Vetyver
Chantecaille (2010)

Vetyver delivers exactly what you’d expect. It’s lighter than the newer Vetyver Cedre, with a softer, grassier, and more airy profile. When it was released in 2010, it likely performed well, but today, the market is flooded with vetiver fragrances that offer better performance and similar quality. Even at discounted prices, it remains too expensive and struggles to compete with other vetiver-based scents.

When talking about the many good vetiver perfumes out there, I rarely see Chantecaille included in the conversation, but it's a nice one, different enough from the others to be worth considering.

So what does it smell like? Big upfront vetiver, of course, but sweeter and brighter than most. It's got a lot of lemon, and what smells to me like linden or lime blossom giving it a significant floral lift without making it too feminine. There are some hairspray aldehydes in there as well, subtly playing up the vetiver's mineral aspect.

Also worth noting is that this isn't weighted down by moss or tobacco or the geranium usually used as basenotes in vetiver perfumes. As such, it has a unique cheery brightness, though it could also be argued that it lacks heft. That being said, this is just begging for a hot sunny day.

Chantecaille's Vetyver is a breath of fresh air. Unlike many perfumes called Vetiver, this one actually smells like vetiver. High quality vetiver in a satisfyingly strong concentration is freshened with citrus on top, and presented on a discreet base of soft spices, musk and woods. Like a criminal in a movie with a shady past now walking the straight and narrow, you have to feel proud of this guy. A reliable, straightforward, honest vetiver is hard to find nowadays. Well done, Chantecaille.