Y Elixir by Yves Saint Laurent

Does anyone have this? Is the 60ml bottle refillable?

To start, I don’t recommend it if you’re offended by incense, because at first it smells like a Catholic church in a 60ml bottle. Then, once it dries down, it settles in, and there’s no doubt it competes with Sauvage Elixir, though it doesn’t even come close. It depends on your skin chemistry: it lasts and projects well, but with mediocre pH, after two hours you can’t even detect the trail (I’ve tested this on several people). Personally, it’s the typical perfume for a wedding, a formal night out, or afternoon golf. If you’re young (under 22), it’s not for you; it’s a very mature and formal scent, not for casual wear (semi-casual is okay). Don’t expect a strong trail; it’s formal, and you don’t want to overwhelm anyone, but rather have people come closer to check that you smell good. Lastly, it feels very linear for the YSL line, which usually offers something different from the commercial stuff. It seems they saw what Dior did and wanted to catch up without innovating. This doesn’t make it bad; the critics are just used to youthful scents, preferring JPG Le Male Elixir over Polo Blue for a wedding. It’s a good scent for its scene, but if you’re going to eat with friends or play bowling, it’s not the right place. Scent: 7.5-10, Projection: 8-10, Longevity: 9-10, Sillage (regular pH): 8-10.

Without knowing their full ‘Y’ range, after going through more than half the bottle, I’d say it’s modern, great for daily use without too much heat, conveys elegance and a certain closeness, and suggests a clean, kind person. That said, while the bottle is gorgeous, the atomizer is terrible—it doesn’t spray, it just sputters. The performance is like an oil-based perfume; projection is mediocre, and it lasts about 8-10 hours. It doesn’t scream, but it does stay with you.

When I tested it on my skin, I didn’t like the top note of geranium at all; I think it’s very prominent and it’s a smell that doesn’t excite me, but as time passes, the incense and woody oud start to come through.

I think it’s the best in the line. However, the scent is too derivative of the EDP Intense, so I don’t think it justifies the price. $90 for 60ml in my country is ridiculous. For that same money, you can get 100ml of the Intense, which smells very similar. Longevity is its biggest weakness; it hasn’t lasted long for me; I can only smell it passively a few hours later if I apply it to my clothes. The scent is extremely masculine; in the opening, it moves away enough from the fruity vibe of the mass-market Eau de Parfum, but after a while, it returns to the line’s DNA, and honestly, it gets boring. If it were $110 for 100ml, I’d recommend it. 5/10.

I tested it on paper and skin and was disappointed. It’s not bad, but very conventional. For the same price, you could buy the Y EDP and have change to spare. It feels more formal than the other flankers but is versatile. Lasts about six hours. Honestly, I don’t recommend it; there are cheaper options out there.

What is this? I can’t find any logic. The longevity and projection are good, but do you really want that in this perfume? I didn’t like it. To be fair, it’s a ‘challenging’ scent; I struggled to find an occasion to wear it and ended up selling it. I always recommend smelling before buying, or send it to Hell—maybe it would have been my thing.

Clean, fresh, soapy summer vibe. Addictive, I loved it, perfect for a young crowd (but not teenagers).

Since I got a 5ml sample, I was ecstatic. It’s a scent that fascinates and disorients me. I didn’t stop wearing it in spring, and it’s one of my favorites. If you like lavender and geranium, give it a try; the mix with oud is brutal. Projects to 1.5 meters, lasts about six hours, but that’s enough for me. It’s not a beast, it’s a floral explosion that I’m obsessed with. I didn’t notice much of the Y line touch; the oud and geranium hide it. Rating: 9/10, it’s the best of the year. Not advisable for summer; in autumn, I have other creamier options, but it works as an alternative because it leaves a mark and people ask what I’m wearing.

It has the Y DNA in the opening but is neither here nor there. There are perfumes from AB, Guess, or drugstores that cost five times less and smell like this. Elixir, what??? Where??? It doesn’t last at all, and the dry down is repulsive, a mix of Rexona sweat and cat urine. Maybe I’ll give it another chance later; since it’s from the Y line, it deserves it.

The oud here is green, like in Oud Noire. You can smell lots of rosemary and lavender, green and soapy, with the Y base. That’s this perfume.

For me, it’s the best in quality and scent. I know people talk badly about it, I hesitated at first, but it won me over in the store. The toilette really highlights its quality; next to it, the other one smells synthetic. It doesn’t smell like soap or nonsense. I respect the opinions, but decide for yourselves.

I tried it today and it reminds me of Carolina Herrera’s 212 VIP Black Extra in the dry-down. The opening is so strong that you can’t tell what comes next. Of the Y line, I stick with the EDP and Le Parfum.

Y Elixir is woody and aromatic. The opening is dry and slightly dirty (I assume the oud), but mostly wood, with a fruity base of bergamot and green apple typical of the line. The woods fade in intensity but add body. It’s more versatile than I thought, usable year-round. Longevity is good, over 12 hours, but the sillage drops quickly compared to Elixir de Sauvage. It’s not bad, but it has flaws: the price is high for 60ml, and it smells very similar to Y EDP Intense afterward. Recommendation: try it yourself and decide.

Update: It didn’t impress me the first time. After wearing it for months, it still smells like iron soaked in saltwater, lacking body and not to my taste. I fell in love with Y Intense, but this flanker isn’t a true Y Elixir. I expected more, especially given the ridiculous price for a designer fragrance. If they keep this up, niche perfumery will eat the designers alive. Longevity is 7-8 hours, projecting for 2. Since perfumes usually last longer on my skin, I don’t see much performance.