YSL KOUROS: 5-batches blind test (year 2013)

Don't waste so many words. KOUROS is one of the Myths: unique, hated and loved, beyond any measure.
About Kouros reformulations, volumes have been written, but this is not the place to talk about it. In this test we want to compare the last decade of Kouros editions, from 2003 to 2013, to check if the heavy perfume reformulations occurred during recent years, ruined or improved, or didn't have effect at all, on this superb scent.


(WARNING: for a complete review of ALL Kouros editions read here first )

In this experiment, there are five different samples (see pictures), precisely:
-2003
-2007
-2011
-2012
-2013
Finally, a blind test was set up.
Are there differences between samples?

Unfortunately, the comparison is merciless: while versions dated 2003 and 2007 are very similar each other , and yet similar -at least in spirit- to the original Kouros in its heyday, the last three years (2011-2013) are identical to each other ...but pale imitations of the original.
It should be noted that, according to the fans, the oldest version of the five ones considered ( year 2003) is already heavily "reformulated" when put aside to the legendary editions from the Eighties. Therefore, the comparison between first bottles produced VS. current ones, could be embarrassing.
Current editions smell somewhat mono-dimensional, plasticky, not radiant, not vibrant. It's still Kouros...but not the same, good ol' Kouros.
Not all faults should be addressed to L'Oreal (current producer), however: Kouros was a scent difficult (and expensive) to produce, and the new IFRA regulations (plus high production costs) had an heavy effect on final result.

Conclusion: with a dose of good willness, we can still consider acceptable versions the ones produced during the PPR-Gucci Era (until 2007).
Remembering that Kouros is a love-or-hate perfume, if you want to experience the extraordinary -almost mystical-  true, inimitable Kouros, a scent that seems to radiate all around for hours and hours, then there is no choice.
The original Kouros is the one from Eighties and Nineties.
(to recognize Yves Saint Laurent scents, see here)

KOUROS Year 2003: Gucci Era

batch 7KAA = year 2007
(last "PPR-GUCCI" bottle, 
before beginning of  L'Oreal Era)

batch 62H = year 2011
(without metallic base)

batch 62J = year 2012

batch 62K= year 2013

KOUROS blind test

KOUROS è una delle leggende dei profumi ognitempo, inimitabile e uguale a nessun altro, odiato, amato, adorato, detestato oltremisura. Sulle riformulazioni di Kouros si sono scritti volumi, e non è questa la sede per riparlarne. In questo test si vuol solo mettere a confronto gli ultimi 10 anni circa di Kouros, dal 2003 al 2013, per verificare se le pesantissime riformulazioni avvenute negli ultimi anni abbiano lasciato il segno.
Sono state prese in considerazione cinque diverse annate:
2003
2007
2011
2012
2013
Il confronto purtroppo è impietoso: mentre le versioni del 2003 e del 2007 sono molto simili tra loro, e ancora simili nello spirito all'originale Kouros dei tempi d'oro, le ultime tre annate (dal 2011 al 2013) sono identiche tra loro e pallide imitazioni dell'originale.
E' da notare che, secondo gli appassionati, la versione più antica tra le cinque prese in considerazione (2003) è già molto "riformulata" rispetto alle leggendarie edizioni iniziali degli anni Ottanta. Pertanto, il confronto tra i primi flaconi degli anni 80 con quelli attuali in commercio potrebbe essere imbarazzante. Non tutte le colpe vanno tuttavia addossate a L'Oreal: le leggi IFRA e gli alti costi, alla fine, hanno lasciato il segno.

Alla fine, con tutta la più buona volontà, si può considerare ancora accettabile la versione di Kouros prodotta ai tempi di PPR-Gucci (fino al 2007).
Se si vuol fare invece l'esperienza straordinaria, quasi mistica, del vero, grande -e inimitabile- Kouros, un profumo che sembra radiare tutto intorno per ore e ore, allora non c'è scelta. Kouros è quello degli anni Ottanta e Novanta.
(per riconoscere i flacone dei profumi di Yves Saint Laurent, vedere qui )

Low-cost perfumes, anyone?

