Reviews of Parfum d'Habit (1988)
by Maître Parfumeur et Gantier

"AWESOME" was the first word came into my mind after 10 minutes I applied this one. It is a raw seductive animalistic smell and yet it is tamed enough that it can be worn casually or for a night out.
However, During first 10 min, this one smelled like a hobo in a urinal that wasn't cleaned in a year.

This is now my preference over MKK. Sorry, Sheldrake, you are not as good as Laporte. What is the point of having an animalistic scent that you can't wear everywhere and everytime.

Only problem for me now is finding a bottle or two.

I have always been little bit suprised that this one doesn`t have any orris in it. Doesn`t it have that earthy and dusty smell of orris root in there somewhere..(?)

Anyway, this is absolutely fine creation. People are telling for this being animalic, raw, aggressively butch scent, but I can`t see where those comments are coming from.
Its masculine alright, but I get this mysterious, complex blend that is very soothing and beautiful. Not particularly animalic or butch at all !
I agree with comments this reminding of something thick and green like warm wool sweaters, blankets and stuff. This is very smooth and rich, lingers on skin forever with captivating development. One of those scents that will glue your nose into the wrists.

Great scent if you want to leave suprising signarture.

Personally, this is one of my biggest favourites for walks in the woods. I love it on lazy quiet Sundays as well.

Mesmerizing.

Gritty and dirty. Not like Jules,Yatagan or Ungaro I, but edgy just the same. If you're a fan of scents that are masculine in nature, give this baby a ride.

Opening is a tad rough, but quickly becomes something wearable,then very likable. Thumbs up.

Animalistic, raw, aggressive. If Kouros wasn't good enough for you, get this. Do not buy blind! This develops to a beautiful patchouli and green.

You can call it manly if you like, but this one is definitely en route to my wardrobe. I am loving this as a standalone, but am already thinking of some layering options.

Gorgeous scent.

Yowzah!

No question, this is an unbuttoned shirt, hairy-chested, testosterone bomb of a scent. And it's great!

Stinks to high heaven when it goes on, with top notes reminding me of stale urine, but do give it a chance. Within five to ten minutes, I can swear I'm walking through a foggy west coast conifer forest, wearing a new leather jacket, with my enormous dog (he's real, at least,) by my side. The piney, resinous notes last through the drydown, while the leather intensifies and a gentle (if anything in this melange could possibly be gentle) sandalwood and musk sweetness rounds things off.

How do they do it? Frankly I don't care, as long as I can have some.
Great sillage, and you'll have to wash it off, because this stuff hangs around forever.

This is a powerful one: It moves right in and takes over with some very raw notes—very close to fecal—short-lived fecal. Yet its deep, heavy, rich notes are attracting: Sandalwood and leather, patchouli, vetiver, and incense—all touched with just enough vanilla and amber and geranium to smooth them down and round them out. That potent introduction holds on for a very long time, as a matter of fact, this is basically a linear fragrance—and a long-lasting linear fragrance, at that. It remains throughout its progression forceful, impeccably well balanced, and unabashedly masculine. In the warm season I find myself desirously waiting for cold enough weather for spraying this on my wool jacket and again enjoying the wonderful olfactory adventure. Parfum d’Habit is sensual, animalistic, potent; it is also incredibly, majestically, beautifully compelling.

If infra-green was a color, it describes this juice perfectly. At first I tried it and had the reaction of 'oh crap this stuff is strong!' The green top notes were almost too much for me, but then it warmed up and began to change, Patchoulli notes hit first, then the Vetiver. It took about 30 mns, then I could smell what I swear was a grease/earthy scent with some herbs and pine. This stuff is a great scent, but it is NOT a good blind buy. If you are going to wear it, be prepared for a little time for it to develop on your skin, don't judge it until 30 mins after application.

Masculinity personified. Period.

PdH goes on smelling very green indeed, with a good deal of the vetiver coming through much as it does with Route du Vetiver. This is the part where you need to take a breath and give it a few minutes, as this sharp, almost acrid mess of greens begins to dry down into a rich and enveloping sandalwood and leather combination that cannot be described accurately -- only experienced.

DEFINITELY a superb fragrance, you bet. Definitely NOT a safe blind buy, though.

Dueling notes? Green? Earthy? Booze? Leather? All come to the party but none really dominate. I have to say this one works for me. The only thing keeping it out of my top 10 is less than average sillage and longevity.

