Reviews of Eau de Vetyver by L'Occitane

L’Occitane Eau de Vetyver is a woody aromatic fragrance released in 2001. The scent is warm, spicy, earthy and smooth, if somewhat linear. Top notes are bergamot, rosemary and lemon. EdV is not a bright citrus as is Tom Ford Grey Vetiver and Guerlain Vetiver. The heart notes are nutmeg (pronounced), guaiac wood and cypress. The woods blend well with the nutmeg and quickly push the citrus notes to the back of the scent’s progression. The accord is spicy and woody with the vetiver appearing early in the heart. The heart is smooth and natural. The base notes are vetiver, cedarwood, and leather. At this stage of the fragrance, I get mainly nutmeg, vetiver and light woods. I don’t smell leather in the base.

I find EdV to be somewhat similar to Floris Santal and less to Gucci Envy. Eau de Vetyver isn’t really a classic reference vetiver like Guerlain Vetiver. EdV is more spicy and woody than the Guerlain fragrance. Eau de Vetyver is less smoky than Chanel Sycomore.

EdV has moderate performance with adequate longevity and low projectivity. The fragrance is fairly versatile, working well for day and nighttime wear. EdV works well in all seasons with the exception of very warm weather. The scent works well for casual and office use and even semi-formal occasions.

I find Eau de Vetyver to be a nice spicy alternative to Guerlain Vetiver and Chanel Sycomore. It is one of my favorite vetiver fragrances and unfortunately, a unicorn. Recommended.

A very accessible, almost modern vetiver in the opening. Has some nutmeg sweetness that I enjoy very much to go along with the sharper, cleaner, and greener vetiver. As it dries down, becomes more gentlemanly and mature. Has a barbershop, and maybe more of an Old Spice, feel in the drydown.

I enjoyed wearing this all day. Outside weather was hot while it was very cool at the office. It worked well with both, so I consider this a versatile, daytime scent.

Projection was decent, making its way up to my nose without too much effort while longevity was good, last all workday.

Bergamot and a restrained lemon open up this adventure; refined and brightish; not in the style of an refreshing Eau de Cologne but uplifting nonetheless. Very soon a herbal undertone is added, a rosemary with whiffs of dried hay.

The drydown brings an onslaught on wood notes. I get cypress initially, followed by a fairly light fears and some moments of a minimal contribution by an impression of Guaiac. Touches of nutmeg provide for just a tiny bit of spiciness. In the middle of the olfactory fire at the vetiver finally makes an appearance, as if the development so far just constituted an opening act or prelude. Is is rather a smooth and soft vetiver, with little harshness and just a modicum of a component of wood or stem, and little earthiness only - this is not Molinard's superb take on the theme.

The base adds a smooth suede to the woods, but we are not out of the wood yet; the cedar, especially, lingers on until the end.

I get moderate sillage, very good projection, and an impressive nine hours of longevity on my skin.

The vetiver the name of this scent for cooler summer days promised in not actually the main player here, but like a high-ranked eminent VIP who arrives last at the ball and leaves first, the titular component is not much more than a team player amongst others. Still, the vetiver as such is nice, albeit neither spectacular nor particularly original. Overall 3.25/5.

One of the best vetiver fragrances that I have smelt. I wasn't impressed by L'Occitane's other fragrances, but this one is a winner. Sadly, it has been discontinued but a must-have for fans of vetiver. It is extremely good value for money at about £35 per 100ml. Longevity is not extremely long due to the natural ingredients that are used.

A very nice Vetiver. I smell nutmeg and woods in the opening. The one thing I'm not totally crazy about with this one is the scent of Cashmeran, or Cashmere Woods as they're called, which is a synthetic woodnote. This is a good vetiver frag however and I would recommend anyone who likes vetiver fragrances to give it a try. After having tried this one and Guerlain's Vetiver, I have to say that I prefer the Guerlain product to this one. But, this one is still good.

Eau de Vetyver is in the fragrance family of mossy woods and floral orientals. I'd call this "a poor man's Creed Original Vetiver", because Eau de Vetyver is a low-cost dead-ringer to that one!

A classy, rich, smooth, warm masculine scent that explores the more mossy, oriental side of vetiver.
EdV starts out with a bold, lush envelopment of citrus, spices, woods and moss. Like a fizzed up soda that eases down and settles, the opening onslaught soon makes way to a solid vetiver greenness that is heavily accented by the spiciness of nutmeg and (unlisted perceived notes) of cinnamon and cumin, with a whiff of amber. The result is a stable sweet quality that doesn't change for the remainder of the wear cycle.

EdV has an aromatic vibe that smells a LOT like Creed's Original Vetiver, as well as a more mature & toned-down version of Gucci Envy and a slight bit like Chanel pour Monsieur in its animalic touch.

Overall, a well-crafted, rich experience that is a very nice take on vetiver fragrances, smelling less experimental and more accessible than one would expect from L'Occitane. Not for everyone I'm sure, but HIGHLY recommended to check out.

