Reviews of Sel de Vetiver (2006)
by Different Company

A salty, slightly bitter scent, with overtones of spice, a sweet floral note, earthy root notes, and an underlying iris almost devoid of powdery effect. This is a tour-de-force of a fragrance, whose character is beautiful without a trace of prettiness. The beauty is in the audacity of it, and in its extreme rawness and earthiness. The geranium and one of the vetivers in it are called "Bourbon," after the pre-French-Revolution name of the Indian Ocean island of Réunion, an overseas region of France; this island is a perfumer's emporium of exotic white florals, aromatic grasses, vanilla, and geranium, among others. Anyway, wear Sel de Vétiver, and you're bound to attract attention!

This is wonderful.

I get a big burst of some universal detergent kind of smell in the start, and actually I like that very much. It’s a delicious start for this wonderful scent.

Se de Vetiver is extremely complex composition; There is lots of things going on; lot of nuances, layers and different kind of associations.
It has a fascinating development and great longevity.

In the dry down I get, instead of just vetiver salt, more iris with that vetiver together that has been spiced up by salt, cardamom and freshly squeezed grapefruit juice.

It also obviously has a bit of that patchouli in the base; it gives a subtle dark and bitter “kiss” for this masterful blend.
Although it is said this has also some ylang-ylang in the mix, I admit I can’t smell that very well, if at all.


Sel de Vetiver is made with great talent. It is unique, compelling and extremely natural smelling spicy scent that is easy to wear on any occasion. It has a strong soothing effect. It is able to transport me to some different time and place….to somewhere better away from the middle of the gnawing everyday life.

The transformation from those fresh detergent kinds of shades into this savoury and earthy scent is quite remarkable.

Fantastic scent and for sure very expensive one too. Get a sample of this and let your heart decide if it is a full-bottle worthy scent for you.

Never would have anticipated salty vetiver as a wardrobe staple, but such are the revelations that come of sampling.

SdV's top notes compel me to sniff my forearm up close to experience a primitive, animalistic sensation -- not quite carnal, but somewhat base. This is my favorite phase, these zesty, salty, skin-complementing top notes. I regularly pair SdV with Jo Malone's Black Vetyver Cafe to achieve what I call "spectral vetiver." Just as "sweet" and "salty" enliven each other in foods, SdV and BVC make the vetiver experience really blossom for me. SdV is, however, one of those frags I don't expect others around me to understand as an art form, and this is another reason I wear it in tandem with BVC (which my husband likes on me quite well).

If you're exploring the world of vetivers, this one is a must! Very close to nature, easy on the nerves. I've not known the occasion of sitting on an ocean's windswept dunes, but I can still relate to this mild, earthy fragrance just the same.

I've tried a number of vetiver scents and unfortunately I just can't join the camp of admirers. This one in particular just reminds me of using a solvent to rub off the old varnish in a church. I appreciate the artistry intended, I just don't want to smell it. Vetiver seems to just vibrate like a whistle in the back of my nose in an unpleasant way. Sel de Vitiver has shades of Timbuktu and Ellena's Un Jardin sur le Nil, which are reasonably wearable for me, so it isn't the incense, I think. Just that damned vetiver. Maybe if Sel de Vetiver just had the slightest hint of something sweetly aromatic, it would help. But the intention was salt, I take it, and it is truly dry as a crust of salt clinging to the reeds.

In two words, I would call this a ‘salty vetiver’. The salty character comes from liveche (also known as lovage), a plant related to celery. To me, the saltiness reminds me of the effect of pickling, in this case a pickled vetiver. I dislike it. The salty overtones seem to diminish with time and it becomes bearable and more conventional. Still the opening ruins it for me.

The Different Company Sel de Vetiver

Vetiver has to be one of the most versatile notes for a perfumer to work with. I probably own a dozen vetiver-based scents and I can say that none of them smell alike. The latest vetiver scent for me is Sel de Vetiver which was designed by Celine Ellena in 2006. There are signs of her father's minimalism throughout but there is also a tone which is all her own. The top is a mix of grapefruit and cardamom and it is applied lightly. The sharpness of the top notes are smoothed out with the appearance of iris and ylang ylang again applied lightly. The base is all patchouli layered with a slightly heavier hand. All of these notes are laid like a sheer drape over the core of vetiver that is present throughout the development. In the description of this Celine Ellena says she was going for an accord of "salt drying on skin after swimming in the ocean". For me, about a half an hour in she nails that accord. I could feel myself on a beach lying on the towel as the sun dried my skin after a swim. This is a beautifully done scent which achieves its stated goals but I feel it might be too light and all of the things that make it good are gone too swiftly to leave a lingering impression.

For me this is slightly salty grapefruit and vetiver with a floral tinge. Not a lot of character but it's very nice, and really does remind me of the smell of one's skin after a swim in the salty ocean.

