Reviews of M7 (2002)
by Yves Saint Laurent

I've worn this only once and I'm teetering between positive and neutral in my opinion.

I thoroughly enjoyed the opening and middle accords and the projection and longevity are superb. The base is where I have conflicts. Normally, the favorite accord in any frag to me, it develops into a cotton-candy aroma that's borderline cloying. It's almost over the top, but stops just short of that.

I've thought about picking up a bottle, but I would have to layer it with something once it reaches the base in order to subdue it a bit. I guess I'll go with a neutral rating in spite of loving 2 thirds of this composition.

classic as this may be, i found this to be wanting in the shadows of kouros. nonetheless a classic that ive finally laid my hands on after much consideration. fantastic longevity, excellent lingering sillage. can be over powering at times but dont most classics or in this case a modern classic seem to exude. vetiver does take the mainstage in this scent. im still struggling figuring out the amber. but musk is the essential in most heavier or classic scents and this is no exception. wonderfully blended imo. excellent for a good romantic night. worth the extra dosh.

A great fragrance. Spicy and full of lots of flavours that gel perfectly.
For a newcomer to perfume, this may come across as strong but for me, the middle notes are much lighter than lots of musky and heavy men's scents.
A stand-out amongst mass-market fragrances.
Problem on me is that the middle and base notes come across as stale and almost mouldy. I'd wear this if the top notes stayed around a little longer.

What can I possibly add that 120 other people haven't covered? Not much.

Received M7 today in a trade. Everything written here is true. Ferocious, foul opening that I embarrassed to let my fiance smell. My dog ran outside when I sprayed it on my arm to test. The warm, woody drydown that mingles woods with a bit of honey sweetness is lovely and now that it's been on my skin for 4-5 hours I'm enjoying it tremendously.

I can appreciate the quality but this isn't my cup of tea. I even like some of the 80s macho powerhouses like Polo and Chaps, and in some ways I like this. I just can't possibly ever image when I would wear M7, unless I wanted to apply 3 hours before seeing another human.

This will stay in my collection. But in the back.

This is an Oriental - Woody type of perfume
Most of it smells like of agarwood. So if you like agarwood, you should definitely check this one out.
It smells like a modern Middle Eastern perfume, as the people their often wear agarwood.

Ehh I didn't like it at all. Maybe it's because I'm 18 and this is an "older" scent, but it just felt like i walked into a church ceremony whenever I sprayed this. I didn't even really see the whole "super-masculine" rep it has.... but rather just a whole bunch of incense.

On my skin, M7 starts boldly oud-y and medicinal in a good way. Uniquely woody and definitely a scent that stands out in comparison to any other mainstream men’s fragrances. It is as close to Arabian oud perfume oils as a department store fragrance ever gotten, and that was before niche fragrances have gained the momentum they have reached today. It lasts at this state for a good 2-4 hours at which point it becomes overly sweet as the synthetic musk base takes over. On my skin this is when it turns into raspberry candy. Inbetween the medicinal agarwood and the sugared raspberry there is a short phase where a mineral note of vetiver emerges, dry and almost salty. Although marketed for men (the infamous full-frontal male nude is unlikely to be forgotten, and perhaps was intended for masking the previous expose of YSL himself in an ad dated 1971). Based on my experience I can only assert the presence of agarwood, vetiver, amber and/or labdanum, musk ands raspberry.

I never knew what Agarwood smelled like until I got this. Groundbreaking to use in modern designer scent. Didn't pay off for YSL as it went straight to the bargain bins. Anyway, the opening notes say that Bergamot, Mandarin & Rosemary. I detect none of them. It's as if it goes straight to the heart of Agarwood. Smells a bit like Listerine of days gone by. Bracing and hard to accept at first. Has a burnt quality as well. The Vetiver gives it a very earthy and tuberous-root feel. Somebody mentioned that there's mandrake root in here and I believe it. After about 30 minutes, it starts an ominous brown glow of musk & amber. Captivating, intriguing & smooth. Lasts for ages too. I will add that this scent is suitable only for Autumn & Winter nights.

