L'Eau D'Issey Pour Homme Vetiver Intense

So Dior homme sport 2021 has become a signature scent for me over the last 6 months or so and I feel I can speak to comparisons with Issey Vetiver. On test strip at first I totally thought this smells very close to DHS 2021. On skin it’s a lot more spicy maybe from the ginger + clary sage. The vetiver is a supporting note and never takes center stage in my opinion. As it settles in the first hour or so the watery notes and the citrus come out more and the spicy side tones down. It does remind me a little of DHS21 because the lemon in DHS starts to smell gingery with the elemi and Lab it can be the slightest bit spicy. When these are worn side by side back to back you can tell the differences as they are about 40-50% alike when it’s all said and done. Performance isn’t as good as DHS21 but it’s not bad, 5-7 hours and lingers on clothes throughout the workday. Overall a solid release and definitely worth picking up or at least sampling. Issey Vetiver also carries the OG Issey pour homme DNA with the citrus (yuzu) running through. If you like any of these scents I do not think it’s a redundant buy and on discounters it’s already becoming very affordable. Overall great release to add to the line. Update on the old OG with some modernity baked in. Subtle but present and usable in all situations. Get your nose on this because it’s good.

The danger of manufacturer-listed notes are that they shape the perceptions of those who read them. Only one of the 20+ reviews below mention any notes that aren't listed, which could leave readers to believe that this has nothing in common with the OG. In fact, this has the juicy yuzu of the OG, lots of lavender, and good measures of geranium green-ness, amber (from coumarin), Eugenol and Isoeugenol (clove, cinnamon, nutmeg and woody notes) and farnesol (lily of the valley, green florals and anise). Because of these notes, the opening tracks pretty closely to the OG, except for a bit more woodiness, vetiver (obviously!) and nutmeg/clove). It plays as a citrus/green aromatic for the first 30 minutes.

Just first impressions - In the immediate opening there's a really nice ginger aroma not sharp or astringent, quite smooth and with some sweetness, as someone mentioned already, it's a bit like ginger ale (Canada dry). The ginger quickly takes more of a back seat as woody (cedar?), vetiver and soft spicy notes possibly nutmeg (unlisted) come to the fore. I can see why some liken this a bit to the most recent DHS (& DH) and there's a nod to the original l'Eau d'Issey PH in there somewhere too. I get some reminders of Azzaro Visit and maybe CK Obsession Night (to a lesser extent). Pleasant fragrance, I'll try to get a sample.

I love that this is a very natural smelling scent and all the notes blend seamlessly. It’s an aquatic ginger with the vetiver there but not pronounced. With that naturalness, it does not last long or have much silage. I find it best to mix on top of other essential oil perfumes or literally blend a few sprays into a hair oil I make. It is a masculine scent but I, as a femme use it to boost base notes or give a complexity to other issey miyake fruity and floral scents. I love issey miyake in general but find it overall not complex enough or long lasting enough. (As I tend to like strong and domineering fragrances 🤣)

This is probably my favourite from Miyake so far. Not a huge fan of the brand. This has nothing to do with Dior Homme or Homme Sport from any release year... If anything, this reminds me slightly of Encre Noire Sport, but Lalique is more minty, more serious. This here smells more like orange juice or something. Some citrus juice that's not exactly all natural + vetiver. The vetiver is not at all like the first Encre Noire or say Terre d'Hermes. It's something by itself. Not the most original stuff, just like everything from Miyake, but it's nice and simple. A daily driver.