Esprit du Tigre

Esprit du Tigre doesn't actually smell like Tiger Balm, I have the stuff in my cabinet, but it has the same sinus-clearing effect. Mint is the dominant note followed by some soft and very natural clove, a twist of lemon, and something smoky. There is an Iso-E-Super type of synthetic cedar-wood base that I don't typically enjoy, but in this perfume it creates a watery effect that I like. Translucent as this fragrance is, it lasts many hours and projects in periodic wafts. It's is a good spicy cologne for the warmer months as it never becomes cloying, but I also enjoy the watery smokiness in winter. To me it has an interesting balance of warm and cool...like Tiger Balm. Edit: I see that 5 years later, almost to the day (May16, 2020!), I can now safely say that I only wear this in the summer. As soon as the weather heats up, every May, I crave this one without fail out of the hundreds of bottles in my possession. I find the heat actually helps it project, and it’s translucent quality prevents any chance of it becoming cloying. It’s like iced chai (the real Indian stuff, not Tazo)—spicy and refreshing. Still a keeper in my book!

This unique fragrance opens with a peppery, subtle blend of spices, mint, and incense with dark smoky wood. There is a trace of sweetness in the wood, either from the incense or from the resinous quality of the wood itself. There is also a bitterness to the wood, which may be from the camphor. I envision this as an extremely well constructed and unique, masculine interior space,(which is not to say that it is a "masculine" fragrance..it's very unisex to me). Perhaps it is the interior of a hunting lodge, or a cabin deep in the forest, intended for solitude, reflection, and meditation. In the dry down, there is the resinous wood, tempered by the cardamom and incense with a slight trace of the remaining camphor. The wearer of this fragrance displays an invisible sign which reads, "Do not disturb, or else."

Mmm...I love it. I can see the Tiger Balm alright but this is sweeter and a tad softer (thank goodness! lol) This is one bright herbal dream. I agree about the heavy dose of cloves, camphor and mint. I suspect part of the reason I enjoy this so much is because it unlocks all my many Far East memories. The magic of this fragrance for me though are the Indian cardamom and cinnamon notes. That's what makes this a love as these two add enough sweetness to prevent it becoming too masculine. There is some more green added via the vetiver. I think EdT most resembles Tiger Balm after an hour or two but closes smelling very green and delicious. This is a good fragrance to wear when you suspect you might be going down with a cold. I find it very comforting. Good silage and moderate longevity.

This perfume is absolutely stunning, despite my oldest review.... It awakens me both mentally and physically! It has a camphorus, spicy, warm presence that hugs my senses! I feel something smoky in the background, perhaps slightly peppery too... The peppermint here is sugary, edible, as if it's sweetened by anise and mastic! So lovely! In the 25 degrees, no matter whether day or night, this is an incredible perfume. Once you have worn perfumes of this quality, it is so difficult to compromise with mainstream fragrances. Perhaps brands should consider upgrading both their ingredients and their perspectives, because the gap between niche and mainstream slowly gets chaotic...

Esprit du Tigre is a fantastic fragrance. So unique. So well executed. So happy to own it. The opening is incredibly addictive - with that camphor/wintergreen/ Vicks Vapo-Rub blast. On my skin, it also teeters the line into smelling a bit like gasoline. Projection is great. Longevity is 6-8 hours. This perfume is the ONLY thing I want to wear on really hot, dry days here in Los Angeles. The cardamom here is a creamy, savory, nutty, soapy thing - it makes this fragrance totally wearable for women in my opinion.

This is classy juice, very masculine and definitely 30+. I've only ever worn this when for occasions, I don't see it as a daily use contender. Its very spicy, oddly enough it's warm and cold at the same time. The medicinal qualities of this scent are done well, natural and understated. It's a great one to have hiding in the collection as not too many people wear this but I'd strongly recommend testing first because it's a love/hate one for many people.

This is weird, unique and special. You need real guts to go for this one. Tons of camfor at the opening, which you may find unbearable. After 40 minutes or so, it turns out to an AMAZING sophisticated mature men fragrance, it reminds me a bit of Gucci Envy or YSL Nuit De L'Homme Perfume but much more intense. Worth a try. *This review was written after several full wearings of the perfume and not just after smelling this on paper or on wrist.

