Drakkar Noir Guy Laroche 1982 Eau de Toilette

Drakkar Noir (Eau de Toilette) by Guy Laroche

Bottle Design Pierre Dinand

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Drakkar Noir (Eau de Toilette) (Guy Laroche)

7.7 / 10434 Ratings

Drakkar Noir (Eau de Toilette) is a popular perfume by Guy Laroche for men and was released in 1982. The scent is spicy-woody. It is still available to purchase.

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Perfumer

Pierre Wargnye

Fragrance Notes

Top Notes	Artemisia Basil Bergamot Lavender Rosemary Lemon Lemon vervain
Heart Notes	Carnation Jasmine Coriander Juniper Cinnamon
Base Notes	Amber Oakmoss Leather Patchouli Sandalwood Fir Vetiver Cedarwood

Ratings

Scent

7.7434 Ratings

Longevity

7.4318 Ratings

Sillage

7.1324 Ratings

Bottle

6.4334 Ratings

Value for money

8.241 Ratings

Submitted by DonVanVliet, last update on 05.09.2021.

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Reviews

09/05/2021

10
Scent 8
Longevity 10
Sillage 6
Bottle

Matux
24 Reviews

Matux

Helpful Review 2

Fougere

Fougeres are blends with sweet top-notes, lavender and oakmoss. Well, this Drakkar is a perfect example of such kind of compositions. Not the classiest around when launched, still, a truthful one.

It does smell dated, so if fashion is your kick, rule it out. Strong? Too, sillage - wise, actually. Complex too. Good longevity also. In a nutshell, it will accompany you along the day, you will get whiffs of it as time goes by.

If you wear it you will know how smart, well dressed men felt twenty years ago when leaving for a date or the disco.

Besides notes and accords, you might as well enjoy that.

08/21/2021

10
Scent 6
Longevity 6
Sillage 10
Bottle 10
Pricing

JavSantana
8 Reviews

JavSantana

Let's talk on Drakkar.

I knew this cologne because of a certain youtuber's video on Old School Colognes. Drakkar Noir and Azzaro (Which are quite similar, lavender heavy scents with some type of anise nuance, leather and oakmoss) made the list, along some pretty heavy colognes such as Hermes bel ami and stuff. Drakkar Noir was described as a "juvenile fougere scent" which indeed is. It is very similar to Azzaro as i said before, but it just smells less mature, sexier and cleaner. I have a batch which i think is from 2016. Let's talk on that.

First, the opening, which is an amazingly fresh opening with some citrus tones. Aromatic, herbal as well. The heart reveals woods, more herbs and even a touch of florals such as carnation, a heavily used note in old school colognes. In the drydown we get a punch of leather (A leather which is amazingly realistic and i guess is based upon isomethyl-quinoline, i guess the reformulations introduced that leather in the fragrance) and a plethora of woods and earth notes such as moss, vetiver, patchouli, fir, pine, et cetera. I find this cologne to have been concieved in a period that i consider the "baroque" era of perfumery. Drakkar Noir has 25 listed notes, an impressive amount when compared to modern day colognes, and that makes me think how hard it must have been to mix all those ingredients, in what small quantities when the perfume was originally created. This cologne is perfectly usable by men in any age group. A 50 year old man can use it to recall the days of old and a 20 year old guy can rock it as well without smelling dated or stuff. The performance is something to mention though, the first day i used it i sprayed it happily. It lasted an hour. Now, after around a year of liquid aging, the cologne lasts some five or six hours when spraying normally and i guess some 8 hours when overspraying.

Overall, i think this is a great cologne, and the price it costs is pretty good. As i mentioned the performance is quite weak in the beginning, but after that it just gets better. An amazing old school cologne with pretty much no animalic tones on it, and very usable still nowadays. Some consider it a random uncle frag, but it really is a masterpiece when analyzed.

07/14/2021

9
Scent 7
Longevity 8
Sillage 8
Bottle

ChicoRoch1
31 Reviews

ChicoRoch1

Very helpful Review 6

Buy Vintage

Funny thing is when Drakkar Noir first came on the market in 1982 i never paid any attention to it. However all these yrs later i find myself searching all over the internet for an early 80s bottle because I've come to love Drakkar Noir. Simply put it was one of only two fragrances in the 1980s where every man owned a bottle. The other scent was Azzaro PH. I own 3 vintage bottles. 1 from 1991 and the other 2 from 1993. Very masculine and the oakmoss at the base really packs a punch. A true 80s powerhouse with good longevity. I get about 7hrs of wear which is sufficient. The very first formula contained patchouli which made it really stand out above all others but in 1989 the patchouli note was removed for SOME reason which made the fragrance have a detergent kind of vibe at the base. That's why i search high and low for that very first batch. Hopefully I'll come across it.

