Reviews of Sycomore (new) (2008)
by Chanel

Flawlessly blended savory vetiver fragrance that is extremely natural smelling with strong feel of class and luxury. It really does smell simple yet very “expensive”.
Warm, earthy and salt spicy with a dash of smoke. It reminds me of Malle`s Vetiver Extraordinaire, but Sycamore is perhaps a bit more subtle and sharp with smokier feel to it.

Sycamore is a wonderful scent that is also extremely easy to wear; anywhere, anytime. It certainly is not a so called “sexy” fragrance but much more importantly, it is beautiful and able to make its wearer to feel extremely good about everything that’s happening.

This is 100% unisex.

Beautiful smoky woody vetiver. Its a slightly lighter version than Encre Noire. Opening smells a bit harsh but drydown is downright gorgeous. One of the best vetiver loaded scents out there. I actually think its pretty good that its marketed towards females. Most probably wont want to wear it since it is a bit masculine, and 99% of guys wont venture off to the womans side to buy scents. Thats what makes it a rare fragrance. I was however surprised at seeing Sycomore at the mens section of the Chanel boutique.

Sycomore is the Chanel Les Exclusifs essay on vetiver, and after several wearings I’m ready to place it among the best of the current vetivers, right next to Vétiver Extraordinaire, Givenchy Vetyver, Route du Vétiver, and Encre Noire. Sycomore is a dry vetiver, and like the Givenchy it has a touch of licorice and nutmeat about it. It is a clean scent, without the earthy quality of Route du Vétiver or the harsh vegetal profile of Vétiver Extraordinaire. Like Encre Noire, it is smoky, but where Encre Noire is gaunt and austere, Sycomore’s structure is softened and rounded by a generous amount of iris root. If a vetiver scent can be said to be plush, this one is.

Sycomore’s iris and vetiver are accompanied by a particularly rich, smooth sandalwood, which adds yet another degree of luxury to the scent’s enveloping texture. Sycomore evolves very slowly once its central smoky-soft structure establishes itself. The iris/vetiver/sandalwood axis tilts slightly from time to time, nudged in one direction by dry spices, and in another by some very discreet incense. Components fall away one by one over a span of about six hours, and Sycomore’s drydown belongs primarily to the persistent vetiver and sandalwood, but there’s also a bit of moss at the foundation; not much, but just enough to allude to the classical chypre style. The overall impression is one of luxurious comfort without a trace of stuffiness or blandness, so if you’re seeking a vetiver scent with depth, sophistication, and ease of wear, Sycomore should probably be on your short list.

I smell s similar vetiver vibe like those from Mugler Cologne, Original Vetiver and Paul Smith Story. It's much closer to Paul Smith Story where it's dirtier, a little dry and kidna smokey. Other than it being a little more concentrated, Paul Smith Story is way cheaper but lacks the dry woodiness of Sycomore. So for the price, you're buying a simple woody vetiver scent.

One of the best vetiver scents created in the past 20 yrs in my opinion. smoky, rooty, with nuances of citrus and white flowers. I also detect a nutty note that makes this a standout on my skin. This is a fragrance that would be perfect on Marlene Dietrich.It's reminiscent of the genre i call 'le smoking' an exceedingly beautiful women done up in a perfectly cut bespoke tuxedo. Mysterious and slightly aloof.

This is predominantly a vetiver scent. Several reviews here are describing it as a chypre, but honestly I don't get that at all. I smell a clean straightforward vetiver that could be compared to Encre Noir (but not as dry and strong) or Givenchy Vetyver (but without any citrus).

Instead of citrus, the main complication I detect is a sweet caramellic note. Perhaps it's actually a floral note (neroli? ylang-ylang?) -- but to me it smells a lot like vetiver overlaid with a bit of maple syrup. I might compare it -- very loosely -- to the slightly sweet woodsy aroma you notice if you let yourself fall into a huge pile of freshly-raked, crunchy maple leaves (or, I suppose, sycomore leaves). But without the accompanying urge to sneeze!

