Description
Vetiver is the first fragrance for men by Carven. It was launched in 1957, reedited in 1997 and launched again recently in 2009. The first fragrance was created by Edouard Hache, while designer of the original flacon was Jacques Bocquet. Composition of the 1957 included lemon, lavender, nutmeg, mandarin and petit grain oil in top notes. A heart was composed of vetiver, cedar, bergamot, jasmine, carnation, iris root and sandalwood, while base notes incorporated amber, musk, moss and myrrh.
The new, 2009 edition, Le Vetiver is based on the old formula and encompasses natural materials of high quality. New owners of the house are authorized to relaunch this fragrance under the new name.
Top notes are blossoming with mint, geranium, mandarin, lavender and absinth, a heart adds aromas of vetiver from Haiti, Dutch jinn, cold spices and patchouli, finishing with labdanum and musk.
Its flacon is more modern (on main photo), coloured in white, with a stopper of grey wood resembling vetiver root. Creator is art director of the house, Ludovic Alban. The fragrance is available as 50 and 100ml edp.
Romanih – :
Do not be fooled by the low price of this masterpiece !
As opposed to most other vetivers, which are a little brash and stingy, Carven’s is smooth, almost creamy, with just hint of sweetness. Opening with citrus/orange and a minty gin note, going through a lovely heart of geranium, vetiver and labdanum while the drydown with its patchouli gives off a great woody and slightly soapy base. If you’re a fan of Guerlain’s Vetiver, but would like a lighter, sweeter and more casual version this is an excellent alternative.
Some people say that this is discontinued, if so you should grab this one ASAP ’cause you’ll have a hard time finding a scent that is more perfect for office settings or for a casual spring day.
sipisniks – :
I really enjoy the longevity and the fact that the scent is not invading. You register it just occasionally like to remind you that it is still on. The same about when you move. It is like lightly registered, and then comes a compliment. Unassuming, yet there. On that note, one has to spray quite a lot to achieve this, because if you put just few sprays, it will go disappear quickly. Then there is the scent. Yes, there is vetiver, but unlike other vetivers, this one is strongly blended, and well-blended. Musk is prominent and so is the blend of spices and flowers. Vetiver is kind of in between. A good solution to a scent that I can wear during a day and don’t need to think whether it will work or not.
chook7teen – :
Not a typical vetiver fragrance that are usually herbal, very green and little rough on the edges. Le Vetiver is extremely smooth, little creamy with some woods and touch of musk. Leans masculine but I’m sure some will call it unisex. Longevity is decent at 3 to 5 hours which is what I usually get on my skin with EDT’s except for a few powerhouses. Best of all, it’s totally unique from anything else in my 200+ fragrance collection. I blind bought it and was a bit worried it was going to be similar to a Fragrance I already have but luckily that wasn’t the case. Ideal for rainy spring or summer days. It’s not my favorite but I enjoy it a lot and make sure I wear it 2 to 3 times a year.
Aliza – :
I didn’t know what to think of this at first, I’ve never experienced Vetiver before. I liked it, then I didn’t like it. Now the more I wear it the more I love this beautiful creation! It’s one of my favorite fragrances now. Absolutely beautiful scent. 9/10.
okx635intitytek – :
Boozy, green and soapy fresh. So good. I think it is masculine, maybe a little old school, and fantastic.
But as others have said, the sprayer is terrible. The top of my sprayer came off the first time I opened the bottle and it takes a lot to get it going. I’m thinking of decanting it.
If you like vetiver I think this one is a must try.
romabespaly.ru – :
If fragrance had color, Carven le Vetiver would be a brilliant emerald green. In fact, this is just about the greenest thing I’ve ever smelled. Green vetiver, absinthe, mint, patchouli… it almost smells astringent, sharp, even medicinal. These top notes are persistent and last a while, but the whole time, one gets a sense that there is something else lurking beneath all this foliage, patiently biding its time until it can reveal itself. Finally, a clean, somewhat retro-style fragrance settles in, masculine, clean, and quite bracing. This smells closer to an old school shaving product, hair creme, or after shave than a cologne. It’s such an interesting, even compelling fragrance. I want to keep smelling it when I wear it, even if just because it is so different than anything else I own. Manly old school stuff!
