Guerlain will launch Guerlain Homme, a new fragrance for men developed by perfumer Thierry Wasser (who was recently appointed in-house perfumer at Guerlain), this coming August:
The concept plays on the theme of man’s dual nature: human and animal.
The fragrance is firmly rooted in fresh olfactive territory, which according to Guerlain holds “great potential” for the men’s market...the scent features a mojito accord with lime and mint, a fresh floral accord with bergamot and a green woody accord with cedar and vetiver.
Guerlain Homme will be available in 30 and 80 ml Eau de Parfum. (via cosmeticnews) Update: additional notes for Guerlain Homme include rhubarb, rum, sugar, geranium and green tea. (via vogue.fr)
Another update: see a review of Guerlain Homme.
I almost just did a spit take when I read “mojito accord” in a description for a new Guerlain….my right eye is also twitching. If this is the direction they are going in with Wasser (look at that Hugo Boss-wannabe bottle!), I do not look forward to future releases.
I know exactly what you mean, but you know, Guerlain has to find a place in the modern world eventually, and IMHO, L'Instant was not the right place.
If it is a truly excellent mojito thingie, I'm ok with that. If it's another bland/fresh/dull boring scent for men, that will be very sad.
You make an excellent point, but, especially for a house with such a presigious heritage, I feel like they should not have to catch up to modern perfumery in all it's banality. WE should have to catch up to their classic aesthetic. Releasing things like Eau de Shalimar helps…why not release Chamade pour Homme in the states, or one of the many other limited distribution or limited edition scents? Spiriteuse Double Vanille, while certainly quite niche-y, could be a big seller if they released it in wider distribution.
I just really can't deal with “mojito accord”…it sounds so trashy, no?
Emotionally, I agree w/ you…but practically speaking, I also want Guerlain to stay in business. I assume they could use a blockbuster or two at this point, and Insolence was not a blockbuster. A mojito accord does not have to be banal, I don't think, although it sure could be. We'll have to hope they do a great job…
On SDV, I totally agree. They really ought to do a lighter, cheaper version and release it as a part of the regular line.
Sorry, I'm bored at work, so I'm going to continue this discussion! I completely agree with you on the staying in business angle–can you imagine the collapse of the perfume universe if they went out of business? I'm just afraid it's a slippery slope. It may be an extreme example, but think of Coty, once one of the most high-brow French perfumeries, now a drug store nightmare. One or two mainstream, watered down fragrances like Insolence and now this one (it could be good, I agree) is fine as an introductory element to the brand for Sephoraphiles, but please let's not start rolling out too many of these, and God help us if we get 20 flankers of this. Sex on the Beach accord, and Sour Apple Martini accord and…the mind wanders.
It is very hard to understand why Coty (who certainly couldn't have any huge financial worries) doesn't keep a small stable of their classics in production, and in better formulations than they bother with for the few they still make. But they're a conglomerate, and don't think anyone there seems to care about prestige of the original Coty perfume house.
Guerlain is a different matter — I'd guess they care very much, even though they're owned by a conglomerate. But yes, when we get the Sour Apple Martini flanker, I'll be on your side!
At least it's an eau de parfum and not edt, score 1 for Guerlain Homme.
I'll reserve judgement until I've smelled it (though frankly my hopes are not high), but something about that quote bothers me a lot: the “fresh olfactive category” holds “great potential” for the men's market? You'd almost think that they had invented the category, or that it was rare and strange, rather than being the dominant mode of men's perfumery for the last twenty years. If they said that they thought the floral oriental has great potential, I'd sit up and listen: but something which is all around us and is insanely successful to boot is not something you can say “has potential”.
Love the bottle, hate the cap.
Can't wait for Guerlain Homme Summer Litchi! 😉
Okay. Maybe I can wait.
Mostly chiming in to say I hear you about having to extend yourself into the modern world, (hopefull) without embarrassing yourself or putting your original customers off.
