I'm finding I like vetiver more and more recently. I don't like the "cold" aspect that it can often project, but I do like the bit of "dirt" it can add to a fragrance. Case in point: my recent Holy Grail, Terre D'hermes.

One that I absolutely can't stand is Guerlain's Vetiver. To me, it is the ultimate smell of cliched masculinity.

What are your top vetiver scents? Should I try the Le Labo one? I could revisit Vetiver Tonka, but the crappy lasting power of the Hermessence line really turns me off.

I loves me some vetiver!

Vetivert by Bourbon French is a soft, powdery vetiver. I love the parfum, lotion, and powder. Highly wearable and quiet.

Vetivert by Hove is basically pure vetiver root. Nothing fancy at all. Very earthy and a little smoky. I have the solid perfume, and it's fantastic for layering with other scents when you want to amp up the vetiver.

And I love the vetiver in Chanel No. 5!

I think its' name says it all Malle's Vetiver Extrodinare! If not the best (me thinks so) very close!

Yeah, I am very curious as to what people think of VE. As many people know, trying the Malle scents on your skin at Barneys is next to impossible. When I smelled it, I was intrigued, but I have no way of knowing how it will behave on my skin.

Generally, I get bored with fragrances that are too "one note." Does VE have any other facets for those who love and wear it?

Hmmm, normally I refrain from this but I cannot resist.

Love Guerlain Vetiver
Detest Vetiver Extrordinaire
Therefore, you should love VE, unless it bores you.

I like both Vetiver and Vetiver Extraordinaire. Vetiver brings out the "green" aspects of vetiver, and VE the "brown" earthy elements.

Of course there is Route du Vetiver, which smells like a spade of freshly turned earth.

A new vetiver I got takes the minimalist route that Terre d'Hermes does. It's Paul Smith Story. It's a basic, light vetiver with the cedar/woody note of Iso E Super added. Can be found very cheaply online.

I guess I should also point out that Guerlain's scent has a bad personal association for me. I didn't mean to offend you with my strong opinion, Thomas.

Lubin's Vetiver is excellent. Aedes has just started stocking it.

I love The Different Company's Sel de Vetiver. A lovely dry woody scent. Bois 1920's Vetiver Ambrato is lovely too, but it is not straight vetiver. I layer it over L'Artisan's L'Eau d'Ambre body creme, and it's fantastic.

Never even crossed my mind to take offense. Scents are subjective like that, even without the personal associations.

But I just re-read my earlier post and wish I had taken a less-abrupt tone. It came out poorly and I hope I didn't cause any distress on your or anyone else's part.

Vetiver Oriental is wonderful - iris and cacao enhance vetiver's magic to the max.

I get a distinct vetiver note in the drydown of Caleche, and detect it to a lesser extent but still clearly in Mitsouko, in First and Infini. The vetiver drydown of Clive Christian's X was reason I fell for it.

I've been eyeing that one. Can you compare it to anything, Prince?

Oooo, so many things to try. I go back and forth with Vetiver Orientale. I loooove the way it smells on its own, but I think my skin amps up the sweetness to the point that it gets too...honeyed and thick, as opposed to light and earthy.

Something about Sel de Vetiver just doesn't work for me either. I admire it, and think it is really beautiful, but it almost seems too literal--all I get it salt and vetiver. I'm not complaining about truth in advertising, but I was just expecting it to do more than it does. When I wear it, I feel like I just got home from the beach---and I need to shower.

Lubin sounds really lovely, even though the new bottle is kind of weirdly psychadelic:-)

I wanted to add that I tried the Le Labo Vetiver last Friday and it was fantastic. It just may have replaced Sel de Vetiver in the favorite vetiver category. Definitely worth a sniff!

Thank cauzo, I will definitely be ordering a sample.

I tried Vetiver Extraordinaire on my skin this weekend, and I was not bowled over. It is just way too sharp--I think the pepper is turning me off. After a few hours, the dry down was very nice, very sexy, but it took forever. I may get a tiny decant to layer with some scents that need oomph.

So far, Lubin and Le Labo are at the top of my list.

