To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
tnailirb – :
I love Duel.
Annick Goutal is always great for making natural scent. This one is also. It is fresh light airy tea scent which is relax and uplifting. Tea and petigrain notes together are amazing.
Perfect for spring and summer or a day you want to rest your nose from wearing other strong fragrance.
recjje – :
Duel is a fantastic fragrance, but it seems with every rebrand, they reformulate it. I have tried the new ‘Goutal 2018’ version which has been elevated to EDP status and was sorely disappointed. It’s barely detectable after 30 minutes. Side-by-side, with my EDT version, it lasts a fraction of the time! Such a disappointment.
ATV6 – :
I had to test this one many times at the store before buying. The 1st time on the paper strip, i dismissed it instantly. But it grew on me.
The name, Duel, may evoke something far more exciting and dangerous than what this fragrance is actually about. The petitgrain and maté give it, at first, a slightly bitter and raspy edge, like tannins, which i like very much (overspray and it will border on acrid for a few minute though…). This feels very cool and refreshing, but then some other notes appear and they warm up the composition. I prefer to wear this one during the day, in the warmest days of winter, or in the cool days of spring. It is a very peculiar fragrance and to me it feels quite unique. I also think of it as quite unisex.
A co-worker commented that this smell reminded her of her grandma, so, uhm… still uncertain about what it may evoke to others… YMMV !
sergun-07 – :
Like orange juice at a brunch after a wild night. Sort of a citrus without the zing. Sense of something lingering, like cigarette smoke on the skin. This feels old and a bit worn or even stale right from the opening–not necessarily in an unattractive way. The musk is a big player. Reminiscent of other Goutal citrus focused scents, but musky and hazy rather than sharp.
Boyfns – :
This is a very interesting fragrance and to me unisex. My first thought was tea, hay and some tobacco leaves! The impression is very herbal. It does bring to mind the aroma that assails my nostrils when turning over my compost heaps. Dry herbs that are slightly smoked care of the guaiac wood. I guess that’s what you get when combining leather (I don’t detect much), petitgrain, artemisia and musk. I have no idea what holly smells like. I dont get any of the orris root. This would be nice to wear on a crisp sunny autumn day. I get moderate silage and longevity.
me-worker – :
Citrus matcha (green tea) with the most exquisite leathery powder drydown. A soft orris suede, not as masculine as the label makes out. Matches the Roja Dove body lotion I have exactly. Slightly bitter in the mid-section, but I enjoy bitter, fresh, green notes. This is a great all rounder, in winter/cooler weather the guaiac lends a very slight whisper of smoke. Refreshing in summer and spring because of the green tea. Annick Goutal strikes again (in a grand way)! I have the older, frosted, olive green bottle (pictured above).
Agniada – :
A great name, but after smelling it i wonder what does the duel stand for? Is there supposed to be a confrontation in place, because the citrus, wood and leather get along very well and are actually in an excellent coordination.
I have never smelled holly but it’s probably what gives Duel that specific damp tea-like aroma, easy to wear though odd.
Duel is cool with a soft minty character, refreshing and not very loud, not at all.
I don’t usually say this but i would have loved if Duel had some more muscle, a bit more voice, and live up to its name (unless this is some kind of snail or a mind Duel – then it will be quiet as this fragrance is)
****(*)
zm8724 – :
Very good scent, A. Goutal as always with very natural essences , but the base notes in this fragance are very generic , smell and sense in many fragances, longevity good, sillage poor.
lebirman – :
Duel is an excellent fragrance.
For me it’s holly leather, wrapped in a body of Iso E and guaiac wood.
Not very warm as usual with almost all leading leather fragrances, which gives originality, I find the freshness and feeling when you approach a piece of cold to the skin you’re sorry and you smell leather. These very complicated feelings of play.
It also has a cloud effect caused by a soft musk, possibly galaxolide that envelops you like a second skin, light, soft, not harasses you.
This fragrance is very original, different, skillfully mixed, classy and stylish.
In my skin it has very good length, but the trail is soft, skin-running in no time, some typical thing Goutal fragrances.
Rating: 6
56__lex – :
“Digestive Tea” ***
Very healthy and comforting on a summer night, but the less sexy perfume you could expect.