Try burning a stick of Shoyeido's top quality pure agarwood incense 'Sho Kaku' and then smell M7. They have as much in common as a diamond with a lump of coal. The first thing that comes to mind when I smell M7 is some kind of horrific, chemical cough syrup that has been smothered with synthetic cherry flavor to thinly disguise the bad taste, but actually makes it worse. I have tried to find something redeeming in this but am always forced to wash it off as it brings on a headache. If you sample 'Nu' you will smell the same notes, but very toned down and wearable. Almost like they discovered some toxin (M7) and refined and modified it to make a wearable fragrance. On top of that, another boring variation on a 'masculine' cube bottle (this one the color of slightly used motor oil, I guess hinting at the contents). Why do men's fragrances always have such unimaginative bottles?
Sickly sweet, cloying and just vile. Spray some on your pillow if you want to wake up with a migraine.

Wow! It is a STRONG scent - harsh even at first. And the sillage - people will know you put it on three houses down! (Well thats an exaggeration, but it is very very strong).

It is intriguing, and it really takes some chances, and pulls them off for the most part, but it is not a general purpose scent - good for night, NEVER for the office. It lasts a long time.

A reviewer said "go easy on the trigger, a little goes a long way" - and is 100% correct. Do a single puff in front of you and go into the cloud. That should be sufficient.

I have worn YSL's "M7" quite a few times now but I am still not sure what to think. The first time I tried it on I was taken aback by its sillage and longevity. Whatever you do, two sprays of this is more than enough. Especially if you also use the deodorant stick. The opening is heavy and sweet and throughout that heaviness remains. Given the fact that when I am writing this there are 152 reviews of "M7" there must be something about it, it seems. So far I don't think it is a bad scent, but it is somewhat overrated. Still, it's a nice scent to wear for a night out on the town in the winter.

Some people refer to this as dry - I don't get that, for me it's the opposite - sweet, thick and sirupy. Thank god for the incensy note which makes it wearable for me. M7 reminds me of Chypre Rouge (laced with Gucci PH) from Lutens, even the colors (bottle vs juice) are similar. This thick beast is def. a quality frag with very good staying power and sillage. I just wish it smelled less sugary/candy-like to my nose.

I'm sure I was expecting too much from M7, given all the hoopla. I certainly expected a more forward and aggressive oudh. M7 goes on very dry, with a moderate touch of oudh, but develops a faint sweetness at its heart after the first half hour. It becomes a thick, dark, and woody scent, but the potentially jagged oudh note is cushioned, (even muffled,) by a strong soapy undercurrent. This leaves M7 smelling very tame compared to the Montale oudh fragrances, but certainly broadens its appeal as well.

After a couple of hours' wear the oudh settles deep into the background while spices and vanilla take the helm. The soapy note that was apparent at the onset surfaces again during the woody drydown, which is far more tame than the oudh seasoned opening.

Quality and an eventful development, but it doesn't necessarily excite me all that much.

its very nice fragrance but not to wear I just like to smell it on the bottle not on my body

Had to try it because of the buzz, but ech! a spice overload with hints of incense around the edges - but couldn't tolerate it and could not understand the allure at all. Then on second try I used much less, and advise to test sniff only from a distance so you don't burn out the nose, and then . . . ok, I can see the spice + agarwood is an alluring and mysterious presence. Really can't compare to GPH as another review reported - the Gucci PH is on another level of excellence in my view as it is more accessible and the balance of woods, frankincense, warm spice is masterfully done. M7 is another fragance with an instruction manual for proper use - but if used correctly it defitely has drawing power. Good for a night out with lots of people around, but for intimate situatios I prefer GPH, Avignon, or even Coze by PG for this type of effect.

Trendy, but leaves me expecting and hoping for more. It's very discreet and i wonder if this is just discretion or poor lasting power- anyway, the separation between these two is dangerously blured. For me, it starts in a very creamy, almost sweet way, slightly floral, almost with no clue of the citrus- herbal ingredients as listed above. The drydown reminds of scented candles- even with a slight honey and beeswax association, berries, winter fruits and spices, and a certain smoky quality without the usual animalic-leathery-macho touch often associated with smoky male scents, it's more a dim and highly spritualised hint of gentle, subtly fragrant, incense smoke. Tough a discreet, elaborate and youthfully appealing scent, compared to Opium, it lacks the latters lasting power, intensity and high-end timeless stylishness( this one belonging to and triggering a more younger, more flexible, less formal age group). Speaking of Opium it bears resemblance both to Opium- a much lighter and more modern Opium, but also to Kouros, yet without that vile, repulsive unclean stuffiness- as if the few nice notes of Kouros were isolated from the ill-smelling conglomerate and mingled into a more sophisticated and less recognizable broader variety of notes.
Maybe is have to try this scent during a warmer season- in winter, it seems to be dulled and smell neutral, to wear off soon, but i guess the effect is far more noticeable in summer- i guess, mingled with the right amount of body temperature( just enough to highlight a scent without smelling sweaty or sleazy) and hot air, it might show off its true potential.

