Reviews of Eau Sauvage (1966)
by Christian Dior

the most stylish fragrance. very classy. subtle and discreet. works grea on my skin. last for about six hours.

Fresh and sophisticated. Not terribly long lasting. This is a classic that I have loved for years. My perfect day time scent. I love the play of citrus and herbs. IMO this is the best men's citrus scent ever made.

Fantastically crisp and 'light' fragrance (but not a light sense). Unfortunately on my skin I don't get much of the herbal, woody basenotes, it just sort of fades out within a couple hours. Nonetheless it's a great classic that deserves a try by everyone.

I have a problem with classic scents, in general. To me, they all seem to follow a recipe that has been proved to be safe. No major innovation, nothing really new, nothing original or earthshaking. I have to admit though, that they smell pretty good. But again, it's a recipe, and when it comes to fragrances, I don't find this approach very salutary.
Eau Sauvage... another classic scent, but a very good one. It starts off very loud, very sharp (too sharp IMO)... it's like blades going through your nose. But once you get pass the first minute or two, it becomes bearable. The citrus notes are on the center stage, so the fragrance remains fresh and invigorating even after about an hour. Then it gets a bit warmer and smoother... now it really becomes great. The drydown is somewhat similar to Armani pour Homme: elegant, comfortable, with warm citrus giving it a classy allure.

Take a fresh and ripe lemon peel and bent it to release the intense spray of the essential oils from the skin. That is the citrus fireworks the opening notes of Eau Sauvage bring to my mind.

This superb beginning quiets down rapidly and slowly evolves into a less explosive but still rich mixtue of citrus, patchouli, caraway and so much more. Definitely a fragrance for those who cut their own path and would never leave a trail of fluff in their wake

This is the only frag in my collection that I have to have 2 opened bottles of.(the extra is for me to take along when i go for longer outings). I rem as a little boy i used to follow everything my grandfather did, like comb my hair the way he did and wear a little bow tie the way he wore his and of course used his ES as much as he did along with Paco Rabanne PH and some others. We were both very proud of each other and were extremely close. ES is a scent so close to me not only because the taste was acquired young, but also because it was was the best way of being remembered of his presence after being so devastated at his passing on. It took sometime to get over him, and now i really enjoy this scent so much. I used it all the time even in my teenage years (quite some time back) despite many hinting it was weird back then coz it was naturally quite a scent for the older crowd. Nonetheless it has been by far the scent that i have used most in my entire life, with more bottles bought than any other ever. Though now i have expanded my range, this is still my fave, though i have been using less of it since falling in love with other scents as well naturally. as a scent, it has to given the credit for its very strict use of natural scent extracts and its herbal and citrus mix. When one compares this to ie CK one(which i regard quite highly btw), one would be able to notice why the latter would be regarded as synthetic smelling. With the influx of mass citrus scents in the present, it is hard not to be influenced by their take on what citrus scents were first made to smell like. Eau Sauvage is the original and pioneering scent and nothing by far has been close to even trying to emulate. I have a bottle which was used by my grandfather and i reckon it be close to or over 2 decades back by the look of the bottle and certain inscriptions and lack of details. The scent on the older bottle is still as fresh after so long but i find it to be stronger and thicker compared to the ones sold presently. A must must have, even if you are not for the classic, you will find this very easy to grow on. Its perfect for any occassion other than the sporty or hot outdoors.Even if one is just starting on his adulthood, i would reccommend it, it did well for me back then and im sure it will do well for a guy who is looking to being smelling of distinct and classy taste. Though this may not be the best for someone below 17, it is definitely a legend in my books. 2 thumbs up.

potent citrus old school done perfectly. i use it rarely but always gets stares from the older crowd.

SIMPLE AND TIMELESS!

Citrussy, spicy, herb.....wearable at any occassion!
Sooner or later everybody admires it!

A potentially delightful citrus experience is defiled by the heavy handed use of pungent herbs.

I love "cold" and refined scents which "sparkle", and ES is one of few which does so. It is always on my top 5 list. Other very good refined/sparkling/smoky scents that I love are Antaeus and Acqua Di Parma.

