Yves Saint Laurent M7 EDT (2002) Review
When it comes to male fragrance, few houses have offerings as compelling and intriguing as Yves Saint Laurent. From the intensely intimidating Kouros to the gentle and fresh L’Homme, Yves Saint Laurent offers a little something for everybody. YSL has managed to do what few Houses are capable of doing. It has enjoyed success and critical acclaim with its classic vintage offerings AND it’s modern offerings too.
Classics such as Opium Pour Homme and Kouros have a fiercely loyal fan base while more contemporary offerings like La Nuit De L’Homme continue to be best-sellers, accruing a cult following in the process. Yves Saint Laurent is undoubtedly thriving in turbulent times such as these and I cannot think of a house more deserving. Their offerings are provocative, daring and refined. They always choose accomplished perfumers to undertake their projects. It becomes obvious that from the outside looking in, they appear to be a house totally in control of their fragrance business. In other words, they appear to know what they are doing and their strong line up reflects that very succinctly.
Today I’m honoured to bring you this Yves Saint Laurent M7 Review. Introduced during the YSL Tom Ford era in 2002, it centered itself around a previously uncommon note. Agarwood otherwise known as ‘oudh’. In the Middle East, oudh is a common ingredient in exotic fragrance oils and one thing is instantly noticeable. Oudh is harsh, VERY VERY strong, unrefined and intensely pungent. I presume this quality is what makes it difficult to work with, especially in mainstream scents which are specifically targeted to the overly sensitive audiences in the West. Before M7, very few mainstream designer fragrances contained oudh. If they did have it, it would be more of a supporting note rather than the main attraction. As you will find out, Yves Saint Laurent M7 changed all of that.
What is it?
M7 is a heavy, cool weather, evening scent. A powerful, rich, warm, syrupy, heavy and smoky concoction. The experience you get when you first smell it is quite spectacular. One thing is for certain: it’s unusual. At this point I would say, “It’s unlike anything you have ever smelt”. But that’s wildly inaccurate. In fact, most of us will find the smell instantly familiar. It smells like cough syrup in the beginning. So you’re wondering, “Why on earth would ANYBODY want to smell like that?”. Hold your horses cowboy. This is only the beginning. It then goes through the most striking evolution of any scent. Every single moment is mesmerizing and thoroughly enjoyable. The flood of compliments you’ll receive will reinforce this fact. But more of that later. Time to address a serious issue.
Yves Saint Laurent M7 was once offered in a deep red OPAQUE bottle which had a chrome strip at the top. Here is an image below. Minimalist and attractive.
Check out the old opaque bottle from another angle. Note the opaque sides:
Now it is offered in an identically shaped CLEAR bottle that has a red strip on the main panel. The differences are subtle. Here is a picture below.
Heres another angle of the new bottle. Note the transparent sides which were no there on the old bottle. You can seethe light golden coloured juice in the new bottles. You couldn’t see it in the old bottle:
If you are into fragrance, you know what this means. I’m sad to say that unfortunately, according to numerous testimonials (here) the current offering of Yves Saint Laurent M7 HAS been tamed and there is a slight difference between the current version and the original version. Reports of the reformulation suggest that the fragrance has been significantly toned down and most of its strength, richness and depth is now gone. The original formulation of Yves Saint Laurent M7 was quite a beast and as a result, it was extremely polarizing. It seems as though the reformulation may have sought to tone it down a touch and widen its appeal. It certainly worked with Guerlain Vetiver. Only time will tell if this was particularly wise.
Update: I’ve just discovered that Yves Saint Laurent M7 has been reformulated once more and now the bottle is completely different. It is now called Yves Saint Laurent M7 Oud Absolu (check it out). The irony is that the reports suggest a markedly lower incidence of oudh in this version. I’ll reserve judgement till I try it for myself. The new bottle is rather beautiful though.
You can buy Yves Saint Laurent M7 in either 1.7Oz or 3.4Oz guise. Ancillary products are also available, though decidedly rare. You can get shower-gel, aftershave balm, deodorant spray and also a deodorant stick.
What’s in it?
- Top Notes
- Bergamot, Mandarin, Rosemary
- Middle Notes
- Vetiver, Agarwood
- Base Notes
- Amber, Musk, Mandrake root.
- pyramid courtesy of basenotes.net
Who is Yves Saint Laurent M7 for?
In the Middle East, oudh based fragrances oils are worn by men of status: the wealthy and the distinguished. Oudh is huge over there. Sometimes, a small 3ml bottle of prized oudh oil can command prices north of £1,000! While Yves Saint Laurent M7 is nowhere near that expensive, nor is the oudh in it that precious, it does smell luxurious and expensive. I find it to be a dark and somewhat mysterious scent.