OOOOh !
I forgot PG's Querelle !
That's incredibly sophisticated and moody.
For earthy, fiery, there's Vero's Onda.

I'm sorry to keep bringing this topic to the top, but I'm really interested in what you all have to say:

Have any of you tried Jalaine's Vetiver? I'm also interested in the apparently discontinued Vetiver by L'artisan--it was supposed to be gorgeous.

I know i sound like a broken record but the base Vetiver in Calèche EdT is to die for.


Guerlain Vetiver is also a favourite (in summer, it's not very long-lasting on me, unfortunately) and the above by Chaya mentioned ONDA, of which a darling soul *insert hug here* gave me a sample is incredibly beautiful!!

Vetiver Tonka is stunning on me, and lasts long, unlike the rest of the series. I also adore Le Labo's-very smoky, but fresh, too. Onda is beyond compare. And Montale's new Red Vetiver is lovely-the vet is wrapped in spice....there's a nice write-up on it on Perfume Posse in recent days.

eva cologne by smn
smn vetiver
claus porto vetiver soap
voodoo love by bourbon french (i really smell it on my skin)

Wonderful note and thread! Will definitely assist me in exploring further, as vetiver has recently become a note to seek out and explore.

Tried, catalogued the memory, moved on: Guerlain Vetiver. Loved all but the deal-breaking marine note, not only sea salt and air, but thick, dark, oily, blubbery sea water, slightly nauseating.

Tried on paper and will try on skin: Creed Original Vetiver. Liked it, 'got' the vetiver, and all other attention was eaten up admiring the at the shores and waterfront freshness vis-à-vis the Guerlain Vetiver marine note.

Got Lalique Encre noir today and will post more on it once I've parsed it more thoroughly. Again, something not-vetiver gets the primary initial attention: something akin to spearmint.

Vetiver so far is like a beautiful vase full of something that, while I acknowledge that the vase is beautiful, directs my attention elsewhere. I see why it is a base note, a fixative to, presenting the top notes. Don't know yet about greener, fresher vetiver versus dark, rooty vetiver, but intend to find out. To be sampled: MPG Route du vetiver, LV Vetiver, SL Vetiver oriental.

Where oh where can I find the new Guerlain Vetiver Extraordinaire?
Vetiver is my FAVORITE note and I haven't been able to find any of this...
HELP please!
Thank you.

I am very much NOT a one note gal, but Hove's Vetivert still has me enthralled several months after I bought it while in New Orleans. It's more of an aura rather than a "perfume". I will never be without some of this. Usually I wear it solo, but I do occasionally blend it with something too sweet or wimpy. Works wonders.

Isn't it fascinating? I love to layer it with Chanel No. 5. I need to see what it would do under some other scents ...

I quite like the Guerlain, but here in France, it alternates with Habit Rouge and Pour un Homme on the suits, finance-business-bourgeois types, so that by the time you're 25, you've already got about 50 people associated with each.
I know you disliked Chanel Sycomore, which I love, so... I'll third Vero Kern Onda, which will be available in the US as of September, for a dirty, honey-leathery take on the material. I love Vetiver Tonka's nutty yumminess, but as I said in Rasputin's thread, it lacks staying power on me, so you really need to road-test it. And I'll second The Different Company's Sel de Vetiver, it's spare, unusual and beautiful.

Chandler Burr just gave a glowing review to the new Armani Privé Vétiver Babylone:

http://themoment.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07...lone-by-armani/

"Vetiver Babylone is Armani in its cool isolation . . . in all the basic gears, it drives like a dream. No trace of insecurity. No nod to heavy olfactory tropes of “luxury.” Vétiver Babylone hovers over skin. It radiates quiet, pure as light."

I think the only vetiver scent I truly love is Vetiver Oriental Serge Lutens. Great blend of cocoa, cedarwood and vetiver.

VE is nice but it didn't "WOW" me enough to consider a purchase of it. But if you love it, "Great!"

Vetiver Guerlain really bores me for some reason.

