Description
In September 2014 the house of Carven (Groupe Jacques Bogart) is re-launching Carven Pour Homme and Carven Vetiver, giving the perfume collection French chic, elegance and sophistication. The new editions arrive in elegant lacquered flacons in black and green shades, with metal caps in silver color. The flacon designer is Thierry de Bashmakoff. Both fragrances represent a part of the tradition and heritage of the Carven brand and are created in a contemporary style.
Carven Vetiver is a re-edition of the men’s fragrance from 1957. The house of Carven explains that this is the first vetiver-based fragrance ever launched on the market and it inspired numerous other perfumers to create fragrances for other designer houses. The composition has been announced as citrusy-aromatic-woody and it opens with an explosion of luminous citruses—grapefruit, bergamot and lemongrass. The heart adds lavender sweetened with orange zest and aromatic-tart geranium, on a base of a sensual blend of benzoin, sandalwood and cedar mixed with a large dose of vetiver.
Carven Vetiver can be obtained in flacons of 50 and 100 ml Eau de Toilette.
мусёк – :
Blind buy. I love Tom Ford Grey Vetiver so wanted another vetiver fragrance. This one is really nice and a little bit more masculine than TFGV. However the longevity of this lovely fragrance is absolutely diabolical. It’s virtually gone in about half an hour. I don’t care how nice something smells, I don’t expect to have to keep spraying it all day or have a bath in it. It also has the worst spray nozzle I’ve ever encountered. It sprays a jet rather than a mist and it leaks like a burst pipe. Such a shame as it could have been a nice fragrance. It was pointless to go into more detail about the notes etc as they start disappearing almost as soon as they are sprayed. And yes I do have the genuine article. I won’t be buying another and at the rate of flow and longevity I expect it to be gone in a few weeks.
Edit: If they could sort out the longevity of this it would be a classic. I adore the smell of this. Fresh, clean and sophisticated and everything a Vetiver should be but sadly it disappears so quickly. Such a shame.
Grem743 – :
Unlike any other vetiver fragrance I have smelled, it’s distinctive modern, dry, and versatile. Usually I find Vetivers either old fashioned or too sweet, but not this one.
I get the opening blast of lemongrass which is amazing, followed by vetiver, benzoin and sandalwood. I’m not familiar with aromatic tart geranium, but if it’s in the mix, perhaps that’s the part I find distinctive.
Very, very cool, masculine, nice bottle design, an excellent pick-me-up and a comforting dry down. It’s a good one for work, due to not being overpowering, but I get about six hours from it. I also enjoy wearing it in the evening as a casual and relaxing scent.
If you like something a bit different, give it a go.
preocloneBlog – :
I’ll be straight to the point with this one: the vetiver note reminds me A LOT of the one used in Gucci Guilty Absolute: that oily,almost gasoline-wise, earthy and austere ‘green’ wood is the main player in both fragrances. Of course in GGA it’s sorrounded by leather and pathcouli among others, which make it most of a (strictly) winter scent.
Here the Carven took more of a fresher side but still presenting an unapologetic character, extremely dry and not friendly at all: doesn’t scream ‘playfulness’ the least.
When being in that mood I’d prefer to go with Encre Noir (had it) or NR for Him for eg., two vastly superior scents IMHO.
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Voy a ir directo al grano con esta: la nota de vetiver me recuerda MUCHO la que se usa en Gucci Guilty Absolute: esa madera “verde” aceitosa, casi oliendo a gasolina, terrosa y austera es la protagonista de ambas fragancias . Por supuesto, en GGA está rodeado de cuero y pathcouli entre otros, que lo convierten en un aroma de invierno (casi estrictamente).
Aquí, el Carven tomó un lado más fresco pero aún presentando un carácter sin arrepentimientos, extremadamente seco y nada amigable: no grita ‘ludismo’ en lo más mínimo.
