Vetiver: 30 posts

Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

To be perfectly honest, the news of Prada launching Infusion de Vétiver did not catch my attention last year. The main reason was that my perfume shelf was breaking under the weight of all of the fantastic vetiver fragrances available today, from the classical Guerlain Vétiver to the avant-garde interpretation of Annick Goutal. Now I regret waiting so long to make myself acquainted with the luminous and refined version presented by Prada. Perfectly executed, it pays great homage to this classical perfume note, while lending a romantic aura, which is not something I find in other vetiver fragrances.

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With Vétiver, Jean-Paul Guerlain did a seemingly simple thing—he emphasized each facet of the natural raw material, vetiver oil, to create an abstract, modern fragrance. Even though Vétiver de Guerlain has been in existence since 1959 and along with Carven Vétiver engendered a whole family of classical woods, it possesses a timeless elegance that has come to define masculine perfumery. Therefore, it continues to inspire new fragrances based around the dark, green woody note of vetiver, the latest of which is Christian Dior Vétiver.

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Voyage d’Hermès would have been a fantastic discovery if there did not already exist Terre d’Hermès, Cartier Déclaration, and Bvlgari Eau Parfumée au Thé Vert. After all, it is elegant, radiant, and streamlined in the best of Jean-Claude Ellena’s style. Yet, when I smell it now after having already experienced the same elements in the aforementioned fragrances, it seems so much like a repetition of the same theme that I cannot but feel let down. It takes me on a voyage that is perhaps too familiar to be exciting anymore.

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Like tuberose, incense, oud, jasmine and leather, vetiver is a note with amazing possibilities. It can assume a variety of forms, from gossamer and sheer to dense and rich. This woody material derived from the roots of  vetiver grass has such a range of nuances–licorice, grapefruit, earth, peanut shells—that it can function as the perfect chameleon. Coeur de Vétiver Sacré from L’Artisan straddles the airy and smoldering spectra by pairing vetiver with leathery birch tar and candied fruit notes. It uses vetiver to anchor the smoky and the gourmand in a woody oriental composition that is quite interesting, even if it ultimately strikes me as too tame.

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

The classical treatment of vetiver, a fragrance note with an interesting interplay of bitter grapefruit and blond woods facets, has often seen it paired with cedarwood and citrus notes. Classical citrusy woods like Aqua Brava, Guerlain Vétiver, Givenchy Vetyver follow this model. Many modern fragrances like Frédéric Malle Vétiver Extraordinaire, Lalique Encre Noire and Ormonde Jayne Zizan take the classical woody theme as well, albeit using vetiver in the lower, more sonorous register. Even lighter, airier vetiver dominated blends like The Different Company Sel de Vétiver and Miller Harris Feuilles de Tabac do not depart radically from the classical dry woods formula. In this light, Diptyque Vetyverio, a fragrance created by perfumer Olivier Pescheux, offers an interesting discovery—a woody composition with a juicy, fruity top and a fresh green floral heart.

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