Vetiver

For true vetiver lovers only. Very high quality, natural smelling vetiver in a composition that is almost a solifleur. The fragrance opens with a bang and then slowly recedes over six to eight hours. The vetiver reveals many facets as you wear this scent. There are times when it is camphorous, then citrusy, then grassy and finally earthy, dirty and almost animalic. All from a single dominant note. It is quite a ride. Some will find this scent harsh. But I find it more astringent. This astringency is yet another of the many faces of good quality natural vetiver. Now notwithstanding the lack of a note pyramid above, this scent does have components to accent and highlight the vetiver and it's many facets. In the opening, there is some carnation and a bit of lemon. Later there is some dry, green rose and in the base a hint of sweet vanilla and patchouli. But all of these notes are subtle and used only to keep the focus on different aspects of the vetiver. This product is very well presented in a frosted glass bottle emblazoned with a gold script that looks like something out of an old fashioned apothecary. This presentation seems appropriate since SMN is, in fact, a venerable Italian formulary basing some of its creations on centuries-old medicinal creations originally composed by monks in the monastery near its original location. It is all historic and very cool in a classic sort of way. Each fragrance is housed in a splash bottle but comes with a decent atomizer that you can install on the bottle if, like me, you prefer to spray your scents. This fragrance is unisex. If you adore vetiver as I do, you'll really enjoy this fragrance. If you are new to vetiver or merely vetiver-curious, you are probably best starting off with an easier and more accessible designer vetiver like Tom Ford's excellent and easy to wear Grey Vetiver EdT. But eventually, it is time for hard core, "this one goes to 11," no holds barred, full throttle vetiver. It is for these times when you want to have a bottle of Santa Maria Novella Vetiver on hand.

A surprisingly sweet vetiver , not linear as Fragrantica's profile may suggest, but beautifully complemented by floral notes and a mossy/vanillic dry down that recalls (or should that be anticipates?) the classic orange blossom/vetiver/tonka bean/vanilla 'Guerlinade' accord, to be enjoyed in Héritage, among others. This fragrance has an impeccable provenance, both in terms of the quality of raw materials and the artistry of the house. The vetiver's dry scent is earthy and woody, but it is also infused with those subtle citrus, rosy and camphorous notes in its long, luxurious dry down. Effortlessly, classically gorgeous.

Vetiver is elegant and beautiful. I was pleasantly surprised by how powdery this scent is; yes, it still has the scent of fresh hay; however, it is more refined. The powderyness gives off a distinct sense of class while also providing a beautiful matte for your natural scent. I love this fragrance personally; it is so beautiful. Now, it is on the sweeter side, so some people may not be too fond; however, I believe this scent is very much worth purchasing. One disclaimer: I found that vetiver may be slightly weak, therefore you may need to spray a decent amount to make others smell the trail.

SMN Vetiver is rude and raw. It is a monster, but a beautiful one. I think this fragrance is unique in our days, evoking some craft from the past. It smells like a perfume from another time, when people cared more about elegance and timeless finesse. If you tend to enjoy mainstream fragrances, crowd appealing ones - and there's no problem at all if you like them-, you better stay away from SMN Vetiver. On the nose, I detect some rosemary, some vetiver oil and some bitter notes. Good projection, amazing staying power.

Dry, airy, light, ethereal. Classical composition borrowing barbershop fougere facets. Timeless quality leaning masculine and mature. Confident gentlemen dressed up and down. Sits close after initial applications bracing freshness. Similarities to Escale En Haiti Les Indemodables. Santa Maria novellas quality and craftsmanship radiating throughout. Recommend to all lovers of vetiver. 8/10

Santa Marie Novella made a very strong vetiver dominant scent. Opening will clear your stuffy head, this packs a nose punch. Drydown is long lasting, and linear with a little wood added in the base. I like it but it’s my kind of scent. Leans a little too rough. Still very interesting and not a downvote. If you are looking for a different kind of natural vetiver, this might be it.

