Caban

I have been quite impressed by the Vestiaire line thus far, but Caban might be my favourite yet. A peppery-amber scent with a lovely woody drydown, it feels luxurious to me, as well as slightly unusual. I love an elemi note as part of an amber accord - it is smoothly balsamic with a pine-like edge, slightly prettier and more luxurious than other ambery notes in my opinion. Caban opens with rosy pink pepper against a backdrop of the aforementioned elemi in its green, balsamic glory. The pink pepper is particularly rosy here, I am surprised there is no rose note listed. Black pepper enhances the nose-tickling, spicy side of the pink pepper. I get sandalwood from the early phase of Caban, lasting until the drydown. It is quite obviously synthetic, but is restrained enough to provide a woody backdrop to the other notes. As it develops, I get a hint of peachy osmanthus, and the warm amber accord develops softly, becoming more resinous and dry as it progresses. Soft vanilla adds just the right amount of sweetness at the drydown stage. The rosy accord lingers, joined by earthy patchouli - a new take on that classic accord. The sandalwood and amber enhance it to perfection. There is a hay-like note in there too. It is warm and cosy, yet sophisticated and elegant. It fades to a powdery, softly sweet amber-vanilla skin scent with some earthiness. Sillage and longevity are moderate. Best worn in cool weather, given its warmth. Despite being creative and unusual, Caban really works. Its components are familiar, yet as a whole it is quite an original composition. Feminine-leaning in my opinion, Caban is a masterfully composed, modern scent with a nod to the classics. 4/5.

I received a sample of this with an order and I am really in love with it. It may seem basic to others but it’s unique to me. Typically I really struggle with this type of scent profile because they always remind me too much of how my hair smells when it’s been unwashed for too long! I have tried many of the fragrances in the “reminds me of” section and I love the idea of them but many of them give me the feeling that I smell dirty, even tho I enjoy them on other people. I believe the cause may be Jasmine accompanied by heavy sandal wood that creates this effect to my nose. This fragrance does not give me that feeling and perhaps it’s because there is little to no Jasmine in Caban. The resinous elemi combined with the Tonka gives this fragrance a warm, intoxicating depth that also seems different than the majority of sandalwood dominant fragrances I’ve tried. This is unisex in my opinion maybe a tiny bit masculine. I see some saying it reminds them of Gris Charnel and I think I can see that, if you were to take Gris Charnel and remove the cardamon and vetiver and amplify and thicken the warm base notes making them resinous then it would smell similar to Caban. I actually love Gris Charnel and so it makes sense I love this too but they really are different enough to invoke different feelings to my mind. Gris Charnel feels foggy, hazy and cozy to me. Caban feels warm, mysterious and slightly dark. I actually think I prefer this more because that deep warm base really speaks to me.

It’s such a chic perfume! Simple but unique. Wearing this, you can dress up or down. Cozy sweater, white T-shirt, or fancy dress, it fits all. The sandalwood here is not too dark or woody, but on the airy side. The floral notes and tonka beans bring out the sweetness, but never too much. The bottle label lists pepper, rose and tonka, I’m not sure if I can immediately tell the floral note is rose. The scent has a gourmand touch, maybe coconut as people mentioned, but in a most elegant way. However, I’m struggling with the opening. It’s way too spicy for me, as I’m not a fan of peppers and olibanum, and the spiciness does linger a while. Once that stage passed, the drydown is absolutely beautiful! I personally don’t think this perfume has the best performance, but my workmate could get a decent scent trail from me 6 hours after I applied it, even his nose was not fully functioning as he was still recovering from a cold. I like to spray this on my clothes and pillow, as it’s too spicy on my skin. It’s sweeter on fabric. Caban is very underrated in this line, and this line is becoming my favorite line among the designer brands. Went to the YSL store on 11 Aug. I was told by the SA that Caban has been discontinued. I hope not worldwide.