If you need a scent for that purpose, this one matches it: you’ll get a relaxing time.
dalaida – :
Annick Goutal Duel opens on me with a citrus green tea, and stays so afterwards. I’m not very familiar with maté, but the ‘green tea’ I perceive does have slightly bitter nuances. I can barely distinguish leather and iris, but they do provide a smooth base to Duel, instead of more conventional clean white musk.
The sillage is of Duel is soft and the longevity is around 6 hours. I find Duel a very pleasant tea fragrance. It’s quite natural and very unisex in feel. A versatile tea fragrance, but the performance could have been better.
ge666a – :
The initial impression to me is pure refinement–formal, one might even say austere. It’s a tart combination that smells like cranberry at a glance, but if you pay attention it’s actually petitgrain and mate painting an impressionist painting of cranberry. If it stayed this way, it would be a worthy scent. Unfortunately, it makes the metamorphosis to a skin scent rather rapidly. In this phase, we are left with a bitter leather and salt. I’m surprised salt isn’t listed as a note, because it’s so obvious to me as it dries down on my skin.
I got this decant along with Mandragore, and Mandragore Pourpre. Both of these scents remain pleasing throughout their life on your skin, however that life is even shorter than with Duel.
Russia – :
duel I just got a bottle of this one and tested it today my first impressions although its not in the notes break down I feel some kind of citrus in the opening as its fresh and lemony feel in the opening as it dries down a tea note comes in although im not too familiar with Artemisia note I guess that’s that tea note?. as it goes to the base I can detect the leather, musc and wood this is familiar to me I describe the base as smokey leathery with slight musky, notes breakdown are fresh citrusy like a honey lemon feel, greenish because of the tea note finally smokey, leathery sillage pretty soft to moderate last about 5-6 hours poor for a niche frag. Price not so appealing I got this one for cheap new packaging 62usd so I blind bought it and gave it a shot. I find the smell natural its very uplifting and in offensive its a safe scent nothing really exciting or ground breaking IMO. BLIND BUYING is not recommended as its pricey and performance is weak now if they can improve the performance it will all be worth it.
Totenkopf1488 – :
i was quite interested to smell this perfume as few reviewers was comparing this perfume to other perfumes on the pages of the perfumes that i like. so today i tried it.
the top note was mixture of things i didn’t like, bitterness and a bit of things i didn’t even cared about, so i neglect it. later on when it dried down, it gives the essence of a calming tea note, classy tea time, and fun lightly essence of tea tree. although it wasn’t my type but it is quite interesting in away that im thinking to get it. this one also could be used as the summer love of freshness, and the clean beaches white silky sands. it’s an inspirational love.
now, this is the 2nd perfume that i liked from Annick Goutal after Ambre Fetish.
Ozil – :
I love tea in general, I love drinking it as well as smelling it.
Here we have no tea, actually it’s a first fragrance with mate that I’ve tried. And I fell in love with it right from the first sniff.
The opening is citrusy – I feel bitter oranges, I guess that’s what petitgrain is. Smells light, very transparent. Yes – mate is there from the beggining. When I wear Duel, it gives me a positive vibe, I’m full of energy and ready for everything. Later on it doesn’t change much, maybe it gets a little bit woody with delicate earthy touch to it. It’s definitely a fragrance for the warmer days. Perfect for each occasion – formal or casual.
Longevity is something around 8-9 hours on my skin, sillage is weak to moderate.
A totally must have ’cause it fits perfectly to my taste.
BTW, there’s no holly in Duel! It contains mate!!!!
embeshyPrashy – :
This is an absolute fantastic smell.
Very natural and well blended sweet-herbal with a very light touch of leather.
The bad thing is his low strenght and sillage.
Longevity is moderate-low (no more than 4-5 hours.)
Perfect to use in all the circustances. Love it.
Scent 8/10
longevity: 5/10
sillage: 4/10
maxzoner – :
Wow im really loving this one. Opens a little herbal but seconds later some citrus joins in to overpower the herbs. Into the heart im getting a lot of tea and some musk. Very fresh and uplifting. I just bought a bottle within minutes of sampling this one. That’s a first for me!
Edit: Got my bottle and gave myself a good spray. Same as before except into the drydown im getting a marvelous hay/dried grass with a background of tea. This gets better every time I smell it! I just hope I get better longevity out this one than others reported.
20_Py6JIeu – :
Annick Goutal Duel
Here we have an earthy mate herb note, very loud since the opening….
