Tsar 1989 Eau de Toilette

Tsar (Eau de Toilette) by Van Cleef & Arpels
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7.9 / 10 309 Ratings
Tsar (Eau de Toilette) is a popular perfume by Van Cleef & Arpels for men and was released in 1989. The scent is spicy-green. It was last marketed by Inter Parfums.
Layers well with Musk / Moschus (After Shave)
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Main accords

Spicy
Green
Woody
Fougère
Fresh

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
ArtemisiaArtemisia CorianderCoriander RosemaryRosemary LavenderLavender NeroliNeroli BergamotBergamot
Heart Notes Heart Notes
GeraniumGeranium JuniperJuniper PinePine TarragonTarragon CarnationCarnation JasmineJasmine Lily of the valleyLily of the valley PepperPepper RoseRose
Base Notes Base Notes
OakmossOakmoss AmberAmber CedarCedar CoconutCoconut LeatherLeather MuskMusk PatchouliPatchouli Tonka beanTonka bean VetiverVetiver SandalwoodSandalwood

Perfumer

Ratings
Scent
7.9309 Ratings
Longevity
7.4231 Ratings
Sillage
6.9225 Ratings
Bottle
7.1219 Ratings
Value for money
7.638 Ratings
Submitted by Kankuro, last update on 13.12.2023.

Reviews

12 in-depth fragrance descriptions
Wombatkönig

7 Reviews
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Wombatkönig
Wombatkönig
Helpful Review 9  
Grandfather's Delight
One thing up front: if you're looking for a detailed scent analysis here, you'd better skip straight to the next comment. I can only offer a narrative, what I associate with TSAR:

It all started when I took on the task of getting a perfume for my grandfather's birthday. So I went - at that time unaware that there is also something beyond the designer segment - in a local perfumery, which is known for always having favorable special offers. Once there, I described my desire, whereupon the friendly salesman unerringly informed me that he had "exactly the right thing" for me. So I bought the fragrance blindly, because the store is indeed cheap but also has no testing facilities.
At home I was annoyed then for the first time: On the Internet there was the fragrance at the same price, the hoped-for bargain I have not made so already times.

When the day of honor had come, the fragrance - of course beautifully packaged - was solemnly presented and immediately unpacked again and sprayed on.

Here followed for me disappointment two and three, because on the one hand, my youthful "I" did not like the boring green bottle and also the fragrance I had expected me differently. Yes, at that moment I immediately understood why the salesman had immediately grabbed the fragrance at the words "for my grandpa". Of course not knowing that my grandpa (as well as me) liked rather sweet scents (Le Male was his favorite), SO THAT'S WHAT I actually wanted. But that could not know the poor salesman of course.....Well actually he could have already asked what kind of fragrance I'm looking for and not after my first half-sentence and the word "grandpa" arrogantly triumphant to a probably "old people fragrance" in his eyes have to grab.

But that is in retrospect of course also no matter, because who must like the fragrance? Right not me, but the recipient!
If the gentle reader has now made it this far and now expects an answer, I have to disappoint a bit: Of course, my grandfather said that he liked the fragrance very much. But who ever says to a gift that they don't like it? My grandpa would never have said he didn't like anything I - his only grandson - picked out. And I'm also absolutely convinced that just the fact that I picked something out for him made him actually like it and not just say it.
Another factor, because of which I can't tell if he objectively liked the scent, was that my grandpa smelled or tasted almost nothing at that point. But that didn't stop him from applying ten times the amount for it. (Grandma, I feel for you right now!)
In any case, my grandpa managed to use up a good 1/3 of the 100ml in his last month of life, although he won't have felt like wearing perfume every day either.

