Habit Rouge Spirit

First impressions : just tested this morning on my skin and although it is undeniably well made, I am quite puzzled by this new release. Let me explain. I am very much into Guerlain fragrances (I own a lot of them), very much into their HR line too (I own and use EDT, EDP, Parfum, Rouge Privé on a regular basis, and I love them all). HR Spirit is downright lovable too, it is true to the awesome typical Guerlain vanilla-powdery accord and to the fantastic HR DNA, of which it is a warmer interpretation. Its main issue for me is that it sits a bit too close to HR Parfum, although with some differences in the opening and the mid drydown. Nutmeg is present but with no harshness, well integrated, à la Guerlain. Sure it smells a bit more fresh, woody and dry than HR Parfum during those phases, but the far drydowns of both are very similar on my skin. They share a strong and rich vanilla base, which I find very comforting. It seems to me that HR Spirit goes to some extent in Shalimar EDT's direction which is more floral but with which it shares that distinct powerful vanilla-powdery accord and that airiness. I also own and wear Shalimar, and would advise any adventurous male to try this one ;) All in all, I am questioning the point of releasing another flanker, yet so interchangeable with HR Parfum, 12 months down the line. 60th anniversary? Why not, that may be the main selling point. Sure if offers different nuances, but not by that much, and it is also significantly more expensive than HR Parfum. Too many flankers, too close to each other, can be confusing (same issue with the l'Homme Idéal line). Maybe my favourite perfumer could have released something more groundbreaking this time, or created a completely new fragrance to keep us hooked ;) If HR Parfum had not existed, it could have been a no brainer, since it is without any doubt a lovely fragrance. Want a more cost-efficient warmer variation of HR and a better performance? Try HR Parfum. Want a nice addition to your already long collection? Get HR Spirit, or better yet HR Rouge Privé if you still can find one ;) My favourites from the Habit Rouge line : ***** EDT, Rouge Privé **** Parfum, Spirit *** EDP Edit : ended up buying it before it gets discontinued, definitely wanted that nice addition to my HR collection 😂

I got this on Friday and have been wearing this over the last three days or so. Right off the bat it does remind me of the 2024 Habit Rouge Parfum, but to me that similarity goes away rather quickly. I find that the Parfum version projects much more strongly while Spirit feels much more intimate to me. Spirit does have presence, but to me it is much less sharp than Parfum, and is also less sweet. There is definitely a touch of citrus at the top. I get a tangerine vibe with a bit of the lemon from the EDT, and I'm sure there is bergamot as well. The oak is present from the start and I feel like it's the star of the show. I get a very boozy vibe very quickly into the wear, more so than the Parfum version, and a bit of leatheriness as well along with some warm spice, but all of that sits below the oak. I am able to pick up the iris, but it's not very dominant overall and contributes a bit of depth to the leatheriness. The blend is really beautiful and it feels very high quality, but I can imagine that some people are going to be unhappy with the strength. To me this is at its best when it's able to waft into the air, whereas smelling more closely to the skin it almost slinks away. In the drydown, the vanilla certainly takes on more of a dominant role, but the woody influence never quite goes away and blends with it in a lovely way. The vanilla smells extremely high quality, but again it feels more airy than dense to me. It reminds me a bit of the way Shalimar Millesime Vanilla Planifolia behaves on my skin, where it can sort of disappear up close, but then out of nowhere I will get wafts of it in the air around me. The name Spirit seems very fitting to me as it has more of an ethereal character than some of the more boisterous Habit Rouge flankers that have come out recently. I'm still not sure about the longevity, as I've been over-applying it over the last few days, but I will take a brief break from it and revisit it again to see if my thoughts change at all. Overall I really do like this one, and it continues to grow on me the more I wear it. I'm looking forward to wearing it more, and I'm curious to see what people have to say about this one.

The Chronicles of Kapow or The Ultimate Fragrance Buyer’s Guide Until I Find a More Pompous Title: Entry Number 17 I just bought it. A sort of blind buy. There was no tester yet in the shop and there were only 3 (hidden) bottles. The sale assistant let me buy one with the promise I could bring it back if I was not satisfied. Well, I am keeping it. By the way, the official launch is at the very end of march (31st), at least in most European countries. So, spoiler alert, this one is a solid proposition, full bottle worthy and, in my opinion, one of the best flankers of the line with Habit Rouge Privé and Habit Rouge Parfum. The Habit Rouge DNA is definitely there, dah. The scent makes me think of Habit Rouge Parfum more than any other member of the family. My first impression about the opening was these two (HR Parfum and HR Spirit) are pretty close. However, when I compare them side by side, the differences are quite obvious to my nose in the opening. Then, in the dry down, the differences are even bigger. HR Parfum (rum) is gourmand while HR Spirit (oak barrel, but not boozy) plays a very distinctive partition. In this flanker, the powdery iris is dancing with the nutmeg on a bed of a superb double dose of vanilla in a very comforting way. The fragrance keeps a sensual and almost animalic touch (something earthy and discreetly smoky and leathery). The oak is the star of the show. It is not intrusive or over exposed, it is a composed statement. It makes you think of a whisky or a cognac aged in oak barrels, but not one of those just playing the oak card in an abusive way. It is there, but it gives enough space to the other flavours to express themselves and to evolve. The more I wear it, the more it grows on me. Performance is good. The scent remains subtle. I like that. It makes the fragrance very versatile. Thus, in my book, HR Siprit is a solid A. It is becoming addictive. I am glad to have it in my modest collection. It is a limited edition, but it is still signature material.

