Y by Yves Saint Laurent bottle
Yves Saint Laurent

Y

4.2/5 · 1,225 votes Unisex 1964
Main accords
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Fragrance notes

Top notes
Heart notes
Base notes

Character

Longevity3.4/5
Sillage3.1/5
Day100
Night35
Spring82
Fall62
Summer52
Winter35
Our take

Y opens with a pop of aldehydes and green galbanum that feels like cracking a jar of preserved fruit in a greenhouse. The honeysuckle and peach are not syrupy, they are tart and slightly metallic, giving the floral heart of hyacinth and tuberose a nervy, almost sour edge. As it settles, the orris root and jasmine powder over the fruit while civet and oakmoss crawl up from the base, turning the whole thing into a dusty velvet handbag that once held a bruised plum. This is a chypre with a 1964 backbone, at once very natural in its green floral bitterness and utterly synthetic in the way those aldehydes cut through everything. It is not sweet, not heavy, but tense, like a gardenia held too long in a hot hand. The longevity is modest and the sillage stays close after an hour, a weakness if you want a cloud, but a virtue if you prefer a fragrance that whispers rather than announces. Best worn in spring on a cool day when the rain has stopped and the sun breaks through, or on a late summer evening when the air is still warm but the light is fading. This is for someone who enjoys a sharp, old fashioned floral, not for those who want vanilla or ambroxan. If you expect projection, skip it. If you want a quiet, slightly dirty chypre that smells like a secret, Y delivers.

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