Guerlain Vétiver Fauve: How Does it Compare to Guerlain Vetiver?

Guerlain’s Vétiver Fauve is the perfume I’ve been anticipating the most for 2025. Guerlain does vetiver quite well as we have seen with their popular men’s fragrances Guerlain Vetiver and the more recent Vetiver Parfum. The former was launched in 1961, relaunched in 2000 and has remained a beloved men’s fragrance since. The latter was released last year, a deeper and richer version of the original.

Guerlain Vetiver

Notes

Top: Bergamot, Tobacco, Lemon, Nutmeg, Neroli, Coriander and Mandarin Orange

Middle: Vetiver, Pepper, Carnation, Sage, Sandalwood and Orris Root

Base: Vetiver, Oakmoss, Leather, Myrrh, Civet, Tonka Bean and Amber

Guerlain Vetiver was created by Jean-Paul Guerlain, the last of the Guerlain family perfumers. This is a classic earthy vetiver of citrusy beginnings and strong aromatic character. It’s no-nonsense, masculine and mature. Quite old school but that is to be expected from a perfume made in the 60s. While it is earthy, it also maintains some freshness through the citruses. The tobacco note brings some sharpness, but sandalwood and ambery accords balance it with some of their softness and warmth. 

Guerlain Vetiver Parfum

Notes

Guerlain Vetiver Parfum was created by Delphine Jelk as a stronger and more modern flanker to the original. The Parfum takes on more of the spicy qualities of the original, letting go of the citrusy elements as it often happens when a stronger concentration of an existing perfume is made. The smokiness is also dialed up for a more dark and mysterious quality. This fades away eventually, leaving behind only the dry, earthy, lightly smoky vetiver. Licorice is becoming more popular in perfumery and lends a mild sweetness to the background of this fragrance. This, to me, is one of the best vetiver fragrances. It’s deep and warm, making it more appropriate for colder months and special occasions.

Guerlain Vétiver Fauve

Notes 

The fragrance is part of Guerlain’s L’Art & La Matière collection that focuses on artistry in perfumery. The last Delphine Jelk fragrance we looked at on Perfume Mag was Ambre Samar, which while wonderful, was not the most innovative. It is as though this collection is made to cater to those with a deeper love for the art of perfumes and long for something different from the crowd pleasing fragrances that become more popular. 

I did not expect something so playful from a vetiver perfume, but perhaps I should have, knowing the collection it is part of. Delphine Jelk took inspiration from rainforests and Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book, saying: 

“I combined the warm, woody essence of vetiver with an accord of green, wet tropical jungle, illuminated by a fruity note of pineapple and fig.”

The perfume takes the usually dark and smoky vetiver and makes it bright and fresh. It gives more weight to the woody and earthy parts of vetiver that creates the grounded forest-y feeling they aimed for. Cypriol (also called nagarmotha), also woody and earthy, has some smoky-spicy undertones that pairs perfectly with the vetiver. 

The tropical jungle goal is achieved partly through the fruits in the opening. I expected the pineapple to be stronger, but it takes the backseat, mildly juicy and bright and letting fig shine. Fig having prominence keeps the perfume from becoming too fruity. It’s characterized by a greenness with milky and sweet undercurrents. It truly feels like a trek through a rainforest forest from the tropical fruits in the beginning to the deep earthiness that we’re left with at the end of the perfume’s journey. 

It’s different from their other vetivers for sure and I like the direction they have taken. It’s an adventurous take on vetiver and not everyone seeks adventure in their fragrances. It’s not for everyone unlike the more accessible Vetiver and Vetiver Parfum, but that’s good.