Esprit du Tigre by James Heeley is absolutely beautiful on my skin. It smells clean, sophisticated, and very comfortable. I've never smelled Tiger Balm, so I can't comment on whether this perfume smells like it, but I can say that I love this perfume and feel amazing when I wear it. My only nit pick is I wish it had better longevity, but I love to wear this perfume so much. Brilliant job, Mr. Heeley!

The combination of vetiver, cloves, cinnamon and camphor (this is actually their order of potency) is outstanding! Of the many heeleys i smelled, this one stood out the most.. So so sad -and bad!- the experience lasted only a couple of hours and then poof! All was gone!!

The use of mint is simply brilliant! Normally, mint overpowers every other ingredient and gives off a toothpaste vibe, but not in Espirt du Tigre. It is embedded underneath to lift off the whole scent profile to render it lightweight. I am loving it!

Love this! I don't think it's too strong at the beginning, full but mild. Well blended - the mint doesn't jump out too much, at least not on my skin. Was happy I ordered a sample of this. Unique and fresh.

Love the clove! Smells like a freshly made chai. I don't like drinking chai as there's usually too much suger added to it, but it smells nice.

I’ve repurchased this because it was on special. I haven’t changed my mind from all those years ago. Firstly to be clear, reviews here very mislead. This is not a clove forward scent. It’s by all means detectable however this is a vetiver and to my liking an incense scent. Infact, my memory serves me correct. It’s almost a carbon copy of PDM Byerley - a touch smoother. It’s distant cousin would be Guerlain Vetiver Extreme which ironically lasts way longer for an EDT - though this is more complex. Unfortunately it has poorer than average performance for a Heeley perfume and indeed has only a fraction of the performance of Byerley at about two to three hours of decent performance. The camphor that is talked about is fleeting as an opening and the mint disappears and softens quickly revealing a bodied grassy vetiver with incense. My appeal for this is the fact that it’s a bit less raw than Byerley, which is rougher. The pleasure is when it works for a few hours and sometimes that’s all I need where as Byerley and it’s contemporary from Bottega being almost medicinal are not something that I want to usually smell for 12 hours.

Minty camphoraceous clove and cinnamon over sweet creamy woods Really not as provocatively sharp as people want you to think in the reviews below. Essentially a slightly anisic camphor meets clove type fresh top note that quickly settles into a woody cinnamon lined warmth on your skin. The clove is relatively subdued on my skin compared to some of the Santa Maria Novella or old school barbershop bay rums I have encountered, blended nicely with cinnamon and the underlying sweetness to produce a warm and full resonance. If you can take CdG White, FM Noir Epice of LV Piper Nigrum, this will be a walk in the park. Indeed I find the mineralic bitter elements of Sel Marin more challengingly bitter and the chilling minty green opening of Menthe Fraiche significantly sharper (I love it nonetheless) in comparison. I’m actually considering purchasing a bottle (if only Heeley still offered a 50ml..) as a cold weather early morning scent to open the airways and set the mood for the day. Doesn’t last very long, which actually makes it perfect for my intended use.

Oh no - it's another unaffordable beauty! I got seduced into taking a sniff of this in a department store, as I've loved other Heeleys and I'm mad about tigers, and about tiger balm. Had no preconceptions whatsoever, as I knew nothing about the notes - which is just as well, as from the list on here I should have hated it ... mint? vetiver? undefined 'green' notes?- none of those are ever really good ideas in my view. But I was shamefully wrong - this stuff is SAVAGELY good. I just get bristlingly brilliant hot spices, especially a giant reeking cloud of black pepper, with a warm woody background I could have sworn was rosewood or mahogany or some other tropical hardwood. Yes, there are tinges of strange medicinal tangs but that only makes it more interesting. Deep and dark and utterly convincing. Didn't get enough of a spritz to really measure its attacking or staying power but both seemed respectable. Went and paid for a proper sample set from Heeley immediately. I'll need to see how it does, but all looks set fair for a roaring success.