I really like L'Instant PH, by the way (I think you do too?) But almost never see it mentioned anywhere. I wonder how it does? L'Instant for women, the less said the better, although I *know* many folks love it, including women on the scent blogs.
Wasn't that quote funny??? But by “great potential” I read “it sells”.
And agree on the cap. The cap is always what ruins the bottle.
Guerlain Homme Summer Litchi!! Perfect.
L'Instant PH is a great scent, and I've sort of made peace with the women's L'Instant. I don't love it, but I don't hate it anymore. But Guerlain needs to come up with a modern classic…something that you can see being in the future version of Michael Edwards' Perfume Legends vol. 3, you know? And L'Instant would not make the cut for such a book.
I am witholding judgement until sniffing. I don't mind the bottle as long as it isn't as wide as Kenzo Air. I have big hands, but you have to have Shaq's mitts to palm that bottle with any comfort.
I hate wide bottles too!
I would think that by now (or someday soon, PLEASE!) the “fresh olfactive territory” would have jumped the shark instead of being seen as still holding “great potential.” Isn't it time for the next trend to come along?
Then again, Dirty English, D&G The One, and Hypnose Homme don't fall into that category, so maybe there's hope yet? Not sure how any of them are selling though. It's actually possible that Guerlain is hopping on the “fresh” train a little too late, no? We may be at the tail end of a fragrance era. Of course, curious to smell it and hope it's not just ho-hum ordinary.
Just to chime in on your discussion: Maybe they're doing well with the Aqua Allegorias? Though they're not “classic”, they're also not laughable “mass-marketish” products either; at least there's some vestige of the “Guerlainade” in how they're packaged and presented. Not exactly “Guerlain Summer Litchi Fizz,” even though the Kiwi kind of treads that line.
I can only look at this bottle and think of Allure Homme Sport. It's so disappointing to see always the same style of fragrance being launched again and again and again 🙁 When are we going to have a modern – but still potent and sexy -man's oriental? A new Egoiste or a continuation to M7?
I like the Aqua Allegorias, and would guess they do well but they're not blockbuster sort of things either…and they're not as widely distributed as L'Instant or even Insolence. Most department stores in the US don't even carry them, right?
I would think jumping the shark would be the perfect description…if it turns out to be bland/fresh. Hoping they'll do more with it!
We'll have to hope it looks more distinctive in person, and less like AHS. And yes, I'll take a continuation of M7, but I guess that's the kiss of death, isn't it? I mean, M7 didn't sell.
I have never responded on here before, but i guess i am compelled to now… The new Guerlain Homme fragrance sounds like it will actually be quite refreshing and modern as well as Potentially quite nice smelling. As for L'Instant, I Personally as a man ADORE the scent, one of my top favorite scents of recent times and i think the womens version is INCREDIBLE! it's i think the last great Guerlain new Womans Fragrance. the Womens L'Instant is so Compelling and Rich yet still romantic and Light, i get dizzy thinking of its magic brew. so many on here seem to in my opinion be such snobs to anything that isn't Strange or overtly out of it's way unique and cannot appreciate something that in itself is aimed to simply smell good. there have been so, SO, SO, SOOOOOOOO Many fragrances i have read you all trashing without care and with such a whimsical hand that you'd be hard pressed it would seem to find anything that might satisfy your elitist sense of scent. many of the fragrances that have been disembowled on here for being “Fruity” or having “Pink Pepper” or “Lychee” in it have no just cause other than simple pure snobbery… what does it matter if those things are the trends at the moment.. all things including fragrance goes through trends, and like all things this trend will pass, not to say that these fragrances that are slammed are in any way shape or form bad to begin with, maybe your simple lack of humility prevent you all from appreciating something that is just trying to be Fun!
