Seems strange Tommy would change the bottle from a Private Blend bottle to a clear bottle so soon after the initial release. Normally a bottle change equals a formula change but I haven’t heard anything. Has anyone detected any differences between the two different bottles?
You’ll find plenty of back and forth on this question in the final few pages of this thread: https://basenotes.com/threads/beau-de-jour-to-become-part-of-tom-fords-signature-line.467251/page-14
As you can see, some are adamant that there are differences, even going so far as to claim there are significant differences between the signature and private blend.
For my money, the differences are negligible put it in perspective, and what differences there are are slight.
The signature has a slightly different composition of the aromatic notes. It’s hard to say how/what that is, but I think some of the ‘herbs’ (basil, rosemary) were more prominent in one over the other; I think it was more rosemary in the signature. However, rather than ‘notes’, the difference is more obvious in other non-note elements. I found there to be a slightly sharper/thinner hairspray-like aroma in the signature, which is not present in the private blend. There’s also a slightly deeper melted plastic smell in the base of the private blend, which is something I smell in many of TF’s private blends – particularly those that dry down to similar bases (London, Italian Cypress most obviously to my nose). There is a difference in the amber, I’d say; it doesn’t translate to better, only different. The private blend is slightly darker/thicker, but that could very easily be these additional elements. As I said, these differences are minor, and trying to talk in detail about them swiftly becomes tricky and, eventually, pointless. There definitely are some differences, but by far the best way to test is to do a side by side comparison. Or, to familiarise yourself with one version then wear the other.
My gut instinct says there will be more difference between a reformulated Beau de Jour 10 years from now than there is between the 2019 Private Blend BdJ and the 2020 Signature BdJ.