I would say the recommended age group for this is mature (between your late 20′s all the way up to your late 50′s). While many will not agree with me, I personally think YSL M7 is THE fragrance for romantic outings in the evenings. It has a certain warmth and smokiness that draws people in. It smells exotic and otherworldly, thus implying sophistication and distinguished taste. In other words, if you are going on a date with an intelligent, artistic woman, then this is a fragrance that says all the right things about you. Unless she is a fragrance collector or she is Middle Eastern, chances are, she will have never smelt YSL M7 in her lifetime, nor would she have ever smelt anything like it (possibly cough syrup, but only in the opening stages).
Yves Saint Laurent M7 Fragrance Review (2002 version).
The very first spray of Yves Saint Laurent M7 gives way to a dramatic opening. It’s really quite remarkable. This is a seriously intense fragrance and it asserts its presence right off the bat. That cough syrupy, medicinal accord greets your nostrils almost instantly. Immediately after this initial display of theatrics, YSL M7 immediately settles down and begins its seductive display.
It immediately begins to pump out a smoky sillage trail. It’s very much unlike Paco Rabanne 1 million which pretty much assaults your nostrils and takes over the entire room. Yves Saint Laurent M7 wafts around the wearer, propelled by the warmth of the skin rather than the volatility of the ingredients. I suspect that because Yves Saint Laurent M7 consists of mostly heavy notes, they release their scent molecules in a much more controlled fashion, thereby muting the sillage slightly while allowing it to stick around for much longer than many fragrances do. Don’t hold me to that, but I feel it is a fitting rationalisation.
The weird thing is, at times, you get a very faint whiff of it (by the way, this might be olfactory fatigue as people around me have no problems detecting it from a few feet away), as if it has completely faded and then the moment you move, you get an intense wave of oudh wafting past your nose and then the moment you sit still, it gone again. It seems to come alive with movement and body heat.
Many people describe Yves Saint Laurent M7 to be a complete beast. I persnally think that’s because the Oudh is so foreign and unusual to them that they fear wearing it in public. If we are speaking in terms of sillage, then no, I disagree. Yves Saint Laurent M7′s sillage is controlled and while it is abundant, it can’t match Paco Rabanne 1 million, Carolina Herrera 212 Men, Joop! Homme, Theirry Mugler A*MEN and Byredo Pulp for sheer lunacy and radiance.
(Please don’t get me wrong. M7 has a LOT of sillage. I’m comparing it to some seriously radiant fragrances here. Unlike these monsters, M7 doesn’t take over the room when you enter. However, the scent itself is quite intense and people around you WILL know of its presence)
Where Yves Saint Laurent M7 outclasses these two sillage kings is on sheer longevity. This stuff just sits and sits. On my skin, I’ve found Yves Saint Laurent M7 to fluctuate depending on the weather. I find it to last between 16-20 hours. That’s a huge variation and I’ve discovered that weather and humidity affect the lasting power quite dramatically. In cooler weather, Yves Saint Laurent M7 seems to last much longer and the longevity is much closer to the 20 hour figure, possibly more. I personally shower on a daily basis so I can’t be too sure exactly how long it lasts!
I seriously doubt that anybody would ever experience longevity issues with Yves Saint Laurent M7. It’s much to dense and strong to be challenged by anybody’s skin composition. In fact, I’ve read of instances where the fragrance itself was just too powerful and the shower-gel proved to be more civilized. Imagine that!
Is Yves Saint Laurent M7 for you?
Well, this is a tough one. You cannot… I repeat… CANNOT… buy Yves Saint Laurent M7 blind. Okay, okay, I admit I bought it blind but I found a bargain and it was dirt cheap (relatively). But just because I did, it doesn’t necessarily mean you should too. It’s much too odd for you to take that risk. If we were talking of Davidoff’s Cool Water then fine, buy it blind if you like because one things for certain: you ARE going to like it. But Yves Saint Laurent M7 is so out there, so polarizing, so unusual that a blind buy is much too risky.
What will you do if you immediately recoil when that medicinal cough syrup accord lands a heavy jab on your nose? Sure, you can re-sell it as there’s no shortage of demand for Yves Saint Laurent M7, but is it worth the hassle? Also, it commands a hefty premium over its Yves Saint Laurent stable mates. It’s a bit more upmarket than the other and it commands some pretty bold prices. It’s not ‘Chanel’ expensive but it isn’t what you’d call cheap either.
I also hate to put age to a fragrance. After all, I have a bottle of Aramis (a real old man’s scent), but I understand that some of the people who read this don’t care about the artistry or beauty of fragrance. They just want to smell good and make positive first impressions. Therefore, a recommended age group will prevent negative comments like “you smell like my grandpa” or “you smell old”. I can handle that because I don’t wear fragrance for compliments anymore.. but I know that some people reading this can’t!