Don’t ask me why, but this reminds me a bit of En passant.

8/10

This is such an interesting scent. All vetiver-lovers must try it. I find that the top and mid notes are brief as distinct phases, but they re-emerge in the basenotes and add complexity. Initially I thought, “citrus-spice, lovely, poof it’s gone.” As for the floral notes, “where have all the flowers gone, short time passing.” And even the vetiver initially appears very briefly before retreating in the face of an iodized salty note. The latter is powerful, not unpleasant but so unusual that I wasn’t sure if I cared for it. Gradually that note abates (but never disappears) and a lovely, grassy vetiver emerges. And now I find that some citrus and spice notes re-appear. The visual impression I have – a strong one – is of sitting on a grassy knoll beside a beach. It is a sunny day, and I’m drinking lemonade. The salty sea breezes, the hay-like scent of the grass, the warm lemons; all combine in that moment. I’m not sure how they achieve that salty, tangy note. Perhaps it is the patchouli, carefully deployed in combination with the vetiver. Perhaps it is some unlisted ingredient. All in all, this is quite an experience.

Don't be fooled by the citrusy top notes. This isn't a green, clean vetiver --- SDV evolves into a rather dark one with the salt becoming more prominent until it practically takes over the whole scent. Surprisingly, this isn't as weird as it sounds because the patchouli is still holding on and the whole effect is rather lovely. I also found that SDV drifts in and out -- one minute you think it's gone and then it is enveloping you again -- quite magical. A very beguiling and beautiful scent.

This fragrance is fascinating. On me, it smells like the Atlantic; cool, slightly gray, peppery, earthy, and smoky. On my husband it smells like the Pacific; warm, salty, green, and brisk with hints of citrus. I much prefer it on my husband, (I love it on him). The cardamom in this fragrance is especially complimentary to the grapefruit, patchouli, geranium, iris, ylang ylang, and vetiver notes. Sel de Vetiver calls to mind L'Artisan Navegar, although I don't think they share many notes. They do share a warm-skin freshness that's somehow sultry, yet light. Sel de Vetiver has become one of my favorite vetivers - and I adore vetiver.

A highly citrus vetiver that is keen to florals. I really like the citrus top notes and seem to balance on top of everything else. Pretty good.

This is a fragrance that was better than I imagined it would be, and I'd built it up in my mind for months before actually getting to try it. Like salt water dried on sun drenched skin? Absolutely! While Sel de Vetiver is really all about vetiver and the sensation of salt, I would actually venture to recommend it to those seaking a seaside reminiscent fragrance as it certainly evokes that for me, but in a far less obvious way than most fragrances with that specific intent. The first stage in the game is noticing how a grapefruit note works in the fragrance as a perfumer's brush stroke, avoiding the spotlight in order to add a shimmer to the fresher, greener aspects of vetiver and produce that mouthwatering tang that I often experience in a good vetiver fragrance. Sel de Vetiver's biggest surprise on me was that for the greater part of its evolution, it intensified on my skin. The vetiver and salt sensation became sharper, more focused, and more delicious, MORE mouthwatering, to the point where the fragrance actually smells of crisp, clean sea water, and the greenness of the vetiver actually seems to take on a sea kelp imagery in my mind. This fragrance is an absolute joy to wear and it does not leave one wanting for more intensity and longevity. Though when all is said and done this is a rather "simple" fragrance, I can't say enough good things about it. Superb!

Like Etro's Vetiver and Maitre Parfumeur and Gantier's Route du Vetiver, this is an uncompromising, undiluted, earthy take on vetiver root. The vetiver attack is sharp and immediate, with no citrus to soften it and just a touch of aromatic herbs to lend it depth. The "sel" part comes in a bit later, in the guise of an iodine note that's not too far removed from certain Islay single malt whiskys - Talisker and Laphroaig come to mind.

Like Route du Vetiver, Sel de Vitiver slowly rounds out and mellows over time, but never becomes bland or insipid. It's a spare, trimmed-down scent, with nothing extraneous in its composition. Once the heart accord settles in, it doesn't seem to develop all that much. That's alright though, since the accord is both distinguished and appealing in its unconventional way.

The concept of using minerals as a theme in perfume is relatively new. Although there are distinct mineral notes in perfumes such as Aqua Allegoria Pampeloune (Sulfur) and l’Eau d’Issey (Chlorine), the mineral presence in these fragrances was kept hush-hush only to be noticed by the keen noses; Yet the Elena family seems to be taking this concept into a whole different direction, spearheading the elemental or mineral movement in perfumery, with Sel de Vetiver by Celine Elena (Salt) and Terre d’Hermes by Jean-Claude Elena (Flint) and in general by their minimalist approach that is more mineral than organic.

