Vetyver 46 Le Labo for men

I don't think I've ever written two reviews for the same perfume, but I've seen people do it, and now I will. That's how much this perfume affects me on a very personal level.

As I wore Vetyver today, I realized that it seems so incredibly familiar. It reminds me of my childhood of going to church and smelling that awful, bitter incense that the priest uses. BUT Vetyver totally lacks any hint of bitterness, and only the good stuff remains. No wonder I feel so pensive any time I wear it.

As it dries down, a vanilla-like scent creeps in, but the perfume remains completely unisex. I also detect just a touch of fragrant campfire smoke.

While this might not be my favorite perfume of all time, I have to buy it for the sheer nostalgia it brings to me.

I'd thought I'd commented on this fragrance already, so I was surprised I'd not.

I first smelled this some time ago, and it left me very awestruck. This is vetiver?!?

This is absolutely not a typical vetiver fragrance. While it’s there, it’s also augmented by incenses, Guiac, cedar, pepper, and labdanum. It defies that traditional ‘green’ association, instead replacing it with a much different vision of what can be done around the Tahitian Vetiver chosen. The experience is not so “meadowy’ as it is a view of what might be done with various woods, incenses, spices, and other elements to create a much warmer focus. Where another vetiver would come across as very fresh, albeit somewhat non-descript from other formulations, Vetiver 46 seems counter-intuitive. The result is a much deeper interpretation, unique, very natural and exceptionally captivating.

Intriguing! V46 has a varied yet linear focus throughout, drawing gradually toward deeper notes as it reaches toward the base. Projection is moderate, longevity is excellent, and the concentration manages to avoid being a suffocating experience despite the longevity and sillage. It's stronger, it's warmer, it's not everyone else's uninspired take on vetiver. Thank God! I would very highly recommend this, especially if you want to turn your perception of this normally "green" note on its head.

I was shocked by the beauty of Vetyver. It started out awfully bitter and peppery. I should know by now never to judge a perfume by the first spritz, but I was certain this would not grow on me. Imagine my surprise when I sniffed my wrist 10 minutes later and began to smell incense! It was mesmerizing, possibly even transcendental. It took me to a Tibetan mountaintop where I watched the sun rise behind a temple as the smoke of burning incense drifted into the open air. Ten more beautiful minutes passed, and I began to detect vanilla and a gorgeous, rich, labdanum note. For lovers of smoky, woody, resinous incense, this is your perfume!!!

As per the boutique I visited, all Le Labo fragrances are unisex.

Mr.Buxton enters the Comme Des Garcons headquarter bringing a case containing a "prototype" of CDG2MAN. He has a meeting with the art directors at the marketing department. He sits at the round table, opens the case and shows the guys his work.

After testing many microvariations of the same composition they all agree that the best is the one labelled as "No Vetiver". A guy stands up, smell the paperstrip and goes:

- this is almost perfect and we would like to keep the finished product as close as possible to this sample but what about turning the general campfire vibe into something more waxy? I'd like CDG2MAN to have a waxy feel to it, like a burning candle...I love the church-y incense and woody quality we got here but why not to add some vetiver to "No Vetiver"? and what about throwing in a tad of leather as well?

This is perfectly fine with Mr.Buxton who only has a small request:

- I worked many months on "No Vetiver", do you guys mind if I give the original formula you just dismissed to Le Labo? They just asked me for a vetiver based composition...

No objections

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Vetiver 46 smells great, but be aware that you can have CDG2MAN (which is even better) at 1/3 the price.

Rating: 7/10

It is like a campfire ,like dry leaves burning.This is definitely autumn perfume, very warm and hugging. I Like it.
Actually I would love to have it!

Good stuff! much better than Creed's Vetiver original, well it's much stronger and rough, not as fresh/modern as Creed's one.

Almost wet in my pants ;-)

Ohh, only suit please.

11/10 !

I think there is a cypress note here or something similar

This is a real treasure, though I think I prefer this on my boyfriend than on me. Initially it's a full throttle vetiver, but after a while the dry down becomes distinctly elegant, when the vanilla and amber notes take the edge off the woodiness. This is longlasting and very warming, so I think is better suited to autumn and winter. Lovely!

Vetiver as a note has its ups and downs with me. Sometimes I'm intrigued by the way it smells, other times, I find it too dry and a little bitter. Vetyver 46 has managed to encompass every aspect of what I consider perfection in a fragrance.

This scent is surprisingly fresh, a little damp, but also smokey. The pepper adds to its invigorating punch, however the vetiver, cedar and guaiac woods are what keeps this fragrance rich, masculine and exotic.

The typical Le Labo incense accord is also found in Vetyver 46, however its done in such a way that you don't feel like a walking temple. There is only the subtlest hint of sweetness in this fragrance, found in the form of powder towards the drydown.

To be honest, Vetyver 46 isn't a true representation of vetiver itself, it's more of a spiced woods and incense fragrance. It tries to incorporate the qualities of vetiver, however it misses the point.

Because this fragrance isn't so dry, green and grassy, it's possibly the reason why I enjoyed this so much. Although I will agree with its masculine nature, I'll say that it is wearable for women too.

The lasting power and sillage are extraordinarily good, but I wouldn't expect anything less from Le Labo. Once again Le Labo has presented a fragrance that isn't exactly what is listed on the bottle, but have got away with it anyway.