I really expected to hate this from the reviews below, but also because I don't enjoy sharp spice notes. Esprit du Tigre is not a clove heavy tiger balms scent, regardless of how many times you read it below, it is an attempt to cool what is usually described as warm spice (clove and cinnamon) with the use of mint and the distinctly intensely cool facets of camphor. However this really does not deliver a harsh or piercing experience as does sniffing a dollop of vicks or tiger balm. It is very much a mixture of the most delicate incarnations of otherwise sharp notes (clove, camphor and mint) supported by a very stable and mellow woody base. The result is that it comes across very vibrant and energizing, slightly 'sports' medicinal because of the obvious associations, but not at all sharp or bitter. Very unique overall, and something I still need to keep on processing before i can fully make up my mind on. For now it is a strong like.

When I heard Esprit du Tigre was “medicinal”, I thought I might like it because I *love* other frags that have been described as “medicinal” (Black Vines by Kerosene, and CK One Shock for Him), and I have always liked the smell of Tigers Balm, Vicks Vaporub, Ben Gay, Mentholatum, etc. But this isn’t like those, it’s too dry and bitter. In fact, once I get past that initial blast, it reminds me of Bvlgari Aqva Amara, which means “bitter water”. For some reason, dry frags never seem to perform well on my skin, and this includes Mechant Loup by L’Artisan, which features a wonderful hazelnut note. If you want something bitter, I think Aqva Amara smells better than Esprit du Tigre, although not very original or groundbreaking.

This is a guilty pleasure for me, a game of mind mirrors. Tiger Balm invokes images of wondrous healing powers and speedy recoveries, hot and strong like a big muscular badass striped puss. If you have the same complex, you can wear this to remind yourself that there’s something you need to heal from, and that you can do it, if it’s a time like that. It hardly projects and does not last long. Maybe real tiger balm would do the trick as well? But then this does just about accomplish the feat of making it smell like acceptable fragrance. It’s just a novelty, really, but if it’s a smell you like, you may have trouble resisting. PS: Yes, try Piper Nigrum! Similar, but to me, more interesting.

The problem with spicy fragrances like this is that they are kind of reminiscent of every other spicy fragrance. There is some "hot" note in here that is used in all these types of perfumes, and it overwhelms everything else in the bottle at some points. All that said, I still like it and I still enjoy it. This has a fantastic classy dry down that smells clean, freshy and herbly. A wonderful scent I think for warmer months, despite the spice. Performance isn't great and it does lean masculine enough that I'd want to layer it with something myself. Ultimately is too quick to be a skin scent to make this that desirable for me, although it smells lovely. For intimate arrangements. 7.5/10

With an icy start, medicinal camphor and menthol in the lead, Esprit du Tigre clearly assumes affiliation with the balm of the same name. But if the ointment version is a real hot-cold, the perfume is more cold-hot. Indeed, after this first breath of freshness which is felt even on the epidermis, the temperature then warms up with great blows of spices. Clove, pepper, cinnamon... and a strange little saline note that pops up in the middle of it all. Finally, just like the balm, the perfume soothes tensions. It seems to melt into a shy finish between dry wood, vetiver, balsamic notes and light leather. Lovely

The cinnamon, mint, camphor and clove re-create the unique juxtaposition of hot spice and cooling menthol that gives Tiger Balm its muscle-soothing properties. "Esprit du Tigre" isn't a full on replication of muscle rub. It's more reserved, woody, spicy and dry. There is also something sort of martial about it. Makes me think of spirited young samurai practicing aggressive katas in a tatami matted room. It might seem odd spending €120 to smell like you've just injured yourself at the gym. That aside, I really like it. It's so f***king manly! Raaawr!

This scent amuses me more than enraptures me, but amusement is still good. I mean, the notion that they based a scent on Tiger Balm is amusing in itself. It's toned down compared to Tiger Balm, but is still bracing and pleasant in its minty-camphor-ness. However, I feel like you could get pretty much this same effect with an aftershave from the drugstore (or from Tiger Balm) and save some money. This has that same barbershop feel, to me. Still, it's quite nicely done and I like it.