Drive-Zombie – :
This is a very earthy and green fragrance while being boozy at the same time. From what I smell I get vetiver and an alcoholic drink vibe which is what I assume is gin and absinthe – drinks made from juniper berries and the artimesia plant respectively. I also detect a hint of patchouli making it darker in nature overall. The main note however is vetiver and booze. As it dries down it becomes more bitter and green, but in a good way. The vetiver in this is very bitter and green, but not soapy (i.e. in Creed’s Original Vetiver or Mugler Cologne) or dirty/dark (i.e. in Encre Noire). It gives me similar vibes to Ralph Lauren Polo Green or Quorum by Antonio Puig but without the pine, tobacco, or leather notes if that makes sense. The fragrance is masculine but I feel certain women could pull it off. The overarching scent of it reminds me of a medieval forest mixed with forest-based spirits; it kind of smells like what a witch in the 17th century would smell like perhaps. It certainly gives off an aura of mystique. Sillage is moderate but leaning strong – in fact I got wafts of it with a very small spritz on my arm – while longevity is moderate (about 4 hours). One problem is that the sprayer is absolutely horrible and can be broken really easily when taking the cap off. Overall however this is a really nice vetiver fragrance that smells like you’re drunk in a forest somewhere (oddly, that smells pretty good).
4/5
P.S. the sprayer is easily broken by removing the cap too quickly, so be careful.
Betraen – :
I love Oud, Musk and Patchouli.
I kind of also like the Vetiver note if it is well blended to produce certain types of fragrances, in particular dark fragrances.
“Le Vetiver de Carven” is a bright, almost fresh, old school Vetiver fragrance. I should not like it, but I LOVE IT.
The opening is bitter fresh, a bit flowerly, not zesty, and gives you a feeling of cleanliness.
The fragrance then evolves with boozy pepperish patchouli notes, surrounded with an omnipresent Vetiver.
The dry down is very pleasant. You still get the omnipresent Vetiver but in a more balsamic and musky environment.
Nice performance with 2 hours projection, more than an arm lenght sillage in its peak, and a longevity of 8+ hours.
Let us see what the maths tell us about this EDT:
Scent opening: 8.0 (my judgement)
Scent dry down: 8.0 (my judgement)
Longevity: 8.0 (average for the existing notes)
Sillage: 8.0 (same as longevity)
Uniqueness: 7.5 (ther are more than a couple similar fragrances, although not as fresh as this one)
Wearability: 8.5 (Summer, Autumn, Spring, Night and Day)
Versatility: 7.5 (yes to socializing, events, restaurants, and office type of situations)
Quality: 8.5 (my judgement)
Presentation: 6.0 (simple and very old school bottle, not tacky; good sprayer)
Price: 10.0 (100 ml for $13.99 + VAT)
Overall rating for this fragrance: 8.00/10.00
Do I recomend it? Absolutely, in particular to Vetiver scent fans which is not my case.
sasheret – :
To compare LV with Encre Noire, Ford GV, Itasca and other more contemporary vetiver based frags completely misses the point. Why? Bc we r talking about different time periods and sensibilities. Le Vetiver’s appeal is based on a composition for simpler times. There was no niche around. Although this formulation claims to be around 2011 or so, it’s true contemporaries are Guerlain’s (the gold standard) Givenchy, possibly Lanvin’s.
Don’t judge the frag by its price tag or its pretentious niche lineage.
grrregori – :
Thank you to Gent Scents for recommending this one. I am not a vetiver junkie by any means although Encre Noire is one of my favorites, but I really like this one. The vetiver in this fragrance is much greener than EN and this, with the combination of the other notes, does give it an old world vibe. Some may take this vibe and read it as “mature” or “old man”, but I’ll stick to “old world”/”old school”. retro not senior. as an eau de Parfum, I expected longer longevity. I stop smelling it after a couple of hours. Weirdly, I will get random whiffs for some time later. A good buy
Melanie_fromAF – :
Quite the interesting vetiver! A bit of confusion with the product…this review is for Le Vetiver (white bottle, gray lettering) and NOT Carven Vetiver, which is a green bottle affair.