This is an amazing zesty, citrus scent. I don't feel the "out-dated-ness" of this at all. Very crisp and great for all around wear. Very strong as well.

On a travel I got the possibility to try Eau Sauvage on DH:s skin. And I was totally breathtaken! This is the next bottle I will buy for him!!! I don´t find it old-fashion at all. It is really fresh and I do belive it is an easy-to-wear-frag, too. I never found anything like this yet... Haven´t tried it on my own skin yet, but I will when I get the possibility...

Rosemary, basil.... and something like jasmine, I think. So, I checked, and one website gives the following notes;

lemon, rosemary, basil, bergamot, caraway, fruit note
jasmine, rose, carnation, orris root, coriander, patchouli, sandalwood
oakmoss, vetiver, musk, amber

I think that sounds like a more complete picture of this scent. Roudnitska's early classic. Very hesperidic, but balanced in a kind of extra strong form by some pretty muscular heart and base notes, beyond the old eau-de-cologne tradition.

This review is under revision.

I love this fragrance on others but on me I can't wear like so many other fragrances. To those who can wear it more power to them!!

This is my favorite cologne because for the life of me I can't nail down everything I smell in this wonderful bouquet of scents.

The lemon is there definitely but not in a sour or sweet obnoxious way. Id say it leans more towards the sour end though.

So far this is my signature scent and thats saying alot. Im still on the search though.

I just wish it lasted longer. Sometimes I think it smells like sweetened pink lemonade with herbs.

to me was great and innovative in the 60's but got old, very old nowaday...

I once owned this, it's a citrus scent, I smell lemons and more lemons. I smelled this today on a older fella (older than me) about 50 yrs old. Smells good but not for the younger crowd.

Notes: lemon, rosemary, petitgrain, basil, jasmine, rose, iris, oakmoss, vetiver, and musk.

Eau Sauvage (ES), the 1966 classic from Perfumer Roudnitska was groundbreaking in its use of the synthetic hedione molecule. This citrus chypre has influenced many, and while it may have been usurped by other fancy new citruses in the media, it still has the moves which can surprise many.

Opening against a backdrop of clear and light lemons, ES almost immediately generates soft floral notes of rose and jasmine which are rendered "masculine" because of the lemon and petitgrain notes...the petitgrain note isn't too strong so as to introduce an annoying "dry & woody" sensation which lesser citruses do. This supremely light citrus-floral combo mingles for a while before the most intriguing phase of ES comes into play ... its the vetiver note, and at this point ES smells like if you took a whiff of the air after someone who has had too many lemon drop candy let one lose. It smells a bit like lemonade infested with maggots...yet it works. This dirtiness gives ES its fine distinguished character, and it works because its light and balanced. Roudnitska probably knew that to convince people to splash on this dirty water, it had to be a light, balanced, and only slightly offbeat. And judging by the success of ES, he has entirely succeeded in doing so. I dont smell a lot of oakmoss, if at all..compared to another substantial classic, Chanel pour monsieur, ES smells impotent in its oakmoss content. ES lasts a good 7 hours ... there's not much sillage, but someone in close vicinity can certainly smell the dirty-clean vetiver-lemon bubbling on your skin.

ES probably won't wow as many people as it did during the Kennedy era. It might be the old man of citruses, but its definitely no old man scent..it smells as relevant today as it did when it was launched, and few citruses are as balanced and expertly blended. When everything else fails, just grab a bottle of ES. As Donald Trump once said, "If you need Viagra, you are probably with the wrong woman". Apparently Dior has been very faithful to the original formulation of ES....ES don't need no modern molecules to keep up with the spunky new CKOne's of this world. This old timer can still surprise the ladies with its stamina, energy and years of experience.

Rating: 8.5/10

This fragrance sends a message: "I am very kind. I am very nice. I am very reliable." A discrete mix of light lemon and soft herbs. There is a sour note, too, that reminds me of the sour note in Acqua di Gio; it is quite weak, though. The scent has a melancholy undertone that is hard to describe. It is not difficult to see why GeorgeBernard associate with funerals. Not an everyday scent, but it can be very useful under the right circumstances.