Lately, I have been wearing the bejeezus out of this. The day I got it, I sprayed myself way too much and became anosmic very soon after. I went to visit my parents and they commented that it was so sweet and that they didn't like it. Well that shocked me because I didn't get that at all. I guess in huge doses it must come across as sweet. Anyway, fast forward about a month and I've literally been wearing this every day. Maybe 3 sprays from the chest down and I can smell it softly all day. It's a good day wear/anywhere fragrance. It's reminiscent, at least to me, of Cuir Beluga and has something like Iso E Super or some such aroma chemical that I can smell off the top. All I can say is I'm glad I got the 125 ml cause I love it. Oct 20/23: Just before using this bottle up, I saw there was a price increase to $390/125ml which is way more than the going price at the time I bought it (I think it was just under $300, maybe $275). I picked up 2 bottles for $290 (department store) and $250 (airport duty free) in Paris. This shows the insane advantage the government takes of consumers. Up to 56% in taxes/duty! And of course YSL's price bump is disturbing. Glad to have backups but man.

It opens up with pepper and sweet ambers, but then quickly evolves into its true scent profile, which on my skin, is a predominantly tonka bean fragrance that is accentuated by a beautiful creamy sandalwood, with Resins and spices in the back, followed by a very subtle but noticeable Osmanthus note, it smells quite elegant and feels both unique and inviting, definitely a hidden gem, as all I hear about from this line, are Tuxedo and Babycat (I've yet to smell both as my YSL boutique had them out of stock) to virtually no end, whereas I've only ever heard Caban be mentioned once in passing. Wearability wise, this is perfectly unisex, I can see it being a good casual and formal fragrance, with it being usable virtually anywhere outside hot days in my opinion, I get around 9 hours longevity on my skin which is sad as others seem to get poor longevity; it projects somewhere between medium and strong on my skin, but I'd say it leans more to the medium. Overall I quite like it, very much a wearable piece of art in my opinion, and it only makes me more excited to try Babycat and Tuxedo in future, definitely worth a try in my opinion, needs to be talked about more. 8.6/10

Edit summer 2024 - I really enjoyed this in cooler temps but for me it shines in heat and you get more lift in the notes. Fruity touches are warmer and clearer. The coconut aspect which I don’t love dies down and the sun warmed wood and resin feel that Caftan has can be felt deeper in the scent. The florals appear as fruit and it gives a beautiful golden feel. I’ll be wearing this a lot more in our high summer than I did in cooler temps. Love it ❤️ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Who says coconuts don’t have a smell? Of course they do 🤯 anyway. Lovely. For me it’s very woody and radiant. Gauzy textured and lightly sweet. Citric touches and some mild spice. It’s a quietly, elegant and contemplative scent. Perfect for a quiet Saturday morning like today when it’s doing the autumn rain thing but still quite temperate. I don’t get any coconutty or floral touches but hey, somebody might just read it that way, and that’s alright by me.

I’m not sure how rose isn’t listed a note in the breakdown, but I think it is certainly present! I find this to be a very easy reach in any scenario. I don’t always want something “easy”, but sometimes I do and at those times I’m happy to report that this is just interesting enough to be very crowd pleasing without veering into “boring” territory. On my skin the fresh rose is the most prevalent note atop its bed of tonka, kept bright by the pink pepper which does not come through as very peppery at all to my nose due to the way everything is balanced. After a few hours the deep drydown is warm tonka on my skin, and I can’t distinguish sandalwood specifically, but perhaps it’s just adding creaminess to the tonka that I’m detecting. I was surprised when someone told me that this lovely fragrance is being discontinued, and I made sure to snag a bottle while I could!

i recently realized that i REALLY like elemi in fragrances, and it is DEFINITELY there in this scent. i am absolutely obsessed with caban. literally love at first sniff. i think this is the best scent YSL's private line, hands down. it almost gives me like spicy, sweet, high end women's shampoo scent in like the best way possible. its crazy how much of a "fresh" smell this has to it but its not your typical type of fresh. like its not man eau fraiche or versace pour homme type fresh. its like sweet uplifting fresh. this MIGHT not be for everyone so i cant say its a safe blind buy, but i am fully obsessed with this now. this is gonna be a dumb reach for me.

You got to own both Herod and this to understand that they are very similar. This has a different opening but dries down into Herod. I currently am wearing Herod on one arm and this on the other as of writing this. This is a beautiful scent but in my opinion it is way over priced and doesn't last as long as Herod. I am 5 hours into wearing both and I can still pick up Herod on skin while this has completely faded. That is subjective though because it could just be my skin. But I will say from a price perspective with how similar they are that Herod is definitely the no brainer pick. Still beautiful though!

