your top 5 vetivers

For the ones I have tried:

Vetiver Tonka by Hermes
Sycomore by Chanel
Vetiver by Guerlain
Vetiver Oriental by Sege Lutens
Encre Noire by Lalique

I think at least two in these five will make you smile:

CdG Vetiverru

Guerlain Vetiver

Diptyque Vetiverio

Serge Lutens Vetiver Oriental

ELDO Fat Electrician

There can never be too many vetiver threads as far as I'm concerned!

In no particular order, since they're all wonderfully distinct to me and I wear whichever one suits my mood at a particular time:

Guerlain Vetiver
Encre Noire
Sycomore
CdG Vettiveru
MPG Route de Vetiver

(Also - I wasn't aware L'Occitaine's Vetiver was discontinued. Both L'Occitaine stores near me still sell it; maybe I should stock up ... )

Fumidus by Profumum Roma & Original Vetiver by Creed.

Vetiver is my favourite note.

Some of the vetivers I love are:

Guerlain Vetiver EdT (vintage)
Guerlain Vetiver pour Elle
TDC - Sel de Vetiver
Chanel Sycomore
MPG Route du Vetiver (vintage)

Vetiver is recognizable. By that it is possible to narrow the quest for a top five to that specific note. On the other hand, a vetiver perfume will comprise certain alterations to the main theme. These could be of interest, how the vetiver is rendered to a fragrance which should be more than deluted plant extract.

top1: Carven Vetiver (vintage). Reason: the lavender makes it. Lavender plus smoke plus rooty nuttyness is my personal idea of a handsomes man cologne. I dismiss (aromatic) fougeres for their unmotivated, hence irritating roughness. But the Carven is both manly and elegant as it is to the point (whatever that is).

Encre Noire
Tom Ford Grey Vetiver
Azzaro Pure Vetiver
Givenchy Vetyver
Guerlain Vetiver Extreme

Waiting to test: Vetiver Oriental - Serge Lutens

Annick Goutal Vétiver
Etro Vetiver
The Different Company Sel de Vétiver
Carven Vétiver
Serge Lutens Vétiver Oriental

+
Etat Libre d'Orange Fat Electrician
Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle Vétiver Extraordinaire

Lalique Encre Noire
Heeley Sel Marin
Chanel Sycomore
Annick Goutal Vétiver
Etat Libre d'Orange Fat Electrician

Purist vetivers:

Le Labo Vetiver 46
Encre Noire

Grassy neroli vetivers (I have a weakness for those):

Creed Original Vetiver
Bond No 9 Eau De New York

I haven't tried Encre Noire yet, but that should change soon. Until then,depending on how you define a vetiver frag, and based on my somewhat limited perspective:

1. Terre D'Hermes
2. Tom Ford Grey Vetiver
3. Creed Original Vetiver
4. Calvin Klein Contradiction
5. Paul Smith Story

No doubt there are some well-constructed vetiver scents I've not had the opportunity to sample but these few are some of my favorites:

Frederic Malle Vetiver Extraordinaire
Lalique Encre Noire
Creed Original Vetiver
Chanel Sycomore
Kenzo Air

Im not a real vetiver lover , the only one that I really like is Vetiver Tonka and thats Mr Reasonables fault

I love vetiver!

Top 5:

Givenchy
Guerlain (vintage)
ELdO Fat Electrician
Chanel Sycomore
MPG Route du Vetiver (vintage)

Honorable Mentions:

Serge Lutens Vetiver Oriental
Carven Vetiver (vintage)
Tom Ford Grey Vetiver
Lalique Encre Noir
Annick Goutal Vetiver
Etro Vetiver
CdG Vetiverru
Carlo Corinto Vetyver
Adolfo Dominguez Vetiver Hombre

Guerlain Vetiver
Lanvin Vetiver
Vetiver Craven
Creed OV and...
the vetiver notes in Mugler Cologne

1. Guerlain Vetiver
2. Vétiver Extraordinaire
3. CdG Vettivéru
4. Encre Noire
5. LOccitane Vetyver

Lubin Vetiver
Frederic Malle Vetiver Extraordinaire
Guerlain vetiver
Villoresi Vetiver
Carlo Corinto Vetiver

Vetiver is the one traditional note for which I don't rate creed's offerings at all.

