Habit Rouge 1965 Eau de Toilette

Habit Rouge (Eau de Toilette) by Guerlain
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8.0 / 10 1036 Ratings
A popular perfume by Guerlain for men, released in 1965. The scent is citrusy-spicy. The longevity is above-average. It is being marketed by LVMH.
Pronunciation
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Main accords

Citrus
Spicy
Powdery
Leathery
Oriental

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
Green lemonGreen lemon Bitter orangeBitter orange
Heart Notes Heart Notes
PatchouliPatchouli
Base Notes Base Notes
VanillaVanilla BenzoinBenzoin LeatherLeather

Perfumer

Videos
Ratings
Scent
8.01036 Ratings
Longevity
8.1786 Ratings
Sillage
7.4760 Ratings
Bottle
7.4734 Ratings
Value for money
8.2226 Ratings
Submitted by Kankuro, last update on 21.04.2024.
Interesting Facts
The scent was re-formulated and modernized in 2003.

Reviews

46 in-depth fragrance descriptions
8
Pricing
7
Bottle
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
8
Scent
Gold

541 Reviews
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Gold
Gold
Top Review 55  
Habit Rouge, you're not my habibi!
Over 80 comments and 803 ratings registers this classic alone on Parfumo.
Why I now also want to add my two cents is simple: "Habit Rouge EdT" came a few days ago as a gift to me (X-MAS was all around us...) and I wear the eau de toilette now after a long time again, without really feeling this giant JOY to the fragrance, which runs through most comment odes here.
Perhaps you have desire to fathom with me, why for me this Guerlain is not a "10 "er candidate, but you must be indulgent with my old Spießerseele.

Already as a teenager I became aware of "Habit Rouge" because my father, whose name differed only by a single letter from the word "Habit", wore this fragrance for one bottle, but (thank God!) did not make it the perfume of his life. Later, my sister and I would buy a bottle of the eau de toilette every now and then, because we just liked the name "Habit" plus "Rouge" (for the political direction) so much (family specific craziness!) and we thought that "Habit Rouge" was the big brother of "Shalimar" (and "Shalimar" used to be more expensive. Back in our student days, when you couldn't order anything on the internet and we had to save money).
The scent of HR and SH is very similar. Just as with "Shalimar", the scent opens with a delightful cascade of hesperidic notes, invigorating and almost cutting.
This is the most beautiful part of the fragrance for me, the reason I love to spray it! No one does such great citrusy top notes like Guerlain!
This is followed by some notes in "Habit Rouge" that are not mentioned here in the pyramid, but which are given in some French books and which you can perceive very well, namely roses, geranium and iris. At this point in the heart, the fragrance takes on something dusty before settling into a soft balsamic base, showing very subtle leather notes, then settling gently (again, much like Shalimar) on vanilla and slowly fading out. Charming, but ...- but what?

It's too soft for me, it's too much like "Shalimar", it's perfectly androgynous and so strangely dusty at the same time. On the one hand, "Habit Rouge" is not a fragrance for the nice, solid family man next door, who trots dutifully to the office every day (or now sits trapped in front of his screen in the home office) and would never start an affair with the colleague, but on the other hand, it is also, in my view, completely unsuitable for men who want to stand out, who want to radiate strength, who are unconventional.
When I smell "Habit Rouge", one of those classic dandies from the last century appears in my mind's eye. A man wearing colorful silk scarves with paisley patterns and a hint of powder on his pale complexion.
The version I sprayed on today is reformulated, of course, but it retains its nostalgic charm. In theory, I think it's nonsense to overload fragrances with gender stereotypes, indeed, it's extremely old-fashioned and "politically incorrect" to write that this or that flower smells "masculine" and the other note "feminine".
Nevertheless, for reasons of socialization, most people make gender-specific assignments all the time, both in fragrances and in colors, in fashion in general, etc., etc., etc.