Maybe I'm alone on this, but the first spritz smells like bananas. Maybe not fresh ripe bananas, more like a banana candy or cake. The banana-like quality quickly dissipates and the remaining scent is divine. I'm a novice nose so I can't pick out specific elements but I'm starting to notice most of my favorite fragrances include tonka, so I guess I'm a big tonka bean fan although I have no idea how a tonka bean smells on it's own. At any rate, I absolutely adore Caban. I got it as a free sample, now I'm looking at getting a whole bottle.

Very elegant fragrance. I’ll be wearing this in the evening for my wedding day. Trouble is the performance for the price is lacking so it requires LOTS of sprays. If you like baby powder this is it in a bottle. I bought a 5ml decant and I honestly didn’t get much from the opening apart from weak lipstick and was initially disappointed, I don’t know if it’s because of the decant bottle but after 20 minutes that powder scent became very strong on skin. Glad I only bought a decant though as it’s over priced, even if it is very nice

Caban was love at first sniff for me I've had it for two months now and I can easily say it's one of my top five fragrances of all time. it opens with a lovely pink pepper note that grabs your attention at first then comes the sandalwood and the tonka bean to create this lactonic feel with a slight woodsy touch. the image that comes to my mind when I smell Caban is heating a pot of milk on a campfire. The fragrance is smooth and very well blended it's like the warmest hug you will ever get please try it if you can.

Perfect winter cold weather scent. It's elegant and complex yet sexy and alluring, even though it veers between masculine and feminine. I think the key to how its quite masculine yet still sexy is how comforting, warm and alluring it is. It's yummy and sexy somehow but not in a teen gourmand fragrances sort of way at all. Perfect adult sophisticated upscale rich smelling fragrance for the winter. Best thing about it is its hard to find, so few know about it or wear it.

THE BEST SANDAL WOOD fragrance! This so creamy and balsamic, a little coconuty, and absolutely intoxicating. This is a love at first sniff. It reminds me a lot of Guerlain SDV at dry down but creamier and much less loud. The only problem I have with this is longevity. It becomes a skin scent within few hours. But again I love it so much that I don’t care. It’s just so good and amazing bed scent.

Only a moron would compare this to Herod as there is no tobacco note here. I have to also say that all the negative and subpar reviews must be from morons as well because this is earthshatteringly-good. I usually dislike winter scents, but this one is amazing. Its not feminine leaning either. Why are there so many factually false statements in so many of these reviews? Its so frustrating!

This is probably one of my favorite scents in the world. The frankincense and sandlewood are literally magical it is an advanced sweet smelling fragrance that is QUITE unisex so you gotta be able to pull it off but if you can it is UNREAL. One of the few scents that can take your mind to a magical place. Lasts forever on skin and till the end of time on clothes AMAZING QUALITY

I remember smelling this in Neiman's last year and I couldn't stop sniffing my arm. I recently purchased a FB and I'm in absolute love! Yes, I can see some nuances of Gris Charnel, but where Gris Charnel can come across as strong and a little rough, Caban is the exact opposite. It is by far the smoothest, most luxurious sandalwood in my entire collection!

That's a love. It's not ground breaking, but it's just very good. Elegant, classy, mature. It's the kind of fragrance where you have to be well dressed to wear it. It's casual enough to be worn every day, but you have to be well put together. It's perfectly unisex with sweet feminine aspects and masculine woody parts. Performance is great on my skin.

I absolutely love this fragrance. It is overpriced but there's something about it that just makes me want to wear it all the time. Tuxedo gets a lot of love from the community but in my opinion, this one is better. Therein lies the subjectivity of fragrance. For me, this is the best from the Vestiaire des Parfums line.

It was love at first sniff. This is an amazing combo of tonka bean and sandalwood that is spiced up for extra complexity. Smells absolutely unisex to me, and I love to wear it as a woman. On a man, it could either be just right or potentially a bit too sweet. To me, it's intoxicating and magical. Love, love, love.

