Youth-Dew Estēe Lauder (1953) Eau de Parfum

Youth-Dew (Eau de Parfum) by Estēe Lauder

Bottle Design: Ira Levy

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Youth-Dew (Eau de Parfum) (Estēe Lauder)

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7.7 / 10 289 Ratings

Youth-Dew (Eau de Parfum) is a popular perfume by Estēe Lauder for women and was released in 1953. The scent is oriental-spicy. Projection and longevity are above-average. It is being marketed by Estēe Lauder Companies.

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Perfumer

Josephine Catapano

Fragrance Notes

Top Notes	Aldehydes, Bergamot, , Narcissus, Orange, Peach, Rose
Heart Notes	Spices, Cassia, Clove, Carnation, Jasmine, Lily-of-the-valley, Orchid, Ylang-ylang, Cinnamon
Base Notes	Amber, Benzoin, Oakmoss, Patchouli, Vanilla, Vetiver, Tolu balm, Peru balsam, Musk, Frankincense

Ratings

Scent

7.7 (289 Ratings)

Longevity

9.2 (205 Ratings)

Sillage

8.7 (201 Ratings)

Bottle

7.4 (211 Ratings)

Submitted by Sani, last update on 14.01.2019

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Reviews

05/08/2018

7.0/10

8.0/10

9.0/10

Carlitos01

Very helpful Review 5

The feminine (unisex!) animalic spice bomb

The perfumist of Youth Dew - Josephine Catapano - one of the pioneer women perfumers working within the large scale top designer fragrance industry - passed away on May 14, 2012 aged 93. She has been the author of Norell (by Norell), Cinnabar, Youth-Dew, and JHL (by Estée Lauder), Fidji (by Guy Laroche) and Zen (by Shiseido), among others. She is also believed to have made contributions to other major fragrances as her accolades include her 1980 Cosmetic Career Women’s Award as well as her 1993 Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Perfumers.
That is the creative aura behind this Dew for both youthful and mature ladies.
A perfume that was launched in 1953 could hardly be more actual than Youth Dew.
Aldehydes and spices provide a grand opening. The spices note endures through the heart notes and a strong presence of cinnamon and cloves is also detectable. The bottom notes reveal strong balsamic notes together with incense and the unavoidables vetiver, moss, patchouli and musk. The subsequent long dry down is overly pleasant.
In sumary the global impression you get from this fragrance is of a complex blending, quite spicy and balsamic with a very long, pleasant earthy and woody drydown. The performance is quite high.

My rates for Youth Dew:
Scent Opening: 8.5 (my judgement)
Scent Dry Down: 9.0 (my judgement - quite unisex during the drydown)
Longevity: 9.0 (well above average and close to beasty)
Sillage: 8.5 (6~8 feet at its peak with just 2 good sprays)
Uniqueness: 9.0 (quite unique, considering the existing feminine fragrances that I am aware of; Nobody was able - or care to - to copy it in the past 65 years; Nevertheless I do note a certain similarity with Cinnabar (contemporary) and Agent Provocateur (a lot younger fragrance))
Wearability: 7.0 (cold weather, mainly at night)
Versatility: 9.0 (yes to clubbing, socializing, events, restaurants... and yes to dates, romancing, sex, office, picnics, weaddings, movies, birthday gift to your mother in law... no good to work out, places where you may sweat and beach!)
Quality: 9.0 (my judgement)
Presentation: 7.5 (simple but effective; very good sprayer)
Price: 9.0 (67 ml non tester for 22 Euros + shipping)

Overall rating: 8.55/10.00
- between 7 and 8 =above average;
- between 8 and 9 = recomended;
- bigger than 9 = don't miss it;
I do recommend this fragrance; it's a mature old school fragrance, balsamic and almost animalic, that may please many women and men particulary in the over pleasant drydown.

