L'Homme Idéal Extrême

JUST GET THIS FRAGRANCE That is a quick simple answer if you’re on the fence whether you should buy this fragrance or not. At the time of this writing, this fragrance was in first place on the Fragrantica awards. I bought the EDP version late last year and I did enjoy the scent of EDP. It was good, but forgettable. I stopped buying designer (or designer quality) and started only buying niche fragrances since niche just smelled better to me (perhaps it’s all in my head). Soooooo.... I was very reluctant in buying this bottle. Figured it was more or less the same as EDP. After seeing how well it was doing in the awards, I just bought it blind. It wasn’t super expensive or anything... Received the box (uninspiring packaging with bland designing) and sprayed my hand and.... HOLY SHIT! This fragrance is well deserved of the first place spot for men’s fragrance of the year. It’s the EDP version but better... MUCH BETTER. It’s what EDP should’ve been. Seriously... they should just discontinue EDP and make this only. It removes all the negatives in EDP and keeps all the positives and amplifies it. Upon spraying my hand, I immediately smell that cherry (that’s what it smells like to me... like cherry car freshener) smell. It smells so damn good. I was very curious how it compared to EDP and sprayed my other hand. The extreme just outperforms it in every category. I had to eat so I washed both hands vigorously with method soap so I won’t be smelling perfume while eating my meal. Annnnnd... this frag just stayed. Almost as if i didn’t even wash my hands. The EDP was just a memory... I couldn’t smell ANYTHING. The Extreme last for several more hours afterwards... Guerlain F*CKING nailed it! This is a gem. Is it a safe blind buy? ABSOLUTELY! You can get it for cheap and rest assured you won’t be smelling this on every Tom, Dick, and Harry like you would with Acqua Di Gio. 9 out of 10 for me

My bottle of this is almost finished (Grey sticker, black cap). This fragrance completely sold me on Guerlain as a brand. For the price you're paying (~80€ on online discounters), not only are you getting a unique scent profile compared to every other designer fragrance out there, but you're also getting such an interesting scent development that even niche brands known for complexity can struggle with. It starts off very fruity, spicy and sweet in the beginning, giving you this fizzy soda feel with the plum and the pink pepper. The almond is soon to follow and the scent kind of takes this fizzy plum soda and adds amaretto liquor to it. At this stage this fragrance is extremely diffusive and creates a wonderful scent in the air. Up close on skin it has a very apparent spicy feel that stings the nose a little, I'm guessing it's the cinnamon. As it dries down it does a complete 180 and turns into this smooth, dry tobacco + almond scent. There is no semblance of animalics or anything like that. I'm guessing the leather accord is there to provide a smooth base for the tobacco and the almond. At this point it's mostly a skin scent as I've found the diffusive nature makes it lose projection quickly, but I still catch wafts of it from time to time. Although I don't like the late drydown as much as the beginning, it still smells amazing in the air. I would say the scent is quite unisex, but the tobacco note makes it lean a bit masculine in the drydown, however a woman can totally rock this with no issue as it's an amazing scent. (Hell my mom keeps wearing it whenever I bring it around). Absolutely amazing scent profile, subtle projection makes it great for date nights/office settings. I would avoid it in the high heat of summer days, but any other season should be fine. It has completely ruined most designer fragrances for me as they just smell boring in comparison.

