Yves Saint Laurent Y Eau de Parfum Review
Illustration, not a product photo.
Yves Saint Laurent Y Eau de Parfum is an aromatic fougère fragrance (lavender, herbs and the classic barbershop accord) from Yves Saint Laurent, marketed for men. Yves Saint Laurent is a designer house.
Price varies (no price snapshot observed)
Based on 116 Reddit owner comments (63 with a clear rating) · Top 30% of tracked fragrances by overall score
Is Yves Saint Laurent Y Eau de Parfum worth it?
Owners are split: 3.5/5 overall from 63 rated owner comments, with an average owner rating of 3.8★. Owners talk most about value (18 mentions).
Who it suits
- You want value: 8 owner comments praise it.
- You want fresh & clean: 7 owner comments praise it.
- You want unique: 3 owner comments praise it.
- Summer wear: the season owners mention most (10 comments).
- Everyday: the occasion owners mention most (8 comments).
Who should skip it
- Longevity matters to you: 3 owner comments raise it as a downside.
- Synthetic / harsh matters to you: 3 owner comments raise it as a downside.
- Headaches matters to you: 2 owner comments raise it as a downside.
Longevity, projection and compliments
| What owners report | Positive | Negative | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Longevityi | 2 say it lasts well | 3 say it fades fast | 2.9 |
| Projectioni | 2 say it projects well | 0 call it weak or a skin scent | 4.1 |
| Complimentsi | 2 report compliments | 0 report none | 1.6 |
Counts of owner comments that describe this fragrance's performance on their own skin. "Not rated" means no owner described it.
When owners wear it
Seasons
Occasions
Number of owner comments mentioning each season or occasion alongside this fragrance (positive or negative).
What Reddit owners say
5/5“I own 60 designed/niche bottles! but this is my most favourite l! very close to me ! because it was my 2nd designer perfume after ysl y edp!”
4/5 Fresh & cleanSynthetic / harsh“I've compared it side by side with Y EDP, but someone told me it's actually closer to Le Parfum and the notes are indeed closer.”
5/5 Fresh & clean“What I do is firstly since I love musk in summers, I have got Khadlaj Pure Musk and layer it with my Y EDP/Hawas Ice/Issey Miyake Pour Homme. It creates a musky clean linen-like undertone but I love it.”
4/5 SummerWinter“Thanks a lot for the advice, im trying to keep it a small collection since I believe I dont need all of these since I wear all of these in a cycle with proper planning on which fit in a temperature range and which type of scent like winter or summer, the only ones I will in the future get is the same bottles if I really like them that much and is worth it to get a full size. I usually try out fragrences at my local sephora to see what I like and I dont focus on the I fluencers saying whats good, I do plan on trying out ysl y myself absolu or ysl y iced samples.”
5/5“Enjoy smelling like a 30-something year old in middle management. …bc that's me and I'm fkn cool. For real tho - YSL Y is legit. Women like it. My wife loves it on me, and she's a smoke show.”
+111 more owner comments
5/5“I have 3 bottles completely empty and currently have my YSL Y at half after only owning for 3 months. If I truly love it enough to complete a bottle I'll just buy another. Don't really understand preserving colognes unless they're discontinued.”
3/5 Value“Olfactory is very, very subjective. I own DB, as well as a close to 60 bottle collection with good mix of designer and niché. To me DB punches way above its weight. 67 smells far cheaper than DB to me. Still an okay scene, abd YSL Y doesnt smell as nice as DB imo. But everythinf is subjective.”
3/5 Synthetic / harshSummer“Went to a mall and tried the original YSL Y EDP.”
3/5“The y Edp has better longevity if that matters. I have both. Both smell great but performance on sedley is disappointing”
5/5“😂😂😂😂 top 5 invictus aqua, tmw parfum, forever wanted elixir, Michael malul sangria+embers, swy powerfully. Man that was hard i love ysl y edp too. I have had the most compliments from jo milano notes 1 beat.”
1/5 Synthetic / harshHeadaches“YSL Y EDP was that one for me. I went through 2 entire bottles in a row before my nose started changing. I now smell an overly sharp synthetic apple note anytime I smell it on me or other people and it gives me a headache.”
5/5“Great reviews, thanks! I recommend people do not blind buy Soprano Ice. I have a decant and I can't make up my mind about it. It's not a simple freshie and changes quite a bit as you're wearing it. This is awesome if you enjoy all the stages, and respect to Dumont for making something really interesting, but I personally find myself liking it slightly less as it goes on. It starts off like YSL Y but it goes somewhere else in the drydown. I could see how some people love it, but definitely try before you buy.”
4/5 Fresh & cleanSummer“Hey, don't got Mega but I have the OG/Y EDP. I've got Aqua and Iconic as well. Honestly for hot days, I would go with some other scent profiles but Aqua Dubai is what I would recommend out of these 3. It's super strong and makes you smell fresh and soapy like for atleast a couple of hours. (Especially if you're outdoors, indoors then it's gonna be there 10 hours) Would recommend Iconic/Mega on Hot nights.”
5/5“Y EDP is my signature, but azzaro the most wanted brought me to this addiction, was my first ever purchase, vanilla dunes by khadlaj is amazing, wanted by nights is super underrated, l'homme libre was my first discovery of cologne, HM, Givenchy ambree, reserve privee, legend spirit, hawas, pacific aura.”
3/5 Fresh & clean“I have Y edp. Its the perfect « always good but never great » fragrance. You smell clean and its difficult to dislike. You can wear any time any place. You'll never be dashing or provocative though”
4/5 Mass appeal“Struggle to like Y EDP, really need to smell it from a distance to appreciate it, close up it just kicks me in the nose. However when I went through my testers blindly w/o checking the labels i thought it smelled nice and it has mass appeal for sure.”
5/5“Love Y Edp but in these one i have to go with prada”
4/5 WinterEveryday“versatile ? last two . just get the ocean EDT not EDP love og profundo but new one is again versatile but cslightly less than the og for me. dior is amazing but less versatile but still very versatile. y edp is awesome but i wear as cold weather frag PRO TIP ! get them all , all of them are goat level IMHO”
4/5 Batches & reformulation“Maybe, i bought two decants of ysl y edp and they performed like shit but then i stored them for a month and now the performance is good, although it is said that the decants dont need to be macerated. Reformulation and batch variations could also be the reason behind this”
4/5 ValueEveryday“YSL Y EDP, the only constant I keep picking up when I get a good deal as it's my daily driver Only one I have bought again taking the advantage of the price of the refill is YSL Myself I generally buy a mini/tester before I buy a bottle so I don't consider that a rebuy just a test run before I buy a bottle”
4/5 Fresh & clean“hey Man nice post! i think I am getting into perfumes as well I have over 20 decants at the moment and menworks the bleu is def one of my favourites as well. just smells very clean and airy. i need to smell YSL Y someday too but for now I think this does the job.”
3/5 Value“Ysl y iced is pretty good but not that cheap. Longevity isn't the best on me.”
4/5 Value“Idk I used to think LV imagination was overpriced hype then I bought it and I think it's great… I don't think I would've liked it when I first got started tho, my firsts were Dior Homme Sport and YSL Y EDP… ”
2/5 Date nightEveryday“I feel like imagination isn't as versatile as BDC, Dylan Blue, YSL Y, Prada Carbon, etc. I like Imagination, but I just don't see myself wearing it casually or for date nights.”
5/5“Y EDP is my signature, I literally have two bottle of that stuff, and is a compliment beats, especially by women, leaves beautiful trail”
5/5 Summer“Hey I have both (a full bottle of Sedley and a sample of y edp) and Sedley has become almost my most worn fragrance. IMO Sedley smells way higher quality and lasts a really long time for a freshie on my skin. Sedley is the perfect high heat fragrance way fresher than y edp.”
5/5“Y edp over anything else i have ever tried. Women love it, men love it”
4/5“you could also check out bad boy cobalt! it's a nice blue fragrance, lwk growing on me more than ysl y, and i think you'd like valentino coral fantasy, but like others said, you should check out discounters like jomashop and fragrance nevaeh instead of paying full retail”
5/5“btw Im sure you will ask which is the best and my favorite is YSL Y Many people love Profundo as well (my dad wore aqua di Gio and so i cant stand it myself as it remind me of my dad) cant speak on many of the others but my honest sugestion is get what you like cause its gonna be for you. if you dont like what you smell like you wont end up wearing it.”
5/5 Value“That's actually a good answer. I own both and yeah you can't go wrong. My personal favorite right now is Cartier Declaration but YSL Y really is bang for your buck.”
1/5 LongevityValue“I'd have to smell ysl y edp again to really tell. I got such terrible performance with it i ended up a cheap clone instead, that gives me way better performance lol. It's kind of accurate but it's a little heavier because it's an extrait”
5/5 Batches & reformulation“I'm the opposite. I absolutely loved it at first and now it's just okay. I find myself wearing ysl Y more often now. I started to wonder if it is going bad because I bought it from fragrancenet in 2025 but it's a Jan 2025 batch. My old bottle ran out after 4 years and never stopped liking it. After reading these comments, I'm guessing my smell just changed lol. DB is still good tho.”
5/5 Value“Profondo and Y EdP are both great. I've been swimming through my bottle of Profondo (current SOTD) and will likely be adding a small bottle of Y EdP to my collection soon (don't care if redundant, I love blue freshies). Of course, there is no shortage of options out there. What is your budget?”
5/5 Night out“Y edp I loved it until I got homme sport supperlegara then found Ralph's club New York the 3 are my favorite”
3/5“I have a sample of ysl y and i love the funky sour appleness of it. I then purchased a larger bottle of YSL mYself, I find it to be a frat f boy version of it and I don't like it at all. I do enjoy YSL Y though”
1/5“Maison Alhambra Yeah! Is the closest clone I've tried of Y edp but I'm sure there are better out there. Fakhar Black is gross save yourself the trouble.”
5/5 Value“Depends on what cheap means but YSL Y edp is absolutely amazing and a great blind buy. It became my daily and by far my most complimented fragrance. It's also great for all year round weather and events”
5/5“I agree totally. But the few times I've worn YSL Y EDP people always love it. I just can't stand wearing it often bc I get sick of it but the crowds love it”
1/5 OfficeDate night“YSL Y Edp. I started my fragrance journey with this and it absolutely blew me away. I feel like I can personally rock this in the office or at a date night. It will always have a place in my collection. See a lot of hate for it too so definitely personal”
4/5“I tested only YSL Y and it is solid choice, can't go wrong with it.”
Dupes and similar fragrances
- Chanel Bleu de Chanel vs Yves Saint Laurent Y Eau de Parfum: 5 comments compare Chanel Bleu de Chanel with it.
- Lattafa Fakhar vs Yves Saint Laurent Y Eau de Parfum: 3 comments compare Lattafa Fakhar with it (limited evidence).
- Yves Saint Laurent Y Eau de Parfum vs Creed Aventus: 3 comments compare Creed Aventus with it (limited evidence).
- Afnan Turathi Blue vs Yves Saint Laurent Y Eau de Parfum: 2 comments compare Afnan Turathi Blue with it (limited evidence).
Clone houses named next to Yves Saint Laurent Y Eau de Parfum in "dupe/clone" comments: Armaf (10), Lattafa (8), Maison Alhambra (3), Dossier (2), French Avenue / Fragrance World (2), Afnan (2), Rasasi (1).
Alternatives in the same family
- Montblanc Montblanc Legend — 3.4 from 12 owner comments
- Parfums de Marly Percival — 3.4 from 64 owner comments
- Gucci Gucci Guilty — 3.3 from 22 owner comments
Head-to-head: Sauvage vs Y Eau de Parfum · Eros vs Y Eau de Parfum
FAQ
How long does Yves Saint Laurent Y Eau de Parfum last?
In the Reddit owner comments we analysed, 2 owners said it lasts well and 3 said it fades quickly. Longevity varies with skin, climate and concentration.
What season is Yves Saint Laurent Y Eau de Parfum best for?
Owners mention summer most often (10 comments), followed by winter (3).
Does Yves Saint Laurent Y Eau de Parfum get compliments?
2 owner comments in our sample report compliments while wearing it.
Can I buy Yves Saint Laurent Y Eau de Parfum on Amazon safely?
We did not find it sold by Amazon.com or by the brand's own Amazon store, so we do not link to it. Third-party fragrance listings carry a counterfeit and grey-market risk.
Keep deciding
- Yves Saint Laurent fragrances ranked
- Best aromatic fougère fragrances
- Best summer fragrances
- Best winter fragrances
- Best fragrances for everyday wear
- Best Men’s Fragrances
- Best Designer Fragrances
- Buying guide shortlists · Methodology
Details
| Brand | Yves Saint Laurent (Designer) |
| Fragrance family | Aromatic Fougère |
| Marketed for | men |
| Amazon listing | No listing sold by Amazon.com or the brand store found |
| Reddit evidence | 116 owner comments, 879 mentions in total across r/fragrance, r/FemFragLab and related subreddits |
| Last updated | 2026-11-03 |
Family and "marketed for" follow the brand's positioning and common fragrance references; flankers (Intense, Elixir, Parfum editions) are tracked separately or excluded.