Kouros
Photo courtesy of TheFragranceShop.co.uk

Kouros(1981)

Yves Saint Laurent · Pierre Bourdon · Fougere

At a glance

Created by Pierre Bourdon for Yves Saint Laurent, Kouros opens on aldehydes, bergamot, artemisia, and clary sage, moves through a heart of jasmine, orris, and patchouli, and closes on amber, civet, vanilla, honey, and musk. Named for the archaic Greek sculptures of idealized male youths, its unapologetically animalic civet-and-honey warmth made it one of the most aggressively masculine, skin-close orientals of the era, still cited by perfumers as a defining reference for bold, old-school men's fragrance construction distinct from the cleaner, fresher colognes that would dominate the following decade.

Buy at TheFragranceShop.co.uk — $92 →
Did you know? This scent's civet note is a heavily diluted trace of a substance that smells overwhelming and fecal at full strength. Read the full story →
📌 Track your collection. Mark this Owned, Wishlist, or Showcase, and rate or comment on it — 2 others already have. Sign up free
Launched
1981
Family
Fougere

Kouros is a fragrance from Yves Saint Laurent, released in 1981 and composed by Pierre Bourdon. It sits in the Fougere family. It opens with Aldehydes, Bergamot, Artemisia, and Clary Sage, moves into a heart of Jasmine, Orris, and Patchouli, and settles into a base of Amber, Civet, Vanilla, Honey, and Musk.

New to top, heart & base notes? Learn how the fragrance pyramid actually works →

Top notes
AldehydesBergamotArtemisiaClary Sage
Heart notes
JasmineOrrisPatchouli
Base notes
AmberCivetVanillaHoneyMusk
Community
5/5 1 rating
Log in to rate this perfume
Reader photos

No reader photos yet.

Log in to add a photo

No comments yet.

● drafted · last checked 2026-07-16