FRAGRANCE | Vetyver EDP by Chantecaille: Vetiver 'demasculinized'

Chantecaille's Vetyver is a feminized take on vetiver, at least according to their marketing blurb. In perfumery, vetiver is traditionally used in men's fragrances and the list is endless. There's Guerlain Vetiver, Terre d'Hermès, Dior's Eau Sauvage Parfum, and L'Occitane's Eau de Vetyver, to name but a few, each with a different treatment. With rose and other florals featured, or at least incorporated, in men's fragrances for decades, vetiver in women's scents has long been overdue. 

What the perfumer did here is present the main ingredient in a fresh and clean way by downplaying its earthy traits—in other words, its more "masculine" properties. He employs a bevy of citruses to brighten things up and a teeny weeny pinch of spices to give the scent an extremely gentle, prickly accent. There's also a mildly sweet undercurrent that further helps temper the vetiver's inherent earthiness. Although they don't smell the same, the resulting vibe is similar to Tom Ford's Grey Vetiver sans the mild spiciness. Both are clean, pleasant, and polished interpretations of vetiver. 

Despite all the cleaning up, the vetiver still has a deep-seated sort of woody smokiness but which is only noticeable when sniffed up close. It's like what I smell in Hermès Bel Ami Vetiver but way, way softer. Around thirty minutes later, something floral-like appears. It's far from strong, though, and is easy to miss. There's also a hint of lipstick although it doesn't stick around for long. Over time, the sweetness increases but steps on the brakes early enough before it overruns the scent. The citruses likewise fade and as they do, the vetiver becomes more apparent while still retaining its overall clean vibe.

The fragrance projects modestly, never announcing its arrival. Sadly, longevity is pretty average, so resprays are a given. It can be a problem for some since Chantecaille's fragrances aren't necessarily cheap. The bottle is gorgeous, though, perhaps except for that disco ball of a stopper that I find a bit tacky. To be fair, everything else is elegant, particularly the frosted glass carving. The box is likewise a mix of good and terrible. The textile-covered lift-top part is nice but it's not a snug fit with the flimsy cardboard base, so be careful when handling it, else you drop your bottle.

I think the house succeeded here in softening vetiver's image to make it more appealing to women. But well, well, Chantecaille's Vetyver is not an exclusively feminine scent after all since following my Grey Vetiver comparison, it's also very wearable for guys just the same. It's a versatile scent both in terms of occasion and weather. Price point aside, it's something worth a try.