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Dior

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Royal Balm Laurent Smal 1978

8.3 / 10 277 Ratings

A popular perfume by Laurent Smal for men, released in 1978. The scent is spicy-woody. The longevity is above-average. It is still in production.
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Main accords

Spicy

Woody

Leathery

Animal

Green

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Cumin

Tarragon

Lavender

Bergamot

Jellified Sandstone

Heart Notes

Basil

Carnation

Cedar

Cyclamen

Jasmine

Rose

Sandalwood

Laminated Gravel

Base Notes

Oakmoss

Leather

Musk

Suede

Amber

Tonka bean

Perfumer

Jean Martel

Ratings

Scent

8.3277 Ratings

Longevity

8.1233 Ratings

Sillage

7.8219 Ratings

Bottle

7.3212 Ratings

Value for money

7.799 Ratings

Submitted by Sani · last update on 01/04/2026.

Source-backed & verified

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Jules Lotion Après-Rasage

Œillères

Yatagan Eau de Toilette

Quorum Eau de Toilette

One Man Show Gold Edition

Equipage Eau de Toilette

Reviews

42 in-depth fragrance descriptions

06/19/2014

jtd
484 Reviews

jtd

Helpful Review 5

vintage?

What does “vintage” mean in perfumery? It doesn’t have the same meaning as wine, where the noun ‘vintage’ refers to a specific year. We use ‘vintage’ as an adjective to connote quality and a timeframe. The time implied is somewhere in the past. Anywhere in the past, as long as it isn’t still current. The intimation, aside from connoisseurship is, is that the better/best version of a perfume is no longer made. The current model is defective.

One force that presses the issue is restriction/reformulation. The chypre genre has become vintage by extinction due to the restricted use of oakmoss. Any given chypre becomes vintage the day after the fatal reformulation. The coumarin that allows for the the fougère genre is restricted. Has the genre gone the way of the chypre? Obsolescence as a result of die back?

So is the fougère necessarily vintage?

Fuck if I know, but have you ever smelled Dior Jules? It's spectacular. It reminds me why I grew up loving the smell of Paco Rabanne pour Homme and easily fell in with Yves Saint Laurent Kouros as a young man. The fougère reaches out for you. It reminds you why the term inspiration carries multiple meanings. It is optimistic by nature.

Jules takes advantage of everything the genre offers. It is gregarious. It is broad. It is handsome. It hits the balance point between cleanliness and funk that makes you want to throw your arms around your fellow humans and smell them. It has the soapiness/muskiness balance that makes the genre so agile, but adds a bouquet garni and a smile.

So here's the question: does Jules still exist? I have a decant from a friend who bought it in Paris a few years ago. It's unavailable in the USA where I live. I believe it always has been. Is it "vintage"? Has it gone the way of the chypre and the passenger pigeon?

The chypre was bled to death over time. Is the same happening to the fougère?

04/21/2014

9Scent 5Longevity 5Sillage

Soulmates
57 Reviews

Soulmates

Helpful Review 3

Sweat, Soap, Sage & Jasmine greenery

It is early summer. You didn`t shower for three days while working a lot and doing some sports. Then you dupe with an expensive soap, chew some sage leaves and sit down beneath a jasmine bush. Jules in its recent minimalistic form makes this feel, precisely.

02/19/2021

10Scent 10Longevity 10Sillage

11Mic22hael
8 Reviews

11Mic22hael

3

Love At Second Sniff

I didn't understand it the first time I smelled it. I actually hated it. A couple of months went by and out of boredom I tried it again. I fell in love with it. Jules is one of the most amazing fragrances in my collection. The new formulation smells almost identical to the original, only the new version has a stronger Civet note, stronger Carnation, and less Rose. AMAZING JOB with the reformulation! Dior never disappoints. Very high quality and luxurious juice. Don't let the prices on ebay and other sites scare you away from this timeless masterpiece. I just bought a bottle right off the Dior website, dior.com for $90!!! If you are a serious enthusiast, I highly recommend you get a bottle!

09/15/2024

9.5Scent 9Longevity 8Sillage

Smirky
492 Reviews

Smirky

4

Powerhouse masculine fragrance

This is a review of the fragrance currently available from Dior. Awesome green/herbal powerhouse fragrance. Opening is a bit rough and slightly pissy. Reminds me sorta like the opening of Aramis. It doesn't last very long and the middle notes become prominent. The floral notes smooth things out. Eventually, the leather and woody notes make their presence known, although I noticed more leather and cedar. Performance is testosteronic. With two sprays on my neck, and one on my chest, I got an easy 10 hours of longevity. Left about a 6' trail which gradually reduced as did projection. If I'd wanna be obnoxious, could have sprayed my shirt 2 or 3 times as well. hahaha

Overall, great hyper masculine fragrance and highly recommended. Not for you if you're looking for a sweet, bubble gum, fruity scent. This is a powerful manly scent in the style of the 1980's. If you like Antaeus and Quorum, you'd probably like Jules. Thanks to Dior for keeping this one available.

01/28/2022

8Scent 10Longevity 9Sillage

ScentSlave
254 Reviews

ScentSlave

4

This is definitely a bold scent

The wearer must be willing to be noticed, as they will be. Tenfold.

I was looking to find out what “anamalic” scents were all about. I bought Kouros, then Antaeus, and then Juste Filthy to get a taste. While the first two weren’t as “fecal/urinal” as people were describing, the latter (Juste Filthy) WAS very fecal.
People were also comparing the JF to Kouros, I didn’t quite feel the similarity.

That’s where this one comes in. I ordered it directly from the Dior website, and sprayed it on anxiously when it arrived.

It is VERY similar to the JF. The fecal note (civet?) is very present. While I refuse to say it smells bad (as I don’t quite understand the “musky notes” yet), it does project in such a manner. People who don’t know what musky scents are, will pick it up as fecal. (My wife asked “why does it smell like butt in here”, and then she asked my son if he farted when I passed by, lolol).

Again, I have not matured to the point of understanding the musky notes, but I am trying. I am just being 100% honest in how I’m picking it up, and the reactions I’m getting.

Of the three designer musk kings, (Kouros, Antaeus, and Jules), I say Jules is by far the most “musky” and “animalic” of the bunch.

Projection goes 4ft+ Radius EASILY, while sillage lingers nicely as well. Longevity is an easy 8 hours+, so this one definitely performs well.

Take it how you will. I will also be trying them out to “get the feel” of the animalic notes in the next few months… they DEFINATELY take a while to understand.

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