20
Top Review
Extrême new!
Comment from 28.10.2010
Caution, Eau Sauvage Extrême has been reformulated! What we have known as Eau Sauvage Extrême for 28 years, the unfortunately unsuccessful attempt to give the finesse of the original Eau Sauvage more body, impact, and longevity, is no more.
I don't know if I can say that it's a good thing that it is no longer, considering what is being offered to us as the new Extrême, because the old one - as flawed as it was - was still recognizable: Eau Sauvage. The new one is not.
It is a completely new fragrance that only carries a barely recognizable shadow of the original Eau Sauvage within it, a reminiscence that only reveals itself upon repeated wearing - at least.
François Demachy, Dior's currently almost hyperactive in-house perfumer, has once again stamped his own mark on a Dior classic, in such a way that the fragrance is hardly recognizable. He recently did the same with Fahrenheit when he created a Fahrenheit Absolue that bore only a distant resemblance to the scent by Jean-Louis Sieuzac, and now with perhaps the greatest Dior classic: Eau Sauvage.
He had already tinkered with the original scent - a reformulation was necessary due to the latest IFRA regulations - but presumably, his reverence for one of the greatest monuments of perfume art prevented him from radically restructuring the scent more than he already did (he has so altered Diorissimo, Diorella, and Dioressence that they are barely recognizable).
The original Eau Sauvage is therefore somewhat intact, only the balance has shifted in favor of a stronger emphasis on the base, which also leads to the fragrance being a bit more durable now. The short duration of the scent has always been a cause for complaints, but needs have changed: today, one expects a much stronger presence from a fragrance than half a century ago when Eau Sauvage was meant to be a subtle, unobtrusive companion for men - in stark contrast to the women's perfume, which was already allowed to unleash tremendous powers back then.
Today, it can be a bit more for men, and so the usual suspects in terms of overly discreet projection and longevity - Guerlain's Mouchoir de Monsieur, Chanel's Pour Monsieur, and Dior's Eau Sauvage - have received a sort of update, aiming for clearer projection values and a longer-lasting presence. This will certainly be welcomed by all those who have always lamented this shortcoming. On the other hand, I am not really sure if it does these masterpieces of subtle restraint and understatement any good when this central characteristic is put to the test - it is as if someone who was used to speaking in a low voice suddenly had to speak loudly, or even shout: the voice threatens to slip out of focus or even crack.
As for the new Extrême, it is even as if this person, who is now supposed to speak loudly and clearly, has also been given a megaphone and is now shouting into it. What comes out on the other side is nothing but a distorted, deafening racket that is somewhat embarrassing, as the speaker is well known for their tact and modest demeanor.
But no, the new Extrême is not that terrible either. On the contrary: the fragrance is good, perhaps even very good. One might want to set aside the original Eau Sauvage and let the 'new' one stand alone, without constant comparison. Then one can certainly conclude that it possesses decent potential and a distinct character, although whether it has a chance to become the classic of the 21st century, just as Eau Sauvage became the classic of the 20th century - as François Demachy claimed during the presentation of the new fragrance - remains to be seen.
It is above all one thing, namely considerably brushed up to be 'modern.' The almost obligatory mint for new men's fragrances today and the equally indispensable Virginia or Atlas cedar can also be found here - the latter almost in excess, as well as trendy noble woods. Overall, the woody components are extremely pronounced - they now emerge powerfully and form a strong and long-lasting base that quite dominates the fragrance. The once herbaceous-aromatic and floral heart of the fragrance gains a fuller sound with the addition of mint, but loses considerable transparency and freshness, especially since the woody notes of the base are present all the way up into the top notes. The so famous fresh-metallic start of Eau Sauvage ultimately gets completely drowned out by the rumble of the deeper notes - it can only be sensed.
As I said - not a bad fragrance. However, for lovers of the old Eau Sauvage, it is a difficult-to-handle variant, to say the least: an imposition.
An imposition that lives up to its name 'Extrême' in terms of an almost exaggerated pandering to modern men's perfumery. Here a bit of Guerlain Homme (mint), there a bit of Terre d'Hermès (cedar), and voilà, the seemingly successful lifting of an old warhorse is complete....
Torn between admiration for the courage to reinterpret such a fragrance icon and the rejection I feel towards the presumption of wanting to modernize this icon at all (blasphemy!), I am still not sure if I really like this fragrance.
If someone were to come up with the idea of repainting Picasso's Guernica, to put it in Denglish, to up-date it, I would probably say to him: 'let it be, better paint your own picture!
Nevertheless: Chapeau Monsieur Demachy for such chutzpah!
As a distinguishing feature: the new Extrême no longer carries the term 'Concentrée' in the title, but is now called: Eau de Toilette Intense.
Caution, Eau Sauvage Extrême has been reformulated! What we have known as Eau Sauvage Extrême for 28 years, the unfortunately unsuccessful attempt to give the finesse of the original Eau Sauvage more body, impact, and longevity, is no more.
