Yves Saint Laurent

Kouros Fraicheur by YSL

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After receiving my bottle of YSL Haute Concentration, I decided to buy another vintage Saint Laurent fragrance. This time I grabbed a bottle of 1993’s Kouros Fraicheur, a flanker to the original released in 1981. I was intrigued to get the original Kouros experience, blended into a lighter and more wearable version. Is it actually any good, though?

What does Kouros Fraicheur Smell Like?

Notes include: clove, pineapple, bergamot, ginger, orange blossom, patchouli, vetiver, amber, honey, oakmoss, incense, coriander, vanilla, tonka bean

My Full Review

The opening is full of that familiar spiciness and animalic quality found in the classic Kouros. Civet is toned down, but it is definitely there, adding an intense musk to the top of this scent.

Yet, I think they used aldehydes to a greater extent here, like I get with the last batch of Kouros I reviewed. A warm spice blended with that cold fresh airy blast.

But, the main difference with Fraicheur is the inclusion of lighter notes up top like pineapple and bergamot. This brightens up the composition with less of a massive pungent heaviness, that the 80s bottles of Kouros had.

When compared to the modern Kouros, I think this one is actually the more potent of the two, even though this was the ‘lighter’ version of the original 30 years ago.

Like Kouros, I get a good deal of coriander in the spice profile. Maybe some ginger. Most of it is going to be a mix of those spices, musk, patchouli, and what smells like neroli (not just the orange blossom alone).

Once we’re past that initial heavy mix of many different notes, things start to shift to an earthier blend. Some smokiness from incense, lots of vetiver, patchouli, and a bit of amber. This earthy smokiness is pretty well-blended with the floral notes (perhaps honey, too?) and the remaining pineapple/citrus.

I think this phase of the wear is great. The civet/aldehydes have take a back seat to these earthier notes and you start to get an unobstructed smell of the floral notes, also. It’s a mix of the cleaner and dirtier notes, but gradually becoming calmer.

At times, I really pick up on a powdery or creamier scent in this. It’s not distinct enough to be just one note, but the way everything starts combining.

While Kouros ends as a musky/floral/herbal fragrance, Fraicheur dries down woody/floral/sweet. There are hints of vanilla coming through and enough of the top pineapple influence to be noticeable if you press your nose.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, this one will leave a trail and fill a room, especially in that first hour of wear. It reaches much further than the Kouros sample I reviewed a few months ago. Fraicheur doesn’t require a ton of sprays to be effective.

That being said, past the first hour, and this cologne calms down a lot. Still very noticeable, but it doesn’t radiate quite like it does when it’s in full civet, aldehydes, pineapple, and spices mode.

The longevity is also great. It seems to stick around for about 9 hours on my skin. Remember, this is a ‘freshie’ EDT, and it’s putting out this kind of power. Most vintage colognes were just built different.

Seasonally, this is actually really nice in (near) springtime and could work in summer too. Fraicheur wouldn’t feel too out of place anytime of year. But, I think it’s best in mild temperatures and above.

Fraicheur still comes across as a vintage scent. Very different from just about anything that’s come out in the past decade-plus. It will probably appeal much more to older guys or those who appreciate the classic stuff.

I think that this is an approachable way to wear the vintage Kouros. It’s not overwhelming and the animalic facets aren’t the main event here. Still, it’s a classic chypre style, that you may have to grow to love.

Overall Impressions of Kouros Fraicheur

Overall, do I like Fraicheur? Yes, I actually prefer it to Kouros itself, especially in its modern incarnation. This 1993 version has a better strength and heavier reach than the newer bottles of Kouros, while having a lighter and more appealing scent.

You can absolutely still tell that this is very much a Kouros derivative. As such, if you don’t like Kouros, I doubt that you’ll enjoy Fraicheur. I like it somewhat more, but it’s still never going to rate as a personal favorite.