Cuando estoy en ese estado de ánimo, prefiero ir con Encre Noir (lo tenía) o NR for Him, por ejemplo, dos fragancias inmensamente superiores en mi humilde opinión.
kyzmich198 – :
It doesnt last long but when you think its gone it mysteriously appears.
Extrimall – :
I like it but it does smell like raid roach spray then it turns into something amazing mostly for a older gentleman.
ol66 – :
Tried this one twice now.. Not for me.. I have many vetiver scents as its one of my favorite notes…Guerlain Vetiver Extreme and Tom Ford Grey are the top 2 in my opinion.. ..This one to me is just awful..smells like the vetiver root just pulled out of the ground with mud still on it….But hey try it maybe its for you..
It does settle down A bit after 20 minutes and become more wearable…
Pass…I just can’t get past the opening.
svetka071 – :
henri345que – thank you for a wonderful review. I love this Carven Vetiver, and it seems I have the same bottle as you said you have, and I find the perfume to be exactly as you say. It’s lovely, and although I have never had the good fortune of smelling the original Carven Vetiver, and feel sure it would have been as you have described, I am completely happy with the one I have. I think it’s marvellous. So fresh and citrusy, with such gorgeous lavender, and the pièce-de-resistence, the divine vetiver. Vetiver is one of my FAVOURITE notes in perfumes. I adore it, and it’s perfect in this gorgeous gem.
It lasts and lasts, my husband loves and wears it too (but, says he loves it on me more! and so do I!), and I am always complimented wherever I happen to be when I wear it. It’s divine. It is wonderful. It is elegant, refined and classy. Superb.
razziter123 – :
Since nobody has mentioned it before, I just wanted to say that Carven Vetiver has a very distinct lemongrass note (I could feel it clearly before I had a look at the notes), which in itself makes it unique as there are only few colognes that have it. If you like the smell of vetiver and lemongrass, you will probably like Carven Vetiver. As for performance, longevity is moderate (around 6 hours, but I was not shy with the trigger) and sillage is soft (sits close to skin). The smell is quite linear and does not develop much. I wouldn’t recommend a blind-buy, unless you like lemongrass, and vetiver, obviously.
ARO1 – :
Awful minty bitterness. Yuck, very weak.
Shmitt89 – :
Smells good, fresh and green. Could be a casual Friday scent (like today). Doesn’t last long though on me. Maybe 2 hours at the most and that’s with 4 generous sprays.
смит – :
It is a testament to male resistance to the new in the world of perfumery that during the golden years of perfumery advances and innovations focused primarily on female fragrances, with male ones serving only to complete the toilette and shaving ritual. I say this because although the vetiver both synthetic and natural was a typical material of the female fragrance in those first decades in the men it never had a great moment Carven opened the way in 1957 by launching its iconic Vetiver. The contrast between the woody, smoky aroma of the root with the blend of freshness of citrus fruits, the warm of resins, the classic aromatic aspect of lavender and spicy tobacco aspect was such a success that led one of its competitors to create something similar, the Guerlain Vetiver in 1959.
This perfume is also an example of how a creative and unique fragrance needs a management that cares for the heritage to be preserved. Carven is one of the brands that had successively changesin formula and bottle so that it is difficult to identify certain time of their creations. And it seems to be a consensus that over the administration of the brand the concern with the olfactory coherence of its classics was not always respected.
The version I test today I suspect that is after the 2000s, but nothing to take to confirm – it is a square bottle glass, transparent but with a slight green tint in the glass. It brings me quite harmony and richness of a much older version of the 80’s I got to test in the past. All the elements that make the classic Carven Vetiver are here: you feel the spicy tobacco aspect, t he resinous, powdery and slightly sweet aroma, the fresh and slightly bitter citrus grapefruit thing, the clean scent of lavender and the great star, the woody, earthy and dry aroma of vetiver. What I find missing is perhaps the harmony of the original, which tended a little more to the citrus and powdery parts. Still, a version that is consistent with a historical and important perfume, a precursor of the large amount of vetiver we have in the market today.
ordifyAffitly – :
Update:
I bought it today, on a Christmas discount at shopping mal.