It is a light scent and so bright too.
There is a minimalistic usage of leather here, so smooth and easy to wear plus those herbal notes applied.
I was expecting more but here we have Annick’s dna and i see it is a good scent for sure – that’s why people love it
123йуцек123 – :
This is a masterpiece, the scent is absolut fantastic, i just love it.
rolexreplica78029 – :
I believe I have Duel. I have a small 0.83 and thought it was Eau D’Hadrien. The bottle does not smell like Eau D’Hadrien at all. The label just states Annick Goutal eau de toilette. It smells masculine, woody and nutty. The petitegrain is strong, also citrusy but not a really fresh citrus or lemony scent. It’s kinda hard to describe. I just thought it was a bad bottle of Eau D’Hadrien but now that I see these reviews and the notes of this scent, it might be Duel. Is this what Duel smells like??? or could it be Eau de Monsieur?? I’m very confussed.
orlov_1968 – :
Duel is remarkably green and fresh, and I immediately like what I smell when I apply it. A nice brisk accord of black tea, petit-grain, and a green, clovery note that smells like St. Patrick’s Day looks, all bundled into a very aromatic effect. Then, something a little headier, with suggestions of wormwood and vetiver, crisp and bitter. Does this sound a little like a poem? It’s not meant to be, but then again it’s arguable as to whether Duel is a traditional fragrance or an olfactory poem of sorts. It’s fluid, it’s green, it’s woody, and it’s rather inarticulate, but it’s the way Ulysses would smell if Joyce’s words wafted up off the page.
SilentX – :
I immediately detected petit grain upon applying Annick Goutal DUEL, and what I thought was vetiver! According to the notes, it appears that what I am perceiving as vetiver is an olfactory illusion created out of wood and maté. However, maté can be quite bitter, which this composition certainly is not.
DUEL is smooth and calm, and as it dries down, it feels ever-so-slightly leathery, but not in the off-putting, rubbery, synthetic way in which so many in-your-face leather fragrances are today. To my nose, DUEL is neither masculine nor feminine. It is quiet and conservative, not at all a loud cologne guy frag or bracing citrus slap in the face. I rather like this creation and although I do catch wafts of pencil shavings along with the leather, the overall effect is very light and pleasing to my nose.
DUEL reminds me a bit of the scent of sand and the sound created by walking along a pebble-littered path, as odd as that may seem. It find this creation quite serene. The quality is indisputably niche. Another fine fragrance from the house of Annick Goutal.
andrej110875 – :
Lasts like 5 hours on me, clean and nice, could last longer 7/10
ceyhun – :
I smelt tea- black or oolong- at first, but now it’s fading and starting to resemble a toned-down version of Eau du Fier. With woods. A very serene, relaxing scent.
But then…
One-hour: Sillage at about 3-4 inches away from skin.
Two-hour mark: it is only a faint skin-scent.
Four hours: I question whether I can detect it at all.
For such a promising forward, this composition seems to be lacking in base-notes to slow down the evaporation. It kind of goes *poof* the moment it is sprayed. If it were priced less, I wouldn’t mind carting a spray-vial around with me to reapply, but- as another commentator also remarked- this isn’t worth the price tag; the bottle would be finished in no time!
I am quite impressed with all four of AG’s Les Orientalistes, and Vetiver, Sables, and Eau du Fier are also unique, well-constructed creations. Duel on the other hand (and Nifeo Mio to a degree)- despite the enchanting head-and-heart- simply arrive and depart.
biosak – :
very unique. on me it lasts quite a while – i don’t have any problems with its longevity. i love the way wearing it makes me feel… i find it hard to describe. it has a mystical, smokey quality to it. leather incense!
rapan – :
FYI: Here are the notes as listed on the Annick Goutal website: green mate absolute, Paraguay petitgrain, iris root, absinth, gaiac wood, leather and musk.
The website does not list any tobacco notes.
Despite a few exotic sounding ingredients this is a fairly unremarkable fragrance. Not because its not good, but because it doesn’t really stand out in a crowd. My impression is that the ratio of price to value is unfortunately lower than I’d like for an Annick Goutal offering. If you’re interested in this house, I’d recommend Sables or Encens Flamboyant, which both have more presence and originality than this offering.
