Star rating: 5 stars--outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars--very good, 3 stars--adequate, 2 stars--disappointing, 1 star--poor.
I now know that the worst thing after a perfume reformulation is a relaunch. You mourn your long lost favorite, stock up on bottles and brace yourself for the day when a spray releases nothing but a few scented puffs of air. Then you learn that the brand valiantly decides to reissue the fragrance and your hopes are resuscitated once again. You seek out a sample, eagerly apply the liquid to your skin and—it is not the same! That is exactly what I experienced with M7 Oud Absolu, a relaunch of the marvelous and polarizing Yves Saint Laurent fragrance M7.
M7 pushed all imaginable boundaries —the composition was a woody oriental blend of such boldness that it seemed fit for superheroes; the tenacity was legendary and the marketing campaign was one of the most controversial. Creators Alberto Morillas and Jacques Cavallier, perfumery superheroes in their own right, emphasized the richness of woody notes—oud, vetiver, sandalwood—by layering them with incense and citrus. M7 was dark as night and radiant as moonlight; in other words, mesmerizing.
The bold and brash original M7 was a resounding market failure, and perhaps it was a deliberate choice to tone it down. If M7 growls, M7 Oud Absolu meows. The woods are splashed with the licorice sweetness of myrrh and creamy musks provide a hazy glow to the whole composition. The dark, smoky woods of the original M7 are rendered in violet tones, similar to Serge Lutens Féminité du Bois. The medicinal richness of oud swirls in and out of the composition, always remaining mild. The semblance to the original is clear in its woody and ambery notes, but the overall character is subdued and mellow.
I am ambivalent on M7 Oud Absolu. Its rich, chocolate amber drydown with a hint of myrrh is comforting and tender, but it is not distinctive enough. While I can easily recall M7 in my mind, I struggle to remember the defining features of M7 Oud Absolu. However, in comparison to most other new launches, especially among masculine fragrances, it stands out for its elegant and suave aura. Perhaps if M7 were not so vivid in my mind, I would have been kinder to this offspring. Meanwhile, I am going to try to smell M7 Oud Absolu on its own terms.
Yves Saint Laurent M7 Oud Absolu contains notes of bergamot, mandarin, orange, rosemary, vetiver, oud, musk, and amber. Available from major retailers.
Image: original M7 ad.
Sample: my own acquisition
This review reminds me that there used to be some rather glorious men's scents around, of which M7 was one. That they all seem to have vanished in a puff of nitromusks makes me wonder why we have become so timid and apologetic, fearful of not smelling of freshly pressed linen or laundry, afraid of a waft of incense or a handful of vetiver.
Posted by: Suzanna | March 15, 2012 at 09:07
Have you smelled Paco Rabanne One Million? Not exactly the style I like, but it sure is bold! And fits perfectly with the bottle and the whole marketing image.
By and large, though, I agree. The masculine fragrance counter is even more boring than the feminine one.
Posted by: Victoria | March 15, 2012 at 12:14
so glad to have and wear the original! it's one of my favorite men's scents, and so distinctive and rich. and soooo unlike most of the men's offerings these days. so i can understand why the new one might disappoint - but it does sound better than most of the new stuff out there for guys - so i, too, will try to enjoy it for what it is.
in fact, the only recent men's scent i sorta-kinda liked on my sniffing trip a couple of weeks ago was victor & rolf's spicebomb - which was more like a spicepuff than a big blast of spice, but still nice because it WASN'T one of the ubiquitous citrus-musk-detergent-clean wood men's scents that all smell the same (and really dull) to me. then again, i am a huge fan of equipage, bel ami, m7, kouros and eau sauvage, among other men's classics.
i wish i could encourage men to look for something more interesting than the the citrus-musk-detergent-clean wood scents they all seem to gravitate to around here, but maybe those men are not themselves interesting...
a truly interesting man is going to look for something unique - something that expresses himself - and he won't be afraid to explore the classics. i guess i just have to wait for him to cross my path. in the meantime, it's detergent city.
Posted by: minette | March 15, 2012 at 13:37
I am wearing Cologne Bigarade on one wrist right now and Eau Sauvage on another. Both are wonderful! And like you, I cannot stand the mutant lavender and laundry musks of typical masculine scents. At least, Oud Absolu is not in that category.
Posted by: Victoria | March 15, 2012 at 15:03
I don't see how the reissue holds any merrit. It is blunt and vanilic when male vanillas are worth a dime a dozens these days. Its top and middle notes don't last at all and the bottle is bad, outdated design and feels cheap. Is this the destiny of great ideas?
Posted by: Amer | March 16, 2012 at 08:32
Sigh... Let's hope, it isn't.
Posted by: Victoria | March 16, 2012 at 12:18
M7 is so bold. I had to step one step back when I first tried it. But it is great perfume it is so much going on on that I can't even describe it. And it is not an easy perfume to wear. Love it.
Posted by: civava | March 17, 2012 at 06:12
I once owned the original M7. I wish I still did. I'll have to sniff out this updated version.
Posted by: Barney A. Bishop | March 20, 2012 at 12:16
The original M7 is still easy to find. The update just doesn't compare...
Posted by: Victoria | March 20, 2012 at 13:01