Vetiver

I've wanted to write this review for a while now, but what's new to say about such a storied icon? Well, if I could, I'd change my username to GuerlainVetiver (There's a gentleman over on Basenotes named "Paco Rabanne Pour Homme"). The fragrance subreddits have frequent posts asking what would be one's scent for life, and guess what? Guerlain Vetiver always shows up... yes that's partially because I throw it into the hat too. What makes such an anachronistic, deceptively complex fragrance work so well, despite being initally unleashed on the world in the late 1950's? Personally, I find Vetiver to be ridiculously versatile, spanning any season or occasion without seeming out of place. The amazing opening that many liken to a "gulp of cold water" is easily my favorite opening in my collection. Zingy lime and bergamot swirl around the dominant note of dry, grassy vetiver, making for an amazing wake-up call. That opening lasts for a surprising amount of time before settling down into the beautiful combo of prickly, spicy vetiver, sweet bergamot, and slight vanilla laced with cedar. Like a popular alternative, Terre D'Hermes, Vetiver is a chamileon in its profile: Sometimes the overall effect is straight clove, sometimes sweet grass baking in summer, sometimes a minty soap/aftershave. There's so much going on here that everyone I've asked has given a different answer to what this smells like. Some say licorice, some said "minty," others said lavender and citrus. But everyone who tried Vetiver agrees that it smells great, it just takes some a bit longer to come around. Because it really doesn't smell "current," even if people don't know how long this stuff has been around, they know it's a scent hailing from another time. Although I gather that the current square bottles are the most tame when it comes to the traditionally dated notes of tobacco. Or maybe, if it's there I just don't get it. Everything is blended so well that it's hard to sit down and pick out every single note here. Despite the age gap between this and say... YSL Y (ignoring the fact that this has definitely changed from even its 2000 revival), Vetiver still manages to not feel as dated as something like Polo or Lauder for Men. I guess it's like classical architecture, yes it's old, but it's still considered beautiful and eternally relevant. Shoot, Terre D'Hermes is basically the Neoclassical version of Vetiver. Alright, everyone cares about performance, and I consider it too when making a purchase, so here's what I get: Hours. Like a healthy 12 hours of use out of two sprays kind of hours. Summertime? Mmm, refreshing. Winter? Smells amazing under a wool scarf. Anything in between? Just do it. Projection is definitely good for the first hour or two, I've had people notice within this window of time. That opening pierces its way through people's noses better than a Claire's, but sits back down for the rest of the day. Never too much (though you shouldn't overspray this one), 10/10 performance, total goldilocks. Side tangent, I like the idea of Guerlain claiming the square bottles are a callback to the 60's bottles (despite also being retooled L'Homme Ideal bottles), I also wish they'd go back to unique bottles depending on the scent. Not to mention this doesn't come in 50ml anymore (but Habit Rouge does?), making travel awkward with the overbuilt faceted beast of a bottle. Maybe I just really want to see the reissue of the odd columnal bottles from the 70's... I'm also miffed that my bottle has a bum atomiser... so there's that. But at any rate, Guerlain Vetiver is a must have if you appreciate classical perfumery, or are really bored with the perfume counter nowadays. Guerlain's prices have gone up, even discounted, but Vetiver and Habit Rouge make such an excellent duo. I haven't tried the newer parfum yet, partly because it's steep, and mostly because I don't think it'll live up to the EDT. No mention of a citrus opening concerns me also. That's fine because Vetiver is always going to have a place in my collection, eventually I'd like to track down older versions to compare and contrast (and just to hoard more Vetiver...). Wonderful masterpiece from Guerlain that, in my opinion (please be gentle), trumps Habit Rouge as the greatest Guerlain masculine. Anyone can wear this stuff, old, young, male, female, it just works. It's rugged, suave, harsh, comforting, dated, timeless, clean, dirty, cooling and warm all at the same time. Now to try L'Instant de Guerlain Pour Homme to see where it places on the scale of Not-Vetiver to Vetiver.