Testing a splash vial and loving it. I detect vanilla which is not listed (osmanthus possibly?). If you love sandalwood and tonka, it's worth taking Caban for a ride. The price tag scares me but it's full bottle worthy - if cost is not an issue. Stays close, office friendly, for Winter and Fall wardrobe.

I recently bought Dirty Rainbow by BORNTOSTANDOUT and I'm finding this one very similar on my skin, even though the notes are completly different! This is favorite so far from the line, I find it hard to think that someone could possibly dislike this.

This is a lovely fragrance but it's wildly over priced. Very short lived and the first spray reveals a strong alcohol which screams cheap edt. If this was €20 I might buy a bottle or two but for 175 dollars? What were they thinking!

Beautiful tonka bomb blended perfectly. Many reviews say it doesn't last or the sillage is poor, but on my skin, it lasts until the next day and has a 6-ish foot bubble around me after only a few sprays. Perfect fragrance 10/10

I adore this scent on me. I get something creamy and soft smelling almost! At the YSL counter it was the one that made me go “oooo, wow”. Caban makes me think of a hot summer evening, silk dresses and tanned skin! Très chic!

It's gorgeous!! Creamy, soft, powdery, very deliciously sweet and comforting!! It's so lovely!! And lasts a long time before fading to a soft, gentle skin scent - and I get delightful compliments! Very very beautiful.

バニラトンカの香りとても心地よい香りです マドレーヌの様なお菓子の香り。10/10

I received a small sample of Caban with a 10ml sample of Tuxedo I ordered from myfragrancesamples.com, I like both, but neither were a love. At least not after first wear. Upon first smelling Caban, I thought it smelled like a nice sweet beachy unisex scent. I had never looked at the notes, but it smelled of creamy coconuts and I assumed it was supposed to be a warmer take on something like virgin island water. Needless to say I was surprised when I first looked at the notes on here. I did not see this as a fall/winter scent at all and I didn’t get much spice. Just creamy luxurious coconut with something warming and comforting about it. After reading the comments I see that I’m not the only one getting coconut vibes. Must be the tonka blending with the fruity notes of the osmanthus and the creaminess of the sandalwood. I must say overall the performance didn’t seem great on my skin, but I only did one spray on my wrist. The scent was pleasant and I think it would be great to wear at night in a tropical setting for both men and women.

I blind bought this and I'm not hating but I'm not loving either. I read some reviews and oh boy I've reached a conclusion that each nose is unique. To me it starts of with a peppery scent...then I get coconut dry down is bitter and powdery. Through out i smell Milky, creamy slightly sweet coconut. So coconut I associate with summer and sea. Id wear it during summer. I would have liked to smell the woody and the osmanthus but I don't. Boozy, smokey, slightly sweet but not gourment coconut. Both sexes can easily wear it. From what im reading a crowd pleaser.Doesn't last long on the skin becomes super intimate. On fabric it lasts. It's kinda growing on me....

Beautiful, deep, elegant, sweet, woody, just a tad spicy and simultaneously airy fragrance! A true woman scent that will not disappoint! It's a deep sent but doesn't feel heavy on me. Initially I was scared that the patchouli would smell weird on my skin but I was pleasantly surprised that it actually is very light. Overall, It is a wonderful perfume with just the right amount of dark and lightly spiced sweetness that will elevate you. I also get a faint floral scent lingering on the background. Only disadvantage for me is that it has no projection. I can better describe it as a skin scent with a very average duration.

Caban dances in. Spunky, bright, pink pepper a sexy spark of energy. Sweetness follows—tonka, smooth and golden, hiding something darker, maybe? Warm osmanthus woven into the cool sheen of sandalwood, lush and never too heavy. Quite the opposite in fact—there's lightness here, a sense of play, like a smile you didn’t expect but can’t help but return. Elegantly deep, just enough to soften its edges, your edges, but it's (she's?) intoxicating and you find yourself hard to resist the magic. Warm, pretty, alive. Stunner. She doesn’t try too hard; she doesn’t need to. Caban knows exactly who she is, and she's irresistible.

That Caban doesn't get more airtime, reviews, shelf appearances is mystifying. The YSL premium perfumes are in general so basic and even cloying (Babycat, I'm looking at you), that Caban is the literal lighthouse in this line. The opening is primarily sweet and ambered, but the drydown turns complex and spicy, leaning masculine with a strong hit of tonka to smooth the edges. The pepper and amber are much too heavy for me, but it is not inconceivable that someone with a different skin chemistry would carry it off. Medium sillage, not a skin scent but not a powerhouse like Babycat either.

