Vétiver Fauve

I received my bottle of Vetiver Fauve today. I immediately opened it like a little child on Christmas morning! Let me preface this by saying that I have always had a love/hate relationship with vetiver. I gravitate toward the more mainstream, likeable and easy to wear vetivers like Creed's Original Vetiver, the Tom Ford Vetivers and even Guerlain's new Vetiver Parfum. I have not taken to the more rooty, earthy vetivers like Lalique's Encre Noire line or even Guerlain's OG Vetiver. Vetiver Fauve is fantastic. It is unique and different than any vetiver fragrance I have ever smelled. Words that come to mind are green, light, airy, tart, fresh, smooth, sophisticated and clean. I imagine that it is difficult to make a truly unisex vetiver fragrance that does not at least lean masculine, but Delphine Jelk has come extremely close. The fig and pineapple are vivid and realistic from the opening through the late mid. They really help smooth out the vetiver and make it a delight to wear. On me this fragrance vacillates with sharp and tart vetiver, but vetiver that remains clean and fresh, interwoven with a mature, refreshing sweetness of fig and pineapple. It is really lovely how it shifts back and forth. It also reminds me of a thirst-quenching drink, perfect for a scorching hot day. Not particularly sweet, but certainly not bitter ... and very refreshing. At its heart, this is a true Guerlain vetiver fragrance, but it is so nicely and smoothly adjusted to a more wearable scent for anyone. So if you are a person who wishes that they had a vetiver fragrance in their collection, but you have found most or all vetiver offerings to be too masculine, earthy, rooty and/or bitter for you ... try this. I think you will like it. I LOVE it, and as I said, I do not naturally gravitate toward vetiver dominant fragrances. A few comparisons for Vetiver Fauve come to mind. Although Roja's Vetiver Pour Homme Parfum is definitively more bold, spicy, deeper and masculine leaning, Vetiver Fauve possesses that same regal, classy sophistication that I admire in Roja's Vetiver Pour Homme Parfum. In one word, Vetiver Fauve is ELEGANT. Louis Vuitton’s galbanum, ginger and sandalwood fragrance LV Lovers does not share any listed notes with Vetiver Fauve, but they do share an innate “greenness”. I really like LV Lovers and I would consider wearing Vetiver Fauve in many of the same situations that I would wear LV Lovers. Another more direct comparison would be layering Guerlain's Vetiver OG and Jean Paul Gaultier's Paradise Garden. Vetiver Fauve is certainly more luxurious, but if you can imagine smoothing out and enriching Guerlain Vetiver with the fresh, green and fruity Paradise Garden, you would approximate Vetiver Fauve. Think of Vetiver Fauve as a far less sweet and less synthetic Paradise Garden for a more mature, sophisticated and well-heeled audience. Vetiver Fauve's longevity is above average. In my first wearing which began about 12 hours ago, I got about 7 hours before projection turned to a skin scent which lasted an additional 5 hours. Sillage is moderate according to my wife. And another important feature of Vetiver Fauve ... my wife loves it on me lol. If you knew her, you would understand what an achievement that is. I have an embarrassingly massive fragrance collection, and I can literally count on my two hands the number of fragrances my wife enjoys - and I think this is the first fragrance in the history of my fragrance journey that she likes that she did not pick out and purchase for me. Ms. Jelk, you should be extremely proud of this monumental feat. And I am very curious to see and hear what traditional vetiver enthusiasts feel about this. I think that most will like it. But regardless of what vetiver purists think, this is going to sell well. 9/10 and a Fragrantica score of 4.5 from me. Bravo, Ms.Jelk.

