Youth-Dew Eau de Parfum

Youth-Dew (Eau de Parfum) by Estēe Lauder
Bottle Design Ira Levy
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7.7 / 10 479 Ratings
A popular perfume by Estēe Lauder for women. The release year is unknown. The scent is spicy-oriental. Projection and longevity are above-average. It is being marketed by Estēe Lauder Companies.
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Main accords

Spicy
Oriental
Floral
Woody
Resinous

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
AldehydesAldehydes LavenderLavender NarcissusNarcissus OrangeOrange BergamotBergamot PeachPeach RoseRose
Heart Notes Heart Notes
CinnamonCinnamon CloveClove SpicesSpices CarnationCarnation CassiaCassia JasmineJasmine Lily of the valleyLily of the valley Ylang-ylangYlang-ylang OrchidOrchid
Base Notes Base Notes
AmberAmber BenzoinBenzoin FrankincenseFrankincense OakmossOakmoss PatchouliPatchouli Peru balsamPeru balsam Tolu balmTolu balm MuskMusk VanillaVanilla VetiverVetiver

Perfumer

Ratings
Scent
7.7479 Ratings
Longevity
9.0379 Ratings
Sillage
8.6376 Ratings
Bottle
7.8374 Ratings
Value for money
8.691 Ratings
Submitted by Sani, last update on 01/23/2025.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to
Youth-Dew (Perfume) by Estēe Lauder
Youth-Dew Perfume
Youth Dew 60th Anniversary Limited Edition by Estēe Lauder
Youth Dew 60th Anniversary Limited Edition
Youth-Dew (Solid Perfume) by Estēe Lauder
Youth-Dew Solid Perfume
Youth-Dew (Parfum de Sachet) by Estēe Lauder
Youth-Dew Parfum de Sachet
Youth-Dew (Eau de Cologne) by Estēe Lauder
Youth-Dew Eau de Cologne
Youth Dew Amber Nude by Estēe Lauder
Youth Dew Amber Nude

Reviews

24 in-depth fragrance descriptions
LiliumLibido

51 Reviews
LiliumLibido
LiliumLibido
Top Review 8  
A mystery
How Estee Lauder created such a masterpiece in the bath oil and such a revolting stink bomb in the spray is a mystery, quite frankly. So I am reviewing the bath oil because the spray makes my eyes water and makes me want to hurl.

YD is one of the most polarizing fragrances in the world, it has inspired lust and poetry as well as hatred and revulsion, and that was what attracted me to it initially.
It has been compared Ad Nauseam with Cinnabar and Opium, but it is older than both, in fact, I believe it was the inspiration for both.

But YD is truly unique, imo.
First, one should never, EVER over apply YD. Or she will turn into a Weapon of Mass Destruction that will reach every living creature in a 10 mile radius on a search and destroy mission. Overdone, YD is one cruel, heartless, ugly psycho.

But try a tiny dot on a couple of pulse points. It will take flight in a deep spicy fugue, and develop into a surprising breathy softness, think of a jewelled toned silk veil from somewhere far, far away, a land that you can't pronounce or find on a map.
The scent is not sweet but well into the drydown, a voluptuous roundness appears: Gone is the initial slap of the patchouli, it is now replaced with a mysterious femininity that transforms the fragrance from butch to femme through an arcane metamorphosis of notes: All skillfully blended to play up and contrast each other while avoiding any coarseness between the stages.

YD is a maze of impenetrable meanders, and like the map of a landscape so forbidding that only a few, bona fide risk takers would venture to visit, she appears absolutely terrifying at first glance. (Or at first sniff, in this case, lol) But DO dare and explore her Byzantine territory: You must use a gentle approach and an open mind, but if you do, you will be awed by its unconventional beauty.

YD was not created for those who like to drench themselves with total abandon, it is an elixir best worn in trace, minute amount. And she may decide to reject your chemistry. But if you are compatible and she likes you, she will take you on an unforgettable journey.
0 Comments
10
Sillage
7.5
Longevity
7
Scent
Missk

1357 Reviews
Missk
Missk
Very helpful Review 9  
Not as 'old lady' as some may think
From a younger person's perspective, I guess it might come as a bit of a shock when I admit that I actually love this fragrance.