There's really no reason that I shouldn't like this. I like classic citruses. I usually like prominent herb notes in fragrances. But something about this one doesn't work for me at all. The herbals make it smell dirty rather than spicy and natural. No, wait, it does smell natural, just in a slightly dirty way. Now, there are certain fragrances that should have some unclean undertones. Azzaro PH, for instance. It is what it is. But this is supposed to be refreshing, light, clean and formal. Those notes, whatever they are, don't belong here. But really, that's beside the point. I just don't like it much.

It's the "Eau" in Eau Sauvage that resonates for me. Right or wrong, I think of this as an update of the classic eau de Cologne formula, with a more lush blend of herbs in the heart and a woody flourish in the base. It doesn’t seem all that “sauvage” in a market that includes things like Muscs Koublai Khan and Parfum d’Habit, but it’s a classic: dignified without being stuffy, elegant without pretense, and eminently wearable. A great standby for daily wear and business.

Eau Sauvage is a true classic, in the lemon and light herbal Mediterranean mode. The fragrance notes above are the only ones given on the Dior site, yet the simplicity of these few things creates a very effective and pleasing result. The citrus notes are excellent, fresh and natural. The rosemary, basil, and orange leaf give a green tinge and complexity to the lemon. Light vetiver provides a pleasing grassy foundation. This scent conveys effortless enjoyment. It is intended to be a summer splash, so apply it in a carefree manner throughout the day and enjoy! (I advise avoiding the ES Extreme, which is totally different and quite obnoxious.)

I don' think this is necessarily out-dated or old-fashioned, but it is classy in the classic sense.

Apparently, this also contains Jasmine and Moss (?), but I dont really get any Jasmine...

Simple, clean, under-stated and masculine. I say this because too may people poo-poo it these days.

Its easy to wear, and very versatile. But not necessarily something that I would go out and buy particularly for myself per se, but it is nice.

In this sort of genre, I prefer Lauder for men, just as available and versatile, a little less expensive, and less harsh. Lauder itself sits somewhere in between Eau Sauvage and a lighter, brighter Aramis.

I do have great sympathy for old style citrussy perfumes. And in a way this is IMHO really a good fragrance. The lemon and basil are truely natural. It is fresh and non-offensive. However,I will never wear this stuff, I actually hate it. It's a depressing scent to me, this is how my uncles smelled at funerals when I was a kid.

Nothing to smell here except the LEMON, and LOTS of it! I never really understood the fascination with this fragrance. Who wants to smell like a lemon? Now if they threw some kind of tobacco top notes in there this could be much more interesting. Instead, it is a flat, citrusy odor with little to no evolution. :(

The perfect scent! Not too citrusy and just enough of the herbs so that one smells wonderful. Lasts a long time and compliments galore!

It's nice enough... but smells way too old-fashioned... too much like a man who's counting down his days in a nursing home.

The overall feeling is reasonably pleasant, but perhaps a little too sharp on the citrus and lacking in the warm depth that more modern fragrances have.

I sort of get the name, it's a bit like being in the wilderness among the herbs and lemon trees... It's a cultivated wilderness though, full of edible plants. It has also a very conventional feel of gentleman's cologne which is everything but savage. The citrus is not refreshing, it's aromatic, and I do think I can detect lavender in there too. I'd go so far as to call this a fougère. Not bad - I enjoy the herbal, dry, almost woody quality of it - but not exceptional either.

I just got a bottle Saturday. It sticks on me like glue. It does remind me of the 60's. I'm only 40. What I did is I bought some skin lotion w/ almost the same smell. I haven't gotten any feedback yet though. I might look into the Eau Sauvage Extreme.

beautiful bottle and great citrus scent-elegant and classical.Decent,discret,fresh, clean and light.i used to wear this edt for years and although i gave it up it remains an eternal and timeless fragrance that i can highly recommend to all the people looking for a good and well done scent.you don´t do any mistakes using this classical scent-very lemon and french.It may be a bit strong, herb ab´nd harsh but if you look for a smoother and warmer edt i can recommend pour monsieur par chanel.
They will always remain and be there forever.......

The best fragrance for summer.After all these years eau sauvage still rules.its a legend no doubt.
N.B:the girls love it!

