Dior Sauvage Line – (2023) Ultimate Buying Guide
Dior Sauvage.
The most popular fragrance line in the industry.
The Dior Sauvage line is known for its stellar performance, excellent versatility, and fantastic smell. In this review, I will describe all four and help you decide which is best for you.
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Table of Contents
Dior Sauvage EDT
This was the original fragrance released in 2015. It carries the DNA that all the flankers are based on.
Right off the bat, Sauvage EDT is clean, fresh, and inviting. You’re definitely able to tell why it’s so highly complimented.
Ambroxan is not at the forefront yet but is already playing a significant role. The top notes are mainly sharp bergamot, a decent dose of lavender, and a warm and spicy kick of Sichuan pepper.
Everything in the opening is intense. This is because they all need to be strong to balance out the prominence of ambroxan.
As the scent develops, the sharpness gets smoother. The initial opening is the only part whose strength knocks you off your seat.
After 20 minutes, bergamot fades, and more ambroxan fills the void. The spiced edge is also receding at this point.
However, the scent retains the warmth and smoothness of pepper. Lavender with other supporting florals lingers in the mid. This combination is all about maintaining fresh and clean accents.
Ambroxan, by far and wide, is the dominant note in the dry down. The rest of the wear is mainly warm ambroxan, spice nuances, and a touch of cedar.
Dior Sauvage EDT Performance
- Longevity: 10 hours
- Projection and Sillage: 3+ hours and 3+ feet
- Versatility: All seasons and occasions
- Uniqueness: Below Average
- Compliments & Likability: Excellent
- Cost for Value: Excellent
- Number of Sprays: 3 – 4
- Most Prominent Notes: Pepper, Bergamot, Ambroxan, Vanilla, and Lavender
Dior Sauvage EDP
The opening starts with a blast of fresh bergamot. In the background are mildly spicy pepper notes and a clean, soapy lavender.
In this case, lavender is very modern and uplifting rather than old-school.
As the scent develops, the citrus notes fade but leave their fresh accents. The ambroxan from the base starts to push to the forefront. The spices are slightly more prominent as the ambroxan “pushes” them to the top.
At this point, the lavender is almost entirely gone. A soft and well-rounded nature takes its place.
The rest of the wear is simple. Warm ambroxan is the most prominent, accompanied by fresh accents. Musky and slightly sweet vanillic accents are present, but nothing considerable.
Of all parts of the fragrance, the opening is the most interesting. That’s only because there’s the most going on.
Sauvage EDP isn’t a linear scent, but it is simple. There’s a beginning and an end, and that’s about it. Quite impressive how a fragrance so simple can garner so much attention.
Dior Sauvage EDP Performance
- Longevity: 10 hours
- Projection and Sillage: 3+ hours and 3+ feet
- Versatility: Same as EDT
- Uniqueness: Same as EDT
- Compliments & Likability: Same as EDT
- Cost for Value: Same as EDT
- Number of Sprays: 3 – 4
- Most Prominent Notes: Pepper, Bergamot, Ambroxan, Vanilla, and Lavender
Dior Sauvage Parfum
How about Dior Sauvage Parfum? Does it deviate from the Sauvage Backbone?
No, not much. It has the same accords but in differing intensities. Of the three reviewed thus far, it is the most mature. Yet, it is the weakest performer of all.
The opening starts with a tamed dose of bergamot. In the background are elemi and olibanum. Both resins have various spicy, woody accents, working together for the same goal.
This is interesting because there are ambroxan and pepper notes in the other Sauvage concentrations. Here you still have the same aroma but in a more mild presentation.
The heart of the fragrance has a heavy sweet vanilla accord.
This pairs perfectly with previous resins, as they are smooth and creamy. The citric nature of bergamot has faded but left fresh accents. It helps break up the depth of the resins and vanilla pair.
After multiple hours, the resins’ spicy wood accents slowly become creamier and smoother. Until they fade in the dry down, hand over dominance to creamy and smooth sandalwood.