The overall effect is a vetiver that manages to be straightforward, in the modern style, while retaining a soft, warm elegance. It would be very nice on a woman. Since I like my vetivers raw and dry, I still prefer Encre Noir for myself.

Delicious vetiver which is somewhat feminized (when compared side-by-side to Lalique Encre Noire) but perfectly unisex.

Dry smoky vetiver and dark woods. Good stuff -- the new Sycomore for the exclusifs, not the old one.

A great alternative to Vetiver Extraordinaire, and IMO, the most masculine of the exclusifs.

I too hope that a girl will forget that I am a guy, and give me an evening of enchantment buy waring a feminine fragrance

The first hit of this is dark, heavy, assertive and I love it.. it reminds me of the essential oils I have always preferred to perfumes. I get almost none of the 'floral' notes that people mention... but straight to sandalwood within 30 mins after application. I have started wearing it on my hands at bedtime... a lovely way to go to sleep... I used to put vetiver oil on my baby's pillows as a sedative many years ago.

I was excited to try Sycomore because it is by Jacques Polge who created Bois des Iles, but there is no reference to that former fragrance. Sycomore strikes me as a completely new genre, one of the "environmental" fragrances that transport the wearer to imaginary surroundings. It is ambiance in a bottle, but it reminds me of something I once read on a forum, "People shouldn't smell like this, room should." In fact, not rooms, but the outdoors. I smelled nothing of the florals described by previous reviewers. Sycomore is a vetiver fragrance--and a smokey one at that. It is challenging. It is dry and salty--and peppery. It is decidedly masculine. Do I like it? Not really. I think it is an artistic achievement, but I would not wear it as a perfume. Please pass the gingerbread, instead.

The original Sycomore fragrance was reportedly a reminder for Coco Chanel of the sycomore trees towering over her home garden. Yes, it reminds me of the deep verdant dampness and shadows beneath my own sycomore canopy that covers my front garden.
When I first smelled Chanel's new Sycomore I was immediately drawn in by its resinous, green incense nature. The opening notes resonate with a smokey woods and green earth - a rooty deep green vetiver. Along with the vetiver there is also a chypre effect that buzzes around the scent from the woody violet and woody vetier. This is clearly a vetiver centered fragrance that has all the positives of the best earthy damp vetivers but also with the warmth and mystery of uplifting smokey incense. Adding to the mix of vetiver and smoke woods is a light floral note - possibly honesuckle for sweetness and a woody violet note. This floral heart reminds me of the green floral of Creed's Chevrefuille, warm sunny and light flowers but still very green. What a magical mix of fragrance elements. Deep green vetiver with smokey light woods and uplifting florals are well blended for a chypre floral chord that resonates above and around the scent of the ingredients. With all these parts it still never loses its vetiver soul.

Sycomore is a woody, rooty scent at first. It then develops a smoky impression, which persists on my skin for a fair bit. Then comes the chypre top, neroli and bergamot, and slowly the heart-note florals, three of the usual suspects — rose, jasmine and ylang-ylang — with the less customary honeysuckle. Woody, musky notes in the base have already made an early appearance in that opening woods-and smoke accord, but they persist quietly, with the florals, especially the neroli and honeysuckle-laced heart notes keeping the lead.

For me, this is a shared scent. As a chypre, it hovers in the middle ground between the old feminine and masculine styles. The smoky woods and the slight greenness of the honeysuckle, together with tobacco and cedar in the base help keep it ambiguous within the old scheme.

This is perhaps a bit understated. It doesn't develop a massive sillage on my skin, but it is noticeable if one gets close enough to converse. It's worthy of Polge and Sheldrake, I think.

What's the overall impression? You meet someone who's a little rough around the edges, and in hanging with him, you discover progressively that he's a sweet and tender guy. He's surprisingly capable of a lot of feeling. He's not at all coy, but his innate shyness still reserves a little corner of private mystery.

Top notes: Bergamot, Neroli
Heart notes: Ylang-ylang, Rose, Jasmine, Honeysuckle
Bottom notes: Cedar, Violet, Tobacco, Sandalwood, Musk