Description
Guy Laroche launched the famous fragrance for men, Drakkar, in 1972, followed by editions Drakkar Noir (1982) and Drakkar Dynamic (1999). The latest edition was introduced in July 2014, following the tradition of the house and presenting fragrant successor Drakkar Essence, announced as an aromatic fougere of the same olfactive group as the original edition from 1982, which is, as announced by the house, much spicier than the new version Drakkar Essence.
Drakkar Essence arrives in the same flacon form as previous editions Drakkar Noir and Drakkar Dynamic, but is colored blue this time, with a black stopper. The composition opens with a blend of grapefruit and icy mint, followed by rich woody notes mixed with lavender and sage. The base accentuates a mixture of musk and balmy-tobacco tonka. The new fragrance Drakkar Essence is signed by perfumer Michel Girard of Givaudan. He states: “This fragrance is about strengthening the person carrying the fragrance but also about self-confidence when wearing the fragrance for its own sake. There is something intimate about Drakkar Essence.”
The wish of David Suffit, creative director of the perfume collection by the house of Guy Laroche, was that the new fragrance is presented in a contemporary interpretation of fougere, with a gigantic wave of freshness in the top notes by combining grapefruit and peppermint shades, lifting the energy and being very stimulating for all senses. The development of the fragrance is focused on very dry and pure woody notes which are rich and intense, while the base provides a good dose of white musk.
Fragrance Drakkar Essence is available in flacons of 50, 100 and 20 0ml Eau de Toilette. Photos of the advertising campaign features Cam Newton, quarterback for the Carolina Panthers.
Florya – :
I totally agree with Jason Elliott’s review. This is nothing special, especially considering the EXTRA special fragrances that Guy Laroche shared with us once every decade or so.
However: for a safe, office friendly, long-lasting scent that won’t break the bank: this is worth a try. I caught a 50ml bottle for around $10 and I am extremely satisfied. It’s in the same family as Aqua Quorum (a favorite), to my nose.
Given what others have said about this juice, a blind buy may not be wise. But if you can try it, do so. You may be pleasantly surprised! Well worth it if you can find it below retail.
sergik06-09 – :
we should all get together and send letters to the perfume houses, and tell them we will stop buying their expensive, watery shit, unless they put them back to good or at least decent, very decent, performance. try Belcam clones. they are dirt cheap, and longevity is bananas. smell nice too.
Seittaway – :
all these are reformulated, performance sucks. dont be duped into buying colognes in this day and age, especially the old classic ones from 80s and 90s. THEY ALL SUCK. better off using body spray or clones. they last longer.
Ыкылас Оразгалыев – :
Tried this one at Target last fall. I went to target with the thought of buying this one, as I liked the Original Drakkar. At first spray, it smelled very syhthetic/detergent like, I did three sprays, I had some basic shipping to do so I thought I’d come back after the drydown. Well after 15 minutes it was pretty safe to say, this is a synthetic dud. Surprised Guy Laroche put this one out, Original Drakkar still has a good name. This is a very poor offering though.
If detergent was one of the ingredients listed, I’m pretty sure detergent would be the top ingredient chosen.
Incub – :
I recently smelled both this and the original, and I was shook. I thought for sure that they’d smell old and musty, especially the original. But they didn’t. Both of them smelled surprisingly aromatic and made me want to take another sniff. This one being more aquatic/fresh makes it the one I prefer, and also the one that my man likes better, but I secretly liked the other one too. I might buy him both “accidentally” getting them confused so I can smell each one from time to time. Gotta love that lavender!
Jonsax – :
I sampled this today. It does get better with time, but really I just imagine a 17-year old wearing this as he asks a girl out to prom. Good first-time, starter fragrance. That is it, though. It really does smell like a cleaning product or deoderant.
phossexpesild – :
Really didn’t perform well. If you ever used Gillette body wash in the 90’s, you’ll feel right at home. Bought it blind on sale, sold it after a few sprays. Grapefruit, lavender, and soap is all I got, and not for very long either.
ver611intitytek – :
Eau Clean de Toilet……….with this stuff! Horrid , screechy bastard of a frag that lasts longer than a punch in the nostril. You want Synthetic mint? OK. You got it.
I use this at my job at the zoo to anger the gorillas when nobody’s looking.SMH….
godmy – :
This is my extended review of Drakkar Essence.
Drakkar Essence was a fragance that intrigued me since I did like Drakkar Noir. I sampled this cologne for the first time at a Target back in May. I liked it back then and purchased it on sale for $18 for a 1oz/30ml and its 2.7oz deodorant stick.
For me, I found it to be a scent that while it is very new, it’s old at the same time. I liked it from the moment I tested it but I couldn’t put a finger on the why it was familiar, then I saw it on an Amazon review… the reviewer called it a mix of Drakkar Noir and Polo Blue. After reading that it clicked and I have to agree with that. Then I realized upon buying it, it was more minty than Polo Blue. It may not be a long lasting scent due to the mint but otherwise is set in basic notes. I find the mint gives you the option to use it as a nightime scent (similar to Drakkar Noir) but with the daytime sensibilities and seasonality of an aquatic (like Polo Blue.) If you like both scents or want a Drakkar Noir for daytime, this maybe the fragrance for you.