As a fan of Guerlain Vetiver, everything with the word ‘vetiver’ is compared to the Guerlain classic. Le Vetiver scores high! The vetiver note (to me a bitter-green refreshing note) is obvious in Le Vetiver. The big difference is Le Vetiver has a creamy/soapy vibe to it..quite delightful and relaxing. Longevity is about 3 hours on my skin (I have fragrance-eating skin so 3 hours is a blessing). Dries down beautifully and becomes a delightful skin scent. Wonderful during Spring, day or evening, although not a formal scent. Couldn’t imagine wearing this any other time. One strange downside…although having nothing to do with the fragrance….the spray mechanism is horrible. It broke off attempting to remove the cover of the bottle…never fit back into place properly. Attention Carven…fix it!
Thumbs up on this one!
davo707005 – :
Vetiver, to me, is an earth-like odour that connects with nature and particularly the woody and watery areas, which is why it’s a fitting and a personal choice for nearly every situation for me. This one is nicely balanced mixture of fruits and vegetables in which vetiver settles with playing the main character while leaving room for other notes. It’s fresh and flowery; I can pick orange peeling, lavender, patchouli, some minor spices and musk. Perhaps not the best Vetiver ever, but for what you pay for the choice is easy. Thumbs up to Carven.
whi377speagoessenda – :
I hardly get any vetiver in this. It primarily comes across as a fresh-green masculine, soapy and a somewhat synthetic vibe. The synthetic element disappears completely at around three hours, which is the same time when the cash runs out. Stylistically it is somewhere between Creed’s Original Vetiver and Lubin’s Itasca.
Mugler Cologne, Guerlain Vetiver and Lubin’s Itasca would be much more compelling alternatives.
2.5/5 (neutral)
poma78 – :
Just trying a sample of this now and am surprised to find that this vetiver is green, yes but also soapy clean and creamy on me (perhaps the sandalwood?) – it would seem by the reviews that I am alone in this but whatever, it is lovely and soft on me and unless the friend who gifted me the sample requires it back, I will be using it all up wearing it to work tomorrow (and no, I am not a man but this works very nicely on me!).
Necko – :
Carven’s Le Vetiver is definitely one of the better vetiver fragrances on the market. This is a rooty, grassy, warm vetiver with soft licorice in the drydown and a hint of citrus, but with the emphasis firmly on classic vetiver. Elegant and classy with good longevity and projection, this is an absolutely safe blind buy for vetiver lovers and much better value than many of the expensive niche versions out there.
DronLee – :
Not a bad scent… but for the 40+ crowd only… there is something about it that cries for a man that is soft spoken and not out to garner compliments with his fragrance; only to remind people he is a gentleman. The Gin, wormwood and geranium and big in this fragrance… vetiver takes a back seat.
dmit1 – :
Plenty of good vibes from people while wearing this. Summer scent that I can wear at a BBQ.
naard – :
I bought it as a second purchase after trying the current formulation of Carven Vetiver.
The current version is very nice indeed but once again I was let down by the sillage and longevity. Not long after finishing the bottle I came across this 2009 formulation for a bit more than 30 euros for 100ml. I could not see a huge difference with the current version but both have this poor performance on me. I sprayed, I sprayed and I sprayed just to get an average result. So don’t be fooled by the “eau de parfum” label. It’s more like an EDT or EDC. I’ve seen it now on the internet for about 60 euros but it is IMO not worth it.
In spite of this, Carven Vetiver remains a very good Vetiver, very uplifting, very modern and fresh. I have now the Givenchy one which is nice also but very emphasized on vetiver root. I’m wondering which one I will like the most. Next purchase will be Vetiver Extreme from Guerlain which is I Think more soapy and more old school than Carven.
martingabrielyan – :
This is a nice vetiver for sure! I got this as part of my vetiver-exploration a while back and I am not regretting it.
Le Vetiver opens in an explosion of citrusy vetiver with a warm spicy touch. I get vetiver, citrus, mint and green notes. The vetiver is very strong right from the start and the accord could be described as very aggressive, or harsh even. I personally like the opening but it’s not something I’d want to wear as a scent, some people might take offense.