I’ve smelled a lot of high quality fragrances and own some as well but this one is in a league of its own. Beautiful, sweet opening, that opens up with a juicy plum note and fruit, with smoky tobacco and leathery undertones along with a whole array of smaller notes. This fragrance is super complex, the dry down turns this fragrance into a very masculine one, still retaining that fruity opening but less prominent. Every time I go to my fragrance shelf, I have to smell this to admire how much of a masterpiece this is. The only critique I have is that this fragrance definitely is not for everyone and could be a better performer. It could be a better performer bc I love it so much, I wish it projected better, it stays on your skin for as long as any high quality fragrance would but the projection is average.Oh yah, and don’t wear this outside of cold weather. Kind of disappointing considering how great the fragrance is. Also to my point that this fragrance isn’t for everyone, it’s not unisex like at all, I don’t see a girl pulling this off. It is also an artsy fragrance in a sense, it takes a certain type of person to wear this, wouldn’t be something anyone could buy and wear at like a sephora or something. A great scent but catered towards the masculine nose, also definitely takes someone who’s been around scents for a little to appreciate this fully. Wouldn’t recommend a blind buy even though it’s my favorite scent. Scent: 10/10 Wearability: 6/10 ( only cold weather) Performance: 6/10 Final Thoughts: Best scent I own, buy if you want something unique that will make you smell amazing. Don’t buy if you are looking for an all year round fragrance with great performance.

Have the black cap, silver sticker version. It started out lukewarm for me because I felt the performance was really not that great. I've been using this for the past 1 week now and seems like it has now started to open up a bit, I agree with some comments here talking about letting it maserate / mature a little bit after it's opened. Now, I find it has a mildly boozy, sweet and fruity opening which is absolutely addictive; later transforms into a powdery, leathery, piped cherry tobacco drydown. It's neither overpowering nor unnatural smelling at any point of its olfactory journey. It stays comforting yet sophisticated all along. Very very well blended. Appropriate for ages 30+ and it's unisex leaning a little masculine. I own 50+ fragrances and this is the one that I'd like to wear for myself at home all the time, enough said. Guerlain knows their art and craft well and offer it at real honest to goodness prices. I own the Dior Homme Parfum which is another masterpiece, costed me 4x as much but is unwearable on most occasions and if you go trigger happy with it, you're gonna have a bad time and apparently everyone around you too. Guerlain l'homme extreme smells in the same vein - artsy and sophisticated, but is still quite versatile and forgiving to other's noses. I don't receive unsolicited compliments but I'd be asking shamelessly about this one if I'd have ever smelled it on someone else, atleast I think I would've. I already have their L'homme cologne which I love for warmer months, it beats me why it took me so long to try out the rest of their line up. I'm sure I'm going to get every one of their l'homme line flankers over the coming years.

This was my first “winter fragrance”. I bought it three years ago, when it was launched, and have been using it ever since (when it's cold, of course), mostly for work. At first, the cinnamon and pepper notes stand out on my skin, yielding an indisputably spicy fragrant halo. Shortly afterwards, the almond “softens” that opening into a warm, round and slightly sweet composition. It's EXTREMELY potent (the "extreme" isn't there for no reason). So, believe it or not, I only use ONE spray, right on my chest. Do you think this is not enough? Well then, I tell you it’s a compliment beast, even with that just one spray. In the very first days of me wearing it at work, the ladies began to literally flock to the entrance of my office, telling me they were fascinated by how good that smell (AKA L’Homme Ideal Extreme) was. Not enough of a compliment? So hear this one: another young lady once approached me and said “this fragrance you’re wearing must have cost thousands of dollars!” (actually, “reais”, our currency in Brazil). That was only one spray, gents. As a result, I only use about 15 ml a year (or less), and so my bottle will still easily last more 3 or 4 years. That's wonderful, because I don't intend to stop using this beast anytime soon. Last caveat: because it is very potent, use it only in winter. It will become unbearably cloying when it's not cold (that, too, I learnt from other people's feedback).