That said, while I like the scent, my main knock on this fragrance is its short life of about a 4 hour cologne. This I think is mainly due to the mint. That said, the sillage is pretty good on it. The price is a little high for this juice so I can’t see getting it for the typical pricing you see in the department stores but I will seek it out when I need it and hope for a sale. That said, it is a three season scent that can be used for sure in spring and summer, as well as be pulled off in fall, given it isn’t cool and snowy.
Rating wise, I would have to give Drakkar Essence at a 7.2 out of 10, mainly because Drakkar Noir a 7.5. It’s a nice revision for the modern day but not the best minty aquatic I have, that goes to Cool Water Night Dive (even though they are NOT alike.)
sa8V2Zw9 – :
I imagine this to be like taking a partial bottle of Cool Water and topping it off with Drakkar Noir. It is horrible… So bad, it’s a scrubber. I suffered through it for 2 hours before breaking out soap and water. It had lost quite a bit of power in 2 hours, but I couldn’t take it any longer.
I like Drakkar Noir and have had several bottles. Used to wear Drakkar Noir daily, now I wear Drakkar Noir maybe once every couple months. Very sad this isn’t a good update that I can enjoy.
snoop19995 – :
I truly love and prefer to spend my money on winter/fall scents, and am not a fan of the summer season. Too hot; give me a crisp fall day instead of the humid souplike summers here in Memphis.
That said, I needed a new fragrance to wear this summer. My Ralph Lauren Safari just wasn’t cutting it, and that was the lightest scent in my small collection. So until I found something that I really wanted to be my signature for the summer (which turns out to be the wonderful Varvatos Artisan Acqua despite the longevity issue), I bought a small bottle of Essence at Target for around $20.
I think Essence is a bit underappreciated. Sure, it’s not the ubiquitous 80s powerhouse its older brother was, but it’s a solid frag for the warmer (and even damn hot) weather, and I can also imagine it performing well in cool weather. It hits with pulp-bursting grapefruit dripping into mint. I can’t particularly smell the mint on its own, but i can sense its contribution to the citrus. This mint-enhanced citrus hangs around for quite some time before drying down into a softer musk fairly reminiscent of brother Noir. On my somewhat oily skin, it has decent projection and great longevity. It seems to stick to my skin even when the humidity has me sweating, and that’s a great thing to a recent Southern transplant who spent the first 40 years of his life in mild southern California.
It’s nothing exciting, but it does what it does very well and it’s growing on me each time I wear it, which is usually at work where I manage a large antique mall which frequently has me performing physical tasks like helping customers move and load furniture purchases. Very happy with my $20 purchase and might even buy another when this one runs out.
wpw766Diobtetty – :
There’s a reason why the general public has not taken to this scent like other releases especially like the classic Drakkar Noir.
I’ve applied this a few times but I just can’t get into it.
People mention grapefruit and mint but all I get is a generic grapefruit and nothing else.
I’m surprised that a well known name company produced something so bland.
This is so bland, so much so that I’m tempted to give away what I have left of it.
No mint , just grapefruit and maybe lavender.
You won’t be impressing anyone.
Celticum – :
Sampled it at Kohls, was surprised that Drakkar could smell good. On paper it was pretty good but on skin there is a bit of a B.O. scent. I’ll have to pass on this one.
Assuttinomi – :
I’m about finished with mine and something got mentioned to me when someone asked me what I was wearing. They said it smells like a lighter version of Drakkar Noir, which I thought for a bit… I think I could maybe agree to a point.
While Noir was a bit on the stronger side, this one is I think more pleasant, definitely like some have said before me, fruity, I want to say, now that I’m typing about this, it reminds me of Horizon by Guy Laroche.
Nice to have, more of a day fragrance in my view, and for the cooler times ( wore this in the fall )
kohkuh – :
I wore Drakkar Noir for many years, many years ago. Fast forward to present day. This one is fruity/spicey, clean, fresh/musky and modern. Grapefruit and mint. I can’t get enough of it. Essence is a completely different vibe than Noir.
If you just want to smell nice to all around go for it! I wear this one right now more than any of my others. One of the reasons I like it is that it kind of transcends season and, night v/s day. It’s a solid all around scent, which is just a bonus. Versatility! I could wear this in mid-summer or in the dead of winter. Late night party or day time work, it handles both well.
oplosder – :
I know what I like and with what I have in my room right now it would make a nice addition. I didn’t know that Drakkar had this out and just saw it when I was out buying something else in a drug store. So seeing it without any hype or being told what to think by advertisements I picked up a tester and could have either liked it or hated it.