One word: nasty!.
It has vague connotions of farms, in a ugly way.
First spray:
Alcohol + Thyponium venosun ( Voodoo Lily), no joke!. Fecal, fecal, rotten. Argh!.
After 2 mt, smells of farmyards, dirty moody soil, chicken feathers, some amber and geranium leafs.
30 mt later, creamy leather, some patchouli and mood accords…
Who want to smell like this really???.
I don’t. I stand by the blood and metal of Secretions Mafnifiques, believe me, much more wearable!.

Just sampled this today and well..... green and scary were my first thoughts and then as it developed and dried down , a fine sandalwood note ( one of my faves) leaves me sniffing my wrists for hours. Very unique fragrance and I'm glad I tried it.

This is probably the most manly fragrance I've ever smelled. And actually ~ I really like the topnotes! Yep, they're good for me, somewhat dry; aromatic. The drydown comes as a bit of a suprise. I think it's the unexpected sweetness in the sandalwood. Very original and very sexy too. All the fragrances from MPG have excellent sillage & remarkable longevity. Highly impressive!

This must be a winner! I can't see how this scent would be obnoxious or off-putting, not that what other people might think should be the primary consideration. Immediately upon applying my sample, I was reminded of Lorenzo Villoresi's Vetiver (which is high on my "to buy" list). I seemded to notice an element of leather as well. Despite a faint hint of "farm animals" there is, as I experience this, an overriding imagery of non-flowery fresh outdoors and perhaps breezy wooded areas nearby. It is certainly a complex and undoubtedly a very well constructed scent from which I get only positive associations.

I've taken my time to review this one. When folks whose opinions I respect have great respect for a fragrance, I have to give it a fair chance. I would urge others to do the same. Parfum d'Habit seems to be all about vetiver and patchouli mixing and mingling, creating an earthy, dirty, almost decaying plant material scent that certainly does create the "dark green wool" smell to which others have referred. The topnotes are almost foul, very nearly like a compost heap or some manure. Trust me, those wear off. After that there is something almost medicinal, not really like oud, brighter, and slightly astringent, like mint, but I'm thinking it's the sharp, medicinal side of sandalwood, which lifts the fragrance, balancing the earthiness of the patchouli and vetiver. Then, as the fragrance develops further, I detect an oily leather-like note that reminds me of the castoreum in Yatagan and Balenciaga Portos (but it's not listed among the notes on MPG's website). Overall, the effect brings to mind images of dark green things: being at camp, hunting camp, a sleeping bag, living close to nature, and possibly old military gear. Re-discovering this fragrance was well worth the effort.

The way I use this is to only spray on clothing (the D'Habit part is true)---and I like it best sprayed inside outerwear, esp. leather jackets that don't get cleaned often, if ever. I give the jacket a spray in each armhole and allow to dry for at least an hour. The patchouli dominates this one, and patchouli always has a unique relationship with a person's individual smell--- Last but not least, I agree with the reviewer who urged people to try before you buy.

I remember reading once in a review of the original Versace Versus Uomo that it was a scent that smelled like a lumberjack. Well, if that is the case, then this one smells like the lumberjack bosses boss. The comparison might seem strange, but nevertheless this one reminds me of a less sweet, classier, less cloying Versus Uomo. Both have that dark, woodsy/piney, slightly sweet feel about them that is nevertheless extremely manly (in a bear-like sort of way). Definitely worth a try.

“rough dark green wool” - - - - Yes.

Perhaps once in the presence of mothballs? - - - -Yes.

Old, dirty army blankets? - - - - Exactly!

A strange and perhaps a brilliant achievement of the perfumer’s art, but the only scent to ever cause me to feel literally nauseous.

Wow! Vetiver, leather and a hint of musk/vanilla/amber sweetness all underscore the heavy sandalwood, but it's prominent in a matter-of-fact, confident way (not obnoxious at all, unless you hate sandalwood).

To add to what someone else said, it's rough, tough and animalistic but very classy at the same time - think James Bond. If you're a sandalwood fan, definitely a must-sample.

A rough, dank and dirty take on a mix of leather, vetiver and deep woods. Not a clean scent by any stretch, it's primal and gothic in a way. A must sample, not a blind buy ;)

I once saw a member here describe this as dark green. Dark green sums up Parfum d’Habit perfectly. Parfum d’Habit is a very blend of vetiver, sandalwood, and leather. This fragrance has the texture and color of rough dark green wool. It’s rough, earthy and dirty. The sandalwood compliments the leather perfectly. This is a very mysterious fragrance that is reminiscent of a dark, foggy forest.

Great, fantastic scent. My absolute MPG favourite. One and only which meets my refined tastes... ;-)
The superb sillage, the wonderful drydown. Simply the best.