Yves Saint Laurent
Yves Saint Laurent
145 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Bitter orange and bergamot assault the senses with immediate citric bite, sharp and almost austere, cutting through the composition like a cleansing ritual. Within moments, the synthetic accord becomes apparent—there's a translucent, almost chemical clarity to the top that feels deliberately modern, almost pharmaceutical.
The lavender and geranium emerge with deliberate restraint, their herbaceous spice warming the citric opening into something more grounded and masculine. The sweetness accord surfaces here, tempering the green-herbal sharpness with honeyed undertones that prevent the composition from becoming entirely austere.
Cedarwood and vetiver dominate, supported by the oaken barrel's whiskey-like warmth, creating a desiccated woody base that feels both refined and somewhat austere. The fragrance settles into muted spice and synthetic woody notes—intimate, barely projecting, but undeniably present on the skin.
L'Homme Eau de Parfum 2022 arrives as a deliberately austere take on masculine grooming—less cologne, more considered wardrobe staple. The fragrance cleaves firmly to its woody-synthetic skeleton, with bitter orange and bergamot providing only the thinnest veil of brightness before the composition pivots decisively towards its architectural core. This is where the fragrance reveals its true character: a lavender that leans herbal rather than floral, partnered with geranium's peppery green sharpness, both riding atop a foundation of cedarwood and vetiver that feels almost architectural in its precision.
The 64% sweetness accord—surprisingly potent given the austerity elsewhere—emerges not as gourmand indulgence but as a subtle honeyed warmth threading through the woody dryness. It's the difference between a fragrance and a formula, and this sits definitively in the latter camp. The oaken barrel base note proves crucial; it prevents the composition from becoming purely abstract, anchoring everything with the impression of aged wood and whiskey-soaked warmth.
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3.5/5 (206)