Sel de Vetiver (Vetiver Salt) from The Different Company meant to evoke the barely-there scent of ocean salt on a sun warmed skin. Although I can understand the salty reference and association with vetiver, warm it is not. Rather, it’s a cool, dusty vetiver with a clean earthy presence. It may recall the gritty, ground-sea-shells sand, salt sticking to driftwood and the rough dryness of skin that was soaked and masked with mud, salt and sulfur for too long. But it does not quite smell like salt or skin.

Sel de Vetiver opens with an astringent, clean accord of grapefruit, ginger and a hint of cardamom that reminds me roasted dark coffee more than the spice itself. I can smell hints of ylang ylang, but they are not obvious at all, being rather heady and fleeting. Other notes that are mentioned are orris and geranium, but I can’t say I was aware of their presence at any given point. Vetiver and refined patchouli (smells more like a patchouli isolate rather than the full-bodied oil) step in pretty fast and dominate Sel de Vetiver for most of its life on the skin – the sweet, clean scent of these two earthy essences combined.

Top notes: Grapefruit, Ginger, Cardamom
Heart notes: Ylang Ylang, Geranium Bourbon, Orris
Base notes: Vetiver, Patchouli

When I first sampled this, I thought it was nice and moved on, and the sample sat in a box for months. But once I had a chance to give this fragrance a good spray, I appreciated it much more. What seemed a little weak or bland in the sample vial becomes gorgeously natural and subtle when sprayed. It is a bright vetiver but also a smoky, and of course there are beautiful salty overtones. The citrus is very toned down; it doesn't feel like a generic cologne. Instead, it feels natural and raw. This fragrance is genderless to me.

And can I add that the perfumer is CELINE ELLENA, not her father as is listed in the directory? Let's give the lady her due.

I hate to disagree, but I can't stand this scent. After about five minutes, I am overwhelmed by a very musty incense smell. It smells like a church. The iodine note, which comes comes through like a wave, maybe every 10 seconds or so, is also overwhelming and strikes me as very synthetic (it smells almost of gasoline as much as salt; I don't get an aquatic sense from it at all), and almost makes me nauseous. I find every aspect of this scent unpleasant, and anything but mellow or clean. I cannot wait to go home and shower.

Freshly bright citrus notes blossom in a background of a clear, salty, raw vetiver to form the top notes of Sel de Vétiver. As the citrus declines, the vetiver grows stronger, and it is an excellent vetiver. I don’t find it the attack vetiver found in Route du Vetiver; rather it is comes across as clean, sharp, and rustic with only a bare minimum of embedded savagery. But it certainly manages to retain some element of raw vetiverian character – especially by means of an iodine that is edgy but not overdone. The reason that I think this scent is fairly tame is the warmth it exudes: The cardamom and the iris might have something to do with the underlying tepidity. The iodine, vetiver accord stays linear for the length of the fragrance. All too soon, the drydown enters in and it doesn’t seem to belong: On my skin the drydown really blooms with powder, and I would begin thinking that this is really an iris fragrance. The powder doesn’t last long, but gives way to a vetiver and patchouli (I think) drydown. Sel de Vétiver is very wearable, light, and I find it quite masculine. The longevity of the fragrance is questionable, though.

Superb vetiver - starts with a somewhat harsh green note vetiver, then nicely calms down to a raw, not sensual note. This green note seems to me similar to that in Route du Vetiver, but here the vetiver lasts throughout the drydown, as compared to Route's switch to black currant.

An excellent vetiver - one of the finest I've tried.

I can only agree with the two previous reviews. Very refreshing vetiver at the beginning and slowly changing to a warm,slightly sweet fragrance. Excellent!

I really didn't get how salt could be rendered in a scent, salt doesn't have a scent. But after inhaling Sel de Vetiver for a while... wow! It smells just like a salty ocean breeze, with a hint of kelp and the dryness of sunbleached driftoowd! And the best thing about it is I'm not even overly fond of the ocean, much less its scent, but wow... This is so far from all the ozone/aquatics "ocean" scents I so detest. It has the dry, rooty, green, earthy sharpness of vetiver too, but not to strongly to overcome the impression of a beach. I just resaw Pirates of the Caribbean, and minus the dirty pirates, this is it. Very well done.

A stunning vetiver fragrance! It starts dark, cool, raw and a bit salty. You smell notes of pure vetiver and a hint of patchouli and cardamom. Later, it develops a soft, smooth character with geranium, iris and ylang-ylang. Very refined, very masculine. While MPG's awesome Route du Vetiver blends vetiver with fruits, TDC creates a wonderful composition of vetiver and flowers. Not as sweet as SL's Vetyver Oriental and not as harsh as Villoresi's Vetiver, this one settles somewhere in the middle. A perfect choice for vetiver lovers who want a distinctive, deep but mellow vetiver scent.