Yves Saint Laurent
Yves Saint Laurent
1.1k votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Aldehydes crackle with synthetic brightness, immediately joined by zesty bergamot and a herbal snap of tarragon and clary sage. The effect is crisp, almost soapy—a classical masculine opening that momentarily masks what's coming beneath.
The civet emerges with unmistakable presence, transforming the fragrance entirely. Carnation and geranium become spiced and peppery, whilst patchouli and vetiver anchor everything in earthy tobacco-like warmth. Leather surfaces, suede-soft but insistent, and cinnamon adds a slightly sweet spice that prevents this from becoming austere.
The composition becomes increasingly sensual and intimate. Honey and tonka bean create a creamy sweetness against the dry leather and oakmoss base, with musk and amber wrapping everything into a powdery, skin-like scent. Frankincense lingers faintly, adding incense-like spirituality to this intimate second skin.
Kouros is a fragrance that refuses to whisper. Released in 1981 by Pierre Bourdon, this unisex eau de toilette announces itself through a provocative marriage of aldehydic brightness and animalic warmth—a contradiction that somehow coheres into something magnetic and deeply human.
The opening bristles with crisp aldehydes and bergamot, yet the real character emerges in the heart, where carnation and geranium meet a triad of darker elements: patchouli, vetiver, and civet. This is where Kouros reveals its peculiar genius. The civet—that controversial, vaguely faecal animalic note—doesn't repel here; instead, it grounds the spice (cinnamon weaving through with carnation's clove-like bite) into something carnal and animalic, almost comforting in its earthiness. The orris root and leather add a suede-like tactility, whilst jasmine provides an unexpected sensual grace rather than floral sweetness.
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