Top Notes 
Lemon
Bergamot
Grapefruit
Lemon grass
Heart Notes 
Lavender
Nutmeg
Geranium
Orange blossom
Base Notes 
Vetiver
Cedar
Sandalwood
Benzoin
Elysium
898 Reviews
Elysium
Very helpful Review
5
The Sybil Spell
Vetiver has been a favorite ingredient in perfumes ever since I met Cacharel pour L'Homme Eau de Toilette, and it is one of those notes that you have probably smelled a million times but could never identify. It is a highly appreciated addition in fragrances predominantly for men and is present in many blends with unique facets. I have quite a few colognes based on vetiver, and it shows in all its palettes and styles as follows. It is rough and dark, like in Vetiver Essence, sweaty and airy, like in Eau de Cartier Vétiver Bleu, aromatic and citrus, like in Vetiver Eau de Toilette, woody and inked, like in Encre Noire Eau de Toilette, creamy and pale, like in Vetiver, or austere and straightforward vetiver, I could go on forever. There are many beautiful scents of vetiver. After wearing some of those, as mentioned earlier and already having in my collection the classic Carven pour Homme Eau de Toilette, I couldn't wait to try the 2014 edition of Vétiver (2014).
Carven Vétiver opens up green and minty, like an old-school cologne, with a tangy accord reminiscent of yuzu and tomato leaf, which could come from the tasty lemongrass. The initial blast is that of a classic barber's cologne, with a dyad of freshly squeezed lemon juice and dewy lavender right after the rain, a familiar fougére-like soapiness found just below the surface. There is a hint of yellow grapefruit, with the bitterness defining the sharp sensation of that citrus note, which is anything but obnoxious. Carven Vétiver is a perfume true to its name, with the vetiver root stinging from the start with a lively green freshness. The unusual notes of lemongrass and lavender amplify the clean effect.
A rich rosy note of geranium leaf follows that lasts for the perfume lifetime: the rosy floral aspect of the geranium leaf is clear. A smooth, tender, and clean vetiver aroma slowly intensifies and blends with the geranium leaf to produce a soapy, almost powdery accord in the heart notes. Lavender fades as it moves behind the curtains while a sweet-spiced nutmeg lingers atop the heart. In this first round, I receive little, indeed not all, the sweetness of orange blossoms, perhaps held back and confined by the other heavy elements.
Only in the ultimate phase do I detect almost solitary vetiver, airy but also muddy and resinous that mixes with the hardly perceptible woods of cedar and sandalwood and stressed by warm and slightly smoky incense benzoin. Here we have a solid take on vetiver, which is herbaceous with a note of iodine—as some vetivers have—and a nuttiness similar to the core of unripe walnuts. Eventually, the overall scent becomes warmer, rounder, resinous to the limit while remaining true to the heart.
Carven Vétiver smells of sunshine, fresh and summery, with the last touch of virile sensuality. The perfume has good lasting power and sticks to the skin, making it a safe scent for the office. I suggest wearing it on the fresh and sultry spring and autumn days and easy to wear on the cool summer nights. It is relaxed vetiver to be pampered, to be explored softly and in silence, the vetiver that greets introspection rather than the attention that seeks ostentation. Carven Vétiver is a delightful version of the use of vetiver. It deserves some attention, but Carven's scents seem lost and ignored on the perfume counters. The hazelnut look creates a soft, comforting impression you want to smell in and makes it all seem subversive and nontraditional, faintly, a beautiful modern take on authentic vetiver.
I based the review on a 100ml bottle I have owned since April 2021.
-Elysium
Carven Vétiver opens up green and minty, like an old-school cologne, with a tangy accord reminiscent of yuzu and tomato leaf, which could come from the tasty lemongrass. The initial blast is that of a classic barber's cologne, with a dyad of freshly squeezed lemon juice and dewy lavender right after the rain, a familiar fougére-like soapiness found just below the surface. There is a hint of yellow grapefruit, with the bitterness defining the sharp sensation of that citrus note, which is anything but obnoxious. Carven Vétiver is a perfume true to its name, with the vetiver root stinging from the start with a lively green freshness. The unusual notes of lemongrass and lavender amplify the clean effect.
A rich rosy note of geranium leaf follows that lasts for the perfume lifetime: the rosy floral aspect of the geranium leaf is clear. A smooth, tender, and clean vetiver aroma slowly intensifies and blends with the geranium leaf to produce a soapy, almost powdery accord in the heart notes. Lavender fades as it moves behind the curtains while a sweet-spiced nutmeg lingers atop the heart. In this first round, I receive little, indeed not all, the sweetness of orange blossoms, perhaps held back and confined by the other heavy elements.
Only in the ultimate phase do I detect almost solitary vetiver, airy but also muddy and resinous that mixes with the hardly perceptible woods of cedar and sandalwood and stressed by warm and slightly smoky incense benzoin. Here we have a solid take on vetiver, which is herbaceous with a note of iodine—as some vetivers have—and a nuttiness similar to the core of unripe walnuts. Eventually, the overall scent becomes warmer, rounder, resinous to the limit while remaining true to the heart.
Carven Vétiver smells of sunshine, fresh and summery, with the last touch of virile sensuality. The perfume has good lasting power and sticks to the skin, making it a safe scent for the office. I suggest wearing it on the fresh and sultry spring and autumn days and easy to wear on the cool summer nights. It is relaxed vetiver to be pampered, to be explored softly and in silence, the vetiver that greets introspection rather than the attention that seeks ostentation. Carven Vétiver is a delightful version of the use of vetiver. It deserves some attention, but Carven's scents seem lost and ignored on the perfume counters. The hazelnut look creates a soft, comforting impression you want to smell in and makes it all seem subversive and nontraditional, faintly, a beautiful modern take on authentic vetiver.
I based the review on a 100ml bottle I have owned since April 2021.
-Elysium
Elysium
Axiomatic
Kovex
Tradescantia
Stulle
Ergoproxy
Yatagan
Morke
Terra
Dufttiger
