Apicius

Perfumes come and go, and especially the so-called flankers – that is, variants of an original scent – do not enjoy any right of continuance. In this case, Guerlain replaces the very respectable Vetiver Extreme with Vetiver Parfum. Guerlain – unlike some other brands – can claim to have consistently presented high-quality flankers.

Let's check if this is the case here as well.

The scent impression confirms: Vetiver Parfum is closer to its predecessor Extreme than to the original Vetiver EdT. The link to this is the distinctly noticeable smokiness. The name already suggests that we are dealing with a possibly stronger, somehow "darker" variant of a vetiver. The smokiness is accompanied by spicy notes which lead to a rather slender character of the fragrance. A sense of freshness in the top arises from a note that I perceived as minty.

Vetivers that focus on smokiness can be problematic. I know examples where everything is just rough and unsightly. This does not apply to Vetiver Parfum, it remains subtle. Delphine Jelk takes the smokiness in Vetiver Parfum right to the edge of what seems reasonably possible. In doing so, she refrains from masking the smokiness with other notes – for example, citrusy ones. On the contrary, the use of lean, spicy notes could have the potential to further emphasize a smoky, scratchy character. It is likely due to the artistry or simply the diligence of the perfumer that the point of tilting into the unpleasant is perhaps indicated in the distance, but not crossed.

It has been a long stylistic journey from the original Vetiver scent by Guerlain, which was available until the year 2000, to its successor and then to the Vetiver Parfum. Vetiver Parfum holds back from any opulence and complexity that was more or less pronounced in its predecessors. It seems like it is made from a single mold and shows little development. Vetiver Parfum embodies the purist style of Jean-Claude Ellena - it could have also come from Hermès. Against the backdrop that mass-market men's perfumes seem to be becoming increasingly banal in my perception, one cannot accuse Guerlain of closing itself off to current trends. The accusation of banality, in this case, cannot be made, of course.

But what images of green can Vetiver Parfum evoke in us? Is this still tropical rainforest? Are these the Scottish Highlands? I see concrete here, austere office architecture, a sober urban aesthetic – and the corporation has decided to engage in a bit of green roofing for the sake of its image. In such an environment, Vetiver Parfum could add a touch of elegance.

Vetiver Parfum is not for me. As puristic as it may be, as difficult it is for me to access. I am missing warmth, complexity, and intimacy here. I cannot imagine any situation or mood in which I would want to wear Vetiver Parfum.

Classics endure decades, but not the variations derived from them. With Habit Rouge L’Instinct, the fourth light variant of Habit Rouge is now in stores. What does Guerlain do differently this time compared to HR Eau de Toilette Legere, HR L'Eau, and HR Sport?

Habit Rouge L’Instinct opens with a truly enchanting top note. Only a hint of the well-known classic is nestled in a delicate, slightly citrusy, floral-fruity environment. Underneath is a bright note reminiscent of white musk, whose scent impression ranges from creamy to powdery. In the officially listed fragrance notes, this is likely described with hemp and mate. I may be mistaken, but I sense in the background something like a very faint oud note, which I believe is present in all the newer HR variants, in line with current trends.

The delicate impression does not reveal itself immediately, and perhaps not to everyone. Directly on the skin, it is all sharp-bitter and not pleasant. One must not press their nose against the wrist while testing, as is often seen in perfume departments. This automatically excludes inexperienced perfume customers as a target group.

Additionally, the access is complicated by the fact that Habit Rouge L’Instinct presents itself as extremely light upon first acquaintance, more as an aura than as a scent. In the presence of other and stronger fragrances, I doubt it can assert itself. Everything is just too subtle.

But beware: what Habit Rouge L’Instinct lacks in intensity, it compensates for with projection. Not only does it unfold at a distance of at least 20 cm, but it also envelops the wearer in a room-filling scent cloud. Please do not wear it in the office!

In the projection, I see the conceptual difference from the aforementioned predecessors, but also from the classic Habit Rouge EdT. New to Habit Rouge L’Instinct is this tricky construction, which requires a bit of experience to handle. On the other hand, the perfumer has refrained from incorporating any sensational fragrance notes that might distort rather than modernize a Habit Rouge.

In fact, Delphine Jelk draws from the predecessors: the delicacy comes from the EdT Legere, and the Sport fragrance brings in the white musk effect reminiscent of a good skin cream. While the Sport fragrance was rightly criticized for containing hardly anything of the original Habit Rouge, Habit Rouge L’Instinct makes its origins clearer again. I find this synthesis very successful.

As for the further development of the scent, not much happens. The delicate fruity top note fades, and after one or two hours, classic Habit Rouge and the musky note remain. I would therefore classify Habit Rouge L’Instinct as an Eau de Toilette.

But what is the point of these constant variants? The classic Habit Rouge is a child of the last century. It was a brilliant masterpiece. At the turn of the millennium, it was reformulated and has unfortunately only been good since then. Against this background, I do not criticize the attempt to try something new. The classic Habit Rouge has always seemed outdated to me: it smelled of fine, older gentlemen strolling in the spa park of Bad Oeynhausen. The new Habit Rouge L’Instinct is worlds away from that. I also see younger wearers here looking for a discreet, equally elegant and casual perfume - modernization successful!

In road traffic, one should notoriously refrain from this, but it occasionally happens with perfumes.

Guerlain has masked the well-known sweet-oriental base note with a pitch-black note: anthracite coal, tar, or however one wants to describe it. Behind that, I perceive a very faint hint of an Arabic oud note.

It is bone-dry, and a perfume that continues with this opening may deserve the addition "Extrême." Because this fragrance direction is not exactly what one typically associates with the elegant men's fragrances from Guerlain. Only with the greatest caution could one sense a distant kinship to the classic Héritage.

