Guerlain launched L’Homme Idéal in June 2014, an eau de toilette composed by Thierry Wasser and the house’s first major men’s fragrance since Guerlain Homme. The house describes it as a fresh woody scent built around an almond that runs through it from start to finish, a nod to Jicky: citrus, rosemary and orange blossom at the top, an amaretto accord of almond and tonka bean at the heart, vetiver, cedar and leather at the base.
Victoria of Bois de Jasmin saw it in 2014 as a masculine Petite Robe Noire, a clever borrowing she rated four stars. Kevin of Now Smell This remained indifferent to materials he found very synthetic. Persolaise found it pleasant and fun, without great depth, lifted by an unexpected bitter almond.
Olfastory’s review
Bois de Jasmin, a little black dress for men
On July 28, 2014, Victoria is amused from the start: in her view, Guerlain’s ideal man wears a little black dress, so much does the fragrance borrow from La Petite Robe Noire, down to the toasted almond and praline. She finds the borrowing smart rather than dull and gives it four stars.
Citrus, rosemary and orange blossom open on a cologne-like freshness; after about fifteen minutes, the bitter almond of the amaretto takes over, backed by leather and cedar. She places it near Black XS and A*Men, long-lasting, but more restrained than Habit Rouge or Vétiver.
Now Smell This, unmoved
On July 29, 2014, Kevin describes a bergamot opening shaded with leather, dense and faintly minty, and an orange blossom he finds flat and rough. The amaretto accord strikes him as sweet and heavy with tonka bean; the base reminds him of Thierry Mugler’s A*Men Pure scents, only less pleasing.
He neither loves nor hates it: he says he is indifferent, bothered by materials that seem very synthetic to him. In passing he calls the advertising films silly, but concedes that the fragrance lasts long and projects far.
Persolaise, a mainstream bitter almond
On October 24, 2014, Dariush Alavi, who writes as Persolaise, finds the fragrance mainstream and without great depth, but pleasant to wear. Its bitter almond, of an astringency rare among the masculines of the day, quickly softens into a vanilla woody base close to Héritage; he also links it to Tonka Impériale.