Nothing much to add that hasn't been said already. It starts with a punch of mint, cloves and camphor notes, like tiger balm or Vicks rub, then settles down to vetiver while retaining the camphor notes. Nice to smell but not sure about versatility and wearability. It might work for blocked nose too Update: on second application, I cann smell the cardamom quite strongly, a note that I personally like

Very pleasant herbal smell, not as sharp or overpowering as the notes would have you believe. Opens very camphor-foward, but takes on more of an earthy spice component as it develops. Smells a bit like one of those natural mosquito coils you might have at a bbq, but before its been lit. For some people, that might be offputting, but I found myself taking whiffs of it throughout the day.

Tiger balm seen as a journey to the heart of a fantasy Asia, very cliché, but very good. Icy camphor warmed by spices and a light woody/leathery drydown. It lacks a bit of the mystery of traditional chinese herbalist shops and good old opium dens, but anyway an excellent scent to soothe the senses. :)

not too much mint as I hoped, but camphor balls of camphor from the chest of drawers as if it were raining and the kilos of cloves. a touch of pepper and nothing else. what a disappointment. good performance but little evolution. rejected. 4/10

Comprato nel 2012 anche questo. Profumo freddo e frizzante inizialmente,la nota canfora e mente rinfrescante è molto carina. Poi la fragranza svanisce e si assottiglia diventando quasi impercettibile. Purtroppo. Complessivamente carina.

A sophisticated version of a Bay Rum. Echoes of tiger balm, but more clove and bay forward. It sits well for some time, it's neither too loud or too weak. A good gentlemans fragrance.

Highly camphoraceous and medicinal....smells exactly like, well, Tiger Balm, but when it comes to Tiger Balm there's nothing like the real thing or...Piper Nigrum. Rating: 6.5/10

Try wearing this with Tiger Balm, you will smell like Tiger Balm. Hope this helps!

Sharp mint opening, shortly followed by a camphoric cloves blast (the main player). Quite close in style to LV Piper Nigrum and OP Viride, but will also (remotely) remind of SL Serge Noire and Amouage Bracken because of the strong cloves note. Reference to Creed Viking also make somewhat sense, due to the similar minty opening, although the drydown takes a different direction. Overall a good take on sharp spicy mint, but doesn't revolution the style. If looking for a great take on mint, I'd strongly suggest Menthe Fraiche from the same house over this one, because the latter is probably the best mint I have ever smelt. Pass for me on Esprit du Tigre.

I don't like this fragrance. The opening is ok - spicy, minty, slightly medicinal, but after a few minutes I smell something weird and unpleasant, similar to stinky socks or a yoga mat that had just been bleached. It doesn't smell good. I very much enjoy several others from Heeley (with the exception of Bubblegum Chic), but this isn't great at all. Menthe Fraiche, for example, is a much nicer alternative.

Incense and camphor. Incense incense incense, camphor camphor camphor. Very medicinal. I don't like it at all.

I was so dissapointed with this. I smelled zero camphor, zero mint. Zero tiger balm vibes. The beginning is like a green jungle with no fruits, just plants, slightly earthy as well. Then you can slightly smell clove. But the main character, which is present from the beginning and is the only thing I smelled after like 30 minutes, is this weird sweet green scent. I dont know if that is vetiver, but it is something very particular and I need to find out what because I hate it. It smells green and nauseatingly sweet. Like dont get me wrong, the perfume is well crafted, it evolves, it is long lasting, it just personally literally makes me sick.