My very first experience with Guerlain's Vetiver, some years ago, was the current parfum flanker by Delphine Jelk. For a perfume called the "reference vetiver" by Luca Turin, the modern parfum concentration certainly let me down; I was not impressed. I thought for a while that it was just me, and I retried it, and kept reading about it, and kept hearing how legendary Guerlain's Vetiver is and I just couldn't understand it. It was too thick and cloying, it felt lifeless, and carried way too much tonka bean - in fact, it should've been called Expired Vetiver & Baking Tonka. I told myself that I needed to go to the source, that I needed to try the original Vetiver in its original concentration and original formula as envisioned and executed by Jean Paul Guerlain. I found a late 80s EdT that was (and still is) in great condition, so today I am taking the plunge and giving Guerlain Vetiver another try... and now I finally get it. In this formulation and concentration "reference vetiver" is an appropriate description, with Guerlain delivering the perfect vetiver accord in all of its complex glory. Why this perfume is special needs two key pieces of context. In 1961 when it was released, vetiver was and had been used in many releases up to that point, obviously, and had been around as a staple aromatic in Southeast Asia in particular for hundreds if not thousands of years, but Guerlain can claim with limited debate that it created one of the first vetiver focused fragrances in modern perfumery; this was a fairly novel idea at the time (Carven was the first). The reason it was novel - the second piece of context - is that vetiver is a difficult ingredient to handle in perfumery (the natural extraction of it, at any rate, and synthetics aside). The amount infused into a perfume vs. the olfactive intensity of the accord seems to follow an exponential scale: there is a definite line where once you add a certain yet relatively conservative amount of vetiver to a perfume, vetiver tends to just take over the perfume. Couple this point to its olfactorily temperamental nature depending upon terroir and extraction technique, and you could get a vetiver that's woody and earthy, green and aromatic, or sweaty and swampy - or some combination thereof. All of this means that the material, up until 1961 at Guerlain generally speaking, was an accent to a perfume - not the star. Guerlain's Vetiver finally gave this incredible material of modern perfumery its own spotlight and showcases it at its absolute best and most compelling. The vetiver accord in this perfume is primarily green and aromatic, also woody and earthy at the base, and a bit salty and turned at the top. Guerlain doesn't hide any facets of vetiver, including the difficult facets, but it does make sure the edges are smoothed to a silken but lively texture. To make sure it was sufficiently rounded out and that all notes of the vetiver were allowed the correct volume, Guerlain added a juicy yet smooth lemon top note, a good heaping of fresh tobacco, and touches of pepper and nutmeg at the base. This perfume won't be for everyone: it won't strike anyone as modern (new generations will probably snub it), but it should strike everyone as a classic. Vetiver is also challenging by nature, but it is one of those materials that when at the hands and brain of a master, like Jean Paul Guerlain, it can be one of the most beautiful, complex, compelling and alluring accords in modern perfumery - if you are one of the people it speaks to, then it will have your heart. I am one of those people. I love vetiver in nearly all of its forms, and I especially love this Guerlain. I am very fortunate to have been able to get a vintage bottle in the correct concentration and in great condition, and I am grateful - as I sit here constantly raising my wrists to my nose for one more sniff, eyes nearly misting over at the beauty - that I can wear this exceptional piece of perfume history on a beautiful spring day.

Stellar from Guerlain. I can’t add much, since this has been reviewed for many years, by many more-talented noses than myself, but I want to speak slightly to the TF Vetiver comparison. These two have much less in common than commenters and the ‘smells like’ section might lead you to believe. I’ll start by saying I think that Guerlain’s Vetiver is about 10x the fragrance that TF’s is. When I first smelled the TF, each subsequent application lost a little appeal. It’s very flat. It becomes boring, despite a delicious vetiver note. While there are complexities beneath the surface of grey vetiver, namely in the readily identifiable pimento note; it doesn’t change much at all throughout a wearing. Despite their price point, I’ve always thought of TF scents as more designer than niche. I think their Vetiver proves that point, and in so doing, likewise demonstrates where Grey Vetiver falls short. It is grey. And like so many other Tom Fords such as BdJ, their attempts at recreating and subverting something end up detracting from its original idea rather than being a boon to it. With Grey Vetiver, which I can’t help but see as a Tom Fordification of Guerlain’s Vetiver, the traditional masculine notes and juicy citruses are replaced... or dare I say even subtracted. The TF is more focused, but much more linear. Where Guerlain’s is a vetiver amid a traditional and classic citrus scent, a la Eau Sauvage or Bois du Portugal, the TF is more or less just vetiver. The vetiver note in the TF and Guerlain’s vetiver is itself very similar, but just with respect to the vetiver accord. So in sillage, and when smelled by untrained noses, one might see the broader scent as similar, but I think that couldn’t be further from the truth. Behind and alongside the vetiver in the Guerlain is a symphony of citrus, floral, and traditional masculine notes. These all prop up and support and add to the delightful vetiver accord (that Guerlain shares with TF), and make it greater than the sum of its parts. Supporting the TF Vetiver is just grey. There is no addition here. It’s so grey it could hardly be called a subtraction either. And the end result for TF is just a gorgeous vetiver surrounded by a bland nothingness. Whereas every addition in the Guerlain add tremendous value, from the florals to the tobacco, to the juicy citrus. In short, it seems the subtraction of the ‘traditional’ notes from Guerlain’s masterpiece were thought by TF to lurch the scent into dated territory, and accordingly, in removing those notes, they ripped out its heart and deprived it of all charm, fun, wisdom, and mastery; leaving just grey. Guerlain’s Vetiver defines timeless and defines vetiver. I could only wear this scent forever and would never tire of it. Maybe some day I will. I can’t recommend it enough. And it is hundreds of times better than its oft-compared, pricier relative in TF Grey Vetiver. Save yourself the time and money and go straight to the well.