So many, many discussions about it, just take a trip on Google to find a lot of infos. We are speaking about the famous-infamous "supermarket perfumes beating designer scents".

In summary, a well-known supermarket brand decided to produce their own scents, with only one rule: producing a perfume with a final price "less than five Euros" (4 UK pounds, or 7 US dollars), all inclusive, and on-par (same quality) with well-known designer scents.

The maximum of the trick was a sort of "blind tests" using original designer scents, asking a group of volunteers "what's the best perfume?". Well, the results was that at least 50 % of people said that best perfumes were the supermarket ones (the designer scents used for blind tests were Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel, and Hugo Boss Bottled , both with a considerably higher price than "supermarket" ones). 

Well, let's make the same thing. 

In this test it was decided to repeat the same experiment: on the first side there are the two supermarket perfumes, namely Suddenly Madame Glamour and X -Bolt (total cost: less than ten Euros), on the other side there are samples of Chanel and Hugo Boss.

The results? "Supermarket perfumes" are not clones, because there are at least some difference. But, in one of ther two cases, it's a very slight difference.... 

With regard to female fragrances, Suddenly Madame Glamour is different from Coco Mademoiselle, it's not a clone, but (this is important) smells like a high-class perfume, fine, persistent, elegant. It could be a Chanel flanker, and no one would reasonably argue about it. .

Regarding the men fragrances , the comparison is almost embarrassing: X - Bolt is 90% identical to Hugo Boss Bottled , and it is difficult to find differences at first smell. Only after an hour you can detect some difference, whereas the longevity of X- Bolt is slightly lower than the Hugo Boss Bottled one.

What's the conclusion ? Let's put aside the discussion whether it is possible to produce perfect imitations at lower cost. The question, in my opinion, is another. It's about the price.

It's really embarrassing to have to admit that there are very good perfumes available at bargain prices, because this means that prices of traditional, designer scents are very (too ?) high, and the quality/price ratio is definitely unfavorable. 

It's obvious that  perfumes on sale at such a low price are entirely chemicals products, but it is obvious, at the same time, that a good perfume, "built" by experts hands, can be produced/sold/bought at affordable prices. There is no reason to pay big amounts of money for a perfume, unless you "buy" the brand, the marketing, the "glamour".

In any case, if a provocation had to be, the supermarket chain hit the target: today, it is possible to produce good products at low prices. 

on left: X-Bolt ("Hugo Boss Bottled" alleged clone)
on right: Suddenly Miss Glamorous ("Mademoiselle Coco Chanel" alleged clone)

Se ne è già parlato estesamente, e basta fare un giro su Google per trovare info a non finire. Riassumendo, una celebre catena di supermercati ha deciso di produrre profumi in proprio, con la regola precisa del prezzo finale inferiore ai cinque euro, tutto compreso. Il colmo della provocazione è stato quello di fare test in cieco (blind tests) utilizzando profumi blasonati, e chiedendo a un gruppo di volontari quale fosse il profumo migliore. Ebbene, è venuto fuori che almeno il 50% degli intervistati ha affermato che i profumi migliori sono quelli del supermercato. I profumi "blasonati" in questione erano Coco Mademoiselle di Chanel, e Hugo Boss Bottled, ambedue di prezzo notevolmente superiore a quelli "da supermercato".
In questa prova pertanto si è voluto ripetere lo stesso esperimento: da una parte i profumi del supermercato Suddenly Madame Glamour e X-Bolt (spesa complessiva:inferiore ai dieci euro), dall'altra parte i sample di Chanel e Hugo Boss.
I risultati? Per quanto riguarda i profumi femminili, Suddenly Madame Glamour è diverso da Coco Mademoiselle, ma, e qui c'è d riflettere, sembra un profumo di alta classe, raffinato, persistente, elegante. Potrebbe benissimo essere un flanker della controparte blasonata, nessuno avrebbe ragionevolmente da ridire.
Per quanto riguarda i profumi maschili, il confronto è quasi impietoso: X-Bolt è al 90% identico a Hugo Boss Bottled, ed è onestamente difficile trovare differenze se non dopo un'ora, laddove la persistenza di X-Bolt è leggermente inferiore a quella di Hugo Boss.
La conclusione? Lasciamo da parte il discorso se sia possibile produrre imitazioni perfette a una frazione del costo. Il discorso a mio avviso è un altro. E' davvero imbarazzante dover ammettere che ci sono in giro profumi validi a prezzi stracciati, perchè di riflesso questo significa che i prezzi dei profumi tradizionali sono molto (troppo?) elevati, e il rapporto tra qualità e prezzo è decisamente sfavorevole. E' scontato che i profumi in vendita a un prezzo così basso siano prodotti di laboratorio interamente chimici, ma è altrettanto evidente che quando un prodotto viene "costruito" da mani capaci, è possibile ottenere buoni risultati a prezzi abbordabili.
In ogni caso, se provocazione doveva essere, la catena di supermercati ha colpito il bersaglio: oggi, è possibile produrre prodotti validi a prezzi popolari. Al contrario, è lecito domandarsi se le grandi case non stiano spostando l'ago del prezzo sempre più verso il marketing, il nome, il glamour, piuttosto che sull'elemento principale.il profumo stesso.

