Grey Vetiver Parfum

(Comparison of the EdP and the Parfum) The masculine vetiver-forward perfume is a cornerstone of modern perfumery. Every major house has one, and many if not the majority of small and niche houses as well. Why? Well probably for the same reason it’s a staple in many cultures for aromatic household uses and religious uses: it’s a chameleon of an aroma, and it just plain smells great - likely working-on some primal parts of our olfactory system that ensures we are guaranteed to respond to it and, almost without fail, in a positive way. Tom Ford confused us with Black Orchid, then released For Men and the Private Blend line, which helped clear-up a lot of questions regarding the brand’s creative direction for its perfumes, and then to seal the directive and remove all doubt released Grey Vetiver. I make this statement like I am paraphrasing the brand or speaking for them, but I am not; this is solely my interpretation. The brand - clearly to me, anyway - wants to give us the old guard of modern perfumery in a new way with a bit of modern synthetic edge and Tom Ford opulence and trashiness. However, the latter descriptors are curiously absent from Grey Vetiver. Grey Vetiver is a straight and modern homage to that masculine cornerstone. The EdP opens with lemons, grapefruit, and neroli. Shockingly cold, bitter, sour, juicy, acrid, and metallic, these notes are helped along by a prominent cold, earthy, pale green sage note. The vetiver immediately begins pushing up from the heart and base, but it doesn’t present as green aromatic, swampy, or even woody, but rather coming across as... well... silvery - not gray - thanks to the supporting notes that actually act more as the stars of the perfume than the vetiver does. Like Encre Noir wanting to present vetiver in a very new direction as black, Grey Vetiver wants to be gray, though these bright metallic edges bring more of a silvery sheen. In the Parfum the opening is quite different. It has a more convincing orange blossom opening, not neroli, that smells almost boozy like a much brighter version of Grand Marnier. Sharp aldehydes give an almost alcohol-heat texture. The hay-like, deadpan floral, and woody saffron is responsible for a lot of this effect, presenting an almost fresh-oak-barrel aging facet to the orange blossom. Once the opening calms down the orange blossom is allowed to go in a slightly sweeter, juicier, and more floral direction, which only makes the orange liqueur association even stronger in my mind. There is something about it that is a bit “colorless”; gray. This is more gray than the EdP, the latter coming across as bright silver. The Parfum’s photonic energy is a lot more restrained than the EdP. Going into the heart and base layers, with the EdP a starchy and powdery orris carries the brief in the heart layer. It is dry yet very clean, almost like a powdered soap without being all that floral in nature. The vetiver makes more of a green-aromatic appearance at the base, never losing that silvery sheen, with a good dose of evernyl for damp, lively, and woody moss. In typical TF style the Parfum is much more minimalist. When TF approach their parfum concentrations, without fail, they approach with “less is more” - and they follow the same modus operandi here. It is more simplistic than the EdP, but it doesn’t suffer for it, letting very wise choices for materials and accords presentations do the work rather than trying aim for “great” via more complexity. The saffron steers this vetiver in a much more light-woody direction than the EdP, and it keeps getting woodier the closer it gets to a skin scent. The EdP has an energetic brightness, like the glint of light off of polished silver, and it is almost jarring but in a pleasant way. Clean, cool, bright, easily wearable yet opulent in its saturation, and a splendidly modern take on the classic vetiver perfume. The Parfum is far more regal and elegant than the EdP, and much more closely aligns with the classic presentations of vetiver with its woody dry down and skin scent. However, it still achieves the brief and still smells convincingly modern; it smells “gray”. I don’t pull any swampy green aromatics common to vetiver, and though I pull woods it is not green woody or even white or black woody (throwing back another reference to Encre Noir). Somehow in the Parfum’s deadpan colorlessness it still smells elegant and classy. Perhaps then the Parfum is like a gray suit: it might be safe and plain, it will never offend anyone and is wearable everywhere, but it still looks custom made by a world-class tailor. In another interesting twist, I find both of these to be sufficiently different enough that owning a bottle of each would not be redundant if both call to you. The EdP’s bright and boisterous nature works in all settings, but it will probably work best in the daytime and informal settings when you feel like you have some pep in your step. The Parfum is going to be more suitable for cooler weather wearing, and/or formal occasions or date nights when restraint is better called for. Both are great, with one bright and energetic silver, and the other rich and elegant gray. Every silver lining has a touch of gray.... I don’t know where I’m going with that, but for some reason I can’t shake it from my head.

