Vetiver & Golden Vanilla

Vetiver is an ingredient that has been used since ancient Babylonian times. Until this day, it is brought to gods and goddesses in India as gifts of adoration by their worshippers. It is named, since ancient times, as "The Oil of Tranquility" and as "The Scent of Earth." Vetiver actually reduces and/or eliminates inflammation anywhere in the nervous system and has been proven to be as effective as diazepam on general anxiety disorder! It has also been proven to be effective treatment for those with panic disorder. I am a sufferer of panic disorder and I was so surprised that my anxiety disappeared when using Tom Ford's Bitter Peach. Just, POOF! Disappeared! I would have a panic attack riding in a vehicle but never when wearing Bitter Peach! Then one day I tried on Vetiver and Golden Vanilla at a Jo Malone boutique and this had the same effect on me as Bitter Peach. So, I went home and spent hours reading about Vetiver. Indeed, it eliminates nervous system inflammation!!! I was able to pinpoint my new mental freedom to the use of Vetiver and now I always use either Bitter Peach (apparently, it really does contain some high quality Vetiver in it); or, JM's Vetiver and Golden Vanilla. What a gift from Heaven! I am literally so grateful! As for the scent of this one... sillage on me is strong and longevity is 12 hours or longer. Even after showering it's still there! I'd say it leans more masculine than feminine, however, I really don't care. I have a very feminine facial structure and wardrobe style, so, it's interesting to balance out my overall impact with a masculine-type perfume. So, this works for me. I hope this information here can help anyone else with generalized anxiety disorder and/or panic disorder. Also, yes, Vetiver is an actual ingredient in Bitter Peach.

African Rooibos was my favorite tea fragrance and I thought it couldn’t be topped, but I would choose this over it. I love how when you don’t think you can find something better in a certain genre, but there’s always something else out there. My experience so far after about 5 wears or so: Performance 6-8 hours. Personal bubble scent. when you catch a whiff off the atomizer and in the opening on skin, it’s very tea forward. But it’s not an ugly tea on me at all. I feel like it puts the Golden in vanilla in my mind. It’s like a Shiny and metallic almost smell, but not overly so. Very tame shiny and metallic tea scent. You can sort of smell other stuff in the background. After about 5-10 minutes on skin, the tea note melds with everything else. It’s funny, it’s like the vetiver pops in and out, the vanilla is a very natural subtly spicy, yet almost edible vanilla. The vanilla and the vetiver work together beautifully. The grapefruit must be a bright type of grapefruit, but it’s not a harsh grapefruit smell. I think it just adds a little brightness to that tea note. I feel like the cardamom just helps bring the vanilla and vetiver together. As more time goes on it gets more wispy and it’s just beautifully blended in my opinion. The vetiver keeps popping in to let you know it’s there. I love the way everything works together. I damn near want to drink the stuff. Far into the life of the fragrance it turns into a creamy dirty/vetiver vanilla skin scent. Extremely unisex off my skin. I don’t find it to be overly masculine or feminine. Doesn’t scream either of the opposite sex, it just smells good. Damn good in my opinion.

Sometimes I hate that I live in the South, and after getting a sample decant of Vetiver&Golden Vanilla, it is one of those times I wished I lived in a colder climate. This is a warm, cozy, incense, gentle spice fragrance that I think would be best for chilly/cold Autumn and Winter months. Upon first application with the sample dabber, my nose got an instant rush of fresh cut hay...the vetiver. I thought oh no, Yuck!! This smells like a farm. Lol. But, within 2 minutes, that new mowed hay smell was gone. Yay! Now, all I want to do is sniff my wrist. I'm loving on this warm, tea-spice note, which I'm thinking is the cardamon, and it's sweetened with vanilla...Not cloyingly sweet, teen-age vanilla, but a cocoon wrapping, comfy sweater adult vanilla. I don't smell tobacco that many other reviewers picked up on. My nose is getting a more spiritual incense fragrance, but not that in your face Easter church incense...something far more subtle. I'm totally missing the grapefruit or any other citrus scent, however, I'm smelling a sweet jam-like note...not sure where that's coming from. I've always been a person who likes spicy fragrances over florals (loved Chergui), so I don't find this juice a turn-off for a woman. I'll go with unisex. Maybe I'll have hubby try it and see what he and I think? There's slight sillage with just dabbing unto my skin, and longevity is about 5 hours, which is great for a JM fragrance. I have other vanilla frags (Spiritueuse and Essential Parfum's Divine Vanille)...neither resemble this. Never tried TF's TV, so I can't compare, but this is a unique scent for me.