I went into the store where, the day before, I had called and asked them to set aside a bottle for me(I heard it was discontinued...?). When I got to the store, it looked like they still had quite a few in stock because several bottles were on their shelves. The girl offered to test it on a strip of paper but I said I want to try it on the back of my hand to see how it would dry down.

Well, minutes later, I never got the vetiver scent everybody's talking about. Instead, it became an outright woody scent--woody as in walking into a lumber store! Maybe it's my skin chemistry so I decided it wasn't for me but since I was there and didn't want to appear a total @$$, I decided to try others I might buy. I tried the Eau de Cade(meh!), the Eau des Baux(??),and the L'Occitan which promptly disappeared from my skin. So I settled for Eau de Cedrat and from my initial spray, I quite liked it and it's the one I bought, a fitting summer scent.

I'm disappointed in how the Vetyver acted on my skin because I so wanted to like it. Hours after I got home, I could still smell the wood until I took a shower that evening. At least you can say something about its longevity!

One of the best nutmeg in perfumes which I have tried. Pleasantly warm mild vetyver and what is important its not sickly sweet or on citrusy side of vetiver frags spectrum.

One of the brightest, cleanest vetivers available, especially in the opening with the lemon, bergamot and rosemary. Other reviews describe it as uplifting and I would agree that this has a high degree of refreshing quality to it. The woods, nutmeg and leather round the vetiver root and keep it very airy and opposite of the dirty, earthy or rooty quality. Not an old school or barbershop scent at all. I get good longevity of 8 hrs, but silage is slightly below average. Great fragrance at a good price. Huge Thumbs Up.

Pleasant, earthy, woodsy, smooth and very masculine Vetiver
It is one of the best because it feels "ALL NATURAL" (like other L'Occitane products)
Wearing it in the morning make me feel calm
Try it before it will be off the market
I wish it had a little better performance.
It is a real gem that should be given some more attention

How did it come “Eau de Vetyver” (this is actually the correct name) became a dear daily routine and made me neglect other scents? The very natural freshness-radiating woodiness, I guess, has just an uplifting effect on me, specially in the morning. Some describe its character as “dark”, but I can't affirm it. As for me, it shimmers between light green and honey.

This is a good everyday vetiver. It's a little sweet like sweet potatoes.

This is one of my favorite scents in the whole of perfumery. It's extremely well blended and smooth with no unpleasantness, although I wish it was a little stronger.

The most endearing thing about L'Occitane fragrances are that they smack of real essential oils, and have almost no hint of synthetics. Vetyver is the prime example of that quality.

Vetyver touches your nose with a very smooth, spicy top of bergamot and lavender, not at all bright or overly citrusy. Even at first spray, the vetiver is prominent and pleasant. And the dry-down is equally smooth and warm. The base is my favorite part...to my nose: cedar, sandalwood, and patchouli. It got a great tactile depth that lasts for a long time.

These are not oils with much projection, so it's a close scent with little sillage. But what remains on the skin smells very warm, expensive and textured. It really draws you in, and has a decent lifespan. I suppose too much more projection would be tacky for an unpretentious, earthy scent like this.

I constantly return to this scent and it gets compliments. Try it!

So I was in the L'occitane store in the Ohio area and was quite intrigued by the wealth of fragrances the store carries, considering they are more of a bath & body works/sephora kind of a shop. I sampled a couple of fragrances and could not stop smelling the card sprayed with L'occitane Vetyver.

I really enjoy wearing this one! Now, I am not one to describe specific notes, however, I do smell the vetiver, bergamot as I am sure there are others to note; This fragrance is strong (not brash) with first application, after the dry down, it takes on a more powdery/green ambiance which is wonderful!! The end is amazing and masculine. I 'm not sure if a woman could pull this off as I think this is a very manly fragrance that stays close to the skin. After sometime, you can still detect it; longevity is 4-5 hours, projection could be better though.... I'd also like to note, not only do I wear fragrances for me to smell, I do like occasionally for someone to get a whiff of what I'm wearing and inquire of that aroma; Soon I will be purchasing the shower gel to see if the fragrance is enhanced at all, until then, I'd recommend getting your hands on a bottle, you will not be disappointed.

Beautiful earthy vetiver with someplace better to be. A pass based on price tag (needs to be < $30) and longevity. 3 out of 5.

Excellent daily wear, good longevity, warm, woodsy vetiver I like this vetiver from L'occitane, it's one of my favorite daily wear colognes as it doesn't overwhelm my senses with too many terpines and ozone smells. I have a softness for earthy, woody, forest scents and this one fits that description well. I like the smell of it from start to finish although after all is said and done at the end of the day it wears down to a simple vetiver and leather. It starts off slightly powdery, mildly citrus and some element of camphor and then tobacco, vanilla, leather, vetiver, (sandalwood and camphor? maybe...). The vetiver and leather seem most persistent and prevalent from start to finish. Too bad they discontinued this scent, it's simple and pleasant, very grounding.Pros: Good longevity, decidedly masculine, woodsy, easy on the sensesCons: Not super complex"

Eau de Vetyver opens with just a faint hint of bergamot citrus before quickly absorbing it into its woody spicy vetiver heart. The linear vetiver heart and subsequent dry-down is driven primarily by slightly sweet nutmeg-like herbal woody smelling cypress that couples with effervescent vetiver over a cedar spine. Projection is below average and longevity is very good at just over 10 hours on skin.

