Yves Saint Laurent Y Eau de Parfum

Yves Saint Laurent — the French fashion house whose history of creating the most specifically bold, the most precisely elegant, and the most genuinely influential modern masculine and feminine fashion has made it one of the most celebrated luxury fashion identities in the world — launched Y in 2017 as the most specifically signature and the most genuinely ambitious masculine fragrance in the house's contemporary fragrance portfolio. Y is not simply a fragrance in the collection. It is the signature: the composition that most completely and most specifically embodies what Yves Saint Laurent, the brand, the aesthetic, and the specific quality of self-made, self-assured, specifically modern masculine elegance, most fundamentally means in olfactory form. The inspiration is simultaneously the most immediately accessible and the most specifically elegant: the white t-shirt and black jacket — the YSL look that is at once the most casual and the most definitively sophisticated masculine fashion statement, the combination that embodies the specific quality of knowing who you are, being comfortable in exactly that, and needing nothing further to assert it. The composition was entrusted to Dominique Ropion — one of the most consistently celebrated and the most genuinely accomplished master perfumers of his generation, whose portfolio includes Carnal Flower, Portrait of a Lady, Alien, Flowerbomb, and numerous other landmark accessible luxury and niche compositions. Ropion's fifteen notes across three phases create a wearing experience of genuine, warm, and entirely sophisticated aromatic fresh masculine character. Aldehydes, bergamot, ginger, mint, and lemon in the opening for an immediately sophisticated, specifically polished, and genuinely more interesting first impression than any simpler citrus alternative. Apple, violet leaf, pineapple, sage, and geranium in the heart for the most specifically modern, the most genuinely original, and the most specifically interesting aromatic-fruity-herbal mid-wear phase available to a composition with Y's aspirations of simultaneously fresh and genuinely, warmly seductive masculine character. And ambergris, musk, cedar, balsam fir, vetiver, and incense in the base for the most warmly sensual, the most specifically long-lasting, and the most genuinely commanding masculine dry-down — the long-lasting fragrance for the self-made man, exactly as the brand most accurately and most specifically promises.

The opening of YSL Y is a five-note accord of considerable immediate freshness and considerable immediately distinctive, clean, and specifically sophisticated character. Aldehydes provide the most immediately distinctive and the most specifically polished quality of the opening — a shimmering, slightly soapy, and specifically luminous quality that gives the composition its most immediately sophisticated and most specifically distinguished first impression of clean, fresh masculine character. Bergamot accompanies with its characteristic cool, slightly aromatic, and luminously complex Italian citrus quality. Ginger provides a warm, slightly sharp, and specifically invigorating spice depth. Mint adds a cool, clean, and specifically refreshing herbal freshness. Lemon contributes crisp, bright, and immediately vivacious citrus energy. Together, these five notes create an opening of genuine, immediate, and entirely sophisticated aromatic fresh masculine character — immediately distinctive for the aldehydes' luminous polish, specifically more interesting for the ginger's warm spice, and genuinely more complex than any simpler single-citrus alternative.

The heart of Y reveals apple, violet leaf, pineapple, sage, and geranium — five elements of considerable immediately interesting and genuinely modern, specifically aromatic-fruity-herbal mid-wear character. Apple provides a clean, crisp, and specifically refreshing fruitiness. Violet leaf accompanies with the most immediately distinctive element — a cool, slightly green, and specifically fresh botanical quality of considerable immediately distinctive and genuinely interesting character. Pineapple provides a warm, slightly tropical fruitiness that deepens the apple's cooler character. Sage contributes warm, slightly herbal, and specifically aromatic herbal complexity — one of the three central character notes the source copy most accurately identifies. Geranium completes the heart with its characteristic clean, slightly rosy-herbal aromatic quality — the most naturally sophisticated and the most specifically polished mid-wear aromatic dimension. Together, apple, violet leaf, pineapple, sage, and geranium create a heart of genuine, modern, and entirely interesting aromatic-fruity-herbal masculine sophistication — specifically contemporary, genuinely complex, and continuously rewarding.

