ESTEE LAUDER
Youth-Dew EDP

1959

PERFUMER
Josephine Catapano

aldehydes
orange
BERGAMOT
PEACH
ROSE
NARCISSUS
LAVENDER

CINNAMON
CLOVE
SPICY NOTES
CARNATION
CASSIA
JASMINE
lily-of-the-valley
YLANG-YLANG
ORCHID

PATCHOULI
AMBER
BENZOIN
FRANKINCENSE
OAKMOSS
PERU BALSAM
TOLU BALSAM
VANILLA
VETIVER
MUSK

This is a gem, at least to try, that you can pick up for very reasonable prices (the 28ml EDP goes for around €30 on sale at the time of writing). I feel like the name and presentation could set those who are unaware on the wrong path with Youth-Dew; frankly, the scent feels like the opposite of ‘youth’ to me. It’s a mature, spicy, vintage-smelling scent.

Of course, this was launched decades ago (c. 1953, with this EDP likely coming out a few years later; 1959 is the first reference I could find for it when I researched the first EDP releases, making it one of the oldest Eau de Parfum concentrations by a brand that’s popular today). My bottle has probably aged for some years as well, albeit not a true vintage bottle, so that also affects the scent. That being said, looking at the scent profile and older reviews, I assume this has always been a rather heavy fragrance.

Spices from the get go. Almost smoky, dry, mixed with a clear oakmoss. The peppery oakmoss in particular puts a vintage twist on this scent and you won’t mistake it for a fragrance released in more recent times.

It’s a really good combination of slightly green, aromatic spiciness and even tobacco to my nose, mixed with quite a healthy dose of notes to make it more accessible. Some light fruitiness, but also quite a lot of sweetness. And not the modern-times sugary or gourmand sweetness, but it comes from warm spices like cinnamon and from ylang-ylang (taking cues from fragrances like Guerlain Mitsouko).

I feel that this has a similar core to a lot of Roja’s fragrances with the cola spices, ylang-ylang and warm ambery mossy base. However, I will say, this Youth-Dew doesn’t hold up quite as well texture wise; it doesn’t feel smooth, creamy, dense, luxurious to me; it’s a lovely scent, but more on the screechy and airy side, despite feeling oily at the same time.

The last two reviews I see on it state: ‘smells like a grandma’ and ‘definitely prefer it on a man’. Which shows how divisive this one is today. It surely smells dated and I feel that for today’s audience, it’s much closer to the average men’s marketed fragrance. That being said, I’d urge anyone to give Youth-Dew a try. I personally think it’s great and I’ll probably seek out an older vintage one day to get a better idea of how it has changed over time.