Once the dry-down starts, so does the magic. This gem transforms from a harsh and pungent vetiver to something a lot more (generally) agreeable and sweet. A spicy, or peppery even, and green vetiver accord with hints of mint hits next. I get some labdanum and more sweetness together with musky soapiness. But it must be said that the blend is very subtle and the fragrance is an accomplished accord rather than a number of notes. The blend is tight, reigning in the individual notes, even the strong ones, and creating a very nice harmony.
The soapiness is really clean and nice but not in a powdery gung-ho-barbershop way, rather a well groomed and manly, spicy, and woody way. When I first smelled this I immediately knew I had smelled it before, but not where. I guess someone my parents socialized with wore it in the 70/80’s. It is not a modern or commercial smell in any way but neither an old smell (though it does have a quaint Old Spice quality). I’d say classic or just settle for timeless masculine.
Delivery in terms of bottle was very nice as stated below. The only thing I was disappointed with was the cap of the atomizer/sprayer, very loose and wobbly which makes for the occasional squirt instead of spray.
FReeK911 – :
I’m testing both Carven LV and the 16D01 batch of Aventus
simultaneously, and after four hours CLV is holding it’s own in regards to projection and longevity.
Someone opined that CLV is a poor man’s Fredric Malle Vetiver Extraordinaire – and I can almost see that – but CLV is by no means a slouch. Good quality juice with good performance, imho.
demontevator – :
Agree with @Supremescent below, this is a different take on the typical vetiver colognes, a bit more feminine maybe…?
My favourite will always be Encre Noir, but this is an ok alternative. Also bought Tom Ford’s Grey Vetiver here the other day, but that just smells like smoke and air in comparison to the other vetiver frags out there.
Гордиенко Роман – :
Love it !!!
I prefer this (white bottle/grey cap) to the Guerlain Vetiver…for sure !!!
шреддер – :
This is a different take on vetiver and I love it. Really like that Gin and Tonic smell, not boozy. I’m by no means a vetiver expert but I do have a few that is its main note and this one is magnificent. This is a very mature scent and it fits any occasion. I’m thinking I enjoy this one more than Guerlain. 😮
stowshoum – :
It’s hard to overstate the importance of Carven’s Vetiver. It launched a craze for masculine vetiver scents that continues to this day, but is often overlooked in favour of Jean-Paul Guerlain’s Vetiver, released four years later. That’s a real shame, because while Guerlain’s Vetiver is now rightly considered to be the benchmark vetiver scent, Carven’s original has a lot to offer.
I have the most recent formulation, which purports to be the same as the original 1957 composition. It comes in a rectangular white flacon with a grey wooden cap. Confusingly, the name has been changed to Le Vetiver, even though the perfume is truer to the original than older reformulations sold under the original name Vetiver.
The scent opens with a classic fresh accord of citrus and mint, along with plenty of green geranium. There’s a fizziness to the top notes which lingers into the dry down. It’s almost reminiscent of a gin and tonic. The vetiver note is greener and less woody than the dry, smokey, earthy vetiver explored by later interpretations of the note, such as that in Encre Noir. Surprisingly, the vetiver doesn’t dominate, but is more of a lingering presence. I couldn’t agree more with the previous reviewer’s description of the vetiver as hazy. I also agree there’s a soapiness to the scent. Overall, Carven’s Vetiver is softer, rounder and more ‘perfumey’ than Guerlain’s, which is sharper, earthier and lighter. Projection is average but longevity is excellent.
A note about the packaging. The bottle comes nicely tucked away in a faux-silk lined box which closes with a magnetic clip. It’s nicely done. Unfortunately, my box was ruined by leakage because the cap doesn’t sit properly, depressing the sprayer. I don’t know if it’s a design flaw or specific to my bottle, but it’s worth noting.
Overall, Carven’s Vetiver is classy and competent fragrance from a more refined era. It’s no masterpiece – that title goes to Guerlain’s Vetiver – but it’s historically important and definitely a classic. Worth picking up, especially for the price.
nidelkosy – :
A soapy, clean “gentlemans” vetiver, unlike the darker modernism of something like Encre Noir.