Grey Vetiver Parfum – Zegna Haitian Vetiver in disguise? Simply put, to my nose, Grey Vetiver Parfum (2023) feels remarkably close to Zegna’s Haitian Vetiver (2014) , almost as if this particular vetiver interpretation had been reborn under the Tom Ford label. Of course, this is purely my speculation from an olfactory perspective. After Zegna’s fragrance licensing arrangement with Estée Lauder came to an end in 2021, I always felt that some of its compositions deserved a second life. Grey Vetiver Parfum gives me a strong sense of continuity with Haitian Vetiver. This resemblance is particularly intriguing, considering that both Zegna’s fragrance line and Tom Ford’s beauty business have historically been connected to Estée Lauder through licensing arrangements. Putting speculation aside, the fragrance itself is a very interesting study in vetiver. On skin, Grey Vetiver Parfum is primarily about vetiver and carrot seed. The carrot seed brings a subtle earthy sweetness and a soft root-like character. During the drydown, I even get a faint impression of mung bean cake (绿豆糕 or Bánh Đậu Xanh), mixed with a slight rubbery facet reminiscent of sun-warmed rubber trees. The combination creates a rather unusual image: sitting beneath a rubber tree on a hot tropical day, enjoying a piece of mung bean cake. It is an unexpected association, but once noticed, it is difficult to ignore. Interestingly, when sprayed on fabric rather than skin, another layer becomes much more apparent: a brighter bergamot and neroli citrus accord that remains hidden underneath the denser vetiver structure. On skin, the earthy and rooty facets dominate; on fabric, the fragrance reveals a fresher and more luminous side. Compared with the original Grey Vetiver , this Parfum feels less sharp and more rounded, with a richer texture. The vetiver is not presented as a dry, austere green note, but rather as a smoother composition built around roots, woods, and subtle sweetness. Whether it is a direct continuation of an earlier idea or simply a very similar interpretation, Grey Vetiver Parfum remains a beautifully executed vetiver composition. For those familiar with Zegna’s Haitian Vetiver , the resemblance is certainly worth exploring. Again, my recommendation for both is the same: spray them on clothes . They simply work better there than on skin. Rating: 7.5–8/10

I have to agree with the reviews below. I’ve had this now for a week or so and whilst it’s definitely classy & signature-worthy, if you already own the EDP then this purchase may well be slightly redundant unless you’re a Tom Ford collector. The EDP does, on me at least, outperform the Parfum but there is something about the density of this that gives it an edge in terms of sophistication. It also lacks the brightness & fresh citrus aspect of the EDT but ultimately, the two are opposite ends of the same road. I do also find it relatively linear and quite ’flat’ with very little lift but in a way, that’s kind of what makes it quite sophisticated: you know what you’re going to get and you know you’re going to smell great. If there’s one thing I could change though, I would have loved to have had a lovely ginger ‘pop’ in the top notes. I don’t really pick up the saffron if I’m perfectly honest, although it thankfully doesn’t display any of those medicinal nuances that it can bring as a note, particularly when paired with dense wood accords. Despite owning the other two iterations of Grey Vetiver already, I’m very happy to have picked this up & have to admit that although I usually wear a different fragrance everyday, I’ve worn this 3 times in the past 7 days, so it’s quite clearly working for me. All that being said though, I can’t help looking at all these TF Parfum releases of existing Signature line frags & seeing not much more than a money-grab by Estée Lauder. With the price hikes taking both the Signature line & Private Blends to ridiculous levels, they’re going to have to come up with something new soon or the bubble is going to burst. I thoroughly recommend it for testing though, particularly if you don’t already own the EDP & you’re looking for a frag that will do it all: day, night, work, play..... definitely worth consideration.

Another perfume edition is out here.. well I guess it’s the new marketing of: stronger character, less performing editions of the existing edp or edt. I think it’s the regulations who kills the perfumes, and so they head a new market to make it interesting.. because that’s what this scent is. A bit darker, non citrusy but also a bit citrusy kind a opening, then the warm vetiver pops out.. and it directly reminds me of my roja vetiver parfum cologne, except the bright citruses. The vetiver here is done well, it’s a very quality blend for sure, and the saffron makes it a bit spicey metallic, but very very in the background. The vetiver here is the top player where in the edt and edp became in the far drydown. So we can basically say that the perfume version goes straight to that drydown, and ads some bit of warmth metallic touches. Is it worth it? If you don’t have the others and you are mostly interested in Vetiver buy this one.. if you like your vetiver more fresh or summery go for the edt or edp. For me it’s to redundant with the roja, and that one is also bit overpriced so glad to have it for a nice deal. Anyway.. performance is not so great, but that doesn’t say anything, I tried it only once in the store. It needs more attempts to wear, and bottles need to mature for few months. So don’t put your faith to much on the power.. just go for the scent kf vetiver is your thing. Although check on discounters it’s not worth a 200€ for an 100ML. Even Roja parfum cologne could found cheaper.

I really enjoy this. All versions of this by TF seem to be great (I've smelt GV and GVP). I prefer the stronger ones, at least at home. Grey colour perfectly turned into a scent. I see very clearly and understand how GV can be repulsive and disliked by many (for whatever it reminds them) because it just is so special and distinguished -- just like most vetiver-prominent scents are. For me the image in my head for this scent is a nice and modest grey suite (with a nice and modest man in it) and I suspect this was the intention behind it. Guerlain's Vetivers are greener and livelier than this. Comparisons. Just Jack's Vetiver is very similar indeed but it disappears quickly, although this can be a bonus for some or for some purposes. Both Perfume Parlour analogues smell very similar and good too but I feel those tend to age quickly, that is, change over months and years, and they do have BB dates on bottles. I assume and hope this is not the case with this original masterpiece. Who wants something more intense and less office-friendly then I can suggest The Merchant of Venice's Vetiver Haiti and almost equivalent but lighter Vétiver Bourbon by Parfum D'Empire. The Sultan Vetiver by Nishane goes too far. Edit: Who likes this and wants something similar by the general tone but also different (so it is worth having it in addition to GVP), I highly suggest September by Björk & Berries for which I would add a secondary title "Grey Hay" or "Grey Day".