Lemons followed by sherbet lemons, quite short lived, but nice while it lasts. Balmain lasts twice as long.

This was "THE" brilliant iconic preppy citrus fragrance symbolizing quality, class and priviledge, before Ralph Lauren came along with Polo cologne and took over the No. 1 spot with this constituency (1967-1982). I think it is reference in hallowed tones in The Preppy Handbook. It is an excellent boy-man scent without great longevity and can be worn in all contexts, but in my mind it goes best with a Lacoste tennis shirt; rumpled khakis; banged up old beach shoes; a dog; and, a beautiful blonde girlfriend. Old hulking woody Jeep Grand Wagoneer extra!

Just purchased today unsniffed - as it was a bargain and i had a gift voucher "thanks mum:)" I quite like it - the citrus is clean and the soapy just showered freshness is nice to have around - it hasn't lasted a great while - but enjoyable nonetheless - I'm glad i purchased it

This is great stuff. The stuff of Men. Classy french 60's type men. A vetiver with some lemon. Can't go wrong with this stuff.

No one has said anything about the real magic of Eau Sauvage. It does seem to "not last" but, there is a hidden feature in that. You can literally bath in it in the morning and by the time you leave for work you will not leave a vapor trail. All day there will only be the slightest hint of the fragrance. By the afternoon no trace of it at all. Later, in the evening when you add some body heat and friction the fragrance returns in full force. Women go nuts. This juice is made for sex.

i ordered a sample due to the responses i read. i even posted a community blog to ask ladies which fragrances for men they like on themselves. I thought i'd give eau sauvage a try.

i put it on my skin and a strong citrus scent was present. vey lemony... then it dried down to a faint smell, and very quiclky. in about 10 to 15 minutes, i had a faint soapy smell on me that soon disappeared completely. I would say overall, if that last scent remained on my skin, the scent would not have been so bad, but it was truly gone, nothing.

I'd say this stuff can't be beat, but that wouldn't be truem aa there's always the Extreme version.

I feel inclusive citrus smell allways,
of course among 2 hours - because
longevity is 2 hours. its longevity is the worst part - though this problme solved in Eau Sauvage Extrême.
Despite Davidoff & Kenzo products that
are similar, Dior products are not
similar to each others.
Eau Sauvage is important citrus-scent.

To me, this is the scent of Paris. You know that when Parisian boys are wearing it, it has to be good. this one is as refreshing as lemonade in the summer and as warming as hot cider in the winter. It manages to be both light and full of character at the same time. Youthful and sage. Always uplifting and delightful with just a note of melancholy. An all time classic.

Another one of my very first tries. I think my dad may have worn this when I was very young - it reminds me of the 60s. I'm not in any hurry to try it again, mind you...

A classic - smells like you've just had a shower - clean - the old ones are good aint they?

Here's my theory. A certain percentage of the human population still carries a miniscule amount of Neanderthal genes. And there's a really simple way of distinguishing them from the rest - spray liberally with Eau Sauvage: a wonderful masculine citrus means your pure Cro-magnon. A nice citrus topnote, followed by an atrocious "smelly old man"/fecal/body odor scent, sorry, you're part Neanderthal. The government eugenics people posing as createurs des parfums at Dior knew this of course and tongue-in-cheekly titled their project Eau Sauvage.
Unfortunately, my genes are clearly contaminated. Thank god the stuff fades so quickly.

Eau Sauvage is a truly great scent, classic. I would agree with the oft mentioned longevity issues, very short lived.

Upon testing this, I thought it had a great lemony fresh ZZZZING! opening. Almost eye-watering on the card. I thought it would be quite zippy on my skin. So I tried it, then brought some. I doused myself twice in one day (once after morning shower, once at lunchtime), expecting to be teary-eyed from all the zest, and lo and behold - it faded very quickly away to almost nothing. Within an hour or so, all I had was a VERY feint sense of freshness, or at least, not a sweaty unpleasant man smell. Verdict: great smell! But unfortunately, my skin soaks it up to nothing! A crying shame, given all the rave reviews here! I'm still keeping it - It's winter at the moment and I'm hoping perhaps it will do something different in summer...