The new Vetiver Fauve is something truly special. It’s a bold, modern, on trend fragrance that manages to stay true to the Guerlain aesthetic without feeling trendy in all the worst ways trendy fragrances tend to veer. This isn’t your crowd-pleasing, easy going fragrance, made for the masses. Vetiver Fauve is crafted for the true fragrance lover—the kind of person who doesn’t just wear a scent but likes to experiences them. What makes it shine? The beautifully natural smelling fig and pineapple. Yes, it nods to the tropical trend, but not in the sticky sweet, sugary way we’ve come to expect. These fruits aren’t desserts...they’re Thank you, Delphine Jelk, for skipping the syrup and letting these notes breathe. The fig and pineapple are juicy yet restrained and elevated, even. Unlike the playful, almost candyish peach in Pêche Mirage, the fruit in Vetiver Fauve feels as if it were freshly plucked from nature and served on top of a silver tray. And the vetiver? It’s beautiful. Deep, rich, and just a bit shadowy. It doesn’t sparkle—it smolders. The tonka and cypriol ground it beautifully, adding a dark, earthy warmth that keeps the scent interesting and mysterious. This isn’t a breezy, happy go lucky vetiver. It’s sensual, grown up, and quietly powerful. The tonka lends a caramelized almond richness to the drydown that’s addictive. Performance is solid on me and gets to 6 hours on my skin, with the first few hours radiating enough for me to enjoy it throughout the day. And while the last Guerlain release leaned “pretty,” this one leans “handsome” in the best possible way. To me, Vetiver Fauve is a brilliant creation—one of the finest vetiver fragrances available for anyone who wants to smell interesting, grounded, and magnetic. It’s elegant, earthy, and alive with character. If you love vetiver, green fragrances, or dark perfumes, you need to smell this on skin. On my PAGE scale (Poor – Average – Good – Exceptional), this gets a firm E for Exceptional. A titan of its genre—worthy of a spot beside legends like Lalique Encre Noire, Roja Vetiver, Guerlain’s original Vetiver Parfum, and Vetiver Extraordinaire by Frédéric Malle. I’m curious to see how it’s received—often, the most interesting fragrances get overlooked—but if you’re someone who appreciates olfactory art, Vetiver Fauve is worth your time, your skin, and possibly a permanent place in your collection. SIMPLY PUT SCENTS- Youtube

I have to say I am pleasantly surprised. Guerlain is my number one but respectfully, some of Jelk's creations specifically for the L'art & Matiere collection, can be a miss for me most times. However, Vetiver Fauve imo is beautifully done and it's actually well balanced throughout. All the notes intermingle and literally transport you somewhere that is lush with greenery, humid with wafts of softly ripened fruit in the air. There's an element of maturity with this fragrance but it has a vibe straight out of a tropical jungle. Not your typical tropical scent. I really get the pineapple but again not in a synthetic overdone way mixed with the fig adding some uniqueness in the top even a little creaminess or some density to the texture of the fragrance. Then the greeness from the Vetiver, not too sharp not too green, just right. The tonka bean really shines through in the base too which I love. Again, very well rounded and smooth. Performance already is pretty intense as well. On card and on skin it's gorgeous but best of course on skin. Dark Green, Brown with Gold streaks. 💚💛 My impression so far. P.s This would drive me crazy on a mans skin 🤌🏽😮💨 Very unisex but leans more masculine which I really love even for myself in this line.

I got a sample with an official Guerlain purchase. It's interesting how different people smell such different things with this fragrance. For example, I don't get pickle, but my sister immediately said it smelled like pickles at first sniff...maybe it's the vetiver being detected...or maybe the ciprinol...I kind of understand where she is coming from but I think pickle-smellers lack the open pallette to be able to appreciate this...sorry. I think this is extremely beautiful and is SUCH a safe blind buy. It smells green, soft, clean, dewy/rain... and the play between the sweet fruits and the vetiver (which tends to lean grassy, sharp, spicy, earthy is really quite stunning). The vetiver is softened by the pineapple and fig...it smells fruity, without being overtly pineapple or fig. I'd say first impression is a dewy jungle leaves sweet fruity green with something with a little bite lurking in the background..it's so damn good. I can't decide for sure, but I think it leans more feminine.

Guerlain Vetiver Fauve is a photo realistic clean, wet grass and soil after the rain combined with subtle hints of citrus fruit peels and leaves. It wasnt love at first smell for sure. It made me keep smelling the scent strip for days, out of intrigue and trying to figure out why I find this scent appealing. I finally realized that it reminded me of my youth growing up in a tropical country that had alot of greenery and rain. Correction: it didnt remind me, it transported me there! For some reason, it smells like jungle/rainforest outdoorsy yet also made me feel like in a boardroom meeting in a fancy building at the same time. Its definitely not for everyone and I recommend trying first. In my opinion, its for the 30+ year old crowd due to its mature, elegant and realistic natural notes. Its not attention grabbing, but attractive enough because of the very unique and classy way of making a green, earthy non-sweet scent weirdly satisfying and nostalgic.