That initial spray is jam packed with things going on. I think it’s nice enough at that stage. I like the pineapple and citrus editions, but I think that Kouros Fraicheur really comes into its own once you get to the earthier and floral parts of the cologne.

All in all, I think this is a great release by Yves Saint Laurent. Obviously, it’s discontinued nowadays, and can be pricey to track down. I paid about $95 for a 1.11 ounce (30 mL) bottle, which isn’t too bad. But, this is mostly going to appeal to collectors.

YSL Pour Homme Haute Concentration

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YSL Pour Homme was the famed 1971 release from the French designer. 1981 saw the introduction of Kouros, followed in 1983 by the subject of today’s review, Yves Saint Laurent Pour Homme Haute Concentration. This higher concentration version of the original, is an under the radar 80s powerhouse. But, how does it smell? Is it still worth tracking down a bottle of nowadays?

What does YSL Pour Homme Haute Concentration Smell Like?

Notes include: Amalfi lemon, carnation, oakmoss, nutmeg, rosemary, petitgrain, wood, tonka bean, patchouli

My Full Review

I’ve been thinking about this one for a while, after purchasing another bottle of Opium Pour Homme and considering getting Kouros Body, for some further nostalgia. I’d never tried it, barely remember what the original YSL Pour Homme smelled like, and bottles of Haute Concentration were pretty insane on eBay (and unknown quality).

As fate would have it, I was scrolling through Jomashop’s website, and a tester bottle of Haute Concentration was for sale. $120. Very quickly purchased it, as even the limited batches YSL had been doing during the past decade are now discontinued.

But, that ordered got cancelled, since they didn’t actually have it in stock. Went back to eBay and found a old gift set (with soap) of the original Haute Concentration in the black bottle for $100. Quality be damned this time, I wanted it.

Now, I have no idea how old this particular bottle is. I do know that it’s in the original black bottle, which became clear glass later. This was also, I believe, re-released as a part of a special collection, featured in yet another bottle.

Anyway, this opens up with the Amalfi lemon note being very prominent. With my bottle, it feels sort of sour for a minute (may just be due to age), but that quickly fades and becomes a dusty lemon surrounded by plenty of old school oakmoss, rosemary, and petitgrain.

I actually think that this might be true oakmoss, pre-regulations, it smells great in comparison to many of the newer synthetic varieties.

The real stand out with the lemon early on though, is the rosemary note. The start of this scent reminds me of D&G Pour Homme, not exactly (and better), with the use of the lemon and herbal notes.

It’s dry, a bit green in the early stages, with some spicy hints from that carnation ,nutmeg, and rosemary note. The carnation and nutmeg come in more to my nose, once that initial lemon and rosemary fade off somewhat.

The next phase will be more about lemon and moss, with tonka bean adding a touch of sweetness and powder to this aroma. YSL Haute Concentration drifts more into the aromatic soap category of perfume.

It’s not a lather and thankfully doesn’t go into the usual lavender/jasmine realm of things. It’s a classic and stylized clean, like you stepped out of the shower after washing with a high end soap bar (which my gift set that I purchased actually came with).

Finally, the dry down comes along. This one has a musk/oil ingredient in there somewhere. It’s not massive, but you can smell it. The lemon has been subdued into a mix of wood, patchouli, and moss. A fresher woody soap, at this point, but still balanced.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Based on reviews that I had read prior to buying this, I was expecting Haute Concentration to be an absolute bomb. For my bottle, that’s not the case. I did buy this one pre-opened, with 95%+ left in the bottle, so it’s possible that it’s lost some steam over the years.

Yet, it’s not weak. Solidly above average, allowing me to catch whiffs of the fragrance on my wrists, when I went outside for a walk.

During my initial tests, it seems to want to hit the 8-9 hour range, on my skin. Maybe it once got more than that. After at least 25 years or so, I have no problems with how this one sticks around. Still better than some modern designers, even as an EDT formulation.

