Our take
What does Vétiver Oriental smell like?
Serge Lutens and Christopher Sheldrake created Vétiver Oriental in 2002 for the Palais Royal boutique. It was briefly released for export in 2004 before going back to exclusive status. The name is slightly misleading. Vetiver is there, but it plays its soft, almost gourmand side. The opening is green and bitter. A sap note blends with iris pallida, with the freshness of a root just pulled from the ground. The heart takes a strange turn. Guaiac wood brings rubbery smoke and dry cocoa an earthy bitterness. A licorice sweetness runs through it all. The base is warm and salty, like skin in the sun. Labdanum, amber and sandalwood melt into the mosses with a quiet musk. Compared with Guerlain's Vétiver, this one is far less dry and much darker. It is a Lutens vetiver, and nobody picks it for freshness.
When to wear it
An autumn and winter scent, too dense for summer. One spray on a sweater lasts the day.
It belongs to the Oriental / Amber, Woody family. Vétiver Oriental is one of 31 creations by Serge Lutens in our encyclopedia.