I must admit that overall, I am not a huge vetiver fan. There is nothing particularly offensive about the note, but to me it was always a really weak “green” note: diffuse, hazy, powdery. In the face of stronger green aromatics like cypress, pine, basil, tarragon, and the like, vetiver pales in comparison. However, it does have a classic, almost barbershop feel and this is why it is considered a fresh note.
Le Vetiver does start off with a huge citrus blast, along with a very tart, astringent feel from the powerhouse geranium note. Once these settle into the rest of the fragrance, we have something immediately familiar; the classic gentlemans fougere. Here it is tweaked to the bitter green side, courtesy of geranium and wormwood. The vetiver is fully present as well, as the diffuse green under the sharper green of those two notes. I cant personally pick out anything as specific as labdanum, musk, sandalwood, and patchouli, so they are all the way down, tightly blended into the hazy base. As the fragrance dies down, it gradually becomes softer, rounder, and more diffuse. The tartness remains, but the hazier facets of the base elements emerge. Longevity is good, 8-10 hours with four sprays. Projection is moderate.
Overall, this isn’t a modern masterpiece or a game changer, but it is a great choice for an office fragrance, a year round workhorse, or even a signature. It’s cheap, performs well, and avoids the common detergent tropes of modern “fresh” men’s perfumes. At $20 for a 100ml EDP, you really cant go wrong with this if you are at all a vetiver, green, or fresh fragrances fan.
Nikonru – :
Competent vetiver laced with gin, tonic, amber and musk. Good for the low price, but I prefer Guerlain’s Vetiver “Extreme” for a modern vetiver.
pop12 – :
The first time I smelled this I thought I wouldn’t really like it, or rather felt that it had a common thread of a sharp and aromatic citrus like YSL Pour Homme Haute Concentration which made me think I had some sort of a copy of something I already had. It is an EdP, but it doesn’t really have the force and projection of EdPs by more modern standards, which leads me to think it does have a lot of natural essences blended into the scent as described here on Fragrantica.
It is screechy and loud in the beginning, oh so very Papa Disco. There are spices that are seamlessly well blended into the aromatic notes. The mandarin smells more like bitter orange to me because of the high pitch given to the scent by the geranium and a trail of bitterness. I can smell the vetiver, but it doesn’t fight to take center stage.
What reveals itself later is an addictive mix of vetiver, labdanum and a very subtle and sensuous musk. What intrigues me most is that I get the overall scent of East Indian sandalwood, not sharp, but a warm and sexy woodiness. Sadly it is very quiet…after the 30 minutes of Papa Disco, the scent is very subtle. 5 sprays gives me a bit of sillage for a while, but it is a quiet aura that you catch whiffs of it when you turn or move. It does stick to your clothes longer, albeit still subtle. I seem to smell it easier when there’s a cigarette smoker nearby for some reason.
Overall composition holds on to classic lines, but unbelievably relevant in modern niche perfume terms. I bought the large bottle for under $18 and free shipping and thinking of getting a second. That’ll be determined on how fast I go through this bottle. Since a bottle of this can be had for cheap, I highly recommend to give it a try. I’m one of those who’s become jaded with the modern perfume industry and finding stuff like this missed in all the scents I’ve tried in the past makes me feel lucky to experience scents like this in my lifetime.
If you can avoid the general public for 30 minutes to avoid leaving a trail of Papa Disco, this makes for a great everday scent.
BaraAgorgoGoR – :
I am a lover and purveyor of all things vetiver. This one disappointed makes tremendously. Opens with a beautiful burst of fresh vetiver and some citrus but settles down into Vetiver and Cloying cheap artificial Sandalwood. That combination completely spoiled it for me. The sandalwood is not the more expensive Smelling (a la amouage) but some generic drugstore brand sandalwood that turns sour when combined with the citrus note. Certainly last about eight hours but as much as I wanted to like this one I am disinclined to buy a second bottle, at this price point it would make a great every day scent. Mind you my holy Grail of that the vetiver perfumes is route du vetiver and encre noir. So I like my vetiver dark dry and recalling Indian monsoon. This sort of strikes me as a barbershop vetiver aspiring to and be elevated to the status of A more complex and finely nuanced creature but falls short of that lofty goal. If you’re not as vetiver persnickety as I am you might actually enjoy this.
lovaborbsog – :
I’m seriously confused. Is there any difference between the green bottle in white box and Le vetiver? if so, can anyone elaborate? Fragantica shows three different bottles, which doesn’t help much.