Pure, cool, earthy, sharp, astringent... I got a sample of Santa Maria Novella's Vetiver just to experience more of the single note, and this doesn't disappoint. Despite my masculine barbershop associations with the scent, it creates a confident, grassy atmosphere I'm happy to walk around in. If your aim is to move as far as possible from blandness, this is it-- it's extremely green and bitterly medicinal, so low wearability for the average person (including me). Still, I would love layering this with a more mainstream vetiver for extra punchy aromatics.

Really, I mean: Vetiver essential oil is very good itself. You can use pure and you feel to be already in front of a complex fragrance as of its many tones. Than is difficult to fail when you make a fragrance based on vetiver. Officina Santa Maria Novella goes to that goal, and is able to destroy such beautiful aroma creating a sort of Yeti of vetivers. Almost all the colognes of this House smells like medicines or ancient remedies for tooth pain, flu, breathing complicances, cholera, or if you are lucky: the cough syrup of Marco Polo. Then well, this herbaceus scent smell like a wet fabric forgotten in the garage for weeks, honey and eucaliptus, fat for shoes flavoured with orange flowers and gas for lighter. Finally appear what remain of vetiver. There must be birtch, geranol, orange blossoms and some else. Really in this Maison they must blend by chance. . Because is impossible to choice to do such mess with intention.

Based on reviews below, I got a sample from Aedes and tried it hoping to duplicate the same mind-bending experience I had with MPG's Route de Vetiver. No joy. This is a linear rosewood scent. I don't even smell a hint of vetiver. If I want to smell like rosewood, I can do so for a lot less than the $135 a bottle Santa Novella charges.

List of notes from official website: Top: Lemon, Jasmine, Petitgrain Middle: Rose, Bitter Orange Flowers, Vetiver Base: Patchouli, Oakmoss, Vanilla The vetiver comes in right away, deep and earthy. However, its strong presence starts to subdue very quickly, giving way to a plethora of other notes, mainly focused around a quite unapologetic vintage rose-oakmoss accord. By contrast, Pot Pourri by the same house smells much more fantastical, outside all time and place. The scent resembles Aromatics Elixir and Charlie, but without any harsh synthetic ingredients. The overall sillage is moderate, and the base remains two hours after spraying, with vanilla, citrus notes, and a slight camphorous undertone. Interestingly the various citruses seem to reveal themselves later rather than earlier in the drydown, causing the perfume to freshen up the longer it stays on. Reading the list of notes, I can easily spot each one in the mix, which could be a sign that the notes are not 'fantasy notes' but actual plant essences. The proportions of the notes also seem to shift and fluctuate radically and with different speeds through time, making each sniff different (another sign of natural, more precarious oils?) Overall, I would caution against buying this if you're the type of person to detest 'old lady perfume'. This is also not by any means a 'bomb'. However if you're looking for a quintessential 70's style perfume made with quality natural ingredients, look into this.

This excellent fragrance opens with an almost shocking blast of raw, bitter, green, iodine-infused vetiver. Santa Maria Novella Vetiver is strong and pungent and it lasts all day long: uncharacteristic for an EdC. The fragrance is beautifully done, with an old fashioned, bone-dry, mossy and powdery dry down that seems to be the standard backbone for Santa Maria Novella. I can see how some might find it perfumey due to the rosewood and powder in the base, but to my nose it has more of an old school barbershop feel than anything else. I very much enjoy it; especially on a hot summer day, but it has the heft to be worn all year long. If you like raw vetivers, barbershop fragrances, and green mossy scents, this one could definitely be for you. But, you have to like vetiver - seriously. This one is not easy-wearing by any stretch of the imagination: the polar opposite of citrus-laden, polite and easy-wearing vetivers like Creed's, Tom Ford's or Roja Dove's. In contrast, Santa Maria Novella is powerful, dry as a bone, strong, and old school. The opening is nostril-searing. A definite must try for true vetiver fans.

