Mon Vetiver

On Essential parfums: Every now and again a brand comes along that really hits on every level. Essential parfums is one those brands. Superb perfumes, nothing superfluous or irrelevant in the lineup, a nice number of releases, Frederic Malle style focus on perfumers (all of which are fantastic master perfumers) with their name (and picture) pride of place on the bottle and marketing materials. A commitment to sustainability, in terms of perfume materials and packaging, transparency about natural naturals used and their source, and the really important thing to most consumers an pledge to keep prices affordably low without sacrificing quality. So a brand that truly adds value and brings a lot to the table. I have huge admiration and respect for them and they should be applauded for the whole concept of the brand. Mon Vetiver is really great. I can't fault it's themes, might put some on the back foot as there's a controlled jibe of woody amber in the opening (moreso on a strip) but when applied to skin the vetiver aspect comes alive!!! It's fresh top notes, effervesce with juniper and quinine vibes, so the G&T association is there as is the classic pairing of grapefruit and vetiver, sharing that bitter edge. I think it's great, it's a minimal piece but considering Bruno does a few for Malle, he's not phoning it in here. I'm picky about vetivers and this although really decent doesn't fully do the job for me, as in recent years I've started to prize (Vintage) Guerlain vetiver as my favourite vetiver as it has a little more grit than something like this. however if I was ever was in the market for a functional, synthy, vetiver I'd get this over many others as I love the brand and feel that the value on offer here is just too hard to pass on. This is a must for vetiver lovers to at least check it out, because you will be seriously impressed I'd say.

Lots of reviewers correctly identify the bright lime, grassy vetiver, juniper/gin sparkle and woody drydown. Several identify "something" that they either like or really dislike. When I smelled this blind, I was struck by what I thought was a prominent artemesia/rhubarb scent, a bitter earthy element that I love when blended properly. When I later read the notes and didn't find either of those, I was dumbfounded. But what I smelled was gentian! It is the primary flavoring ingredient in things like amaro and Campari. It is beautifully done in this one, and it sets this apart from those you might think would be similar (lime & gin of Guerlain L'Homme and Eau Boisee). The bitter earthiness contrasts with the lime, vetiver and juniper in a way that adds about 15 years to the target demographic and several layers of class. I have never smelled gentian this prominent, so consider this to be something of a reference scent. I have many vetiver fragrances in my collection, as it is one of my favorite notes. This does not smell like any of the others. Vetiver lovers should have a bottle of this on their shelf. For the rest, this is probably close enough in a vague sense to Guerlain Vetiver, TF Grey Vetiver, etc. that you don't NEED it, but since samples seem easy to get from the House, it is worth a try. I get better performance than most of those below, spraying 8 shots to the chest and shirt, and I think anosmia plays a bigger role than you might expect. But like most vetivers, this doesn't shout. You could wear this to a Broadway show and with an hour of drydown your neighbor would get hints of something very evocative without any risk of being overwhelmed. Easily worth the $65 I paid.

I got this as a free sample with another order and it’s been a wonderful surprise that’s led me on a journey of discovery to explore more from Essential Parfums. A delightfully clean and refreshing opening - a burst of lime, laced with gin and some light lavender on a fresh green vetiver, which is so much more than the sum of its parts. Brings to mind a cleansing, purifying light shower of cool rain settling on lush, damp, verdant foliage on a fresh summer morning. It’s bright and airy, there are no heavy woods or dark notes to weigh this composition down, even the vetiver seems particularly light and delicate. The notes are very pure and naturalistic and the blending is masterful. If I had to compare it to Tom Ford’s Grey Vetiver; it’s deceptively simpler, minus the nutmeg, more green, vibrant and luminous but most importantly it’s every bit as good at a fraction of the price. I actually prefer it to Grey Vetiver. Projection is fairly good, around 4 feet, longevity is ample, several hours. Ideal for daytime wear in spring and summer, it’s both office safe and a little unusual, I really like it and have ordered a travel spray. Strongly recommended to Vetiver lovers and all fans of good perfumery. It’s fantastically good value for a niche level fragrance, which has got me interested to try more of the house’s offerings. They’re definitely a house worth exploring.

Man this stuff is criminally under-rated and slept on. It’s actually crazy. A beautiful Lime and Gin opening that smells super diffusive and high quality, that settles to a woody Lavandin and Vetiver mix and down to a smooth woody Vetiver in the base. Nothing here smells sharp or synthetic or cheap, the quality of these ingredients and the blending is second to none. It smells beautiful. Personally I don’t see the similarities to Grey Vetiver at all besides them sharing the one note (which is done in a different way in each) - I don’t really like Grey Vetiver whereas I LOVE this. I think that if people are getting put off this stuff thinking it’s just like Grey Vetiver they’ll be seriously missing out. I also don’t think it’s similar to Roja Vetiver or Guerlain Vetiver... I know that some people will always vote for the same things with literally every Vetiver scent but as a Vetiver fanboy myself, I have never smelled anything that smells quite like this. It goes in its own direction. As has been pointed out, the performance is pretty light, which of course will be make-or-break for many people, but for me the trade off is worth it for the quality, naturalness and beauty of the composition. This stuff is a masterpiece imo, and for the price an absolute steal. If you love Vetiver and/or Gin/Juniper scents, you owe it to yourself to at least try it.

Essential Parfums Mon Vetiver is a balanced fresh-meets-dark blend in which vetiver mixes with a gin/lime/juniper cocktail and patchouli. It matches a dark, earthy, ashy vetiver note accord against a bright, green, citrus ensemble that makes for a vetiver scent that’s neither remarkably fresh nor dark, a great crossroads between fresh vetiver scents (i.e. Vetiver Original, Trefle Pur) and darker vetiver scents (i.e. Encre Noire), quite impressive at that intersection, with very good performance. Like the rest of the line, Mon Vetiver is EDP concentration and priced at $96 for 100ml, very reasonable in the current market, sold in the US by boutiques Ministry of Scent, from which I bought my discovery set. I’m not generally a huge fan of vetiver scents but this one is frankly very easy appreciate and versatile in that it’s neither strictly fresh nor earthy/ashy, somewhere in between. Very nice stuff. 8 out of 10