Music: Lou Reed "Walk in the wild side"

2 Replies

08/08/2017

8.0/10

9.0/10

9.5/10

MadameVizard

Very helpful Review 6

Spa Grand Luxe

Youth-Dew is just one of the best perfumes ever.

For me, its most valuable quality is that it is a chamaleon. I can easily imagine both a bohemian, hippy-like person, both a glamorous, somewhat conservative housewive, wearing it. It recalls me Christmas desserts and homemade Coke. It recalls me some sort of incense that could be burnt in the altar of some satanic cult. It makes me to think about old Dracula movies and gorgeous film stars, Marilyn Monroe and Sophia Loren type. But perhaps the most compelling image that it conjures in my mind is a super expensive spa. Estée Lauder herself said it: "Women still like to feel beautiful, pampered and loved, And that is what Youth-Dew is all about.". There is a classic Spanish bath gel, Magno Classic, which evokes exactly the same feeling. A huge, black marble bathtube with golden taps, lots of steam, lavender essence and almond oil, frankincense being burnt, orange juice and cinnamon tea (by the way, if you have the chance of choosing between the Bath Oil and the Eau de Parfum, take the Bath Oil without hesitation).

Youth-Dew was revolutionary. Estée Lauder wanted to change the perfume habits of the very conservative American women of her time, who, due their puritanical education, perceived perfume as surrounded by a sinful aura. They never bought their own perfume, expecting it to be gifted by their husbands or boyfriends. Therefore, Estée conceived a very intense, long-lasting bath oil that women could choose,buy and use freely by themselves without any kind of remorse. The smell was strong and glamorous, very old-school, European-style, but according with the American sense of practicality, the bath oil could be used too as a perfume extract. And she seemed to have sensed that it is through such little gestures that the society and perceptions can be changed.

Youth-Dew is one of the strongest and long-lasting perfumes sold today. Masterpiece.

04/07/2016

6.0/10

10.0/10

9.0/10

6.5/10

DorothyGrace

Gone but not forgotten

Mum wore Youth Dew for 40 years (the first bottle a gift from my sister bought with her first pay packet from her teenage holiday job); then came 2012.

The 2012 bottle was a shock; so altered. Superficially the same, it behaved quite differently on the skin with the strident opening never abating throughout the whole wear. The orange top and rose middle were completely drowned in a rather artificial smelling spice and vanilla.

When I smell it I can almost smell its previous incarnation which was warmer, softer, smoother, more floral, less screechy, less strident; but not quite.

Mum and I had great fun trying to find a replacement (examples Noel au Balcon and 5 O'clock Gingembre) and tried a bottle of the bath oil but in the end an older bottle of Youth Dew from ebay was the only thing that satisfied.

Youth Dew suited mum as a young married woman, it suited her as a 60 year old zipping about on her moped, it suited her at 80 with her cheeky, mischievious, personality; her punful, dry sense of humour; her laid back casual fleece and tea-shirt look with grey hair pulled back into a careless bun or ponytail.

At 80 she was a young carefree woman in an old body. I love my mum but at 86 with her memory fading with dementia she is hard to find. I wish Youth Dew was still Youth Dew but it's not and mum can tell the difference if I spray her with the 2012 bottle instead of the earlier one (of which there is not much left).

Bath oil September 2013
Eau de Parfum spray 2012
Older version circa 2003-2005 and a lifetime of scent memories

1 Replies

03/11/2015

7.5/10

10.0/10

9.0/10

Briarthorn

Very helpful Review 8

A persnickety concoction of extremes and a wonderful ride.

This is for a 1980s vintage formulation.

Youth Dew is not an scent you wear. It’s an experience, sort of like a roller coaster. Some people love the intense rush and others despise it and want off before the ride has really begun. Youth Dew is a concoction of extremes. The extreme power of it’s projection (It’ll fill a stadium) the extreme reaction it invokes (I LOVE it or I HATE it, never just “eh”), the extreme evolution it takes on the skin, the extreme color (it’s so dark it’s almost black), and the extreme difference in how it smells on different people and how they, in turn, perceive it’s scent. I happen to be on the “I love it” train. It just works for me.

