Puredistance YSAYO Review (Antoine Lie) 2025 + Raw Nature Giveaway

Puredistance YSAYO

J’s image of Puredistance YSAYO

YSAYO is a word created by Puredistance’s creative director Jan Ewoud Vos and is the name of the house’s latest release with master perfumer Antoine Lie. Lie takes us into his past and the greenery of his childhood region of Alsace in the north east of France. YSAYO is Lie’s passion and memories unleashed and raw, letting beautiful materials channel the depths of his emotions from his youth and the nature that surrounded him. Puredistance YSAYO cuts through quietly, letting it’s natural power shine, its presence is felt like that of the green Samurai whose visage it conjures, there, brooding in dark purple tones, bathed in earthy greens, a quiet yet striking presence. It flows with nature, not against it.

Puredistance founder and creative director Jan Ewoud Vos

Puredistance founder and creative director Jan Ewoud Vos.

Vibrant verdant tones set the stage for YSAYO. Grassy greens with a slight waxiness gently move as if a light breeze has made them sway. It’s fresh with a gentle warmth from the sun that picks up of subtle touches of shimmering saffron which whispers of leather. Artemisia’s dry herbaceous give a nice sharp bite as the galbanum’s vegetal roots weave through the soft grasses. Yet, YSAYO has a beautiful calm feel, it reminds me of being up a mountain in Norway in the spring, fresh new grasses and greens dancing in the fresh breeze. Chamomile’s natural meditative side does this quiet magic. Greens of all shades weave through earthy undertones giving a contrast of dark and light tones making the feel of YSAYO one that’s incredibly evocative,

Antoine Lie Master perfumer

Master perfumer Antoine Lie courtesy of the brand.

Haitian vetivers nutty warmth arrives like the sun escaping from behind a cloud making the greens glow. Thyme teases out more subtle herbal facets stealthily moving between the fresher and darker tones, it’s all done so subtly as if nature is slowed down letting it wash over you. Antoine Lie is yet again working in a hauntological way where his memories of Alsace are painted in soft hazes of watercolour, taking his past and bringing it into our present, playing out each time to experience YSAYO. You feel the greens merge at the edges giving and abstract feel, you can’t quite see where they merge but feel it. It’s gives a beautiful dreamy sensation to YSAYO. The elegant use of florals also adds to this soft cozy haze. Geranium gives the greenery as subtle spice and abstract rosiness while jasmine adds gentle headiness when smelled up close. Antoine Lie is cleverly foreshadowing the things to come as YSAYO dries down.

Puredistance YSAYO

PR image of green samurai for Puredistance YSAYO.

YSAYO has a lovely subtle savory facet from celery, it’s lightly used adding to the earthy woody elements while its spice works with geranium giving it’s a unique feel. It’s mossy too, soft and sunned, glowing with a lovely warmth shimmering with flecks of rich balsamics. Again all of this is handled in a delicate way giving you an experience of green like no other. The green samurai imagery feels perfect as it has a feel that fits with Japanese ideals of scent being quiet, as it blends with the nature around you, yet its other darker elements that give a presence. One that’s elegant and in touch with nature.

YSAYO by Puredistance

PR image Puredistance YSAYO.

Saffron shifts to a more leathery role in YSAYO’s final dry down. It’s given a lovely bodily warmth from Java and Haitian vetiver who both take the fore here too. Earthy, rooty aromas twist the greenery into a darker purple tone. Cracked worn leather feels supple from wear giving YSAYO a soft almost animalic purr, its restrained like a wild beast off at the edge of the forests darker heart we have adventured into after coming down from the mountain through the trees. The spices feel darker with a gentle dustiness giving the raw earthy Indonesian patchouli a cracked dry feel. Cistus brings us back to the calm of chamomile, though here it’s more a soft incense resinous lace-like plume, curling around us like a thought or dream. Its resinous side adds to the wildness and the allure of the leather. YSAYO is contemplative as the darkness descends, letting those fresher facets weave through as green and darker purple tones letting the vetivers shine while modulating them into Antoine Lie’s pure vision. YSAYO it’s a stunning refined raw expression of nature, letting vetiver stand out in ways I’ve not experienced before. Stunning!

Notes: Saffron, Galbanum oil Iran, Blue Chamomile oil Egypt, White Artemisia oil Morocco, Celery oil India, Geranium oil Egypt, Jasmin abs India, Thyme oil France, Geranium oil Madagascar, Ciste abs Spain, Patchouli oil Indonesia, Leather, Vetiver oil Java and Haïti.

Pure Perfume Extrait: 25% perfume oil.

Disclosure: Puredistance YSAYO was provided by Puredistance. Thoughts and nose are always my own.

Puredistance YSAYO review

J’s image of Puredistance YSAYO

Thanks to the generosity of a team member we have a 2 ml sample for one registered reader in the USA ONLY. You must register or your entry will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what sparks your interest based on j’s review and where you live. Draw closes 11/25/2025

Also read the reviews for Puredistance PAPILIO, MV2Q; NR 12; Rubikona; Sheiduna; Gold; Warszawa  

Jan Ewoud Vos Creative Director’s article written for CaFleureBon: The DNA of Pure Vision

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15 comments

  • Charlie says:

    Puredistance is known for their highest quality perfumes. I have a sample of Sheiduna which is spicy and floral but dry. I would be excited to win a sample of YSAYO, raw green nature and vetiver PLUS ANTOINE LIE!
    USA

  • acg233 says:

    I love the description of a “soft almost animalistic purr”, and I’m intrigued by the blend between French and Japanese elements.

