Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21 Guerlain 2023

Rosendo Mateu influences big perfume houses, then that means something. I mean, both Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21 and Le Vestiaire - Babycat are inspired by 5 - Floral, Amber, Sensual Musk. It feels like everyone has been enchanted by No. 5 and both Guerlain and YSL thought "let's jump on this horse and do it our way". Is that still creative? No, certainly not. Creativity would only lie in being different, in giving the fragrance a certain signature scent.
Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21 has the typical French Guerlain elegance that I expected. In this case, fortunately, without appearing old-fashioned (not so easy with Guerlain). With the price, the bottle and the fragrance notes, I have to admit that I expected a lot and was not disappointed in terms of fragrance, raw material quality, durability and the appearance of the bottle. All these points get a 10 out of 10 from me. Only the sillage is typically French, an 8 seems adequate to me.

About the fragrance: Resting in itself. Enveloping. Warming. Cuddly. Supple. Noble. Sublime. Elegant. Fluffy like the softest nude-colored cashmere yarn or flowing like silvery-golden silk. For me, it has a (spicy/garden) clove note and perhaps some cardamom that give it a slightly more intense touch. Over time, it develops a sweet-powdery, delicately smoky aura and reminds me very distantly of suntan lotions from the old days, which were all very strongly scented back then. But all in a classy setting, of course.

The quality of the raw materials: you can smell the quality of the fragrance from afar. The extrait lives up to its name.

The bottle is a jewel, a real treasure that is second to none. Period. Perfectly crafted, adorned with gold elements all over, simply incredibly beautiful. The golden juice plays its part in this.

Who is the fragrance for? For the rich, snobs, for those who pretend to be rich or the average consumer who wants to "treat themselves", you only live once ... :p Joking aside. For me, it's unisex. It's not so feminine that it should put men off, and as a man you don't need any "courage" to wear it.

Occasions: For me, this is a statement fragrance but also a connoisseur fragrance. Due to the fragrance impression and H&S for special occasions, more of an evening and night out fragrance. But you can always enjoy it. A small spray or a tiny drop accompanies you throughout the day.

The price: You can discuss this at length. Ultimately, it's subjective. For most of us, it takes up a large part of our monthly net income. Only everyone can decide for themselves whether it is worth it. I'm sure that some people downgrade the fragrance rating because of the price and don't make a clear distinction between fragrance and PL ratio, otherwise the fragrance would be at 8.5 or higher.
Guerlain certainly wanted to outdo itself with this fragrance, both in terms of quality and price. The traditional house has succeeded in both. Does it bother Guerlain that some people turn up their noses here? We probably won't find out....
When I consider that Rosendo No. 5 and Babycat are very similar, then Planifolia Extrait 21 is out of the question for me, not least because of the price.