It took me almost a year to get my hands on a sample of Caron Yuzu Man. I contacted Caron’s New York boutique when Yuzu Man launched in early 2011 and asked if there were any samples available. The answer: “There aren’t…but perhaps we can contact Paris and see if….”
I never got a sample from Caron.
No matter how nice the New York Caron staff are (they never like to say “no” to a request…they promote Hope), getting a sample of a Caron perfume is like asking your cat to clip its own nails: it won’t happen. (A friend once asked Caron for a perfume sample and they said they didn’t have any sample vials handy — they were waiting for sample vials to arrive from – PARIS!, instead of just buying them locally.) Does Caron produce carded samples these days? If so, are they reserved for Europe?
Anyway, last month I ordered a Yuzu Man sample from Germany. Was it worth the wait and trouble…and expense?
Yuzu Man was created by Caron house perfumer Richard Fraysse, and it contains notes of yuzu, verbena, basil, fruity notes, fig, pistachio, spices, cedar and sandalwood.
Yuzu Man starts with the fleetingscent of what I’ll call “yawning yuzu” (yuzu that is not sharp and vibrant), plus a ‘licorice’-like note (the verbena-basil mix?); the fragrance moves at fast speed to a creamy fig accord. Then? Some sweet cedar-y citrus; end of story. Unfortunately, the ingredients used in Yuzu Man aren’t of the highest quality; they seem watered down and have a dull edge. Yuzu Man feels “stingy” and develops into a light, non-distinctive “sport fragrance.” For a company with such interesting, rich-smelling men’s perfumes, Caron’s Yuzu Man is a big disappointment. (Even the ad campaign looks dated and inexpensive.)
Yuzu Man has average lasting power and sillage, and it feels more unisex than “Man” to me. Caron’s U.S. distribution is haphazard; an Internet search for Yuzu Man showed it’s available at sellers as different as Luckyscent, QVC and Sears.
Caron Yuzu Man is $95 for 125 ml (full price); it’s readily available at a discount.
Watch the Yuzu Man commercial here.
Oh too bad, at least the commercial is awesome…
Datura: ah…didn’t care for the commercial…flying ducks, Golden Gate Bridge?…a junk. HA!
I needed a little levity after lunch before tackling the mound on my desk – thanks, Kevin! But I *am* sorry that you went to so much trouble only to be disappointed.
I have a question though… since it’s available at Luckyscent, why didn’t you just get your sample from them? I’m sure there’s a good answer, but “inquiring minds want to know”.
Rapp: ordered my sample before I realized (or maybe even it wasn’t at Luckyscent then?) Luckyscent was the least of my problems…I felt stupid when it was at SEARS! HAHA!
LOL! Yes, I guess I overlooked that site when thinking about LS.
By a house that bring us Pour un Homme, Troisième Homme and Yatagan, Yuzu seems to me the Caron’s intention to enter the market of air fresheners.
Serge: it does indeed
Thanks for a review, Kevin!
Now I know that Yuzu Man from Caron is not a stuff for me.
I have Pour Un Homme from Caron, but my initial love for this fragrance is gone…
lucasai: you’re welcome
Thank you for reviewing something that does not tempt me in the least. My wish list has gotten pretty long lately and I’m happy to read about something and know that I don’t want it.
Poodle: my wish list is beyond foolish too
I’m still waiting for yuzu that’s zesty, bright and sharp, something that’s similar to a real yuzu fruit. The closest one I’ve tried so far is Diptyque Oyedo.
V: same here…agreed fully with your review of the other day: Oyedo is great, if only it wouldn’t get so candy-ish in the dry down. But still…I have a bottle and enjoy it.
Thank you for the review, Kevin. Such a disappointment, I love yuzu teas. To answer your question, Caron does do carded samples. I received one at Sniffa this past weekend.
Ari…just no samples for ME, I guess!
It will never cease to amaze me how poorly Caron markets its products in the US. The house and its fragrances are as iconic as Guerlain’s. – come on, Tabac Blond? Bellodgia? Nuit de Noel? Narcisse Noir? – and yet they are hard to find. And when you do find them, they’ve been shoved into a tiny little corner. Not only the fragrances, but the luxurious face powders deserve more attention. Instead, they release new fragrances that are just “meh”. I don’t know what Fraysse is thinking.
Fleur: I wonder if the situation in Europe is as bad as it is here for Caron? When I do see a bottle in a shop it looks like it was found under a counter … dusty, bent box, etc! Caron gets little respect.
The representative from the Alès group in NY (the distributor for Caron in the US) is a lovely young woman named Anne-Laure who is obviously passionate about Caron products. She has shared her enthusiasm at a few of the Sniffapalooza events I attended, and is the best representative for their line. And Diane, who runs the tiny Caron boutique within Phyto Universe, is a terrific sales associate. I think they are just hobbled by the company management, which is very stingy with information and samples.
“…they promote Hope.”
Haha! Kevin, you are the greatest!
eswift: thanks! HA!
Yep, I totally agree, this one is as dull as dishwater! I love the description “yawning yuzu” lol.
Candy: I know…why bother even using “yuzu” in the title!
That’s odd, I see carded samples for Pour un Homme everywhere (and have a couple). I feel like I’ve seen at least one feminine too.
But at any rate, I agree with you; I wasn’t as excited by Yuzu Man as I wanted to be.
Unseencenser: it would be fitting that everyone but the Caron boutique has samples!
True. And sad.
I have no difficulty in getting carded Caron samples here in Britain. As for Yuzu Man, I bought a bottle at the start of this year. After being initially disappointed, the fragrance grew on me considerably and I ended liking it very much. In fact, I rather romped through the bottle fairly swiftly. It’s considerably better than the reformulated Yatagan I sampled last week – a nasty thin affair, so unlike its former self. By the way, I thought the Yuzu advert very attractive. Retro is “in”, at least here in Europe.
Rob: horrible news about Yatagan! My bottle, thankfully BIG, is the old version. WHy don’t they let fragrances like Yatagan die with dignity instead of messing them up….
“no” to a request…they promote Hope” — I will keep this in mind next time a clerk says they have no samples. Great wording
Shelly: I have the worst luck getting samples at boutiques and dept. stores…I think the clerks see too much of me..
This extraordinary effort is the reason you’re paid the big bucks, Kevin. At least you can see there is no shortage of gratitude from your readers.
Donnie: ha! thanks, Donnie!
Kevin, the sample controllers of the boutiques of the brands with something to hide, especially Caron, probably see your name and photograph on the industry equivalent of the “no fly” list, LOL!
noz: HA! Sometimes one IS cut off at the knees for six months to a year after a…well, you know!
I came found this in El Salvador just shopping around. I liked it but didn’t get it since I had plenty scent with me. We went back last month and I didn’t see it. I asked for it and was in luck that they had PLENTY. Being from New York, this is a scent that DOES stand apart. I often buy Creed to not be “like all the rest”. I found a MUST less expensive choice that I personally like just as well.
If you live outside of the tristate area I recommend it, because I prefer to have a scent of my own.