I too got a 10ml decant, I wanted to see what the hype was all about...lol I’m always a sucker for hyped up fragrances, I wanna know what the hoopla is all about ...lol so I sprayed it on hoping I would at least like it or Id have to pass another fragrance on to my hubby who could care less, he’s just happy he has been given something nice to spray on before going to work...lol Anyway I know this is a mens fragrance, hence the l’homme name but oh my goodness I absolutely love it on my skin. Very nice fragrance but it reminds me of another fragrance I’ve smelt before and maybe even own . It’s driving me nuts that I can’t put my finger on which one it reminds me of, it’s like 90% similar at least in the beginning. The dry down is different, L’Homme is much nicer. I love that I do get most of the notes listed. Most definitely the almond, bergamot and plum covered in cinnamon. Soooo good. How is this labeled for men? So unfair. It’s so beautiful on my skin and as it’s unfolding, it just gets better and better as if that’s possible . Great, just great, now I have to hunt down a full bottle. One for me and one for hubby coz I want my dear one to smell like this beautiful fragrance. Wow, as I write this its gotten even more amazing. This is not full bottle worthy, it’s full GALLON worthy....lol It’s a 10/10 for me. As if there was any doubt...lol

It’s written in our community that the newer batches with the black cap have poor performance. Truthfully I can’t speak to the performance compared to the previous version. However, I can say that Guerlain produces quality formulations. I own 3 Guerlain fragrances all with black caps and to me they perform moderately well. You’ll notice the Almond and leather notes seem to be the favorite ingredients that Guerlain likes to utilize in their creations. It’s a creamy leather thats not animalic or overbearing, but you need to enjoy leather fragrances. All and all I think this is beautiful stuff and once again Guerlain doesn’t disappoint. That said because extreme sits a bit close to the skin I see this as an intimate fragrance. It would offend no one with how welcoming it is—Extremé really draws you in. I would wear this on a intimate date night and I think it could be good for the office as well. L’intense is my favorite but this is a close second. It’s refined, comforting and sophisticated. I definitely recommend you give this a shot or sample—should be easy to find. I look forward to trying more of their fragrances as I love the Almond and leather notes they craft in this line. 8/10 Cheers

I bought the new bottle about a year ago so I’ve used it a good amount. The top notes give the opening a dryness and sharpness that might be off putting at first, but it’s grown on me. The plum note gives it a slightly fruity, slightly sweet character, supplemented well with the cinnamon and heliotrope. Finally, the base notes of tobacco and leather give it some warmth. Some have said that it’s too tobacco/leather forward, but I actually find those notes to be rather subdued. They act as a true base for the dry, fruity accords that give this fragrance its character. It’s a very unique fragrance, in my experience. I can’t compare it to any of the other versions because I bought this completely blind. It may not be love at first sniff, and it may not even be one of your all time favorites, but it is an excellent fragrance that is very much at home, in a home, at night, while the snow falls. The warmth makes it cozy while still maintaining a degree of class. It strikes me as out of place when worn with anything casual. A fine wool sweater and a nice pair of jeans would be the bare minimum. All in all, I like it a lot, and it will always have a place in my cold weather rotation.

Guerlain almost never disappoint with their releases, creating high-quality fragrances which stray away from the current trends. L'Homme Ideal Extreme is a unique blend of almond, fruit and tobacco, which combine as a charming boozy, sweet/sour cherry accord. One smell paints a picture of being served a warm, dark, Amarena cherry dessert alongside a fancy cognac whilst sitting at a jazz bar. Personally, LHIE is the perfect fall/winter fragrance - it doesn't try to be cloyingly sweet or spicy (like SWY), nor dark and overpowering (like some ouds), instead finding that exact balance of masculinity and maturity. Performance could be slightly better, so I would expect a few extra sprays to yield good results, especially as the scent profile is unlikely to offend anyone. This is often priced below other designer brands on discounters, whilst blowing them out of the water quality-wise, though you should still try before you buy. Definitely signature scent worthy. Smell: 9/10 Performance: 6.5/10 (overspray/respray) Presentation: 5/10 Value: 8/10 Overall: 8.5/10

