Christian Dior Eau Sauvage

House: Christian Dior

Perfumer: Edmond Roudnitska

Release: 1966

Fragrance Notes

Top Notes: Lemon, Bergamot, Cumin, Rosemary

Heart Notes: Petitgrain, Jasmine, Patchouli, Carnation, Basil, Coriander, Orris

Base Notes: Vetiver, Sandalwood, Oakmoss, Amber, Musk

Review

This is the gentleman strolling on a Saturday afternoon with a carnation in his lapel. Born in Nice in 1905 and trained in Grasse, perfumer Edmond Roudnitska already had a number of major successes when his Eau Sauvage was released by Dior in 1966. There are few scents that approach the influence and appreciation that Eau Sauvage has sustained over its more than 50 years on the market.

The scent is remarkable for its incorporation of hedione into the floral jasmine, carnation and orris heart notes made green with basil and petitgrain and intriguing with patchouli and coriander. Hedione does not just space out and add volume without muddiness to the floral heart, but lifts the citrus opening so that this is achieves a sparkling citrus, green, and floral harmony. Hedione, which was synthesized in 1962 and occurs naturally in jasmine and tea, is now used at very high percentages (up to 30% of the concentrate) in most mass market perfumes. Eau Sauvage has a much lower dose (~0.5%) of hedione, but used it to great effect.

On our first wear of a decant of the modern EDT, the sweet green lemon citrus peel was a delight, and we almost wanted that note to continue forever. It was not too sweet, not cloying, not overpoweringly bright or tart. Although not listed, we get lime in addition to the lemon and bergamot. Just the most refined citrus that alone would make this a classic. The basil, anise and linalool not camphor, came through relatively quickly and softened what must be a very restrained petitgrain. The coriander perhaps adds a terpenic note, but again, very restrained. For us, this is all about the basil note, which is why we include it in our Top 10 Basil Perfumes list.

The floral heart is powdery, white soft, and a hint of waxy jasmine. For all the talk of hedione (which by itself is a very transparent jasmine), it does not drive the scent at whatever percentage is used in this formulation. And with all the complaints about the lack of oakmoss in modern formulations, we find the lack of eugenol from the lighter touch of carnation or its substitutes to leave a larger hole in the composition. This does have some legs without the heavier moss note. We get powdery, floral, soapy coming through clearly after more than an hour. This is not a “dirty” animalic, and certainly not a patchouli-driven scent. Everything is very well blended so that many of the notes don’t come through individually.

We get not more than a foot of projection after the citrus fades and limited to no sillage. This is a skin scent that stays for a while, but is not loud. After a few hours, a delicate musk, some fresh floral notes, and hints of spice remain