Babycat

A pragmatic review of YSL Babycat / Rifaaqat from an unrefined nose Testing Methodology: Two sprays on a paper test strip. For the skin test, two sprays were applied to the forearm, followed by a gym session and a normal shower to simulate a full day's wear. Note on the Clone: My nose perceives Rifaaqat as functionally identical to YSL Babycat; any minor performance difference could be attributed to the sprayer. This review applies to both. -------------------- Opening: This gave me pause. It is a strange vanilla, blended with an incense that is not the familiar Asian temple type, but a very specific Western Catholic Church variety. The result is a single, unified, challenging, and intoxicating accord of "dark slutty vanilla." Performance: Performance is excellent. The scent is very compatible with my nose, as I perceive it strongly and distinctly. It is completely linear on both skin and paper, making it a reliable performer. After showering, a faint, sweet vanilla skin scent remains. -------------------- Overall Impression & Use Case: This is a masterful fragrance and a reliable projector of its unique "dark slutty vanilla" effect. It is not gourmand. I would not eat that vanilla bean, but I would flick it. The core concept is clearly "gender-fluid sex in a bottle." The scent leans feminine due to the "slutty vanilla," but it is not strategically equivalent to a tuberose-heavy stripper fragrance. The image it creates is of a high-class escort or a business leader with a specific, edgy aesthetic. Think a boardroom by day, anal by night—either giving, receiving, or both, I don't judge. In my mind's eye, I see very specific attire options: a dark business suit, a chic leather jacket, priestly garb, or a chic goth with a studded choker. Specifically, all wearing fishnet tights, especially the men. This is not a man's-man fragrance. So, who is this for? Its most straightforward use is as a daily driver for someone promiscuous with a Goth or alternative aesthetic. For anyone else, the use case is highly situational and almost exclusively at night. Babycat is a contradiction: upscale, mature, possessing a sex-worker edge. The best image I have for it is an upscale swingers party; I would not expect this at a college party. There is one exception for daytime wear: you could, funny enough, wear this to church. The liturgical incense note would blend into the environment, and people would just think you were wearing a vanilla perfume, which is probably normal behavior. I love the scent but I fail to articulate a strategic use case for most people.

Some of you have spent so long creaming yourselves to mafia boss fanfiction, or imagining yourselves as the mafia boss in question, that you now seem incapable of smelling perfume without attaching a lurid little novella to it. Sweaty skin? Sex? Burning petrol station? Marshmallows? I don’t know where your noses have been buried, but whatever happened there has left you with the olfactory judgment of a concussed teenager. At heart, Babycat is a remarkably simple but effective composition, which is precisely why I suspect some of you feel compelled to hyperbolize it. The vanilla is resinous, the suede gives it shape, the incense lends a faint smokiness, and together they produce something elegant, warm, and slightly dark. That is why normal people consistently describe it as vanilla with something smoky, rather than whatever depraved fantasy some of you have imposed on it. I also do not understand the hysterics around the opening. There is a peppery edge, yes, but not to the deranged extent some of you insist on. I truly cannot emphasize enough how embarrassingly overnarrated many of these reviews are. I understand the desire to elevate one’s opinions, but at this point the overinterpretation is just grating. Please practice some basic restraint. It might allow enough oxygen to reach the brain for a genuinely interesting observation about this wonderful, but ultimately quite tame, fragrance.

