Habit Rouge Guerlain 1965 Eau de Cologne

They are still here, the treasures from the past! For some time now, I have been the owner of a generous bottle of the long-discontinued Eau de Cologne version of Habit Rouge - thanks to Profumo, who unfortunately had to wait an unreasonably long time for these lines. I hope he forgives me.

Because I had my reasons: Habit Rouge EdT was my preferred Sunday afternoon scent in the nineties. I always found it floral-soft, yet elegant - something relaxing that was very far from the usual robust men's fragrances. This fundamental character has always made Habit Rouge seem to me a bit like a retirement perfume - nothing dynamic or energetic is encountered here: it fits neither in office floors nor in sporty environments, despite its connection to horseback riding. Instead, I had to imagine older gentlemen taking a stroll in the spa park of Bad Salzuflen or similar places.

However, that never stopped me from wearing it. Habit Rouge was one of those densely woven Guerlain fragrances whose quality made me disregard the image.

My Habit Rouge has aged gracefully: it is or was one of the very few perfumes that could actually improve in quality over the aging process. At some point, it took on a beautiful amber hue, darkened, became heavier, and acquired an almost oily or liqueur-like quality. Eventually, of course, it did go off, so I had to repurchase.

But what could replace something so special? The Eau de Parfum version that was released some time ago seems very polished to me. The Eau de Cologne is no longer available and probably never will be again, so at some point, a new, unaged bottle of Habit Rouge Eau de Toilette made its way into my collection.

Perhaps a mispurchase. I have hardly worn it so far - I find the lighter flankers, Sport and L'Eau, as well as the discontinued Légère, all more convincing. From my previous fondness, almost a dislike has developed, and it took a long time before I finally decided to test the HR Eau de Cologne.

Even vintage versions are never what they once were. Regularly, a kind of aging must be assumed. In the case of my Habit Rouge Eau de Cologne bottle, I notice that it already achieves the longevity of an Eau de Toilette; I did not expect that.

Here at Parfumo, we list the Eau de Cologne version as a separate entry, and so the question arises whether there is actually a difference in the scent composition compared to the EdT version - and that can only be an older one as well - or if we are merely dealing with different concentrations of the same fragrance. The question is difficult to answer, as my only comparison is my memory of the old Eau de Toilette. Perhaps the Eau de Cologne version is a bit more transparent, more ethereal, with maybe a touch more bergamot in the top notes, and more powderiness in the drydown. But that could all be misleading.

In contrast, the direct comparison with the Habit Rouge EdT of today makes it immediately clear why I have developed this aversion. The current EdT is robust in every way: instead of delicate bergamot in the top, I perceive a composition that seems somewhat synthetic. Surely there has been an effort to reformulate gently, but the magic is still lost. The Habit Rouge of the past represented a completely independent and original fragrance in its density and complexity - it smelled unmistakably of, well, Habit Rouge. But in the current Eau de Toilette, the notes fall apart. I found the base particularly unpleasant. Here, an oriental accord stands out, which unpleasantly reminds me of the typical smell when entering an esoteric bookstore: this kind of patchouli-benzoin-vanilla accord is mixed by every second natural perfumer nowadays.

But enough with memories that are completely useless for most readers! The more interesting question is: is there a way to connect to or participate in the Habit Rouge experience of past decades? I believe, yes.

To my knowledge, it is not the well-known Eau de Toilette that should be considered the vintage version, but this Eau de Cologne. In the 50s and 60s, Eau de Toilettes for men were probably not yet common; that came later. That Habit Rouge was developed as such a "light" fragrance makes immediate sense to me. It was far too extravagant, too floral, soft, and fine to be applied heavily. Even the release of a Habit Rouge in Eau de Toilette strength at that time may have complicated access in a certain way.

Returning to the roots means in this case: remembering that Habit Rouge was launched in 1965 as a light men's cologne - not as an Eau de Toilette, not as an Eau de Parfum, and certainly not as an Extrait, a fundamentally terrifying idea. It is nice that Guerlain has released a few light versions as flankers in this sense, which I would gladly recommend in the search for the roots. Although especially Habit Rouge Sport strays very far from its notes, these flankers may better meet the original intention. Very delicate and light is the unfortunately already discontinued Légère, which leans most closely to the original scent. There may still be some remaining stocks available here and there. The fresh L'Eau stands roughly in the middle between HR Sport and the original and may be preferable to Sport.

Once again, heartfelt thanks to Profumo for the scent memories. I will surely use up the bottle.