1 Replies

03/20/2021

9
Scent 7
Longevity 7
Sillage 8
Bottle

Caspikaar
6 Reviews

Caspikaar

Timeless soap

Although I know that Drakkar has been reformulated several times, I still find it a very good product to this day.

I hear many people say that it evaporates very quickly and that the smell is completely different than it used to be. I partially agree, however; Drakkar Noir from the 80s was so dated and known that it would no longer sell at this time (I would buy it but alot of people won’t)

The fragrance is well balanced in my opinion, projects VERY well in the first 4 hours and stays as a skin scent for 6-7 hours.

This is a scent that your nose quickly gets used to, but other people really smell you, believe me.

03/01/2021

5
Scent 3
Longevity 2
Sillage 4
Bottle

ScentSlave
137 Reviews

ScentSlave

Helpful Review 1

I grabbed it just to take a trip down memory lane

And it still brings back visual memories of yesterday; (it immediately makes me think of women’s bangs being hairsprayed into 3inch high fan’s, and men rocking mullets)... You can definitely tell it’s been altered, however...

It’s as if a fantastic artist was asked to paint a copy of a priceless piece; while it may look exactly like what he/she is replicating, you will always be able to see the minute differences that are no longer there.

Firstly, the modern version opening is quite watered down, and it feels as if today’s opening is more of yesterdays mid notes... ie... it starts out with the soapy middle, and yesterday’s opening is gone... and when it dries down, it fades out ridiculously fast... scent wise, just for nostalgia, it is enough to take you there in imagination land, but as for something to wear? I think not. Projection/sillage is zero after an hour, and that’s being nice. If you want to counter that with overspray, the resemblance to the original is present enough to brand you with the nauseating overspray of the past (rule number one of scent club is, you never overspray Drakkar Noir)...

I enjoyed this in 7th-8th grade, and I purchased it for memories sake, but today there are so many more that will make your day (and those around you) much happier. Just being able to own and remember, you’ll be happy... but I’m not recommending anyone to sport this to a gathering of any sort.

1 Replies

01/10/2021

8
Scent 6
Longevity 6
Sillage 8
Bottle 8
Pricing

Elysium
493 Reviews

Elysium

Helpful Review 4

The 80s Between Duran Duran And Spandau Ballet

Those who lived in the 80s cannot fail to remember the rivalry, success, and decline of the two bands that influenced those years' music scene. Many hits by the two New Romantic groups: from The Wild Boys, Save Prayer, The Reflex for Duran Duran, to I'll Fly For You, Gold, True for Spandau Ballet. You may be wondering what this introduction has to do with perfume. Let's take a step back. In those years, I was attending college with my best friend and high school rival. There was a healthy competitive rivalry between us, and we couldn't wear the same perfume; we had to stand out. I first felt it on him in the early 1980s. This stuff blew me away. Since this was his signature, I had to give up and opt for another famous icon, so I chose Cacharel pour L'Homme, which became my signature for that winter of '84, and I forgot about Drakkar. Fast forward to the last day: I saw it on promotion in perfumery and bought it. It is surprisingly fresh, bitter, aromatic, spicy, clean, and manly, and now I'm here to describe it.

I have not used or smelled Drakkar Noir for over thirty years, despite imprinting its olfactory imprint in my memory. So, I will try to describe the feelings that this newer and reformulated version gives me. In the beginning, I am greeted by the complex citrus and soapy accord characteristic of barber colognes. You can perceive the vertiginous notes of lemon and bergamot peels mixed with the more aromatic and green ones of the spikes of lavender, rosemary needles, basil leaves, and bitter artemisia. And mint, a profusion of peppery green leaves. While it's tempting to compare it to gin and tonic, the alcoholic spirit I'm thinking of here is absinthe, especially considering mugwort, which provides a slightly bitter greasiness. Being soapy doesn't mean it must smell too clean. You can sense much more exciting shades.

Despite the sparkling and invigorating opening, at the moment, no memory drawer has been opened containing the message "Hey, this is Drakkar Noir!". So I have to wait a little longer to see if I recognize something more familiar in its evolution. Yet, it is an indisputably aromatic and fougère cologne. The heart, oh yes, the heart. So dusty, spicy, balsamic, and green. It is like a table set for a large gala dinner. A tablecloth of jasmine petals adorns the table, which seats Mr. Garofano, always a bit stubborn but noble, a spicier Mr. Coriander, green as always, the dark Mr. Juniper, very balsamic, and not least the sweet Mr. Cinnamon, spiced to the right point. At the end of the dinner, a beautiful blend of lavender and moss emerges with hints of wood and suede.

