Kouros Fraicheur

I had been waiting to wear this 1993 flanker for awhile after reading reviews on it. It seemed that the original Kouros has a knack of being off-putting to some and YSL released Fraicheur and the Sport version. Mind you, off-putting or not, the original is still selling to this day and Fraicheur is discontinued.

With that said, I can see why Fraicheur would appeal to those offended by the testosterone level of its namesake. This is like Baby Kouros with simplistic citrus replacing the the growl and denseness of spicy wood and earthy florals. The opening is unmistakably Kouros, yet......there is nowhere near the gravitas of the original to be found here. That.....is not necessarily a bad thing when you think of warm to hot temps and being able to wear a Kouros wannabe. This is Kouros for the summertime folks....and it works wonderfully.

The bergamot in the opening is immediately followed by a minimalistic fruit accord. There is pineapple here in the heart, but it's more toned down than say that particular note in Lapidus. Whereas Lapidus is dominated by it from the opening bell, here in Fraicheur, it leaves room for the others to play their part. In other words, the fruit accord is balanced and easily traverses into the base of amber, patchouli and vetiver. The base is also balanced and much lighter than it's big brother.....and rightly so. It could not hold the title of Fraicheur otherwise.

All things considered, Kouros Fraicheur is a very good fragrance and an absolute winner in warmer temps for Kouros fans. I'm sure economics dictated the now discontinued status of this scent.......and it's too bad. I am pleased to have scored a bottle of this, especially for the price I paid for it on the bay. Baby Kouros gets a big thumbs up from Aromi.