L'Homme Suave

L'Homme Sauvage

Roberto Capucci Eau de Toilette

This could be the title of the umpteenth part of a Star Wars spin-off and would therefore be completely unnecessary, just like all Star Wars films since part 3 (or Episode VI) would have been unnecessary (to be precise, part 3 was already a remake of the first two parts, just with cuddly bears wielding wooden spears). So, enough of the teasing ;-)

Once upon a time, a long
time ago in a galaxy far, far,
away...

No, stop, it’s actually supposed to be about L'Homme Suave by Roberto Capucci (Clone 1). It is dueling with the Writer by Yves de Sistelle (Clone 2). Both are known to be cloned from Sauvage by Dior, which is not the focus here.

There are probably people out there who believe Clone 1 is the original:
Sauvage 2015 (according to Parfumo) Rating 7.6
Suave 2016 (according to Fragrantica) Rating 8.3
Writer 2017 (according to Parfumo) Rating 7.9
The lineage seems clear to me. The ratings are quite interesting. While the base for Sauvage is significantly larger (> 1,500 ratings), the Writer still has 226. Suave only has 22, so there can be some upward deviations.

Clone 1:
It opens very nicely citrus-fresh and is also relatively sweet due to the tangerine. However, it is already quite synthetic. Fortunately, the strong synthetics dissipate with the top note after about 15 minutes. Jasmine, pepper, and especially galbanum quickly join in. It remains relatively sweet and gets a little freshness boost from petitgrain before the spicy notes of galbanum and vetiver take over completely.

Clone 2:
It opens significantly less fresh, although similarly synthetic. Sweet apple can be detected. It also has slightly green elements from the lavender. The flower comes through geranium, and instead of galbanum, there is elemi resin. The development is quite similar, so after 20 minutes, you can already notice how the two are converging. After 1.5-2 hours, I can no longer detect a difference, even though it has other notes in the base besides vetiver.

There is turmoil in the Galactic Senate.
Several thousand star systems have declared their intention
to withdraw from the Republic.

No, the two are no reason for any kind of uproar! One is a bit fresher at the start, the other a bit greener, and in the base, they are indistinguishable to my standard nose. The longevity is also similarly good for both, with a minimal advantage for Clone 2. So it’s a matter of taste.

Personally, I would tend towards Clone 1. At least it doesn’t copy the bottle 1:1! (although the goal of a clone must always be the perfect copy).
Since I already have Clone 2 sitting at home, I will stick with it (unless someone wants to trade), because you definitely don’t need both.

The winner of the clone duel is therefore quite clear: none - it’s a draw!

And that has never happened in Star Wars. May the Force be with you...