I love vetiver. However, I have only three on my list, in order of greatness:

1. Guerlain Vetiver (vintage or current, doesn't matter)
2. Mailizia Uomo Vetyver
3. Vetiver by Annick Goutal

I like other vetivers, but they either suppress the vetiver note too much or they smell too similar to one of the three I've listed above. For example, Frederic Malle's Vetiver Extraordinaire may be great, but to me it smells too similar to Goutal's vetiver to put on my list.

Vetiver 1948
Grey Vetiver
Original Vetiver
Vetiver Hombre
Fat Electrician

Lanvin (original)
L'occitane
Creed OV
Guerlain vetiver
Annick Goutal

Vetyver..Carlo Corinto
Vetiver..Etro
Vetiver Hombre...Adolfo Dominguez
Vetiver..Annick Goutal
Vetiver..Guerlain..2000 formulation
Vetiver..L'Artisan Parfumeur
Vetyver..Vintage L'Occitane
Mazzolari Vetyver
Route Du Vetiver..Vintage MPG
Racine..Vintage.. MPG
Vetiver..SMN
Vetyver Lanvin (new)..Lanvin
Vettiveru..CdG
Sorry I couldn't stop at five.

My favorites, in no particular order:

Creed Original Vetiver
Givenchy Vetyver
Floris Vetiver
Chanel Sycomore
MPG Racine
Serge Lutens Vetiver Oriental

My picks also. Of these, I prefer Givenchy for everyday office wear, and either Sycomore or VE for more formal occasions. All Are excellent renditions.

p.s. I don't believe that L'Occitaine Vetyver is discontinued. It's available in Kansas City.

Lorenzo Villoresi Vetiver
MPG Route de Vetiver (Vintage)
Parfumerie Generale Querelle
Givenchy Vetyver
Lalique Encre Noir

In no order:
Guerlain
Villoresi
L'Artisan
Magazine Street
Sel de Vetiver

Givenchy Vetyver.
Molinard Vetyver.
ELDO Fat Electrician.
Chanel Sycomore.
Lalique Encre Noire.

Chanel - Sycomore
Guerlain - Vétiver
Lalique - Encre Noire
Serge Lutens - Vétiver Oriental
Fragonard - Vétyver

L'Occitane Vetyver (BTW, this is discontinued? When did this happen?)
Floris Vetiver (now discontinued)
Encre Noire
Givenchy Vetyver
Etro Vetiver

Regards,
T

Should be on my list, too. Sad to hear it's discontinued.

It's still listed on the L'O website, and the local L'O store has it in stock. They just did away with many, many products and reorganized the men's display. The SA showed me the way the men's display is supposed to look, per corporate instructions, and Vetyver EDT and soap are both on the display. So...yeah, I don't know if this is discontinued. The shower gel is, though, for sure.

Regards,
T

That's a difficult question to answer since most perfumes contain vetiver at one level or another. For the perfume in which vetiver is the dominant note then Guerlain's if my favorite. Bath and Body released "Indian Vetiver" that was outstanding (for B&B) but it was discontinued soon after, luckily I stached away 8 bottles of it before it dissapeared from the market. For favorites perfumes containing vetiver on them the five I would mention are: Sung Homme, Grey Flannel, Ungaro III, Creed OV and Azzaro PV. Worth mentioning, although the vetiver is barely discernible, is Richard James Savile Row, an outstanding fragrance that you hear very little about.

Givenchy Vetyver
Mazzolari Vetyver
Sycomore
Encre Noire
Sel de Vétiver

Runner up:
Guerlain Vétiver pour Elle

Great idea for a thread....very helpful to me as well....as I don't have much experience with this note I will only say I did NOT like Encre Noir, but did like the L'Occitane version (which I just sampled within the last two weeks, so not discontinued). I thought Tom Ford's Grey Vetiver was pretty good as well. Would defintely say L'Occitane is my favorite thus far though.