Best fragrance in my collection in 2025. In fact, it shares my Top 1 spot with its almost twin brother, Habit Rouge Parfum. While the Parfum is more extroverted and restless, Habit Rouge Spirit is the quieter, more introspective and refined sibling. Here, iris plays a supporting role, helping to smooth and elevate the vanilla accord without ever stealing the spotlight. The opening has a subtle boozy, liqueur-like nuance that feels elegant rather than loud, followed by a base that gives me the impression of a discreet patchouli presence, even though it’s not officially listed. The quality of the materials is outstanding and fully lives up to Guerlain’s standards. This is a distinctly masculine fragrance that balances classic structure with a modern polish effortlessly. It asks for more serious attire, though not necessarily formal. Perfect for quiet seduction and, above all, for making a confident, understated statement. For my personal use, I wouldn’t consider it a daily signature scent, as it clearly asks for the right occasion. I do not recommend a blind buy: this fragrance was not created to please the masses, but rather to be appreciated as an olfactory work of art. Performance is excellent, with over 12 hours of longevity on my skin and solid projection during the first two hours. The current standard Guerlain bottle presentation is a significant improvement over the older “Listerine-style” bottles. This fragrance will never leave my collection.

Sampling the most recent version of Guerlain Habit Rouge, Spirit Parfum, released earlier this year, and my first reaction is that it’s markedly similar to last year’s release, Habit Rouge Parfum, with a few key differences. Spirit is less sweet and boozy, pivoting a little more toward an ambery smoothness and leather while still emphasizing an iris center. So perhaps, simply put, Parfum is sweeter and boozier, and Spirit Parfum is less sweet and less boozy, even though Spirit Parfum’s advertising emphasizes that it was aged in Hennessey oak barrels. Both are exceptional, and I could certainly see why someone might regard them as redundant, but the differences are there, and I’d certainly recommend that everyone try both. Even the iris-averse could find something to love in them, and I regard them as excellent uses of iris, definitely somewhat sharp but not to the point of taking away from the overall experience. I’d rate them similarly superlatively in terms of composition, performance, and value. Concentration is, of course, parfum, and retail pricing is $200 for 100ml, slightly higher than last year’s $175 for 100ml for Habit Rouge Parfum, though both seem to be available on the grey market, also. $2 / ml and under for this quality is very good value in the current market, in my opinion. 9 out of 10

I love this flanker! It's up there with HR Prive. It behaves like the Parfum version but maybe a little quieter, which I appreciate. The name may suggest that it is boozy but it's not (the Parfum is boozier). Overall the scent goes a completely different direction from Prive that is a gorgeous leather scent. Unmistakably it is a flanker to the Parfum but is less sweet and has a woody undertone that blends perfectly well into the HR profile. In the opening there is some citrus but I can't tell what it is (unlike it is clearly lemon in the edt). The scent develops quickly into its iris heart but it doesn't smell like make up powder, thanks to some spices (nutmeg, the pyramid says but I'm not sure) and the woody undertone. It is not in your face woody but the woods are definitely there from the start to the end. In the drydown especially the woods are more distinctive, adding a very attractive layer to the already multifaceted vanilla.

