Sauvage Elixir by was released in 2021 as a Parfum for men. The nose behind the parfum is Francois Demachy. Sauvage Elixir is part of the Sauvage collection. It’s a flanker to the iconic 2015 fresh scent named Sauvage. Like the rest of the Sauvage collection, the elixir has been a hit!
This woody scent has grapefruit, cardamon, nutmeg, and lavender as keynotes.
A note from the brand:
Francois Demachy, Dior Perfumer-Creator, created the Sauvage Elixir fragrance like a fine liqueur made of exceptional ingredients. This concentration was made possible by the exceptional quality of the raw materials: Sauvage Elixir is a fragrance as unique and rare as a red moon in the night sky.
| Perfume Name | Sauvage Elixir |
| Brand | Dior |
| Year Released | 2021 |
| Concentration | Parfum |
| Scent Family | Woody |
| Gender | men |
As soon as Sauvage Elixir was launched, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a sample. Despite being a Sauvage fan and being tempted to buy a bottle as soon as it was available, I got a sample from my local stockist.
What does Sauvage Elixir by Dior smell like?
A warm and spicy scent, Sauvage Elixir opens with a heavy dose of cinnamon working its way down to a lavender heart; and a grounded woody, earthy base.
Elixir is definitely the most complex fragrance in the whole Sauvage collection in my opinion. It feels very masculine, charismatic, and sexy, but not in a romantic way.
It still reminds me of the original Sauvage EDT, but the elixir still does its own thing at the same time. I feel it’s for slightly different crowds, but I can imagine someone owning both and switching them out depending on the occasion.
| Top Notes | Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cardamom and Grapefruit |
| Middle Notes | Lavender |
| Base Notes | Licorice, Sandalwood, Amber, Patchouli and Haitian Vetiver |
My Experience
The moment I smelled it for the first time, it immediately felt much darker and deeper than any of the other flankers of the Sauvage line. The lavender, nutmeg, and cinnamon immediately hit me.
The dry-down keeps the lavender, whereas the cinnamon and the nutmeg become less pronounced. I felt the lavender was also pretty interesting as it was more like dried lavender and not fresh from the field lavender. At the same time, the nutmeg balances it out, keeping the fragrance warm and spicy.
The dry-down was my favorite part – the toned-down lavender with the nutmeg in a supporting role. After a bit of time, I started noticing the licorice a lot more. I know many people either love or hate licorice, so that could be a deciding factor in how you feel about the scent.
The way the star anise mixes with the sandalwood and the nutmeg is incredible and will get you many compliments.
Sillage & Projection
The projection is pretty impressive. Personally, I didn’t find it a beast mode projector like some of the other Sauvage releases, but it’s still more than sufficient for other people in your vicinity to smell. I had a good projection for around 5 hours.
Longevity & Versatility
The longevity of Elixir is simply immense. It lasted at least 12 hours on my skin. This is definitely something I’d wear in the autumn and winter. If I had a bottle I’d probably also wear it at the start of spring, but it feels completely out of place on warmer days.
It’s something I would reserve for special events, date nights etc. It’s a very situational scent. It would be pretty overpowering for the office.
Closing thoughts
The Elixir is absolutely worth a try if you are looking for something unique and sophisticated to wear on special occasions and nights out. If you are already a Sauvage fan, then adding this to your collection makes it worth a blind buy.
The Elixir feels a bit more mature to me. I feel the original Sauvage was fresher and more youthful, while I would say the Elixir is something that I can imagine men that are slightly older would prefer. Unless you are a die-hard Sauvage fan, I’d probably stick to a sample. It comes with a hefty price tag, so I’m still a bit on the fence about whether I would buy a bottle at some point.