Reviews of YSL pour Homme Haute Concentration (1983)
by Yves Saint Laurent

Far too strong, far too sweaty and far too bitter. My tester was on the old side, so bear that in mind, but there's nothing classy about this. It's almost vulgar. I prefer the original but even then... An odd mixture of real lemon, cleaning products, sweat and a faint tinge of urine. Obviously that's a bit a of an exaggeration, but I couldn't get on with this. I actually felt self concious wearing it. Initially I was on the fence, as it can be very cloying at times, but when mixed with natural body heat it smells very natural and realistic - a proper lemon aroma. It's fairly obvious that they have used good ingrediants, I just struggled to "get it" and didn't like the way a single wearing could produce varying results. In a way, I respect the way a frag should be slightly different each time, but this was almost unreliable in it's unpredictability.

Nice bottle, nice atomiser, good longevity at 8+ hours, nuclear projection. All good in the hood.... I just hate the smell 90% of the time. Sorry!

I remember YSL pour Homme back in the 80s, the EdT concentration, which as a kid was happy to have a couple of samples of. Memorable and refined, it smelled of class, restraint, sophistication, and a bit of the joie de vivre. It smelled like a classic EdC with a woody musky warmth to it.

I didn't realize there was a Haute Concentration version until joining Basenotes. I found a bottle for awfully cheap and thought that I could relive the good ol' days of classic perfumery. High concentration is damn right! Two sprays created a cloud of sharp citrus that could scare away a thick swarm of mosquitoes!

As you get passed the bright citrus, you are invited to its herbaceous and animalic qualities. Normally one would imagine catching nuances of this at the base, but it appears rather quickly. Verbena, geranium, thyme, and musk, create a sharp and sweaty "unwashed" smell that is almost too much for modern standards. Even Kouros seemed to smell more subdued when it came to its animalic facets of its fragrance. Well, I shouldn't say that--I guess I feel that I'm more sensitive to sharper smells.

It does mellow nicely and at this point, this is where the grandiosity of the perfume lies. The hebaceousness of the perfume recedes and the sandalwood, vetiver, and cedar create a calming feeling of freshness.

Definitely a try-before-you-buy scent, but not awfully regrettable if bought blind because it can be had for around $20, perhaps even less. To compare the two concentrations, I think the EdT is easier to wear without feeling you've worn too much and doesn't smell too animalic and smells more cozy.

It's funny you can remember these fragrances after all these decades, but these newer creations leave nothing memorable to be appreciated that its future seems to be bleak. Perfumery should definitely go back to basics.

thyme, man sweat, and lemons.

sort of the olfactory equivalent of that photo of Yves in the nude... classy somehow in his nudity. Ah, to be French in the 1970s. I'm not sure this bookish yours truly could ever pull it off.

well made.this scent is blended wonderfully with lemons. its not harsh its just smooth and smells of class

Dear friends,

I never ever intended to attract your attention by voting opposite to vast majority anywhere on this site. However, I realised that my review will be the only thumbs down here. Sorry, but I really can not find anything attractive in this scent. Such strong, aggressive, in-your-face lemon smell is far far away from anything desirable. I would even say that is even more grapefruit than lemon due to its bitterness.

Due to very big respect I have for YSL, I will stop here. Thank you for your understanding.

Sincerely yours,

Paninaro

Now this one is something else. Wear this, and you will feel as a shady character from Paris underground life, half way between being legal citizen and a pure criminal.

But never without a style.

This water is extremely decadent and different than anything else you have tried before. Be wary about the girls that find this scent attractive... they will steal your heart and toss it to the crocodiles tomorrow, only if they find out you can't keep up with them...

Nothing can make you feel so clean and so "dirty" at the same time as YSL pour Homme Haute Concentration. You will feel like a real man, from the real world. Unlike some unsecure mama's boy seeking new trends and constantly finding yourself. If you don't feel like a man yet, this thing will make a man out of you. Remember, you don't spray it, you wear it like Don Corleone wears the tuxedo on his daughter's wedding day.

Definite macho scent. Lay down your weapons Antaeus.

There is a suggestion of Blenheim Bouquet about the opening, with a strong sense of honey dominating the early exchanges. For such a simple construction, this has plenty of depth to enjoy, and all from such a small application. It would have been easy to get the balance of Haute Concentrate wrong, but it works remarkably well. On the one hand I am sad that this classic is often overlooked, but then again, it does mean it can be purchased at a reasonable price. This ticks all my boxes for quality, sillage, longevity and value for money. Bravo

Citrus experience here with big results.
YSL Pour Homme Haute Concentration is one of the best fragances in the market. Simple and nice lemony juice with great projection and longevity. This is a mature lemony and thats fine. Lemons, lemons and lemons.

Pure class. Do you need something else?

(Not very popular, thats a nice point too. Check Ebay, very nice prices on this yummy perfume.)

I'd could write a page on what I love about this cologne, but then Ken Russell nailed it. A crisp, masculine scent with incredible silage. In fact, most scents meld into something milder as the day wears on, while YSL concentre seems to actually become more defined over time. What evolves is class-in-a-bottle, without being overwhelmingly stuffy or loud. Just refined, clean and self-assured. Excellent evening formal-wear cologne. (One caveat: A little is all it takes, so go easy on the application).