Wonderful scent on a man, especially in the heat of summer...steamy and sexy! Love it.

Not sure if I shared my opinion with this forum about Eau Sauvage by CD. If I did, then excuse me. If I didn't, here it goes: Not my cup of tea, dude!. There is a note, present from the very top notes to the drydown that really puts me off. I found better choices out there...

The gentleman's citrus. I like eau sauvage more and more each time I wear it. In the summer, I naturally find myself using light citrus fragrances more, but Eau Sauvage is head and shoulders above most by virtue of its classic, retro feel. It maintains a kind of dignified, masculine put-together-ness, which puts most other citruses to shame and exposes them for the watery lemonade they are. An unassailable classic.

To anyone who thinks citrus scents are necessarily young and unrefined, I say meet Eau Sauvage. With its lemon opening (the most mature of citrus accords, I find) and vetiver drydown (the most masculine note I know), Eau Sauvage conveys the steady, sure confidence of an accomplished gentleman. "Charming and assured" is exactly correct. If you are looking for a citrus that doesn't connote peach-fuzz, please buy Eau Sauvage.

This is a nice clean scent, but it disappears after 15 minutes. Even my eau d'hadrien lasts longer.

I love the fresh smell of Eau Sauvage. I bought a bottle for my husband as a Christmas stocking stuffer. He hasn't worn it yet so I don't know whether he likes it. Maybe he will find it more agreeable this summer. I don't agree with Scenteur7 about its bitterness - I find it rather mellow - but everybody's take is different obviously. I know both sexes wear it, but on drydown it's still a tad too mannish to completely agree with my chemistry. I prefer Diorella, Eau Sauvage's twin sister, for myself.

Did you ever hear a song for the first time and love it, but then, by the 10th hearing, you're just sick of it? That is Eau Sauvage for me. Liked it very much long ago; now I just can't tolerate it.

Lasts longer on me than it does on others, judging from the reviews here. Half a day, perhaps. A favorite that I go back to again and again, and one that I always have in my arsenal. Popular with both sexes for a reason. It is neither feminine nor necessarily masculine; it exists in its own world, and that originality is the best compliment I can pay it. The citrus and vetiver are light and refreshing, and seem to combine as something greater than the sum of their parts ( at least on my skin ). Thankfully this one hasn't been done to death, like other "unisex" fragrances that were popular in the Nineties and refuse to go away ( paging CK One...). A undisputed classic from the master Dior.

As a woman I can assure you that this is a very sexy scent. I find it irresistable and even borrow my husband's on occasions. It makes men seem very charming and assured who wear it,

A classic, and one of my all-time favorites. Excellent, light lemon-citrus overtones that are grounded by the Vetiver.
It doesn't last as long as I'd like, however...for a longer-lasting version try the "Extreme".
DEFINITELY a keeper, though!

A true all time classic. Superbly crafted lemon and grass tones, slighlty woody and mossy. Even the box and the bottle exhale an impeccable, somewhat nostalgic, opulence. The typical conservative mature gentleman's cologne.

Very old. Very classy. Nowadays, very unique. Too bad the smell of soap after my shower lasts longer than this.

I hoped it would be the classic the buzz purported it to be. No. A bitter green with lemon and vetiver. Dated, and not for me. Harsh.

I cannot understand why some people like that! It is too strong, too spicy!
Soe think it is typically male... I think it is disgusting

Even though this may be considered a "classic", I can't give it a full thumbs up. I like the lemon/citrus notes and the overall theme, but would have enjoyed it more if it had evolved differently. I wear this once in a while, and that's fine.

Topnotes remind me of lemon grass, which I really like. But it later turns into a one-dimensional lemon scent on me. It's a decent citrus scent, but it's nothing that will blow your socks off. Sure it's a classic, but I honestly don't think it's something to write home about. If you like scents like Armani Eau Pour Homme and Annick Goutal Eau d'Hadrien, then you might like this.

very citrusy, fades a little too quickly and there are some unpleasant notes that show up after awhile, however with all that said I still give it a thumbs up because I like it nonetheless :)

I wanted to believe the hype and love this scent so badly. However on me it's a rather dull citrus with an offensive body odor note. It alse fades within an hour of applying. Ugh.

