Christian Dior Homme Original was launched in 2021, after the 2020 reformulation. Created by Francois Demachy as a return to the more iris-centric original Dior Homme or 2011. Originally composed by Olivier Polge in 2005, then reformulated in 2011, reformulated again in around 2020'ish to almost no iris. Then this version in 2021 that is pretty close to the 2011 version.
Luca Turin noted the Original was among the best half-dozen masculines of the last ten years. It opens as a masculine, very traditional, but just wait, this lovely iris and cocoa emerges with a little amber. Whether intentional or not, this scent combined two different things and instead of diminishing, it made them both better - one of the first really, truly unisex scents. Men won't be annoyed by the floral, and women won't be annoyed by the barbershop. Really perfect!
It is a woody floral musk with notes of lavender, sage, bergamot, iris, amber, cacao, vetiver, patchouli and leather. This is the 2021 Original version that seems to only be sold in Europe.
The Hundred Classics Pick (Luca Turin & Tania Sanchez)
From Basenotes - "Fantastic. New formulation. Starts off iris sweetened up with dry cocoa and a small bit of leather. Well balanced and constructed. Last 8 hours, projects maybe one or two. Easily my favorite of the whole line. Not overly feminine or macho. Classy."
From EauMG - "Dior Homme opens with a sharp lavender that quickly fades into a clean, classic interpretation of an “eau de cologne” with citrus and herbs. It smells like an Italian holiday. Enter the iris, the real reason why people fall in love with Dior Homme. It’s cool yet buttery. It’s a well-rounded iris that is very Chanel-ish. The heart is an absolutely amazing iris that smells much more expensive than what you’re actually paying for this. It’s almost like an “iris liqueur” as it has so much richness and depth to it. The dry-down is a powdery iris suede."
Fragrantica - "this one is in fact, to my nose, pretty excellent. It is woody base (I detect something animalic too, leather?) plus iris on top. Any addition of something floral in something that is marketed 'for men' is a win in my book, cause suggesting that flowers are a challenge is just plain wrong! It has a luxurious vibe and a dry down that lingers in that nice space between aromatic yet anchored."
Fragrantica - "Dior Homme original lasts me about 6-7 hours. Dior Homme 2013 lasts me about 9 hours. overall these don't perform the same but smell almost exactly alike. while the 2013 version opens en bit softer but the dry down has more power to it.opens the DHO with a bit more power."