When I first spray it on I think, “Beautiful”. It starts off a bit sweet with a citrus punch. It’s a surprisingly cola like sweetness with a peachy edge, I suspect the orchid is also part of that sweetness. After a few moments a slightly soapy, powdery, mixed floral begins to sing. It’s a yellow floral mix, with ylang-ylang, narcissus, and a touch of lavender. The oakmoss is hinted at here with a moist earthiness and a bit of a bite to calm the sweetness. My overall impression of the opening is that it’s magical and intoxicating with it’s floral brightness and the slighty sweet zing that sends me over the moon.

After about thirty minutes the balsam pair comes out to play and the florals are less evident. The balsams give the composition a nice earthy woodiness. This pairs very nicely with the slightly bitter spice mix that is also coming forward. I get more of a cinnamon spice than a clove based one. Also, in this spice mix, there is something I can’t name but that I find in many of the classic orientals that give them that oriental “feel” that they are known for.. There is also a slight vanillin sweetness (most likely from the Balsams). The Frankincense blends so well with the spices and Balsams that after a time they become a single note together, making it difficult to pick their individual notes apart. It’s muddled, but perhaps that’s not the correct word to use here. That implies something negative and this blending is anything but. It’s absolutely lovely. It is, however, intense. Individuals not used to this of classic powerhouse could easily be overwhelmed. The patchouli is strong in the base. It’s not a clean patchouli but dirty, almost fecal but not quite. It balances on that line. It’s not normally how I like my patchouli, but here is works. It adds a needed element to the incense and spices to bring them together in harmony. There is still a slightly floral hint but it’s more lavender and cassis at this point. There is still a memory of that cola sweetness too. Overall the heart and dry down give a feeling of contentment and coziness. It’s all working together to be warm and easy in it’s brash loudness. A contradiction but true all the same.

This scent seems to evolve so quickly on the skin. Or perhaps it’s just how my nose perceives it at any given moment. It made piecing this review together from my wear notes rather challenging to read as anything other than a stream of consciousness essay.

Youth Dew walks a very careful and well developed line. Her components are balanced perfectly to provide the amazing experience that only she can. However, if for whatever reason, your skin/ chemistry projects any component too much it can ruin the entire effect. Youth dew is persnickety and doesn’t always play nicely. If she likes you, she is an amazing ride. If she doesn’t, well, you’ll write a negative review and swear her off forever.

1 Replies

10/13/2013

7.5/10

5.0/10

Sorceress

Very helpful Review 5

Youth Dew Of Today Pales In Comparison To Yesteryear

So here I am, at the Estee Lauder counter, snooping around the fragrances. I spot the Youth Dew, which is one of the perfumes I had wanted to test, and along comes the SA. "Ah....Youth Dew", she says. "Ms. Lauder created this decades ago, and it is one of the most popular." Yes, yes, I know this, but I have to be polite. I smile and know I'm in for the sales pitch now. She asks me to walk around to where the perfumes are stocked where she goes on to deliver her sales pitch. I spray Youth Dew on.
Years ago, as a young woman, one of my aunts used Youth Dew, and would give me her bottles when I would visit her. So I had a growing collection of perfume of semi-used bottles of high-end fragrances from my wonderful Aunt Marie. She would give me them just because she was generous and liked to share. Because the next week I would see her, she'd have new bottles of the same stuff. She just liked to give me her perfumes. Aunt Marie was a wonderful, caring, sharing and strong person with everyone. She taught me many things in life and that included humor, too.
I remember finding Youth Dew a very heavy perfume, that I would only use at night, and very sparingly on pulse points. It was a mysterious scent, and back then I didn't know a note from a name. All I did know was that I loved this rubber-coated bottle, I thought it was kitschy and Youth Dew was unlike any other I had every smelled.
Thick, rich, spicy, cloying in its presentation, the aldehydes kick at the beginning, vanilla, musk, amber, the mosses with the woods and the patchouli (I'm a patchouli junkie)...what more could I ask for? Oh this baby was special, no doubt about it. I would wear it only on special occasions, too, because I would think it was too grown-up for me at that time. Once I was married with children, it became a frag I could wear, but not necessarily around the little ones, it's too strong.
So I listen to her sales pitch about the gift sets for Christmas, some time goes by, and I re-smell my arm. Oh no! Where did the Youth Dew go? Where is my beloved memory scent? This Youth Dew is too light, and I'm trying to really get a handle on its notes but I can't smell much at all.
I don't know if it's the reformulation or if the tester bottle was off, but on that particular day Youth Dew did not deliver its promise of a spicy Oriental. I will go to another Lauder counter and re-test this potion, because I really want to see if the perfume standards have changed this beauty that much.
I miss my original Youth Dew.