Old lady? I think not. As a 19 year old girl I would not feel ashamed by wearing this scent.

Youth-Dew is sophisticated, elegant, warm, inviting and in some ways strangely sexy. While I'm not a fan of fragrances containing aldehydes, I do love it when the powdery quality of the aldehydes are blended with spices. This blend gives this fragrance such a rich and feminine quality.

I have heard some people describe this fragrance as smelling similar to incense or exotic merchandise stores. I may just have to agree with that statement, however personally I love those smells, I find them to be quite soothing.

Where this scent goes wrong is when it is applied too heavily. Two or three sprays are certainly enough, any more and even I would be cringing at the thought of Youth-Dew.
1 Comment
8
Bottle
9
Sillage
9
Longevity
9.5
Scent
MadameVizard

13 Reviews
MadameVizard
MadameVizard
Top Review 7  
Spa Grand Luxe

Youth-Dew is just one of the best perfumes ever.

For me, its most valuable quality is that it is a chamaleon. I can easily imagine both a bohemian, hippy-like person, both a glamorous, somewhat conservative housewive, wearing it. It recalls me Christmas desserts and homemade Coke. It recalls me some sort of incense that could be burnt in the altar of some satanic cult. It makes me to think about old Dracula movies and gorgeous film stars, Marilyn Monroe and Sophia Loren type. But perhaps the most compelling image that it conjures in my mind is a super expensive spa. Estée Lauder herself said it: "Women still like to feel beautiful, pampered and loved, And that is what Youth-Dew is all about.". There is a classic Spanish bath gel, Magno Classic, which evokes exactly the same feeling. A huge, black marble bathtube with golden taps, lots of steam, lavender essence and almond oil, frankincense being burnt, orange juice and cinnamon tea (by the way, if you have the chance of choosing between the Bath Oil and the Eau de Parfum, take the Bath Oil without hesitation).

Youth-Dew was revolutionary. Estée Lauder wanted to change the perfume habits of the very conservative American women of her time, who, due their puritanical education, perceived perfume as surrounded by a sinful aura. They never bought their own perfume, expecting it to be gifted by their husbands or boyfriends. Therefore, Estée conceived a very intense, long-lasting bath oil that women could choose,buy and use freely by themselves without any kind of remorse. The smell was strong and glamorous, very old-school, European-style, but according with the American sense of practicality, the bath oil could be used too as a perfume extract. And she seemed to have sensed that it is through such little gestures that the society and perceptions can be changed.

Youth-Dew is one of the strongest and long-lasting perfumes sold today. Masterpiece.
0 Comments
jtd

484 Reviews
jtd
jtd
Top Review 7  
Drawling Amber.
Be careful wearing a perfume made almost entirely of basenotes. A little bergamot can hardly be heard behind the heavy amber/vanillic /spice stage curtain. Likewise, a bit of aldehyde can’t lift the 400 pound gorrilla. Dense and proud, sister Youth Dew.

This stuff must have been a spectacular accessory in the good-girl/bad-girl, loud-subtext barbarity of the mid 20th century.
0 Comments
Exciter76

78 Reviews
Exciter76
Exciter76
Very helpful Review 8  
Misunderstood Cola Spice Vintage Misfit Showing The World How To Make It To 70 Years Old
Oh, Youth-Dew Eau de Parfum, it's August 9, 2023 and my thoughts and feelings about you haven't really changed.

I don't have too many regrets about perfumes I have swapped. This is one of those rare exceptions where I am kicking myself to this day. Why? It's not like this is impossible to track down either at my local Macy's or my local thrift shop. I can pick up an aged bottle off of someone's grandchild who is purging their recently passed grandma's perfume collection. Why the regret, then? Because the aged bottle I had aged WITH me. It got richer, deeper, and far more complex over time. I, too, got a little more prosperous (maybe not rich, but fiscally more stable than I was at eighteen), deeper, and far more complex over the years. We grew up together; I received my bottle from my mom when I was 18 years old. I'm going to be 47 years old in a few weeks. We are both way more interesting with age. I regret not seeing the power of that at 36 years old.

Maybe I need to scour eBay for an old bottle. I have some apologizing to do.