Eau de Vetyver was quite the "under the radar" surprise that has eluded me for years. I ended up sampling it for the first time while at my local L'Occitane specifically to try another one of their fragrances that has gotten much more attention and visibility, Eau des Baux. After being highly impressed and purchasing that one, I sprayed the lesser known Eau de Vetyver on a card before leaving the store just to give it a quick sniff and nearly bought it on the spot having done so. Like Eau des Baux, Eau de Vetyver uses a key herbal cypress driven heart accord to power its development, only instead of turning tobacco-like, this time it melds with vetiver to create a slightly nutty, herbal woody composition that really has a completely different feel to it despite the cypress and herbal commonality between the two. The bottom line is if you are looking for an ever-changing, super-projector of a fragrance keep looking as Eau de Vetyver is neither; but despite its linear minimalist nature Eau de Vetyver smells incredible from start to finish and that is much more important to this reviewer, at least, earning it a well-deserved 4 star out of 5 overall rating. Those looking for an excellent smelling herb-laced woody vetiver composition that is extremely versatile should definitely consider sampling this outstanding $52 per 100ml bottle value as you may end up buying it as I did.

Now this is vetiver done original. When I sampled this one, I smelled Mother Earth in a bottle. This Vetiver is rooty and kind of soil like on the initial spray. If you like Vetiver, you will really like this one. Most vetiver frags smell like everthing except vetiver. I'm not a vetiver person, but I like the authenticity of this one to the scent of the actual root.

Good Job on this one!

Unlike any other "Vetiver" fragrance or subsidiary I own - or have tried. Honestly, I don't get the usual rooty and earthy...and soapy viibe that I enjoy from Guerlain and Tom Ford.

I also don't get a dirty vetiver that Dirty English, Encre Noir and Zirh Ikon.

This one is nice and smoky - and has that herbal/woody thing going on that can be commonplace in lines of lesser quality. It's work-safe, and date-safe. I wouldn't wear it in a situation that called for a statement...it's not that kind of EDT.

For me, it's personal - and I wear it when I'm having beers with other couples - or in a situation where it's relaxed...like a winery or church function.

It doesn't last all that long, and projection on me is limited...but that is fine by me. For $50 bucks, it gives me four solid hours of uniqueness. It's not a common scent in St. Louis - at least that is what the reps at the stores here have told me.

Enjoy

I tried this together with Diptyque's Vetiverio - i must say this creation stood on its own being a budget/lifestyle blend - spices from the french provence is infused really nicely with vetiver, its not too overpowering - fresh with a light amber accord, probably my pick from the L'occitane line over Eau de Baux and L'occitane Homme.

This was my first introduction to Vetiver and has become one of my fave ingredients in a fragrance. It has a woodsy, herbal smell with smoky overtones. It's clean and long lasting.
L'Occitane has won me over with this cologne, definitely one of my favorite daily scents.

This fragrance reminds me of Kyoto, Jubilation XXV, Oud Wood and Encre Noire. At such a price, this is the best buy. My favorite Occitane. I can smell the same cypres note than in Eau des Baux, but without the nauseating vanilla. Masterpiece!

This is a dry, rooty vetiver that plays more of a supporting cast to the wood notes than the major player. A little bergamot in the opening, but then the vetiver is most prominent. Some wood notes join in (cypress?) and play the major rule throughout with the vetiver ever present. Plays pretty linear throughout after this and lasts for quite some time. Projects well on me in addition. Probably my favorite from the L'Occitane line.

L'Occitane Vétyver's warmth is exceptional among the vetiver fragrances I've tested. This warmth creates a very user friendly and comfortable fragrance. The opening provides a bergamot / rosemary / vetiver accord that is visited by a almost incense-like cypress and warm, clear, well-rounded but discreet nutmeg. This opening vetiver accord has a rather oily aromatic texture when smelled very close to the skin. As it progresses toward the heart, the vetiver shines through more and more in combination with the nutmeg and the cypress, bringing both smoothness and balance to the fragrance. The drydown has elements of vetiver, cypress, and nutmeg in its accord and does not seem to have much longevity on my skin. I wouldn't call L'Occitane Vétyver a complex scent, it is more intricate than complex, and it delivers a full package of quality and enjoyment from beginning to end. Too bad that end is so near the beginning. I'm pretty close to a neutral on this one because of its longevity.

Originally submitted 11 February 2007, Taiwan