Clive Christian — 1872 Vetiver
Essence
1872 Vetiver is a 2016 limited-edition reworking of Clive Christian’s long-running 1872 for Men, recomposed by Beverley Bayne to swap the original’s controversial powdery drydown for a green, earthy vetiver core. It is a fresh, citrusy, aromatic-woody Parfum that leans heavily on its 1872 DNA - a sparkling hesperidic-herbal opening over a soapy-gentleman base - now grounded in Madagascan vetiver, moss, and incense.
Scent Profile
The opening is bright and green: a sparkling burst of bergamot, grapefruit, lime, and galbanum laced with rosemary, petitgrain, cardamom, coriander, nutmeg, and black pepper. It reads crisp, fresh, and aromatic, with a creamy citrus undertone under the vetiver top. The heart is a soft herbal-floral bridge of sage, neroli, marigold, lavender, jasmine, and freesia, more textural than prominent. The defining shift is in the base: where the original 1872 dried down to a buttery, powdery accord that some loved and others derided as old-fashioned, this version substitutes vetiver - earthy, grassy, slightly soapy - alongside moss, patchouli, cedar, amber, and a light incense/frankincense glow. It is moderately linear and takes time to bloom. The signature accord is sparkling green citrus over earthy vetiver and soft incense.
Performance
Performance reports split. Enthusiasts describe good endurance and moderate sillage, while more casual accounts place it closer to a respectable office fragrance: several hours of wear with the main projection concentrated early. The most defensible reading is moderate-to-good longevity, restrained projection, and a profile that behaves better as polished daytime presence than as a powerhouse.
Wearing Context
A spring/summer, daytime, gentlemanly fragrance - green, fresh, and aromatic, ideal for office, casual, and warm-weather wear. It reads clean, classic, and understated: the kind of scent that suits professional settings, daytime social events, and polite warm-weather dressing. It is unisex with a masculine lean.
Comparisons & DNA
The essential comparison is the original Clive Christian 1872 for Men (2001). Wearer response is unambiguous: this is a vetiver-focused reworking of the same formula, keeping the citrus-herbal sparkle while replacing the divisive buttery/powdery drydown with a lighter green vetiver note. That makes it less plush than the original but clearer, drier, and more traditionally masculine.
Reception
Reception is sparse but quietly positive on scent. The recurring theme is a genuinely nice green vetiver that stays very close to the original 1872 while improving the drydown for people who disliked that fragrance’s powdery base. The broader Clive Christian value critique applies in full: even sympathetic wearers question the price, especially because this is a limited flanker rather than a radically new composition. Blind-buy verdict: not advisable.
Versions & Reformulation
1872 Vetiver was itself a limited-edition variant of 1872 for Men, launched in 2016 alongside a sibling, 1872 Mandarin. It was produced in small numbers - one commenter claims only 1000 bottles were made, though this figure rests on a single unverified assertion and could not be corroborated by any official source. Treat it simply as a limited release, now discontinued, with no subsequent reformulation documented.
Acquisition Notes
Sold as a Parfum, the limited edition retailed around $350 for the 50 ml bottle, consistent with the original 1872’s pricing. Now discontinued and scarce, it appears occasionally through secondary sellers and decants. Given Clive Christian’s counterfeit exposure, buy only from reputable sellers and prefer a sample or decant for trial. The crown-stoppered flacon is part of the proposition.
Notable Facts & Lore
- The “1872” name refers to the founding year of the Crown Perfumery Company, which Clive Christian acquired in 1999 - Crown was granted permission to use Queen Victoria’s crown as a mark of quality.
- 1872 Vetiver sits within the house’s heritage citrus-woody line and was released as a connoisseur’s limited variant aimed at fans who wanted the 1872 sparkle without its divisive powdery base.
- Its quiet, almost undocumented release is itself part of its character: a low-key flanker that surfaced at luxury counters, was recognized by collectors as limited, and then quietly vanished.