Derby Guerlain 2005

Version from 2005

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8.2 / 10 328 Ratings

A popular perfume by Guerlain for men, released in 2005. The scent is spicy-woody. The longevity is above-average. It was last marketed by LVMH.
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Main accords

Spicy

Woody

Leathery

Chypre

Green

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Bergamot

Orange

Heart Notes

Spices

Carnation

Indian woods

Base Notes

Forest soil Leather

Leather

Patchouli

Perfumer

Jean-Paul Guerlain

Ratings

Scent

8.2328 Ratings

Longevity

8.4251 Ratings

Sillage

7.7233 Ratings

Bottle

7.6218 Ratings

Value for money

7.143 Ratings

Submitted by Kankuro, last update on 08/12/2025.

Interesting Facts

The fragrance was part of the collection Les Parisiens.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Derby (1985) Eau de Toilette

Bandit Suprême

Bois du Portugal

Jules Eau de Toilette

Targhee Forest

Givenchy Gentleman Eau de Toilette

Reviews

5 in-depth fragrance descriptions

10/25/2015

9
Scent

GMK
30 Reviews

GMK

Top Review 9

A very complex Masterpiece...

It took so long to write about a fragrance of this calibre , Guerlain is the trend setter in perfumery for others and so is Derby and Jicky for Guerlains itself imho.

Apart from the likings or dislikings (as it is a very subjective and vastly varies ) , Derby is a very very complex and rich fragrance which could not be evaluated in a few wearings, I have been wearing it since few months and I am still discovering something new in it on every wearing.

This starts( don't enjoy the start a lot) very herbal and pungent due to so many spices but majorly i get mace and patchouli which remains so dominant till the drydown kicks in , the drydown is the part which i love , its very Guerlain , smooth , subtle , smokey leather and musky sandalwood with mesmerizing aura of Guerlain's signature.

A Masterpiece but not for everyone.

12/26/2012

8
Scent

Drseid
821 Reviews

Drseid

Very helpful Review 8

The Race To Excellence...

This is a review of the vintage Derby...

A beautiful citrus yields very quickly to a floral leather heart with heavy emphasis on a masculine rose. The base is supported by a tremendous moss and patchouli accord mixed with sandalwood and more floral leather found in the scent's heart. I kind of liken vintage Derby as a combination of Sous Le Vent mixed with rosy leather. This is worthy of the high praise it receives. Whether it is worth the extremely high price tag a vintage bottle goes for nowadays is a personal choice, but a strong case can be made in the affirmative. This great composition gets a strong 4 to 4.5 out of 5 rating.

08/11/2020

9
Bottle 7
Sillage 7
Longevity 9
Scent

Pepdal
238 Reviews

Pepdal

3

Top Shelf

My review of Guerlain Derby from the Les Parisiens collection, and to my understanding, a different scent to the original 1985 release. As always, i hope you enjoy the review and thank you for watching.

08/12/2025

ClaireV
958 Reviews

ClaireV

1

Refined classic fougere

My review is for the reissue of Derby (2012 version). At first sniff, this was intimidatingly masculine. Something about the bracing bergamot, muskiness, smoky birch tar, and bitter-ish moss made me think of these old-school fougeres or chypres that my father might have worn in the seventies. But then immediately, I noticed that whereas it did indeed contain all of those traditionally masculine notes, the overall effect wasn't in the slightest bit harsh. In fact, the texture of Derby strikes me as being very smooth, well-blended, and even a bit powdery.

As it dried down, I noticed a few other things. First of all, whereas I don't pick out any of the patchouli that is said to be a significant component of Derby, I do in fact pick up on a lot of vetiver (not listed) - its dank, sour-ish twang is unmistakable to my nose. Second, the leather accord here is gently spiced, I suppose from the pepperiness from the carnation rather than from any overt spicing. This differentiates it (for me) from Bel Ami, whose leather is almost brutally doused with woody cinnamon. This is gentler, and perhaps, more refined.

And although this is not a fougere, there is a significant musky, herbal barbershop vibe to this detectable in the slight clean-soapiness lurking underneath the moss, the pleasingly herbal, saline-sweet smell of male skin freshly lathered and shaved with good, old-fashioned shaving soap. Lastly, the mossy aspects come forward a bit more as the scent dries down, and eventually it begins to resemble a drier, more austere Mitsouko. Was this perhaps the intention of Guerlain to produce a version of Mitsouko for men?

All in all, I find Derby to be an exceedingly pleasant, old-fashioned, leathery-barbershop fragrance - reassuringly masculine and solid, and yet subtle and almost 'light' in texture. It has the distinct feel of a powerhouse male fragrance at the start, but the texture and subtlety of the drydown is such that I would call it refined and gentlemanly, rather than Alpha Male.

11/23/2018

8
Sillage 8
Longevity 8
Scent

Minigolf
573 Reviews

Translated Show original

Minigolf

Very helpful Review 13

Lost in the woods....

...is that scent. Hard to get, at least in the Teuton room. Maybe still available in France? I do not know, but I was allowed to receive a Pröble and delight my nose in it. Yeah, it's heavy, the Derby, heavy and dark, like the
Wood of a chest of drawers in an old palace.
And as spicy as the air in an Indian bazaar, where all kinds of spices and incense are offered for sale.
Likewise the wooden planks creak in the same palace when the landlord in boots enters the rooms with earthy soles. After he has made his daily long walk in the woods all around.
He wears a leather jacket that exudes its bitter, inky scent through the warmth of the house. The fire in the saloon is lit. It smells of beech and birch logs.
Everything is filled with a strange, velvety silence.
Only the rain can be heard outside behind the windows crackling with the heavy curtains.
Fragrances, which originate from a distant time, cross the rooms.
If you are looking for the Palais on a modern map, you will hardly find it.
But it still exists, like a time capsule.
Lost in deep woods....