3 Replies

09/11/2013

5.0/10

10.0/10

4.0/10

AmySourbutts

Helpful Review 3

Too Strong For Me

I am not a fan of this perfume at all. It's so intense that it makes my eyes water. There's something in this that is completely disagreeable to my body chemistry. I know people dismiss perfumes of the 80's and 90's as sillage monsters, but this is more like a bomb.

2 Replies

12/19/2012

5.0/10

10.0/10

5.0/10

Sherapop

The Stinkiest of All Possible Perfumes?

Estée Lauder YOUTH DEW continues to confound me. I should have written it off long ago as an impossibly unwearable, completely alienating scent perfect for radiating "don't touch me" to anyone who comes within 100 meters. Honestly, it stinks. Wear this perfume in public in tattered clothes and with disheveled hair, and I can nearly guarantee that you will be mistaken for a homeless person.

Perversely, I continue to re-test this perfume, however, despite the fact that I consistently experience precisely the same ugliness every time I wear it. Perhaps I am wondering whether wearing YOUTH DEW is supposed to be a character-building experience rather like running up Pikes Peak, or fasting for a week, or participating in the Finnish International Sauna Championship, during which contestants have been known to experience nasal passage and cranial bleeding.

So maybe the point is that after the pain comes the endorphin rush of pleasure. Unfortunately, I have never achieved that moment of deliverance in my wearings of YOUTH DEW. Instead, I invariably head off to take a hot bath, as I intend right now to do.

3 Replies

11/23/2012

LiliumLibido

Greatly helpful Review 8

A mystery

How Estee Lauder created such a masterpiece in the bath oil and such a revolting stink bomb in the spray is a mystery, quite frankly. So I am reviewing the bath oil because the spray makes my eyes water and makes me want to hurl.

YD is one of the most polarizing fragrances in the world, it has inspired lust and poetry as well as hatred and revulsion, and that was what attracted me to it initially.
It has been compared Ad Nauseam with Cinnabar and Opium, but it is older than both, in fact, I believe it was the inspiration for both.

But YD is truly unique, imo.
First, one should never, EVER over apply YD. Or she will turn into a Weapon of Mass Destruction that will reach every living creature in a 10 mile radius on a search and destroy mission. Overdone, YD is one cruel, heartless, ugly psycho.

But try a tiny dot on a couple of pulse points. It will take flight in a deep spicy fugue, and develop into a surprising breathy softness, think of a jewelled toned silk veil from somewhere far, far away, a land that you can't pronounce or find on a map.
The scent is not sweet but well into the drydown, a voluptuous roundness appears: Gone is the initial slap of the patchouli, it is now replaced with a mysterious femininity that transforms the fragrance from butch to femme through an arcane metamorphosis of notes: All skillfully blended to play up and contrast each other while avoiding any coarseness between the stages.

YD is a maze of impenetrable meanders, and like the map of a landscape so forbidding that only a few, bona fide risk takers would venture to visit, she appears absolutely terrifying at first glance. (Or at first sniff, in this case, lol) But DO dare and explore her Byzantine territory: You must use a gentle approach and an open mind, but if you do, you will be awed by its unconventional beauty.