For an ardent fan of classic perfumes like me, this scent was close to a revelation, as i loved it more than i loved many of my personal favourites.
It's the right fragrance for all the ones who got tired of the overrating of boutique and niche perfumes and want to buy high quality, get it for less money and without being snobbish but at the same time having a designer scent. Very concetrated, can be overapplied very easily and can be percieved as offensive and rude if one truly does so. I know this from a female friend, who is neither a girly, childish, nor a bone-dry tomboy, in fact a tasteful, stylish, mature and intellectual and sophisticated woman who always enjoys a high quality scent and knows to tell the difference between something like that and the rest. Still, small quantities were enough and she already found it too strong, too musty, almost to the point of nausea. But that still does not affect my liking towards this scent, as tastes are something personal and men usually have slightly different tastes. I guess it was both the acidity and the very, very strong woody drydown that might get close to an unplesant experience, but still this is where this scent's quality lies. It has attitude, overlong persistence - in a good way, that is- and that touch of originality, of classic and indestructible value, that uniqueness and conforting feeling of dignified, self-assured classiness which never fails nor ages. Truly an uncommonly beautiful scent, on of the least typical and stereotypical for a decade that generated so many artworks of masculine fragrance.

"A sweaty man sucking lemons." How utterly uncharitable! (But how very true.) That said, what's the problem here? I find that succinct statement to be an homage, actually, not an insult.

There ARE dirty herbs here. There IS a slight BO vibe going on. There ARE tons of citrus notes to be had.

And the funny thing? It all works together beautifully to create a real Eighties power frag masterpiece.

One of the joys of collecting and savoring scent is the discovery of an old school fragrance that one somehow missed when they were new. YSL pour Homme Haute Concentration, for example. I just found this one. I had no idea.

YSL pour Homme Haute Concentration could only have been concocted by the same house responsible for the equally disturbing and irresistable Kouros. This stuff is pure "swoon" in a bottle.

Hovering just beneath the initial soapy verbena blast of light (yes, the citrus is that startling) lurks a dark, animalic underpinning similar in composition to the base notes of Jicky or Ungaro II but in YSL HHC, the effect of cheery lemon and nasty musk is much, much more sinister. I realize none of these descriptives sound appealing but this weird combination of completely disparate light and shadow notes somehow works.

The drydown, though not entirely linear, is still remarkable. Instead of total metamorphosis, the two accords quiet down into a soft, slightly musty (think old leather books), slightly herbal (think dry gum tree leaves) delight that growls like a Bizzaro World Joseph Merrick, "I am not a man, I am, an animal!"

Woof.

If you were feeling uncharitable, you might say that YSL Pour Homme Haute Concentree is all about a sweaty man sucking lemons. But that would be untrue as well as unkind. An invigorating opening of sharp lemon is very soon joined by what strikes my nostrils as a rather sour note of male body odour. This is presumably the "dirty herbs" aspect of the fragrance which the estimable Vicompte de K refers to somewhere.
The citrus and the sweating herbs engage in conversation for quite a while, by turns intriguing, attractive, and slightly offensive. The family resemblance with the original YSL Pour Homme is always in evidence, although the Haute Concentree version is a less straightforward fellow, just as refined (both in terms of quality of ingredients and subtle modulations from one phase of the scent to the next), but with a hint of rudeness and peculiar personal habits.
The later phases of the Haute Concentree version are truly delightful and also seem to me to come closest to the original YSL Pour Homme - the slightly suspect dirty herbs/ body odour element surrenders to a warm and exquisite complexity.
I have to say that I still prefer the cleaner, sunnier ambience of the original.

One of my FAVORITES. I wouldn't say it is so much lemony, but rather akin to magnolia blossoms, with the slight hint of verbena, but also with an underlying light musk note. The original is far more citrusy (casual wear); however, the Haute Concentration is a tad bit more complex and classy (formal wear). Nonetheless, this will remain in my top 5 fragrances of ALL time (along with Fahrenheit, Givenchy Gentleman, Paco Rabanne, Fendi, and, of course Givenchy Insense and Moods by Krizia, oops that's 6). Jon

Yves Saint Laurent-unforgettable and outstanding fashion designer-hors concours!Spohisticated and classic!In comparison to Rive gauche and Y for women(grat,awsome perfumes!)YSL pour homme is lemon and citrus, badly, mixed pure!Harsh and to much lemon-no dry down-it stays too hard and strong all the time...Anyway, a very interesting scent-very fresh and light and citrus-nothing more.Squeeze some lemons on you and it is YSL pour homme but cheaper....For women he has done such a grat work but men have been neglected....sad!

If you're into a lemony/verbena kinda of day, look no further. I like this fragrance because it stays on my skin and is a rarity on citrusy-lemony fragrances. For that reason alone, I give it a thumbs up.

I is not a bad fragrance but probably not one I will purchase anytime soon. I need to try the original to better make a decision by contrast.

This is a very lemony herbal citrus fragrance. It’s got that mothball musty closet note that I hate so much. It’s great for what it is. I just happen to hate what it is. It’s also very strong, so go sparingly on this one.

Heady, sexy, daring,not for the faint-hearted, totally indulgent of the late 70's and so very, very Yves!
I was obsessed by YSL the Man, his work and influence in fashion and I adored this fragrance.