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.
shekly – :
just got it and Eau d’Hadrien only for 10usd each here in Jakarta, the vintage edt version. Back then there was a Goutal shop and when they stopped the shop, they sold everything with huge discount. And some of them not sold yet is now discounted even more. Haven’t tested both in full wearing,some day probably.
kuv2010 – :
The note pyramide is quite accurate. I get vetiver, sea salt and tobacco with very mild spices, faint sandalwood. Very manly and pleasant. Uncommon for my nose this combo with sea salt. Performance is moderate overall.
inetdinov – :
Goutal’s original Vetiver in it’s Eau de Toilette concentration was one of the best vetivers ever. It came out in 1985 and predates so many tendencies in vetiver scents that came after, it’s simplicity, rigour and brutalness achieved through its out of this world iodine saltiness an effect that should make any perfumer reconsider very carefully before entering this terrain – now what happened to the company Annick Goutal – for what reason such a masterpiece is being replaced with a dismal EdC version ? It’s a shame that this is gone, its presence would adjust the current vetiver scene right away.
evgenii lapeto – :
Pretty much all the deadstock of this original eau de toilette Vetiver is now gone as well (three and a half years after it was discontinued). All that remains are a few testers, here and there, being resold without boxes. I managed to find one last bottle in its original sealed packaging in Japan.
So sadly this has to join the list of fallen flags of great scents reformulated and watered down .. the eau de cologne version is not worth buying and an altogether different scent.
sseferot – :
Vetiver of the unorthodox kind. Long before the salt note started being used in niche offerings Annick Goutal conceived and executed this masterpiece. You actually get into the concept very unceremoniously by the brutal iodine blast in the beginning. Forget the easy confidence of classic vetivers (Guerlain, Givenchy). Here the classic restraint of vetiver has been torned to pieces somewhere in a sea battle, like placing modesty against extreme force. And let’s face it if vetiver exists in logical amounts in a composition it can’t be battered down easily. However here, vetiver has been defeated and this defeat like all great ones is dramatic. The image I conjure here is of a shipwreck, the vetiver roots have been corroded by the sea water and the photo found along driftwoods in the seashore resembles an erstwhile proud and confident captain now lost. Sadly this wild and alienating perfume has been discontinued (only a cologne exists) but still remains the best execution of the concept marine Vs vetiver and my favorite Goutal. The most feral, beautiful and freewheeled of vetivers.
bocchkar – :
Along with the new Lanvin, this is one of the few vetivers I’ve tried with a distinctly hair spray / nail polish quality. Initially it’s very dark and subdued, with more pineyness than most, and the almost nutty quality of the old Guerlain. A lighter green starts to show through, with makes me think of aloe vera for some reason (moreso the actual plant than the juice or processed products). It becomes inky, but in an unpleasant way…much heavier than Encre Noire. The inkiness becomes more and more rubbery over time, and thus heralds the beginning of the beauty salon smell. A bit of the nuttiness remains for a while, but soon all that I smell is harsh chemicals; any plant material of any sort is secondary. This really could have been good, but ended up just being a big waste of time.
xea523speagoessenda – :
The version pictured here is discontinued. Annick Goutal basically watered it down and turned it from an EDT into an Eau de Cologne. What a damn shame. They pretty much eviscerated Sables too, but they attempted to compensate for it by putting it into a nicer box!
uev142bedyWelty – :
This is a prime example of what Annick Goutal does best. Blend natural essences, invoke a sense of place, and make you want to go there.
The top notes are truly salty, and aquatic–don’t run! This is not the aquatics of today, the Glade Fresh Sea Breeze accords–this is ocean aquatic, during a humid day, when it is overcast and a storm is headed for the shore. The driftwood on the sand is soaking wet and aromatic, the dune grasses are leaning into the wind.
