CLIVE CHRISTIAN
L RED TEA VETIVER
2025
PERFUMER
Ilias Ermenidis
https://go.shopmy.us/p-13181765
lemon
bergamot
rooibos tea
vetiver
sandalwood
musk
‘Unveil a new dimension of exhilaration with the exquisite L Red Tea Vetiver. Crafted to invigorate and elevate your spirit. Vibrant top notes of Lemon Primofiore and Bergamot awaken the senses, creating a sparkling ambiance that is both lively and captivating. At the heart of the perfume lies noble vetiver which evokes warmth and timeless elegance. Like the luminescence of a sunrise, the warmth of Rooibos Tea also radiates from the heart and is rounded off by the comforting notes of Musk and Sandalwood.’ – Clive Christian
L Red Tea Vetiver is a pretty great fragrance, but somewhat of a let down at the same time for me, given my expectations and its price point.
I like the scent profile, but this is one of the more contemporary and common smelling Clive Christian releases to date. While the vetiver base is quite prominent, there’s a good chunk of this fragrance that wears modern, airy, fresher, similar in style to the year prior’s E Cashmere Musk, which I also enjoyed, but felt less traditionally constructed than I’d love to see.
L Red Tea Vetiver has a strong eucalyptus vibe to my nose, with tones of a herbal tea, but I think soon after a fresher, steam-from-a-shower-with-a-men’s-shampoo direction. The vetiver-ish part is prominent from early on too, so it delivers well on its premise.
With an earthy, almost nutty backdrop, pulling L Red Tea Vetiver in a traditionally masculine lean. It’s not as outspokenly green as many vetiver fragrances; more of a sweeter, earthy vetiver base, that goes in the direction of a patchouli for me on some wafts. Not quite as sweet as Essential Parfums Bois Imperial and the Clive Christian is more earthy, but that’s the type of fragrance that I was reminded of most. For a while, it actually grows more and more earthy, to the point where it reminds me as much of patchouli, as of vetiver, but it keeps having a sweet side as well.
Alongside that base, you retain a freshness. That bright ‘tea’ from the bergamot. Which is a scent that I’m a fan of and overall, I enjoy L Red Tea Vetiver quite a bit, mostly due to its bergamot touch. I found most of the wear to be a bit linear, but to my surprise, the final hour(s) turned more into a full-on, greener vetiver, with even some nudges towards cannabis to my nose. Not my favorite aspect, but I’m glad to see some dynamic regardless.
Contrary, texture-wise it’s not doing much for me; it feels thin, watery and airy. Not harsh, not bad, but it doesn’t come across as lush or luxurious. As with the majority of perfume releases anno 2025, it feels like a victim of its time, as it lacks the maximalist depth of yesteryear’s perfumes.
L Red Tea Vetiver is a good fragrance, but not groundbreaking and not a standout for the brand in my eyes. It’s not a hefty, dense X For Men/Masculine, nor a daring, piercing Jump Up And Kiss Me Ecstatic or even the popular more recent Blonde Amber. As a much more affordable release from another brand, I would be generally positive about it, but as a €460/50ml high-acclaimed Clive Christian, it raises the bar above the level that it reaches.
As a sidenote, here’s a little rant regarding the marketing. I saw (online) a representative for the brand present L Red Tea Vetiver at an event. She mentioned that a fragrance like this should not be layered, as it has 160 ingredients and you wouldn’t hang two masterpieces side by side,; you should let each shine on their own. Which I fully agree with, as I rarely ever layer and I consider the whole practice questionable. I’m sure a lot of perfumers must feel some type of way about people throwing together their carefully crafted full compositions. But, there are two things that rub me the wrong way.
1: Clive Christian has a whole, very lengthy page on their own website about layering, how lovely it is, which pairings they recommend and they even say that they release their fragrances in duo’s often, because they compliment each other well for layering. They make it sound like the conception of the brand was based on layering. So… this new release is a masterpiece that needs to shine on its own, but all the previous Clive Christians weren’t? More importantly, 2: IF you’re going to layer ANY Clive Christian, L Red Tea Vetiver would be high on the list of appropriate ones. This feels like one of the last fragrances from the brand that I’d present in this manner. Despite the claims of how complex it is and how many ingredients were used, this is one of the more easy-going releases in their collection.