Sang Bleu

This is my first fragrance from this house and I'm impressed. It's a complex fragrance and, as such, is hard to define. I'm not so keen on the opening, it can be a little harsh and abrasive, but it soon settles down, as the top citrus notes dissipate, and I start to get wafts of this wonderful perfume. It's soapy, slightly floral, aromatic, spicy, a bit powdery and smooth with an animalic, musky base, all balanced to absolute perfection. It's very well blended and individual notes are difficult to discern. Being neither too heavy or too light, it's also very versatile; suitable for any occasion and weather. This does have a classic scent vibe that is reminiscent of powerhouse fragrances from the 80s, except this is smoother, more refined and it doesn't need to shout it's presence, although it's still wonderfully masculine. It also has a few contemporary elements that stop it smelling dated. Classic but not so much that you wouldn't want to wear it today.There are similarities to Kouros but this is far more refined, sweeter, softer and not nearly as harsh. The animalic elements of Kouros smell 'dirty' on me, as though I've been in an animal pen, to the point that I can't wear Kouros but I don't get any of that with this fragrance. Interestingly, this fragrance is composed from an unfinished Paul Vacher formula from the 70's, which actually predates Kouros. I get about 7-8 hrs longevity and moderate projection. Personally, I love it but I can understand that some might find it challenging on the initial spray but stick with it as it's absolutely divine. I'm impressed with this house; the quality is there to see. Great job and nicely presented too. CAUTION: This fragrance needs to be sprayed correctly to fully appreciate all its different facets. Spray too concentrated in one place and you will get a blast of astringent citrus with a cheap deodorant vibe. However, spray with a lighter touch and you will fully appreciate the depth and colour of this little beauty. It is also better smelt on the wind from the projection and silage, rather than up close. Edit: The more I wear this fragrance, the more I love it. The florals perfectly balance out the sharper, drier and herbal elements. I've since tried many niche fragrances in this genre or with similarities but nothing has compared; they are either too floral, too herbal, too animalic or too soapy, whereas this has the perfect balance of all those components. I love how classically masculine it smells, without smelling dated. Give it a fair go because I wasn't so sure myself when I first tested it. Now, it's becoming one of my absolute favourites. I can't get enough of it. So much so, it could well become my signature.

This has indeed been reformulated in the new square bottles. I have the original version and I got a sample of the new version as I was intrigued from the reviews below. Often reformulations are about reducing cost so the new version often appears weaker or perhaps because a certain note has been banned, whereas here it appears to be a purposeful decision to take the fragrance in a slightly different, more modern direction. I’ve written a review of the original below so I won’t repeat that other than to say I find it to be a more wearable take on a Kouros style fragrance with an old school vibe. This still sits in the same ballpark but it does have some noticeable differences. Firstly the top notes aren’t as astringent, which I actually prefer. It’s also a little sweeter and less animalic with a modern ‘blue’ fragrance backbone. I also find it a bit more fruity, not as sharp and generally softer over all. As it dries down the two versions become closer, although the new formulation carries a birch note that makes it a tad darker. I’m sure fragrance connoisseurs would prefer the old school artistry of the original whereas I expect most other people would probably like this one due to its more, modern accessible nature. The new version also takes the fragrance further away from the Kouros style of the original and pushes it more towards an Aventus style scent, especially in the drydown (although it’s not a clone or anything like that, just similar in structure). Performance seems about the same with good longevity and moderate but noticeable projection. I wouldn’t say this is a designer fragrance but it does now incorporate more mainstream, on-trend elements that you’ll find in a blue fragrance with mass appeal. I really like both. The original is probably a finer fragrance for aficionados but I like the ease of wear and versatility of this new version. I enjoy both for different reasons although the niche vibe of the original probably just edges it. A rare reformulation success imho anyway.

I have been on the lookout for an old bottle for quite some time, but they are very hard to find. I have owned an 8ml sample and was in love at first sniff. So when the chance came I bought a newer bottle for a good price to try. It looks less nice as the older bottle and as described by ILikePeeps the birch note has become the main player in the top notes. You can tell that they wanted to update this fragrance and make it more modern, meaning the old school aromatic citrus top notes aren’t noticeable like in Dior eau Sauvage or Xerjoff Fiero. The birch does remind me of Aventus a lot, so much that upon opening the package I thought someone spilled Aventus in it. After a while I find out that the dry down still has the Kouros vibe I love about this fragrance. Albeit not as prominent as the old school formulation due to the birch. To me it doesn’t make the fragrance more animalic, but it supports the animalic notes more, making it a smoother blend and less astringent. I must say I love birch as a note, but in Sang Blue I find it dominating the other notes too much, making the fragrance less complex and more simple. Which I think is a bummer. I would rather buy the older formulation and bottle, but don’t think this version is bad although I wouldn’t pay full retail price for this. It’s a matter of taste. I’m still going to use this fragrance as one of my signature fragrances.

October 2023: Just be aware there may have been a reformulation on this one. The one old in the cylindrical bottle was a nice updated/modern Kouros type of smell. I just received the newer presentation in the 'square-ish' type bottle with flatter box.... and yeah, no, this isn't the same. This has way more of a birch-y type smell. It's like they took the base of Aventus to try to make this more popular than the previous iteration. Sadly I don't like this as much and will be returning this bottle. If you want the modern Kouros, cylindrical bottle. If you want a more Aventus-y vibe, newer square bottle. Edit: My suspicion has been confirmed! From 'Nicolas' (CEO) at Le Galion via e-mail: "Hello Thanks for your email and your sens of smell. Indeed the formula of Sang Bleu has slightly changed with its new presentation adding a birch raw material % into it but not into going into the Aventus direction which is far from our intention but rather increasing the animalic and intense notes. I hope you like it though. Best regards"

I really like this. As many have said...it starts out a lot like Kouros. And it certainly has some of the same general notes. But I find that as it settles into the base notes, it has much more of an Oakmoss vibe, which I have never sensed in Kouros. Overall, I actually like this better than Kouros. A bit more rounded and refined, less aldehydic, and without some of the harshness/shrillness that Kouros is famous for. Absolutely FB worthy IMO. UPDATE: Bought FB and having worn it now, all I can say is that this is even better from FB than decant. Really an 80s or early 90s macho fragrance. But without the brutalism that I associate with YSL Kouros (which I wore for many years). This is unambiguously for men and longevity and sillage are significant, so the fantastic diffuser is perfect for measured sprays. This is better when used judiciously.