Guerlain Vetiver true story: I sprayed this on myself in the morning after my shower and forgot about it. Couldn’t smell it anymore, thought it was gone but didn’t care because I wear this more for myself because I love it, more than to impress. After work, went to pick up a few things at Walmart. Yes, WALMART! I’m looking at the bagged salads in the produce area and I hear two ladies talking down by the cucumbers and peppers. The one calls out to me: “Sir, excuse me, could you come over here and walk past us?” “I’m sorry, excuse me,” I replied. “Something smells good and we think it’s you. Could you just walk past us?” [I remembered that I hit up the Vetiver that morning.] So I smiled and humored them and walked down toward these two ladies and walked close to them and got “in their personal space.” “Yeah, it’s you,” the one declared. They asked me what I was wearing and I proudly answered: “Vetiver. You can find it on Amazon and it’s in a green square box.” This really happened! IN WALMART!!! I know we sometimes think that our scent is gone a few hours after we DOUSE ourselves in it, but Vetiver has some staying power even when we don’t notice it anymore. I would say that, in my experience after a few hours, Vetiver leaves a subtle trail verses filling up a room. Sure, after a hot shower and shave in the morning, it will fill up a room, a house! But after that first hour or two, it becomes more tamed down. It blends more with your natural skin oils and somehow it almost becomes a part of your own natural scent. Which I like most of the time. If I’m going out for a swanky dinner where I’ll be in mixed company with some of the ladies who I’d want to notice me, I would not choose Vetiver. I would choose something bolder. But for work, for a daily driver where I’m in my own office but also interacting with coworkers who come close to me for my normal workday tasks, when I want to be fresh and clean, Vetiver is a perfect choice. (After the first two hours) it’s subtle and fresh, it’s clean, I would use the word “soapy,” it’s understated, classic, and masculine. I’ve had good results when I spray it along my jawline and neck after I shave and have had a hot shower. The bathroom is still steamy, my pores are clean and probably open and primed to receive a scent. That’s when I spray it generously to my neck and jawline area and under the ears. I can smell it on myself for about two hours or so, then my brain blocks it out, but it’s still there in a subtle way, apparently. Because around seven hours later the ladies in Walmart were picking it up after I thought it was long gone!

What can I add that hasn't already been said about this icon? This is a reference vetiver and one of the first commercially successful vetiver-centered fragrances (see also the marvelous Carven Vetiver), but to my nose, and may do agree, this is just as much a tobacco-forward fragrance as it is vetiver. It's citrus aromatic opening is classic Guerlain and no sooner than this develops does the vetiver and tobacco, supported by some carnation and spice, flourish on my skin contrasting with the green grassiness and hesperidic delicacy. Today is a rainy, damp late August day in New England, and Guerlain Vetiver is a sublime accompaniment as it really blooms in this weather, with its woodier elements coming to the fore, and the dry and dusty qualities contrasting with the wet air. Be that as it may, Guerlain Vetiver could be worn in any season and on the sunniest of days as well; I find it has that sort of versatility. I also want to draw attention to the concept of scent association and ageism. We are all free to have our own personal response to scent and choose to pass something because it is evocative of something for which we do not want to associate. However, there are so many other ways to assert this stance without using "old man" or "old lady" tropes. We all will reach "old" in what will seem like the blink of an eye, but will we have the wisdom to match? Just like how "I" statements are better than "you" statements, perhaps just say that we feel "too young" or "not mature enough" for a particular fragrance? That really shifts the tenor and puts things in perspective; at least I think so. Back to Guerlain Vetiver⁠—I absolutely adore it. It excludes, class, elegance, a certain sprezzatura that cannot be said for a lot more "modern" fragrances that beg for attention and leave a nagging trail of synthetic woody desperation or saccharine artifice in their wake. It smells like someone well-read, worldly, yet compassionate and approachable. Cerebral yet warm, thoughtful yet playful. Some things are better left in the past, but to be a gentleman shouldn't be jettisoned, but distilled in the 21st century, leaving a place these qualities and the pillar fragrances such as Guerlain Vetiver.