Seriously, how can anyone like this? I was so excited to try this because I love vanilla, but to me it smells REVOLTING. It smells dirty - like a mix between vanilla and the dirt you’d find under a car (rubber / carborundum) 🤮🤮🤮. That just about seals it for me - I REALLY DON’T LIKE YSL perfumes. **EDIT#1** This bastard is actually growing on me. It still smells like carborundum, but the vanilla is strong and I love the bottle. I'm giving it another go - just ordered a 10ml decant. We will see - I'll keep you posted. **EDIT#2** OMG, I have actually grown to LOVE this scent, to the extent of buying a whole bottle!!!! 😲😲😲. The rubber / carborundum smell I perceived when I first sniffed this has altered into the most delicious frankincense / resin / incense scent, which I LOVE! I actually own Comme Des Garçons - Avignon, which I also love but never wear because I need a little more - and vanilla is always the key. The vanilla in Babycat is thick, heavy and long lasting, perfect for winter. The bottle is gorgeous and it really is a classy scent, well executed with finesse and mastery. Fragrantica, I apologise for my ignorance and I hope you can forgive me. Grow to love is the BEST kind of love. 😍😍😍

Imagine a sexy hot mature lady + cigarettes + drink in hand clink clink clink but in a Restoration Hardware. --- Truly dont get how it's so polarizing. You'd think those of you whose chemistry lacks the fortitude to handle pepper heavy scents would learn real quick but no you have to blame the fragrance.... This is delightfulllll for those of us who can carry it. Bourbon vanilla has always been my favorite vanilla - and the rest of the notes in this work in such harmony imo. Like in my description above this is a unisex scent - but I imagine a sexy women of a certain maturity and she might be the sales lady in the LEATHER STORE! Which in my mind perfect for this would be the restoration hardware in the mall.....but in a fab way. Now somehow take the smell of that Restoration Hardware, and then somehow also transport that to a ski chalet with a fire, and now miss girl from the store has the drink in hand and also has some furs on like in that sexy iconic picture of Rihanna with nothing but furs and wine glass in hand.. but there's cigarettes and weed being smoked indoors too because ... we bad...xoxo y'all wouldn't get it.......

I bought a sample years ago at the beginning of my fragrance journey and my holy grail starting point was ✨Vanilla✨. Babycat was one of the first vanillas that somehow made it into my sample cart & one the first to have me consider giving up on my search for a new perfume - it was everything I did not want. Well I kept searching, tripped & tumbled down a gourmand rabbit hole for years because it was easy and safe & I've finally popped out the other side. Sweet, fluffy vanilla had a chokehold on me & now my nose craves more complex, non-cloying, mature, story-telling dusty, spicy woody leather-bound-book vanillas. First 'Le Labo Vanille 44' changed my brain chemistry & now my revisit to 'Babycat' has me honestly wondering how I got here from there. Better late than never I guess. I feel like I've graduated somehow. Or I'm aging. Either way I'm on my way up somewhere and I'm not sure of anything anymore but Babycat is beautiful. It was the hot sister I wanted all along. You may not like it today but there's a chance you'll be back later & I hope you get to appreciate it then.

Never in my life have I loved a vanilla forward scent; they seem to gourmand, popular, sweet and basic to me until I found the my perfect vanilla outcast... BabyCat. This is unisex, slightly boozy, opulent aura, luscious leather with dark sweetness. I think of enjoying a Vanilla Coke float in an exclusive Polo Bar with plush leather sofas, wads of cash and faint incense. This fragrance is niche quality, so DO NOT THINK THIS IS A REGULAR DESIGNER FRAGRANCE, it’s from their private line! Amazing job YSL! This is the only vanilla forward fragrance I have ever been obsessed with and I wear it constantly from my decant. Unfortunately, as of now, it isn’t sold in the USA, which makes it more desirable because I’d be mad if i saw it all over the department stores. So if someone in Europe can get me a full bottle I’d really appreciate it. I’ll pay all expenses for you: gas to and from the boutique, your time, the perfume, shipping and even a latte! Please help me get this damnit! Update, I love my full bottle and continue loving it.