The vetiver comes out in the middle, at first it is a bit spicy, but not too much so, I am reading the tobacco as a note of incense as well. As it dries down it becomes just what I want my vetiver to be–slightly smoky, laying on top of a pile of creamy sandalwood. Creamy, smoky, vetiver.
This will last 8 hours on your skin, but it will wear as a skin scent after the top notes dry down.
I’ve never smelled the new Vetiver Cologne–a corporate takeover of a family business, who repackages and reformulates into weaker perfumes is never a good sign.
ADAMANT92 – :
Beautiful vetiver! Smoky, salty, earthy and very elegant at the same time. Easy to wear.
newsome481 – :
I think this has indeed been discontinued, although some retailers may have ‘deadstock’ of the 100ml size, so it should be available for some time yet. Goutal continue to make an EdC Vetiver but it is a different scent.
Brendon – :
The biggest notes I get out of this one are vetiver and the salt. Its a very nice combo to me. The salt gracefully smooths out the sharpness that green vetiver usually carries with it. I don’t get the spices or tobacco or much else with this though. Strikes a very familiar accord with the great Guerlain Vetiver which I love!
Xeroxyesmz – :
Annick Goutal’s Vetiver is truly brilliant, but unique (like all her work)…an artistic creation, not just a scent.
The salty, briny (iodine) quality that the scent has is entirely transcendent. Just gorgeous. Perhaps, not for everyone. And, one should not compare this to other vetiver scents – it should only be appreciated. I see Goutal’s as a ‘special’ vetiver…one that you wear for yourself. It is not, typically, something one would wear in an office environment or to a formal event. This is weekend fragrance – brunch on a patio with a marine breeze or an evening walk with a chill in the air. Let the scent come together with the setting. I love the earthy, rootiness of the vetiver itself as well (it has a unique ‘flavor’ of the root, almost a natural state in a field of vetiver plants close to a beach with seaspray thick in the air). As it evolves, it gets nearly smoky on my skin, but never off-putting. Magic.
It has been repackaged into a different bottle – I believe the juice changed (lighter and Eau de Cologne strength). However, I only know the original and find it endearing.
We, as a family, love to go to the Northern California coast and spend time in small hamlets with desolate beaches with driftwood and tide pools. The family-owned shops and restaurants are rustic, antiquated and full of personal charm. Mendocino is a special place for us – time stands still there. Hemingway’s, “An Old Man and the Sea” comes to mind with the setting when a storm blows in. The way the cool, crisp marine air smells with the large waves crashing on the rocks with the green vegetation around you is almost a replication of what is in this bottle. I read somewhere that Annick’s vision was to create the actual existence of the vetiver root while still in the ground, misted by the salty marine air. She did so, wonderfully & beautifully!
Highly recommended. A work of olfactory beauty in a bottle by a true artist…
tabornet – :
A number of reviews are asking if this has been discontinued – and NO… it is NOT being discontinued, but is being repackaged into a much larger (and more expensive) bottle than before and may be carried at more exclusive department stores… so it may be harder to find.
This is available now at Bloomingdales in a much larger bottle than the cute candy store sizes that were first introduced by Annick Goutal when she started her business.
————-
I smelled this fragrance on a card, but had already tried too many on my arm, so didn’t risk spraying this to see how it blended with my individual chemistry.
This is a clean, green, vetiver scent which can lean unisex… neither strongly feminine, nor strongly masculine– something that is very clean.
I liked the smell on the card- but had already sprayed too many spots on my arms and didn’t want to overload.
This is definitely worth revisiting. I love vetiver fragrances and have worn Creed’s Vetiver fragrance. This is very similar to that.
TraktorHG – :
Well balanced with all the notes, none stands out in my nose, only vetiver appearing more, it is also slightly spicy and smoky i believe by the subtle notes of tobacco and sandalwood.
In the style of Frederic Malle VE, but the salty tone appears differentiating as pinches cautious salt.
Beautiful result!
