Sauvage Extrait

Dior describes a dense, woody extrait with untamed accents. At the top, a fresh, aromatic accord of Calabrian bergamot and AOP lavender essence from Provence recalls the Sauvage signature and contrasts with a dark, sensual base.

A Vietnamese oud

The Vietnamese oud essence is its beating heart. The house lends it warm, animalic leather facets, which it unfolds in a chiaroscuro of noble woods, and makes it the material unique to this version of Sauvage.

Indonesian patchouli brings its dark, smoky notes, Virginia cedarwood its bright, creamy accents. Madagascan vetiver, which the house places sometimes on the light side and sometimes on the smoky side, links the two.

The notes line up here as follows: bergamot and lavender at the top; oud in the heart; patchouli, vetiver and cedar at the base. Dior speaks of a woody accord of unprecedented sensuality, more direct than in the other versions of the line.

What the label declares

Alcohol opens the list, ahead of the fragrance and the oils of bergamot, patchouli and Virginia cedar. Lavender appears too, as do Atlas cedar essence and a bitter orange peel oil, two materials the house does not name among its notes.

Coumarin and vanillin, with scents of tonka bean and vanilla, come before water. The list also includes a UV filter, butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane, two colorants, a violet and a red, and the usual allergens, including limonene, linalool, eugenol and geraniol.