Dior Homme Intense: updates.

I'm in France, and this afternoon I entered in a Dior boutique, where I find on the shelves both Dior Homme and Dior Homme Intense testers, just arrived, unboxed, batched 3X02 (October 2013).
( about "batch-numbers", see here  for "Christian Dior")
I was a bit perplexed:  the Homme Intense juice seemed significantly lighter than the Homme.
I asked permission to shot a few pictures with a whiter background, a neutral, and a darker background.
Dior Homme Intense appears very clear, almost transparent.
Dior Homme is Green-Yellow.
I'm concerned by the DHI color.
*apparently* smell like the previous "year 2013" batches, i.e very good.
Unfotunately I coudn't have an accurate test inside the boutique, so I'll prepare a thorogh review soon. I'm only a bit perplexed with all these variations.

BATCH NUMBER 3X02
Dior Homme Intense on LEFT;
Dior Homme on RIGHT.

DHI on left, DH on right

in this picture Dior Homme (left) has the batchnumber 3R01,
DHI (right) has the batch 3X02

Thought of the Day (December 16th, 2013)

"Bear in mind, I have been off the radar screen for several years, since 2008. Part of the reason I felt like I had to, you know, get away from it for a while was the tremendously depressing impression that perfumery was a field of ruins (...) on the one hand, the great classics were being systematically destroyed—for no good reason. And on the other hand, the new creations—with notable exceptions, of course—were cut and paste compositions that imitate the competition. It all converged into a sort of blah nothingness." 

(Luca Turin)

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"Sono stato lontano dalle scene per diversi anni, dal 2008 in poi; e parte del motivo è stato che mi volevo allontanare, almeno per un pò, da quello che mi sembrava il panorama deprimente di una profumeria ridotta ormai un cumulo di rovine (...) da una parte i grandi classici venivano sistematicamente distrutti senza una vera ragione, dall'altra parte i nuovi profumi -con qualche eccezione- parevano ideati lì per lì per imitare altri profumi concorrenti. E così facendo, sembrava che tutto fosse vacuo e futile, nel mondo della profumeria" (Luca Turin)  

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OPIUM pour Homme EDP: still in production.

How many times we heard: Oh, the beautiful Opium pour Homme, Eau de Parfum version (not the EdT), what a great perfume! now sadly discontinued...
WRONG.
Opium pour Homme EdP is still in production as you can see in this picture ( I am the photographer ) shot inside a Yves Saint Laurent boutique. It's a 62Kxxx batch, so = year 2013. The EdP version is still on production but only in limited quantities. Strangely, it is availble only in the tiny 50ml (1.7 oz. ) bottle.
(how to recognize YSL perfumes: see here )
What about smell? Well, I was in a hurry and didn't test it thoroughly, but it seems not with the same strenght and potency as in the older vintage versions. Sorry to say this, guys, the 2013 EdP is not a bad perfume, but it seems much lighter than the original.

Opium pour Homme, EdP version
 = still in production, year 2013

BULGARI BLACK: it's not discontinued.

Bulgari Black, discontined or not? Available? Not available?
Here's the proof, you can see a sealed box and bottle of "Black", with the batch-number sporting the letter D. It means year 2013.
(how to recognize Bulgari perfumes: here )
So, it's still in production, although in limited quantities.
Note the long "list of restricted ingredients" is not listed anymore on the sticker, but on the side of the box.
What about smell? Luckily, for the lovers of this fragrance, it's still "Black", but it's a bit watered down in a side-by-side confrontation with the original from 1998.

Bulgari Black, batch number with letter D
=year 2013

How to recognize "VanCleef & Arpels" perfumes.

                        Van Cleef & Arpels
"Van Cleef&Arpels" is a "Great and Complicated" (at the same time) Perfume House. 
"Great" because produced great -really great- perfumes: "First" (1976), "Pour Homme" (1978), and "Gem" (1987), to name the most famous.
But it is "complicated", too, because there are some difficulties in recognizing date of production of perfumes, especially the older ones. Box and labels can be sometimes really hard to understand, batch numbers have 3,4,5 or even more digits. Sometimes there is no label on the bottle, and you can get some clues from boxes.
Here are some useful tips to date "Van Cleef&Arpels" perfumes.


List of notable Vintage Perfumes:
The Early Years:
1976: launch of "First"
1978: launch of "Pour Homme"
1987: launch of "Gem"
1989: launch of "Tsar".
Perfumes produced in these years are the most precious and rare ones. Almost no reformulations, and no IFRA restrictions.

Then, during following years:
1993: launch of "Van Cleef"
1994: launch of "Miss Arpels"
1998: launch of  "Eau du Tsar"
1999: launch of  "Birmane"
2001: launch of  "Zanzibar".

Production: historical periods.
Since 1976 until 1999, Van Cleef & Arpels Perfumes was a "SANOFI" division.
From 1999 until 2007: the owner was PPR-GUCCI ("VanCleef&Arpels" and "Yves Saint Laurent" Perfumes share the same owner)
Since 2008: perfumes production is under the license of "InterParfums".

LABELS at a glance:
You will find some labels on box and/or bottle, but, during the early years (1976 1990) you could not find any label on the bottom of the bottle.
More, labels -as often happens- could be mixed during transition periods (for example: old boxes with new bottles and old or new labels, messed up together)

There are "generic" labels (common for all european perfumes):
during 1990-91 the Barcode appeared on the boxes.
during 1992 the GreenDot appeared on the boxes.

And there are "specific" labels for Van Cleef & Arpels" perfumes:
- until 1995 you could read on the boxes
"SANOFI BEAUTY PRODUCTS" (it was the US distributor)

"SANOFI BEAUTY" :
this label was used until 1995

During early years, and until 1991, you could read on the boxes another label:
"OMNIUM DE LA PARFUMERIE DE LUXE"
and/or the following address:
62 Faubourg de St. Honorè, Paris

until 1991
" OMNIUM de la Parfumerie de Luxe"
address  "62 Faubourg de Saint Honorè"

From 1991 to 1994 you could read:
"OMNIUM DE LA PARFUMERIE DE LUXE"
but with a different address:
62 Avenue D'Iena Paris.

1991-1994
NEW address: "62 Avenue d'Iena Paris"

From 1995 until 2000 you could read:
"ADIPAR" (it was the American distributor)

1995-2000 : ADIPAR (US distributor)

From 1999 to 2007 you could read, on boxes or bottles:
Boulevard le Parc and/or NEUILLY CEDEX ( it's PPR-GUCCI )

 label NEUILLY CEDEX 
(PPR-GUCCI Era, years 1999-2007)

2000-2007 "Boulevard du Parc" + "Neuilly"
(PPR-Gucci)

Since 2000 you can find the VCA logo on the box.

since 2000: VCA logo

Since 2005: you find on the boxes the mandatory
"LIST of 26 Ingredients"

since 2005:  long list of ingredients

since 2007 you can read
"InterParfums" (got the new license for Perfumes)
and/or the address: Round Point Champs Elysèes

label "InterParfums"
= after year 2007.

