Y Eau Fraiche

Today I'm heading over to the house of YSL to experience a discontinued fragrance that I never thought I'd get a chance to try: Y Eau Fraiche. This fragrance was discontinued around 2021, before I even got into the fragrance hobby. I would see it mentioned every once in a while by the YouTubers I follow, so when I saw it for sale at a local boutique, I jumped at the chance to pick it up. I'm not typically one to blind-buy anymore, so I'm hoping I don't end up regretting this purchase. Let's get into it. Opening: The opening is an invigorating mix of citrus, aromatics, and green notes. The primary notes I get are lemon, mint, ginger, and lavender, with the lemon and mint standing out the most. The scent opens with a strong, sharp, and zesty lemon that is incredibly bright and uplifting while being surprisingly realistic. Behind the lemon, the mint follows, manifesting as an invigorating, green, and aromatic accord with a distinctly icy and cool edge. Next up are the ginger and lavender. The ginger continues the fresh theme with a supporting accord of crisp spiciness. It also has a realistic feel that is impressive, especially compared to ginger notes in other designer fragrances. Lastly, the lavender softly wafts in and out of the background, providing a powdery and floral aromatic touch. It's no wonder others have compared this fragrance to the aroma of an icy glass of lemonade; it's exactly what I get here. Add a mint garnish to the glass, and the experience is complete. Dry Down: The dry down remains a citrusy, aromatic, and green experience. The primary notes I get are lemon, mint, juniper berries, and ginger, with the lemon and mint remaining the strongest. The lemon is still the star of the show, but it has been smoothed out and is no longer as sharp as it was in the opening. Likewise, the mint carries the same green, icy, aromatic accord, but it too has softened. This is followed by the ginger and juniper berries. The ginger maintains its fresh and spicy accord from the opening without changing much in intensity. Lastly, the juniper berries emerge to provide an aromatic, spicy, and slightly piney accord in the background. It reminds me of the juniper note in Roja's Elysium, but toned down and not as pungent. There's also just a hint of cedar in the base, giving the dry down a touch of dry woodiness for added character. Performance: The initial projection within the first hour is very strong and can easily fill a room. The sillage is strong as well, leaving an easily noticeable scent trail. Much to my surprise, after a few hours, the performance was largely unchanged. The projection was still reaching out past six feet, and the scent trail was still easily noticeable. At the eight-hour mark, the projection was about three to four feet, and the scent trail was lighter but still there. The fragrance became a skin scent around the 9-10 hour mark. When to Wear: It should go without saying that Y Eau Fraiche is a spring/summer fragrance crafted for daytime wear. This is a highly versatile fragrance that could be worn casually, formally, to the gym, or even to the office. I wouldn't pick it for a special occasion, though, because it doesn't quite fit that vibe. Blind Buy: If super fresh and citrusy fragrances are your jam, or the idea of smelling like icy lemonade appeals to you, this is a safe blind buy. Final Verdict: From the very first spray, I knew Y Eau Fraiche was poised to exceed my expectations. The bright, energizing, iced lemonade accord is a masterful spring and summer creation—something I would expect from a niche house like Xerjoff, not necessarily a designer house like YSL. The performance also left me questioning my sanity. From what I had read, this should have been a moderately performing fragrance at best. However, it started out room-filling and lasted well over a full workday before it faded completely. Overall, this was a very successful blind buy, and I'm glad I have this in my collection now. It will definitely get some use while the weather is still hot. If you ever find this one available, pick it up; you won't be disappointed. Scent: 10/10 Longevity: 7/10 Sillage: 10/10 Versatility: High Mass Appeal: Very high Gender: Masculine Value: Good

Love this one! Honestly it is now my new favorite fresh fragrance. The bottle design caught my attention and I was kinda skeptical as it might've been a flanker that they decided to just throw in; but you can hardly tell it has the original DNA! I could almost say this is a whole new fragrance if I smelt this one before the EDP and EDT. I live in Florida and they past few weeks has been really hot and humid, I'm taking about 95F with a 103F feeling and wearing this right after a shower and going outside is perfect! Downsides to this fragrance? This is an "eau fraiche" so of course it is one of the least concentrated formulas in a fragrance; on my skin though I get a good 6+ hours on my skin usually after 3 or 4 hours it will sit really close to my skin and it even has like more of a feminine smell on the dry down (not like a perfume) more like clean linen. The initial spray on really feel cool, like ice water, which I would blame the mint as it really adds a great touch to the scent. Its a really airy and light fragrance and in contrast I do own Y EDP and honestly that one is really heavy on me and usually makes me nauseous if I over spray versus the EF where I can spray 5-8 times without being very offensive. Nothing against the EDP I think its a great night time scent or cooler weather fragrance. Other than that this is definitely a fragrance to pick up if you do not have a "fresh" scent or a hot day-time fragrance in your collection. I would rate this a 10/10 under my bias opinion. But this is would really be a 7 or even an 8/10; nothing really breathtaking from the fragrance but it is a very safe scent to wear at work or class and even better on a hot day. Definitely something that can boost your confidence!