The spicy woods still remain but only amplify the woodiness of sandalwood. Near the end of wear, there is an addition of smoky incense. The sweet vanilla remains in the background, providing Sauvage Parfum with its alluring aroma.
So Dior Sauvage Parfum vs Eau de Parfum?
All three share a citrus opening and a woody/ambroxan heart and base. As you move from the oldest to the newest release, the scents get more mature and darker but also more expensive.
Dior Sauvage Parfum Performance
- Longevity: 8-10 hours
- Projection and Sillage: 3+ hours and 3+ feet
- Versatility: Same as EDT
- Uniqueness: Same as EDT
- Compliments & Likability: Same as EDT
- Cost for Value: Worse than EDT
- Number of Sprays: 3
- Most Prominent Notes: Bergamot, Elemi, Olibanum, Sandalwood, and Incense
Dior Sauvage Elixir
Dior Sauvage Elixir deviates the most from the Sauvage line. It is the newest sauvage with an old-school feel. Whenever I wear it, I think of an older gentleman in a restored muscle car.
The opening is a wake-up call. Nothing can compete with the dominance of the cardamom and nutmeg duo. Cinnamon is in the background supporting but fleeting.
There is a subtle citric grapefruit, giving the opening an invigorating and fresh touch, but it doesn’t amount to much after the opening.
The overarching emphasis in the opening is warmth and power.
15 – 20 minutes into the wear, Sauvage Elixir turns into the old-school fragrance it’s known for. The warm spices remain prominent but are fused with a hefty dose of rich and classic lavender. It pushes the grapefruit out, and an aromatic and spicy scent will lead the dry down.
As the scent develops, warm and woody base notes linger in. Over time, they become more prominent. I catch mainly sensual sandalwood notes and nuances of patchouli, amplifying the woody accord.
The rest of the wear is spices, lavender, and wood.
Let’s talk about Dior Sauvage wear and performance. When I say this is a beast-mode fragrance, I mean it.
The longevity is eternal, and the projection is the whole building. It can be the coldest day of the year, and Elixir only needs two sprays. It made both my longest-lasting colognes list and my most masculine fragrances list.
When it comes to comparing Sauvage Elixir to the other Sauvage versions, it isn’t easy. Elixir has a Sauvage backbone but is also almost its own scent. It’s the most mature and decisive.
With that said, it’s the most expensive. A 60mL (2oz) bottle runs about $155. That is comparable to a 100mL of Sauvage Parfum or a 200mL bottle of Sauvage EDT and EDP.
Nonetheless, a great classic throwback scent in a string of youthful formulations.
Dior Sauvage Elixir Performance
- Longevity: 12+ hours
- Projection and Sillage: 3+ hours and 3+ feet
- Versatility: Same as EDT
- Uniqueness: More unique than EDT, EDP, and Parfum
- Compliments & Likability: Likability is mixed.
- Cost for Value: Amazing performance but Expensive in comparison
- Number of Sprays: 1-2
- Most Prominent Notes: Cinnamon, Lavender, Amber, and Sandalwood
Final Words
No matter which Dior Sauvage fragrance you choose, you’re guaranteed to get a great performer with a vibrant opening and deeper dry-down.
Though the line is hated for its own success, I love having a bottle in my collection as it is a great fragrance.
I recommend every man have a Dior Sauvage fragrance in their collection. But the final question is, which is best for you?
- Choose the EDT version if you want the best cost for value.
- Choose the Elixir version if you want the most unique and best performer.
- Choose the EDP version if you want an amplified and more mature EDT version.
- The Parfum version is not a great buy. It is more expensive, performs worse, and only adds a little value to the line beyond the EDP version.
Dior Sauvage is one of the best and most popular fragrance lines for men. However, don’t just limit yourself to Dior Sauvage. Discover the entire line of Bleu de Chanel fragrances here.