This to me is one of the best vanillas I’ve ever tried. Sweet, but the spice and suede gives it a very well rounded composition from keeping it from being overbearing. I’ve had the clone (Rifaqaat) and it gets close to this but the original just hits better to me. I left my comparisons on my review of Rifaqaat on the nuances. But the wearing experience of this is just extremely smooth. The fragrances is long lasting too, sprayed some on the back of my hand before bed after my shower from the gym and can still smell it in the morning. Definitely getting a full bottle of this soon. Also I think the reason why most women (or men) might not like this is because of how heavy the pepper and suede comes across which makes this in my opinion lean masculine even though it’s a sweet fragrance. These two notes I feel like make or break the fragrance for women if they’re not a fan of smelling suede on top of pepper. But to me as a man it’s perfect since it gives it a masculine feel while still being inviting with the sweetness. 9/10

I bought a decant of babycat from eBay as it is very hard to come by in my area and the cutesy name worked on me so I just had to try it. Based on reviews, I knew this would be what I was seeking: a close-to-skin, every-day signature scent. Unfortunately for my wallet, I do absolutely love it. I have a pet bunny, and this smells exactly like the hair behind his ears, like cosy warm fur after a long snooze next to the radiator. It's just smoky enough to be a bit edgy and the vanilla isn't so cloyingly sweet as to become sickly. Definitely a unisex scent. I was worried this wouldn't agree with my chemistry and I would get hit with the gasoline/band-aid vibes other users have mentioned but the dry down on this is so moreish. It really reminds me of a fur coat from the thrift store, a little aged and with a lingering scent of vanilla talc powder from the previous owner. Is it worth the price point? Maybe not but I can still see myself buying the full size as I am a sucker for a silly name and a pretty bottle.

This was my wedding scent if that means anything, an absolute mastery of perfumery. The vanilla and suede take center stage during the opening, drying down woody, spicy, slightly resinous and leathery with the vanilla overseeing the show. It's sexy and sensual, high class and powerful. Longevity is monstrous, I've worn this in the evening and have smelled it on me all the way into the next evening. I have a leather jacket that still has the aroma of this cologne literally 8 months later. I think it's more masculine but my wife likes to wear it too, really anyone can wear this although I feel it does skew slightly older, maybe late 20's/early 30's. PERFECT date night or cocktail attire scent, fall/winter primarily but spring/summer can work if worn at night. Babycat is one of the few colognes I will gladly rebuy full price, easily my favorite cologne in my collection.

I was curious so I decided to blind buy a decant. Oh My...how different then what I expected. I do not like overhyped products and was ready to give a negative review from my high horse haha, but its soooo good. I was not ready to be a fan, it was not love at first sight but definitely a love. It wraps me in a soft smoky and sexy invisible cashmere blanket, it is so feminine while not girly at all - actually its the opposite, a bit masculine but still amazing on me. Well done Ropion, I have no idea what was the brief here but he sure came up with something remarkable. Smells uncomplicated but well balanced by many different facets. The olibanum and saffron int the heart keeps it in the edgy cathegory so its not too sweet. Lovely and sexy, if you are curious too go for it.

To me, this is the best date night fragrance. I don’t know what specifically it is in here, but my husband goes wild for it. Out of all my fragrances, I think it is his favorite- which makes me love it even more. There’s such a sexy, smoky, resinous, vanillic smell that is genuinely intoxicating. I remember smelling it 2 years ago and having butterflies, and even now it’s still as unique and breathtaking as it was the first time I smelled it. I’ve created so many beautiful memories with it on date nights so I’m a bit biased, but I fully believe this to be an expression and work of art. It’s the development of a symphony, right before it turns into a whisper and resolves.

Where has this been all my life? The dry down is absolutely sickening (in a good way). The comments weren’t lying. The gourmand element works ridiculously well on me, it’s like a scoop of Madagascar vanilla bean ice cream is melting from the natural heat radiating off my body and languidly seeping into every epithelial tissue cell of my skin. Mixed with the leather and wood? Easily the sexiest frag I own right now. Was this a reckless blind buy? Yes. Is it also my best blind buy of the year? Absolutely. Also, I adore the dry down but the opening doesn’t get enough love: It’s so peppery, so spicy, and so mf sexy. I love it.