On another note (No Pun Intended) I would Love to try my hand at being the Nose for Guerlain… I have to admit that i was Eager, VERY Eager to smell Insolence (just adored the name) and found that it truly did not live up to the Guerlain Standard in any way shape or form. it is a nice fragrance, let me be honest, but it is too immature and one-note to be a Rich, Complex, Multifaceted Guerlain Fragrance like Samsara or L'Huere Bleue or One of my personal Faves. Jardins De Bagatelle (a truly, and unreasonably ignored Masterpiece!) My idea for a men's fragrance for Guerlain.. would be something perhaps called, Ambre D'Homme… with a Base that was made up of Real Ambergris and layered on Vetiver Haitian, Indonesian Patchouli, Sicilian Lime, Fleur De Pamplemousse, Egyptian Sandalwood, Fresh Pear, Black Pepper, Coriander Seed, Cypress, Juniper and perhaps a touch of Balsam and Galbanum and Sage! it would be Rich and Ambery, but Fresh (Not Aquatic) and Clean as well! 🙂 Thank you and i look forward to writing again.
It looks like M7 sell well in Europe, so I think what's happening is a restriction only in USA. Here he has come back and we can find him in 50 and 100mls. M7 was my first fragrance and until today I can't find another that suits me soo well as it does to me. I've found black cashmere, but was discontinued. I think it's my curse: every fragrance that I love get discontinued (Gloria Cacharel, By Man Dolce & Gabbana, Nu edp, Organza Indecence). It's so sad to see the great fragrances being taken out of the market and the ones without soul or appeal continuing to exist =/
Well yes, this is a perfume blog…I think it makes perfect sense that the kind of people who would write or hang out on a perfume blog are people who would like something overtly unique and not just something that smells good. If all you want is something that smells good, you hardly need to read a daily perfume blog, you can just walk into Bath & Body Works & pick up some Warm Vanilla Sugar or Coconut Lime Verbena, both of which smell very good indeed (I'm wearing the CLV right now).
Your version of Guerlain Homme sounds lovely, and I think would have pleased more people here than the mojito accord….I think what most people here would like to see from Guerlain is in fact something overtly unique instead of just “smells good”. But of course none of us have smelled it yet so we'll have to wait & see.
I am told that Organza Indecence was never really discontinued either…just put into more limited distribution. But entirely agree…it is very sad how many wonderful things are gone…we're lamenting Feu d'Issey right now on another thread.
I've to say you that six months ago I've found ocasionally Fey d'Issey here on a promotion, but there wasn't a tester to experiment it. About the Organza Indecence, I can't understand why we don't find it in the mythical version. Someone have told me that Roberto Cavalli Oro is very similar to it. Do you know if is it true?
Your post is so strange. You start criticizing when perfume lovers see and smell the new launches and trash them because they don't have a soul, because they simply follow a trend, and then you criticize Insolence because it don't live up to the Guerlain Standard.
This is the point! The launches that we're having nowadays are just good smells, not great fragrances. The don't have a soul! They aren't made to be unique, to be a classic. And when you smell it you feel disappointed, because in general they say NOTHING to you, in some cases they just look like a bunch of notes worked to satisfy the masses.
That's why fragrances from Serge Lutens are so admired. You can say that you don't like them, but you can't say that they don't have quality, that they always develop the same (like a Hugo Boss, that I'm so sick and tired of seeing launches).
I still fear that Guerlain Homme will be something between Allure Homme Sport and Hugo Boss Pure, but who knows?
OI is in the Les Mythiques set, or do you mean why it's so hard to find? I do think some of the larger Nordstrom stores have the whole set.
It has been awhile since I've smelled Oro. IIRC, Oro is sweeter, and at least according to my notes, I didn't like it very much once the spicy top notes wore off.
Organza Indecence is one of the Les Mythiques, but even in this version you can't find it!
