Our take
What does Balade Sauvage smell like?
Balade Sauvage joined La Collection Privée Christian Dior in 2018. François Demachy, the house perfumer at the time, built it around a walk along the Mediterranean. The opening is airy, with ozonic notes, bergamot and a slightly bitter petitgrain. Fig takes over the whole heart. You get the fruit and the leaf, plus salty air and a soft peach that rounds off the green. Orange blossom and rose stay offstage. The base is the more original part. Dior talks about pebbles, and there is indeed a mineral note like warm stone before labdanum and an amber wood settle in. A quiet vanilla closes things off. Against Diptyque’s Philosykos, which is milkier and woodier, Balade Sauvage is more marine and brighter. The collection price is hard to defend for such a well-behaved fig.
When to wear it
A holiday scent for daytime, sprayed on a linen shirt. Three sprays are not too many, as it stays close to the skin.
It belongs to the Woody, Aquatic family. Balade Sauvage is one of 56 creations by Dior in our encyclopedia.