I do not consider myself a fan of vanilla, but Babycat is amazing! YSL never ceases to amaze me with their ability to formulate a masterpiece. I wasn't too impressed with the opening, but about two hours in I was floored. The spicy vanilla is next level. There is a little bit of sweetness in there to tone down the vanilla. This review is of an older batch of Babycat and I also have Raw Bourbon, and shall review that separately. The performance is absolutely perfect. The projection is limited to about 2-3 feet with 7 sprays, and lasts all evening. I plan to save this one for special occasions. 8.5/10

"Babycat is definitely not your typical 'bakery-style' vanilla. It’s a bold, smoky, and dangerously addictive masterpiece. The opening starts with a sharp blast of black pepper, but the true soul lies in the blend of frankincense and suede. It creates a dark, 'wild' leather vibe that eventually settles into a creamy, high-quality vanilla dry down. Massive longevity and a sophisticated sillage. It feels edgy, luxurious, and incredibly sexy. Perfect for cold winter nights when you want to make a statement without saying a word. A 10/10 for those who love dark, smoky vanillas."

This amazed me quite a bit. At the first spray, I said: WOW! This is a luxurious and captivating perfume... There's something mysterious about this perfume, divine. The spices present at the beginning quickly give way to beautiful incense and dark vanilla. This perfume gives me a mysterious aura and at the same time gives a feeling of luxury and modernity... It's exactly the perfume I've been looking for lately. Very good sillage and longevity. Beautiful perfume by YSL 🖤🖤 Sillage: 8.5/10 Longevity: 9/10 Scent: 9/10 Overall: 9/10

Couldn't get a full bottle of Babycat so I bought a decant to compare. Love the smell so I went on a smell alike search... Rosendo Mateu No. 5 - Similar in the opening and that's it ISHQ AL SHUYUKH Gold - Very similar to Mateu No.5. Similar to Babycat in the opening and that's it. Paris Corner Atoof - Very similar to Mateu No.5. Similar to Babycat in the opening and that's it. Paris Corner Rifaaqat - 85% similar. Love this one. ARABIYAT Nayel Queen - 98% similar. I can't believe how close this is!!! No need for the original.

One of my signature scents, a love at first sniff. I first smelled it in Paris and obsessed over it for 2 years, until I got a very lucky deal and got the perfume ! It's my mom, a leather jacket, the smoke of her vanilla cigarettes, the layered scent and the apparence of her balmy lipstick. I see her curved smile and her cold hands reaching for mine when picking me up from school. I see her big pictures of her driving a plane, I open the drawers looking at mementos of a life so interesting and realize I'm lucky.

I tried same Dominic’s “Vanagloria” which was also outstanding (leaning masculine in a very good way) and nearly a masterpiece to my nose. I adore both vanilla scents but preferred this feminine version so called Babycat which doesn’t tell this story from the label but to me it is very warmly strong but it’s been beautifully well blended on my skin that complex vanilla and suede combination that comforts me soooo steadily and perfectly enjoyable throughout the day. Every time I wear this, I’m over the moon.

I’m sitting in class as I’m writing this. This girl walked in and I was immediately hit by this beautifully intoxicating amber woody scent. I just had to ask her what she’s wearing and she confirmed that it’s ysl babycat. Safe to say I will be purchasing a full size of this perfume it’s perfect for a date night of events. I also think this is suitable for both men and women! Would make a perfect choice when choosing to stand out anywhere.

My all time favourite vanilla as a girl who doesn’t want to just smell like vanilla. At first I wasn’t sure what to think, it definitely has that slightly play-doh-y nuance, but it is quickly taken over by the gorgeous sweet and spicy pepper and suede. A rich and balsamic vanilla rather than powdery. As for the comparisons: A softer, spicier, and more feminine eau Ombré Leather, or the cool older sister of Eau Duelle.