So I apologize if this comment ultimately reads like a column from the 50's, but I can't help myself: "Habit Rouge" is not a masculine scent to me. A man should not smell like someone who is afraid to reach for "Shalimar". He should either use "Shalimar" right away or "Polo" by Ralph Lauren. Or, for example, "Monsieur" by F. Malle. He is not called "Monsieur" for nothing!
So, and now you can finish me off..
41 Comments
9
Bottle
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
10
Scent
Salva

71 Reviews
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Salva
Salva
Top Review 38  
I don't want to miss you anymore.
Every moment with you is something very special,
every moment with you something wonderful.
I don't want to miss you and hopefully I never have to,
i want you with me, better always than never [...]

Due to the current situation I didn't want to go anywhere this year and preferred to spend my free time at home this time. And what does a perfumo do during his free time? That's right, testing every day! Well, regardless of the holidays we all do it regularly anyway, but it's much more relaxed if you don't have to wake up in the morning and go to work...

Anyway, that's what I did on my vacation some time ago... Those were the weeks when we suffered from an enormous heat wave all over the country and partly in many other neighbouring countries and were longing for cooler temperatures every day...
So in the first few days I went to various air-conditioned department stores and tested all the waters...

Personally, I have been a big fan of French houses for a long time, as their scents somehow appeal to me the most and completely meet my taste. And Habit Rouge fragrances have been on my watch list for a really long time, but I postponed testing this series again and again, because they were "on the doorstep" and I didn't have to do much for them.
"Oh come on, you can always try them out one way or another, take your time", I always told myself and let days, weeks and several months pass by... But then the day came when I should test them or the EdT...

To be honest I did not get much information about the Habit-Rouges in advance. Here and there I skimmed over one or the other comment or statement, but this happened rather "on the side" and not really concentrated, so that I didn't remember any note or any possible special feature...
So I went - completely detached from any expectations or the like. - i went to a perfumery and the first thing I did was grab the EdT. And when I sprayed it on my wrist right away, my thought was: "God, I have never smelled such a dreamlike opening before! In fact, just for the top note, I would... uh, I don't know, I was gonna write "die," but "may" this? Well, I just do. Yes, this top note is really 'to die for', as they say in English... The most brilliant opening I've ever had...
A citric-fresh aromatic dream of green lemon and (bitter) orange with tender-spicy pepper, simply to melt away...

Of course, I too have come to realize that many fragrances are called "scents". "But my gut feeling told me that this Habit Rouge can't be like that, because "it is a Guerlain after all", I told myself, while I couldn't and wouldn't take my nose off my wrist. So I took my mobile phone and googled it on this page...

"Earthy Patchouli"? Dry leather? Sensual vanilla? Balsamic benzoin? Well, if that doesn't promise too little", I heard the other notes and waited and hoped at the same time for a dynamic scent...

After testing various other fragrances on test strips (only the Habit Rouge EdT was on both my wrists), I left the shop. A while passed and the fragrance actually developed as its notes predicted. After this initial dream opening, my nose was joined by a very distinct patchouli, giving it its woody-sour and long-lasting character. And at the base, the fragrance changes again to an insanely sensual, balsamic-sweet vanilla-benzoic mix, rounded off with a slightly leathery undertone. On other pages, such as fragrantica, for example, floral notes like rose, jasmine and clove are added. Personally, I don't perceive any flowers, which doesn't bother me at all, because I love the fragrance as it comes across to my nose...

Looking at the points scale, you can see that I am also more than satisfied with the durability and sillage. I can smell the scent on myself for about 7-8h (with 4-5 splashes) and in the first 3-4h it leaves a big cloud of scent that people around you clearly perceive.
Conclusion:
I have been able to test all versions of Habit Rouge to date, except the EdT's brother, the EdP. I think everyone is wonderful and I am convinced that the EdP is just as beautiful as the EdT. But since I was in love with the EdT right from the start, he moved in with me relatively quickly. And it is one of those fragrances I would never want to miss again, because it is so universally applicable and you can wear and enjoy it every day, in all weathers and on all occasions.