The base of YSL Y is sensual, warm, and genuinely commanding — a six-element foundation of ambergris, musk, cedar, balsam fir, vetiver, and incense that gives the composition its most lasting, its most warmly sensual, and its most specifically seductive dry-down character. Ambergris provides the most immediately luminous and the most specifically skin-amplifying quality — amplifying the composition's projection and giving the base a quality of genuinely smooth, warm, and specifically commanding lasting masculine presence. Musk provides the most skin-close personal quality. Cedar contributes crisp, clean structural woodiness. Balsam fir adds warm, resinous, and specifically beautiful coniferous depth. Vetiver provides dry, slightly smoky, and warmly earthy distinction. Incense contributes warm, slightly smoky, and specifically sacred-space depth. Together, these six base elements create the long-lasting, warm, and genuinely sensual masculine depth that makes Y as compellingly seductive in its final hours as in its most immediately fresh first impression.

Y belongs to the Aromatic Fresh Woody fragrance family — and it represents that family with the specific quality of sophisticated, seductive, and genuinely self-made masculine character that Dominique Ropion's fifteen-note composition and the Yves Saint Laurent house's most specifically signature masculine aesthetic most completely and most authentically deliver. The five-note aldehydes-bergamot-ginger-mint-lemon opening gives it its most immediately sophisticated and most specifically distinguished first impression; the five-element apple-violet-pineapple-sage-geranium heart gives it its most specifically modern and most genuinely interesting mid-wear character; and the six-element ambergris-musk-cedar-balsam-vetiver-incense base gives it the warm, sensual, and genuinely long-lasting depth that makes the full wearing experience of Y as specifically and as continuously compelling as the self-made man who wears it most completely and most honestly is.

Special evening occasions are Y's most natural territory — the ambergris-vetiver-incense base is most warmly and most specifically seductive in cooler evening conditions. Genuinely versatile enough for everyday wear as well. Every bottle at GuiltyFragrance.com is 100% authentic, brand-new, and sealed in original YSL manufacturer packaging — sourced from authorized distributors, never a tester or imitation — and backed by our free US shipping and 30-day return policy.

Fragrance Family

Aromatic, Fresh — Aromatic Fresh Woody

Scent Notes

Why Choose YSL Y

• 100% authentic Yves Saint Laurent fragrance — brand-new, factory-sealed in original Y packaging, sourced from authorized distributors, never a tester or imitation.
• Aldehydes in the opening alongside bergamot, ginger, mint, and lemon — the most immediately distinctive and the most specifically distinguished element of the five-note opening. Aldehydes' shimmering, slightly soapy, and specifically luminous quality gives the opening its most immediately polished and most specifically sophisticated first impression — the ingredient most directly responsible for the opening's quality of genuinely more interesting and more specifically distinguished masculine freshness than any simpler citrus-only alternative.
• Violet leaf at the heart alongside apple, pineapple, sage, and geranium — the most immediately distinctive and the most specifically original element of the five-note heart. Violet leaf's cool, slightly green, and specifically fresh botanical character gives the heart its most immediately interesting and most genuinely original mid-wear quality — the ingredient most directly responsible for the composition's quality of specifically contemporary, specifically modern, and specifically more interesting masculine aromatic heart character.
• Six-element base of ambergris, musk, cedar, balsam fir, vetiver, and incense — the richest, the most specifically sensual, and the most genuinely long-lasting element of the composition. Six individually distinguished and specifically complementary base materials create a quality of genuinely multi-dimensional, warmly seductive, and specifically commanding lasting masculine depth that simpler two or three-element bases cannot approach. The six-element base is the most directly responsible element for Y's most specifically long-lasting quality and the warmly seductive masculine presence the brand most accurately promises.
• Composed by Dominique Ropion — one of the most consistently celebrated master perfumers of his generation, whose portfolio includes Carnal Flower, Portrait of a Lady, Alien, and Flowerbomb. Y is his most specifically signature and most broadly beloved accessible luxury masculine composition, demonstrating the same quality of genuine compositional intelligence and genuine creative excellence that defines all of his most celebrated work.
• The signature YSL fragrance for the self-made man — Y is not simply one fragrance among many in the YSL collection but the composition that most completely and most specifically embodies the YSL masculine aesthetic: sophisticated, self-assured, and specifically more interesting than its apparent ease suggests. The white t-shirt and black jacket, the specific and instantly recognizable YSL masculine look, translated into olfactory form with complete and genuinely beautiful accuracy.
• Free US shipping and 30-day hassle-free returns on every order at GuiltyFragrance.com.

Frequently Asked Questions