This is my favorite in the line. I'm shocked I don't hear more people talking the l'Homme Ideal line. I sampled the Extreme, the EDT, the EDP, the Parfum, Platine Prive, and L'intense. I think Extreme is the best and Platine Privé was a close second. I don't really love the cherry forward nature of the other flankers as much, they don't strike me as being as deep and complete as Extrême does. There's just something missing in Parfum, EDP, and l'Intense. Absolutely stunning, this is hands down niche-quality fragrance at a designer price. It should be considered a crime against humanity that Sauvage Elixir, Y Elixir and Bleu de Channel EDP cost twice as much as l'Homme Ideal Extrême. Other designer houses should really be taking notes from Guerlain. The performance is misleading and falters substantially after a out 6 hours, a bit of let down, especially after following such a loud and captivating opening; it's still going to be much better than something like La Nuit de l'Homme, but man does it project like CRAZY upon the first 3 hours! 9/10

The epitome of elegance, this is a beautiful scent that smells like refinement and class. It also smells like a French cologne to me, if I may be perhaps absurdly subjective. It opens with that unique almond note and and some spicey vigor thanks to the bergamot and pink pepper, along with subtle sweetness from the plum and a subdued warm leather and smokey tobacco underneath. As it dries down that peppery spice lingers while the heliotrope brings in a noticeable floral touch to complement the plum sweetness. The longer it wears, the more the cedar emerges to fill out the base leather and tobacco notes while the pepper mellows out a bit and it takes on a comforting powdery feel. Everything is blended to perfection and the subtle interplay of the notes gives it a lovely complexity as it evolves. It smells wonderful on the opening but gets better and better as it goes. I get excellent longevity with moderate sillage befitting the elegant air it conveys. Truly a superb fragrance.

Egads look out for Decker and his Doberman! I fear his nose might be tainted by his beloved 🐕's 💩!!! You can hate a fragrance and it's performance and everything else involved and I wouldn't say a word. But...to say Guerlain puts out synthetic or poorly blended perfumes?! That's INSANE. I own 10 Guerlain perfumes (it's ALL perfume folks) from the L'homme lineup, LIDGEs, Habit Rouge and even 2 Aqua Allegoria Forte's. That's a wide spread sample and not a single one is synthetic or poorly blended. They are one of the oldest Houses... enough...how about this frag? Like all of the L'homme lineups I own I adore this one. It's keeps the almond DNA that the L'homme lineup is known for and adds an awesome Plum note. Guerlainide is of course present...it's their calling card after all. I'm done waxing poetic...this stuff I will always own. As with all my perfumes...I mainly wear them for me, if others enjoy them in the air? That is a solid bonus of course 😂

OMG, this is delicious! I love the old bottle design and really think the basic all-around same bottle for all of them is kind of boring, but so classy. Juice color is distinct for this one - potent orange/amber-looking. I have one of the newer bottles and, man, this is amazing! Smells quite similar, just like EDP and L'Intense, to the original (this one being the closest to the og) WITH a twist - a beautiful twist by the way. Plum + tobacco are evident right from the opening. A little synthetic with the sweet-bitter almond. Smells nothing like other fragrances out of the L'Homme Ideal collection - great change of pace even within the collection. Others may disagree but this smells beautiful in warmer days (not quite scorching summer). Signature scent worthy, especially for more mature guys, as it smells quite masculine to me, say 25 and older. Great longevity ~7h and good sillage. Got my 100ml for ~$90. Second to only L'Intense in this line.

As a child I'd strip the cake and the icing from Christmas cake and eat the marzipan. This is rich marzipan and plum, the performance has staying power. I've the old bottle which is a bit of a joke as it looks like something from the fragrance counter at a budget supermarket. But make no mistake this is a gorgeous, grown up date night fragrance, not far behind the likes of Plum Japonais, SDV, or Angel's Share, though these are way more pricey. Maybe also compare with Fahrenheit Parfum, Pasha Parfum, CH Men Prive or some such. These are all bangers and L'Homme Ideal Extreme sits very comfortably in this company. Best suited for colder weather, maybe autumn. The deep drydown is just gorgeous, a woody amaretto. 4.5/5 PS I tried the new version with the silver label, something a little lacking, less rich, still good but not as great. The old bottle is worth paying up for.