The best for a reason. This was one of the first fragrances I bought that I spent time thinking about, read reviews here, knew I liked vetiver as a note but wanted to try a real beloved take on it. Prior to that I bought maybe one fragrance every 5 years based on what smelled good at a department store, or received one as a gift. My first experience spraying Vetiver was underwhelming. I thought ‘this is what all the fuss is about?’, it smelled clean and soapy but there was a warm, dusty, old kind of funk about it that was unexpected. It even came across a little feminine compared to what I was used to. Well let me tell you almost 10 years later after having acquired a dozen more vetiver scents, smelling and buying a dozen other fragrances: this one is my absolute favourite fragrance. Compared to other vetivers it is distinct, nothing smells quite like it although there are a few that basically try to “do the same thing”. There are slightly different takes on the same idea (TF Grey Vetiver is a standout and another I own and like), there are non-vetiver dominant scents that cover this territory in terms of classic masculine style (Heritage, TDH, BDJ, Floris etc.), but there is nothing that quite compares. Even the parfum flanker is not really playing the same game that this is. You can wear this after the gym, to work, out to dinner, anytime basically. It has a classically masculine character that is both fresh and clean and also a little dirty in exactly the right way to make it interesting every single time you wear it. It isn’t try-hard, it isn’t even really a statement, it’s just perfectly what it is, and occupies exactly the right place. Never boring, never offensive, always comforting and reassuring. To me this is perfumery that simply becomes an extension of your life, like a good friend. Timeless masterpiece.

Let me preface this by stating this specific page is for the NEW iteration of the Vetiver EDT that released in 2000. NOT the “vintage edition” on here that came out in 1959- I see reviews on here that are treating it as if it’s the same thing or bashing this version as if it was poorly reformulated when they’re technically two different fragrances. I won’t speak for the vintage version as I’ve never tried it- and don’t intend to if it’s discontinued. Anyways, after wearing the Guerlain Parfum designed by Jelk, I decided to try this one. And ,I’ll be honest- I prefer this one by a milestone. The Parfum is more modern yes, but it’s almost candied licorice with a very well formulated vetiver that it’s almost teetering on cloying to me. I don’t get any real smokiness or dark nuance it’s supposedly conveys but it definitely is a better fragrance for evenings or cooler weather. If you’re a fan of licorice or tend to prefer sweeter fragrances - try the parfum instead. The EDT on the other hand, cuts through the dense rooty aspects of the vetiver with citrus. It’s still a green bubble to me but it’s way more wearable than any other vetivers focused frags I’ve tried. This is by far one of the most approachable vetivers for the general populace in the market I feel. It doesn’t feel like you’ve rolled yourself in dry grass, or you’re wandering around a rain drenched forest - it’s a very elegantly balanced fragrance. Definitely a worthy purchase in my book- I wish I got it sooner before they discontinued the 50ml version. The longevity is relatively decent too. 8+ hours