my impression.. well its a blue colored cologne so spiciness or aromatic is to be expected. Artificial fragrances in it or not it is something for going to clubs and the younger generations now. I like Drakkar Noir more but I wish they would make it last longer as it’t not aged well in that regard. Unlike drakkar noir I could smell this on my hand for 3-4 hours and it survived me washing my hands (gasp) after I finished soldering a really complex wiring. Drakkar would be in my sink and I’d smell nothing if I did the same. It’s honestly one of those colognes I didn’t care for at first and it grew on me as I can’t wear the same cologne every day. I’d gladly throw my Theirry Muggler Angel in the garbage if it wasn’t so expensive/valueble to the cheapskates who buy half empty bottles on ebay. It could be worst like a strong heavy miagrane inducing musk , it could be light and forgetful like most calvin klien colgones I’ve tried. Intensity is just right and the scent works. I like to use Axe products as reference as it’s cheap and they have many scents; it’s like if Kilo and phoenix were fused.. no other way I can discribe it. So cool, fresh , somewhat “waterproof” , just the right intensity. I may just buy it.
zubilo157 – :
I actually really like this. Opens with a blast of grapefruit and dries down to a nice green scent. People need to stop complaining about “oh it’s not worthy of the Drakkar name”. This is a fresh fragrance, a designer one at that. Do you think this is going to be a drugstore masterpiece? This isn’t a niche fragrance first off, and if you want to get picky, I’m pretty sure the current formulation of Drakkar Noir isn’t worthy of the name either. Just relax and enjoy the fragrance, it’s easy to wear and it will make you happy.
alex1988 – :
Surprised at how great this was. I didn’t think it would smell as aquatic, as blue as it did. A bit just a tad spicy but would recommend to anyone looking for an aquatic. 30 and up preferably
mru – :
Nothing much to experience here. A grapefruit driven synthetc that’s not worthy of the Drakkar Noir name. There are worst flankers out there, but you ultimately walk away feeling like this offering is a hasty cash grab by Guy Laroche’s house and nothing more. Look for Essence at a Retailer clearance shelf in the not too distant future. Probably sitting right next to Horizon.
Navnav1 – :
I like it but at the first sniff the musk really stood out smelled a little like almost musky arm pit but then it settles down to a nice light fresh showered scent its likeable and safe any age could sport this 7/10 I’d buy it but when its cheaper I wouldn’t pay full retail for it I’ll wait until the smaller stores get it and online retailers this fragrance would be great for spring and summer a change up
sandracmin – :
Not bad – but not especially good, either. It begins very astringent and sharp, then settles down, more or less, to the same fougere vibe as the original Drakkar. But I’m pretty sure I prefer the original.
Longevity on me is not good; in about an hour it becomes a very subtle skin scent.
ninisani – :
This did not impress me in the least! All I got was a generic fresh scent of lavender, mint, and woodsy notes. It was boring an unimaginative. A big let down for sure!
auditt – :
Just like VS Very Sexy
pered21 – :
I always have been a big fan of Drakkar Noir, so I was very interested in trying out this new Drakkar Essence.. I finally ran into Drakkar Essence at Macy’s so I sprayed it on the tester strip and sniffed it out.. This is my first impression of this scent.. Essence opens up with lots of mint and blended with the grapefruit it makes a very fresh opening.. The lavender comes and joins the party and not long after so does the sage along with the sweet woody notes.. The minty lavender sage vibe last a while and it does bring to mind scents like Le Male or Versace Eros but it still is different.. I can not help but to think of Curve also.. The woody notes, tonka, and musk create a nice sweet vibe and eventually when Essence dries down you really get something that smells a whole lot like Curve! It is not very unique but it smells pleasant.. I am sure that if the younger crowd give this a chance it will be a hit..
westerteiner – :
SHOOT! I was thinking about ordering A 3.4 ounce from Macy’s.com, even to the point where it’s in my shopping bag and all I need to do is check out.
Was hoping for a powerhouse fragrance like the good old 80s Noir type fragrance to go “boom boom boom” to but with a little more maturity. I’ll still look around before I pulled the trigger, and maybe go by to get some samples and not open the box. But for $64 a 3.4 ounce bottle is not terrible, I’m just incredibly interested with the lavender and mint combination. The Tonka Bean drydown is probably going to be very similar to all the other ones out there.
Thoughts from anyone else?
bobosers – :
A disappointment. This fragrance is simply another fresh shampoo-like aromatic, this time with a preponderance of synthetic mint. There’s a relatively nondescript citrus top note, followed by minty woods and a very loud lavender, the only element culled from Drakkar Noir. There’s even a touch of green apple to distract away from it. It begins to loosely resemble DN about thirty minutes into its drydown (with light application). The smoky woods of that beautiful eighties fern are grafted in slivered proportions onto that massive minty lavender and (here’s the shampoo, folks) a “fresh” white musk base. All things considered, this isn’t really a bad fragrance if you enjoy the more recent designer offerings in this vein. For Laroche completists, owning this is required in the event they discontinue it within a year or two. For the rest of us, I say stick to Drakkar Noir and forget this dull flanker’s flanker.
Ererrydox – :
just wating this gem come out, its being awhile that guy laroche dosent release a fragance!
katya_aleks – :
checked this out at Macys for the first spray it is very strong like a powerful Axe Body Spray. It does settle down to mod sillage at arms lenght. very dry and deoderant smelling.
fxb418intitytek – :
Guy Laroche Still Alive!!!
welcome back from the realm of the death.
You don’t need to became like givenchy and produce one perfume per week… but sometimes…
we missed you.
Sounds a great classic by the notes.