this is really a gorgeous elegant green vanilla. definitely signature scent worthy. it's surprisingly one of my new favourites, and totally unexpected to me from a brand that i'm not drawn to. i'd never heard of this frag until i spotted it in a department store (originally wanted to try the hinoki scent actually on recommendation from a colleague) and, intrigued by the name featuring two of my all time favourite notes, spritzed a bit on my wrist. that was about 5 months ago, and all i remember was 1. i loved it and 2. it reminded me of another one of my all time favourites, gris charnel. i still think they share a "cousins" type of similarity (undoubtedly the cardamom-tea combo), however GC is much more bold and woody where V&GV is very soft and creamy to my nose. finally i got my hands on a full bottle on sale. this is one of those scents where i can truly pick out each note in the composition (i guess it helps when there are few of them). on my skin, the opening is very bright and green with that citrus tea hit, and once settled is very cardamom-forward with a toasty cozy vanilla base. i almost think this should be called cardamom & golden vanilla.. i get the vetiver however pretty faintly in the back, would love it to be a bit more prominent as it's one of my favourite notes. i'm definitely keen to try layering with another vetiver-forward frag i own.

(Arrival test on paper) Hmmm....not what I was expecting. I have to stop expecting sweet fulfillment every time I see "Vanilla" in a title. This is a grassy green vanilla in the opening...like "Lalique - Le Parfum" and "VS - Tease Creme Cloud"... Both of which I already own...Guess I'm adding a third to my collection of "Green Vanillas". Starts out super duper green...pure vetiver almost...I don't like it much. Drydown an hour later is a stronger version of "Whispers in the Library"...THAT, I like ! (Follow-up test on skin) Opens with the Grapefruit and Vetiver!! Fresh...vetivery...moreso fresh! Almost feels like there is a Black/Pink-pepper in the background as the opening fades and the Grapefruit/light-citrus fades away. In the mid....I'm not getting any Tea...though I'm picking up a smoothness...guessing that's the vanilla and the spiciness is coming from the cardamom? Still very green with the Vetiver being the core of the fragrance. Yeah...Vanilla is just here to smooth the overall fragrance tone...it's not sweet and neither is it the focus of the fragrance. Overall...very professional...though it's missing....something....probably missing a creamy gourmandy vanilla. Verdict: This will require a few wears to get a real sense of how and where to wear this one. And what to mix it with to make it perfect.

This is the perfume that caught my attention when I went to a Jo Malone boutique. I also equally liked Myrrh&Tonka, they have a similar vibe but refused to get it cause a close friend of mine already has it. I got the fresh-scented Sea Daffodil instead even tho I wanted to get this for myself, but didn't choose to cause as a female, it's not the safest buy despite being unisex. And it's not affordable. But I couldn't stop thinking about it and when I was thinking of a gift for my boyfriend, I got him this and we both loved it on him! Turns out it's more suitable for men. This perfume is initially intimidating but its depth and character keeps you curious and wanting to go back to the boutique to get it. Definitely sexy. When I smell this, I imagine my boyfriend in a cozy wool sweater from Ralph Lauren, slacks, and expensive leather shoes having an intimate dinner date with me with the weather being cold. Also works for daywear but I feel that wearing it at night makes its character shine more.