That being said, Carven vetiver in the green box is a nice, dry vetiver. Sadly, projection and longevity are lackluster.
UPDATE: Ok, so I blind buy this, and it is one of the best blind buys I’ve ever made.
Disclaimer. I am an 80’s child, so I am going to have a tendency to LOVE powerhouse, asphyxiating, complex, macho, etc, etc, etc, type of fragrances. I also enjoy light, fresh, aquatic, gourmands (not so much) as long as they are well made.
I own both Le Vetiver (one on pic) and Carven’s vetiver, the one on the white box, greenish bottle with white cap. The one, big difference between both??? simple. Le vetiver has a lot of CHUTZPAH.
Why Carven discontinued this is one of the great mysteries of modern perfumery. This is supposed to be a reformulation of the original formula, from 2009, and let me tell you… this does not smell nothing like anything you can find anywhere nowadays, Beautiful stuff.
Initial blast is citrusy, and the vetiver takes center stage very quickly. This is an aromatic vetiver highly reminiscent of his more successful brother, Guerlain’s, which came a few years later. What I think it’s absolutely beautiful about Carven’s is that the presence of labdanum gives it an ocassional whiff of tobacco to the composition (if I’m deranged i’m sure I will be corrected) which gives Le Vetiver an old world, extremely sophisticated appeal. This is old money. This is opulence. This is a world long gone. This is a statement of class versus today’s offering of mass marketed mediocrity. In my skin, the dry down shows a very strong geranium note, and this is where the newer carven and le vetiver show some similarities as well. It reminded me of Borsari’s colonia and the excellent jazz for ysl. Go figure.
Obviously I don’t know the original formula of Carven’s. My assumption is that Guerlain’s success was to “lighten up” the same aromatic vetiver, and made it ultra cool and hip in the 60’s. Carven is the rich brother on the board, Guerlain is the rich brother having a blast in swinging London.
Carven’s vetiver in the green bottle is all citrus and vetiver and no balls. Ideal for a lazy summer weekend. Nice, but not mind blowing. Shame on Carven’s.
Get a hold of Le Vetiver before it’s gone. It’s that good.
Hope this helps, because I am a true vetiver lover, and Le Vetiver is a worthy addition to any fraghead, let alone any vetiver lover collection.
Smell great my friends.
.
STALKER-333 – :
This is my favorite vetiver fragrance, period! All of the Carvens are wonderful and unique, but this is the very best of the lot. Stands toe to toe with the great Givenchy Vetyver. A very masculine woody scent that lasts long enough, and never shouts. Great stuff! Thumbs up!!!
Evang3 – :
As an original vetiver carven user, I have ordered from 3 different places and all send you the “new version” with the clear bottle.
=It is not the same!!. The aroma is gone in less than an hour and the scent is somehow different.
-If anyone can find out where I can get the original classic one, let me know. “Green bottle, some with wooden cap”.
It seems someone took the formula and decided to do whatever was cheap!!!.
Bluenrynelo – :
Bought recently,and didn’t know quite what to expect. I’m a great fan of the predecessor to this, and have read many reviews regretting those formulations.I’ve never experienced the original ‘vintage’ scent so can only compare it to the ‘modern’ equivalents. This is very much a parfum in the initial opening, richly citric and with that underlying strength which differentiates it from weaker Eaus, colognes etc. I’m not skilled at recognising combinations of notes and accords, but do get mint and gin along with orange. The citrus opening fades (a little too quickly for my liking-I would have preferred it to hang around a bit longer) and dries down to a smooth and subtle vetiver/labdanum base. I find it settles as ‘green’.My skin usually holds scent well and a good spray of this lasted for several hours on me. Beautiful box, typical Carven combination of white and green, which given Carven’s habit of changing their boxes/bottles with unecessary frequency, will probably be very collectable in 10 yrs time. It’s not a young scent, very grown up and assured. A success I think.