How Dior Created the Boldest Sauvage Cologne Yet

Dior6 min readJust over a decade ago, when Dior created Sauvage, the world of men’s fragrance was far simpler. Usually, an eau de toilette would do the trick. Thing have changed—rather drastically. Scents have become more concentrated, notes more varied. No one knows this better than Francis Kurkdjian, perfume creation director for Dior and one of the industry’s most revered noses.This year, Kurkdjian was tasked with pushing Sauvage—a modern classic, and one of the most popular fragrances on the market—to its limits. The results is Dior Sauvage Extrait ($205, available July 31), a new expression that utilizes oud for the very first time and steers the scent into unexpected, sexy (dare I say kinky?) territory.Sauvage Extrait embodies a particular kind of masculinity, one more closely rooted in the sensual, rugged confidence of the '70s and '80s rather than the polished masculinity of the 2000s. Still polished, but with a glimpse of chest hair under the shirt collar, it’s a little rougher around the edges, a little more ballsy, and all the more interesting for it.Sitting down with a master like Kurkdjian to talk about how Sauvage Extrait came to be, I’ll admit I was a little nervous about asking the wrong questions. But, he assured me, “It’s about perfume. You cannot be right or wrong when it is about perfume.”This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.Dior“Ultimately, the starting point is Sauvage, so we’re anchored. If you define fragrance as a journey, Sauvage is the thread that keeps us connected.”ESQ: You say that fragrance is journey. What was sort of the starting point for this journey in creating Sauvage Extrait?FK: Emotions. It’s about asking, Where can you go? How can you become more intense, deeper, more extreme? How can we push the boundaries of Sauvage to a point where we can express the quintessence of perfume, whether in power, in intensity, or in density?That was the big picture. It was the feeling of smelling a yin and yang, a kind of a chiaroscuro. So how can we experience and feel that? In terms of emotions, of landscape, it was enough for me to start. And ultimately, the starting point is Sauvage, so we’re anchored. If you define fragrance as a journey, Sauvage is the thread that keeps us connected.You're talking about landscapes and you mention visuals. Do you often approach creating your fragrances with visuals?Not often. The reason why I did with Sauvage is because it is mainly anchored in wide open spaces and nature. At first, it’s very easy to get inspiration because if you close your eyes and think about a waterfall, you picture it in your head. If you think about desert, you picture it. It’s very easy with Sauvage to visualize the landscape at large. But most of the time, I find mood boards very limiting. It's better to begin with an idea that is so high, so universal that you are free from visuals.You create your own expression.I don't like having a benchmark when creating perfume. I don't look at competition. If we look at it, we do it afterward. When people ask me who is the wearer of the perfume, I don't know, because we didn't conduct any tests. In my studio, we are three people. And including the President of Dior, only 10 people experienced the scent while it was in development. To be honest, I have no idea - and that’s the beauty of it. It has to be good enough on its own, to play its own role and do the job by itself.Francois Durand//Getty ImagesKurkdjian at a Dior event in May 2026.Do you feel like you’re a bit of a risk-taker when you release scents like Sauvage Extrait?You have to be. And sometimes you fail—but we do everything that we know we can do to make it a success. I mean, the market is saturated with perfumes that, when you smell them, when you look at them, you can be sure there is no risk at all.I won't name the brand or the perfume, but one fragrance launched with the tagline, “The new refillable perfume.” It's not a new men's perfume or even a new expression of masculinity. What the fuck?But to be very polite, at some point, you have to take some risk. And sometimes we fail. I hope not every time. But it’s good to fail if you learn why you fail. It's important.To borrow your word “risk”: What is the risk here?The risk is a perfume that is too far away from what mainstream perfume can be. In 2015, we launched Sauvage Eau de Toilette. Now, no brand will consider launching an EDT. Sauvage Elixir launched five years ago. It was the most concentrated perfume in the market, and even the name “Elixir” did not exist as a category. But what was edgy five years ago is now mainstream and acceptable—the norm. Now the idea is to go further. Is the market ready? We feel collectively at Dior that it is possible. And if it works, then it’s fine. Otherwise, we'll see what happens.Why do you think now is the right time to include oud in this scent?As a perfumer, I am not at ease explaining why I use raw materials. I use them because I need them. You can smell the oud—you can almost taste the oil we've been using. It says it all, in a way. If it had been sandalwood, it would have played a role, but the reason sandalwood doesn't work is because I needed a raw material that was able to evolve.Perfume is about working with volatility—base notes, middle notes, top notes. When you smell oud as an olfactive pyramid, it’s very interesting because of the way it starts, the way it develops, and because it’s not the same material all the way through. What you smell at first, and then later, there is something very clean and very dirty at the same time.Dior“You can smell the oud—you can almost taste the oil we’ve been using. It says it all, in a way.”I do love the dirty.I love the dirtiness as well. I mean, there is a bit of kinkiness. You get hypnotized because there is something dirty, and as soon as you find it dirty, it’s almost like something clean emerges and makes you feel realize that it's not what you thought it was.This is also a part of what masculinity is about. Nowadays, on one side you have gender fluidity, but on the other side there is a masculinity, and I think Sauvage can be seen as a feeling of masculinity and how it’s anchored in that spirit of the ‘70s and ‘80s. When you look at the genesis of the ‘70s and ‘80s, there is a return to something that is hippie chic—clean-cut, yet a bit edgy, a bit kinky. There is this play of looking clean-cut, but if you open the button of the shirt, you see hair. We are far away from Abercrombie. I think now there is more depth. We’re looking for something more ballsy. It’s a ballsy Sauvage.Do you think there is a duality where man can be clean-cut and can be dirty? Do you think that makes a Sauvage man?FK: In a way, yes. I’ve had the chance to talk with Johnny Depp many times. He’s very sweet, and he loves painting; one of his favorite painters is Modigliani, very sensitive and very moving. And when you talk with him about music, all of a sudden the tattoos, the décor, and the makeup fade away, and you feel there is something touching—not necessarily feminine but something unexpected. A step to the side, maybe.To me, Sauvage has always been on the very clean-cut side. This is the first time that we're trying to play with and bring in something very sexy, almost feline.What makes an extrait the ultimate expression of a fragrance?Because we’re at the edge of the legal regulatory concentration possible. Perfume is oil, alcohol, and water. If the ratio between the oil and the mix—meaning the addition of alcohol and water—goes beyond 50 percent, then it becomes a scented oil. With Extrait, we are right at 49.75 percent.You’re cutting it close.There is no room to improve, no room to adjust. But you don't smell a 0.25 percent difference. Do you want to try?Spray her down. It’s what I’m excited about.It’s a bit green on you. Yeah, it’s more raw.