Splendid and cocky. Unique, no one will smell as cool as you in the room, it’s guaranteed. Starts off with a bitter fig (or it might be the elemi) and shortly transitions to this unique patchouli/earthy cloud that follows you around like you were Olav the snowman. Linear and true, lingers towards masculine, but it smells perfect on a confident lady. Do not overspray, it gets too much. Give it a second chance if you find it unbearable at first, i almost gave mine away after first experience with it. Exceptional quality, like most from the collection Vestiaire.

Man i would have loved this fragrance if it was a bit stronger... It lacks that strenght that you would expect from the pricetag instead it felt weak at least on my skyn. Beatifull tonka and sandal wood. On the contrary couldn't smell at all the pepper... it felt like an Edt not as an Edp, very airy lacked corp. Overall ? A Classy scent with great sillage but poor longevity. It is so refined and delicate that you will get noseblind very quickly it does't mean the fragrance is not there though don't be mistaken... 7/10

Certainly elegant. Very well blended and smooth. Great woody scent. But for me it leans a bit feminine. Yes anyone can wear it. Anyone can wear anything really. I can see the comparison to Gris Charnel. It seems like in it's depths there is fig hiding or at least a similar composition. I wouldn't turn it down if it was a gift and may occasionally decide to wear. But not running to buy it. Wife likes it. She may go looking for it.

Sweeter and creamier Gris Charnel EdP to my nose. Its pretty decent and a strong like. I do not feel it projects much but on the skin it is nice. Not sure I will chase this bottle at this point, but i do have a 10ml decant and will visit it on occassion. Cooler weather would do it much better than summer, which it is currently where I am trying this fragrance.

I was surprised when i tried this, it is a peculiar little thing among its siblings from the Vestiare collection. This screams autumn, melancholy, smells to me like the morning after in a jazz club in the 50’s when people were allowed to smoke indoors. Easy to wear for a man, for a mature cool guy. It smells like a distant memory of a long lost love.

Lovely cozy and unisex gentle scent that makes me feel like I want to stay home from work and wrap myself in a cozy blanket and just look out my window and watch the snow fall... I love this fragrance and got it for a steal. Its longevity isn’t the best on my skin but I got the 125ml so I’ve got lots of juice to use... All in all, very lovely 🤍🤍

Opens with lots of pepper, black and pink pepper. Then quickly dries to a warm tonka bean. The sandalwood in here is a whisper, or just adds to the smoothness to the tonka. A like, but not my favourite from the house. I much prefer Tuxedo, Babycat, 6 place, 24 rue, and caftan to this.

Caban is a wonderful production of soft, mellow, but warm notes. It moves like a feather through air, never abrupt or unsettling. Bravo YSL. This is technically unisex, but really leans feminine. I think through layering it could really be a male/unisex fragrance.

Not bad, but did not leave me THAT impressed. This could easily be a new regular trendy amber release that costs $50 and i would not notice. Ok but Caftan is better, much better. But...i have a feeling this will grow on me, so not all hope is lost.

Caban has a bright and invigorating peppery opening with a sweet rose in the mid which dries down to a powdery tonka and creamy sandalwood, love the pepper in this. The fragrance is well balanced in that it is at once spicy and sweet.

I had it because I've been in love with amber. The first impression of this scent is that it is relatively sweet and quite luxurious and it's really sweet, woody when drydown. Love it!

I like it, and i also feel coconut notes on it. Did anyone also notice that??? Overall good fragrance

Comfortable and brilliant at the same time. The most blind purchase of the collection. Versatile.

@Ty/dc ”Too sweet for a man”, ”would smell better on a woman”??? What century are you from???