Rating: 8,5-9/10
Vitamin73 – :
As Far as i know, I saw it on Sale at Bergdorf Goodman in NYC. It is not discontinued.
gusena0805 – :
Has this been discontinued? AG stockists denied it’s existence and it’s not on AGs/any website I’ve checked.
odonfouri – :
Annick Goutal VETIVER is a very complex and unusual vetiver perfume. What to my nose is a seriously sinus-clearing component (is that iodine?) combines with a smokiness evocative of Lapsang Souchong tea to pull the vetiver in opposite directions simultaneously. This is not a clean vetiver, but nor is it dirty. And yet, paradoxically, it seems at the same time to be both!
Upon donning this perfume, a sample of which was kindly sent to me by MissK, Australia’s national treasure and reigning scent maven, I was immediately taken aback. This is Annick Goutal? I thought to myself. Most of the Goutal perfumes I have tried are quite feminine, and the unisex fragrances such as MANDRAGORE and EAU D’HADRIEN display a simplicity of purpose and design. VETIVER, in contrast, is all about contrasts and complexity.
Aquatic fragrances do not generally agree with me, but maybe I just have not encountered any good ones? If Annick Goutal VETIVER is classified as an aquatic perfume, then it appears that I have finally met my match: an aquatic perfume which I can and would actually choose to wear. No seasickness, no malaise, none of the telltale signs of aquatics run amuck to induce physiological shock arose during my experience of this perfume.
Aesthetically, this composition seems to me to be in some ways similar to Lalique ENCRE NOIRE. However, the iodine used in VETIVER to produce a sort of salty seaspray effect is far more appealing to me than is the je ne sais quoi “ink” of ENCRE NOIRE which makes that fragrance seem somewhat otherworldly–in the sense of alien. The smokiness also makes VETIVER more complex, and while the Lalique is something of an iso-E-super cheat, this perfume is not. I like it a lot.
Evckackey – :
%100 pure indian khus vetiver.
postmaster24 – :
The first time you spray this you may start looking around, wondering, “what on earth is burning”? Once you realise it’s your own skin rather than the house burning down with you inside it, you can appreciate a beautiful smokey vetiver in all its glory.
This vetiver is the dirty kind. It’s earthy and concentrated, more true to the real scent of vetiver than any other scent before it. It’s bold, brash and sometimes shocking. It really encompasses the scent of nature. Vetiver, rich in saltiness conjures up the image of a hidden beach, complete with seaweed and wet sand.
It has a slightly ‘inky’ smell, particularly towards the heart I found. Annick Goutal’s Vetiver has pointed out to me how strange and weird the scent of true vetiver is. Prior to testing this fragrance, I knew vetiver when it was smothered with citrus, green accords or sweetness. In fact vetiver doesn’t get much more masculine than this.
As a woman I struggle to wear Annick Goutal’s Vetiver and do it justice. I would find it far more intriguing on a man’s skin I’m sure. I’m just so taken aback by how obscure this fragrance is, and I love it even more for its quirkiness.
It’s a rather refreshing day-time scent for me, recommended to those that love the smell and feel of natural scents. Vetiver lasted a good six or more hours on my skin and projected relatively well. I recommend.
repiter – :
…..the sweet, sweet smell of the Vetiver melds in the dirt, gives birth to the juicy flower that I must eat but can not, but I must. It sits there as I inhale the mossy sweet roots. I lay down among prehistoric flowers, yes tiny white jewels, on the dappled sunlit forest floor beneath the conifer that shades the cool river water as it caresses past the bright green algae covered stone. and I awake to the morning dew …the faint whisper of the loon.
epinamycapmex – :
This Vetiver is such an odd mix of the elements. It’s the surf-and-turf perfume. I hear the words marine, aquatic and salty used often to describe fragrances and I always wonder what they mean. I understand marine when talking about Secretions Magnifiques. In that case it’s the scent of drying and decaying beach debris. I understand aquatic to be a marketing term to describe calone and related aromachemicals. Salty? You got me.
