Year 2014 was a turmoil for many perfumes. One of the most disputed was the higly appraised LIDGE by Guerlain, and its "brother" LIDG. Therefore, in this test we sampled different batches to verify if any reformulation(s) occurred.
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LIDGE
Briefly, there was no apparent reformulation between 2009 and 2013.
However, during 2014, LIDGE bottles underwent a few changes, for example the removing of the "dark glass rim" around the bottle, and almost immediately a lot of voices raised to claim a "reformulation".
So, we collected five different bottles and I did a "blind" (plus a "progressive smelling") test.
Here we have the first LIDGE bottle (dated year 2005), others two from 2012 and 2013 respectively, and finally a couple from 2014 (with "dark" and "transparent" rim), see pictures below:
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| The classic "LIDGE" box and bottle. Note the "dark glass rim" around the bottle |
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| LIDGE batch 5H01, year 2005; it was the first bottle produced. |
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| LIDGE batch 2T01, year 2012 |
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| LIDGE at the end of year 2013, still with the "dark rim". |
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| LIDGE batch 4N01, early year 2014 one of the last bottles with the "dark rim" |
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| And finally, LIDGE batch 4T01. You can notice the absence of the "dark rim", substituted with usual transparent glass |
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| New LIDGE bottle, year 2014. Note the "transparent glass rim" all around the bottle, and the new inscription "Eau de Parfum" on the front. |
The old "dark rim" bottles are different from the new "transparent rim" ones. But, and this is the most important thing, differences appear only in the top notes. Intrestingly, longevity and sillage remain the same.
New, "transparent rim" bottles have a blast of citrus and other spices in the opening, while the main cocoa note is very light, in the background (similar to what happens in LIDG). But after a few minutes, the cocoa emerges at full force (similarly to the old "dark-rim" LIDGE), and it remains steadily for more than 8 hours on skin (and even more on clothes)
To verify this assessment, the technique of "progressive smelling" has been used (see here) .
In a nutshell (see picture below), spray the scent on your elbow (point 1); wait five minutes then spray it again on the forearm (point 2); wait -again- five minutes and spray it on the back of your hand (point 3).
Now you can smell several times you arm in reverse order: 3-2-1 and you can have an idea, in just seconds, about the evolution of that scent, because:
Point 3 is the most recent,
Point 2 is the intermediate,
Point 1 is the most aged.
Using both arms, you can study and "compare" different scents or batches in the same moment. Similarly you could use paper strips or even fabric, for a more complete test.
What's the results of these tests? Well, there are differences between old and new LIDGE, but apart the opening, the scent is the same.
The opening is more citrusy in the new LIDGE, and more "cocoa-centered" in the old version.
However, the two version smell very similar in the heart-notes, and absolutely identical in the base-notes.
Sillage and Longevity are the same, too.
As a personal note, I prefer the old ("dark rim") LIDGE: I liked the immediate blast of cocoa, instead of waiting for it 15 mins.
Apart from these considerations, I feel comfortable about year 2014 LIDGE, since the scent was not ruined or heavily changed.
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| LIDGE blind test on paper Years 2005-2014 |
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LIDG
Since its first apparition in 2004, L'Instant de Guerlain pour Homme (LIDG, EdT) was an immediate favorite due to its unusual, highly-contrast, "gourmandish" accord between citrus and cocoa, an accord furtherly enhanced by LIDGE. However, Many prefer LIDG over LIDGE due to its more balanced ingredients. What happened after 10 years?
For this test we collected four bottle since year 2007.
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| LIDG batch 7M01, year 2007 |
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| LIDG batch 9Y01, year 2009 |
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| LIDG batch 3U01, year 2013 |
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| LIDG batch 4S01, year 2014 |
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| LIDG blind test years 2007-2014 |
Nothing much to say, in this case: all test performed on paper, skin and fabric show no differences, at any stage.
Unlike LIDGE, it seems there were no changes, so any bottle produced since 2007 appear to contain the same, non-reformulated scent.
Muchas gracias por el review Andre!
RispondiEliminaEste blog es de mis favoritos, muchas gracias por compartir tanta información
Saludos!
Grazie, Andre!
RispondiEliminaYour comparisons always seem so well tempered. Whereas a slight reformulation often gets derided as "ruined" in the fragrance forums, you bring a balanced perspective that I have found to be mostly representative of reality. I had also sensed a reformulation with LIDGE from a sample and did not give it adequate time. Inspired by your review I tried again and found a similar experience, that after about 15 mins it is hard to distinguish the current and earlier formulation. I prefer the earlier designed bottle for its handsome dark brown tinted surround accent and willing to pay more to have it. Guerlain probably saved some money making the change, and I guess with a longer running fragrance it wasn't enough of a priority to keep the older design.