Seasonally, this is a year round fragrance. It’s been both cold and warm during the tail end of this winter, and YSL Pour Homme is magnificent in either case. Maybe not a hottest days of summer play, if you’re going to be outside. However, it’s not super thick or cloying either.

This is one that can be worn casually, but I prefer it dressed up more. It functions well as a daily wear, office scent, and can even venture into the nightlife. Again, it’s clean and fresh, and might not be the ‘sexiest’ cologne out there.

Personally, I think it’s still attractive, and presents something different versus just about any mainstream fragrance out there now. Not a scream for attention night club or party scent, but you will smell great.

Overall Impressions of Haute Concentration

Overall do I like this fragrance? Yes, it’s a fantastic wear. It completely captures that 70-80s vibe, in a trimmed down but concentrated version of the original YSL Pour Homme. Again, I only have vague memories of that one, but it all seems familiar.

I like this better than both Kouros and Jazz, which are two other 1980s releases from YSL. I know Kouros gets all the headlines, but this is simply more appealing to me.

Very refined and doesn’t have any of the usual trappings of the modern men’s fragrance. It’s a fresh aromatic, with a balanced use of woodsy notes, spicy herbal notes, and a great lemon note. Even with that, somewhat sour start.

It’s a classic style, though, not particularly challenging to wear. There’s no insane or particularly heavy notes in here that might scare someone off. Maybe some bottles will still have more potency and you might not need to use much, lest you choke out a room.

It’s plenty versatile, balanced, and could probably be worn by any age group if they really wanted to. It exudes a classiness, however. Not necessarily straight formal, but I’d like to wear this outside of just the usual t-shirt and jeans.

It can be worthwhile to track down a bottle. I know most people searching for this and reading this review will be collector types, since the general public doesn’t know this even exists. The $108 price tag is about what you’d expect with some high end designers. Sure, it’s only a 2 oz bottle, but not a bad deal.

I’m going to be wearing YSL Pour Homme Haute Concentration, for years to come it seems.

Kouros by Yves Saint Laurent

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Kouros is one of the most famous men’s fragrances of all-time. Released in 1981, it has been a topic of discussion, both positively and negatively ever since. It’s one that I’ve had familiarity with in the past, but never did a full review for the site. Recently, I grabbed a decant of one of the more modern batches in order to finally put something to record. How does it smell? Is it still super strong? Is it actually worth a try?

What does Kouros Smell Like?

Notes include: clove, coriander, ambergris, sage, artemisia, leather, cinnamon, jasmine, musk, moss, and more 

Click here to try: Kouros by YSL

My Full Review

Note: I am only reviewing the latest batch here. I don’t have a time machine or 40 year old bottle that’s still good handy, so, that’s what is being rated/described here.

So, Kouros was one of my earlier fragrance encounters, while trying out parts of the old YSL lineup 15+ years ago. This, Opium, and Kouros Body were among those that I tested out. The latter two, were the one’s that I ended up purchasing. I wore both for a long time.

I think to the less experienced me, Kouros came across as being too bold for me to really want to wear. However, I didn’t dislike the scent either, and it’s one that I’ve come across every few years since.

Nowadays, I doesn’t garner the same shocking reaction to it’s strength and uniqueness when compared to modern scents. I’ve gotten used to a lot of the colognes of decades pasts and the ingredients that don’t get much use any longer with the popular scents.

Plus, if it has indeed been modernized and reformulated, maybe it doesn’t pack the same punch as the 1981 version.

The opening spray of Kouros is fresh, dry, with a spicy kick. Aldehydes and musk, really come through to my nose. The aldehydes remind me quite a bit of Chanel No. 5. Same sort of cold brightness (maybe a touch of bergamot?). The musk gives this a rough fuzziness, which is enhanced by the spice notes.

I’m going to go with mostly coriander, sage, and patchouli for what I’m smelling. It’s pretty balanced and I’m not getting too much in the way of cinnamon. At this stage, it’s an earthy/musky aromatic sort of fragrance.