Here are my picks with a "mini-review".

Please tell me what you think and if there's anything you'd like to add to them as well, i welcome feedback from all Basenoters.


Givenchy's Vetyver :

one of the classiest most well-balanced vetivers out there, both the vintage and the new reformulation are must haves (almost identical), very fresh, very natural yet still classically elegant.

Vetiver Dance by Tauer:

a beautiful rendition, earthy and very layered with soft fresh top notes to flowery mid to earthy base.

Guerlain's Vetiver :

the top must have vetiver of all, only because of its history and its popularity.
Adored by both men and women, the vintage is very different from the classic having both scents fans of their own -and others crying foul-, the vintage version being the most "greener" version: fresh cut grass, dirt and roots, somewhat watery garden with fresh drops of rain.
The "new" version being more conventionally "modern" with very fresh top notes that fade faster and having a strong vetiver mid with a base of dry earth and ashes.

Vetiver Hombre by Adolfo DomÃ*nguez:

the stronger of these choices, the dark, elegant, classically masculine yet fresh and very true to vetiver roots and of all things, a certain hint of crème de menthe.
It also has a versatility that can be challenged as it works on all seasons and situations.

Encre Noire by Lalique:

what has not being said about this scent that hasn't been said before?
Lalique has always been striving for a betterment of their scents and has always used surprisingly good materials for a first and foremost Glass and Crystal company that dabbles in perfumery.
Virtually all of their scents are at the very least interesting and EN being one of the most striking Vetivers of the last years and one of the most revered. A classic fragrance in the making? Most likely, but because of its inherent quality and its truthfulness towards vetiver, it wins a place here.

extras mentions - interesting Vetivers:

Red Vetyver by Montale:

this is a very original rendition of vetiver as it has a good blend of spices and certain "hotness" to the whole composition worth at least one try.
I see it as the Vetiver version of Elizabeth Arden's Green Tea, with their Spicy Green Tea scent, Montale created a very innovative use of red pepper/cedarwood/vetiver and what i feel is spanish bell pepper, before red pepper was all the rage.

Vetyverio by Dyptique:

why is this here? because the use of different types of vetiver root with a healthy amount of fruits and vegetables can go wrong but in here the composition is instead a well layered box of surprises.It even has nutmeg!


cheers everyone

I have L'Occitane's, Puig's, Lalique's Encre Noire, Carven's, Guerlain's, Zara's, R&G's and Dominguez' and a sample of Le Labo's. Except for Puig's, I like them all.

L'Occitane's and Encre Noire smell quite alike, but EN has better longevity. Both are good in terms if sillage.

Carven's is truthfull to the way Vetyver EO smells like, dirty and rooth / earth-like.

Dominguez' and Zara's are similar, the neroli top note is more evident in Zara's: Domnguez' is better in terms of longevity, but not so as EN.

Guerlain's and Le Labo's are the most complex of them all, Guerlain's more traditonal while Le Labo's more contemporary.

R&G is the most subtle and discreet - after all, it is and EdC. Defenitely conservative.

Puig's Vetiver, IMHO, does not smell like vetiver at all; it is more akin to a generic 1980's soft spicy / floral blend with some vetyver note I cannot identify at all.

Out of the ones Ive sampled:
1. Vetiver by Lorenzo Villoresi
2. Encre Noire
3. Coeur de Vétiver Sacré by L'Artisan Parfumeur
4. Vetiver by Geurlain
5. Original Vetiver by Creed

Castorpollux: You said that Vetyverio EVEN HAS NUTMEG on it, like surprised by it!!!!. Well, most Vetiver DO HAVE nutmeg, those two notes compliment very well, All Guerlain variations on Vetiver have nutmeg on it (Vetiver, Vetiver Frozen, Vetiver Sport. Vetiver Extreme, Vetiver pour Elle, Eau Glasee), also Vetyver by Lanvin has nutmeg, so does Le Vetiver by Lubin, Pure Vetiver by Azzaro, Vetyver by Jo Malone, Eau de Vetyver by L'Ocittane, Vetiver by Villoresi, the version by Ayala Morel and I could go on an on but i am running out of space. Vetiver and nutmeg go hand by hand, so do not be surprised by that combination

I'm glad someone noticed!