همیشه از روایح گیاهی-اسپایسی بشدت استقبال میکنم و خیلی لذت می برم از چنین عطر هایی. هر چقد این عطر ها در فضاهای ویژه و خاص سیر کنن؛ لذت بیشتری از اون عطر خواهم برد. اما یه نکته که در مورد عطر ها مهمه؛ مقوله ی ماندگاری و پخش اونهاست. درسته که کیفیت و اثرگذاری یه عطر در اولویت قرار داره؛ اما باید رایحه ای هم به مشام برسه که بشه ازش حرف زد و لذت برد. اسپریت دو تیگر(روح ببر)؛ براساس عنوانی که داره یه عطر انیمالیک و سبز وحشی و سرکش به نظرم اومد که خیلی مشتاق تست کردن اون بودم. اما... عطر با یه رایحه ی سبز و ادویه ای در هم تنیده باز میشه. حجم زیادی از گیاهان و سبزیجات وحشی، تند و سبز که با دارچین و هل مشایعت میشن؛ شروع متفاوت و قدرتمندی به کار دادن. با اضافه شدن میخک خشک و فلفل، لایه های انیمالیک و خشک این فضای گیاهی شکل می گیرن و شخصیت اسپریت دو تیگر، در این فضای سبز گیاهی و اسپایسی با ته مایه های دودی-خاکی و انیمالیک شکل می گیره. روح ببر، اون عطر سبز و سرکش و انیمالیک یاغی نیست؛ اما یه عطر گیاهی و تلخ جذاب و خوش ساخته که ملایم و با نشاطه و در عین حال خوش آب و رنگ و گیراست. حسی از خروش و طغیان تو وجودشه که اونو تبدیل به یه عطر چهار فصل خاص میکنه اما نکته ای که باعث شد از خیرش بگذرم؛ مقوله ی پخش و ماندگاریه. برخلاف اکثر دوستان که میگفتن پخش و ماندگاری متوسطی ازش گرفتن؛ این عطر در نیم ساعت اول پخش متوسطی داشت که بعد از اون کاملا با چسبوندن بینی به پوست حس میشد و با گذشت حدود 4 ساعت هیچ اثری باقی نموند ازش؛ افسوس و صد افسوس! کامنت: م.ع (سایت لوکس بایر (با امکان تست سمپل

I discovered in my queue a small sample of Heeley ESPRIT DU TIGRE (made smaller through evaporation) and decided that I'd give it a whirl before it ceases to exist, having dissipated forever into the vast cosmos. The composition is fairly simple. I'd call it an aromatic woody, with a strong mint presence. The mint is so strong, in fact, that in undulating wafts I feel that I can taste it. The wood smells more like iso-E-super than vetiver to me. Perhaps that is present, too, but not listed among the notes since it's an aromachemical. All in all, ESPRIT DU TIGRE is a pleasant wear, but not very exciting, and not something of which I'd really want a full bottle. This would probably work very well for guys looking for a light and refreshing high-quality woody cologne. The spices are not at all heavy, so don't be scared off by the clove, cardamom, and pepper listed among the notes. They are applied quite lightly in this composition, even in my sample, which is now at extrait concentration...

Smoky wood, camphorous mint, and some spice. The resemblance to Tiger Balm is apparent but Esprit du Tigre is softer, smoother, and altogether more wearable. However, it's not something that I would necessarily wear too often. It's a very distinct scent and kind of an oddball at that. At the same time, it's not exactly exciting either. Something about it is kind of flat and boring, and in the end it resembles a freshener you might keep inside expensive shoes more than something you would wear on your skin. I find that Piper Nigrum (a fragrance with which it is often associated) is much more lively and interesting. While it vibrates with vitality and rich, full notes, Esprit du Tigre seems milquetoast in comparison. I usually enjoy the restraint exercised in Heeley's fragrances, but I think Esprit du Tigre could benefit from a little more flare. It's not a bad scent at all, and it's pleasant enough, but come on already...let that tiger out of its cage!

Esprit du Tigre is probably the only fragrance in Heeley’s collection that leans toward the oriental. In some ways, it reminds me of Piper Nigrum by Lorenzo Villoresi, while the heart of the composition is somewhat reminiscent of Embers by Rouge Bunny Rouge. Unfortunately, I have to admit that I find both of those fragrances to be better crafted and more complete. That said, Esprit du Tigre stands out for its fascinating use of camphor, a note rarely explored in such a way. Still, it didn’t manage to win me over. In my view, Esprit du Tigre is a fragrance that’s just slightly above average. I had higher expectations for it. To be honest, if I really wanted to smell like Tiger Balm, I’d simply buy a jar and rub it on generously — it would be far cheaper! That said, I’m glad I decided to try James Heeley’s creation — it’s an interesting curiosity, if not an essential addition to my collection. My rating: Worth getting to know. (5/7)