Since 2002 you can read:
"www.vca-parfums.com" (it was the old website, but the address still appears)

label "www.vca-parfums.com"
used since 2002

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BATCH-NUMBERS TIPS
until circa 1994
3-4 digits: (the number = the year)
EXAMPLE: 1BB = year 1991

"Gem", launched in 1987, bottle with the barcode (since 1990)
batch number 2GA
= year 1992 

from 1994 :  4or5 digits,
first a number, then a letter.
(the number = the year).
EXAMPLE: 7C01 = year 1997

"Eau de Tsar", launched in 1998
batch code 9B026 = year 1999

After 2010: many digits batch numbers, you have to check the last letter in middle of numbers:
A= 2010, B=2011, C=2012, D= 2013.

batch number 01B14B056
last letter is "B" = year 2011

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The best thing to date perfumes is to obtain clues

 both from batch-numbers, date of launch, 

and labels on box and bottle.

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TUTORIAL PICS

"Gem", box with VCA logo
= after year 1999.

(from ebay) "TSAR", launched in 1989, label ADIPAR
= years from 1995 until 2000

(from ebay) "Pour Homme", label ADIPAR (1995-2000),
 engraved batch code 7xxx
= year 1997

"TSAR", launched in 1989, box with VCA logo
= after year 1999.

(from ebay) "Eau de TSAR", launched in 1998, 
label ADIPAR (1995-2000)
= Years 1999 or 2000.

(from ebay) "Pour Homme", VCA logo on the box
= after year 1999.

(from ebay) "TSAR", label "InterParfums"
= since 2007.

(from ebay) "First", long list of ingredients, 
batch with last letter "B"
= year 2011

(from ebay) "Eau de Tsar", launched in 1998,
label "ADIPAR" (1995-2000),
batch code 9B026 = year 1999

"TSAR", label ADIPAR (1995-2000)
label 6I12C = year 1996

"TSAR", label "OMNIUM" with old address "62 rue St. Honorè",
no barcode, batch number 0BA
= year 1990

"Gem", box with barcode (since 1990)
US distributor SANOFI (until 1995)
= after 1990, up to 1995

"Gem", new address 62 Avenue d'Iena, Paris
= after 1991 up to 1995

"Gem", box with barcode
batch number 2BA = year 1992

"Pour Homme", box with Barcode and Greendot (since 1992)
 distrib. ADIPAR (since 1995)
= from 1995 up to 2000.

"Pour Homme", label NEUILLY (from 1999 to 2007)
batch number 1C01 = year 2001

"Birmane", launched in 1999, batch code 9C01 
= year 1999

VCA logo = after 1999

"Zanzibar", launched in 2001, batch number 2I04
= year 2002

"Pour Homme", label NEUILLY (1999-2007)
batch 4F02 = year 2004

"TSAR" , label ADIPAR (1995-2000)
batch number 7J16 = year 1997

"Gem", launched in 1987
 label OMNIUM with old address "62 Faubourg St.Honorè",
no barcode (since 1990), batch number 9BU
=  year 1989

(from ebay)
"First", label OMNIUM, 
new address 62 Avenue d'Iena (since 1991)
with barcode, US distributor Sanofi (until 1995)
= years 1991-1995

"First", label "www.vca-parfums.com" (since 2002)
batch number 2K05 = year 2002
(warning: this is NOT the "long list of ingedients")

(from Ebay)
"First", ADIPAR label (1995-2000)
=  years 1995 up to 2000.

(from ebay)
"First", label "www.vca-parfums.com" (since 2002)
 with long list of ingredients (since 2005)
batch nr. 9J111B = year 2009

(from ebay) "Van Cleef", launched in 1993,
barcode, label SANOFI ( up to 1995)
= years 1993 up to 1995

(From ebay)
"Miss Arpels", launched in 1994,
label SANOFI  batch nr. 5A01 = year 1995

(from ebay) "Miss Arpels", label ADIPAR , years 1995 up to 2000.

A final word: remember, the exact date is not so important, the Historical Period is more important.
"The older, the Better".

Previously we considered :
-GUERLAIN perfumes ( here )
-YVES SAINT LAURENT perfumes ( here )
-CHRISTIAN DIOR perfumes  ( here )
-ARMANI Perfumes ( here ) 
-CHANEL ( here )