Vetiver (1961)
by Guerlain

At first, I really didn’t think much of this – a very soft vetiver, citrus and tobacco scent with a soapy drydown. However, I’m finding that I’m appreciating it more as I get older (or is it more to do with my sense of smell becoming more sophisticated?). Its longevity was, initially, disappointing but I’ve found it to improve both with consecutive wears and in warmer weather.

I still wouldn’t consider this to be the best vetiver scent on the market (for me, the title belongs to Malle’s Vétiver Extraordinaire). However, the fact that it’s transcended time without ever being considered outdated, makes Guerlain’s Vetiver a true perfume classic.

An excellent office scent for the warmer months.

[Original submission date: 25 May 2008]

One of my very few criticisms of Basenotes reviews is that there seems to be more than a few people who seem to go out of their way to pan every fragrance that features an accord they despise. Seems a little counterproductive to wage a private War on Vetiver, or Coffee or ISO E Super or whatever in the review section.

If you do like Vetiver, look no further than GV. I find the vetiver accords in both Racine and in Givenchy Vetiver reissue marginally better articulated, but GV has hands down my favorite drydown in all of perfumery, managing to actually deliver what the marketers 99% of contemporary masculines can only promise--a precise "balance of sensuality and freshness."

I'll keep it short and sweet:
The one and only. A sin to wear it to work, unless you love your job. This one is freedom personified. Uplifting and cheerful. My favorite of all the vetivers.

Guerlain’s classic Vetiver introduces itself with a very wet, round citrus accord. It takes some time before the citrus is underpinned by a relatively mellow vetiver note. Later in the course of its development it also reveals a touch of smoke and some crisp green notes that extend the life of the opening citrus accord.

The fragrance cruises along in vetiver-citrus mode for a long time, and I find its uncomplicated structure brisk and refreshing. Guierlain Vetiver is a classical fragrance in the true sense of the word. Like an ionic temple or a Mozart concerto, it exhibits perfect balance, with no extraneous elements to distract from its essential form. If you’re looking for the aggressively earthy, stark, potent vetiver of Route du Vetiver, Vetiver Extraordinaire, or Etro’s Vetiver, you won’t find it here. But if you want a comfortable, civilized approach to the vetiver root, this is it.

oh how excited i was when a fellow bner shipped this to me... oh how disappointed i was after wearing it to a full day at work... i really love the vetiver out of the bottle, but there's something "off" with this on my skin... no i mean like off the bug repellant... wow rereading the scent profile just made me figure out why i don't love this... CORIANDER... i ran a mexican restaurant for five years and one of the best parts of the day was making salsa... the pungent yet fresh aroma of crushed cilantro always left a smile on my face, but cilantro on my skin is absolutely wretched... this is the reason that i was never able to really enjoy live jazz... it's so sad that something i love smelling so much in its natural form makes me so nauseated in its perfume form... oh well this will be another bottle up for swap... neutral rating because it is a very well made fragrance and i can see how it is so popular, but i will never be able to wear it

Dusty lemon grassy smell. I don't like Guerlain Vetiver, because it's not fresh to me, it's dusty-fresh.

You can have the same vibe from Mugler Cologne, that is maybe a tad more synthetic smelling, but at least it's contemporary, which is not something I can say for Guerlain Vetiver.