Habit Rouge Spirit Guerlain 2025

I stumbled upon it during my summer vacation in Normandy, early August. Deauville was the destination - and indeed the only perfumery (out of 5) that had this previously unknown "Spirit" in its assortment.

The slightly wood-grained background of the label suggests it - this "Habit Rouge" clearly departs from the lemon and orange zone. "Summer go away" is rather the motto here.

Not surprisingly, the collaboration with Hennessy seems to be a factor.
Autumn is welcomed, where the cognac truly becomes a cozy little jacket.

You can indeed recognize a basic DNA of "HR," although it has shifted significantly towards the vanilla. The iris opens with a fine-pored, softly floral-creamy touch, while nutmeg can be identified as the one, gentle spice component.

Otherwise, gourmand elements are truly in focus, with a best-case scenario of a bitter-orange-tinged, but largely cozy vanilla, and the aforementioned oak barrel base note, which can be described as slightly smoky-caramel wood, dominating the composition.

This is very durable, very smooth, although personally I miss a bit of edges and corners, and I also somewhat miss the tension arc that is otherwise quite typical of Guerlain. Perhaps it is a bit too conformist. Nice, but definitely.