Finally, the base includes an intriguing and complex mix of some resinous, woody, and herbaceous notes. One of the most distinguishable notes is spruce, which offers the freshness of pine needles. Meanwhile, earthy patchouli, moist oakmoss, and refreshing cedarwood are also featured. I am really getting the sap and the resin than the heart, which was relatively balmy. I feel all those spices and alcoholism of absinthe created this almost oozing and oily flavor that adapts perfectly to the skin—bitter herbal and aromatic fougère.

In terms of performance, this is a bitter, aromatic fougère, with a pretty decent sillage, it leaves a trace but is a bit limited. And longevity, expect half a day of performing here. You will need to refresh it right after. Drakkar Noir is a fragrance best suited for colder climates, autumn, and winter in terms of seasonality. Therefore, it probably wouldn't work very well in hot weather. I think it's too balmy, too thick, and would probably be a little stuffy if worn outside on a hot summer day. It's perhaps an evening or nighttime fragrance. Still, it could also be worn in the daytime, especially since, in terms of occasion, I believe it is very much an office fragrance, not offensive or intrusive. The modern Drakkar Noir is still a glorious and legendary fragrance, even though I'm missing the oakmoss bombshell. Yet, I am grateful that it is still around, albeit light years away from the original version.

This review bases on a 100ml (3.4 fl. oz) bottle I own since January 2021.

-Elysium

12/21/2020

9.5
Scent 7
Longevity 8
Sillage 10
Bottle

Nwhite
31 Reviews

Nwhite

Drakkar Noir

Drakkar Noir (Vintage Cosmair) -

Imagine what the legacy of this fragrance would be if the bottle wasn’t jet matte black and the power broker marketing didn’t club you senseless with the excessively brash “noir-ness.”

What you would have is a completely different perception of this “barbershop” aromatic fougere. That’s right - barbershop - minus the talcum powder.

Constructed around a dizzying number of well blended accords, it’s all in there - the lavender, the bitter herbs, the florals, the oakmoss / leather. Like a fresh shave!

Make no mistake, the vintage is powerful - 2 to 3 sprays and you will be good for 12 hours or more - so with some discretion, you can easily wear this in any setting or season.

4 stars

12/19/2020

5.5
Scent 6
Longevity 6
Sillage 8
Bottle

Mikka01

Translated Show original

Mikka01

Less helpful Review 6

Drakkar after the ...

...reformulation has nothing to do with the original, which I loved. This woody , spicy freshness had once fascinated me. Too bad, but I had me the fragrance out of curiosity times again zugelegt. To my dismay, this once formative scent very quickly devolved into pure synthetic. I hate this realization, but it is unfortunately the signs of the times

1 Replies

10/22/2020

8
Scent 7
Longevity 7
Sillage 8
Bottle

Schallhoerer

Translated Show original

Schallhoerer

Less helpful Review 11

When daddy shaves

Childhood memories. Does anyone here still know this green goo (slime) that you wanted to have as a child? I remember the smell of it. Or the first time you send a Slinky down the stairs. Those are childhood memories for me. Including the smell that I noticed when my father sat down at the breakfast table on Saturday after he had shaved. That's what I always said "real men" smelled like. Drakkar Noir is exactly that smell. Freshly shaved. Clean and yet incredibly masculine. It is timeless. I hope dads will still wear it to the breakfast table in forty years.

2 Replies

10/10/2020

7.5
Scent 1
Longevity 1
Sillage 7.5
Bottle

DN1982

Translated Show original

DN1982

Very helpful Review 15

He was one for everything - today you can forget him

The scent already caught my attention in a very positive way with my great uncle who died many years ago. Also because as a child I somehow always had the thought that good fragrances are actually more a domain of women
So at the age of ten or eleven, in 1986 or '87, we were visiting my great uncle and were just getting ready to go home, he said to me: "Wait a minute, I have something for you."

