Is there a Guerlain Vetiver without the ashtray note?

Roja Dove Vetiver Extrait.

I don't get that note from mine, I have the new taller bottle. One that is very similar but a little smoother is Givenchy Vetiver. You might give that one a test drive.

Dior's Vetiver but not that much cheaper...

Or Esprit du Roi - its not vetiver dominant but vetiver based.

Guerlain's Vetiver Extreme does not have that tobacco note.

+1 for Givenchy Vetyver - and it's in the same price range
Tom Ford Grey Vetiver for a few more dollars.

Nor from mine.

I agree. You have to like tarragon though. I do get tobacco from my 'HR' bottle, as from my ribbed bottles, but it isn't acrid to my nose and I happen to like it.

Try:

Vetiver Eau Glacee/Vetiver Frozen by Guerlain - Albeit this flanker of the original Vetiver by Guerlain keeps the vetiver essence as its focus, it is decidedly cooler than the original with the warmer aspects of the original excised and replaced with "cooling agents", so to speak.
One is initially treated to a minty, citric accord. A pronounced lime combines with orange and bergamot, resulting in a heightened tangy and bittersweet marriage, which is nicely tempered by a herbal mint. A faintly nutty vetiver serves as an undercurrent to this somewhat bracing and green concoction, and flows to the waiting middle. Here, in the heart, the citrus fades, allowing the mint to commingle with a woody and lively pepper as well as a smattering of cinnamon-like nutmeg. A sweetly floral and orangey neroli, with an ephemeral, metallic something, bathes the herbal brew. A muted earthiness and greenness from the vetiver serves as a backdrop. Transitioning to the base, the vetiver comes into its own, highlighting its steamed rice and grassy aura. Tonka bean, with its sweetly vanillic and slightly almondy facets, interplays with the green vetiver. A refreshing drydown ensues. This somewhat refined and fresh scent has good projection and longevity. A masculine, all-season composition, it will, indeed, shine in the warmer weather. This fragrance has a particularly attractive price point for its caliber.

^^^ I was going to recommend this exactly. I prefer it to the original. It's a simpler, almost transparent version, lacking the tobacco and (more importantly) the soapy notes, though the basic accord is still there.

It was my SOTD yesterday.

Somewhat hard to find, though. On the plus side: inexpensive.

I admit to being a barbarian, as I like the tobacco 'acrid ashtray note'

But for truly refined gentlemen, there's the VINTAGE Guerlian Vetiver.
Which fits the description of what you're looking for right on the nose.
It often pops up on eBay. Not THAT expensive, some members may be selling it, too.

It's a tall 4 sided bottle, the juice is gold instead of green. Moreover, it is also regarded by many as a much smoother composition.

Yes I've owned it.

Anyone got a picture?

Cheers,

Mario

+1 for Guerlain Vetiver Frozen. Pretty sure that's what you're looking for.

Forgot to add - Lubin Le Vetiver is VERY similar to the Guerlain; it does contain tobacco, but a somewhat softer presentation - I would sample that if possible.

Givenchy Vetiver
Tom Ford Grey Vetiver

Mario is talking about this one: http://www.perfumela.com/images/full...2PCSet1.7M.JPG or these (the 2 on the left): http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3563/...867ffe7e_o.jpg

**Get the Eau de Cologne version. The tobacco is integrated into the fragrance so nicely, it doesn't smell like ashtray, it smells like...vetiver. It's challenging to find it on eBay but not impossible.**

Or try Vetiver Pour Elle by Guerlain, a floral vetiver.

Definitely +3 for Grey Vetiver, +4 for Glacée/Frozen. Personaly I WOULDN'T go for vintage Vetiver by Guerlain (I once tracked down a couple of bottles and found the ashy element even more annoying in both).

I also did NOT prefer the vintage formulation (1980s) of Guerlain Vetiver. I found it to have a relatively 'musty' character, trading the soapy note for a faint curry spice accord that I just hate, even in tiny doses. Frozen is the one to have, if you want Guerlain.

Ah, this is exactly what I first noticed from the 80s EDC! I bought a small bottle on eBay. I thought it might have been "off" at first, but I actually wore it last night after a shower and I really enjoyed it. Kind of an acquired taste I think. Sort of tangy and very old fashioned, still a bit soapy. I do think there is still tobacco in the EDC though; I've read some people saying that there isn't. Strange that the EDC is less "fresh" feeling than the EDT...

Yes, this one is vetiver without the tobacco. I do think vintage Guerlain Vetiver is also quite good. For me, the version in the ribbed bottle has a weird plastic note that does fade over time. BTW, Guerlain has returned Vetiver to the bottle you refer to as the "Habit Rouge" - the ribbed bottle was discontinued.

exactly what i was thinking. only difference is, Dove's extrait is done mo betta.

I think the Tom Ford Grey Vetiver is a wonderful substitute for the Guerlain.

Vetiver Extreme is a bit 'sportier' than I liked, so I owned it and then sold it shortly thereafter. If you like 'fresh' vetivers than you'll enjoy it, but IMO it is too different from the original Vetiver EdT to enjoy.

With the new 'Habit Rouge' bottle, Guerlain Vetiver was also reformulated? I seem to remember reading somewhere that the ashy tobacco note has been toned down somewhat. Is that true?

Me too! I actually tried the ribbed bottle formulation, but dislike it because of the ashtray note. I think I would like tobacco as a note, but not as stale cigarette ask. However, after reading so many threads, I am still unsure if the formulation in the old-new 'Habit Rouge' bottle has changed that. And the fact that there seems to be at least 3 formulations (vintage, ribbed bottle, new) makes it more confusing when discussing the notes.

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They are similar in their fresh vetiver note. I read somewhere that Grey Vetiver was created as a homage to Guerlain Vetiver by Tom Ford. It also has a bit of a citrus kick. Givenchy is greener and fresher - with a coriander note. They are both excellent fragrances. I wear these two much more often than my Guerlain. Please sample first if you can

This has been discussed before and there is no consensus. Some say the tobacco is gone, others say not. It's still there IMO but it's safest to test for yourself.

I liked the ribbed 'stack of glass blocks' bottle; it was unique. Too bad they changed it to something comparatively generic and undistinguished. Probably too expensive to maintain. Pity.

The current (tall bottle) formulation of Guerlain Vetiver has very little tobacco, and no ash, to my nose.

I'd second the Dior Vetiver and Tom Ford Vetiver.

If I remember correctly, Mona Di Orio's Vetyver lacks the tobacco/ashtray note, and smells better than all of these, but costs more as well.

I can get the tobacco in the current version (although this a well blended scent so it's hard to be sure). You know Guerlain still maintain that they never did change the formula for the EDT? I think with a fragrance that is rich in natural materials like this there are always going to be slight differences from year to year, batch to batch.

To be fair, that ashtray note could really be anything (or a combination of things), e.g. leather, civet (noticeable in the drydown sometimes), nutmeg, not necessarily tobacco absolute.

Vetiver by Mazzolari
Racine by Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier