Replace Alain Delon with Johnny Depp, add a generous dose of Bleu de Chanel in the mix, shorten the name–and voilà, a new bestseller in the making. Although this kind of launch often strikes me as lazy, its make a lot of marketing sense. Sauvage banks on the impressive heritage accrued by its predecessor Eau Sauvage, and what it lacks in originality it makes up with presence. If you complain that perfumes don’t last on you, then look no further. Sauvage will not leave you alone.
On the other hand, those who would like complexity and interesting stories should take to other pastures. Sauvage offers neither. It’s fresh, bright and radiant, with a pearly toothed Colgate commercial in a perfume bottle. I predict that we will smell many similar fresh-enough-to-disinfect accords in other fragrances in the coming months.
I tried my best to find something good about Sauvage. The sample has been sitting on my desk for a month, but whenever I reached for it, I could only reflect that Dior couldn’t sink any lower. Next to it, Bleu de Chanel, not the most original perfume, is avant-garde. Behold a perfume that was created by a computer, or a corporate machine. It smells like it contains bits and pieces of all the best-selling accords out there. I have no doubts about François Demachy’s imagination as a perfumer, but Dior clearly didn’t allow him to exercise it.
So, what does Sauvage smell like? Let’s just be clear about this from the start–it has no obvious relationship to Eau Sauvage, apart from loads of bergamot, and even that part feels different. Think of it not as a cologne but as a patchouli-amber blend mixed with herbal, metallic notes. The first impression is of cold, sharp citrus peels amplified by a sweet, distinctly artificial zesty effect. If some of the bergamot came from Calabria, the rest was surely made in the lab. I don’t believe in natural being better, and some of my favorite effects in perfumery are artificial (the peach note in Mitsouko, the vanilla in Shalimar, the glow of La Myrrhe), but this phase of Sauvage puts it dangerously close to a cleaning product.
Bergamot is naturally peppery, and in Sauvage the pepper is accented by elemi, a resin that reminds me of sharper, spicier frankincense. The contrast between the bright aromatic top and the woody-ambery drydown is the best part of Sauvage, but the details can get lost in the glare. Sauvage is unrelenting in its freshness, and even the lingering base with some nice vetiver and dry, crunchy amber (Ambroxan, if you care for more specifics) feels airy and radiant. While the sillage is big, the fragrance is neither sticky nor heavy.
The mineral dryness paired with strong citrus remind me of Terre d’Hermès, while other aspects of Sauvage call to mind Abercrombie & Fitch Fierce, Chanel Égoïste Platinum, or Burberry Brit Rhythm. Sauvage is wearable, presentable and board room appropriate. There is nothing remotely dark or menacing about it. It’s just dull.
Christian Dior Sauvage includes notes of bergamot, elemi, geranium, Sichuan pepper, lavender, patchouli, vetiver, and ambroxan. Available at Dior boutiques and counters.
98 Comments
Lizzy K.: An extremely uninspired and unoriginal release, and an insult to Dior’s male customer base after the incredible success of Dior Homme.
It’ll be a bestseller this Christmas, won’t it? November 11, 2015 at 7:24am
Victoria: Yep, Lizzy! It will be a bestseller for sure. 🙂 November 11, 2015 at 11:25am
Nick: I think it is absolutely fine to launch a market-darling perfume with notes that appeal to the trend of time, but I just wish it had more character — not just a mix of everything. It does not have to aspire to be the next Dior Homme, but at least a Bleu de Chanel. November 11, 2015 at 8:24am
Victoria: I completely agree, Nick. I have nothing at all against likable, straightforward or just commercial, but this is almost too crassly commercial. In terms of quality, Bleu de Chanel is much better. November 11, 2015 at 11:27am
Nick: Speaking of which, whilst I was having another nostalgic moment with Dior Homme earlier today, I spotted Ambre Impérial from Van Cleef & Arpels. If you have tried it, I eagerly await your review, Victoria! November 11, 2015 at 2:42pm
Victoria: I will try it, Nick! Thank you for mentioning it. I’ve been on a road for a month, and I need to catch up on the latest launches, so I appreciate the comments on anything interesting you’ve spotted. November 12, 2015 at 9:51am
Smith: As a frequent buyer of Dior fragrances for men this is not one of Diors best.Disappointing is an understatement and not worth sixty seven pounds I paid for it.Very bland and does not last.I will not by this again.I would like my money refunded. December 21, 2015 at 4:32am
limegreen: “Colgate commercial”
You really know how to toss some zingers! 🙂
The SA comment was precious (when I tested this out of morbid curiosity ) — “it’s very safe”
He was laboring under the impression that I was getting something for my husband. I had this image of baby carseats and the like. How many crash dummies trials did this fragrance have to be called safe? 🙂
(enjoying your reviews of dull fragrances, you make it an art form!) November 11, 2015 at 8:25am
Michaela: Very safe! Yes! Exactly what you wanted to please your husband. Of course. November 11, 2015 at 9:16am
limegreen: 🙂 You know, it’s been eye-opening smelling fragrances in the mens dept — they expect women to buy fragrances for their boyfriends or husbands! So it’s about what women want to smell on their guys. Kind of like picking out a tie.
Perhaps that’s why they have to have something “dull” and “safe” so that skn chemistry doesn’t interfere with the fragrance. (Or interact at all with the olfactory, for that matter.) November 11, 2015 at 9:39am
Victoria: Now I’m laughing out loud! Yes, it’s safe, an insurance company commercial in the bottle. November 11, 2015 at 11:28am
Solanace: Agree! Victoria’s reviews of bad perfumes are so good. Whenever I see a single star my soul smiles in anticipation. November 11, 2015 at 2:09pm
girasole: Mine too! 🙂 November 11, 2015 at 2:28pm
Victoria: 🙂 November 12, 2015 at 9:48am
Michaela: ‘I predict that we will smell many similar fresh-enough-to-disinfect accords in other fragrances in the coming months.’
Ouch. It hurts. Hope this won’t be a best seller.
Totally agree with limegreen, you review dull fragrances in an art form, and I highly enjoy your sense of humour. November 11, 2015 at 9:14am
Victoria: I fear that it’s already climbing the charts. 🙂
Thank you both. This one elicited strong enough feeling, so it was actually fun to write about it. November 11, 2015 at 11:30am
laurinha: Excellent review of a mediocre fragrance!
And if any customers are looking for a shower gel to go with their new purchase, look no further than this EUR 1,25 body shampoo: it smells exactly the same! http://www.rossmannversand.de/produkt/345406/duschdas-2in1-duschgel-und-shampoo-sport.aspx November 11, 2015 at 9:16am
Victoria: 🙂 I will take you two, please. November 11, 2015 at 11:30am
Dana: I so enjoy your reviews….they are straight-forward without fancy rhetoric. I love that. And of course, you are correct in your review. Eau Sauvage (original), has always been my favorite men’s cologne and to “try” and “copy” it, is an insult. November 11, 2015 at 9:36am
Victoria: I was puzzled at the name. Perhaps they decided to do what Hedi Slimane did at Dior and YSL–lopped off Christian and Yves to transform the brands into just Dior and Saint Laurent. (Doesn’t work as well in the latter case for me). Sauvage is not a bad name, but it deserves a better perfume. November 11, 2015 at 11:32am
Alicia: I don’t know what to say, Victoria. I am aghast. This is painting the Mona Lisa in acrylics. Even worse, showing it in the Louvre besides the original. Dior’s dishonor, alas! November 11, 2015 at 10:03am
Victoria: For me, it’s fine to do commercial, but why does it have to be such a soulless pastiche? Dior can do better. November 11, 2015 at 11:34am
Alicia: I have nothing against commercial either. I suspect that Chanel #5, Shalimar, Mitsouko, Vent Vert, Narcisse Noir, Ma Griffe, My Sin, Paris, Opium, Miss Dior, Femme…were all commercial successses. I don’t see why commercial might imply lower quality and/or lack of originality. Secondly, why use “Sauvage” with all its Roudnistka’s resonances to baptise such a degraded product? I find this offensive. November 11, 2015 at 2:06pm
Solanace: They seem to have zero esteem for their heritage. My mom used to wear Miss Dior and is still in disbelief with what they did… November 11, 2015 at 2:20pm
Alicia: Solance, I couldn’t agree more. Miss Dior used to be one of my favorite fragrances, as was Diorling, another travesty. To disrespect such an inheritance is no light matter. Instead Chanel has been quite faithful to their original perfumes. In the present circumstances I find that admirable. November 11, 2015 at 8:55pm
Solanace: Yes, look at the care Chanel took to make a single flanker for No 5 (or 19), reserving the multiple colored versions to Chance. Chanel and Guerlain clearly know how to draw some serious fetishism from their heritage! As for Dior, they are simply positioning themselves below as they toss their Roudnistka history in an attempt to appeal to the fans of Taylor Swift Fantasy Dream Something. It should be the other way round, omg, these girls should be learning from Dior what a good perfume is! (Sorry, totally ranting, these guys make me crazy!) November 12, 2015 at 3:05am
Victoria: And Estee Lauder has done as good job as can be expected. I know that people complain about Chanel, Guerlain and Lauder reformulations, but really, they’re as good as we can get. November 12, 2015 at 9:56am
Victoria: They also did copy Chanel’s Les Exclusif concept with the near identical take on their Collection Prive. November 12, 2015 at 9:50am
William: I just want to set the record straight, Dior was first with their Privee line in 2004. It was already called Privee collection when there were only 3 fragrances.
Chanel exclusifs started in 2007. 3 years later. December 12, 2016 at 9:38pm
Victoria: Yes, you’re right. Dior had a trio of perfumes available at only one or two boutiques, but when it relaunched the line several years later, it imitated Chanel’s concept by using the house’s heritage and its personalities. And nobody was even trying to deny it. December 13, 2016 at 8:32am
Victoria: Yes, that’s how I look at it too. Commercial doesn’t have to be dull. November 12, 2015 at 9:48am
Scented Salon: Recycled bottle from their very excellent Prive collection. Nevertheless… November 12, 2015 at 10:19am
Victoria: Ah, you’re right. I didn’t make this connection at first. November 12, 2015 at 8:44pm
Abby: I just can’t handle Johnny Depp being the face of this. The last time I liked JD was about 20 years ago. He irks me now! November 11, 2015 at 11:33am
Victoria: I don’t like this ad either. Since I haven’t seen anything good by Depp recently, I also don’t have particularly strong feelings about him. November 11, 2015 at 11:40am
Karen (A): I can completely understand safe, but dull is another thing altogether. After all, if you work around people or are going to be in a challenging situation, maybe focusing on your fragrance isn’t what is needed. To me, FM Cologne Indelible is a pretty safe bet for a guy – but not dull. November 11, 2015 at 11:57am
Victoria: Exactly! That’s the difference for me. Annick Goutal Neroli, one of my favorites, is as safe as you can get, but it’s still a quality perfume and it’s interesting.
Mostly, Sauvage smells to me like the headspace of Macy’s men’s section. Some elements separately are nice enough, but together they read “we’re desperate to make a bestseller.” I’m curious to see how it will do after the first season. November 11, 2015 at 12:01pm
girasole: Your headspace comment is so interesting. I felt like the recent Marc Jacobs release (Decadence, I think??) did something similar with the women’s fragrance section. It feels as if it were made from a formula: ‘insert obligatory gourmand note here…add requisite patchouli drydown…etc.’. Of course, it’s a little more frustrating to see this from Dior…
Have you smelled this one yet? Do you intend to? November 11, 2015 at 2:42pm
Victoria: Will try it, if only to see what MJ is up to. Yes, that type of perfume is perennially popular. Some brands do manage to add something of their own to it, but most simply copy whatever has been done before. November 12, 2015 at 9:52am
Aurora: I enjoyed your review tremendously and didn’t care at all for Sauvage when I tried it. Even the drydown was trite imo and made me feel queasy, and perfume rarely does this to me,it’s only happened twice before; as you say it lasts a very long time indeed. It’s very interesting what you say about the bergamot quality not being good, is that expensive enough for it to be replaced by a man-made material? November 11, 2015 at 12:51pm
Victoria: I think that it wasn’t so much about saving money, since the citrus accord smells like it’s expensive enough, but about going for a strong fresh effect. You can’t do with naturals alone, and they’ve used a number of different ingredients. But the outcome is too much; that’s an industrial dose of freshness. November 12, 2015 at 9:44am
Solanace: Unrelenting freshness? Lol, count me out! I actually did try this, and it seemed very synthetic, linear and dull indeed. More like functional than fine fragrance! God bless all the men who will be wearing it next year… November 11, 2015 at 2:11pm
Victoria: Yes, you’ve nailed it. It smells more functional than fine to me too. As a shower gel, it would be a good option. November 12, 2015 at 9:49am
Sandra: Thanks for the review-your negative reviews are the most fun to read 😉
Happy Diwali if you are celebrating November 11, 2015 at 3:53pm
Victoria: Happy Diwali, Sandra!
I’m glad Sauvage could at least entertain us. November 12, 2015 at 9:52am
Austenfan: I’m so dying to try this!
As a cheap alternative I might just put some toothpaste in my hair and add some lemon slices to seal the deal! 🙂 November 11, 2015 at 4:18pm
AndreaR: Or, just spritz away with bathroom freshener 🙂 November 11, 2015 at 7:08pm
Austenfan: My method would lead to a fresh smell and a very interesting visual! November 13, 2015 at 5:45am
Victoria: 🙂 I bet Carrefour has a dishwashing liquid with that kind of sharp bergamot scent. November 12, 2015 at 9:53am
Natalie: A designer name and a celebrity does not mean it is a good scent. However, sadly I am sure they will sell a lot of this just because of the designer name and celebrity paid to sell it and as proof to this it has a five star rating on Sephora.com. November 11, 2015 at 6:08pm
Victoria: Yes, these kind of endorsements often seal the deal. November 12, 2015 at 9:54am
Chilloften: Johnny Dep is little emasculated man. I used to find him cute, no longer. No thank you. November 11, 2015 at 6:25pm
Victoria: I just didn’t like any of his latest films, and the ad doesn’t work for me. November 12, 2015 at 9:55am
Brock: Great review. And a new low for Dior. November 11, 2015 at 7:01pm
Victoria: Yes, very disappointing. November 12, 2015 at 9:55am
Annabel Farrell: Back in the dear old sixties in London this was a terrific favourite of my boyfriend. Doubt if he would like it so much now! November 11, 2015 at 9:36pm
Victoria: This one has nothing to do with Eau Sauvage, though. The original Eau Sauvage is still very good. November 12, 2015 at 9:57am
Annabel Farrell: Oh – that’s good to know! Had not realised that. November 12, 2015 at 6:23pm
Shirinalzebari: Spiritless, how to say it : it is alive but without spirit ! November 12, 2015 at 12:04am
Victoria: That’s a good way of putting it, Shirin! November 12, 2015 at 9:57am
maja: This was a fun reading. 🙂 I will definitely sample it now.
Speaking of men’s perfumes, I really can’t wait to try the new Habit Rouge Dress Code, apparently Wasser has done a great job. November 12, 2015 at 2:23am
Victoria: I read many good things about Habit Rouge Dress Code, so I can’t wait to try it. November 12, 2015 at 9:57am
Marvin: First I saw the name on a bus stand advertisement. I was excited. Then I saw Johnny Depp. Hmm. Interesting, I said. Then I saw the picture of the bottle. My heart sank. Idiots! No! Dior too?! I went in for a whiff when I got a chance. I emerged with a bottle of Eau Sauvage. November 12, 2015 at 2:38am
Victoria: The best part about the bottle is the sprayer, according to one very honest SA at my local perfume store. 🙂 November 12, 2015 at 9:58am
Marvin: True. Borrowed from their La Collection, the bottle as a whole is probably the best thing they’ve got going there. November 13, 2015 at 2:06am
Victoria: Yes, how sad is that. November 13, 2015 at 11:54pm
mj: I love your review! I first saw the add at El Corte Ingles (Spain’s only dpt store), just a pic of the bottle and I was curious, as I love Eau Savage (one of my husband’s faves) and I absolutely love Dior Homme on me. So I was wanting to know more. Next I saw the full display and loathed the whole schema very much. Two reasons
a) Johny Depp, who I despise as an actor and found he’s quite an unatractive man. Not even when I was young (I’m his age) and he was a teen idol of sorts, liked him
b) then the scent, it’s boring!!!! not a ressemblance to Eau Savage, and nothing so beautiful and special as Dior Homme.
So, I pass. One of the SAs at Sephora told me I should try it as it was “the one to buy”and would be a wonderful gift for my husband, as it was “more modern than Eau Savage”… November 12, 2015 at 8:00am
Victoria: I was anticipating this launch very much for the similar reasons you mentioned, and I really tried to find something good about it. But at the end, it just strikes me as soulless and boring. Dior can do better. November 12, 2015 at 10:01am
Michael M: I literally gagged when I tried this on. The metallic note you referred to overwhelmed me with its intensity and artificialness. I wanted to wash it off a.s.a.p. and when I got home it was the first thing my wife told me to do. I don’t often diss a fragrance so readily, but as you say, this is possibly the lowest of the low as far as Dior is concerned. November 12, 2015 at 9:01am
Victoria: Now imagine, I wore it this perfume about 10 times already, as I wanted to give it a fair review, and I still couldn’t believe that Dior could sink this low. On all occasions, I also really wanted to wash it off. It’s the artificial, sharp part that bothers me the most. November 12, 2015 at 10:05am
Tara C: Yes, both my husband and I had the same reaction. It was a total scrubber! November 13, 2015 at 12:26am
Scented Salon: It is difficult to see a beaded-bracelet wearing man replacing Alain Delon. November 12, 2015 at 10:15am
Victoria: Hard to compete with Alain Delon! November 12, 2015 at 8:43pm
Austenfan: My thoughts exactly! Depp hasn’t got the kind of insolence that Delon has. Plus I think Delon was better looking at the time. November 13, 2015 at 5:47am
Victoria: Yes on both counts! Have you seen the film La Prima Notte di Quiete? Delon plays a university professor in which, and although it’s not clear what he teaches–he mostly smokes in the classroom and looks cool in a trench coat with a turned up collar, he has such great presence that you don’t care about other details. November 13, 2015 at 11:58pm
Austenfan: No, I haven’t. I’ve seen him in a number of French policiers and in the beautiful Rocco et i suoi Fratelli by Visconti. Visconti fancied him apparently, which I find completely understandable 😉 November 14, 2015 at 3:56pm
Austenfan: Oh, and la Piscine! With Romy Schneider. Their first time of playing together again after their break up. November 14, 2015 at 4:00pm
Victoria: A film to watch for so many reasons. The scene of them together are smoldering. November 19, 2015 at 2:11pm
Victoria: Entirely understandable. 🙂 November 19, 2015 at 2:10pm
Dusan: V, you were too kind. If you ask me, Sauvage is plain vile! And yes, I too thought Dior couldn’t sink any lower. November 12, 2015 at 10:46am
Victoria: Actually, strike my earlier comment. I don’t want it as a shower gel either. November 12, 2015 at 8:44pm
Michael B: When I tried it in the store, the SA told me “it’s what you wear when you don’t want to offend anyone”.
Apart from myself! November 12, 2015 at 10:46am
Victoria: 🙂 And many others who commented so far. November 12, 2015 at 8:45pm
Stephen: Tattoos are really over, aren’t they? November 12, 2015 at 11:31am
spe: Yep. Except jail tattoos and those from concentration camps – the only tattoos that are authentic, IMO. November 12, 2015 at 3:29pm
Victoria: I suppose it depends on whom you ask. 🙂 November 12, 2015 at 8:45pm
orsetta: i truly hated Sauvage – and it doesn’t happen often, i normally manage to find some redeeming qualities 😀
and now i have to look for more of your 1-star reviews, Victoria 😀 – it’s been fun to read this one! November 15, 2015 at 1:21pm
Victoria: Glad Sauvage could at least entertain us. 🙂 November 19, 2015 at 2:14pm
Amer: I get a very strong herbal “scream” from this (marjoram I think). Can’t shake the impression of an obnoxious car air-freshener. I am puzzled as to if this was a conscious statement. November 17, 2015 at 4:30am
Victoria: The more I revisit it, the more puzzled I become. Your comparison to the car air freshener is spot on. November 19, 2015 at 2:17pm
Scented Salon: This scent has received a lot of hate and for the life of me, I don’t know why. I don’t give much credence to Fragrantica reviewers but when I saw you were unimpressed, it left me uninterested. However, you happen to hate (is that the right word?) Serge Lutens’ Loukhoum, which is a masterpiece to me so I kept an open mind.
A funny thing happened: my husband hugged his mom (who only wears Poison) and asked what new fragrance she was wearing. She pulled out a sample of Sauvage! Well, I decided that I would get it for him since he obviously liked it right away. I had just bought him an esoteric cologne that he did not like (that happens a lot) so this was a perfect revelation.
In fact, I like Sauvage very much. It is fresh enough to be for my husband but still spicy enough to please me. The bottle is awesome and classy too. We are both very pleased. December 30, 2015 at 9:35pm
Victoria: Enjoy it! I talked enough about why I disliked this perfume, so it’s good to get another perspective. January 1, 2016 at 9:21pm
Unmious: I agree. Sauvage might be a disaster to most if the commenters here but i like the clean aroma plus a misterious touch of elegance. Magnetic is the word not methalic for me. I enjoy it a lot!! May 17, 2016 at 3:42am
Michael: Sauvage was totally awful, from the screechy, metallic opening to the nondescript dry down. I fled before the SA had the chance to inflict this grotesque horror on my arm … February 11, 2016 at 1:15am
john: This is perhaps the wrong place to broach this discussion, but given that we are considering the history of Eau Sauvage, maybe it is apropos. I recently received a bottle of François Demachy’s Eau Sauvage Parfum (2012), something I tried out a couple of years ago when I was first getting interested in fragrances after a long hiatus…. At the time (summertime), I ended found it too strong for daily wear, and opted for the original, which led to a much-needed education in the classics. I recently circled back to the Parfum (really an eau de parfum) when looking for a fragrance for winter that combined warmth with retro classicism. I’m so glad I did. I am convinced that this is a very misunderstood fragrance… Many reviewers coming from a more referenced background lamented its seeming lack of resemblance to Roudnitska’s masterpiece; this is not an extrait or concentrée, but is, I suspect an alignment of sympathetic accords in a deeper (lower octave?) register. As reviews will tell you, the core notes are bergamot, myrrh and vetiver, although these are probably augmented by supporting accords suggesting lavender, basil, jasmine, coumarin and perhaps vanilla. Though one’s first impressions are dominated by the myrrh, I find it quite mobile and multifaceted, and surpassingly well balanced and discreet. My experience of wearing it daily is that there is indeed something distinctly Eau-Sauvage-esque about this composition, a quality of sensuality, vulnerability and bonhomie that makes me think of René Gruau’s original illustrations. Am I losing my mind I wonder? In any case, I do wish this fragrance received a little more serious attention, and wonder about its fate in the long term. December 29, 2016 at 6:17pm
Hanus Wolf: Hello Victoria
Being the owner of one of the oldest independent perfumeries in the UK and a Dior stockist, I have read with interest, the comments about Dior Sauvage.
Since its launch, it has been my shop’s number 1-selling men’s fragrance alongside 1million by Paco Rabanne.
I do not believe that all the female customers who have bought it for their guys, and the guys who have bought it for themselves, have done so because JD is the face of Sauvage. Having said that, in the first 6 months, everyone was asking for “the Johnny Depp fragrance”. 20 months after the launch, what is it that keeps bringing customers back for Sauvage if it is that bad? Or is it the case, that the normal nose on the high street is so overdosed on commercial scents that it cannot distinguish quality anymore.
My own view as to why Dior launched such a ‘commercial’ scent, is that having had poor results with Dior Homme Eau, and Dior Homme Cologne, they needed to re-establish their men’s business. March 27, 2017 at 3:21pm
Victoria: What critics like and what the general public likes are two different stories. It’s true in films, books, etc., not just perfume. As I mentioned in my article, it was obvious from the outset that it’s going to be a success. Is it the worst perfume on the face of earth? No. It’s competent and has a sleek marketing campaign. I’m not surprised that it’s a best-seller. March 28, 2017 at 2:59am
ION: Marketing is everything. This is a rather mediocre to bad perfume, made a success by marketing. Good thing for the industry as a whole, because the more one educates the market to mediocrity, the lower its expectations become, the less effort it takes to impress it next time.
There is no artistry here. No, this is not the new “Fahrenheit”. May 1, 2019 at 2:54am