I wasn't surprised, i know about nutmeg-vetiver, i wanted someone to point that one out, as sometimes I feel nobody reads what we write(or digs deeper) .

So thank you for noticing again!

cheers

I think Vetiver de Puig would meet these qualifications. But, the sexiness here is dirty (read: cumin.) Vetiver de Puig is my favorite Vetiver.

Second, Azzaro Pure Vetiver because I like the grassiness of this scent (could it be the maté that creates this impression?) And, third, Guerlain Vetiver, because of the tobacco notes.

(I only have a top 3)

Guerlain Vetiver Pour Elle
Givenchy Vetyver
Tauer Vetiver Dance
Mazzolari Vetiver
Malle Vetiver Extraordinaire

Vetiver Guerlain - both masculine and feminine
Sycomore Chanel
Route du Vetiver MPG
Vetiver Annick Goutal

Not in order of preference..

Frederic Malle Vetiver Extraordinaire
Serge Lutens Vetiver Oriental
Chanel Sycomore
Guerlain Vetiver (vintage eau de cologne)
Givenchy Vetyver
ok.. this one needs to be #6 - Guerlain Djedi

... samples of Floris Vetiver and a few others on their way!

Vintage MPG Route du Vetiver
Annick Goutal Vetiver
MPG Racine
Givenchy Play (not a strict vetiver)
Amouage Ciel Man (also not a strict vetiver)

1. Creed Original Vetiver
2. Guerlain Vetiver Sport
3. Creed Vetiver '48
4. Adolfo Dominguez Vetiver Hombre
5. Tauer Vetiver Dance

Shout to MPG's Racine

In no particular order:

Encre Noire Lalique
Sel de Vetiver The Different Company
Route du Vetiver MPG
Vetiver Oriental Serge Lutens
Vetiver Annick Goutal

Grey Vetiver
L'Occitane Vetiver
Guerlain Vetiver

are the only ones I really like. Encre Noire doesn't work for me, but I might give it another go.

In no particular order:

Givenchy Vetiver
Carven Vetiver
Fragonard Vetiver
Anninck Goutal Vetiver
Galimard Double Zero

Well that about covers the vetiver issue! Vetiver is such a versatile scent that all of these listed are befitting of top 5 status. But, my list is:

Sel d' Vetiver
Encre Noire
Villoresi Vetiver
Vetiver 46
Grey Vetiver

Actually, I don't find l'Occitaine's Vetyver especially dark or mysterious - it's actually one of the "lightest" vetivers I've sampled (though I suppose it does lack the pronounced citrus topnote of, say, Guerlain's Vetiver or CdG's Vettiveru, which might make it seem like a "darker" vetiver to some.)

That said: Encre Noire and Sycomore definitely fall into the dark/mysterious category for me.
(And MPG's Route du Vetiver is another dark and mysterious beast ... but maybe it deserves a category of its own. Not an "easy" vetiver, to be sure ... )

Post script: Isn't it fascinating how many different ways vetiver is perceived? Guess that's what makes it such a popular note - it's hard to get bored of something that multifaceted.

Sycomore by Chanel
Vetiver by Guerlain (vintage Eau de Cologne and Eau de Toilette)
Route du Vetiver by MPG (vintage formulation)
Vetiver Extreme by Guerlain
Fumidus by Profumum

Vetiver is, hands down, my favorite note. Second place (amber) isn't even close. As far as my top five vets - I'd say (in order);

Malle's Vetiver Extraordinaire
Creed Original Vetiver
EldO's Fat Electrician
CdG's Vetiverru
Chanel's Sycomore