Game? Tension? Chocolate? Well, he was always very frugal with that sort of thing. And now he goes into the bathroom. What could he bring from there? His squeaky duck, perhaps?
Far from it. He held a small flat black box with the writing Drakkar Noir in his hand. With a smile on his face he opened the small box with his fingers and pulled out a small glass bottle. He pulled the lid off the vial, which had a long thin plastic strip on it, stroked me along with the strip behind my left ear, dipped it back into the vial, and repeated the whole thing behind my right ear. Then he put the lid back on, put the small bottle back in the box, closed it and put it in my hand.
That's a fine thing, just right for a fine fellow like you, he said with a mild, thoroughly honest smile in his eyes
And already the olfactory delight unfolded! And that at this low dose of maybe a tenth of a milliliter - I was baff!
I cherished this specimen, using the fragrance exclusively for larger family celebrations.
Eventually, the sample ran out. I kept the empty specimen for a while and in the meantime tried all kinds of (shaving) waters, many of which were good, but not nearly as good as Drakkar Noir.

One day I was leafing through a magazine and found advertisements for Drakkar Noir. Drakkar Noir? That name mean anything to you?
What was even nicer, there was a small card with a scent sample stuck on the advertisement.
Ripped open, nose in, and there it was again, the dragon boat. So I picked up some money and went to get a bottle of that scented bomb. There it was again, this olfactory delight, which brought me one compliment after the other and at times I could hardly save myself from inquiries about what kind of perfume I was wearing. Mind you, it was the beginning of the nineties, when Drakkar Noir was supposedly in everyone's nose, the best-selling men's EdT etc.; but nobody except my great uncle wore it, which amazes me to this day
Drakkar Noir was really suitable for every occasion and also when the better is the enemy of the good: Never chance a running system! Especially if it suits you perfectly right from the start and doesn't have to be smelled better by tens of times trying it. Over the years I have kept some fragrances through and also in my repertoire, but the permanent staff includes DN!

In the end, it was lucky for everyone involved that my great-uncle was one of the last wounded to be flown out of the Stalingrad cauldron and thus survived the Second World War in southern France, where he met a Frenchwoman who was born with a love of good scents. Otherwise I would probably never have ended up with this bombastic scent, which was so formative. Posthumously again many thanks for it
At some point, however, it must have been around 2000, this classic must have been slightly changed for the first time. At the same time, it was no longer Cosmair printed on the back of the bottle of the coveted fabric, but LLC. I still had the old one and could compare both versions directly against each other or have them compared. The spray head was changed as well, it got smaller and does not stick out as much as the old one
The juice didn't necessarily get worse, it became a bit milder and more base note-heavy or heart and base notes appear earlier (which I liked quite well), but with the exception of the leather note, which was perfectly tuned before and unfortunately is no longer there this year.
However, this reformulation was at the expense of durability! He still packs his 5-6 hours. But if you know that Drakkar Noir was about twice as strong in the original version and the sillage was a whole lot stronger, you might be a bit disappointed. Especially since two sprays were once the absolute maximum dosage, where it now needs double.

Around 2009, I suddenly found myself enjoying flacons with the inscription Cosmair, which, according to the seller, were supposed to be from current production and came close to the original in terms of fragrance and durability. An inquiry with Guy Laroche, who is now the current (!) distributor of Drakkar Noir, was never answered. Since I have been smelling good for years and had to ask this unpleasant question to other manufacturers as well, I could quickly make the observation that I never (!) received an answer. Why only, if they don't have any dirt or IFRA on them?

However, the seller from whom I bought a bottle from Cosmair times in 2009 swindled me! DN was all and I ordered from another shop. What did I get? One from LLC from 2010!!! What does that tell us? Fresh goods still only come from LLC - until today! Since all other lovers of good fragrances buy everything old and unreformulated from under your nose, the chances of getting old new goods have now dropped to zero. Opened flacons or ancient miniatures via Ebay excluded.

Now it's the year 2020 and again DN smells different than my last 2013 badge! The spray head has been changed again, now it is the old bigger one from years ago. Of course the label on the bottle has been redesigned a little bit. After several adjustments I can say with certainty that between 2000 and 2020 DN was operated on three times - more questions?
Interestingly enough, DN is now coming back to its former, full-bodied self. Not like the original from the 1980s, but closer to it than what was thrown on the market 10 years ago. They seem to have found an adequate replacement for oakmoss. Even the zero in leather that DN's friends had to put up with has given way to at least a barely audible +0.1 in leather.
Peace, joy, DN? No! Even though the overall composition is rounder in itself, the makers have now taken away any form of reach from the good boy. No matter how much reformulation has been done on him - if the bottle is empty, I will buy more after 4 weeks at the latest without DN, because I am missing something else. My current 2020 badge (100 ml) is half empty after 6 weeks of daily use, I refill it at least twice a day with at least 6 sprayers each. I never had such an immense wear and tear! As soon as it is there, it is already gone! The scent is still great, but those who don't know it until today should leave it at this status quo, it is just frustration! It's sad that I have to say this, but let's take it off the market

6 Replies

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