Baccarat Rouge 540 vs. Grand Soir

Maison Francis Kurkdjian has some major hits in its lineup. Notably, Baccarat Rouge 540 and the subsequent Extrait version. But, it also has a very popular amber based perfume, Grand Soir, that has plenty of fans. For many, these two will be the last two under consideration before purchase. What’s the difference? Which lasts longer? Which perfume is the better buy?

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Tale of the Tape: BR 540 vs. Grand Soir

Baccarat Rouge 540

Notes include: saffron, ambergris, cedar, fir resin, jasmine

Click here to try: Buy from Saks

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Grand Soir

Notes include: amber, vanilla, tonka bean, benzoin, labdanum

Click here to try: Grand Soir from Saks

Read my full review: Grand Soir

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Opening

Baccarat rouge goes with the saffron and jasmine, front and center in the beginning. It’s clean, sweet, and presents a lemony tinge to it from the hedione (jasmine).

Sitting under that, is the amber and wood notes giving this a invigorating and resinous quality early on…which will become greater as it develops.

Grand Soir, on the other hand, reveals its main amber note immediately. You do get the softness of vanilla, and a bit of that medicinal quality from the benzoin note. The amber is smooth, with a nice spicy kick in there, very warm.

Which is better at the start? I do like the way that BR 540 kicks off. Both of them have a resinous quality to them, with Grand Soir being more so. BR also has a lighter and fluffier aroma, after its initially super clean freshness.

But, in the opening, I think I lean more towards Grand Soir. But, I don’t think the opening is either perfume’s strong suit.

Edge: Grand Soir

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Projection

Rouge kicks off strong, goes moderate, and then has a stage wear it is pretty airy and light. It does hang around, but doesn’t have a heavy or overwhelming presence.

The same is true for Grand Soir. I get a fairly strong opening and then it’ll hang 2-3 feet from the skin, for most of the way.

To me, there isn’t really a noticeable difference here.

Edge: Push

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Longevity

Meanwhile, BR 540 will land anywhere from 8-12 hours. It will land usually around 10 hours total, but it can vary somewhat depending on the day.

Grand Soir will also last over 10 hours. It can go just as long as Baccarat and sometimes longer. It also, hasn’t gone away on my skin, prior to that double digit hour mark. So, it takes this category.

Edge: Grand Soir

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Versatility

While both of these fragrances are technically unisex, Grand Soir does lean much more masculine than does BR 540. Baccarat is more feminine. So, for some out there, that may be a distinction that can effect which you choose.

Seasonally, Grand Soir’s amber and vanilla richness is suited for the autumn and winter months. But, Baccarat Rouge 540 can be worn pretty much anytime outside of the height of summer.

Neither is a super sexy or night club beast kind of perfume. Both are attractive, daily wears for casual or semi-formal situations. Maybe Grand Soir is a bit dressier.

However, I think the seasonality of BR 540 gives it a bit more versatility and it will have a greater appeal than to those who love amber-laden fragrances.

Edge: BR 540

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Overall Scent

Between these two, which do I prefer? It is a close call for me. Neither is an absolute love, but I like them each well enough.

Grand Soir is a very nice amber fragrance. You get soft spicy highlights and vanilla and tonka bean sweetness. Warm, enveloping, and resinous. The dry down is more powdery with lovely creamy highlights and the spiciness has subsided.

I like the way it dries down. But, I also get kind of bored with Grand Soir. It’s nice, but it feels pretty linear at times. Yes, you can wear it by itself, but I almost feel like you should find an appropriate scent to layer along with it.

Baccarat Rouge gets better and feels more dynamic. I like the smooth and candy-like sweetness, that can overcome the cold cleanliness of fir and cedar. Also, I am a big fan of saffron getting used in perfumes and it complements this Francis Kurkdjian fragrance well.

Yes, BR 540 has been mimicked to death and is everywhere nowadays. So many fragrances are trying to be a Baccarat Rouge 540 copy.

The performance isn’t too far apart either. I think many people will probably prefer to go with BR 540, even if Grand Soir is also damn good. Not a huge margin of victory, but I’ve just enjoyed Baccarat Rouge more in testing than its competitor.

Winner: BR 540