I have something of a love/hate relationship with M7. I love it most of the day when I wear it but usually by the end of the day it starts to really get on my nerves with its sweetness. I just don't find myself wearing it that much.

I bought M7 years ago, when it was launched. At first sniff I was amazed, I was looking for amber notes and unusual male perfume. It worked wenough well, even if it wasn't the perfect fragrance. But something changed after sometimes, perhaps my skin, perhaps my nose or the perfume itself... M7 on my skin turned into a disgusting medical smell :( I have a semi filled bottle on my shelf and I use it to give a good fragrance to the air around me. It works better than on my skin!

Way too aged to me.. I really like the woody notes but this is as invassive as Dior´s Eau Sauvage.. Definitevely not for young boys unless you need to demonstrate that your father is an YSL fan. Mention apart, the design is sober and brilliant.. a lot of class!

I tried this today without knowing it's aimed at men, and I thought it was for women. "Ultra masculine" (as the others said)? IMO, it suits very confident "bossy" woman. (On the other hand, I generally think that all the "feminine - masculine" thing is artificial)...

test test test test test

I would agree with the root beer comparison (without the sweetness). I would agree with the zen temple/peaceful comparision as well. What I don't agree with is that this is a great scent. This one is just to weird. I don't think it smells that good for it's great rating. Since I don't believe any of my other scents have agarwood in the mix, it may be my dislike of that particular note. IMO, try before you buy.

This has to be one of the strangest scents I own. It opens way too strong with the aformentioned Robitussin medicine scent, but transitions to a quite pleasant wood notes scent. What the heck? To me, this scent is more of a side show attraction than a cologne--i.e., its really weird at first, but as time goes on you start to get used to it, and may even like it. It is certainly deserving of a spot in my weird Christmas coffee mug collection. Maybe I will give my M7 to a relative for the holidays, but nah.... its too unusual to give away.

I bought M7 a few days ago based on a sample I had that I really liked (I never actually wore it though). Now when I spray the juice on me I am a little less excited. It smells very old fashioned, like something from the early 70's. It's raunchy, like something somebody would wear when they go to a nasty strip club. It also reminds me of my uncle, who was a little like that. So....I don't know. Like most YSL scents this one is truly up to the person wearing it.

A woman's perspective here...well...I think I need to give this one some time to make a final decision. It's certainly not one I loved immediately, but it does get extra points in my book for being unique. It is super masculine; many of today's scents can "swing both ways", if you will, but not this one. It does have that medicinal, menthol-type opening, but the drydown is less in your face and quite intriguing. Ultimately I think you need the right "look" and personality to pull this off. It brings to mind a dark, brooding, confident man with a commanding presence and an overt sexuality. Very tough to pull this one off if you're more sedate and conservative - could seem like you're trying too hard. Worn by the right man, this could be fantastic, otherwise...disastrous.

smells just like diluted agarwood oil... whats all the excitement about?

The only part that I like about this scent is the drydown right before it fades away. Everything else doesn't sit well with me. It starts off with a mess of notes and takes quite a while before everything falls into place. It opens up smelling very synthetic and chemically harsh. Later it begins to smell similar to a flat rootbeer float. Finally, the drydown is a soft amber sitting on top of agarwood (which smells like sandalwood to my nose). This part smells excellent but takes a long time before reaching this stage. In terms of longevity and sillage, it excels.

A little overpowering, but wonderful nonetheless. Heavy on the vetiver and agarwood, this one works best during cooler weather. I can't think of anything else that really comes close to achieving the effect of M7. Would love a little tonka or almond in this...to take the edge off.

Overrated I'd say. Smells like flat root beer. Gives me a craving for stale Fritos.

To me, M7 smells a bit like Opium for five minutes, and then becomes something that reminds me strongly of Diesel Zero Plus.