Maybe because they weren’t actually using civet for this newer era of batches, Kouros doesn’t really come across as being all that ‘dirty’.

Some earthiness, yes, but it’s more of the plants/leaves (geranium for a time, comes out) than the earth itself or any sort of animaliac influence. It’s a modern musk with some roughness to it.

A lot of the spice burns off pretty quickly. Whatever molecule they’re using to represent oakmoss nowadays, is what begins to come to the forefront. Kouros starts to smell cleaner, smoother, and with soapy touches.

After that spice has gone, you do get a good dose of artemisia. I smelled Luna Rossa Ocean again, a few days ago, and do pick up on their shared ingredients, including the artemisia.

The dryness remains throughout the wear, Kouros does however become sweeter and a tad more floral. Honey, carnation, and tonka bean. Still fresh with the aldehydes now combining with the moss and an emergent leather.

‘Urinal cakes’ is something that often gets used to describe what this smells like. It doesn’t. I think people have some associations with that due to the interplay of the musk, artemisia, and jasmine.  That clean fuzzy floral, probably triggers the association for some people, but it doesn’t actually ‘smell’ like a clean bathroom.

The final stages of Kouros is a slightly leather musky floral/herbal fragrance. There’s sweetness to it still, but it comes across as being very much a barbershop type of finish. Nothing too outlandish, but attractive and classic.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, this still absolutely brings it, but it isn’t insane. I remember it having much more projection and ability to leave a scent trail. Nonetheless, it is still a powerful fragrance, just nothing extreme.

This modern formulation also has really good, just not totally elite staying power. 9-ish hours, on my skin, with an ability to just cross the ten hour mark at times.

Spectacular? Not really, but still better than a lot of stuff currently on the market.

Versatility wise, this one does have limitations. First of all, it can indeed be something folks either love or hate. I think the talk of it being hated, got extreme, and it’s really not going to cause poor reaction from others in most situations…if they even notice Kouros at all.

Seasonally, this YSL is awesome in the cooler weather. It’s above freezing right now in November, but walking outside brings Kouros to life and it hangs very well in the cold air. I would avoid wearing this in high heat and humidity, though.

It’s a solid business scent, casual, semi-formal, and even possibly date nights for some guys. It wouldn’t be out of place, as a romantic fragrance, as there is a certain sexiness with such a masculine fragrance.

Kouros definitely skews older, but isn’t ‘old mannish’. If you’re younger and want to try it, I’d probably not wear it to school or something like that. Just know that it’s going to be quite different from what almost any other guy is going to be wearing. Classic, but not anachronistic.

Overall Impressions of Kouros

Overall, do I like Kouros? Yes, I do still enjoy this one. It’s never been a total love for me and I don’t really understand the repulsion that others can have for it. Personally, I always liked Kouros Body more, as that was such a unique and awesome flanker.

Kouros is without a doubt a classic and an important men’s fragrance historically. Pierre Bourdon deserves plenty of credit for creating this one (his Live Jazz was also another banger, now lost to time).

The opening act is nice enough. The spices and aldehydes do their thing well, but I prefer the dry down, once you get some sweetness and leather involved. Neither ever truly overwhelms the muskiness, but I like what those notes bring to the table.

This is a cologne that still has plenty of life, solid performance, and isn’t just some museum piece that cannot be worn out. It’s not going to be for everyone, but Kouros will still get plenty of new fans, out of those willing to give it a try.

YSL Y vs L’Homme by YSL Cologne Comparison

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For this edition of the head to head fragrance match ups, we have two selections from Yves Saint Laurent’s men’s line, Y EDT vs. L’Homme EDT. Which of these colognes smells the best? The ever popular L’Homme or the more recent release from YSL? Which gives a better performance? Has more versatility? Is the better buy overall?

