Sauvage Elixir
Christian Dior (2021)

Head
grapefruit, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom
Heart
lavender, coumarin
Base
woods, amber, licorice, haitian vetiver, patchouli

I really like this! It's different enough from the Sauvage EDT. It reminds me of Creed Baie de Genièvre, so much so that I thought there was Juniper in it. It's a sweet toasty smell that at times reminds me of Thyme, but the sweetness of the amber and licorice are balanced very well with lavender and a clean shower satisfaction that the vetiver and patchouli provide. In the end it's less sweet than Sauvage EDT. It can be used year round, but I know I'll buy this and use it in colder weather. Oh...and too expensive!

Off all of the current Sauvages I have tried so far, this one is indeed the best though obviously very far from the Eau Sauvage of 1960s Roudnitska fame. Compared to the other current Sauvage perfumes, the lavender accord has been dialed up to something classically pleasant, making it actually quite nice and sensual. It gives Sauvage some much needed dimension, softness, and nuance, that all of the other Sauvage perfumes are completely lacking. That said though, when you take in everything else and that the beautiful lavender leaves you quite quickly, you are then still clobbered in the nose by the awful ambers and woods. Dior went in the right direction with this flanker, they just didn't go far enough. If only they kept going by upping the spices and vetiver as well, and significantly dialing back the deafening amber and woods (and perhaps using better quality ones, like they did with the lavender), I could actually genuinely really like this perfume. But, alas, they didn't do any of that, and I am still unimpressed, depressed, and a bit nauseous.

Dior Sauvage Elixir is both hot and fresh at the same time. It flirts with animalic tones and resins without ever tipping into unwearable territory. In fact, wearing it made me realize what they were aiming for with Sauvage Eau Forte—which now feels more like a fresher take on the Elixir flanker, rather than a continuation of the earlier Sauvage iterations.

Sauvage Elixir has a distinct identity. Someone familiar with the rest of the line wouldn’t immediately connect it with Sauvage EdT, EdP, or Parfum—at least not until told it’s the flagship, the “top of the game” entry in the series.

I’ve never been a fan of the Sauvage line, mainly because of a certain lack of authenticity—it became the scent everyone wore, and still do. Yes, it has that quality of just working, and people recognized that. But Sauvage Elixir is probably the only one in the line I’d actually dare to own and wear. Despite its heaviness, it remains fresh, warm, and refined at the same time—recognizably Sauvage, yet without making me feel like just another guy in a crowd of Sauvage wearers.

It’s definitely better suited for a more mature audience—those who appreciate straightforward elegance with both substance and style, and who also want that extra “edge” to set them apart from the masses.

Ratings:
Originality: 8/10
Scent: 8/10
Longevity: 8/10
Projection: 6/10
Overall Impression: 8/10

An improvement on all other Sauvage’s before it, the Elixir flanker offers more than its predecessors but is probably too interesting for fans of the more successful Sauvage EDT. Not great, but not terrible.

Sauvage Elixir is a Francois Demachy's recent appointment for Maison Dior and represents a sort of re-orchestration of the classic Sauvage Edt/Edp-formulas in accordance with the principle of a new, liquorous, more "massive" and luxurious modern woody-spicy olfactory intensity. This fragrance is actually expression of a major olfactory "authority" and a commanding neo fougére barber-shop assertiveness (with a new more poweful interpretation and a majestic kind of liquorous minimalistic intensification of classic more or less dark fougére formulas a la Guy Laroche Drakkar Noir, La Perla Grigioperla, Lomani, Ysl Rive Gauche, Azzaro Pour Homme, Azzaro Silver Black etc). Sauvage Elixir is furthermore expression of a more recent orientation (expressed by many new niche brands of the modern perfumery) to represent a more powerful intensity by the implementation of brand new (I mean not usually implemented back in the classic formulas of the old school tradition) bitter raw materials as liquorice, bitter fruits, particular roots or cannabis, coffee (think for instance at Bois 1920 Duro Caffè) etc. Elixir opens with a roaring and abrasive note of liquorous and spicy licorice (the Elixir's distinctive x factor) that, alongside an anisic lavender, is the absolute key note of the olfactory fatigue. These elements, as joined to the basic vetiver, patchouli and ambroxan, provide the super virile neo-classic/barbershop Elixir's olfactory statement. Vetiver in particular is the main responsible of the intensely dark woodsy Elixir's dry down. This lavender/licorice-combo is super aromatic, soapy and with hints of blue anisic oceanic airiness and a super spicy (cloves/cinnamon) twist of dusty and peppery sweetness (one of the absolutely modern elements of the fragrance along with licorice). Spices, as connected with amber, licorice and resinous elements, provide a sort of viscous vaguely sticky sugary element (another modern distinctive Elixir's trait). The juxtaposition of bitter aromatic and spicy sweet elements plus a general (gradually rising on the stage) basic viscosity provided by a sort of chocolatey humid patchouli, by resinous vetiver and sugary/anisic synth ambergris, represent the main vest of this super modern neo fougére barbershop bold Dior's issue. The final trail projects an incomparable boldly virile aura with a Sauvage-Dna but in to a less fluidy and more luxurious and massively liquorous milder/spicier way. This new Sauvage d'élite is still laundry and barber-shop/aromatic but in to a commanding, restrained, prickly, sweetly erotic, dandy, luxurious and classy spicy/ambery/peppery way. On this stage a spicy/liquorous warm ambergris finally unfolds all its seductive power. This fragrance just partially conjures me an equally mature and classy perfume as Ambassador Gisada Man which is anyway less muscular, vaguely sweeter, smokier and slightly more floral. Several further modern appointments jump vaguely on mind for their similar contemporary re-interpretation of a classic bleu old-school aromatic concept as for instance Acqua di Portofino Notte or Davidoff Cool Water Reborn (both anyway pretty inferior kind of fragrances) or the intriguing Micallef Desir Toxic. Performances are nuclear with an insane projection and an ethernal longevity. Definitely one of my most complimented fragrances and the most effective contemporary tribute to dark aromatic old-school woodsy fougére.

The original EdT wasn’t my cup o’ tea at all. I couldn’t get over the barrage of metallic peppery bergamot and ambrox. The Elixir is really nothing like it or anything else from the Sauvage line.

Although the sprayer dispenses a large and fine mist giving the impression it might be light, it’s anything but. It’s a thick and dense scent, synthetic and monolithic with the stonelike corners chamfered off so you don’t cut yourself.

The way it comes across in a synthetic
manner could be just the overdosing style of certain fragrance ingredients so it feels like Synthetic Plus which isn’t in itself a problem. What is a problem is on skin it feels like a constant assault of scent that never lets up. Sleek but somehow unwieldy.

In the air however it comes into its own and truly shines. If I know I want to wear this I won’t spray on skin. If you must maybe go one spray to the back of the neck. I’ve been spraying clothing and wearing it later and letting the scent’s tenacity provide aura and sillage.

I won’t give a breakdown of notes. It feels like it’s been designed with the help of artificial intelligence and it comes across like the note pyramid was created first and the fragrance itself was built around it. A human would probably have taken other twists and turns in putting it together when it felt too cloying or unbalanced but the computer probably spewed a formula and Demachy and his team probably reworked it and added the finishing touches.
It’s quite accurate though. Liquorice...check.
Lavender....Patchouli....
Spices...yep yep...yada yada...

With all that said I actually like it. The main reason is despite its flaws, feeling bulky in places and unbalanced in others, in the air it smells like vintage Drakkar Noir did on skin in the 1980s. It’s completely uncanny.

On skin 7/10
In the air 8.75/10