Thanks Guerlain and thanks to all who have read so far!
25 Comments
8
Bottle
8
Sillage
8
Longevity
9.5
Scent
FvSpee

249 Reviews
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FvSpee
FvSpee
Top Review 34  
If he falls, then...
I do not like to write comments about ore classics like this. On the one hand, I'm afraid of not doing them justice. On the other hand, so much has already been said about them that you don't really have to dump a cup of water into the ocean anymore.

But since I'm wearing this beautiful ore classic again today and I feel the urge to express my lasting pleasure, I'd like to add a few sketchy lines in times of epidemic, when it is comforting to reflect on old values and the lasting
Habit Rouge is a prime example of a dual fragrance. There are fragrances that float or waft like a uniform carpet of scents, there are those in which a dozen notes flutter and flicker, there are the masters of development, the symphonies with three or four movements, and there are these dual fragrances, often with a counterplay of two stark contrasts. That's how it is here. The light, bright, clean citric (in a bitter expression, however) in a constant struggle (which is actually a yin-yang game designed for complementation) with the heavy, dark, dirty basis; until the two of them lie there exhausted at some point and come to rest.

This beautiful dirtiness, so characteristic of Habit-Rouge, is well illustrated by the notes leather, patchouli and benzoin. But I would almost bet that there is also a rich, strong, slightly bitter rose, as red as the cap and label.

Hermès has felt a hundred fragrant names that revolve around horses and carriages, Guerlain, as far as I know, only this one, Habit Rouge, the red tailcoat of the tournament rider. But with exactly this one scent Guerlain is right on target: The fresh and noble equestrian man falls into the dirt, sweating, together with his leather stuff
That's why Habit Rouge gets nine points for the name as well as for the fragrance itself. With a tendency towards nine-point-five. The name is unmistakable, short, succinct and to the point. Not so poetic perhaps, hence not ten.

Habit Rouge suits every man. Maybe I said at some point, who is not so youth-compatible, but what do I care about my yesterday's laundry. I can imagine him on a bodybuilder as well as on an office bonsai, on an old university professor (maybe but not on a high school teacher, for whatever reason) as well as on a movie actor in his prime or a young construction worker at the weekend clubbing (when the clubs open again after the epidemic is over). And also the about 70 female owners here on the right side of the list didn't make a mistake.

Habit Rouge is a stroke of genius of perfume. A benchmark. A reference water. There is hardly any other fragrance in the world that is so unique and unmistakable. And if there are similar fragrances, you can actually be sure they are plagiarisms. Anyone who hasn't smelled Habit Rouge has a fragrance education gap, asking for immediate closure. A candidate for the "Ten Classic Shortlist".

Habit Rouge must be simple.
20 Comments
10
Bottle
9
Sillage
9
Longevity
9
Scent
Chevalier

62 Reviews
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Chevalier
Chevalier
Top Review 33  
Most inhibitions are bred to us through upbringing. Kühn-Görg, Monika
We are currently living in a bubble where people are outraged by everything and everything. When the AKK talks about a man's joke at a carnival, everyone is horrified. When the stelter on stage makes a joke about double names, a person comes to him on stage and complains about his way of making jokes. With the fragrances we are also almost ready, most of them are ironed smooth and committed to the mainstream. No more heavy or very own scents, which express their opinion in the Sillage. Only products that correspond to the political correctnes. But to have no soul anymore and to work completely arbitrary and exchangeable.
This Habit Rouge is the absolute opposite of the PC, here it is not paid attention whether it seems too strong or too heavy. This red muscleman comes quite unconcerned and shows what he can do. Nice words or style goes anyway.
This cross-country skier from the sixties still has the old strength and Sillage as it is extinct in this species. He looks massive, strong and dominant. One recognizes him against the wind, if the crowd was attached in Spendierlaune. No fragrance has such a clear recognition value.
One has the impression, a few years before it was formulated somewhat weaker and now again into the old spicy form with the lemon and the patchouli trimmed upward.
One likes him and finds it successful or a splash is enough and one takes distance.