I don't know if I can say that it's a good thing that it is no longer, considering what is being offered to us as the new Extrême, because the old one - as flawed as it was - was still recognizable: Eau Sauvage. The new one is not.
It is a completely new fragrance that only carries a barely recognizable shadow of the original Eau Sauvage within it, a reminiscence that only reveals itself upon repeated wearing - at least.
François Demachy, Dior's currently almost hyperactive in-house perfumer, has once again stamped his own mark on a Dior classic, in such a way that the fragrance is hardly recognizable. He recently did the same with Fahrenheit when he created a Fahrenheit Absolue that bore only a distant resemblance to the scent by Jean-Louis Sieuzac, and now with perhaps the greatest Dior classic: Eau Sauvage.
He had already tinkered with the original scent - a reformulation was necessary due to the latest IFRA regulations - but presumably, his reverence for one of the greatest monuments of perfume art prevented him from radically restructuring the scent more than he already did (he has so altered Diorissimo, Diorella, and Dioressence that they are barely recognizable).
The original Eau Sauvage is therefore somewhat intact, only the balance has shifted in favor of a stronger emphasis on the base, which also leads to the fragrance being a bit more durable now. The short duration of the scent has always been a cause for complaints, but needs have changed: today, one expects a much stronger presence from a fragrance than half a century ago when Eau Sauvage was meant to be a subtle, unobtrusive companion for men - in stark contrast to the women's perfume, which was already allowed to unleash tremendous powers back then.
Today, it can be a bit more for men, and so the usual suspects in terms of overly discreet projection and longevity - Guerlain's Mouchoir de Monsieur, Chanel's Pour Monsieur, and Dior's Eau Sauvage - have received a sort of update, aiming for clearer projection values and a longer-lasting presence. This will certainly be welcomed by all those who have always lamented this shortcoming. On the other hand, I am not really sure if it does these masterpieces of subtle restraint and understatement any good when this central characteristic is put to the test - it is as if someone who was used to speaking in a low voice suddenly had to speak loudly, or even shout: the voice threatens to slip out of focus or even crack.
As for the new Extrême, it is even as if this person, who is now supposed to speak loudly and clearly, has also been given a megaphone and is now shouting into it. What comes out on the other side is nothing but a distorted, deafening racket that is somewhat embarrassing, as the speaker is well known for their tact and modest demeanor.
But no, the new Extrême is not that terrible either. On the contrary: the fragrance is good, perhaps even very good. One might want to set aside the original Eau Sauvage and let the 'new' one stand alone, without constant comparison. Then one can certainly conclude that it possesses decent potential and a distinct character, although whether it has a chance to become the classic of the 21st century, just as Eau Sauvage became the classic of the 20th century - as François Demachy claimed during the presentation of the new fragrance - remains to be seen.
It is above all one thing, namely considerably brushed up to be 'modern.' The almost obligatory mint for new men's fragrances today and the equally indispensable Virginia or Atlas cedar can also be found here - the latter almost in excess, as well as trendy noble woods. Overall, the woody components are extremely pronounced - they now emerge powerfully and form a strong and long-lasting base that quite dominates the fragrance. The once herbaceous-aromatic and floral heart of the fragrance gains a fuller sound with the addition of mint, but loses considerable transparency and freshness, especially since the woody notes of the base are present all the way up into the top notes. The so famous fresh-metallic start of Eau Sauvage ultimately gets completely drowned out by the rumble of the deeper notes - it can only be sensed.
As I said - not a bad fragrance. However, for lovers of the old Eau Sauvage, it is a difficult-to-handle variant, to say the least: an imposition.
An imposition that lives up to its name 'Extrême' in terms of an almost exaggerated pandering to modern men's perfumery. Here a bit of Guerlain Homme (mint), there a bit of Terre d'Hermès (cedar), and voilà, the seemingly successful lifting of an old warhorse is complete....
Torn between admiration for the courage to reinterpret such a fragrance icon and the rejection I feel towards the presumption of wanting to modernize this icon at all (blasphemy!), I am still not sure if I really like this fragrance.
If someone were to come up with the idea of repainting Picasso's Guernica, to put it in Denglish, to up-date it, I would probably say to him: 'let it be, better paint your own picture!
Nevertheless: Chapeau Monsieur Demachy for such chutzpah!
As a distinguishing feature: the new Extrême no longer carries the term 'Concentrée' in the title, but is now called: Eau de Toilette Intense.
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3 Comments
StD 3 years ago
Well put - it's fun (-:
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Fittleworth 12 years ago
Great comment! A big thank you for that and of course a big trophy too!
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Seelanne 13 years ago
Indeed, it's a unique scent that shouldn't be compared to the original ES. Detached from that, it's actually not a bad fragrance, but in its new formulation, it feels too woody-earthy-loud for me. Good comment.
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