I didn't mean to incite enmity of any kind, i was just taken aback a little as i read many entries on here that made it seem that all fragrances should aspire to immortality and that anything less is worthy of derision and scorn. I agree Fragrance should be taken Seriously… I do! and when you see everyone from some bubble headed Brit star to Jessica Simpson throwing their hats into the ring it can be quite an assault to ones senses, but also some of the fragrances that simply sounds, UNINSPIRED, to many here i have found to smell very nice in reality. which is why i said what i did, it seems that not enough fairness is shown to some scents simply because they may have “Of-The-Moment” essences in them such as Lychee, Or Pink Pepper Or whatever,,, there is always a few key things that in fragrance that are the essences EVERYBODY will use.. back in the 80's it was overdoses of Jasmine and Musk, in the 90's we all got a little frayed of the OZONE note that seemed to proliferate and now has faded away and is used sparingly, if at all anymore.
So In Conclusion… Yes, Fragrance should be Beyond all realms of Mediocrity and Transcend to a more Ethereal Plane, But like all arts, not every perfume can arise to those lofty heights… so all i am saying is one should perhaps put aside some of their somewhat… ahem…. Snobbish ideas of fragrance and try to relate and see the good in the fragrances that may seem beneath your sensibilities and maybe you will find that sometimes a bit of fun and simplicity can be as exciting as Immortality!
Well, Again… not EVERY single fragrance produced can be GREAT! In No form of art (and yes Perfumery is an Art) have there ever been all things in that form that were all UNIFORMLY magnificent and Great! Insolence Disappoints because, Yes IT IS GUERLAIN! i am not making excuses that even I felt Cheated there because there is a Heritage of Sublime Perfumery there and that felt like a misstep… some artists can always proudce masterpieces, Beethoven, Cezanne, Lloyd Wright, and it would have seemed so did the Guerlains. But it felt that Insolence was a Very Synthetic and Thin Fragrance, not something that you would imagine from the house that created Shalimar or Mitsouko or Vol De Nuit or Vega!
But not all people are Purely Brilliant artists and to expect greatness ALL THE TIME is to set oneself up for disappointment. as for the Hugo Boss Fragrances… Well i Quite Uniformly Like them, and yes they seem to have a new fragrance every third day, but They do smell GOOD! Is that really Such a Terrible thing? In FACT, Those Fragrances that Disappoint should Only make you Appreciate all the more when something GREAT does come along! which for me is what they do!
You did not incite enmity at all, at least not from me, and there are plenty of fragrances I love just because they're fun…
I read somewhere that they weren't going to export that one to the US, then I read that people had actually seen it here. Then I found out that Dillards never stopped carrying OI at all, in the old bottle. So I don't know what the “real” story is.
No enmity here either. In fact I believe that it is a great compliment for the company of Guerlain that we have such high expectations.. it just means that they can create “haute couture” perfumes, which is not so for many perfume houses, niche or not.
By Man is discontinued?! That's sad, it's one of the scents on my list I wanted to get “one day”…
Excuse me, there is really no reason for accusing NST of snobbery! The people here always seem to review fragrances with an open mind. And I think that's why this blogg works and is respected. It's really above all about the joy of smelling.
I love some AAs, but they are definitely very market-orientated. One of the IMO most origninal, Mentafollia, was discontinued when it didn't sell well the cold summer after it's introduction. The bottles are just gold-sprayed plastic, and it's not meant to evoke some pop manga plastic charm, it's rather like ornament in the 19th century! I think they are worth the money, but it would do them good to be filled in simple cologne-style bottles.
I'm just generally missing HONESTY at Guerlain. We had that discussion about Wasser — Guerlain have something to lose, well, maybe not anymore… but it's not to late to get a grip and give the whole range a good makeover (first: off those plastic caps).
The least I expect is decent press releases!!! I mean, hello? Mojito?! they could at least find a French word for it… (I'm joking) If it's a mint/lime accord then call it mint and lime, for god's sake. If, in addition, it has a sugary, an “icy” plus a rum note, then indeed it's a Mojito accord, but that's where I get suspicious if it's Guerlain…
And, what category is “fresh”, please?! That's a bit general as a statement from a Guerlain representative. It's like an architect's office declaring they make buildings that let in a lot of light.
