MAISON FRANCIS KURKDJIAN
GRAND SOIR EXTRAIT / PRECIOUS ELIXIR
2025
PERFUMER
Francis Kurkdjian
cinnamon
lavender
labdanum
vanilla amber
A higher concentration version of Grand Soir (2016).
‘Discover the captivating Grand Soir extrait de parfum with this Precious Elixirs set. Presented in an elegant, travel-friendly 4 ml case, this precious elixir can be applied to the inside of the wrist and crook of the elbow, the nape of the neck, the hairline, or the cleavage, revealing the sensual and luminous sillage of Grand Soir.’ – Maison Francis Kurkdjian</h5
I was a little bit surprised to run into this Extrait of Grand Soir, having heard nothing of its launch. But that will make more sense after this review. For years Maison Francis Kurkdjian has released these Precious Elixir travel sprays for several of their fragrances and generally, they don’t get noticed much. Grand Soir being one the brand’s biggest draws and one of the first niche fragrances I ever bought, now marketed as an Extrait de Parfum in this form factor, sparked my interest though.
To not beat around the bush; this isn’t truly a Grand Soir flanker. This does not register as a different fragrance and if the formula has changed at all, it has to be with minor changes. I don’t know the difference in concentration percentage, but the simple takeaway here is; this is ‘just’ Grand Soir EDP (2016) as you know it. But worse…. More on this after a brief dive into the scent itself.
As said, this is the Grand Soir that most of you will have smelled before. The main/only difference is that it feels a bit warmer and sweeter from the very first moment, whereas the original has a sharper, rougher opening that takes a while to settle in. I always get a tinge of almost daring, actual tree sap/resin type of amber in the first hour of Grand Soir, but with this Extrait, it’s feels a bit more like the cozier, standard ambery sweet drydown. Perhaps even some dark sweet tobacco tinges. It’s warm, spicy, bordering on gourmand. I always think of staying in on a cold Autumn/Winter night with a fireplace or candles burning, as well as Holiday/Christmas evenings when I smell Grand Soir. That sentiment rings equally true for this version and any difference in scent is negligible. On a first side-by-side, after an hour, I would not be able to tell you which is which, despite knowing my EDP through and through.
So why is the Extrait worse? It’s good to note two things here. The Extrait is a roll-on, which in my experience always means it’s going to wear softer, with less projection. This is a ‘sacrifice’ if you like the convience of having a small roll-on bottle to carry with you. Secondly, my Grand Soir EDP is from 2019; it’s always been a great performer and has aged nicely over the years. I don’t know how much stronger or deeper it may be versus a brand new batch of Grand Soir.
What I can tell you without a doubt, is that my 2019 bottle is twice as strong as the Extrait. After 4 hours, I found the Extrait to be faded into a vague, soft scent. I’m now almost 7 hours into the wear and it’s barely detectable, only a memory of it when putting my nose to skin. The EDP is still going much stronger and especially at that 4 hour mark, it was worlds apart. And it’s not like the EDP smells harsher or worse for it.
Ultimately, I’m pretty sure (or at least experience it as such) that this is unchanged Grand Soir in a slightly different form factor, with the Extrait concentration as natural byproduct of creating oil for a roll-on vial. If you like that form factor, this still smells excellent and you can pick it up at a reasonable price. If you’re looking for any new type of Grand Soir experience or if you expect the Extrait to be a performance upgrade, you’re not going to find it here.
