Vert de Fleur

House: Tom Ford

Release: 2016

Fragrance Notes

Notes: Galbanum, Iris, Hyacinth, Neroli, Bergamot, Basil, Jasmine, Rose, Orange blossom, Vetiver, Patchouli, Oakmoss

Review

From our wear of a 2020 decant, we were surprised at how soapy, aldehydic this opened, with booming projection. The galbanum is strong, but the jasmine comes out early and stays potent for a long time. The bergamot is very restrained, softening the tone of the green note and allowing the florals to enter sooner. The basil shows up after the blast of galbanum fades and persists into the floral heart.

A part of us is like, ‘why does this exist?’ This scent is like if your grandmother never had a sex drive. We wouldn’t exist if that were true. We put this scent on one arm and Bandit on another. Even with all the reformulations, Bandit comes out a clear winner because of the animalic, raw sensuality. There is a urinous, metallic, bright, piercing note from top to bottom that makes us want to bathe in the stuff. We get the same sense from methyl pamplemousse, but think this is a civet aroma chemical.

Maybe Vert de Fleur is a floral scent for a man. It is amazing what shifting a gender lens will do. Well, if it is good enough for a man, maybe this is unisex. If we ignore gender and sex (as in desire), then this is a lovely powdery floral with a nuanced green opening. We include Vert de Fleur in the list of our Top 10 Galbanum Perfumes for the delicate balance of green and floral that it achieves (oh . … Vert de Fleur ….).

It is lovely, but so conservative, that it makes pine for Black Orchid.