Reviews of Habit Rouge (1965)
by Guerlain

The first time I smelled Habit Rouge I was in shock. How could Guerlain come up with such a bright, loud and sickly-sweet fragrance? Pour Homme? Maybe for Willy Wonka. It is an one-dimensional fragrance in desperate need of revision. Perhaps some darker notes to tone down the cheap smelling rose, pimento and carnation. I cannot imagine a man wearing this in public, unless he's going to a taping of the Barney the Dinosaur Show.

Yes, it's French. Yes, it's 'a Guerlain.' Yes, it's quite expensive. It's also old and 'reputable.'

But it smells like a heap of baby powder that a drunkard threw up in.

I'm afraid I can't understand the support for this one.
While I can see how it can be interpreted as a "classic" and "gentlemanly" fragrance, I almost vomited when applying it.
It has a stomach-turning spicy opening, settling into an overpowering mixture of spice and vanilla.
Perhaps it is a personal aversion to spice, or just an old bottle which is "on the turn" I honestly do not know.

As far as I’m concerned, MonkeyManMatt has given the perfect analysis of Habit Rouge. My reaction to it was almost the same as his although I didn’t actually vomit, but I certainly felt the initial impulse. The sickly vanilla sweetness is overpowering, and to my nose, too, the fragrance is very feminine, not that I would wish this scent on a person of either gender. It’s not a skin reaction that I’m experiencing, either: I tried to use it as a room spray and felt the same reaction to it. To me, this illustrates how unique and individual are our sense interpretations are: It really is stomach turning for me.

I just can pick from here is sherbert lemon mixed with cinnamom, a hint of vintage carnation and rose, powdery accords, leather and something greenish and pungent, (probably pimento, that has been missed badly with the wrong notes. What a disappointment. I really like pimento accords in others: Piment Brulant is a good example).
There’s nothing original here to be found.
Terrible instant migraine!.
This is a real example for me of how a scent should smell to be catalogued as vintage and vile. Disgusting!.
Sorry, I’d pass.

its very classic, smells like my grandfather .now a days HB is very funny fragrance for man or women i bet 40 years ago it was very elegant scent

Really wanted to like this as I do feel an affinity for classic fragrances, but this didn't do it for me. It was somewhat sweet and somewhat animalic, with a synthetic smelling bite all of which just didn't appeal to me. There was an essence of sweat that deodorant couldn't quite cover, so they hang out together. I kept thinking of some of the older boys at Metro Area Ivy League eating Clubs with their too fast clipped speech; old blue blazers with a missing button here and there; whales on their corduroys, and well-worn pique golf shirts that just can't be cleaned thoroughly anymore. This may just be a little too fogey even for me, and I am generally proud to be one myself. Maybe in five or ten years...

Think of a blind date with someone who is pleasant but not sexy, funny, intriguing or beguiling... and the date passes ever so slowly. Eventually, you try to leave but she asks for a lift. Being a gentleman, you offer to assist and, on the way, she reveals that she is needy and unstable... and you just can't leave anyone in that state of turmoil. What began as a disappointment begins to cloy, degenerating into something very uncomfortable indeed. You know that someone, somewhere will love her, adore her and find her fascinating but you do not. Habit Rouge is a habit I will not form. It's as sexy as my grandmother's best friend and smells just like her. It was a blind date kind of purchase which made me realize again just how wonderfully individual each one's perception of a fragrance can be.

Well, HR was a big let down... I expected something really oriental and all I smelt was a citrusy and sour talcum powder. Maybe It's my nose, but I can't find any sweetness. Very old fashioned, I think It's time to discontinue it.

I've used only the EDT. Here is my review: I don't think it feels like 'red' at all, but rather like 'orange' or 'white'. It is certainly a well-made, quality fragrance. Too cloying. Formal and sweet. Powdery. Not fresh, but very saturated. I think it goes better with older people. Overall, it's too much for me, and I don't especially like it.

The only fragrance I can remember that has made me throw up. I literally vomited after spraying HR on my skin. There is something very wrong with this one, the sickly sweet vanilla base clashes with the rosewood in a bizarre way, and on top of that this smells extremely feminine to me. I guess the enduring global support for this one will always remain a mystery to me...

Habit Rouge is no longer what it was in the beginning. Since Guerlain is in the hands of LVHM, they made it cheap. The ingredients are no longer exclusive.

After reading glowing reviews, I obtained a bottle. Although it is obviously a quality fragrance, it is perhaps the most feminine men's cologne I have ever tried. Not for me, thank you. As a men's cologne- a thumbs down!

I haven't compared the notes, but Habit Rouge seems like it was patterned around Caron pour un Homme. It smells an awful lot like it only spicier. They are both heavy on rosewood, floral notes and sweet notes. With its spiciness, I find Habit Rouge smells like a highly cloying woman's oriental fragrance. It really doesn't smell very manly. I have no idea what some people love about this one. It is simply too much! It becomes a little better after an hour, but it still has notes in it that clash and make a sticky sweet leather and moss mess.