L'Homme Idéal Eau de Toilette

The house describes a fresh woody scent built on three accords, one for each quality of its ideal man. Intelligence opens the fragrance: citrus, rosemary and orange blossom, for a top it wants sparkling, fresh and lively.

An amaretto heart

Beauty falls to the accord Guerlain calls amaretto, after the Italian almond liqueur: a duo of almond and tonka bean that it calls highly sensual. The almond is not confined to this accord; the house says it is present from top to base.

A woody, leathery base

Strength lies in the base, which the house calls woody-leather and resolutely masculine: an Indian vetiver, cedar and a leather it claims is handled in a contemporary way. Wikiparfum places the whole in the woody family.

Supporting materials

At launch, Now Smell This broke the citrus down into bergamot and mandarin and added vanilla to the amaretto accord. Wikiparfum also lists lemon, patchouli and vanilla among the fragrance’s materials.

The current label declares bergamot, lemon, orange blossom, rose and patchouli oils, as well as coumarin, vanillin and benzaldehyde, the molecule that gives bitter almond its smell.

What stays out

The mint, cardamom, coriander, cherry, licorice and amber woods cited by older listings appear in none of Guerlain’s descriptions. The minty accent Kevin of Now Smell This detects in the opening remains his personal impression: no declared material accounts for it.