Yves Saint Laurent Y Eau de Parfum

What Y smells like

Editorial inference

The first spray is bright and a little sweet: green apple, ginger and bergamot, fizzy rather than sour. Within half an hour sage and geranium take over and give it a clean, herbal, slightly barbershop feel. The dry-down is a smooth blend of amberwood, tonka and cedar that stays fresh but turns warmer and sweeter the longer you wear it.

Y notes

Brand description Source: Launch notes via Fragrantica.

Top notes

apple, ginger, bergamot

Heart notes

sage, juniper berries, geranium

Base notes

amberwood, tonka bean, cedar, vetiver, olibanum

YSL names fresh sage, crisp geranium and sensual woods for the Eau de Parfum, and bergamot, sage and ginger for the Y line. The full pyramid, including the apple, is from the 2018 launch notes as listed on Fragrantica.

How long Y lasts, and how it wears

Editorial inference Typical figures, not our own timing.

How long it lasts

8–10 hours

Projection

Strong for the first two or three hours, then a warm, sweet trail at arm’s length

Season

Year-round; best in spring, autumn and cool evenings

Best for

Office, dates and going out; one spray for close quarters

How much to spray

2 sprays

Estimate based on the Eau de Parfum concentration, a dense amberwood and tonka base, and wear reports on Fragrantica, where most reviewers describe eight to ten hours and strong projection, with some saying recent bottles perform a little less than early ones. Skin, climate and how much you spray all move these numbers, which is one more reason to try a sample before a bottle.

Y is one of our best men’s fragrances.

To get more from a bottle, see where to spray and how to make perfume last longer, how to layer it with another scent, and how to store it so it doesn’t go off.

Should you sample it?

Editorial inference

Why Y is so popular

Editorial inference

Y sits right between the two biggest men’s styles of the last decade. The opening is fresh and clean like Sauvage or Bleu de Chanel, but the apple and the amberwood-and-tonka base make it noticeably sweeter and warmer. That combination reads as young, polished and easy to like, which is why it turns up on so many “most complimented” lists and why it works as a gift.

It’s also more versatile than it looks. One spray is clean enough for an office, and two or three carry well on a night out. The trade-off is that it isn’t distinctive: it smells modern and expensive rather than unusual, and some people find the apple and sweetness a little generic.

Y EDP vs Sauvage EDP and Bleu de Chanel EDP

Editorial inference

All three are fresh openings over a warm base, and all three are safe choices. Sauvage Eau de Parfum is peppery bergamot and lavender over ambroxan and vanilla: the most recognizable and the most widely worn. Bleu de Chanel Eau de Parfum is citrus over amber, sandalwood and incense: the smoothest and the most grown-up. Y is the sweetest and the most youthful of the three, with apple and sage up top and amberwood underneath.

If you want the safest, most classic choice, pick Bleu de Chanel. If you want a scent people recognize and compliment, pick Sauvage. If you like both but want something a little sweeter that fewer people around you wear, try Y.

The Y line, explained

Editorial inference

The Y bottles all use the same tall rectangle with the Y cut into the glass, so check the label. The Eau de Toilette (2017) came first: lighter and greener, with more bergamot and less of the sweet amberwood base. The Eau de Parfum on this page followed in 2018 and quickly became the one most people mean when they say “YSL Y.”

Y Le Parfum (2021, reworked in 2025) is darker and more ambery with lavender and woods. Y Eau de Parfum Intense (2023) drops the apple for lavender, juniper and patchouli, so it’s more herbal and mature. Y Elixir (2024) is the richest, with lavender and geranium over frankincense and oud. Y Iced Cologne (late 2025) is a cold mint-and-sage version for hot weather. Treat each as its own scent rather than a stronger or weaker Y EDP.

Versions of Y

The same name covers several different perfumes. Here is how they relate, so you sample the right one.

If you like Y, also try

Editorial inference

• More famousDior Sauvage Eau de ParfumThe same fresh-then-warm idea with bergamot, lavender and vanilla over ambroxan. Less fruity, more peppery, and far more widely worn.
• SmootherChanel Bleu de Chanel Eau de ParfumCitrus over amber, sandalwood and incense. Smoother and less sweet than Y, and a safer choice for an older wearer.
• CheaperVersace Dylan Blue Pour HommeBergamot, grapefruit and ambroxan with a darker incense dry-down: the same crowd-pleasing freshness without the apple, and usually for less.
• SweeterVersace Eros Eau de ToiletteMint, green apple and vanilla: much sweeter and louder than Y. The one for nights out rather than the office.
• DrierHermès Terre d’Hermès Eau de ToiletteOrange and flinty vetiver instead of apple and amberwood. Drier, earthier and more grown-up, with no sweetness.
• WarmerPrada Paradigme Eau de ParfumAlso bergamot and geranium over a warm base, but with balsams and guaiac wood instead of apple. Warmer and less sweet.

More cheaper alternatives to popular perfumes are in our perfume dupes guide.

Y questions

How long does YSL Y EDP last?

Most people get eight to ten hours, with strong projection for the first two or three. The amberwood and tonka base is what lasts; the apple and ginger fade within the first hour. Some wearers say recent bottles perform a little less than early ones, so treat this as a typical range rather than a promise.

Is YSL Y EDP sweet?

A little. The apple in the opening and the tonka and amberwood in the base make it sweeter than Bleu de Chanel, but it stays a fresh, clean scent rather than a sweet one. Eros is the one to choose if you want real sweetness.

Y EDT or Y EDP: which should I buy?

Most people prefer the EDP. It’s the richer, sweeter and longer-lasting of the two, and the one most reviews and compliments refer to. The EDT is lighter and greener, so it suits hot weather and anyone who finds the EDP too sweet.

Is Y EDP good for the office?

Yes, with one spray. It’s clean and inoffensive, but it projects strongly at first, so two or three sprays can fill a small room. Save the heavier application for evenings.

What age is YSL Y EDP for?

It’s especially popular with men in their twenties and thirties because of its fresh, slightly sweet style, but nothing about it is age-specific. Anyone who likes clean, modern scents can wear it.

How do I tell the Y EDP bottle from the others?

The Y bottles are all tall, heavy rectangles with a Y cut into the glass, and several share similar blue tones, so read the label: this one says Eau de Parfum. The Intense, Le Parfum and Elixir each name themselves on the front.

Key notes are from Yves Saint Laurent’s published descriptions; the full note list is from the source named above. Longevity and season are typical figures, not our own measurements. Read how we compare perfumes, what EDT, EDP and Parfum mean, or the difference between perfume and cologne.