Yves Saint Laurent
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The citron and bergamot barely register before davana's boozy, apricot-tinged sweetness rushes forward, crashed through with white pepper's crackling heat. It's an immediate statement of intent—this isn't going to play by traditional masculine rules—with the orange blossom already whispering underneath, waxy and indolic.
The orange blossom blooms fully now, but the davana has laced it with something strange and compelling, almost like fermenting fruit liqueur. Violet leaf cuts through with its cool, cucumber-green facets whilst the benzoin begins its slow sweetening crawl, smoothing out the rough edges and wrapping everything in amber warmth.
Pure benzoin-suede decadence, powdery and skin-like, with just enough cedarwood to maintain structure. The sweetness remains prominent but feels sophisticated now, animalic even, like expensive leather goods in a sandalwood-lined drawer, whilst faint traces of orange blossom cling to the warmth.
L'Homme L'Intense transforms the restraint of its predecessor into something altogether more carnal and unapologetically sweet. Anne Flipo has pushed the benzoin to centre stage here, creating a fragrance that wears like suede gloves dipped in amber syrup. The Italian citron and bergamot opening feels almost token, a brief flash of brightness before the real story begins—that extraordinary collision between orange blossom and davana. Davana, with its rum-soaked, dried apricot character, gives the white floral a sticky, almost fermented quality that stops this from being another clean masculine. The violet leaf adds a metallic green edge that prevents the sweetness from becoming cloying, whilst the white pepper provides just enough bite to keep things interesting. This is the scent of a man who's stopped apologising for liking sweet fragrances, who's comfortable in his own skin and doesn't need the traditional woody-fresh armour. It's evening wear, certainly—something for dimly lit bars and close conversations, where projection matters less than the intimacy of skin scent. The suede note underpins everything with a powdery softness that makes the whole composition feel expensive and tactile. There's a retro quality here, something that wouldn't have been out of place in the opulent masculines of the 1990s, but modernised through that distinctive YSL powderiness. Not for the boardroom, but perfect for the man who knows that confidence doesn't need to shout.
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4.0/5 (606)