If it were to continue this pitch-black way, Guerlain might possibly tap into a new customer segment. But it is just a flanker, and soon the familiar sweet-woody-oriental world of the original breaks through.

A nice contrast? I am not convinced. I miss the common thread of a coherent fragrance development. But surely there are buyers who prefer such 2 in 1 perfumes and who care about the break within the fragrance development.

So it is important to take your time when testing and not to fall for the first impression, the top note. Otherwise, disappointment is foreseeable with this type of perfume.

Personally, I do not like the Extrême for the reasons mentioned. Oddly enough, I often find the lighter variants of the fragrances from Guerlain much more pleasant and interesting than the Extrême, Intense, or any other variants signaling heaviness. L'Homme Idéal Extrême is no exception.

Whenever Guerlain launches a new fragrance for the mass market, the outcry at the afficionados is big. Firstly, no bearer of this name is responsible because there is no Guerlain left in the company. And secondly, it has little to nothing in common with the great classics of the past. Especially the house perfumer Thierry Wasser is regularly scolded because he does some things differently.

Ah, where are the times!

We know the stories about the Guerlinade, the magical note that once distinguished this house and which was based on a confident handling of the vanilla note. Remember - there is still supposed to be a supplier in France who produces vanillin exclusively for Guerlain according to the old production method. Its smoky impurities should only make the scents more alive.

With its powerful, oriental note, the Eau de Toilette, on the other hand, was inspired by the scent habits of a modern, rather young audience. Take a look at the embarrassing advertising video - the cool guy, surrounded by women. Marketing has its sights on the pimply youngster, not the noble dude.

But who really buys the perfumes of this brand? It makes me wonder why L'Homme Idéal Eau de Parfum, being the first flanker to follow up the original, so much cites the house's great past.

Here we have it, the vanilla - clearly present and skillfully staged! The oriental woody note of the original has been dimmed down with all its loud statements of cherry, almond and marzipan. The beauty of a Guerlain vanilla always reveals itself in dialogue with its surroundings, as here too.

For the first time I notice the leather note, which should also be present in the original. It is very delicate and can only be perceived in the projection. And it is important, because the projection is what our environment perceives when we wear a scent. You should always try to place yourself next to your body when trying out a perfume. If you only press your nose to the the back of your hand you will miss a lot. For me, a piece of refinement and finesse becomes visible, as we attribute it to the classics of the French perfume art.

Compared to the original, L'Homme Idéal Eau de Parfum is the finer fragrance. The vanilla in front of the more discreet oriental-woody background gives me an impression of softness. For me, it's less for the office and going out, more for private, intimate occasions. If the original is for the week, then L'Homme Idéal Eau de Parfum is for Sunday.

If I was asked what I smell most in Guerlain's main gents' cologne L'homme Idéal, I would say I smell the lots of work that Thierry Wasser must have put into during its development.

Maybe once in a decade, Guerlain releases a new gent's cologne which is to become the basis of their revenues. After its successful introduction, flankers usually follow over the years, extending the range of the original style to further directions of smell. Unlike the freedom one may find in niche perfumery, a fragrance like L'homme Idéal must be spot on. Missing the spirit of time or the audience's taste would be a disaster.

With this in mind, I admire the courage to go for a sweetish oriental as a follow up of the warm and woody Guerlain Homme. Like its predecessor, L'homme Idéal is all about base notes. But as it is the case with many excellent Guerlain perfumes, you fail if you try to describe the fragrance along the published scent notes. All I can say is that a typical Guerlain tonka gets transferred by dark and warm, maybe also slightly herbal notes into a very unique sweetish accord. Denominations like almond accord or Amaretto can roughly describe its style but should not be taken too literally.

L'homme Idéal does not create a fragrance sensation that points to an outer experience. No dark forests, green meadows, salty sea air or the like will appear in the imagination. Instead, L'homme Idéal points back to the personality and, of course, the body of the wearer itself. With modest warmth it is aiming to enhance physical presence and attraction. I being that way, L'homme Idéal is exactly in line with its predecessor. Perfumes like these are stylish in a way that a perfectly fitting suit can be regarded as stylish: slightly underlining the appearance of the wearer without giving too much statement of its own.

A whole group of mainstream perfumes nowadays try to achieve this effect by dimming down the strength of the fragrance to be more an aura rather then a scent. I appreciate this approach but with L'homme Idéal, this kind of smell reduction was not necessary. In a way, L'homme Idéal is both expressive and understated. Incorporating such contradicting aspects into one perfume is brilliant.

I perceive L'homme Idéal as an incredibly young fragrance. Expressive, sweetish orientals are generally the taste of teenage boys. At a certain age, one can eat a whole bag of candies without the slightest hint of nausea. In full awareness of this context, the industry has launched numerous very affordable sweetish, strong colognes aimed at the young audience. Just mention this to school teachers, and see how they will roll their eyes!

With its sweetness, L'homme Idéal docks onto fragrance and taste experiences we may remember from teenage years. But the whole topic is dealt with on another, much more mature and refined level. L'homme Idéal can be a kind of accelerator that provides access to the world of adult perfumery for the young. A young man used to affordable orientals may want to buy L'homme Idéal along with his first suit, and wear both at the wedding of his mate.

I think it is worth considering if a perfume that is to attract the young in return also emanates juvenile attraction in the perception of the old.

Be that as it may - men who long outgrew teenage smelling and eating habits can still use L'homme Idéal and regard themselves as age-properly dressed. Maybe it is time to leave the vetivers, the chypres and all the other beautiful oldster frags behind...

I very much like Thierry Wasser's and Guerlain's approach. Although driven by commercial interests, he is doing the same as we try to do with our perfume reviews: arousing interest in perfume beginners for high quality perfumes.