So if you are a teenager or in your early 20′s.. leave this one alone. It would make a great Christmas present for your dad though….
Where Can I Find Yves Saint Laurent M7 For A Discount?
Folks, I really couldn’t tell you. For M7, expect to pay anything between $80 to $120 for a big 100ml bottle of the Original 2002 formulation. Below is a link to a gift-set of the ORIGINAL 2002 formulation. The seller says there’s only one left. I have the exact same gift-set and aswell and the review unit is from that very same set.
Here are some links to a few more gift-sets.. but notice the dwindling levels of stock :’-(. This means the original formulation is getting harder and harder to find.
And finally, here is a link to the standalone fragrance itself:
Yves Saint Laurent M7 Review Wrap up.
What we have here is an enigma of stratospheric proportions. A fragrance so unusual, at times the English language lacks descriptive finesse. At times, I wish I could speak French as I feel that french adjectives would be all the more elegant and right-on-the-bat so to speak. But then again, could it just be my undeveloped nose? I make no bones about it in almost every review. I’m not perfurmer and most notes elude me. At times, I just don’t know what I’m smelling.. but I CAN tell you what it smells like or what I think it resembles
Yves Saint Laurent M7 will never be a best-seller. It’s just too weird and left field to be widely popular. And for that reason alone, it garners respect and gets a lot of love. You see, I get the sense that this wasn’t Yves Saint Laurent trying to cash in and make mega bucks. This was them expressing art in a fragrant form. This was a statement. A daring one at that. You have to remember that Tom Ford came and revived YSL and M7 was the first release with Tom Ford at the helm. M7 was YSL’s way of signifying that they were back on top. And what a way to flex some muscle! Fragrances like these always amass a cult following. A legion of fervent loyalists who appreciate their existence and acquire them for the right reasons. This is a fragrance you wear for your own pleasure.. rather than to merely just ‘smell nice’.
So it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say, as a member of that cult, that group of fervent loyalists, I am saddened and angered. Yves Saint Laurent M7 has now been tampered with. Whether is the IFRA ruining masterpieces or an internal move by YSL themselves, the fact still remains that Yves Saint Laurent M7 is not the same fragrance it was back in 2002 (I highlighted some of these challenges in my recent review of Guerlain Vetiver). I consider this a loss of one of the truly special designer fragrance offerings of the 20th century. Unfortunately, designer fragrances like these are becoming rarer. Greed infiltrates the fragrance business and each year, we see fragrance houses eschew their integrity in the name of profit. If they are not tampering with masterpieces, they are releasing banal ‘summer’ flankers and watery, sweet, fresh fragrances with no character. This is the very reason niche houses are thriving. People are prepared to pay 5 times the price of a normal fragrance to get something unique, special and high in quality. Before I write myself into a mini depression, let’s see how Yves Saint Laurent M7 scores.
Longevity: 10/10 (up to 20+ hours in cooler weather)
Scent: 10/10 (An intoxicating smell, spellbinding in fact. I’m captivated by it)
Uniqueness: 9.5/10 ( I find it to be loosely similar to Gucci Pour Homme. Interestingly, that too was created when Tom Ford was at the helm. Apparently Tom Ford’s Oud Wood is also similar to Yves Saint Laurent M7. Interesting indeed)
Value for money: 9.5/10 (Expensive, but worth every penny and more)
Altogether, Yves Saint Laurent M7 scores 9.75/10. Our highest score yet! Not particularly shocking but interesting nonetheless. We at Two Sprays love Yves Saint Laurent M7 and it is a MUST-HAVE in any fragrance enthusiast wardrobe. However, if you just want to smell good, then you are better off trying it first. In fact, you probably want to keep a 2ml vial and try it over a few months. Don’t delay too long though because the original formulations are fizzling out. It is not a widely distributed scent so you’ll likely struggle to locate it in your local department store… BUT it IS available online. Head over to Basenotes or and check out their ‘Items for sale’ section (you have to be a member with a decent post count to buy stuff) if you’re looking for used bargains. If you want Yves Saint Laurent M7 now, head over to Amazon
Next, we shall be taking a look at my favorite fragrance of all time. The astonishingly brilliant Christian Dior Homme Eau De Parfum Intense. Stay tuned!
agarwood, fragrance reviews, long lasting fragrances, m7, male fragrance reviews, mandragora, mandrake root, oud, oudh, tom ford m7, tom ford yves saint laurent, ysl m7, ysl m7 review, Yves Saint Laurent, yves saint laurent m7, yves saint laurent m7 review