Tale of the Tape: L’Homme vs. Y EDT

Y EDT

Notes include: bergamot, ginger, aldehydes, violet leaf, geranium, sage, cedar, musk, incense, ambergris, fir

Click here to try: Yves Saint Laurent Y Eau De Toilette Spray 100ml/3.3oz

Review: Y EDT

L’Homme

Notes include: Virginia Cedar, Ginger, Violet, Citron, White Pepper, Basil Flower, Ozone, Tonka Bean, Sandalwood, Vetiver

Click here to try: L’homme By Yves Saint Laurent Eau De Toilette Spray For Men 3.3 oz

Review: L’Homme by YSL

Opening

Y Eau de toilette, opens with a super clean, crisp, and cool aroma that is led by bergamot and aldehydes. The bergamot is light and gives that juicy citrus aroma, while the aldehydes act as a clean ray of sunshine, to brighten up the composition further.

Plus, an herbal/minty coolness. After that, you get ginger with violet leaf, and a warm ambergris.

L’Homme also has the bergamot opening but it is light and more well-blended with the surrounding notes than is Y.

The bergamot is paired with ginger and basil for a dash of spice and a creamy tonka bean note to help create a smoothly clean effect. Much like Y, there is an additional violet leaf note, that pops up.

That bergamot and ginger pairing is simply awesome together. There are lighter peppery spices in the mix, but it’s not overwhelming.

Which is better? These two fragrances do share plenty of overlap between them. However, I think the L’Homme smells better at the start of the wear.

I’ve always really enjoyed that aspect of this YSL cologne. Y isn’t bad, but it just doesn’t have the same blend of spice and sweetness that L’Homme achieves.

Edge: L’Homme

Projection

Y and L’Homme are both light fragrances. Neither has very much sillage. They both can start out fairly moderate but will quickly move into becoming skin scents whenever I wear them. No real edge in this one.

Update: Y EDT is more consistent with its projection and probably has better sillage than newer bottles of L’homme. So, I’m changing it.

Edge: Y EDT

Longevity

My biggest problem with YSL’s L’Homme was always the longevity. On my skin, I can only get it to last for 4-5 hours, and then its basically gone.

Y EDT isn’t much better, but it is slightly, clocking in at close to 7 hours. It’s like 6-7 hours almost every time, but not beyond that.

Update: Newer bottles of L’Homme are even worse. Y EDT is now much better than L’Homme.

Edge: Y 

Versatility

Both of these fragrances shine for moderate to warm weather in the springtime to early summer. However, they are kind of year round colognes, which aren’t unusable in any conditions really (outside of extreme heat and humidity, perhaps).

They are both used as casual or office wear scents, but not really ideal for the nightlife. They fill the same role, no clear winner.

Edge: Push

Overall Scent

This is a tough comparison to do, because there isn’t a choice that is head and shoulders above the other. Y EDT is a very nice and light scent that is quite pleasant in its simplicity.

It has a balanced composition, smells really good, but isn’t all that interesting. It’s safe, but won’t really turn heads.

L’Homme, is the better smelling cologne of the two, even if it has worse longevity. I’ve always enjoyed the scent and wished that it was stronger, as the release of L’Homme Intense was quite different from the original, and not simply a beefed up version.

The performance of both leaves much to be desired. Both have similar strengths, yet Y lasts a tad longer as mostly a skin scent. L’Homme smells the best. I’m going to give the nod to L’Homme, even with its weaknesses, because I find it to be a better composition. It’s a very slight winner.

Frankly, I prefer Y EDP (Review) to either of these, as it smells better than EDT and has great performance.

Update: While L’homme smells better still. It’s performance is pretty terrible nowadays. As such, I’d go with Y EDT now out of these two. Y is a nice fragrance and some decent performance.

Winner: Y EDT

L’Homme Parfum Intense by Yves Saint Laurent

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I just got a hold of something like 40 new sample vials of fragrances for both men and women…sooooo I’ll be getting to a lot of reviews on the site here in the near future. First up to the plate, is a scent by Yves Saint Laurent that I have yet to try, L’Homme Parfum Intense.