Originally reviewed on July 18, 2012:

I have a very old bottle of this. It might be older than some of you, dear young members of VARIOUS ONLINE PERFUME COMMUNITIES (2023 update, y'know). It’s old. Saying it aloud, it sounds like a putrid bottle of an already hideous fragrance. I promise you, it is better today than it was when I first acquired it.

I got it when I was eighteen (you can probably figure out my age based on my user name, and thus, can extrapolate an age of the bottle); my grandmother gave it to my mother and my mother passed it off to me. When I was in my teens I obsessed on having random bottles of perfume—whether or not I liked the perfume was completely irrelevant. This was one of those bottles. I hated the stuff when I was eighteen but I told my grandmother I loved it. I got in the habit of wearing it whenever I went to visit her and in that time my relationship with Youth Dew progressed from disgust to mellow indifference. Skip ahead about ten years to a forgotten bottle that has sat in cold, dark abandon. Many J’adore and Coco bottles later I’d forgotten about it. Strange, considering it is an unforgettable fragrance.

This is going to sound contradictory but it stinks. I love it but it does reek of something mentholated and heavily medicated—I’ll bet the balsam and various greens are to blame for this. Yet, there is something soothing in that muscle relaxant cream scent. It’s strong and for many, it’s hard to stomach. Luckily, as the years have passed, my aged bottle has lost much of its medicated smell and mellowed to a deep, dark, decadently spiced amber.

Think of this fragrance as a vintage article of clothing—maybe a fuzzy carnation pink cardigan—from the 1950s. It takes a certain kind of man or woman to pull this off. It can be worn with irony or it can be worn with sincerity, in homage to a time passed. I rather fancy myself wearing it with a mix of irony and sincerity. Many comparisons have been made between YD and the spicy orientals of the 1970s and I’d say YD is the forerunner for these perfumes. It is in a class of its own but the similarities are definitely there. This fragrance unfurls ever so slowly, taking measured steps from first spray to last embers of sillage. And, oh, is this ever the sillage bomb!

I refuse to defend Youth Dew’s honor. It’s been around nearly sixty years and needs no words from me to protect its prestigious/infamous name. (2023 edit: She's a fabulous 70 years young—we should all be so blessed to be this fabulous at seventy.) I do believe everyone should try it at least once, for history’s sake. If you acquire a taste for it, well, so much the better.
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Statements

11 short views on the fragrance
HugoMontezHugoMontez 3 years ago
10
Bottle
8
Sillage
9
Longevity
9
Scent
A remarkable Oriental fragrance. It's like opium tamed down and rounded up the edges. Excellent and pretty harmonious. Sweet and floral. 4/5
0 Comments
DorothyGraceDorothyGrace 8 years ago
6
Bottle
10
Sillage
9
Longevity
6.5
Scent
Oh gosh this smells awful on my skin now, kind of like a perfumed raw cinnamon cake batter. And it doesn't wash off. Really odd. Oh dear.
0 Comments
MetaphysicalMetaphysical 4 months ago
9
Sillage
9
Longevity
9
Scent
I love this. Especially after 1 hour or so, when the florals come up more. Comforting in cool weather, I can feel this around me for hours.
0 Comments
RobbieXRobbieX 4 months ago
8
Bottle
10
Sillage
10
Longevity
10
Scent
Just got this beauty. Definitely unisex and it's fabulous juice it really is.
0 Comments
Chloerose666Chloerose666 2 months ago
Was just speaking to my Nan (87) and she said she used to wear this, I’ve bought her a bottle for Christmas, cant wait
0 Comments
5000ml5000ml 11 months ago
Vintage & powerful. Not for all occasions, but special enough to keep and use sparingly.
0 Comments
WoodendollWoodendoll 1 month ago
The spritz of carbonation coming off a just-poured Diet Coke. Incense-y.
0 Comments
MatuxMatux 3 years ago
Aramis JHL for Women. Mostly identical.
0 Comments
CharmedCircCharmedCirc 19 days ago
Good God almighty. I guess I'm not worthy. You'd better like cloves.
0 Comments
PurpleKatPurpleKat 1 year ago
2
Scent
70 years old + not smelling youthful or dewy to me! A vintage star but just too strong + too much of everything I dislike. Respect, but no.
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