As a backstory… When my brother @Mythrol was doing his The Quest for THE Vetiver thread, one of the recommended scents was Monsieur by Huitieme Art. This was a fragrance released for sale in the later part of 2013. So my brother acquired a sample from Osswald NYC to test, and reviewed the fragrance favorably although recognizing that it wasn’t a pure or heavy-handed vetiver fragrance. So it couldn’t come close to being called ‘THE’ vetiver. I tried the sample and ended up liking the fragrance, as it was a dense and strong woods smell and yet had enough dryness to it to wear in my humid Louisiana climate. However, while I was searching for other fragrance and vintage gems, I lost site of the fragrance and the sample sat for years while I pursued other interests.
Fast forward to August of this year, and I came across the sample of Monsieur. In an instant I was taken back to when I first smelled it. I remembered how I was strongly considering to get the fragrance, and decided it was time to pull the trigger and get a bottle. Well, good luck finding it. I searched everywhere and it was not sold anymore by Osswald or Luckyscent. Even eBay produced no ‘for sale’ results. I thought it was gone. After further research, I learned that the fragrance still existed but was now being sold under the brand Pierre Guillaume Paris. Could it be? I emailed Pierre Guillaume Paris, Osswald, and Luckyscent to ask if it was indeed the same fragrance. I asked each if the Pierre Guillaume Paris Monsieur was the “exact” same fragrance as the Huitieme Art Monsieur fragrance, hoping they would be the same as Pierre Guillaume is the perfumer for both. Pierre Guillaume Paris was the first to reply to my email and was very polite, and stated, “I can confirm you, PIERRE GUILLAUME’s MONSIEUR perfume is the same like HUITIEME ART’s. It’s just a new marketing bottle.” What a relief to read that reply. I never received any response from Osswald, which was a little surprising as they’ve always had good customer service. I did receive a reply from an extremely nice person with Luckyscent, who expressed that they were same “profile/general formula” but also noted that there could certainly be reformulations. Luckyscent was kind enough to work with me in expediting a sample of what they have in stock to compare with the sample that I possessed.
Today I am doing a second wearing of Huitieme Art Monsieur and Pierre Guillaume Paris Monsieur, on opposite hands to do a direct comparison. I’m also enlisting the help of the trusted nose of my coworker, who makes her own natural fragrances as a hobby with pure quality essential oils, to see if her perceptions line up with mine or if I’m being overly critical.
My Thoughts: Luckyscent nailed it and Pierre Guillaume Paris, unsurprisingly, got it wrong. The two are essentially the same, but there certainly are differences between the 2. The Huitieme Art opens with more density and an astringent quality, while the Pierre Guillaume Paris has more of a smokiness in the background that’s present. Vetiver has been pulled more forward in the PGP, with an inky quality, while light woods and cedar (like cedarwood essential oil) in the background are more presence with the HA. As they both develop, and after about an hour into the wearing, the PGP is so light on my skin that I barely smell it while the HA is still intense. The HA is presenting a mixture of sandalwood and patchouli in the base, and the PGP is presenting vetiver and generic woods. Ultimately the fragrance has been gutted and is now, and I hate using this terminology, a ‘thin veil of its former self.” What a disappointment! I’m going to take some assumptions at this point and say that I highly suspect IFRA restrictions and cost savings have driven this reformulation. If you love/loved Huitieme Art Monsieur, you will be disappointed by Pierre Guillaume Monsieur. Having said that, I think it is also fair to say that if you want a really good dry woody fragrance then you may very well enjoy PGP Monsieur. For me, it doesn’t capture the beauty of the Huitieme Art version in complexity, depth, development, or performance. I’d recommend looking at one of the billion other woody scents that can be had at a lower cost.
Her Thoughts: (Note: I sprayed on two separate test papers and did not tell her which was which, although I marked the papers so that I would know which was which.) On initial sniff, she thought that they smelled very similar. She pointed to the Huitieme Art paper and said that “there is note in this one that is not in the other one.” She also called the note “distinguished”. About 5 minutes in, and she said that the Pierre Guillaume Paris version is nice but it smells very light and smells mostly of vetiver. She prefers the Huitieme Art version, compared to the Pierre Guillaume Paris version but says the PGP was nice. Regarding both fragrances, she said “it would have to grow on me”. I think her last statement may be the most telling of all regarding Monsieur.
NOTE: I want to give a special thanks to Luckyscent, who gave an accurate response and fast shipping. Staff at Luckyscent are VERY friendly and responsive. It was a pleasure to deal with Luckyscent and I would never hesitate doing business with them! Thanks, Luckyscent!
