Savage

Savage is Scentleys' extrait reading of Dior Sauvage, the 2015 François Demachy composition that remains the best-selling men's fragrance globally and the most-copied structure in the budget dupe market. The dupe opens with a peppery bergamot burst that is a fair match for the original's calabrian bergamot sparkle, moving into a lavender and Sichuan pepper heart with a touch of nutmeg for warmth. The base leans entirely on ambroxan, the ambergris-like synthetic that gives Sauvage its huge, radiant, almost skin-warm trail, layered with cedar and patchouli for grounding. The opening hour is where Savage is most convincing - the bergamot-pepper freshness is close to the original's. The ambroxan base is the harder note to dupe cheaply, and here it reads noticeably flatter and less diffusive than Dior's version, meaning the huge room-filling sillage Sauvage is famous for does not fully translate. Longevity is decent for an oil extrait at five to seven hours, with projection strongest in the first two hours before settling close to skin. A solid, easy-to-wear everyday alternative for fans of the fresh-spicy-amber genre who accept the ambroxan trail will be quieter than the ubiquitous designer original.