see her. After that, I stopped sneaking sprays from my mom’s bottle, and my mom even stopped wearing it as everyone was so offended by Betty-Ann. It was just too much! But I do remember before she ruined it, that it was the prettiest thing to me. Definitely too mature for my teen self, but I didn’t care. I loved it. So when I tried the current edt version, I was disappointed. It seemed to lack that something special that I can’t even put into words. And I sought out a vintage sample to compare, but that too was edt and same story. I cannot describe the difference, but to me, it’s there. I have always sort of rolled my eyes at people who claime that current versions are a shell of their former selves. But now I get it, although I do realize that this could be in part to faulty memory. The way I idolized a scent, and the changes and developments to my own nose over time. It may not be as big of a change as my mind says it is. But there is a lack of depth, if I were to try to explain it. And in addition to that, a greatly reduced longevity... and maybe strength too. I recall Dior dune lasting all day and projecting a ton. When I sprayed, or my mom did, we did so sparingly and it was still a noticeable scent to others. When Betty Ann sprayed, she did so generously and committed olfactory assault to all those around her. All of these statements aside, to speak of how I now feel about the current Dior Dune Edt... I do still find it to be incredibly beautiful, incredibly feminine, and they just don’t make scent profiles like this anymore. While I do also enjoy modern offerings, it can get a bit annoying to find that the majority of scents are just sweets overloads. Cupcakes, whipped cream, cotton candy, praline... it seems that the sophisticated and mysterious scents are all getting the axe. Dune is special. Even this modern version. It is sophisticated, timeless, feminine, and just beautiful. I wish it lasted longer, I get around 3 hrs with it. Maybe a little more if I spray my clothes. But I will still take it. I do wish they still made perfumes like this. It’s very sad to see Dior letting go of this one.

Sandy Early '90s Desert Dream with Driftwood... 1991 Vintage Sandy BRAZILIAN ROSEWOOD Gem by Dominique Ropion, Jean-Louis Sieuzac & Nejia Barbir. The younger sister of Scheherazade of One Thousand and One Nights, whose name was Dunyazad, fits the mood here - something I could imagine being worn in The Mummy (1999), or Sahara (2005). As if wearing this you could discover lost treasure or the mysteries of Egypt. In the first couple of minutes before the spray dries, I can feel the spicy citrus notes. Once the spray dries and the sillage starts to open up, I can feel the blend of aldehydes & Brazilian Rosewood, with citruses in the background. The woody-aldehyde blend does evoke a sand dune and driftwood (but not beachy) in my imagination. As it transitions into the heart, more floral tones emerge with soft near-lilac & faint licorice-y tones from jasmine, lily & patchouli swelling through, while rose supports the Brazilian Rosewood accord. Everything is beautifully blended, but as it's drying down, overall I get a Brazilian Rosewood scent with the other notes serving to support its different facets. It gets sweeter the longer it's on the skin, with faint near-cinnamon, licorice-y, rosy-floral & vanilla-woods facets. The faint near-cinnamon facets also echo the sand dune vibe that was initially evoked with aldehyde-rosewood. This has above average performance that becomes excellent with dark storage after the first sprays. Overall: gorgeous sandy Brazilian Rosewood scent with aldehydes & near-cinnamon. It's a love for me. 10/10. Enjoy! Contrast to Roma Laura Biagiotti: These are different, and Roma came out 3 year prior to Dune, but there are striking similarities with citrus, amber, sandalwood, oakmoss & vanilla, although Roma doesn't evoke sand in the way that Dune does. Dune had the woody accord more forward, with the addition of aldehydes in the opening & near-cinnamon in the drydown that give a dry, sandy feel. Roma has the citrus and amber accords more forward, but the combination of myrrh-rose-sandalwood in the drydown Roma has some parallels to the Brazilian Rosewood in Dune Both have above average performance that becomes excellent with dark storage after first sprays. Update 03/18/25: This has gotten a lot more woody (although it was already quite woody), with that Dior woody accord that to my nose smells like a mix of sandalwood, cinnamon & almond paste. As it dries down it gets quite amber-y as well. Love it still.

I think I am on my fourth bottle of this in my life! It’s kind of old fashioned but it packs a punch and I love that it’s strong and not all flowers. It's complex and I have never even tried to figure out what is so special about it, but now that we have fragrantica I can look up the notes! I do like most Dior perfumes. They last a long time. Or at least they did, I think I bought my last bottle of Dune in 2015 or 2016. ------------------- I have delved deep into the Dune obsessed frag head world and discovered based on batch codes that my old bottle was probably from 2014. I do think the juice has kind of turned a bit and I hadn't been wearing it much. BUT I JUST GOT A NEW BOTTLE!! Yay. What a whole saga, needless to say, I firstly got one from a dilapidated Macy's and ended up not feeling good about it. They gave me zero samples and put it in a brown paper lunch bag, not even a little cute handle bag, they are on their last legs at that store. I don't spend 130$ on fragrance very often and it felt kinda sad. -------- I decided to order my bottle directly from Dior, it was 150$, but it came with three samples and a beautiful box and I just felt better about the whole experience. The new bottle does seem weaker, or doesn't last as long. My old bottle could be ten years old at this point, and has definitely darker juice and probably concentrated. I do think they changed a lot of formulas in the last ten years too. Even with the new formula I still love this scent. It has always been impossible for me to identify what it smells like, but it is warm and spicy and fresh all at the same time. A bit vintage, but it was always vintage-y even when it was first released. When everyone was wearing fruity florals or whatever back in 2002 someone gave me my first bottle. I didn't have many perfumes but remember wearing it and getting so many complements that it became my signature. I was a smoker and I would spray it in my hair! This is one of the only scents I have ever owned more than one bottle of. Why buy something you already had when there are so many great scents out there? Well, sometimes you just feel a special kinda way about it and this is the way I feel about Dune! This is a classic and if you're thinking about getting a bottle...do it!