YSL Caban (22W61DD, June 2022, USD 169 for 75 ml. bottle) Extension 2 on December 1, 2024 lol, It seems I think of Caban every December. I retest Caban today after my understanding of "Amber Classical" fragrance changed. Amber Classical : Is an Amber fragrance contains that contains old world amber and gives Impression of "Golden Glow Amber", mostly contains Benzoin, Styrax, Patchouli, Vanilla, Tonka with Spicy top (may add Sandalwood / Labdanum even Moss depending on personal interpretation). Caban is Amber Classical fragrance being conjunction of Tonka, Olibanum and Patchouli. in this fragrance - reimage to Sweet Amber (high on Tonka) as modern manner. Nice twist of Caban is using Olibanum, provided Warm Amber feel. Later on Caban dry down to sweet Lactonic Sandalwood similar in ysl 24 rue de l'université. Caban is well build and grounded scent. If you like classic fragrance with modern touch - You can really choose caban. My personal point is that Caban is too sweet, in the way that Lactonic Sandalwood mix with Tonka doesn't really feel natural. And In certain interpretation; It's competitive market. Caban is Innocuous and linear, and we have shit load that use "Classical Amber with a twist " a fragrance in L'art by Gerlain or even Dior. The twist isn't really unique enough to be competitive. From the whole line; Caftan is another Amber fragrance. However from my POV have an everlasting impact because it is incense scent with Classical amber twist,a modern incense that use Benzoin to create Classical Amber feel. Even both fragrance provide twist, doesn't really means it is impactful. People who like Grand Soir by MFK might really enjoy Caban. But in this certain structure, I think Benjoin Boheme do best as it close to nature. It time to let Caban go. Drop from assessment. ===== Extension 1 on December 2, 2023 I am in the mood of Boozy Amber fragrance, so I pick "Caban" today. Yesterday I tried "Ambre Cello L'Orchestre" I enjoy but I was curioused. I think, Caban can be classified as Amber scent and it is somewhat great offering. Actually, most of amber scent. Doesn't means to smell up close. As this emit the sweet amber experience in the realm of Grand Soir. But it have more of Element contribute that leans a bit to old world amber. (the patchouli / Sandalwood) to be specific. It is peppery and the quality of Amber fragrance should be. Also sweet, another good property of Amber fragrance. And dry down to powdery Sandalwood, reminisce of Amber scent. And yes, the patchouli is there just add a drop of green tint to overall tone. Sometimes I do get a whip of rose. but you won't get it when smell upclose. Maybe the note reacts and create another accord. It is really does provide boozy amber aspect really long time. And it is unisex too, it is sweet amber after all. I like this more than Grand Soir, as this hints a bit at old town amber. The ture magic of this fragrance is in the air. Score increase to 8/10 Projection: Moderate Strong for 4-5 hours before transit in moderate low as cremmy powdery sandalwood. Longevity: 7 hours+ Summary: The Best of Both World Amber ===== First Impression CABAN is sweet, Creamy Sandalwood scent. 3 aspect I got mostly is Tonka (sweet), Sandalwood (Creamy) and Pepper (Spicy). Very suitable for fall / winter as the scent is somewhat have body. Sorry, but that all I can say. When the scent is so smooth, it can reminds you of Coconut. But that's not really coconut, it is Tonka with creamy sandalwood. Which level of creamy this is, around Diptyque Tam Dao EDP. Also, scent reminds me of Chanel Bois des Iles EDP (-Ylang Ylang aspect). Don't know, but this screams Christmas and festive for me. It's easy to wear, easy to love scent. must try if "Sweet Wood" is your territory. But, don't know - it doesn't spark me 7/10 as first impression

Nice tonka scent but doesn’t wow me or amaze me. I was hoping it’d give me the same level of excitement I got from babycat with vanilla but with this with the tonka bean. The DNA to me is pretty simple and safe, I honestly could have seen this as a L’homme flanker of some sort or another line in their collection. But for $300 I’ll pass on this

Man, it’s alright. It leans a little feminine. I wore it around my mother who has a severe reaction to scents with javanol (synthetic sandalwood), she always has a strong negative reaction to those.... molecule 4, sandal 33, commodity book, and now I think and expect Thai one as well. It’s ok, not gonna get a bottle. Sticking with tuxedo.

I like unisex fragrances, but this just felt incredibly heavy and sweet on me. The tonka bean is just too much, and it completely drowns out the woody notes. Instead of smelling cozy, it just felt suffocating. If you aren't a fan of super sweet scents, definitely skip this.