Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21 Guerlain 2023

After having gone through Bergamote Fantastico Extrait 11 and coming out unscathed, with my wallet intact, I was cautious when approaching this fragrance since I do love vanilla (currently have three fragrances in my collection where vanilla is a star). I wore it once yesterday and wore it again today for my review.

Currently, vanilla is absolutely everywhere. It's one of the most beloved notes at the time of this review. It's been done in many ways: dark, light, with a green tinge, with marine qualities, more playful, more serious, etc. you get the gist of it. The bar was pretty high for this one given its pricepoint and the fact that Guerlain has a long-standing relationship with vanilla: it's part of the Guerlinade after all. I've got to say, they've achieved what they strived for. This extrait is one the most exquisite, realistic, vanilla bean scent I've ever smelled. It's dark, smoky, powdery and sweet. There's a lot of complexity and depth.

The disc started scratching a little bit when I started realizing that it reminded me of other perfumes I've already tried. It did remind me a bit of "Dulce (Eau de Parfum) | By / Rosie Jane" and of "Nemat's Vanilla Musk | Nemat International" (yeah I'm hearing the gasps: how dare I compare this extrait to cheaper fragrances) with its powdery and musky vibe. Unfortunately, that's the thing for me. I think my skin moved the white musk to the front of the scent while placing vanilla just behind so that the vanilla and musk combo reminded me of the aforementioned fragrances. Amber gives warmth and myrrh gives complexity, while spices add this depth, but musk and vanilla are so prominent that it overshadows everything else. I might also not have the most refined nose yet (I've started my journey a few years ago only). I do have to say this extrait is the more mature, refined and sophisticated fragrance between all those I've mentioned and it doesn't have any syntheticness to it, which I appreciated.

It's somewhat of a releif knowing it won't be making it into my collection because of the price, but also due to the overwhelming musky, powdery combo with vanilla. It's a pretty good booster for fragrances featuring vanilla and I'll be testing the remaining decant with my other vanilla perfumes to see how they go well together. For those of you who have the money to spend and the skin chemistry that balances out the notes better, this could be an excellent purchase and a lovely addition to your collection. For the mere peasants like me, seems you can again find solace in other, cheaper fragrances...

I have an ambivalent opinion regarding this fragrance: I think it’s the best vanilla fragrance I’ve ever smelled. So dense, rich, profound, not immature but not TOO mature. I can smell vanilla, refined spices and I don’t know why but I get licorice. I’m literally obsessed. Then why did I start the review by saying I have an ambivalent opinion, you might say? The performance. Horrible. It doesn’t project, it doesn’t last, sillage is terrible. At least on my skin. It’s such a pity, I’m so mad and disappointed…

If you need a booster, please choose Vanilla Planifolia. I think that the collection Extrait born to transform Guerlain’s fragrance in a masterpiece.
Something unique with a difference twist, you can combine extrait and fragrance, and you will create a tailor made fragrance.

Do you love Cuir Beluga? Please create a base with Vanilla planifolia and magic will arrive.
But, if you want use it like a fragrance you must know that is a Vanilla planifolia concentration is really flat no evolution just warmest sensation on your skin. Silage is impressive, I’ve forgot a mouillette and it goes ahead for one week.

Guerlain has, among other things, always been revered for their expertise when it comes to the use of vanilla in their fragrances. To get a singular interpretation of this legendary note was an exciting proposition to me, but I'm not sure this is what I was expecting. With this extrait I was expecting to get a heavy dose of the sweet, powdery vanilla that we get in iconic fragrances like Jicky and Shalimar, or even the boozy, syrupy vanilla we get in Spiritueuse Double Vanille but instead, we get a very sharp, to the point, balsamic vanilla. This vanilla is rich and sweet, but it also has some fervent spice to it, alongside of some serious leathery smoke that true vanilla tends to exude in it's natural form. From an artistic standpoint, this is a gorgeous vanilla fragrance that I can see getting better only with age. From a Guerlain standpoint, I am ever so slightly let down, but not disappointed. Vanilla lovers and loathers alike will find solace in this fragrance, even if the price is otherworldly. Also, if you're looking for a fragrance that has sillage and projection enough to send you to another world, look no further than here. This one leaves a mile long trail, and will last until the absolute end of all time, even on skin.

I always say that for every one vanilla fragrance that I like there are two more than will be nauseating to me. Fortunately, this fragrance lands itself in the pantheons of vanillas that I can tolerate. I do thoroughly enjoy this fragrance solely from an olfactory point of view, but as a long time Guerlain fanboy, I wish this channeled a bit more of the vanilla accord that the brand is known for.

vanilla vanilla vanilla you can't go much more vanilla than that ! it's a wonderfull dark smooth creamy vanilla but it's way too strong,honestly do not spray more than 3 time with this one otherwise you and the people around you will get a good headache. spray this on your clothes/scarf and a nice deep vanilla will hug you the whole day.