Eau Sauvage is a sparkling citrus that has become a classic.Wonderful grapefruit.However it has serious longevity issues and virtually no sillage.Hence,I recommend a more modern interpretation of this,Boucheron pour homme.

Love Eau Savage! Try Eau Savage EXTREME (Black bottle). Much better fixer, lasts longer than regular Eau Savage.

A must-have for summer months. As a teenager, I used to "borrow" this from my older brother for special occasions when I didn't want to overpower with one of my '70s powerhouses. It has been a staple ever since. Subtle, discrete and very classy.

Once a citrus fragrance, now a timeless classic. This is a sparkling citrus fragrance, that is a must own in almost any collection. It’s great for summer. Eau Sauvage is complex and elegant enough to be worn even on special occasions, but it’s also not so stuffy and rigid that it earns that “old man” reputation.

Eau Sauvage is a crisp citrus that starts slightly stingy of rosemary needles and has a good projection. But it quickly turns sweeter thanks to basil which confers a green sweet edge. Here the citrus becomes round but still ethereal though its projection fades and vetiver appeads in the drydown as a whisper under the lemontrees. This timeless scent has class but it is not particulary masculine and lacks of staying power.

Every man should have a bottle. Classic citrus with a basil bite. Often immitated, never duplicated.

A must have in your wardrobe.Classic and timeless. It has been relaunched in 2005,luckily the juice remains the same.

So this is the great and mighty Eau Sauvage, I must say I am not very impressed. Im having a hard time understanding all the praise bestowed upon it. Its just.........lemon. Not an overly sour or strong lemon but just a boring steady lemon smell. Sure it worked well in the 18th century to cover up the stench of B.O., but whats the appeal of it now? I guess I'll count out Acqua di Parma.

Just like music has its hall of fame, this is in there amongst the fragrance all time greats, exudes sophistication, paris in springtime/summertime in a bottle!!.

An enduring work of art. A classic like Mozart's Jupiter symphony or Watteau's Pilgrimage to Cythera. For many years, this was the only fragrance I wore, and I was not the worse for it. Even though I have now diversified and have explored the nooks and crannies of the world of perfumery, a large bottle of Mr. Roudnitska's craft will always be close at hand. Bracing and crisp with brilliant citrus and sharp grassiness balanced by the very subtle warmth of vetiver, Eau Sauvage will forever be my special friend.

The other day I happened to bump into Andre, the somewhat fractious valet of my friend Marcel. 'You know, Monsieur,' he confided to me, 'I am beginning to despair of my master's taste in fragrances. Now he has been trying to persuade me what a distinguished scent Eau Sauvage is. I had to tell him bluntly: "Yes, Monsieur Marcel, distinguished as you like, but can it rake in the honeys? Is it a babe magnet? Will it make the chicks chuckle? Will it make the damsels drool? Will it make the sugars shake? Will it make the cutecakes crumble? I don't think so!" Between you and me, Monsieur Nitram, as one man of the world to another, I'm afraid my poor master hasn't got a clue about what it takes to make a good fragrance!'

Lemon Pledge????

Basenotes reviews have guided me (a novice)to the beginnings of a decent collection. Eau Sauvage is one of the "oldies but goodies" I have acquired in order to learn what a truly great, quality scent is all about. Christian Dior products are wonderful (Fahrenheit being my other one). Some may say that this scent is for the mature man. Perhaps; but while I may be middle-aged, I enjoy the reaction I receive from the ladies, young and otherwise, in the office when I wear Eau Sauvage. It makes me feel dressed up.

The true original, after wearing this fragrance once you WILL submit to it's ultra-classic citrus appeal!

I lay hands to this stuff very lately, but when first used then only i realized that why Eau Sauvage is rated as one of the classic of all time. A perfect wear for hot, hot summer days

I love this scent but do not wear it myself. I DO wear the Eau Sauvage Spray Deodorant. The only problem is finding it. I bought mine in Paris and may have to go back to re-stock! It's a great spray deodorant after a shower.