Battle of the Vetivers: Guerlain vs. Carven

Guerlain.

The Carven was nothing but disappointment for me. Â*I couldn't wait until I could find someone I knew in a far away city who needed a gift. Â*It is like water. Â*No sillage, no lasting ability, no punch, nothing to wake you up so you can skip the coffee. Â*Just plain a puddle of water caught in plastic tarp kind of scent. Â*Of all the vetivers it resembles Lanvin's recent Vetyver the most--they're both so dull they embarass the vetiver genre.

Even if you're neutral on Guerlain, it is the better product, monsieur le vicomte.
--Chris

Guerlain - tho I haven't smelled the reformulated version. It's a vetiver that one either loves or hates, but a lovely fragrance.

Carven!!!

Something about Guerlain really annoys my nose and makes it curl but Carven is fresh, elegant and understated, a soothing, calming anti-stress scent, perfect workhorse vetiver for the office! [smiley=smiley.gif] And it lasts the whole day, at least on my skin.

I had a bottle of Carven several months ago and to me it smelled the same as Guerlain's. Maybe it was an older formula?
Don't like both of them anyway.

My favorite is also L'Occitane's!

Guerlain.

Carven Vetiver becomes powdery on me; Guerlain becomes peppery.
CV seems to have less citrus than Guerlain in the topnotes.
I detect lemon and some lavender in CV, then a powdery vetiver/woods.
With Guerlain, it's lime/bergamot with some coriander, then peppery vetiver/grass.
Carven's actually lasted fairly well on me despite it's reputation on here for subpar longevity.

I finally got a bottle of L'Occitane Vetyver and do not like it much. Somewhat medicinal, alcoholic, fleeting herbs, and a little vetiver. Maybe I need more time with this one.

I like the Carven well enough: prim, straightlaced, correct.
It lasts well enough on me, but I hate the fact that, whenever I wear it,
I realize I'm secretly craving a more intense, more flavorful vetiver experience,
but know that I.....settled....on the Carven knowing that it was safe.

On the other hand, I'm slightly addicted to Guerlain's Vetiver.
It was my first Guerlain, and my first exposure to Guerlainade
(even though I sometimes wonder if I'm the only one who notices it in
Guerlain Vetiver). The citrus-y top-notes remind me a bit of old-fashioned
eaux de cologne, while the Guerlainade provides a soft cushion of
hay notes (tonka bean) that always make me think of driving in the Ohio
countryside on a summer night, smelling the clover and hay.

Vétiver.... I'm very fond of the root, so I can hardly compare only two perfumes !

Guerlain "Vétiver" (the original) is (was?) my all-time favorite.... a beautiful creation, true to Guerlain's savoir faire: fresh start, complex notes evolving to a fantastic tabac/woody scent. The vetiver root is of great quality, from 'La Réunion' where Guerlain had its plants. But the new/revisited Vétiver from Guerlain.... it seems like the original one but it differs a lot, mostly in the subtle evolution of the scent. A true disappointment.

Serge Lutens "Vétiver Oriental". An extraordinary combination of vetiver root with amber and musk. It's a very complex scent, magnificent, woody and oriental. I simply love it.... May not be good for everyday use (it's strong and musky) but it's perfect for special occasions, like all great perfumes are.

Then there is one from Etro. If you were disappointed from the change in the Guerlain "Vétiver", I'll suggest this one. It's close to the original. It's a nice juice but it doesn't evolve much on the skin. I'd say it's good for the office....

Editions de Parfums (F. Malle) "Vétiver Extraordinaire". In my opinion the best vetiver around... It's true to the root, woody and spicy ! Loads of woody extracts, with the vetiver screaming in the middle. Perfect for daily use if you dare something strong !!! I'd say it's a perfect combination with the vetiver from Lutens. This one is woody where the other one is oriental...

Annick Goutal "Vétyver". A disappointment... it smells like the sea... it has a marine note, very strong. It's sad because the vetiver root used in it is of good quality (from Java). Maybe something to use in the summer...

Maître Parfumeur et Gantier "Sur la route du vétiver". Fantastic !!! This is simply amazing: it simply smells like a vetiver root freshly extracted ! It's earthy, humid and woody. The most original and the most true to the root itself. It is very special and not everyone will like it, not a every day scent in my opinion... if you care for the people around you ! But if you like vetiver scents, you'll love this !

Artisan Parfumeur "Vétiver". Not bad, not very exciting. Good for daily use....

Carven "Vetiver". A very old vetiver, hard to find ! It's good but not very special. I'd say it's for a daily use if you like something more conventional.

Creed "Vetiver". Again, a conventional vetiver, with marine notes.

There are a few more around, Lanvin, Azzaro but in my opinion, not worth a test or a comparison...

So in short... Try the combination/rotation Malle Lutens and MPG !

I agree - except for the lasting qualities. If you use enough, though it lasts as well as most of my fragrances. The older one, with the darker green packaging is the one to get - if you can.

Trot

I have the new Carven Vetiver and this is exactly how I feel about it. With Guerlain Vetiver you may love or hate it but you won't compare it to water.

Ditto that. Its SUBLIME!!

Jeff

Vetiver Extraordinaire is truly sublime and not an impossible leap from Guerlain or Carven. Nice post, Nego!

In my opinion Vetyver Guerlain and Vetyver Carven are both good and classic fragrances.

Guerlain is much more vetiver note, and the best vetyver version that i know.

Carven is more patchouly, woody fantasie, sweet spicy, powdery...

There is no contest between these two in my book, Guerlain's Vetiver walking all over the Carven! The Carven is nice enough, to put it politely, but it is simple, dull and ponderous, and quickly slinks off to nowhere. The Guerlain, on the other hand, leaps forward with citrus and vetiver, and then engages in a long-lasting, delightful evolution during which tobacco appears, the vetiver lasts, and it remains polished and sparkling on through to the end. In car terms, the Guerlain is like an Aston Martin while the Carven is like a Dodge.

YMMV.

Jeff

The Carven Vetiver is just _so_ weak. It is hard to apply enough to be able to compare it to the Guerlain.

Artisan Parfumeur "Vétiver" smells more like pure vetivert essential oil than either Carven or Guerlain. So the comparison is not really which fragrance smells the most like natural vetivert or even which is the best interpretation of true vetivert . Rather with cologne is a better vetivert dominate (blend) . In that case there really is no contest. Guerlain Vetivert has become the vetivert dominate fragrance by which all others are judged .

I am wearing Carven Vetiver today and I will say again that it is just so weak. I must have applied 20 sprays from the bottle and can hardly smell it. I will have to decant into a stopper bottle so that I can use it as a body splash.

Be careful, there are two versions from the Carven vvétiver: one from 1957 (hard to find) and the "vétiver dry" from 1988. Is it the second one you're referring to ?

The one that I find so weak is apparently a newer version, it comes in a bottle that looks like a hip flask:
http://www.perfumeemporium.com/mens/details.cfm?id=1306

It is not the one pictured in the Basenotes Directory:
http://www.basenotes.net/ID26121666.html

Bumping this old thread...

I have never smelled vintage Carven Vetiver. How does it, compare to vintage Guerlain Vetiver?