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Is a non-spray ("splash" or "pour") bottle of Kouros necessarily vintage?

post #1 of 10
6/1/10 at 4:58am
Thread Starter 
Hello,

I have seen some threads discussing the reformulation of Kouros and I was wondering where I can find a vintage bottle.

I looked at fragrancex.com and found that they sell a Kouros 1.6oz bottle which is not spray. I also looked at YSL's website and I saw that they only mention EDT spray bottles of Kouros.

Does anyone know if YSL began selling only spray bottles of Kouros after the reformulation?

There is no picture available at fragrancex.com for that particular type of bottle; from that I could have seen if it was an old-style or a new-style bottle (from the placement of the "Eau de toilette" text etc).

Thank you!
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post #2 of 10
6/1/10 at 1:22pm
The "Eau de Toilette" and "Eau de Toilette" spray are the same thing, not sure why they're priced differently. I got my Kouros bottle from FragranceX (the "Eau de Toilette") and got the spray bottle, new version (ie. not vintage). FragranceX doesn't have any vintage stuff, to my knowledge, and I don't think Kouros was ever produced in a splash bottle except for mini versions. Besides, I thought the general concensus was that Kouros is one of the few '80s frags that hasn't been significantly reformulated.
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post #3 of 10
6/1/10 at 1:27pm
Just my two cents, from what I've seen of Kouros "reforumulation" discussions, this is one of the scents so well designed that the general consensus is that there is not a significant difference.

If you are super discerning paulik and have a magnificent nose, you might note a difference. But I find Kouros to so strong and distinctive I doubt they could really hurt this one.
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post #4 of 10
6/1/10 at 1:32pm
Thread Starter 
Hi, thank you for the info.

Yes, I believe that is what people say; but I just read this thread http://www.basenotes.net/threads/249978-Vintage-Kouros and Asmo offered in message #34 a detailed account of the differences. That is what made me wonder.
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post #5 of 10
6/1/10 at 1:43pm
I remember that thread and it's pretty inconclusive. If you like Kouros, just buy Kouros.

Unless they do something radical to screw it up, no one seems to place any sort of premium on pre-reformulation Kouros, nor has anyone really concluded if or when it was reformulated that I've seen.

This has for years been a best selling scent. As such, there are probably thousands of bottle in stock out there form many different years. I've never noted any of the Kouros lovers in here posting that they recently bought a bottle and it was "all screwed up" and changed.

You're new paulik and we don't know much about you yet. Some of the people in here, and some people I've gone on sampling trips with, have a sense of smell that is unbelievable. They can pick out all the notes and spot little tiny changes in any scent they know. I'm just a guy who likes to smell good. If they've done anything to Kouros, I can't detect it.
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post #6 of 10
6/2/10 at 10:22am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by StylinLA View Post

I remember that thread and it's pretty inconclusive. If you like Kouros, just buy Kouros.

Unless they do something radical to screw it up, no one seems to place any sort of premium on pre-reformulation Kouros, nor has anyone really concluded if or when it was reformulated that I've seen.

This has for years been a best selling scent. As such, there are probably thousands of bottle in stock out there form many different years. I've never noted any of the Kouros lovers in here posting that they recently bought a bottle and it was "all screwed up" and changed.

You're new paulik and we don't know much about you yet. Some of the people in here, and some people I've gone on sampling trips with, have a sense of smell that is unbelievable. They can pick out all the notes and spot little tiny changes in any scent they know. I'm just a guy who likes to smell good. If they've done anything to Kouros, I can't detect it.

I wrote an answer but the site returned an error. I try a re-write from memory and apologize if the first answer appears as well:

Oh, I wish I had such a nose, unfortunately it is very average. Like you, I just like to smell good.

I sampled Kouros in a few stores here and did not detect differences. However, I did not smell such animal notes (at least not "a blast of civet") as portrayed by other fellow Basenoters, that is why I wondered if an older edition might smell different. Or maybe it's just my nose.

Somewhat off-topic: The strangest thing happened with me and Kouros. After initially disliking it, I literally woke up one morning vividly remembering the scent and knowing that I MUST HAVE a bottle.

So I ordered one bottle from fragrancex.com (on April 8th and still hasn't arrived, can you imagine?). Such a waiting period is highly unusual (even though I live in Romania, still it is not on the Moon), I have ordered many perfumes from them and never had to wait more than 3 weeks, as advised on their website. I guess it was bound to happen...

Meanwhile, Live Jazz and Body Kouros are also on the way. Hope they make it through
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post #7 of 10
6/2/10 at 1:09pm
I've also read about the "civet" (real or artificial) being toned down in later versions of Kouros. But there are reviewers on BN and people like Chandler Burr who insist that the new Kouros smells as fecal as anything, so if it has been reformulated, my guess is not dramatically - it still has the power to shock. (I don't smell any civet either, for the record, just a warm, sensual muskiness - cumin and costus, if anything, but not civet). I have found some vintage bottles on eBay recently, though, if you're still interested in the old one.
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post #8 of 10
6/2/10 at 3:39pm
damn a splash? you would kill everyone in a 20 mile radius.
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post #9 of 10
6/2/10 at 5:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by paulik View Post

I sampled Kouros in a few stores here and did not detect differences. However, I did not smell such animal notes (at least not "a blast of civet") as portrayed by other fellow Basenoters, that is why I wondered if an older edition might smell different. Or maybe it's just my nose.

Ahhh, I see. Paulik, the animal notes referenced are simply the strong civet in the opening of Kouros. You seem relatively new to fragrance collectiing and it will take awhile to recognize these different notes. The differences between old Kouros and reformulated Kouros are not so pronounced that one has animal notes and one does not. Right now too, you may be dealing a bit with differing sensabilities in Europe and USA.

Kouros is considered by many in USA to be a very, very strong scent and some people find it foul smelling. Many in Europe have a very different attiturde about Kouros and other scents with similar notes.
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post #10 of 10
6/2/10 at 10:29pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidBond007 View Post

damn a splash? you would kill everyone in a 20 mile radius.

Of course, I won't use it from that bottle (because the killing would start with me ). I would transfer it into a spraying bottle.

As someone else pointed out, the key to such a powerful fragrance is to forget what you know about applying, use a minimum quantity and work your way up.
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Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Male Fragrance Discussion › MFD Archive › Is a non-spray ("splash" or "pour") bottle of Kouros necessarily vintage?