Tested on: everyday use. On clothes, and on skin.
Want to kill for the bottle. Great design. Looks good standing on my closet.
Top: bitter, herbal, burnt rubber. Comparable to my Jacomo de Jacomo bitterness.
Middle: lemon grass. Cologne like smell. It’s comparable to my Fragonard Confidentiel.
Base: Woody, wood furniture, airy wood, there are something that smell ozonic which makes this wood scent very light. When I dive my nose into, I smell incense like. It’s a pity, the incense doesn’t project. I only perceived clean smell at a distance. Comparable to Indian Sandalwood by Evelyn & Crabtree.
Hint of wax, candle, crayon like smell.
I love the bitterness at the opening. Sadly the dry down is too clean for my taste. It’s losing the rawness.
Longevity: weak.
Sillage only in the 1st hour. Spreading at arm length distance. After 2 hours it sits close to the skin. After 4 hours barely left on your skin. On clothes more or less the same.
Whenever my hearts call for bitter perfume Vetiver would be in rotation with my trusty Jacomo de Jacomo.
Magdalena553 – :
This fragrance by Carven is for the guy who wants something a little different thrown into the mix. I tried pour homme by Carven first and hated how it smelled like the typical, locker room bleu de Chanel. It was generic and for the masses. I was pleasantly surprised when I tried vetiver. It really is a unique smelling vetiver. I really get the citrus in the beginning and this really earthy vetiver that is just fantastic. The drydown is nice and woody with an underlying warmth. It’s very unique. The bottle also deserves two thumbs up for individuality. Lasts a good 3-4 hours on my skin, longer on clothes. Could have a bit better sillage, but I think anyone looking for something new to wear would certainly enjoy this.
korob_dmx – :
Gorgeous. Not many men’s fragrances I will wear but this is one of them. Once I get past the admittedly rather sharp opening, it dries down to a very calming initially citrus-based thereafter creamy vetiver. An intelligent fragrance that is both mood lifting and understated.
njjvnwrssxr – :
I need to retest. First thing I smelled was chemicals. Not much character but it managed to smell weird.
Илья 1982 – :
Here I was, prepared to love the rehashed version of Carven Pour Homme, but this re-rendering of the old version of their Vetiver caught my enduring atttention. Somehow this scent smells classic, but there are modern touches that make this scent relevant to present day perfume.
It opens fresh and green, almost in a citrus aquatic way, followed by a combination of vetiver lavender and a clean floral note, like lilies. Woody tones pair with the vetiver at the base.
This scent is bright and fresh in the beginning, but it quiets down awfully quickly. I’m wondering if there is a lot of natural raw materials in this scent. Makes me respect the scent even more.
I also bought and own Le Vetiver EdP. Screechy citrus and aromatics that tone down to a beautiful combination of vetiver, sandalwood, labdanum and musk to give it sensual warmth.
Carven hasn’t made much mens scents, but what I have smelled, they’re awfully good and they go by the beat of their own refined tempo.
Linela – :
This, in my opinion, is the vetiver of vetivers that are to be found among commercial fragrances.
I have to agree that I didn’t know much about vetiver until I got to smell this the first time. I had a certain belief regarding vetiver, thinking it was in fact what I could smell in most woody scents out there – that key ingredient that made it all work. Well I was wrong as in clearly having smelled it numerous times before. The dry, smoky, earthy, and for a newby almost repulsively intense smell, which is vetiver – and I know that because I bought a bottle of essential vetiver root oil – was never really there in any of the other perfumes. Surely, it is there in Tom Fords GV EDT, which I own, and a wonderful scent in its own, but not enough to actually be able to say that it is a vetiver dominant scent (sage and citrus are very strong in that one). Carven’s version from 2014, which I also own and very gladly wear now, however, is.