I just remembered I do really like Vetiver Annick Goutal. It has this truly wonderful salinic/marine-like note to it that's just masterful, IMO. Very under-rated.

i just realized i'd reviewed Vetiver Oriental after i replied to this thread. i really, really like it - it's my favorite take on vetiver so far:

http://www.scentsignals.com/scentsignals/2...er-orienta.html

Wait until you try Andy Tauer's Vetiver Dance.


Dry, elegant, tonic--it is the most "dry" fragrance I have ever tried. And that includes his other dry masterpiece, L'air du desert marocain. Seems positively drenched in comparison.

I love Guerlain VETIVER, always have.

I'm smitten at the mo' with Hermes VETIVER TONKA.


One of the notes that "makes" SHALIMAR happen is the subtle note of vetiver at the bottom....

Also... give Aura Cacia HEART SONG soap a try... it's a gorgeous rose-sandalwood with a pronounced, natural vetiver base.

I like all forms of vetiver pretty much, but I agree that FM V Extraordinaire is the best (at least among the ones I've tried, which isn't saying too much). It's very lucid, balanced between the two extremes of crisp citrusy harshness (I'd never thought of the Guerlain as a cliche, but I guess there's some truth to that) and dark, chocolate-earthiness (SL V Oriental).

I'd like to second Rufus' mention of Annick Goutal Vétiver. It is very pungent with an almost iodine note. Nothing sweet or perfumey to offset it, just a solid vetiver punch--not for the faint-hearted!

Encre Noire, also mentioned above, becomes pure vetiver on me. I don't even recall the top notes because the vetiver became so predominant so rapidly that every other note was blotted from my mind. (Hmmm... ink--blotted--hey, I made a pun!)

Two perfumes that have a gorgeous vetiver component are Chanel No 19, especially in the parfum, and White Linen. When putting on White Linen I think yeah, yeah, nice clean aldehydic, so what? And then the vetiver starts to come up and I remember why I like this perfume so much!

I am a Guerlain Vétiver fan here. Sorry about the bad associations, Nichie. I have only good ones but associations aside, I have been known to follow guys wearing this scent...

Another Guerlain Vetiver fan here - I think it is perfection. Vetiver pour Elle is also a triumph.

Vetiver Extreme (2007). Pretty expensive, though. Not finding it at Sephora where I bought mine for less.

Vetiver Eau Glacée (2004) and Vetiver Sport (2006) spotted recently at several online discounters at reasonable prices.

I have been trying to find Vetiver from Les Parfums Mythiques by Givenchy for months. Does anyone have a source?
_

I love the pre-reformulation Guerlain Vetiver, the current one not so much. Too much citrus and it's sharp instead of cool and earthy.

Another vote here for Chanel's Sycomore and the Armani Prive Vetiver Babylone. They both smell fresh, green, a bit rooty and not too masculine for me.

I love Guerlain Vetiver and Malle Vetiver Extraordinaire. They are very different. VE is more of a pure vetiver note with a subtle marine note that is actually very pleasent. It also smells a lot like the forest floor. Like you take away the sour notes in vetiver essential oil and sort of bolster it up with mushrooms and sea breeze where the holes are.

Baiser du Dragon is heavy on vetiver as well.

So far, my favorite Vetiver scents are Vetiver pour Elle, Encre Noire, Sycomore, and Vettiveru by Comme des Garcons. Sel de Vetiver by TDC made me thirsty, Vetiver Extraordinaire didn't really "wow" me, and Vetiver Oriental just wasn't my thing.

However, I hear Givenchy's Vetyver is great. Has anyone tried this one? It's very hard to get ahold of.

Recently, I have discovered a really nice solid perfume from Lush full of vetiver and jasmine: it's called Silky Underwear, which appeard firstly as dusting powder. Further its success they created the perfume. On my skin, I detect also a dry coconut note.

http://usa.lush.com/cgi-bin/lushdb/02726?expand=Fragrance

I second Fiveoaks with N°19, where the iris and vetiver blend perfectly and I'd like to advise too Dior Homme, that also contains iris and vetiver but also a gorgeous cocoa note (not foody).

For a Splash, there is nothing like good old Yardley Vetiver. It is always on the bathroom tables here at our place
along with their Lavender.