So Vetiver was my very first Guerlain fragrance and so when Id first purchased and tried Guerlain's Vetiver, I enjoyed the classic, gentlemanly SUPER REFINED scent, but was dissapointed with the over-all performance. Since then Ive learned that just about EVERY Guerlain fragrance needs a bit of time to "Maturate" and Vetiver was no exception. The fragrance (NOW) srays on my skin the entire day and has moderate/good projection for the first maybe 2 hours, then it creates a very nice scent bubble throughout most of the day. I own the latest "Square bottle version" and was so impressed with Vetiver and how well it performas for.an edt, that I purchased every other offering in the men's line but in the original edt concentration (Except for Guerlain Pour Homme and L'Instant de Querlain which are edp's) and they ALL have above average performance. Now I am NOT familiar with the older batches/bottle's performance and while Im sure those perform better due to the newer batches being reformulated, the latest ones are still very much worth grabbing, just spray a bit out and leave them alone for a couple weeks to a.month and you absolutely notice a pretty clear improvement with performance and even the richness and complexity of the fragrances. Otherwise theres NO WAY I'd be spending the nearly $100 pricetag they demand even on the "Grey Market" sites bc to me, PERFORMANCE MATTERS! So dont be afraid to pick some of these up, with a bit of patience ya wont be dissapointed, I PROMISE!😁

Old-fashioned, yes, but so so timeless. How can something clean smell so dry? A dry scent smell so ...clean? Bracing yet warm, a little bit of barbershop, another great example of the elusive "green bar soap" accord; and an additional sprinkle of florals anchored by all of the earthy, woodland character that pervades vetiver root. You really have to love vetiver to start with, but once you do you never go back. For my preference, 2000s and older formulas (not by Delphine Jelk) got this right. I find the newest iteration (Vetiver Parfum) caters heavily to a young, modern nose - Gen Z's version of Vetiver Extreme. One big note to the next. Lemons - earth - wood. An added smoke note instead of taking advantage of vetiver's natural "smokiness." And it lost its cleanness, at least for me. Inspired, but really not the same. Vetiver EDT is a persistent yet gentle mélange like all great Guerlains, never announcing its presence loudly, but dammit you know when it's here. A time capsule of the early '60s suits too. For some reason I associate it with Sean Connery's James Bond, linen shirt and slacks, off day playing golf or running around his Bahamian paradise, that impish smirk on his face. Come to find out Connery actually wore Jicky back in the day. I'm a sucker for channeling history in my scents, but age has no true boundaries to fragrance. One of the very few I intend to keep as a forever scent, fragrance gods willing.

I know its considered timeless, a classic. It is one of the greatest scents of all time in my opinion. The opening blast was green and citrus. I can smell the lemon and bergamot. Its fresh and green. Drying down the vetiver and sage. I smell a warm spice to the green. This initial drydown is different and unique for me. tobacco and cetiver coalesce and its the smoothest transition, you hardly notice The drydown has a soapy vibe for sure. The soapiness is not overbearing. Its the smoothest soapy smell Ive ever experienced. Usually soapy smells turn me off but this one is just absolute magic. It just makes me want to pour the whole bottle on me and be wrapped in it. It is so perfect!!!! Geoffrey Beene "Grey Flannel" definitelt feels inspired by Vetiver. It goes far more wet and green but the citrusy green soapyness is similar but much sharper in GF vs. Vetiver. I cant stop smelling my arm. This green soapy dry smell is absolutely enthralling! Its so completely out of my wheelhouse. I love smoky strong tobacco scents, rugged leather middle eastern authentic oud oil blends. Guerlain Vetiver is so opposite of my typical. For summer i love Terre D'Hermes EDP and i plan on getting a sample of Vetiver Intense flanker now ive gotten a whiff of true vetiver. This is DEFINITELY all year, versatile scent, i can see myself wearing this in any season. I absolutely love this scent. Its so unexplainably perfect and good.

I'm not even sure if I reviewed before. Anyhoo there are many other reviews below me that wax poetic about this WONDERFUL fragrance. I'll add my take... For me it opens with almost a lime like accord. I'm sure it's the blending of the bergamont with the other citruses and maybe a dash of neroli. It doesn't matter the least because it's pretty amazing. It last a few minutes before the star of the composition peeks it's head out. And if course that's the vetiver. From here on out it's pretty much THE dominant note from the mid to the base. I haven't smell very many vetiver perfumes in my time. I own 2 Encre Noirs and I smelled the Hermes offerings (fantastic!) more than once. I personally in the late mid get just a whiff of funk. I'd say it's the civet but that natural note is no more. Whatever ...it's fleeting and you have to "poke around the edges" to smell. For me I get at least 6+ hours from this one from Guerlain. And like almost every one of my perfumes from them they develop wonderfully over the duration. Sillage is impressive at first and then tones down. At the end, like many others say, it smells like some high quality soap. That's about all from me...I give this a solid 10/10. At first it was a 9 for me but this is addictive to smell, the opening for me, and grew to an easy 10. It's a reference fragrance for a reason. If you like vetiver it's a safe blind buy. -the Scentsei

I am always puzzled when the fragrance sites list different notes for a fragrance. Blind smelling this, you cannot miss the cedar note that is second only to the citrus/coriander sizzle and the grass vetiver. Yet Fragrantica's note listing doesn't mention cedar. There is also a subtle dose of violet leaf (alpha-iso is listed in the ingredients on the box) that doesn't get a mention. Geranium is also pretty prominent in its role in supporting the top notes. In the end, of course, none of this matters. What matters is that vetiver lovers need to try this. Guerlain does the grassy, airy vetiver accord so well, whether it be classy and clean like this one, or a bit less formal with L'Homme and Boisee's mint and stronger woods. This is not at all duplicative of Lalique's vetiver classics, which use a darker, earthier vetiver combined with woods, resins and incense notes. I know that everyone has to mention Tom Ford's Grey Vetiver when vetiver scents are mentioned, but between the very affordable, excellently blended Laliques and Guerlains, you really don't need to go elsewhere for your vetiver fix. You won't be able to stop smelling yourself with this. Tom Wooton's prose descriptions below truly hit the mark. This is indeed signature scent worthy, and can be had for under $100 if you shop around a bit. Top marks.

This is French class and the gold standard of vetiver. I disagree with those who say this fragrance is too dated or "old fashioned" for young people. I think that opinion rests primarily with perception and modern marketing, where young men are sold a bill of goods about needing to stick with aromatic aquatics and the like, and then bombarded with visual propaganda accordingly. In most cases it is best to err on the side of conservative application, usually no more than four sprays total, and the result is incredible. This scent is a radiant glow of finely curated citrus, fresh vetiver, leather, tobacco, and a mysterious allure of carefully selected woods and spices. I have spent a lot of time in local perfume houses sampling other vetiver fragrances in all array of expense and quality, and they always end up getting compared to this one. There are certainly other valid interpretations, but Guerlain's is unique and beautiful. Regarding time of day, I tend to reserve this for daytime and formal wear, when the green and citrus accord can really play well with all the earthy undertones. *Note: for those of my young compatriots looking for a vetiver frag that feels more contemporary, I would steer you towards Tom Ford's Grey Vetiver and Histoires de Parfums 1828, which carries over a lot more citrus in the body.

"if you had to wear one fragrance for the rest..." "GUERLAIN VETIVER, MFer!" This is my favorite fragrance and definitely the one I wear the most. Distinguished, gentlemanly, clean but still earthy, soft in places, but with a distinct sharp edge. The citrus/guerlinade is beautiful at the top, the orris and sandalwood lend a softness as it develops, the tobacco has a sharpness to it throughout. And of course there's the vetiver, all the way through it. It's clean but a little earthy, captivating and STRONG. The scent transforms beautifully as it progresses, but you never, ever lose the vetiver. I have about 100 fragrances, and I love wearing different ones. But I wear this one far more than anything else, nearly as much as everything else combined. I wear it to work, on date nights, when I'm by myself, at home, in spring summer and fall. Winter is more for Guerlain Vetiver extreme, and in summer sometimes I choose Guerlain Vetiver Eau Glacee, but they've all got that same incredible vetiver note. (I have also gotten my best compliments wearing this, from my wife, coworkers, and a very inappropriate/flattering one from a stranger.) If you like vetiver and you haven't tried this yet, you are in for a real treat.

Batch code 4H05, 4 months 16 days. So, I was so excited to get this classic "must have" in my collection. I LOVE the classic "soapy" type of vetiver used here, but someone PLEASE tell me that the potency/performance will improve with some maceration! I was going to go with Vetiver de Guerlain Parfum, but heard it was sweeter and smelled more in line with "modern dna's", but I didnt want that, I wanted the "OG Dna". Problem is that, at the moment, Guerlain VETIVER edt seems so faint, and although it sticks around on clothing for a while, it has very, VERY poor projection (imo). I just hope that I didnt make a mistake, and that these issues will improve after introducing some air into the bottle and letting it "mature" for a while? I'm NOT expecting a huge change, just a bit more "Oomph", than it currently has. Can anyone confirm of they've also had this issue, and if they've had any improvement? Again, my bottle is only 4 months 16 days old.. Fingers crossed! Oh, and I LOVE the new bottle design! Feels like a huge, clean princess-cut Peridot gem stone in my hand, absolutely GORGEOUS! Thank you to whomever took time to read my thoughts on Vetiver de Guerlain, and again, any advice would be appreciated 😉 TY!