    USA

  • Ensorceler says:

    What sparks my interest most in J’s review of YSAYO is how the fragrance beautifully captures the essence of nature and memory, evoking a serene yet powerful “Green Samurai” presence. The blend of vibrant greens, subtle spices, and warm leathery undertones creating a quiet, elegant, and deeply personal scent journey feels truly unique and captivating.

    – USA –

  • RH says:

    I’ve never seen a celery note in a fragrance before! Very curious about this one because of that note specifically. I’m in the US.

  • GPGod says:

    What really gripped me in J’s review is how YSAYO feels less like “a green vetiver fragrance” and more like a lived-in memory made wearable. The way Antoine Lie’s childhood Alsace is translated into those soft, layered greens, chamomile, galbanum, artemisia, thyme, moss, sounds like standing still in a landscape that’s moving around you, not a sharp, soapy blast like so many greens tend to be.

    The “green samurai” image suddenly makes sense when you describe how quiet the power is here: controlled, disciplined, and in tune with its surroundings instead of shouting for attention. I’m especially intrigued by the use of celery and those savory nuances; that’s such a risky note, but the way you describe it as weaving into the earthy woods and moss makes it sound textural rather than gimmicky.

    What really pushes YSAYO over the edge for me is the drydown you describe: saffron slowly taking on a leathery warmth, the dual vetivers twisting the greens into darker “purple” tones, the cracked, worn leather with that almost animalic purr, and cistus as a kind of resinous lace drifting over everything. It sounds like a perfume that starts in daylight on a hillside and ends at the edge of a dark forest, without ever losing its calm. If YSAYO truly lets vetiver “stand out in ways I’ve not experienced before,” I need to experience that journey on my own skin.

    I live in the USA.

  • hspoffordiii says:

    I’m always interested in anything composed by Antoine Lie and the incomparable quality of Puredistance compositions. I can’t wait to get my nose on this, it sounds like a a new “masculine” classic. I live in the US.

  • xoe says:

    2025 has been my year of green. j’s description leads me to believe that YSAYO would fit right in. Green and purple nature with a unique expression of vetiver sounds delightful. I am in the US.

  • Monika says:

    I’m intrigued by the mentions of saffron and artemisia, two uncommon notes I like very much in perfumes, and the overall natural vibe of this scent. I live in the U.S. Thanks for the draw!

  • mmerline says:

    Puredistance YSAYO seems like a very tranquil, alive-smelling fragrance—fresh breeze, swaying grasses, snapping greens, and earthy vetiver. The savory celery note is an interesting point of distinction. And the combination of vetiver, saffron, and incense in the leathery drydown sounds rich and compelling. Strong stuff too.

    I’m in the USA.

  • foreverscents says:

    All the green notes in YSAO really appeal to me, especially the galbanum and the artemisia. Antoine Lie is a talented perfumer who evokes his memories of Alsace in this fragrance. The saffron and the leathery notes contribute to the animalic purr in the dry down. I’d love to sample this gorgeous fragrance.
    I live in the USA.

  • roxhas1cat says:

    A green like no other got my attention. Loved the imagery of being on a mountain in Norway with the beginning of spring. I don’t believe I’ve seen celery oil used in fragrance before. Sounds unique and I’d love to get a whiff. Thanks for the chance. USA.

  • sunnlitt says:

    This scent sounds lovely. The descriptions fragrance are so inviting!
    The writing is great! The author takes us from ‘vibrant verdant tones to ‘grassy greens with a gentle warmth’ and then, to ‘contemplative as the darkness descends, letting those fresher facets weave through as green and darker purple tones letting the vetivers shine’.
    Wow!
    I live in the USA.
    Thanks so much for the drawing.

  • opalbear says:

    I love when a house lists not just notes but where the ingredients were sourced. Because it makes a surprisingly huge difference! Vetiver from Haiti vs India is so different or sandalwood from India vs Australia etc. Antoine Lie is always intriguing and innovative. Can’t wait to try this.
    I am located in California.

  • Kensolfactoryodyssey says:

    YSAYO reminded me how powerful true green can be—raw, emotive, and alive. Raw Nature captures that same spirit: honesty in materials, clarity in execution, and a deep respect for the earth that makes perfume feel like a place rather than a product. I’d love the chance to explore their world next. I live in the Bay Area, USA.

  • wallygator88 says:

    Thanks for the thoughtful review! Puredistance YSAYO feels like a forest meditation captured in scent — fresh chamomile, galbanum, and saffron open the fragrance with a green, almost herbaceous clarity, almost like morning dew on leaves. Then the jasmine, thyme, and celery mid-notes add a subtle floral-aromatic complexity, softening the initial sharpness while keeping things grounded. The base of vetiver, leather, patchouli and labdanum wraps it all in earthy warmth and a smoky, root-deep richness that anchors the composition. What resonated most for me is how YSAYO manages to be both raw and refined — a scent that feels alive and natural, yet composed with sophistication. I’d love to try YSAYO!
    Cheers from WI, USA