Vetyver Lanvin (new) (2003)
by Lanvin

Yes, it does have the sharp green of a vetiver scent, but boy is it ever chemical-y...second only to Insense Ultramarine (eau de nail polish and hair spray). I have enough respectable vetiver scents, and even decent drugstore-level green scents, to let this one go.

16th May, 2010.

I picked this up at the Maxx for 9.99. Being a Vetiver note lover I thought I had made an awesome purchase. Boy, was I mistaken. I don't regret the blind purchase. At 9.99 I'll continue to make them. I'm not rich but the thrill of the hunt is worth ten bucks every now and then.

I don't agree with the consensus of the reviews below. This is really bad. The vetiver is very hard to discern. I have to keep smelling the back of my hand and remind myself that there is supposed to be vetiver there somewhere. Every few sniffs I'll get something kind of green that I guess some could call vetiver. But seriously, this is too much work for a note that is so easy to discover. This is not a vetiver frag. This is a green/fresh aquatic. Nothing more. I don't have a problem with a lighter, softer vetiver in a frag and sometimes find it a nice break from the strapping vetivers out there. However, when the frag has the word "Vetyver" in the title it needs to deliver. I have smelled several department store designer frags with a stronger vetiver note in the base. This isn't worth the time, trouble, or the ten bucks I paid for it. There are too many other frags out there, vetiver or not, that deserve to be worn before this one. Straight to the swap thread it goes.

12nd March, 2010.

About as wispy and wimpy as a fragrance can get. I put it on, and a minute later I smell nothing at all. Fleeting and gossamer as a dandelion tuft in the wind.

2nd March, 2010.

Thoroughly dull sports-y fresh mall fragrance for the masses that has nothing to recommend it whatsoever other than it being one more inoffensive and blandly masculine juice in a sea of others. And nary a trace of vetiver (sorry, "vetyver") to be found. What on earth is Lanvin trying to achieve here? This marque needs help.

11th February, 2010.

Ahh, vetiver. A root problem for many reviewers it seems, pun intended. There appears to be some confusion surrounding Lanvin's updated (butchered?) version of its '60s original particularly in comparison to its more illustrious counterpart from Guerlain. Is there or is there not 'vetiver' in this one? If you're looking for the 'musty, earthy' notes commonly associated with vetiver root you won't find it here. Lanvin's vetiver is much softer and greener, quite easily missed. The difference could be due to the nature of the raw vetiver or the derived vetiver oil post disillation. Whatever it was, it makes for a quieter scent that wears closer to your skin. Perhaps it won't find fans among sillage lovers but I rather like its understated elegance.

9th September, 2009.

Lanvin Vetyver has become one of my favorite "go-to" fragrances. Strange but true...

The first time I smelled it was when I bought a small bottle of it blind. It was inexpensive. I found it a very middle of the road scent. The opening reminded me a little too much of a Lysol air freshener smell so I put it away for a while. I was confused by the name also, because it's not your typical vetiver scent. Many people say this has little to no vetiver at all, but that's not true. The vetiver is apparent only as it dries down onto the skin, but once it does the effect is palpable and gives the scent a nice texture. Some people look so hard, they seem to miss it!

There is a "cologney" vibe about Lanvin Vetyver that might be offputting to some people, but it manages to behave well enough in its construction that it never falls apart into brash cliché. There are a lot of designer fragrances on the market that start out similarly to this one but turn awful because the quality of their ingredients is so poor. This one starts off a bit unambitious and common but gets better with time and repeated wearings. Very fresh and bright smelling. Supposedly, this contains a very high percentage of natural ingredients and I'm inclined to believe it.

If you're looking for some kind of be-all end-all vetiver root tour de force, look elsewhere. If you're looking for an outgoing, crisp, sporty, fresh, versatile cologne that dries down to a slightly dry vetiver skin scent-- think about adding this to your rotation.

17th May, 2009.