First spray means a blast of leathery iris. Lovely and not too demonstrative, very pleasant. This soft leatheriness is then followed with an absolute stunner of a progression: nutmeg quickly dances with the iris, giving it depth and roundness. After 30 mins or so the knockout begins to peek out. The woodyness of the whisky barrels imparts a unmistakable sharpness to the oak, and the vanilla is the furthest thing from a gourmand vanilla, instead emphasizing the richness of the oak and intermingling with the iris for what i can only describe as a “regal” scent. This is seriously addictive and wearable in any event, or season. No dandy fragrance here, the sharpness of the unique barrel aging really makes this a unique fragrance, and one i would absolutely buy again if given a chance I really recommend this fragrance

After trying Habit Rouge Spirit and comparing it with Habit Rouge Parfum, I clearly prefer Spirit, even though both are very similar. Spirit keeps the classic Habit Rouge DNA but presents it in a lighter, more dynamic and more modern way. Compared to the Parfum, which feels more serious and formal, Spirit comes across as more airy and easier to wear, without losing elegance. On my skin it feels less rigid, more fluid, with a distinctly modern character. Great performance, noticeable sillage, and an elegant presence with just 2 sprays. Conclusion: A smart reinterpretation of Habit Rouge, ideal for those who appreciate its heritage but want something more contemporary. In my case, I prefer it over the Parfum.

@oT2 "All in all, I am questioning the point of releasing another flanker, yet so interchangeable with HR Parfum..." I have HR Parfum and it really isn't a go-to for me even though I like HR, HR EdP, HR Rouge Prive, etc. The bergamot just throws the whole thing off. So, if Spirit can capture what Parfum was trying to achieve without the nascent bergamot note, then it should rate higher than Parfum. What do you think? (I also posed the question in The Guerlain Thread if anyone doesn't want to muck up the ratings section here: https://www.fragrantica.com/board/viewtopic.php?id=279899&p=16)

*cries in fragrance snob* "BLAH BLAH BLAH, GUERLAIN IS DEAD...IT USED A VANILLA* This is why the fragrance houses don't want to bring anything to the US. If you don't like vanilla, that's fine but just like....don't smell this one. This is a wonderful and lovely addition to the Guerlain line. Vanilla quality is much like their Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21 DNA for a much much better price point. All with a boozy whiskey opening. Complainers suck it up. It's not the death of Guerlain.

I really like this . On first spray I get some iris that's rather subdued and the habit rouge dna (that fruity pebbles floral). On dry down on my skin i get the vanilla, something slightly creamy or buttery and some oak , I get a little booze but it's in the background . This is nice but i think it's really made for an older gentleman. The broccoli topped , super sweet and super loud crowd on YouTube are going to pan this i think. I enjoy it and will be trying to get a backup bottle

My sentiment echoes that of @leatherorrisviolet below (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Guerlain/Habit-Rouge-Spirit-103574.html?ccid=2551008#focus-zone) If anyone from Guerlain is reading the comments here: Ditch the current HR Parfum recipe and replace it with the HR Spirit recipe. I will not buy another HR Parfum in its current formulation, but am already considering getting a backup of HR Spirit because it does everything right that HR Parfum did wrong.

I have smelled a lot of fragrances in my life and this is by far my favorite. I never thought I would spend this much money on a single perfume, but I felt like I have to, because it's soo good. I highly recommend checking it out in person, but not a blind buy safe scent. On my skin I'm not joking it last 12+ hours, and on clothes it lasted days. Thank you Delphine Jelk, for creating this masterpiece.

SPIRIT OF THE STAIRWAY An unexpected encounter between a perfumer and two barrels of booze leads to spirituous, no ... spiritual revelation! To produce Spirit, the quintessence of Habit Rouge is aged in oak barrels, then blended together and alchemically altered. (Or something along those lines. 😄) SPIRIT = PARFUM2 √PARFUM = SPIRIT SPIRIT = ∞ (While stocks last! 😜) 🪷 🎵 Mr. Bungle - Goodbye Sober Day

I personally love this. I think it is beautifully done with Guerlain’s vanilla DNA. Truly unisex to my nose. I’ve never dabbled in the men’s line before but glad I did. I also cannot compare this to the rest of the line but think it is fantastic. I am a lover of Bouceron Vanille Zanzibar and cannot wait to layer the two of these. Great blind buy.

This is something special! Deep, rich, and beautiful vanilla in the dry-down. It oozes quality but it's a scent profile I'm not used to, so I need to see if I will wear it a lot eventually. Do love it though! Don't have the Parfum version but this being a limited edition I did not want to miss!

Not sure if this is really a limited edition or not , but compared to the parfum its much subdued and more versatile to wear. It last very long but the projection is moderate. As for the smell i really enjoy it its more vanillic which i enjoy . 8.5 /10

This is strong but very smooth and creamy and goes on all day long... its a gentleman's fragrance suited for formal or dates, the reactions i ve been getting from this were very positive like "wow" reactions from both men and female...

This is so much fun, warm autumn nights. Right now, to me, this is one of Afremov's autumn landscapes made as a fragrance. Big love for me, Ill let it sit and macerate till fall and wear it daily. (Edit: Longgevity 12+ hours)

Yall complaining about how you don’t like flankers this and that as if the perfumer or brand at that, are catering specifically for you. They don’t know you exist 🥀