Sillage: non existant
Longevity: 4 hours
Overall Rating: 5/10. Look elsewhere in the Annick Goutal line for a truly unique scent experience.
dyebrorne – :
Duel and I have had a long relationship. We’ve met several times and I consider us friends by now but can’t decide whether there’s any further chance of love or romance…
To start with, I’d say it has a memorable long life. I used to think this was weak and lasted for a short period but it is one of the only Goutals that isn’t gone with the first wind and its citric basenotes are incredibly vibrant. Unlike some other great offerings from this house that start furiously citric and disappear within minutes, Duel ends with an enormous dose of citrus and makes me think of the same in Lalique’s Encre Noire pour homme. I love citric notes developing and staying.
I see people wonder about the tobacco and I don’t remember having seen that listed on their webpage, but what I smell the strongest is the mix of citrus with the paraguay mate absolute. In Paraguay, southern Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina we drink mate everyday and this is exactly how that herb smells when it’s mixed with hot water and sugar. These leaves can have a process of drying that gives them a smoky smell and this is what I see here. I was really impressed when I first tried this on my skin since I hadn’t read the notes and felt I had this sooo familiar thing on me and couldn’t realise until I read it was mate absolute and then didn’t resist and went again for a sample.
Now, my problem with Duel is I love it but can’t think of anyone under 50 using it. It is redolent of old people drinking “mate cocido” which is the tea version with extra sugar. This is by no means offensive… I just can’t think of myself wearing this now but will definitely buy it once. This makes me think of my grandfather, his clothes and wisdom. His slow movements, the cozy atmosphere around him and I’m afraid I wouldn’t dare to go dancing with this on, nor would I use it wearing modern clothes. I would definitely feel out of place, as if I was pretending or disguising myself.
Its quality is great, its basenotes superb and I’m happy I’ve finally come to terms with it. I love it but our times differ… isn’t it somehow romantic? Our love is not possible YET.
big-bolto – :
The citrus notes in the opening are strong and sharp. They remind me of Shiseido Zen White heat for men. I didn’t like it. Bitter-sour lemon juice.
Tobacco is weak, even in the drydown. I could detect no musk.
Krot707 – :
It wouldn’t know I’m smelling man’s fragrance I would definitely think it’s unisex.
Sweet, smoky and refreshing citruses at the opening followed by some “aftershave” like spices. It’s pleasant, yes, easy to like, easy to wear and probably won’t offend anyone, but I have this feeling that I have smelt it before, it feels a bit generic and boring and I bet that you can find the exact smell for a better price, but if you don’t care for the price tag and just want something from Annick Goutal, give this a try, it could be a perfect gift actually, really easy to like.
Mariah_fromAD – :
Duel is a nicely done aromatic fragrance with hints of leather, citrus, tea and rich tobacco. It’s subtly done, and is a wonderful choice for Spring and Summer wear.
Annick Goutal tends to make rather bold orientals or sharp citrus scents, however Duel is not so ‘in your face’. Although masculine, it’s not strictly so, preferring to adopt a unisex feel, which is both elegant and unique.
While I think Sables has more character, I like Duel’s refreshing approach. It’s clean and light but not in a boring aquatic or citrus after-shave sense of the word. It doesn’t smell generic or for that matter, like anything you’d find the average man wearing. It’s quite cozy and lovable.
The tea note stands out the most for me, followed by smokey tobacco and subtle hints of lemon and lime. It can be quite linear at times, however I’m not too bothered with its lack of development. I enjoy the scent nonetheless.
Perhaps its only disappointing aspect was its lack of lasting power and strong projection. I’m used to Annick Goutal’s male fragrances being lasting and bold. In regards to price, Duel is rather cheap when compared to other fragrances from this house. It may be worth trying if your man, or even yourself, wouldn’t feel cheated if the fragrance only lasted a few hours and required touch-ups during the day.
alnikoff – :
Terribly strange, it reminds me the smell of leather used to make shoes or something else similar
Vasermanus – :
Woody and fresh it causes, with its top notes, an extraordinary impact to the other people noses.
At first sight, reminded me a “common place”, a known scent.
After smell my own arm over and over, I noticed that the scent was similar to wet grass when it is rubbed between the hands, with a deep mix of Declaration, by Cartier.
This scent is one of those that fits perfectly to the hot weather of Brazil, because of its wonderful freshness sensation. However, it is difficult to find it in Brazilian territory.