Guerlain has taken me on a roller coaster ride. I'm exploring Guerlain fragrances right now, and a lightly used (Listerine) bottle of Vetiver popped up for a great price on a local auction site. I snapped it up blind, and at first spray thought I'd made a terrible mistake. However, as the day went on I found myself getting whiffs from my wrists, and while it still seemed off-putting, I kept going back for more sniffs. The next day I wore it again and although it was still somewhat unpleasant it continued to grow in me and was even more compelling. By the next morning, I was in love! What an amazing fragrance! As people have said, it's drier and greener than any other fragrance I own. It's completely different to what I'm normally attracted to. The performance is excellent and it is decidedly non linear, at least until the day down. It's an eye-opening blast of greenish citrus that mellows into a beautiful herbaceous vetiver that sticks around for hours. I hope the people in my life like it as much as I do because I'm going to be rocking this for the whole summer. A new signature scent.

So I finally have the reference vetiver in my possession, and it’s even better than I expected. The hesperidic-aromatic opening is classic Guerlain. Behind the smooth vetiver-tobacco, one-two punch that quickly emerges, I get a zesty, peppery carnation and a subdued smoky nutmeg. It’s been raining again, and I find that it blooms in this weather. It packs a lot of tenacity, especially when worn under a suit and tie. I keep getting wafts from underneath my shirt collar and sleeves, hours after application, giving me the distinct sensation of an intimate, green-yellow, aura-like scent bubble. The dry-down warms up, a very subtle animalic facet emerging (mostly leather, but perhaps also civet), as its woody freshness effortlessly persists. What a comforting scent. I’ve been reaching for it often in the past month. It’s more complex than PdE’s Vétiver Bourbon and more inviting than FM’s French Lover (two of my other vetiver favorites). *FYI, this is from a recent vintage: a 2010s, silver-capped “Listerine” bottle.

This was my unicorn. I couldn’t wait to smell it. No stores near me have it. I heard it had a wet hay note that intrigued me. I heard it was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s signature scent. I have Encre Noire and the green scents in my wardrobe are my favorites. If you are sure you’ll like this, sample it first. Everyone’s nose is different. To me this smells really natural and well blended, no sharp edges or surprises in the dry down. Really tame, yet distinct. To me in the air it smells like something you put on a sunburn, not a perfume. Like a facial lotion without perfume added to it. It smells better up close on clothing than on my skin. I pick up the nutmeg which I enjoy. I’ve worn it twice now and I’m hoping it macerates into something that interests me more. * I have the newer thick square bottle pictured above. Update: about five wearings in and I'm sold. Glad it's in my collection. The best scents are often the ones that take some time to understand.

Today, I found classic tobacco in Vétiver. I'm not sure if this is how it was meant to be in 1959, even if I've learned that Guerlain's revamps don't stray far from the tree (or roots, in this vetiver cae). Back then, it was peddled as Vétiver de Guerlain, staking its ownership on this earthy ingredient. (Vétiver de Carven introduced this note in men's colognes two years earlier. The sass of Guerlain.) It has since remained the standard for vétiver formulations (something I'll talk about with Terre d'Hermès and Grey Vetiver in the upcoming 2000s series). I have the latest version with the ugly, space-eating square bottle. Apparently, this one's drier than the original, and easier to wear in today's olfactive environment. A must-have if you're a Guerlain completist. Get the 2000 Robert Granai bottles, if you can. There's also a wider range of vetivers today with better blends if you like green and complex.

The first spray is shocking... nose tingles. Sharp, tart, green and rooty, dry, foresty, mossy, a little smoky and antiseptic. It's like opening a chest of 50 year old clothes, or a dusty old library. Think Frodo and Gandalf smoking pipe tobacco on the grassy hill in the Shire before the birthday party. The dry down settles milder and more balanced... soapy, cleaner, a faint whisper of smoke, still earthy and green but rounder, more clean barbershop than old books now. It wears a full work day and I don't go nose blind to it. It's like a cold shower... wakes you up in the morning then fades into a clean, professional scent. I respect its history. It's unique, mature, and interesting, and it took some time and a bit of research to fully appreciate. Personal subjective score: 8.5/10