Dior Sauvage EDT vs Elixir: Battle of the Celebrities

Dior Sauvage is quite well-known, even without the fragrance community. Considering Johnny Depp is the face of the scent, it attracted people in droves with popular YouTuber Jeremy Fragrance talking about it in every other video.

In 2021, Dior released Sauvage Elixir, which is quite unique compared to the original EDT, and it’s also quite popular. I am aiming to compare Francois Demachy’s first creation in the line to the last one to see how the scent DNA has evolved since its inception.

Dior Sauvage EDT is viewed as a bit basic these days, but it wasn’t always that way. When it launched, it was met with disdain from fragrance aficionados and normal fragrance users alike. Sauvage was Dior’s answer to Chanel’s success with Bleu de Chanel. However, Sauvage was much more aggressive and synthetic than its blue counterpart, which made some noses crinkle in disgust. The ambroxan trend was still in its infancy at that point, at least in terms of popularity.

It took a but for it to catch on, but when it did, it became an overnight celebrity. The citrusy tones of bergamot persisted throughout the perfume’s life to keep it fresh. Dihydromyrcenol, which is a metallic lime/bergamot aroma chemical that allows shower gel scent to linger on the skin for longer periods of time, was used to extend this effect well into the deep dry down. Spicy and untamed Sichuan pepper with fiery pink pepper gave way to laundry detergent vibes from lavender and musk, with an overarching theme of sweet ambroxan, which gives it that signature shower gel feeling.

Sauvage EDT didn’t start out as a celebrity. It was Bleu de Chanel’s younger brother, who was more brash and straightforward. It just took some times to get used to him instead of Chanel’s elegant and more classy creation. As far as it being basic, that is because brands copy what Dior and Chanel do. They set trends. Both creations were unique when they came out, but as with everything that is trending, its own popularity hindered it a bit.

There was an EDP and Parfum version launched as well, but I am not going to discuss those today. In 2021, Demachy decided to do an entirely new take on his famous creation, and it even came with a more streamlined and minimalist bottle, that looks more elegant and refined.

The fragrance foregoes the screechy side of the EDT, and focuses more on lavender. This time opting to use a very rare and expensive version called AOP lavender, which has an almost piney balsamicness to it, which gives people the impression of a coniferous forest. Warmer spices such as cinnamon and cardamom were used to bring about a coziness to the scent. A base of sweetly wooded licorice, along with sandalwood and silky ambroxan.

Comparing the two, Elixir is much more elegant and suaver than its older brother, just as the bottles depict. It’s still a very powerful scent, but it lacks the overall nose-jarring forcefulness of the EDT. The ingredients are higher quality and the sweet woodiness of the scent is executed to near perfection, along with the stunning lavender.

The EDT is a much better choice if you live in a warmer climate, as the freshness is very versatile. Elixir is suited more for colder weather with its rich and somewhat thick velvety feeling. Both scents have a time and a place, but Elixir is far superior in every way to me. I typically prefer fresher scents, as I prefer Bleu de Chanel EDT over the EDP, but with Sauvage, the allure of the Elixir is just so much stronger than the EDT for me.

Although Elixir does lean more mature, I don’t think it would out of reach for any young men either, outside of the price. Elixir costs about $60 more than the EDT for a 60ml size, which would make some people have to eat ramen for the rest of the month to afford it, which is never a fun time.

The Sauvage line has certainly made its mark on both the commercial world and the fragrance community. It still flies off the shelves, no matter how much we want to discredit it. It may not be the most artistic line ever created, but it just works for many people, and there is nothing wrong with that. No matter which one you choose, you are sure to get a scent that is loved by many.