YD was not created for those who like to drench themselves with total abandon, it is an elixir best worn in trace, minute amount. And she may decide to reject your chemistry. But if you are compatible and she likes you, she will take you on an unforgettable journey.

07/15/2012

jtd

jtd

Greatly helpful Review 7

Drawling Amber.

Be careful wearing a perfume made almost entirely of basenotes. A little bergamot can hardly be heard behind the heavy amber/vanillic /spice stage curtain. Likewise, a bit of aldehyde can’t lift the 400 pound gorrilla. Dense and proud, sister Youth Dew.

This stuff must have been a spectacular accessory in the good-girl/bad-girl, loud-subtext barbarity of the mid 20th century.

04/25/2012

5.0/10

10.0/10

6.0/10

Dolby

Helpful Review 5

One of the Grandes Dames

The first time I sprayed Youth Dew on my forearms to test, I got a strong sensation of smelling ginger, except it was a ginger without the peppery note.

The first blast was spicy and lemony, a strange mixture of hot and cold, fresh and warm.

Later on, the scent developed into a weird dusty attic smell, as when you open a wooden chest stuffed full of old musty clothes. It is strangely pleasant and disturbing at the same time.

I can understand why some people view Youth Dew as an "old lady's scent". It certainly has that olden days vibe about it. The drydown, to me, is a classic soap meets traditional cologne.

Can certainly be worn by both men and women.

One to try again. Not love at first sniff, but there is scope for it to grow on me.

02/02/2012

5.0/10

10.0/10

Lola82

Very helpful Review 6

Temple of Incense

Estee Lauder's Youth Dew conjours dual contradictions Sex & Esoteric Seduction
& Piety Animalistic & Innocent everyone
has an different interpretation of what
the scent means to an person and Youth
Dew fits that Description.

It opens with an synthetic note of
Aldehyde with an drying of orange and
the shapness of Bergamot it dries to an
middle note of Raw uncut and pervasive
amount of Spices Ginger Curry every spice note is in this. then the fiery
sweetness of cinnamon shows up to the
senses.

The semi-spicy of the Cassia leaf mingles with the other spices with the
spicy sweet notes of clove Florals are
hard to detect because of the dominating notes of spices but i can
dectect a faint note of rose.

The drydown is an intoxicating scent
of Sandalwood incense Burning in Hindu
Temples in front of an deity clouds of
smoke floats allover the temple a strong
grounded note of Patchouli supports the
basenotes along with sweet amber and musk but i also can pick up some Civet
it dose add an animalistic quality to it.

at the very bottom note of Balsam
is an woodish scent has a bit of an
fiery tinge.

Youth Dew has it's own idenity that nobody can compare or measure up the silage is the heaviest of the history
of perfumes the liquid is sort of an
occidental version of the Arabian and
Indian Attars with their heavy and pure perfume silage the Liquid color conjours
up a Blood Red Sunset in the Desert sky

01/19/2012

10.0/10

7.5/10

7.0/10

Missk

Very helpful Review 9

Not as 'old lady' as some may think

From a younger person's perspective, I guess it might come as a bit of a shock when I admit that I actually love this fragrance.

Old lady? I think not. As a 19 year old girl I would not feel ashamed by wearing this scent.

Youth-Dew is sophisticated, elegant, warm, inviting and in some ways strangely sexy. While I'm not a fan of fragrances containing aldehydes, I do love it when the powdery quality of the aldehydes are blended with spices. This blend gives this fragrance such a rich and feminine quality.

I have heard some people describe this fragrance as smelling similar to incense or exotic merchandise stores. I may just have to agree with that statement, however personally I love those smells, I find them to be quite soothing.

Where this scent goes wrong is when it is applied too heavily. Two or three sprays are certainly enough, any more and even I would be cringing at the thought of Youth-Dew.

1 Replies