Dior
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The citrus trio hits like a slap of cold water—bright, bracingly acidic, with grapefruit's bitter pith cutting through the sweeter bergamot. Within seconds, the lavender and basil surge forward with an almost medicinal sharpness, all camphor and green stemmy bite, whilst the elemi resin adds a resinous, turpentine-like edge that's strangely compelling.
The aromatic assault softens into a humming, peppery lavender-cedar accord that radiates warmth without losing its angular edges. Mint flickers in and out like a cool draught through an open window, whilst the jasmine works quietly in the background, rounding out the lavender's sharper facets with the barest whisper of indolic sweetness.
What remains is a skin-close veil of dry vetiver and cedar, smoky and slightly austere, with enough patchouli to add earthy grip. The chypre accord asserts itself here—oakmoss-adjacent without the actual moss—leaving you smelling like expensive woodshavings and the ghost of lavender soap.
Dior's Eau Sauvage Extrême strips the original's gentlemanly refinement down to a taut, sinewy frame—all muscle, no fat. François Demachy cranks up the spice dial until the citrus practically crackles with pepper and herbal heat, transforming the 1966 classic into something unexpectedly aggressive. That opening triumvirate of Sicilian lemon, bergamot, and grapefruit doesn't simply sparkle; it detonates with the sharp brightness of citrus oils still clinging to torn peel, whilst a bolus of French lavender and basil immediately shoulders its way forward with almost confrontational aromatic intensity. The elemi resin adds a curious, lemony-pine bite that amplifies the green aspects without veering into cologne territory. This is lavender with its sleeves rolled up, ready for a scrap.
What's clever is how Demachy maintains the chypre architecture whilst injecting it with nervous energy. The Virginia cedar and vetiver in the base provide that classic Eau Sauvage scaffolding—dry, slightly smoky, impeccably groomed—but the patchouli here isn't the sweet, resinous type. It's earthy and sharp, reinforcing the spicy-woody backbone that dominates from start to finish. There's jasmine listed, but it functions more as a bridge than a feature, softening the lavender's camphoraceous edges just enough to keep things wearable. This suits the person who finds the original too polite, too drawing-room. It's for those who want their aromatic freshness with a bit of grit under the fingernails—early morning types who've already been for a run before most people wake.
Add fragrances to your collection and unlock your personalised scent DNA, note map, and shareable identity card.
3.9/5 (129)