This scent performs very well, which is unique considering many Jo Malone fragrances are so fleeting. I sprayed only one spray about 7 hours ago and sillage is close to the skin but definitely there. It is a mix of vanilla and vetiver, with some cardamom that adds intriguing spice and grapefruit tea to lend a touch of comforting bitter, cutting any sweetness the vanilla might possess and resulting in an aromatic fragrance that smells interestingly like leather. If you hate leather though, don’t pass this one by, this is more complex and there’s no actual leather note in it. It’s like leather from another world, one where only plants reign, under a starry night sky. The vanilla is smooth and does not overpower the vetiver. It remains the same composition to the dry-down, though becomes softer and melts into the skin. It leans traditionally masculine, and I don’t know how else to describe this but it really does smell like the night, especially as it dries down.

if i didn't already own fat electrician, i would buy this in a heartbeat. both have that rubbery, rooty vetiver taking centre stage (likely javanese vetiver) - it's not as masculine as the greener, woodier vetiver that's more commonly used (haitian vetiver) - though this is a moot point since i love, love, love vetiver. but it definitely makes this scent more unisex. the cardamom is incredible. so spicy, uplifting and rich; in the opening blast it practically tickles my nostrils. the cardamom sticks around for a few hours too, which i love since it's often such a fleeting note, only present in the opening, of many perfumes in which it is used. softly and slowly the vanilla seeps in, sweet and rich - not gourmand, not overpowering - it simply softens, sweetens and warms the scent. longevity is incredible, though sillage is slightly below average. it sits close to the skin and keeps you wrapped up for a very, very long time. 9/10

I love this. The black bottle Jo Malones have not let me down yet, and this might be my favourite of the ones I've tried. It does seem like what you'd get if you told Jo Malone to do a take on Fat Electrician, but they're not dupes by any means. This is a more naturalistic portrait with vanilla instead of chestnut and cream and a drier, grassier, more hay-like vetiver instead of FE's rubbery vetiver. The notes dance together seamlessly. I love cardamom but it can be assertive and sometimes sticks out like a sore thumb. It blends in this composition nicely, along with the tea note. Vetiver is very present up top but as it dries down it recedes a bit and sometimes I get wafts of it, sometimes more of the vanilla or the spiced tea. It's a rich and warm fragrance without ever getting too heavy for me. It's dry, gourmand but not too sweet, and "grown up" in good way.

Vetiver and Golden Vanilla was the first fragrance with vetiver I've ever owned. Since it was a blind buy, the sudden kick of vetiver initially surprised me—it was a note I wasn't used to yet. While this scent definitely leans masculine, I still wholeheartedly see it as a unisex fragrance. It's profoundly earthy, smoky, and aromatic, especially as the silkiness of the golden vanilla melts beautifully onto the woodiness. Its longevity is impressive; I once wore it overnight and could still clearly smell the vetiver the next morning. I truly fell in love with this fragrance after a while. The citrusy grapefruit started to reveal itself, and I began to notice the subtle tea note more prominently. To me, this scent is like a slowly blooming flower—it takes time to truly understand and appreciate its complexity. A very well-balanced fragrance.

Instant buy. I was looking for a good transitional scent in a dry environment. I usually prefer white florals but they are too cloying for me in winter. But THIS IS AMAZING. The quiet, more self assured older sister of Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille. TF is loud and in your face, a little TOO much of everything. This is discrete, subtle, and to the point. A light smokiness from the vetiver. The vanilla is soft, not cloying. The cardamom does not give off tea vibes and there is no strong chai tea. Oddly enough, I get a soft cherry scent from it. Like the cherries you would bite into after you finish drinking your old fashioned. I like to set locations for fragrances: Afternoon tea in a Scottish castle. Masculine at first sniff. Unisex sillage if sprayed on clothes. But surprisingly feminine and sweet when spray directly on skin.

i love the initial spray, a very fresh and grapefruity vetiver scent that has a very faint hint of spiciness in it. and after a minute you start to smell the cardamom in it- so basically you get to smell everything in the first spray. so i believe after it dries down it will still smell the same - also i feel like cardamom and vanilla starts to overpower the remaining smells, especially tea- yet in the background, you can still smell that grapefruit note- I just love it- as always jo Malone does not disappoint, tbh i do prefer their intense black bottle line over the clear glass lines 10/10 great for a signature scent as well, i have to add it is quite a mouth-watering scent when sprayed on your skin, also on my skin the tea note was a bit more prominent than on the paper, still amazing tho

Jo Malone's Vetiver & Golden Vanilla starts off sparkling with grapefruit and sweet with vanilla and within moments the aromatic citrus is joined by an earthy, and somewhat smoky, vetiver that blends nicely with the peppery spiciness of cardamom. Incense, smoke, and black pepper are not listed notes and yet I seem to pick up those accords as well. In the dry down the tea note steps up adding yet another layer of mysteriousness and warmth to an already alluring aroma. Longevity, sillage, and projection are all moderate on my skin. This wonderfully blended fragrance contains a certain magic... An enchanting alchemy that imparts feelings of wanderlust and fernweh for distant lands that you long to visit. Definitely signature scent worthy and highly recommended.