In fact you will not find another as authentic vetiver scent as this in your shopping mall that is not Guerlain or another older creation. Carven has succeeded in creating a fragrance that mixes nostalgia with timelessness, the bottle design included. It is fragrance that unites with me when I wear it, it is inoffensive, natural smelling, it is sharp but subtle, dirty but clean, simply right on the spot, with a beautiful balance between the strong initial vibe and the mellow dry down. This is a classic, and what’s so good about it, is that it will never be over consumed, thus remain a special scent, a treasure among the others.
Update (2017-10-07): having owned this bottle for two years now, I have become even more familiar with the note structure. Still a beautiful scent, I shall make a better attempt to describe the development of it. To my nose the scent goes through two distinct phases. It starts off with the mixture of an unmistakable, sharp lemongrass and a soft right-after-the-rain lavender (grapefruit is likely there, but acting behind the curtains). After a short while, the vetiver, the host of the party, makes it entrance and dominates, probably transported by a geranium note (with which I am not very acquainted in isolation, although more knowledgeable reviewers have said that the geranium is very much present). I also detect an aged wood, like old wooden bathroom cupboards, most likely the cedar presenting itself. The vetiver is smooth and earthy, wonderfully accompanied by that mature cedar. Absolutely amazing. During the end, the scent overall becomes warmer, more rounded, borderline resinous, while remaining true to the core.
The longevity is moderate (three sprays to 4-6 hours depending on environment) and sillage close to skin except for the opening which is pretty loud, albeit never pungent. One could always wish for a stronger base, oakmoss coming to mind as a clear candidate, but most of us know how rare that is with newly launched (or re-launched) fragrances. Nevertheless, there are other offerings that satisfy the criteria of both lasting long and absorbing attention. Ultimately, vetiver centric fragrances in general do not tend to belong to the “powerhouses”. This is more a cozy, comforting, very personal, scent which, as I said in my original review, is well-suited for most occasions, year round. As my first 50 ml bottle is beginning to come to its end, I am planning for the next one – this time I’ll go for the 100 ml.
Kanat_shanhai – :
This is a very rooty vetiver… It is completely different to anything I either own or have owned. Its not spicy like guerlain, not citrusy like Ford, not clean like Creed… than being said, its an amazing fragrance. It reminds me of my old town’s barbershop. Go figure. Only draw back is that it does not last long.
Update: A testament to the power of fragrance to enhance your mood. We are heading for another suffocating summer in South Florida. This juice will make you feel clean, fresh, sophisticated but in a very relaxed way. Whereas Guerlain’s vetiver make you feel sophisticated and dressed up, Carven’s makes you feel relaxed, at ease, with comfort clothes on a weekend. Smell great my friends.
TenCze – :
This appears to have been launched as a ‘new’ fragrance in the UK despite the fact that I was positive I’d tried both this and the pour homme before.
Anyway, this is an interesting vetiver blending the expected citrus top notes with a slightly green, earthy vetiver. The difference here is that the citrus gives way quickly and focuses on a more unusual marriage of benzoin, which lends a different dimension from the typical vetiver scent. (if there is such a thing?) The base is joined by other dry woods and a definite cedar note.
It still has enough of those ‘typical’ qualities however for a vetiver fan to really enjoy it. I found that after than fresh clean opening and first couple of hours the scent turned darker, very sour and woody. Oddly I found this quite appealing and either an extra layer in the composition or just a bad interaction with my skin…one or the other?
Lasting power was an acceptable 4-6 hours, sitting quite low on the skin.
Worth checking out and creates a bit more interest than some vetiver out there…a wild card perhaps?
Tihanov2000 – :
very dry intensive vetiver…
zirro2007 – :
Smells greener than The One before. I like it.
Smoka21 – :
Every 3 or 4 years they decide to change the bottle. Do they also change the formula ? Nobody knows.