The bottle subsequently went back to me along with the rest of his "collection" (which was not exactly large, since no bottle lasted long in his consumption).
So one day I have applied the fragrance - despite my reservations - according to the motto "then I consume it just". I was riding in the car together with a friend that day. "What do you smell like?" he soon asked me. Secretly, I was somewhat pleased, as I was obviously good at "smelling" us otherwise almost never reaps any response for my perfume endeavors, which were still quite fledgling at the time. The hope smoldered in me that TSAR would at least be well received in my environment, if I didn't find it that great myself. So I fast forwarded the brand, name, and origin. "Haha it smells like that too, kinda stale.... Grandfather's Delight would be a better name....haha." Yeah haha. Too bad. Rejoiced too soon.
I kept TSAR in my collection for another half year for sure and tried it a few more times. But the spark has never jumped over and why should I then wear a fragrance that neither I nor anyone else in my environment like?

The fragrance went on to my father, who is a bit more frugal when it comes to fragrances. He has worn TSAR a few times, each time well smellable (H / S are thus already times fully In order!) and each time complimented by me with "Oh you wear again Grandfather's Delight". A fan is my father in any case also not become and also the filling level is the goal "finally used up" not a bit closer.

Since in the meantime apparently the production was stopped we have recently decided to let TSAR move on, to someone who hopefully really likes the fragrance.
My conclusion on TSAR should therefore be unsurprising:

Do I like it? Honestly, no. Is he therefore bad? It certainly doesn't!
The scent itself is exactly what it says above-spicy green and fresh.
With bad words for me just a little old-fashioned. - Or put positively: Vintage!

Something stylish has TSAR in any case, my association, in any case, is a well-dressed gentleman from a bygone era.

I hope I have with my remarks no one the fragrance spoiled or pushed into an "old man fragrance" corner. There are certainly wearers of all ages and that's a good thing! Keep up the good work!
3 Comments
7.5
Sillage
7.5
Longevity
7
Scent
Missk

1165 Reviews
Missk
Missk
Very helpful Review 7  
Green royalty
If you want masculine and sexy, look no further, Tsar is exactly what you need.

I'll admit that when I first sprayed this, I was almost blown over backwards by its boldness and strength. The opening was extremely overwhelming, a little too strong some would say.

However, giving it a few minutes to settle I found myself falling in love. Tsar is rich, masculine, spicy and complex. I couldn't help noticing a chocolatey like note which doesn't seem to be listed here. I'm not talking light and sweet milk chocolate, I'm talking strong, bitter and rich dark chocolate, liquefied and oozing.

Don't be afraid of the floral notes listed here, because I can assure you that they are very subtle. The coriander, green notes, lavender, juniper berries, caraway, leather, patchouli and amber dominate this fragrance.

Yes, the scent is a little soapy, especially in the drydown, but I don't find that a turn off at all. In fact I would definitely consider buying this for a man of great confidence and strength. Everything about Tsar screams masculinity and there's really nothing like it. It's a one of kind type scent.
0 Comments
jtd

484 Reviews
jtd
jtd
Very helpful Review 6  
smiling aromatic fougère
I tend to talk about the fougère as a stern, towering perfume and it often is. But Tsar reminds me of how soft the genre can be. Despite its ridiculous name, and blocky pseudo-Deco bottle, it's one of the cozier fougères. Lavender and coumarin don’t crash against each other quite so much as in many fougères. Lavender is always prominent, and the overall tone is much more floral and herbal than most fougères. It has precise harmonic range. Imagine taking a slice out of the enormous range of Azzaro pour Homme, which goes from subterranean to stratospheric. Take that of that range and then zoom in close. Fill-in the colors, more matte and rosy, less metallic than Azzaro, and you find Tsar’s specificity.

If the fougère fragrances of the 70s and 80s implied masculinity, Tsar suggested an easygoing, smiling guy who was comfortable with his manliness, feeling nether the need to amp it up nor to justify it. It’s hard not to associate this bunch with pick up lines and and amateurish performance of straight guy-hood. It has an odd theatricality like the stilted men's western casual wear of the time. Tsar fits the guy of the time who looked great in a suit, but look even better with his shirt sleeves rolled up.