Being a pretty big fan of YSL colognes, I knew that I had to grab this one and try it out. As usual, I’m going to cover what’s in it, how it smells, how it performs, when it should be worn, and whether or not I think this scent is worth a buy.

What does L’Homme Parfum Intense Smell Like?

Notes include: cedar, orange blossom, suede accord, lemon, bergamot, amber, black pepper

Click here to try: Yves Saint Laurent L’homme Parfum Intense Men Edp Spray 3.4 OZ

My Full Wear Review

It has been a while since I’ve worn the original L’Homme, so,  I was interested to see how this one stacked up versus that one, even if my memories of it are kind of hazy. Right off the bat, I’m drawn to Parfum Intense, as I usually dig amber scented fragrances.

It’s dark, spicy, and floral. Don’t let the orange blossom fool you, because this cologne definitely isn’t girly, in the slightest. Maybe unisex, however.

It opens with a bright citrus blend of lemon, orange, and of course orange blossom. There is a spiciness from pepper and it’s all swimming in a warm/sweet amber note.

A few minutes in, I really get the orange blossom as the main note, taking over for the lemon combination. The scent is very floral with an increasingly smooth profile.

I think it might be the suede/leather that is combining with the orange blossom, to give it that soft powdery scent, that illuminates the background.

To the best of my recollection, Parfum Intense almost inverses the order of some of the notes and let’s the cedar become more prominent yet retains that beautiful citrus note that adds almost a boozy quality to it.

I was trying to figure out why I was into this cologne so much when I sprayed, then I went and grabbed some of my Armani Code Profumo, and found my answer.

Leather, amber, and orange blossom are the common notes between these two scents, although the Armani is highlighted by tonka bean. That tonka bean, does really help to set them apart and creates a vastly different effect. Sweeter, heavier.

L’Homme Parfum Intense is so smooth, rich, and warm. It’s a sweet floral that’s backed by wood and masculine notes that give it a fully developed identity.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, it can be towards the strong side, if you over-spray it. But for most guys, one or two spray should be enough to make it more than noticeable. It’s not a bomb, but it can be a handful up top.

My one complaint, is the longevity, which is decent but not a complete beast. I wore this out to a bar with an outdoor patio area and while it was still there after 5-6 hours of wear, it had become mostly a skin scent.

Other times that I’ve tested Parfum Intense, it performed basically in the same manner. By that fifth hour, it is mostly on its last legs, and not really going to go beyond that.

This is another gem for the colder weather months, but I wore it that evening in mid-70s degree weather and it seemed fine to me. I wouldn’t wear it when it’s hot outside because it’d probably turn to complete shit, but it worked for this particular summer night.

Parfum Intense, seems like it’s cologne with some versatility in terms of its wear. Office, casual, or on a date and this stuff will shine. It’s quite attractive and sexy.

It’s not a cologne for every guy, as not everyone is into such a heavy amber and orange blossom note being present, in their scents. That being said, it will set you apart from the masses, and the endless array of ‘blue’ colognes nowadays.

Overall Impression of L’Homme Parfum Intense

Overall, would I recommend this? Absolutely. I actually like it better than the La Nuit L’Intense flanker sample that I also got (which is good) and I also think that I prefer it over La Nuit L’Homme Eau Electrique, which I enjoyed thoroughly.

This is a really great flanker fragrance to the original. It’s got a rather unique scent and is a fantastic use of floral notes in a men’s fragrance. Again, it’s best for the autumn or winter months, but I do really like it.

The amber, orange blossom, with a dark and spiced edge gives you something a bit different for a men’s cologne. I wish the performance was a tad better, but this is a really nice example of a floral scent for guys.

YSL even seems to have taken some cues from this one, with their more recent ladies’ release, Libre Intense. This one doesn’t seem to be around anymore, but Parfum Intense was a nice fragrance. Had its limitations, sure, but was different from most other men’s options.