Vetiver Pour Homme

I am not a huge Roja fan generally speaking, but this scent is among the Rojas I like. The fast disappearing opening is nice and citrusy & highlighted by a very realistic lemon. The heart notes are transitory and are quickly enveloped by the emerging base notes. The vetiver here is, at least to my nose, exceptionally high quality smelling. I agree with other reviewers noting a similarly to Tom Ford Grey Vetiver, but this scent is of palpably higher quality. The vetiver is earthy and grassy green. It occasionally gives off a trace of the rubbery new automobile tire smell that some vetivers can produce, but only in the very beginning of the base notes. Thankfully, this discordant note is nearly completely smoothed away by the roses and other florals that remain from the heart notes. In the deep dry down, there is noticeable oak moss and a bit of bitter green galbanum followed by a spicy cedar that lingers for a considerable time, but always, the vetiver is in the front center once it emerges. I find this fragrance to be one of the best blended vetivers I have experienced. It is rather linear after the fleeting opening. I think the scent is essentially unisex, but I suspect many folks would say that it leans masculine. I would certainly wear it to the office, indeed, I have done so many times.

This is not exactly like Tom Ford Grey Vetiver. They are in the same scent profile wheelhouse, along with Guerlain Vetiver, but are different enough. I'm wearing both right now to compare. Roja Vetiver Parfum Cologne seems to manifest more of the earthy, green, and bitter mossy accords, whereas Grey Vetiver manifests the orange blossom and slight sweetness more. Grey Vetiver seems a bit more sharp and bracing. And, smelling the application point directly, something seems slightly putrid in Roja Vetiver Parfum Cologne. But just slightly. Maybe its somewhere among the celery seeds, galbanum, caraway/cumin, or oakmoss notes, or the way they combine. But just a guess. It doesn't ruin the overall scent in the air though. I tried a sample of Roja Vetiver a few years ago that seems different than this new bottle I have. It seems my impression of it then was as a beautiful variation of the Tom Ford/Guerlain Vetiver profile. It may have been the Parfums version of the Roja Vetiver, but I think I liked it more than this. It's too early for a conclusive judgement, but I'm liking the Grey Vetiver a bit more at this point.

This is my favorite Roja fragrance. I think he does a really nice job freshening up the dirty smoky feel a vetiver, which I’m not sure if I even like vetiver in general. I do like this one. I have worn it a couple of times through a sample, I’m just not sure if I love it enough to commit the money for a full bottle. This one is very serious like it is a man’s cologne. You wear this when you want to be a man. It’s fresh yet smoky at the same time which is a little polarizing and for me I don’t know if I can pull the trigger on a full bottle.

This is a very strong mixture of earthy/ green notes. The mixture of vetiver and woods is nice. I think this might actually be off-putting for some people due to the darkness of the notes. It isn't like an oud/amber darkness. It is more of a damp/woody darkness you get in an early morning forest. And that is kind of the idea I get when I smell this. It is very nice. It does not smell directly like a damp forest, but it gives you an earthy/vetiver that is very nice. The citrus brightens he fragrance and I love it. Definitely try this.

Wow. Noticed most of the PC/EDP line was missing from Roja’s site. Contacted support and they confirmed that the entire Scandal, Danger, and Vetiver lines have been discontinued. :’(