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Guerlain Vetiver

I was passing through KL International Airport yesterday. I came across Guerlain Vetiver in a couple of their perfumes outlets.

The testers were 125ml version that looked like this:

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But they were selling only the 100ml that came in tall green boxes, @ RM260

I sprayed some on my wrist and the scent was really strong vetiver. What surprised me was that it smelled exactly like royall vetiver
The version (latest formulation, I presume) I tested in Singapore smelled so different (not much vetiver).

I didn't buy for 3 reasons:
  • Not sure about the formulation of the 100ml version. SA told me they didn't carry the 125ml (tester version)
  • If it smells like royall vetiver, I think I can live with royall vetiver
  • The price

Lastly, the single spurt on the wrist lasted only 2-3 hours (to be fair, it was a single pump...)

Out of curiosity: those who who had tried the latest and pre-this-latest formulation - was the 125ml tester the pre-formulated version?
 
Out of curiosity: those who who had tried the latest and pre-this-latest formulation - was the 125ml tester the pre-formulated version?

You can't tell from the bottle - although different bottles were used for different formulations in the past, they are currently selling the newest formulation in both the ribbed (125ml and 75ml) bottles and the straight (100ml and 50ml) bottles.

Lastly, the single spurt on the wrist lasted only 2-3 hours

I'd also be wary about assessing it based on an airport sampling - the air in airports, often conditioned stale air and usually heady with all sorts of smells, has an adverse effect on my olfactory abilities. For example, passing through an airport last month (Doha), I sampled a fragrance and after 2-3 hours it seemed to have pretty much faded - but 6 to 7 hours later, relaxed in a better environment, I picked up the scent again.

Guerlain Vetiver has very good longevity on me.
 
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In before The Chandos.

My understanding is that the ribbed bottle is the formulation before the current one which is currently sold in the tall rectangular bottle. I'm not sure how the formulae of the juice differ, however.
 
My understanding is that the ribbed bottle is the formulation before the current one which is currently sold in the tall rectangular bottle

Certainly not in the UK it isn't - the current formulation is today being sold in both types of bottle.
 
I believe the reformulation happened a good while ago, and both the squarish semi-frosted, ribbed bottle and the tall, slim bottle (similar to Habit Rouge) contain the same product. I have a 75ml ribbed bottle here, and within the last four months sampled from a 100ml tall-bottle tester at the Guerlain store in Vegas. I didn't notice any difference.

That being said, Guerlain Vetiver has a citrus opening that fades away pretty quickly. The spicy/leathery components and the earthy vetiver hang around for a good while, though. Don't confuse scent fatigue with the fragrance dying. I can wear Vetiver one day, and still smell it distinctly on my shirt the next morning, even though it had stopped registering to my nose after a few hours.
 
My understanding is that the ribbed bottle is the formulation before the current one which is currently sold in the tall rectangular bottle. I'm not sure how the formulae of the juice differ, however.

+1. I have heard that the new formula is supposed to be less citric and more spice/vetiver based than the previous formula. But I can't verify that myself.
 
In before The Chandos.

It's not a race! At least that's what I keep telling my kids.

Guerlain Vetiver, where to start? The "vintage" vintage is technically the one in the zebra stripe box like this (yes, it's a picture of the aftershave but the bottles were the same):

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Another key tip off is the black rimmed cap, which was used at that time. It was and EdC (1959-1987) and it was bright and green and had a great citrus note in the opening. Over time, of course, these citrus notes have deteriorated so finding one in good condition is a prize. It was reformulated in 1988 as an EdT and was not as "green" but had a subdued more earthy vetiver note. Or rather, the citrus notes are really toned down. The 1988 EdT is what most consider the "reference" vetiver but I actually prefer the earlier EdC - in the drydown they are very similar. The EdT is like "skipping a step" and gets to a rawer earthier vetiver more quickly. I like them both depending on the day but the EdC is definitely my preferred.

The frosted/ribbed bottle (2000) was a "new look" and brought another reformulation with a different kind of moss to it (blame IFRA) and it's still a great fragrance but there are obvious differences between it and the EdT and the EdC. But I've smelled it and like it too - Guerlain has kept the character of Vetiver in all of the formulations without sacrificing much if anything.
 
Great thread! When I was in Italy in August 2012, Guerlain Vetiver appeared to be in stores in both the ribbed bottle and the Habit Rouge-shaped bottle. When I first saw the HR shaped bottle I got excited thinking I had stumbled upon a stash of the 1988 to 2000 version of the edt. But it seemed clear that Guerlain was bringing back that bottle shape. At first I assumed it was displacing the ribbed bottle but then it seemed, as Oscroft says, there was new stock in both types of bottles. That is, the ribbed bottle appeared in stores, such as airport stores, where one would think the turnover would be high. I do not actually recall seeing the ribbed bottle and the HR bottle in the same store either. If I had, I think I would have tried them head to head.

I am assuming that for "fresh" bottles it is all the same formulation right now. But I have no idea of when the last reformulation, which could be minor compared to some of the previous ones may have been.

I am sure I have tried each of the versions Chandos talks about and his notes are spot on, although I am not sure I have a strong preference for the original EdC, except as a very fun thing to get to try. I think I have written in the past that I did not prefer the 1988 version over the 2000 version, but now I am not sure I do not. It is fun comparing these scents head to head. I sure have not had them altogether in one place to do that all at once. But I think there are detectable differences. However, I whole-heartedly agree that "Guerlain has kept the character of Vetiver in all of the formulations without sacrificing much if anything."

I had not heard of a bee bottle vetiver! That is just too cool!
 
Did you try them side by side? I find it often hard to compare versions of scents, even ones I am very familiar with, separately. I am not saying there is any significant difference between the ribbed bottle and the recent HR bottle. I think I tried the recent HR bottle in July. But my memory of the ribbed bottle was not good enough to express any opinion.
 
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