YSL L’Homme: My Honest Thoughts in 2024 [Reviewed]

YSL L’Homme is a men’s fragrance release created by the masterminds at popular designer house YSL. It’s a woody, floral and citrus scent that has been on the market for over a decade now. Therefore, I knew I had to try it for myself to understand why it’s been so successful. After thoroughly wearing L’Homme, I thought I’d let you know my honest opinion on this fragrance.

How does YSL L’Homme smell?

YSL L’Homme’s notes includes ginger, citrus, spices, violet leaf, pepper, tonka, woods.

On first spray, the thoughts that pop into my head include ‘fresh’ and ‘spicy’. L’Homme opens with an invigorating combination of citruses (bergamot and lemon) and ginger. Also noticeable in the background are pepper and mixed spices – they’re subtle, but definitely add some tangy depth here.

As L’Homme continues to develop, the citruses and spice pull back to reveal the violet leaf. The violet has distinct qualities – it’s airy, ozonic, and smells slightly of freshly cut cucumber. It accompanies the ginger here in the mid, continuing to balance freshness and spiciness.

As the scent fully dries down, a sweet tonka bean comes to the surface to support the violet leaf. Charmingly, this duo smells a bit musky to me. Accompanying these two notes are some woody accords, which provide a backbone to the sweet floral pairing.

In summary, YSL L’Homme opens as a spicy citrusy aroma. Then, it dries down into a floral, sweet and woody skin scent. Although the cologne does have distinct phases, it’s not a fragrance I’d call complex. This is because there isn’t a whole lot happening in the opening, mid, and base – and notes can easily be picked out.

That isn’t necessarily a bad thing though! L’Homme may be simplistic but it’s very pleasant and entirely inoffensive.

Check out this other reviewer’s thoughts on L’Homme:

As a woman, I absolutely love this perfume on a man. When smelling it, I am transported to a summer evening, sunset time, somewhere by the water. If L’Homme were a dress code, it would be casual chic because ginger, citrus and violet leaf add some lightness and fun, while vetiver and spices keep this fragrance refined and classy. 

Fragrantica.com

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What’s the performance like?

After extensive testing throughout seasons, YSL L’Homme has consistently performed moderately on my skin – at best. It projects out from my skin for the first hour, then settles to a skin scent for several more. Therefore, the performance is not robust by any means.

YSL is notorious for reformulating their fragrances over time. I suspect that’s the case here, as the performance of L’Homme that I tried didn’t reconcile with reviews online.

Additionally, I’d wager that older formulations are actually stronger. If you care about performance, I’d suggest you carry around a decant of YSL L’Homme. Alternatively, you could consider buying an older bottle online.

Who should wear it – and when?

Now for some better news.

Recall how I mentioned the inoffensive nature of L’Homme?

Well, that gives L’Homme a supreme measure of versatility. Any man 18+ could pull this off with ease. It’s appropriate for casual and formal events, as well as being office friendly.

If pressed though, I’d probably end up wearing this in more casual scenarios, since I have classy fragrances to fill the formal need.

YSL L’Homme: Worth it in 2022?

In summary, I believe YSL L’Homme is worth wearing this year. Even after all these years, it keeps going strong.

The scent profile won’t blow you away, nor will the performance. But please – do not let that deter you!

YSL L’Homme has successful characteristics comparable to many other scents from YSL – it’s versatile, mass-appealing, and very affordable. There’s a reason this designer brand has been successful for so long, and L’Homme is an example of that.

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I want to hear from you. Let’s keep the conversation going in the comments. What are your thoughts on YSL L’Homme?