Dior · 2015 · Men
Sauvage
Aromatic Fougere
Composed by Francois Demachy in 2015, Dior Sauvage was inspired by wide-open spaces, rocky landscapes under a desert sun, and ozone-blue skies. The fragrance explodes with an intensely radiant and raw blast of juicy Calabrian bergamot paired with a sharp, crackling punch of black and pink pepper. The dynamic heart leans heavily into aromatic lavender, earthy vetiver, and a massive dose of spicy elemi resin. The foundation is dominated by an enormous quantity of ambroxan, creating a clean, mineral, slightly salty, and exceptionally persistent woody trail that grabs attention from yards away. It stands as one of the most commercially successful and widely recognized modern masculine compositions, defined by its high performance, striking contrast, and unapologetic projection.
Longevity
8-10 hours
Sillage
Strong and projecting
Notes documented
12
Season fit
Spring / Summer / Autumn
The pyramid
Read top to bottom as a timeline, not an ingredient list. Top notes typically flash off in 15-45 minutes, the heart carries hours two to four, and the base defines everything after.
Top — first 45 minutes
Heart — hours 1 to 4
How it wears
Documented longevity for Sauvage sits at 8-10 hours, which places it in the Parfum band (20-40% aromatic compound). Sillage is described as strong and projecting, so plan application accordingly: 1-2 dabs or sprays on pulse points.
The base is built on Ambroxan, Cedar, Labdanum. These are low-volatility materials, which is why the last third of the wear smells markedly different from the opening — and why a five-minute test at a counter tells you almost nothing about whether you will like it at hour six.
In cold, dry air expect the projection to read weaker and the wear to stretch longer; in hot, humid air expect the opposite. Use the season calculator to sanity-check a specific month and city.
When to wear it
Occasion tags here are editorial judgements derived from the composition's family, note structure and sillage — not brand marketing. A fragrance described as strong and projecting sillage should be applied more sparingly in shared air such as offices, lifts and aircraft cabins.
Context
Released in 2015, Sauvage sits in the Aromatic Fougere family. This library documents 1 other fragrance in the same family, which makes it a useful reference point if you are mapping the category rather than shopping for one bottle.
Note that any composition older than a decade has almost certainly been reformulated: IFRA amendments have progressively restricted materials such as oakmoss (atranol), coumarin and birch tar, and supply constraints on sandalwood and natural oud have pushed houses toward reconstructions. A bottle bought today is not chemically identical to one bought at launch.
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Ranked by shared base and heart materials plus family proximity — fragrances sharing three or more base notes tend to feel related after the second hour.
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