First Impressions – YSL Babycat – One of the things I like to do is try overhyped scents about six months after they first burst onto the scene. I allow the hype to die down and the commotion to subside. Inevitably, after sampling “hype train” scents, I’m left disappointed. Though, I’m tough to please. I had the chance to try the much-acclaimed Babycat recently, and for some reason, I was champing at the bit to give it a bashing.
Surprisingly, it’s reasonably good. But I do have some quite significant reservations. Firstly, it’s a vanilla scent, and vanilla scents, especially cupcake sweet ones, are always a hard sell for me. Fortunately, at least at the outset, Babycat is only moderately sweet, not too vanilla-heavy. Instead, channeling his inner Italian waiter, Dominque Ropion raids the pantry cupboard injecting the opening with a savoury rush of pepper-flecked spices.
Soon, the pepper spice marries up with balsamic elemi, further dampening the vanilla’s sweetness. Inevitably though, everything subsides, and the vanillic sweetness permeates through, particularly in the base. The vanilla becomes dark and smoky in between times, fusing with an excellent incense note. Both notes dance around a smooth suede accord which injects an elegant sophistication into proceedings. Very nicely done.
As I was wearing Babycat, I couldn’t help thinking it reminded me of something. Eventually, it dawned on me it’s very similar to Vanagloria by Laboratorio Olfattivo (also by Ropion). Vanagloria is less sweet and smokier than Babycat. But they are incredibly close. For the record, Vanagloria preceded Babycat by a year. The duplication is an issue, but my major qualm with Babycat is the price. I can’t figure out why the scent is so expensive for the life of me. Is that the price we pay to get something decent from these brands nowadays? Essentially, YSL is competing with Chanel, Hermes, and Dior’s higher-end lines with their pricing here, and quite frankly, none of the perfumes in their Le Vestiaire des Parfums line measure up to the quality of those brands.
Essentially, I like my vanilla scents almost devoid of sweetness. Eau Duelle by Diptyque is one of my favourites. And as it dries down, Babycat becomes sweeter and sweeter. Dominique Ropion may be a master perfumer, but in this case, at least for my taste, he’s no master chef. He’s merely tweaked the recipe from a previous scent. So, no Michelin stars for Ropion’s restaurant, but Babycat is worth a try for vanilla lovers. Still, if it were me, I’d be happier with the much less expensive option in Vanagloria.
Have you tried Babycat? Was it worth the hype? Which vanilla scents are Michelin star fare in your book?
Note: The bottle image of Babycat is from Google. All other images are my own.