Just picked this up on sale. Just over $70 for a 100ml bottle. So for the review. I’ve been wearing this since Saturday (it’s Tuesday today) and I have to say I really like it. This will be in my rotation this spring and summer. I didn’t like the edt but loved the edp. Giving some time this could be a love, it’s right about their now. That being said let’s get to the review. So being completely honest, this is a really good fragrance, not too different from what else is out there but it doesn’t really stand out. I do pick up the dna from the edp here. It’s like the sport version for the edp but in an edt concentration. It’s really nice off the top and most of what you get is the ginger, lemon, and juniper berries. The ginger and lemon are there for almost the entire life of the scent. All the other notes show up at some point but those are going to be the strongest. Performance for a fresh fragrance is okay. I’d say this last 5-6 hours on me which is about the norm for a warmer weather scent. In terms of price there aren’t a lot of places I’ve found this one here in the states. I picked this up online from a US based store but couldn’t find it anywhere to sample so this was a blind buy for me. No regrets here, I think this is a great fragrance and would do anyone well in the upcoming spring and summer months. So I will have to give this an 8/10. While I really do enjoy this I have to knock it down a peg because the performance isn’t all that great and I think for this at it’s retail price there may not be a a ton better but there could definitely be a few that could compete. So for me this was a great blind buy and I’m extremely happy with my purchase.

I'll never forgive YSL for discontinuing this! It has the typical YSL Y DNA; that slightly sweet green apple scent, geranium & cedar. Despite apple not being listed here, all the entries have it to varying degrees. However, YSL Y Eau Fraiche has the least of it & the dominant notes are a salty ozonic/aquatic accord, followed by an icy lemon, followed by faint lavender & cedar. Its black pepper is only slightly there & comes off more salty, which could just be an olfactory illusion. While the ginger is there, its primarily the sensation of ginger rather than the actual smell of it, which is very nice. Mint is subtlety there. Despite the newest YSL Iced Cologne (2025) having ice as a fantasy note, I detect ZERO from it; interestingly enough there is an icy note to Eau Fraiche so I find that very very appealing. It just makes me miss this fragrance even more! Its a very realistic lemon note & easily my favorite lemon fragrance. It actually gets stronger on the dry down, more of that YSL Y DNA pokes through & whiffs of salt/pepper. People claim YSL Y Eau Fraiche's performance isnt good. However, it definitely reminds me of a better version of a Dior Homme Cologne (2022); which has one of the worst performances on the market, while Eau Fraiche I get double the longevity & projection. Dior Homme Colonge is very icy lemon but in 2 hours is a skin scent regardless of sprays, while Eau Fraiche last about 4-5 before that happens. Alas, all good things come to an end, I'll cherish my bottles i have left. Several unopened & quickly disappearing. 10/10 legendary lemon scent, a summer staple & an iconic DNA that makes its modern flankers look awful!

Wow. This one really impressed me after I got it and tested it out a couple days. The frosted bottle is really nice visually. After the first couple seconds of alcohol smell after you spray, a really nice lemon is prominent and kind of smoothed out with a fresh spice, which I'm thinking is the ginger. It works so well together and right off the bat, I knew this freshie was going to be nice and have a very decent longevity compared to most fragrances similar to it. I have a soft spot for fruity/fresh fragrances and this one is easily in my top 5 in my collection for sure. It has a different feel compared to the others in the Y line, like the EdP (which I also love). There's nothing complex going on though, a straightforward pleasant scent with a nice lemon opening that lasts around the first hour for me and then fades behind the nice aromatics of minty/herbs/cedar and juniper in the drydown. I still get the freshness of the lemon somehow in the far drydown which is amazing to me. I just love that it stays fresh throughout the life of the scent. Would definitely work for the office, casual wear, or going out on some errands. Definitely will get a lot of use from me. It gives me a nice relaxing vibe, like taking a stroll out on a summer day with a nice breeze. Can't wait to get a lot of wear out this spring and summer. Recommended. Longevity: 7.5/10 (~6 hours) Projection: 6.5/10 Scent: 9/10 (Love)