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Battle of the Vetivers, Part 1 - Creed Original Vetiver

In this multi-part Take, I will be going over a few of the men's vetiver fragrances I have in my collection and my thoughts on them.

FOREWORD

It is common for a designer house or niche perfumer to have a "vetiver" in its line up. What classifies a vetiver is the actual ingredient vetiver, which is a bunchgrass that is native to India. It is commonly used as a fixative in fragrances, similar to ambergris, benzoin, and oakmoss, which increases the performance and longevity. Vetiver, however, often takes center stage as a major note in the fragrance. The scent of vetiver is earthy and green, with an astringent-like quality, and can sometimes be bright/cool or smokey/warm in character depending on the part of the plant that the oils were extracted from. The scent is often described as being very similar to lemongrass as the two are closely related.

Battle of the Vetivers, Part 1 - Creed Original Vetiver

Vetivers are classic work/professional scents due to their clean and fresh scent. Depending on how the perfumer utilizes the vetiver in their fragrance, sometimes it can be blended in such a way to make it a casual or even sensual fragrance. Vetiver is undoubtedly masculine, perhaps one of the most masculine scents in the fragrance world. Sometimes it can be used in femme and unisex fragrances as well, but it isn't as common. Most colognes that have a vetiver note fall under the "Woody Aromatic" classification, but vetiver can also be used in Chypre and Oriental Woody fragrances.

For more information on vetiver as a perfuming ingredient, go here: https://www.fragrantica.com/notes/Vetiver-2.html

In this first part, I will be going over the most expensive vetiver in my collection, Creed Original Vetiver.

Battle of the Vetivers, Part 1 - Creed Original Vetiver

NOTES:

Top Notes

Ginger,
Mandarin,
Italian bergamot


Heart Notes

Haitian vetiver,
Mysore sandalwood,
Florentine iris


Base Notes

Musk,
Ambergris

The notes here are very well blended and the fragrance stays consistent from initial spray all the way to a couple hour dry down.

INFORMATION/BACKGROUND

Creed Original Vetiver comes in several different sizes, which would be far too many to list here. The three most common sizes are:

1.7oz ~$290USD

2.5oz ~$350USD

3.3oz ~$395USD

As you can see, the prices are very expensive. Creed is a luxury niche perfumer that caters to the wealthy, celebrity, and enthusiast buyer. Note that this fragrance also comes in 'Flagon' sizes of 4, 8.4, and 17oz, and the prices go up accordingly.

On the bright side, grey market sites like www.fragrancenet.com have this fragrance for a much-reduced price over the Creed boutique/online store and other upscale department stores. It can go as low as $174.99 for a 4oz flagon (relatively speaking).

The scent was launched in 2004 and the fragrance was created by perfumer Erwin Creed. It is classified as a "Woody Aromatic" fragrance.

SCENT/SITUATION

What you get from this fragrance right from the first spray is a blast of what smells like lime and sandalwood. The lime scent could be due to the way the top notes are brought together, but after a few whiffs, you may be able to pull out the ginger and bergamot. The vetiver is really subdued here, and the scent is more soapy and clean than your typical vetiver, but it still a definite "green" scent. I believe the soapy quality must come from the iris, but the iris note here doesn't smell like the typical lipsticky type of iris found in other frags. The musk and ambergris are almost not even noticeable, even after the dry down.

Battle of the Vetivers, Part 1 - Creed Original Vetiver

It reminds me of a crisp spring dawn with the dew just glistening off the tips of long blades of the greenest grass, the suns rays just peaking through the clouds. It is very uplifting and feels like a classic man scent. The soapiness vaguely reminds me of a bar of Irish Spring, but even more fresh and zesty. After it dries down a bit, you get a little bit more of the warmth of the sandalwood and the musk, but it is only a hint. Some reviewers claim this smells very similar to Barbicide; the blue stuff barbers use to clean their hair cutting tools. I can see why, but I don't get that from this scent. It is much more lively than it is astringent, but then again, vetiver naturally has some tonal qualities.

This fragrance will probably best serve you best in Spring and maybe early Summer, during the day. It isn't the most sensual scent; it is excellent for the office or when you just want that fresh out of the shower clean smell. I could picture using this outdoors in the spring rather than a sporty scent when hiking through nature. It smells mature but it is bright enough for a man in his 20s to use and not come off reminding people of "Dad". In fact, there this slight hint of sweetness, this subtle gentle happiness that glows from it that an upbeat man can take advantage of.

On a side note, many reviewers also comment that this smells very much like Mugler Cologne. I haven't put my nose on Mugler, but some of these same reviewers comment that Original Vetiver has more of a depth to it, while Mugler is louder.

PERFORMANCE

The major downside to this scent is its projection. On my skin, it projects like a monster for the first 2 hours, but after that, it quickly warms down to a close to the skin scent. This closeness lasts for another 6 or so hours before fading. When sweating during the warmer months, the performance dramatically improves, almost double the timeframes I mentioned (even the longevity). For that reason alone, I would say this is a Spring/Summer scent, but the vibe you get from it already screams "Spring!"

RESOURCES

http://www.basenotes.net/ID26123368.html

https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Creed/Original-Vetiver-468.html

VIDEOS

The Fragrance Apprentice Review

Robes08 Review

THOUGHTS/REVIEW

This is a vetiver that basically isn't. What I mean by this is that the vetiver takes a backseat and the bright citrus takes the spotlight. That isn't necessarily a bad thing. It is lively and welcoming, clean and fresh, creamy and warm. That said, It isn't my favorite vetiver, not by a long shot. As Robes08 mentions, this isn't the best scent to introduce yourself with the note of vetiver. The price takes this down a notch in my eyes, although you get the feeling that this frag is quality. Is it worth the cost? I wouldn't say at full price.

But if you want an easy scent to wear, a clean soapy scent that can be worn with a suit or dressed down for the outdoors in the warmer months, that matches a happy go lucky positive attitude, Creed's Original Vetiver might just be right up your alley.

I give Creed Original Vetiver a solid 7/10. I am not unhappy with it, in fact, I feel it is quite unique and works better as a soapy frag than a vetiver. And out of all the vetivers and soapy frags I own, this is the one that leaves me feeling like:

Battle of the Vetivers, Part 1 - Creed Original Vetiver
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