My favs are:

Encre Noire - nice, clean, urban
Sycomore - green, woody, quite addictiv with this marijuana-note...
Vetyver de Givenchy - screams GENTLEMAN!
Sel de Vetiver - cucumber salad on a seaside picnic
Vetiver Bourbon - dark, earthy, sexy (If a woman was bold enough to wear this, think 1970’s Charlotte Rampling in a St Laurent smoking suit. Miller Harris)
Vetiver Extraordinaire - wet stones with some green inbetween
Vetiver, Goutal - Single Islay Malt

Raphael, care to share where you found Vetyver de Givenchy? I'm dying to get my hands on this. I think your descriptions are very accurate. Encre Noire has always "felt" to me like the defeat of one's enemies - I don't know how to explain..

Also, no one's mentioned Vetiver pour Elle which is very *pretty* and feminine, or Mugler Cologne, which is a cool and fresh feeling vetiver that is light as a feather

Vetyver de Givenchy was recently re-released as part of their "Mythical Fragrances" range, along with Insensé, Xeryus and Monsieur de Givenchy. In Europe you will find Vetyver in selected stores and somtimes on ebay. I bought my bottle in Munich.

http://www.parfumsgivenchy.com/fragrance/m..._3_112_626.html

Ah, so no hope for those of us in the United States then. Thanks anyways!

You can order it here:

http://shop.essenza-nobile.de/index.php?ma...cd72a11f053b62f

They´ll ship to the US.

Yes!!! Thank you, Raphael! I've been searching high and low. To me the Givenchy vetiver doesn't scream "Gentleman!" as much as it screams "Veronica!"

Head: Bergamot, Vetyver
Heart: Coriander leaves, Vetyver
Base: Vetyver, Sandalwood

It sounds very exciting with vetiver in the top, middle, and base notes. Vetiver is vetiver - there isn't a distinction by appellation - so I'm thinking differently processed vetivers (macerated in South America, baked in northern India and distilled in the South Pacific) were used. From the reviews I have read it is a skin scent. No sillage.

Vetiver is like my nephews' Pokémon cards. Gotta get 'em all!

The ones by Creed are nice. And don't forget Puig, Carlo Corinto, Elizabeth W, Azzaro, Carven, Fragonard, L'Aromarine, L'Occitane, Carolina Herrera, I Profumi di Firenze, the two by Jo Malone, Lanvin, Comme des Garçons, Santa Maria Novella, Gendarme, Caswell Massey, L'Artisan, Roger & Gallet, Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier, Frederic Malle, Histories de Parfums, et al. Or the stupidly named Adolfo Dominguez Vetiver Hombre. Should have been Hombress. They are pleasant but the Guerlains are the best.

Guerlain Vetiver is very versatile, too, as you can layer it with the Aroma and Aqua Allegorias as a do-it-yourself Vetiver Pour Elle. I've even tried Vetiver with Champs-Élysées.
_

You know, when I saw this thread a few weeks ago, I didn't even recall that I had started it back in January. Well, my tastes have certainly changed...

I no longer abhor Guerlain's vetiver at all. It may come to live with me someday.

However, I've just recently tried Vetiver Tonka, and while I liked my first application, my second left me with a bad headache. It seemed to smell like dank cardboard or soggy oats with a very sharp vetiver thrown in. The lasting power is also still horrible.

I've got a sample of Lubin's vetiver coming, but I'm finding that the darker vetivers (certainly ones like Encre Noir and VE) are associated with sharpness in my mind, and I get a slight headache. There has to be some vetiver for me though! I just wanted to report on the Vetiver Tonka situation and see if anyone feels similarly or has other thoughts on it.

Vetiver Tonka is okay, but not enough vetiver for me. I like more oomph in my vetiver fumes - Encre Noir and Le Labo are my favorites. Love Vetiver Oriental too. Must track down some AG Vetiver.

OMG! I just placed an order yesterday with Aedes for the Encre Noir EDP. Now that you've given it your seal of approval, I can't wait for it to get here . . .

*runs to the mailbox -- runs back inside -- runs to the mailbox -- runs back inside*



I second this notion. I ordered a bottle of X for Men after one full sniff from a sample. Earthy, salty and oh so dark green.