This juice has to be one a few fragrance where Vetiver isn't in your face. At first spray it comes off sweet which explains the vanilla/cardamom. As it settles I do pick up a slight smokey vetiver combined with tea leafs giving it a more linear tone with a very appealing aroma. Longevity is very good, with one spray on wrist around 1pm, I could still smell it 8 hours later. I could smell the juice with cardamom elevating the blend with the green tones of this juice Overall, this is definitely a winner in my books. I haven't bought a bottle this year...this will be the first on my list. The sweet aroma doesn't come across as over kill...cardamom really helps this juice 9/10

I just received this as an early Christmas gift. In the air it’s reminding me of a better performing Flora Mortis by All Saints for some reason, which I can’t quite figure out why. They don’t share any notes! Not a bad thing, I really enjoy Flora Mortis but found the longevity to be very weak. When I smell up close to my skin I definitely get more warm vanilla and they don’t seem similar on skin. Vetiver and Golden Vanilla seems to last for ~6 hours with decent silage too. I’ll have to do a wear test side by side with Flora Mortis and report back whether they’re actually similar or if it’s just my scent memory playing tricks.

This is my favorite Jo Malone fragrance at the moment and probably my favorite vanilla as of right now too. I usually lean towards sweeter scents and this isn’t that at all. It’s perfectly unisex and I’m obsessed with the cardamom, vetiver, vanilla goodness. Its the first perfume that I’ve had that has an emphasis on vetiver without being too masculine for me to pull off. It’s not quite gourmand but I still want to eat it, if that makes sense. It’s just so aromatic and warm and spicy. I will never run out of this fragrance. I don’t see how anyone could NOT like this. It’s amazing. Nothing I’ve smelled is like it

I hate everything Jo Malone, but this is one of the best things I have ever smelled. The vetiver and cardamom make the perfect powdery woody spiciness without any heaviness. The grapefruit makes it fresh and interesting and bitter while the vanilla is the ground it’s all built on. But it doesn’t smell like vanilla. Very unisex, not feminine leaning. It’s quite expensive but one spray is enough. I don’t like wearing it because it goes too dry but on my girlfriend it sits just right. Perfectly scratchy and comforting. I can’t stop sniffing this when she wears it. Opening 10/10 Dries down fast: 10/10

Love love love LOVE THISSSSS, I smelt it a few months ago on a trip and I just couldn’t stop smelling my arm, I bought myself a 50ml today, I am over the moon, its a nice dry clean vetiver and subtlety warm grapefruit tea, with spicy cardamom layered on top of a creamy warm but not typical vanilla base, its so simple yet so good and it LASTS like this lasts, the guy at the store sprayed my bag with the tester, that was 9 hours ago, I’m still catching whiffs of that bag, its sitting on my desk across my room, that's 2 meters away from me. 10/10 Fragrance, GO BUY IT

I originally thought it a nice cozy fall/winter scent - a sweet, spiced apple pie with vanilla ice cream - but my goodness it really blooms in the summer, it’s so nicer richer and dimensional. I honestly don’t get a lot of vanilla, it’s mostly cardamom for me, but it is stronger in the summer weather for sure. I’ve a lot of jo malone perfumes, and because they’re transparent and simple I tend to get bored with them soon. This one is linear too, but it’s just what I wanted, and I think this is one I was least hesitant to get a full bottle of

I'm constantly looking for fresh vanilla fragrances to add to my collection. For being a 'cologne intense' whatever that means, this stuff performs decently well. I get loads of compliments and it lasts pretty long. I'm just trying to understand why people think this stuff is a fall/winter fragrance? It's light as a feather. It is not heavy enough to be worn in the winter, sorry. On what planet does this fragrance smell anything like tobacco Vanille or jazz club? This website is so unserious sometimes.