Top Notes 
Nutmeg
Bergamot
Coriander
Italian mandarin orange
Heart Notes 
Vervain
Petitgrain
Lavender
Tarragon
Clary sage
Base Notes 
Vetiver
Tonka bean
Musk
Sandalwood
Kurai
388 Reviews
Kurai
Helpful Review
4
The tonka twist
The past few months I've been working my way through Le Galion's current line-up. That resulted in an addition of "Cuir" and "Sang Bleu" to my collection and a few more on my watchlist. I saved "Vetyver" as one of the last to try. I had high hopes for this one, simply based on the notes listed and the praise for its predecessor "Eau de Vetyver" by Paul Vacher.
Vetyver is a rather well-behaved gentleman. No big bang entrance, but a gentle introduction. Citric and spicy, yes, but in a controlled manner. Mild citrus and just a little nutmeg. Slowly the scent gets a more herbaceous character. Petitgrain, verbena and a grassy, almost hay-like vetiver fade in. The overall composition feels bitter-herbaceous, which is exactly what I was hoping for.
For an hour or so, the scent stays in this grassy vetiver stage. Compared to Guerlain's Vetiver and Terre D'Hermes, this is definitely a step up in terms of class or finesse. This Le Galion can easily be matched with a designer suit, while with the other two I'd feel more comfortable wearing a casual outfit - think jeans and lumberjack shirt or so. This Vetyver is conservative, classic and perhaps a bit too safe.
And then.. the whole scent undergoes a transition. The bitter herbs and vetiver start to fade out and instead comes a solid amount of coumarin to dominate the scent for a few hours. It is also slightly bitter, although much less than the herbal notes in the heart, and there is a slightly 'burnt' aspect to it. I can't really enjoy this development. I'm not a fan of coumarin-heavy scents in general. For me, it somehow triggers an association with sweetness and vanilla, even though no such notes are present here.
So the drydown for me is a let-down. I'd rather have the scent remain in this lovely bitter-herbaceous heart stage and slowly fade out from there. What a pity! Nevertheless, the scent is a classy take on vetiver and certainly of good quality.
Vetyver is a rather well-behaved gentleman. No big bang entrance, but a gentle introduction. Citric and spicy, yes, but in a controlled manner. Mild citrus and just a little nutmeg. Slowly the scent gets a more herbaceous character. Petitgrain, verbena and a grassy, almost hay-like vetiver fade in. The overall composition feels bitter-herbaceous, which is exactly what I was hoping for.
For an hour or so, the scent stays in this grassy vetiver stage. Compared to Guerlain's Vetiver and Terre D'Hermes, this is definitely a step up in terms of class or finesse. This Le Galion can easily be matched with a designer suit, while with the other two I'd feel more comfortable wearing a casual outfit - think jeans and lumberjack shirt or so. This Vetyver is conservative, classic and perhaps a bit too safe.
And then.. the whole scent undergoes a transition. The bitter herbs and vetiver start to fade out and instead comes a solid amount of coumarin to dominate the scent for a few hours. It is also slightly bitter, although much less than the herbal notes in the heart, and there is a slightly 'burnt' aspect to it. I can't really enjoy this development. I'm not a fan of coumarin-heavy scents in general. For me, it somehow triggers an association with sweetness and vanilla, even though no such notes are present here.
So the drydown for me is a let-down. I'd rather have the scent remain in this lovely bitter-herbaceous heart stage and slowly fade out from there. What a pity! Nevertheless, the scent is a classy take on vetiver and certainly of good quality.
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