The eau de parfum version of L'homme ideal is amazing, but take away that cherry, and add in a deep dark plum, slap some skanky leather on it, and sprinkle it with some pink pepper, and you have this masterpiece of a scent. It is classy and bad boy at the same time. Wear it in a suit, and people are going to know that you arrived in a vintage mustang.... Wear it in your leather jacket and jeans, and people will just know that you pulled up in a classic aston martin... This scent lets everyone know whether dressed up, or dressed down, that you are a man of complexity, class, but also ready to get down in the dirt and have some fun... I love this scent, and how the almond signature note offers it just enough roundness to smooth the edges between bad boy, and dapper man that it bridges the gap between.

Blind bought the L'intense first, as it was labelled smokier, which i tend to gravitate towards. It's pretty good, but i got to smell this in a store a month after i got the other one and this blew me away. Sexy, sweet plum, tobacco leather essence with a good dose of almond in there. It had good projection and lasted on my hand til the next day. I bought a bottle and got it the other day. Upon first spray it obviously smells different to the matured one i tested in the store, and more messy. But it was pushing through the room and lasted in the air a very long time, so definitely a great performing scent still. I can't wait for this one to refine itself and manifest its elegance. Edit: Wow. What a drydown. Quickly became a favourite of mine. 10/10!

Love it! Got it just recently and was lucky enough to get the old formulation of this and can say that the performance is solid, longevity of about 7 hours and moderate sillage, nothing too in your face but also not a skin scent which is perfect for date night wear, but can be worn for almost any nighttime occasion, surprisingly in the summer aswel (if its not scorching hot). The scent itself is a beauriful mature plum and almond mix with a touch of tobacco and leather which becomes more prominent in the drydown. Might be some recency bias but i believe that this might be the best fragrance in my collection so far and due to its nice versatility i mentioned it might just be my signature scent before the scorching hot days of summer come. 9.7/10

Do not listen to the reviews below calling this cheap, overhyped, with no performance. Fragrances are subjective but you can tell a 2 cent review when you see one. GTFO 😡 This opens up nice with the usual creamy almond accord that you’re used to with the Ideal line. But then this takes a turn for the best. It comes off sweet, jammy, dark and beautiful. The plum is there after about a minute and boy is it done right. Sweet, jammy and a sparkle of that cinnamon. The almond stays during the entire fragrance but then when you think it’s over the tobacco, leather and woods jump in in the dry down, and the plum is there in the background keeping the sweetness to this. 10/10 and hard to find for a reason.

This is a wonderful fragrance, not mass appealing though. I can appreciate it after trying hundreds of fragrances. What you see on the note breakdown is what you get. It's fruity leathery, with some heliotrope nuances, the almond is immediate in the beginning. The spices smell like something slightly oriental at times but not too oriental like a spice cabinet. In the base the tobacco, leather, and something woody come across well. This is honestly a 9/10 or 10/10. I just don't know if this is mass appealing, or what situations I could wear this in other than the very cold winter. Even then, idk if I'd just wear it at home and not around others, because this doesn't seem like one others would like.

My first Guerlain, and it's a Win A gentleman's scent, but not mature as Lalique Encre Noire or Dior Homme Intense I get a mix of Carolina Herrera Bad Boy Cobalt Parfum Electrique and Bulgari Man in Black EDP Starts of fruity syrupy sweet from the Plum and settles to a beautiful sweet leather and hints of woods At moments I also get some kind of fizziness, like a Coca Cola scent Oh how much I love this one This grows beautifully as it settles down and as I get the whiffs, it's even more beautiful and clean An underrated Gem from Guerlain, you get a Niche Perfume from a Designer House in the very reasonable price Keep hold of it if, you could get it from any supplier. Recommend this 10/10