This is probably where the male guerlinade originated.
The mix of fruit with leather and the obligatory vanilla really found its formula here.
Guerlain mostly maintained this by excluding the lighter products.
Apply a few splashes in the morning and you can see the freshness with the leathery spice all day long.
The successors like a Drakkar noir, Azzaro or Jule are more recent and went in a different direction.

This product in one of the most beautiful design containers can be worn in winter but also in summer. The dose makes the poison, as Paracelsus already knew.
What applies to Political Correctness also applies to this classic.
One should always think about why we are so quickly outraged and why we do not simply let the other live, even if it does not correspond to the mainstream, which will be forgotten the day after tomorrow anyway.
10 Comments
6
Pricing
9
Bottle
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
5.5
Scent
AlterHerr

10 Reviews
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AlterHerr
AlterHerr
Top Review 37  
Out of time
Habit Rouge - now I know you as Eau de toilette your whole life, and I have to tell you that I have held up better than you could. Probably because you have just always defied every zeitgeist, and you have always remained true even with reformulation.
Such a characteristic distinguishes icons indeed, but since the wheel of time continues to turn, there makes such a character also more lonely.

You never embraced Shalimar's welcoming nature, always remaining the sterner, more suspicious brother. When the former offered the seductive female womb, you were content to play the role of householder.

In your top note, no lush bouquets of flowers and fruit stalls in oriental markets, but the almost bitter sourness of natural citrus aromas, which have always made you very bulky.
Your sublimity describes less the longing of the Orient, but more the Occident, along with a Gothic cathedral full of incense wavers.
No, you do not invite your counterpart, but assign him a place.

The heavy, musty earthiness of Patchouli makes your entourage kneel even as it goes on.
A real approach is not desired by you.

Meanwhile, the world of fragrances has become friendlier. Modern perfumes would like to smile formally, and seduce to the common campfire. Your ashes, however, are cold, and when your vanilla and benzo notes do try to open sweetly, a leathery band tugs them back relentlessly, as if to insist that one does not reveal intimate feelings at your age. The floridity of your dryout is really mere decoration, and nothing more than an obvious Potemkin village.

I don't want to stay with you anymore, and perhaps I never really wanted to, even though you and I have always met. I want to move on regardless of my own age, taste the future, and I think this time it will be goodbye forever.

You'll have your livelihood. Not only in the history books of perfumery, and in the curious hands of young, fragrance-savvy explorers, but also on the shelves of those very non-conformists who get a cold shiver from the very term "mainstream", and who can't get enough of meeting every flag of Diors Sauvage, no matter how light, with your cold arrogance.

I, on the other hand, commit blasphemy, even sacrilege, and wet my aged skin with Clinique's Happy Men without any rueful look back - grinning as if I'd just turned fourteen....

7 Comments
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Statements

16 short views on the fragrance
BertolucciKBertolucciK 3 years ago
8
Bottle
8
Sillage
8
Longevity
8.5
Scent
A bright lemony opening. Classy, aromatic, powdery, old school. Floral, slightly smoky, leathery, patchouli and vanilla. Similar to Shalimar
0 Comments
HugoMontezHugoMontez 3 years ago
8
Bottle
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
10
Scent
This is a truly masterpiece. Nothing's wrong here. Just pure joy. Vanilla, lemon, woods, patchouli... A masculine landmark. Mandatory! 5/5
1 Comment
HajuvanaHajuvana 8 years ago
8
Bottle
8
Sillage
9
Longevity
10
Scent
I hate spicy/woody orientals. Habit Rouge is a spicy/woody oriental. I love Habit Rouge. That's how good it is.
0 Comments
ChicoRoch1ChicoRoch1 1 year ago
6
Bottle
7
Sillage
7
Longevity
7
Scent
A reworked modernized fragrance means cheapened and ruined
0 Comments
KuraiKurai 3 years ago
8
Bottle
8
Sillage
9
Longevity
7
Scent
New years day. No better way to start the year than with Habit Rouge. Where other perfumes have to suit the mood, Habit Rouge sets the mood!
1 Comment
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