Habit Rouge Parfum Guerlain 2024

... and that's the cat out of the bag, because: if you're familiar with the previous Habit Rouge variations by Thierry Wasser and Delphine Jelk, you already know from the headline which two fragrances the new perfume version by HR reminds me of.

That wasn't very brilliant of me in terms of suspense - but well, we live in les temps du tempo and people prefer their news-to-use in breaking news format, so in that sense I've done my duty. For those of you who still have time to spare, here's a more detailed description of my fragrance impression - it's complimentary!

I am probably one of the few millennials (a.k.a. "Generation Goldbarren") who counts himself among the Habit Rouge ultras and wears the original with devotion and delight - not despite, but precisely because of its eccentricity.

Nevertheless, I am always open to modern reinterpretations of the theme;
but ... I have now, alas, studied Habit Rouge Dress Code and Habit Rouge Rouge Privé, and unfortunately also Habit Rouge L'Instinct (urks!), with great effort - and here I am, poor fool, and I am as clever as before!

In new German: the previous remixes didn't do it for me; but it's a matter of honor that I had to order the new perfume version on the Guerlain website on the day of release ... and it probably won't stay in my collection for too long.

But first things first: I find the rum/bourbon note pompously advertised on the Guerlain website to be more of a nice marketing gag; well, with a little imagination you can sense something high-proof liqueur-like in the top note, otherwise the start with bergamot is reminiscent of Habit Rouge Rouge Privé only already much more candied and very quickly framed by the other fragrance notes.

Compared to other HRs, Delphine Jelk turns the dial down considerably with the hesperides and leather and ignites the gourmand turbo - according to Guerlain's PR fragrance pyramid, this is patchouli and vanilla, but there is definitely something else at work that steers the fragrance in a rather praline direction from the heart note onwards.

And when it comes to praline, everything is actually clear: the perfume is basically the dress code interpretation of Habit Rouge Rouge Privé: bergamot and leather from the latter, tonka and praline from the former. The similarity to Habit Rouge Dress Code is particularly striking in the base.

Incidentally, the latter lasts for a very long time - even if it becomes relatively skin-deep after a while - but in my opinion this is a bit of a disadvantage for the fragrance, as this phase of the scent in particular goes down well for me, but doesn't really make me go into raptures.

It's just a matter of taste: for some it will make the fragrance more modern, wearable and universal, for me personally the rich bergamot-backed I-Love-Milka sweetness trivializes the fragrance somewhat. In the original, I love how transparent and "razor-sharp" the individual base notes are despite the sweet and powdery notes - in the perfume version, on the other hand, the sweet notes cover the fragrance like a soft focus and make it seem a little flat and dull at times.

But enough grumbling: anyone who loved Dress Code and/or would like a more modern, somewhat less complicated HR version should definitely give it a try. For me personally, the release, like all other remakes, perhaps fails due to the fact that the original is unmatched in its fascinating contrasting program of jagged citrusy top notes, dandy floral heart and the deep vanilla-leather patch base and simply cannot be improved upon.

For me, the ultimate remains the holy trinity of Habit Rouge Eau de Toilette, Habit Rouge Eau de Parfum and Habit Rouge Extrait (Where are you? Sob!)