I used to wear this nearly 20 years ago before really getting into fragrances. My vetivers of choice used to be Malle's Vetiver Extraordinaire or Givenchy's Vetyver. Just now rediscovering this beauty. There is some rosewood going on here, but when compared with Vetiver Extraordinaire into the drydown they become really quite close in scent profile, both exhibiting really deep, earthy, richness - there is very good quality vetiver oil in here. Fun fact, I sold my slightly used bottle of Guerlain's Vetiver this week. I could never get on with the overdose of citruses and other tweaks, which all seemed like attempts to make vetiver more polite. The most beautifully austere vetiver is still the Givenchy, with Lyn Harris's Claus Porto Vetiver for a beautiful lighter aromatic take

SMN Veriver is pure, dry, comfort vetiver! Because of that it is the most appealing ingredient to be layered with other odor parameters! My recent and most suitable for upcoming autumn is the combination of the three fragrances; 1. First layer the fixative: Loreal Men Expert serial "Mountain Water hydra power" (moisturiser). 2. On that spray "Lozione Dopo Barba" series VETIVER by Santa Maria Novella. N.B! It is the beard lotion of the fragrance "vetiver". It is not so concentrated as edp, so it is better for combine with fragile edt of A di P. 3. On those spray a layer of AdiP Arancia di Capri! Voila! A staying fresh bright, dry but delightly manly sweet and so seriously taken new autumn fragrance!

Firstly, to just put 'vetiver' in the ingredients list is a lack of respect, imo. The vetiver here is most noticeable in the opening, so I can't call this THE vetiver scent. There's a lot going on, and the vetiver only plays a part. There's patchouli, and that's noticeable from the beginning; there's a woody element too, maybe rosewood, or something like that. All I'm describing is from ONE TINY SPRAY! I asked the guy who works at the SMN shop in central London to spray on my hand, and he sprayed very little, once!! lol. Frankly, I didn't like his attitude, so even though I sort of like the perfume, I'm not going back.

I recently visited the SMN shop in London and got a good spray of this on my arm. I'm wondering, has this been very recently reformulated? My flatmate in Berlin wears it, and it smells "extremely green and bitterly medicinal," as okamikiera puts it below, and I don't like it on him (or in the air in the flat) very much. To me it smells strongly of furniture polish. But the one I smelt in London was light, airy and refreshing. It didn't strike me as bitter or dry at all, and I certainly didn't get any furniture polish. I liked it very much and was thinking of buying some. Any tips gracefully received!

Starting off smelling like a black oil slick, SMN's Vetiver is a vetiver that takes no prisoners. It's bold, raw and in your face. The vetiver oil is of high quality: bone dry and stone-faced, with both woody and earthy, soil-like facets. However, like others below have said, I swear there's rosewood added to this. If so, it adds some transparency and airiness to what would otherwise be a brutal, earthy beast of a scent. I love pure vetiver oil, but I really enjoy this added facet.

I just wanted to log on and post a review to state that kl99's reviews of Santa Maria Novella's products are so-off base that they are themselves choleric. These perfumes retain ancient traditions of treating single, powerful notes with respect. Yes, by today's standards many of these notes can be offensive, but to me, I'll take SMN's Vetiver, or Patchouli or Amber over a synthetic monstrosity like Amouage's Beach Hut any day.

This minimalistic composition opens with a rough, dry and in your face blast of raw vetiver that made me immediately believe I had found my new holy grail. Unfortunately, after one hour or so, rosewood takes over surrounding the scent with a "perfumery" vibe that's definitely off-putting for my likes. Amazing opening, depressing drydown (I'm sorry but I'm hypersensitive to rosewood). Rating: 5/10

Green rose water with vetiver and wood in the base. The rose steals the spotlight from the vetiver, especially in the opening. As it dries down, the composition turns more powdery and barbershop-like, giving a nod to the classic of classics, Old Spice.

I'm wearing the after shave cologne, wich is a bit lighter version of the edt-version. So airy, so light breath of early morning grass fields! With a little hint of white rose water steam!

To my surprise, this smells just like my granddaddy's 20 year old bottle of English Leather.