Kouros (1981)
by Yves Saint Laurent

Sweat? I think not, but urinal cake, bathroom cleaner, I think so. I disagree with Turin’s assessment that Kouros is the smell of a gentleman wearing a pre-WWI dandified British concoction. This is one of those some love it, some hate it fragrances. I hate it. Even the pointless flankers like Body Kouros and Kouros Sport are better.

Everybody loves Kouros. It is easy to understand why as kouros is plain strong and manly. I feel lucky that i live somewhere it never got popular to much to to ger worn out for me.

I like Kouros. I have to be in the mood for it and it's not something I would opt to wear in warm or hot weather since the nature of this beast really is suitable for cool temps.

It is feral on my skin. Not animalic, but feral since the civet and amber duo are apparent from the get-go. Coriander always gives a scent some grit ( at least to me it does) and seems to go hand in hand with the feral element here.

Earthy and dirty florals precede a leatherized base of vanilla, amber,civet, tonka, moss and musk. This is a heavy hitter and it's prudent to apply with that in mind. As I am a heavy sprayer with most scents, I judiciously apply 50% of what I normally would wear when choosing Kouros. That seems to be the correct amount for me.

The wife likes Kouros also. Go figure that one out. All my most beloved scents that she casually dismisses as "Eh" or "not bad", Sweet Pea gives Kouros the thumbs up.

So do I.

Kouros is the raging bull of the 1980s - the powerhouse to crush all powerhouses. It's an aromatic fougere on amphetamines, cocaine AND steroids. It takes a delicate hand and lot of confidence to pull off wearing this beast. That being said, if worn correctly, Kouros is an absolutely beautiful scent that brilliantly blends floral notes, citrus, civet and patchouli. It's my favorite powerhouse scent, and one I would bring with me on a deserted island. It's not for everyone, but it's truly one of the all-time greats. A 10/10 rating.

I'll admit that the opening is a bit hard to take. It comes screaming out of the bottle like a banshee and this wall of clove and citrus and flowers and powder incense and artemisia and civet and who knows what else slams you in the face like an oncoming train. Experienced or not, it is a rather extreme opening. But...I like it. It's fascinating.

I don't see the evolution so much as a progression of notes, but rather a gradual fade-out of certain notes. It seems to start with everything present, then focus itself slowly. First goes the citrus, followed by the artemisia, leaving behind a powerful clove and floral accord augmented by the bright civet note. The civet starts to tone it down next, along with the heady florals, and we're left with a surprisingly mellow melange of incense and honeyed powder, with just a hint of that good old civet to add depth. And there it stays to the end.

What strikes me most about this scents is its lack of anything normally found in men's fragrances. There are no greens, barely any citrus, no wood to speak of to my nose. It's a well-blended abstraction of notes that sounds like they ought to be dissonant, but work together to form a massive, sculpted block of smell. The combination of notes is so powerful and so bursting with energy that's hard to pin everything down and analyze it. I understand its detractors, but I still very much admire and like Kouros.

Kouros is a clove based incense with loads of civet, vanilla and sandalwood. it's incredibly powdery and is pretty amped up in it's incense and civet. vanilla provides the much necessary sweetness and clove gives it a smoky feel.
A true masterpiece by the house of YSL along with M7 and Rive Gauche.