SYL323 Kouros

Yves Saint Laurent's Kouros is a legendary, uncompromising animalic fougere, an aldehydic aromatic opening giving way to a spiced patchouli-vetiver heart before a civet, honey and leather base that remains one of the boldest masculine drydowns ever composed. SYL323 attempts the full pyramid: aldehydes, coriander, clary sage, artemisia and bergamot up top, patchouli, carnation, vetiver, cinnamon, geranium, jasmine and orris root in the heart, civet, honey, leather, musk, oakmoss, amber, tonka bean and vanilla underneath. The honeyed, animalic base is the strongest part of this dupe and reads recognisably close to the original's confrontational character up close. The aldehydic sparkle of the true opening is muted here, and the overall intensity and projection drop off considerably faster than the real Kouros, which is famous for lasting well into the next day. Worth trying if curious about the animalic-honey concept, but a pale shadow of the original's power.