That said, we are all very open-minded, aren't we? So let's take this as what it is, a press release. The scent follows later, and hey, it's a new men's fragrance by Guerlain! Good news!
So what will be the new trend? Something mature, earthy, gritty? I'm just throwing stuff out there, although all those things sound good to me.
Henrique – you might like Domenico Caraceni 1913. I think I have gone on and on about it before, so I won't here.
I *hope* we review fragrances with an open mind, but we really are snobby when discussing new fragrance announcements (in other words, things we haven't even smelled yet), in the comments at least…we like to snark on the litchi & pink pepper & whatnot. It's annoying to some people, and I'm aware of that, but it is also highly satisfying to others (including me) who are sick of seeing clone fragrances appearing day after day, and who really are more interested in something unique than in something that just smells good. That said, there are plenty of fragrances that I and others appreciate because they are fun, so I don't think we're all snobs in the sense that everything must be “high art”.
So I thank you for the words of confidence, but it is also true that this blog isn't appealing to everyone, and that is fine with me.
i didn't accuse NST Directly at all of being a snob, i made a comment about many people on here who make assessments of a fragrance that they haven't even smelled because it sounds, Plebian… but i mentioned no one specific or by name.
Coty died in 1934 leaving huge debt for his familly (economic and politic bad choices)
The name was sold in US. And I dont think that anyone whas interested in “prestige”.
You know Francois Coty was even an unknown 10 years ago. Except the small world of noses, nobody has ever heard of him.
I still beleive that the book “Perfume Legends” (Michael Edwards) has resurected the name of Francois Coty.
Coty was (according to the author and I beleive him) at the center of the perfume creation.
Some of his creation have so becomed “Graal” even for great nose. (Discontinued perfumes create some wonders around them).
Now with other books and blogs people who are interested in perfume history know his name and even his history.
Perhaps it is time to re launch …
I'll take earthy-gritty!
In all fairness, I haven't seen a press release from Guerlain — ever. This is from whatever Cosmetic News chose to print.
Today I sprayed some YSL M7, M7 Fresh and some Jazz on paper and on my skin, a bit with Yves Saint Laurents passing away in mind and I always wanted to smell them on my skin as well. I found Jazz very overpowering, M7 Fresh very nice and M7 still good.
I could have gone for some womens frags but these interested me more.
All these fragrances plus the Kouros versions sell very well in Europe.
I still need to find some M7 Fresh…been on my “to get” list forever!
I love M7 Fresh. While in it's core it's still M7, to me it's like a new fragrance. The opening is a sophisticated citrusy vetiver, that goes to a woody base in the direction of oud note. I also detect, to my nose, some note that in the end remind's me of a light, translucid narciso rodriguez her. Very interesting.
Can you tell me more about this fragrance?
Henrique you can describe the fragrances so well.. Indeed the core is still M7 and furthermore it is a different fragrance, very well done.
Thank you marianne. I think it's because M7 it's the fragrance of my life. I adore it and I always feel comfort wearing it. The same reaction I have from M7 Fresh, interesting enough as it concept from fresh don't end smelling like a generic ozone or marine or watery scent. To me is a proof that you can make a flanker as good as the original one.
I don't think the problem is smelling Plebian. The problem is when you simply call your consumer dull and start making fragrances that all smell the same. You can make good smells that are distinct enough so you can recognize one from the other when they develop. But that isn't what we're seeing in the launches today. What happend when you saturate the market if a lot of fragrances that are so similar? You can't make new classics because your costumer, in general, get's bored. I love just good smells, they're great to use during the day. But I get very irritated when I see brands like Hugo Boss calling me idiot launching a fragrance after another fragrance that always smell the same.
You know, actually this discussion made me think. It's probably true, I'm being a snob sometimes. If I imagine a perfumer to read some of my comments, oh dear… But yeah, I try to always give a reason why I expect something to be bad without even smelling it.