In terms of tone and dynamics, Tsar lands somewhere between Azzaro pour Homme and Paco Rabanne pour Homme, which preceded it, and Jacomo Anthracite and Yves St. Laurent Jazz which followed. It is part of the cohort of fougères that were swept aside by the Cool Water tsunami.
1 Comment
2.5
Bottle
5
Sillage
7.5
Longevity
8
Scent
Drseid

819 Reviews
Drseid
Drseid
Helpful Review 4  
A Slow Successful Courtship...
*This is a review of vintage Tsar.

Tsar (vintage) opens with a mixture of sweet candied tonka bean, aromatic lavender and nose tingling bergamot citrus with green oakmoss support. Moving to the early heart, the tonka bean derived candied sweetness remains but is significantly diminished as the bergamot vacates, leaving the aromatic lavender joining with the now significant green oakmoss as it rises to co-star status with a hint of cinnamon spice, transparent vetiver, green pine and lily-of-the-valley add support. During the late dry-down the green Oakmoss takes control adding a slight powdery sheen to an emerging underlying moderately sharp cedarwood and hard leather co-starring duo through the finish with earthy patchouli support. Projection is average and longevity very good at 11-12 hours on skin.

Tsar (vintage) on paper looked like the kind of composition that would wow me from the get-go, but in actuality that wasn't the case. It turns out this is a composition that it takes many outings to appreciate to the fullest. The initial thing that made it difficult to love was the candied tonka bean derived sweetness that permeates the open and the early heart. As one who dislikes relatively sweet compositions this was more than a bit off-putting. That said, the sweetness only hangs around for the first hour or so before becoming nearly unnoticeable. What *is* noticeable, is the considerable oakmoss used throughout Tsar's development, driving the composition from start to finish in many ways. Early-on, it meshes quite well with the aromatic lavender and later-on it becomes a key linchpin to countering the rugged leathery finish. While there are a gob of ingredients in Tsar, one additional ingredient that bears mentioning is the very deft use of earthy patchouli in the base that works perfectly with the rugged leathery greens late. Coming back to the opening statement, Tsar takes a while to completely win the wearer over, but with each successive wearing, nuances like its florals, subtle cinnamon spice or even the barely detectable but quite key vetiver make for a very interesting journey, one that ended up impressing this writer. The bottom line is the approximately $50 per 50ml bottle on the aftermarket Tsar (vintage) may not grab one like many other winners from the 80s, but its slow wooing of the wearer ultimately succeeds, earning it a "very good" to "excellent" 3.5 to 4 star rating and a solid recommendation to vintage perfume lovers.
0 Comments
MasterLi

375 Reviews
MasterLi
MasterLi
Helpful Review 4  
Classic, elegant masculine.
I first tried this as I heard it was similar to Pasha by Cartier. In fact I am told they are identical. This is an example of a typically deep masculine fougere. It is quite recognisable and gives the impression of being mature, refined and sophisticated. To me it is the kind of smell always associated with an elegant and mature gentleman. The deep herbal opening dries down to a dark spicy aromatic skin scent which still makes an impression well after application. A scent which still manages to be both fresh and maturely refined at the same time. An unmistakable elegant masculine fragrance. Well worth a try and very different from any of the forgettable new modern examples of trash out there.
2 Comments
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Statements

7 short views on the fragrance
BS96BS96 11 months ago
9
Bottle
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
10
Scent
It’s like when the macho big moustache man enters the room. Very bold, thick and rich green,leather oakmoss bomb. Stunning!
0 Comments
ElysiumElysium 2 years ago
8
Bottle
4
Sillage
5
Longevity
9
Scent
Doesn’t smell as complex or as the myriad notes listed would suggest. Loses the classic fougère tones and focuses more on green and herbal.
0 Comments
TzapanTzapan 9 months ago
Prominent artemisia and corriander,very unique.The leather note is prominent too, more like sweet suede. The reformulation is a special trea
0 Comments
Charilaos77Charilaos77 1 year ago
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
8.5
Scent
Legendary green aromatic fougere. Very well blended and masculine. It is rare now but noone should indulge to the crazy prices asked on ebay
0 Comments
ChicoRoch1ChicoRoch1 5 months ago
Hands down the best fragrance to come out of the house of Van Cleef and Arpels
0 Comments
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