This scents reminds me of John Coltrane's Central Park West...if that makes any sense. It's sophisticate, beautiful and nostalgic. By that I mean that this scent brought back memories when I wore it. I guess it's the cloves and my association with holiday dinners. By no means does that mean this scent isn't sexy. For my money this replaces Burberry. London as the holiday scent yet is a more versatile. Use it on a bright sunny spring day and you'll feel on top of the world, on a summer night on a date at a nice restaurant and you'll ooze class and sexiness. It's the type of cologne that doesn't scream "i wear this to be sexy" yet states "I'm sexy and this is what I happen to wear"

this is smell like Vicks. i meet James once, i like some of his perfumes. when u smell a perfume of his u'll notice that it's his. his way of creating scents is similar on all his scents. but this one is kind of different although you sense it's his. this one is like a medical sticker that you use for back pain, sometimes you might smell it in a spa. personally i feel sweaty when i wear it, but it works good if you feel ill :) i personally like it but i don't wear it all the time. so i say you HAVE to try it if you are serious bout buying it, it only suits certain (very limited) tastes.

This is a fantastic fragrance that dares to be different. I am a fan of the whole Heeley range but this one stands out the most. Its a scent that is based on the paradox of a warming coldness. The only way i can describe it is lke the muscle sprays that you use when you get a sports injury that go on freezing cold then heat up with the smell of tiger balm. if you have not smelt this that will sound crazy but if you have you will know what im on about....hopefully. It starts off very strong and very sure of itself but then calms down, warms up and gives you a cuddle. Great stuff.

A herbal take of the arabic spicy or desert genre of fragrances. I find it odd, it is herbal, arabic, light and to make it even more strange it is musky. So great creativity, but it dries down to a soft slightly floral and spicy fragrance. It is nice and becomes more mass appealing. What a shapeshifter ! The problem is that it has poor projection and not much sillage with 3 to 5 hours longevity. If you wanted a inoffensive desert or arabic skin scent you have found the one. It was fun to sample, but I have jubilation 25 and nice spicy fragrances for my needs

Esprit du Tigre starts with a refreshing and aromatic scent. The mint dominates initially, but it fades away after a few minutes, leaving a strong and warm spicy aroma. I am familiar with the scent of clove, and in this fragrance, clove is used in a high dose. The combination of clove with other spices creates a cozy, warm scent with rough texture. The fragrance is made with a high amount of good quality natural materials. It is a well-rounded, unisex, versatile, and pleasant fragrance. Yet, it lacks something to capture my attention. 7/10

I actually don't find this medical at all. This is spicy-incense fragrance. Clove stands out the most than black pepper and cardamom. Thankfully cardamom is not sweaty as it tend to be in most fragrances I know. There is some coolness from mint. I also smell frankincense, myrrh and camphor. Some vetiver mingles on a back. I like this a lot. There is some slight resemblance with Tiger balm, but nothing eye watering strong. I find this very soft and soothing. Excellent spicy fragrance!

OMG! This is very very powerful and so unusual! Almost scaring at first. It is very hot with lots of spices. Cardamom, pepper, cloves... all together but not messy. Then over all this spiced heat there is an extremely cold mint enveloping the hot heart. Very contrasting and interesting. I don't think this is easily wearable in everyday life and it seems more of a masculin scent then typically feminine. A very interesting scent for smelling purpose and for sure a high quality one.

VEry Nice.... But not at the opening. It Starts like Tiger Balm, for about 40 minutes, but during the day, transforms to a gently, mature, calming aroma, If I was a doctor, i would use this everyday. I use it seldom times, during day time around old people. Not For youngsters, but that doesnt mean a bad cologne, just a mature one.

It's said to have inspired by Tiger Balm. However, not sure if it's been reformulated, it certainly doesn't smell like one. What I get mostly are vetiver, clove, cardamom, pepper and cinnamon with mint on top, which gives me tingling sensation upon spraying. Performance is okay on my skin.

The opening is absolutely beautiful. So is the cardamom. The pepper and clove drag this beauty down significantly. Way too heavy on the cloves. If Heeley was to reformulate this and take down most of the cloves and some of the pepper this would be the best perfume in the market.

Nowhere near Piper Nigrum, that one really does have a character, and this one is just randomly mixed spices with mint and vetyver. Highly annoying upon first application and soon fleeting into very minty and unremarkable medicinal scent. Probably only Heeley I really disliked

That spice really hits you. Even if the very first smell is of something green and slightly salty, it soon develops into strong cloves and pepper and stays that way. For me it's not something that I would wear on my skin, but I do see the artistry in it. Great work Heeley!