To expect a Guerlain to smell like a Boss deodorant is going too far though… I mean, Boss have a very specific customer group they are aiming at and which is totally different from Guerlain. I once read an article about the head designer and he said something about their approach to design… and indirectly he was expressing a very conservative opinion about manliness. Then you understand why even their more “trendy” scents after the head note is gone all remind you of Azzaro Chrome/Cool Water and the likes.
Mind you, Guerlain might want a piece of that cake but I actually believe they can't afford releasing “just another After Shave”.
I am guessing at this point that Guerlain NEEDS a piece of that cake. I don't think they're making a killing at this point…and it's been a long time since they've had a hit on the masculine side.
The fragrance does indeed have an sugary ice note, as well as that rum acccord. The concept behind the fragrance was in fact a mojito.
Have tried this fragrance only the other day, I think most Guerlain customers will be dissapointed with the scent.
It starts out with a very strong vetiver note…..so much so that I found it almost like smelling the vetiver root straight out of the ground. The mint and lime also come out very strongly areound this time. It takes about 20mins to finally loose that note…to which the scent them drys down to another bland comercialized “fresh” fragrance which could easliy have been lauched by one of the mass fragrance houses.
Quote from Thierry Wasser on this fragrance:
“We wanted to have a fresh character fragrance – something new to Guerlain with sweet lime, bergamot, crushed fresh mint, green tea to complement the roundness, rum, pelargonium – a flower whose leaves, stem and roots are used to produce a very green/floral overtone. We wanted a very aromatic at the beginning and so traditionally at Guerlain, we tend to have a lot of patchouli so this time I wanted cedarwood and I had my little private joke in it, I wanted to give something back to Jean-Paul, the woodiness at the backnote of the fragrance which is what Guerlain is all about and I took the vetiver from Jean-Paul’s first fragrance in his honour.”
Thanks! Where is the quote from?
The quote's an excerpt from an interview of Mr. Wasser by Marian Bendeth on Basenotes. Here's the link:
http://www.basenotes.net/interviews/20080807interview-with-thierry-wasser.html
Thanks!
I smelt this today. It's not at all what I'd expect from a Guerlain fragrance: sillage is very minimal (which is a definite negative in my books) and it's quite a “simple” and “simplistic” smelling fragrance. The fragrance pretty much smelt like the given notes. No complexity. It's nice, but not buy-me-this-instant nice.
Ah! Well, there you go. Fits w/ the ad then — not a “serious” scent.
I am adding a big thank you to Guerlain. I am in love with the scent and I believe it is a unique fresh. The mojito does work and most fresh arent sensual but this one definately pulls it off. Definite 5 stars from me!
Sounds great, thanks!
This fragrance leaves me torn! The mojito accord with lime and mint smell gross on my skin – just like sour (as in gone bad) alcohol, not in a good way. But once that clears after the initial unpleasant ten minutes or so, the floral and woody accords are ok. Don't know if I like it enough to buy it though, that's the thing.
Oh dear. I meant to do a mall trip over the weekend and was going to look for it, but didn't manage to get there. Maybe later in the week…
I was unfortuntately reminded of… Sean Jean Black…
Ouch!
It launched in our store this week, and I was given a bottle of gratis. I brought it home and placed it on the bathroom counter for my husband to test and put away. Normally, he gives a quick spray and then it's added to his cabinet and forgotten about. He's practically indifferent to fragrance; his exceptions are Obsession for Men (in winter), Gucci Rush (hard to find now), Burberry London and a concoction he makes on his own and won't tell me the formula. Anyway, I came home from work last night and he said immediately, “I like the new one.” That's big coming from a man of few words. I was quite surprised, but apparently he's enjoying how simple it is.
For me, I love the bottle. We have an Engraver come in twice a year to engrave bottles for holidays (free with purchase) and I can't wait to see how the Guerlain Homme bottles look engraved.
Thanks, glad it is finally here — can't wait to try it!
…IMHO it smells like a drunk guy, who had a few too many mojitos. Cheers gals!