Yohji Essential

I've been wearing this baby for a day or two now and feel compelled to write my review so that others may try this rather enigmatic little gem. I say enigmatic because this is a mysterious fragrance with a soft and sultry undertone of a spicy oriental, despite it being a chypre floral. The initial spritz to my nose is spicy, (I think that would be the clove note) which is very cleverly freshened by the grapefruit. A quiet little woodyness creeps in at this point which is created by the resinous notes of galbanum, this of course is followed by the florals. The heart of the fragrance then settles in about 20 minutes into the most beautiful and gentle sweetness of rose and ylang-ylang, I also smell a touch of a soft and beautiful jasmine. The composition dries down sweetly and wraps itself around a very well behaved patchouli, amber for sweetness and a little moss which gives this a fresh, ferny forest aroma. This fragrance is a very beautiful, quiet and secretive cocktail of the most wonderful but unusual notes, which act well together to create a great union of olfactory joy. This is a very classy and beautiful fragrance which is long lasting and high quality. The smell is so utterly unique and joyous. I have had complements from this when I couldn't even smell it on myself anymore. I'm so glad I never smelled the original because I wouldn't want my judgement to be clouded. I'm so glad that I have nothing to compare this to. Thank you so much to the lovely Yohji for gifting me this delightful fragrance and being able to part with it so readily.

A new version of Yohji Essential smells almost the same as the vintage one IMO. I would rather classify it as Oriental Floral: sweet, spicy, bittergreen and musky. The scent is so well-balanced, fully-rounded and eclectic- sheer Zen in the bottle! The sweetness of the white flowers makes a perfect match with the bitterness of the herbs, resins and balsams here. Bittersweetness of Life. Unbearable Lightness of Being... I'm entranced, hypnotized by this beauty. I'm dreaming.... I'm walking through a green field of chamomile blossom in the warm sunshine. The air is pungent from damp earth, wet stones and plants. I smell green moss, gray roots and dewy white rose here. There is no noise but the solitude that gives peace. There is no worry about the future. I open my eyes and there is a world full of light, full of bitter pleasures, and my soul is torn between dreaming and living. Which is better? Absolutely unique scent! Quintessence of femininity. I'm lulled forever....

Strange coincidence. I have to write this first review. It used to be my favourite fragrance starting from 1999 till now. Today I tried new formula of Red-Yohji for first time as old one is gone and you hardly can get any at all. I knew my last 40 ml will not last long so I got this one hoping it will not be bad. At least. It's not bad. Its even beautiful. Still sophisticated and unusual. But its not my Yohji Essential. Its another, similar by maybe 15% from the very beginning fragrance, recognisable by camomile and galbanum twist. Instead of amber with rasberry in Old Yohji here is very strong patchoili/labdanum base note so the impression is not sensual/bright but I would say more elegant and reserved. Drydown turns into tender lime blossom on my skin which is wonderful for spring... *sigh* At least it's even now unlike anything I had...

So much love for this. I've probably had 6 bottles since my first. It's complex. Powerful, but not like being bludgeoned with a sledgehammer. Very feminine, but also gutsy. As other reviewers have said, it's definitely not for everyone, which is good, because more for me!

This smells sooooo good, it's an outstanding perfume for an outstanding woman. It's warm and a bit spicy, very good for cold month. You have to try it before buying it though because this one is definitely not for everyone.

This fragrance is amazing and it gets even better when you step outside to the fresh air! It's great for colder weather. It's very sophisticated, and it smells like vintage classic, first notes remind me a little of the Red Moscow, but in a very nice way, and when it dries down it becomes very soft and warm. Beautiful scent, you need to wait until it settles to appreciate it. Do not blind buy it, try it first. Update: I have just tried Genny for women and it is very similar to Yohji Essential, so if you Like Genny, you'll like Yohji too =)

I was very excited to order a sample of this online. Unfortunately, my chemistry amps galbanum and any perfume with galbanum in it smells like toxic/poisonous plant extract on my skin. Busybody galbanum shouts over all the other notes making me afraid to even sniff my own arm, and then after about an hour, everything seamlessly fades into a scent that reminds me of chamomile and shrinkwrap, which is weird and incredibly addictive to my nose. The soothing yet synthetic combo in the drydown is comforting to me and reminds me of smelling new books and CDs. Yohji is a very distinctive and unique perfume! I find myself craving it from time-to-time, and nothing else can take its place.

Some people complain about their grapefruit fragrances smelling like B.O., well what about one that actually smells a lot like it? 🤣😜 After letting the first spray settle, you get a very herb-like tea note from the moss and chamomile, and a slightly animalic quality from the labdanum and galbanum. I wish the grapefruit was slightly sweeter.

Hauntingly beautiful oakmoss. The chamomile, linden blossom and ylang are very prominent. It’s a daring, confident but sexy fragrance. You have to like oakmoss to like this fragrance.