Annick Goutal’s Vetiver gives you that blast of iodine at the outset that actually does suggest the scent of crashing surf thrown into the air. It’s very specific. It’s a scent that reminds you of the sea and not of iodine tincture or povidone-iodine. After the sea-air feel fades, though, Vetiver becomes an earthy scent. There is a tonka-coumarin note that combines with the less rootlike aspects of the vetiver to give a nice moist-hay, grassy scent. It smells a bit like a peaty Scotch. All of these elemental notes must sound a bit grim, but there is something that keeps Vetiver buoyant. It doesn’t actually smell floral, but in the heart something emerges that gives an impression that a soft white floral heart would also give. I’m not sure how it’s done, but it’s a great effect.
metallurgov – :
Bit of a misnomer to call this simply ‘Vetiver’. It is vetiver plus a synthetic aldehyde which I first recall smelling in Comme des Garcons’ Synthetic Series 6 Tar (although it was obviously around before then). Whether it goes well with vetiver is difficult to say.. there doesn’t appear to be any synergy between the two notes: it’s as if you put on Guerlain Vetiver and then sprayed CdG Tar over it. Possibly they do it to increase the impression of “rootiness”. The vetiver is very much in the top note and dries off fairly rapidy, which leaves the aldehyde exposed for awhile. This in turn dries down to.. umm.. virtually nothing as far as I can tell. A case of the whole being less than the sum of its parts.
S_L_A_Y_E_R – :
I adore this so forgive me for what I am going to say. When I keep the notes in mind while sniffing this it is heavenly. If I were to encounter this smell without references though it would read as urine/old diapers to me, and so I love this scent for how it reads when I know what it’s made of, and I wear it. But at the same time I do fear people will interprete the scent as me being unwashed. For that reason I am on the fence about buying this one.
But had i been surrounded only by well seasoned perfumistas i would wear this with the greatest pride. It is a vetiver master piece.
And I am embarrassed by having to admit I fear what people may think about this, who do not know smells like many of you do..
Bear in mind, dirty/skanky/fecal notes are always sent front and center on my skin! This goes for Jicky, Cuir de Russie and so many others, so test for yourself 🙂
dimon1986 – :
I only recently starting playing with vetivers and what I don’t understand is why they aren’t more popular than they are! Annick Goutal’s vetiver is likely the most interesting and by far the most pleasing I’ve tested yet (Etro and Guerlain being the others so far). It is at once raw and captivating, entirely seductive and beautiful in its nod to a rustic simplicity. Or is it?
At first all I smelled was hay. Just like when first entering a barn, thre is a strong sudden whiff of hay mixed with a barnyard animal heft. But the animalic note take a small step back (it does not go away, mind you) and is joined by something (someone?). I have NO IDEA what that note is but I think it must be a touch of sandalwood. Whatever – I am in love with it! It is such a mellifluous smell it gives me butterflies!
Now. I’ll tell you exactly what is going on in my head. This is the smell of Lady Godiva’s ride! As the stable doors open there is a whiff of the interior and a surge or nervous anxiety as she prepares for her infamous ride. She disrobes and there is an incredibly beautiful fragrance in the air. She is nervous but strong as she mounts the horse ready to make history. But as she leaves on the back of the horse in all her natural beauty, the anxiety dissipates and there is only her strength and poise as she rides through the village streets with all of her dignity intact. She may no longer be nervous, but suddenly I am! For I can smell the two as they approach my door and I am the Peeping Tom!
povstanets – :
The best vetiver around, even better than Guerlain’s excellent vetiver. I love it because it has a very raw, earthy vetiver smell, yet it’s very transparent. This all gives the effect of being near salt air at the beach. The vetiver is very much up front and very natural smelling. Outstanding.
otiv – :
Not being a fan of vetiver, I wasn’t expecting to like this – but I do. It’s a spicy/masculine scent that would also work well on some women. A must try if you like vetiver!