He brought the King back to life, played the most chilling of the Harkonnens and rode with the bikers of 1960s America. Austin Butler is one of the most fascinating actors of his generation — and, since 2023, the global ambassador of YSL Beauty, fronting the MYSLF fragrance. A portrait of a magnetic chameleon, and a walk through the Saint Laurent spirit for men, to discover at Olara perfumery.
1“Elvis”: the metamorphosis of a lifetime
In 2022, director Baz Luhrmann entrusted a still little-known actor with the most intimidating role there is: Elvis Presley. In “Elvis”, Austin Butler plays a strikingly truthful King, from the Memphis kid to the weary icon of Las Vegas — a voice honed for months, every hip-swing calibrated, vulnerability just beneath the surface. The performance earned him the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama and the BAFTA for Best Actor, along with an Oscar nomination. The world discovered a performer able to disappear entirely into his character — the very definition of metamorphosis.
2“Dune: Part Two”: the magnetic villain
A complete change of register in 2024: in Denis Villeneuve's “Dune: Part Two”, a massive success across Europe, Austin Butler plays Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, the psychopathic heir with icy beauty, shaved head and a predator's smile. Opposite Timothée Chalamet's Paul Atreides, he builds one of recent science fiction's most memorable villains in just a few scenes. Arrakis's endless dunes, the mineral light, the intensity of the final duel: a burning, arid universe that echoes the amber and woody trails of our men's fragrances.
3“The Bikeriders”: freedom on two wheels
That same year, Jeff Nichols offered him a role built for legend with “The Bikeriders”: Benny, the taciturn biker of a 1960s Midwest club, torn between his love for Kathy (Jodie Comer) and his loyalty to Johnny (Tom Hardy). Inspired by Danny Lyon's cult photo book, the film breathes leather, asphalt and wind — and Butler holds the screen with a silent, all-in-the-eyes presence. Three films, three faces: the incandescent crooner, the cold predator, the romantic rebel. It is precisely that freedom to be several men at once that the fragrance he fronts celebrates.
4YSL Beauty ambassador: the MYSLF man
In 2023, YSL Beauty named Austin Butler its global ambassador and gave him the face of MYSLF, its woody floral for men — a campaign photographed by Gray Sorrenti and directed by Julia Ducournau, winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes for “Titane”. The fragrance's credo: to be “proud, strong and free”, true to every facet of oneself. A manifesto the actor has carried through the line's subsequent campaigns. MYSLF is not yet part of the Olara perfumery catalogue — but the Saint Laurent spirit for men lives on here through three landmarks: Y, L'Homme and La Nuit de L'Homme, gathered in our Yves Saint Laurent collection. And if brand ambassadors fascinate you, our portrait of Sydney Sweeney, face of Armani's My Way, completes the series.
5Y by Yves Saint Laurent: the olfactory pyramid
To find that idea of a modern, clean-cut, assertive masculinity at Olara, one reference stands out: Y Eau de Parfum (2018), signed by master perfumer Dominique Ropion — the author of Frédéric Malle's Portrait of a Lady and co-creator of Lancôme's La Vie Est Belle. His score is a contemporary aromatic fougère: a crisp opening of fresh apple, ginger and bergamot; a green heart of sage, juniper berries and geranium; a deep base of amber woods, tonka bean, cedar and vetiver. A confident, structured trail, imagined like a white T-shirt under a black tuxedo — to discover among our eaux de parfum for men.
Did you know?
Dominique Ropion, the nose behind Y, is one of the most awarded perfumers of his generation: he also created Frédéric Malle's Portrait of a Lady and Mugler's Alien, and co-created Lancôme's La Vie Est Belle. We devoted a full portrait to him on the Olara perfumery blog.
6Which Saint Laurent should he choose?
Each of the house's great masculines has its own temperament. Y Eau de Parfum is the most contemporary: clean, woody, built for every hour of the day. L'Homme (2006), composed by Anne Flipo, Pierre Wargnye and Dominique Ropion, plays luminous elegance — sparkling ginger over pale woods, also available as a more enveloping Eau de Parfum. La Nuit de L'Homme (2009), by the same trio of perfumers, is the seducer with a creamy cardamom heart — and its Le Parfum version pushes the intensity for the evening. To understand what these concentrations actually change, our fragrance intensity guide breaks it down — and the La Nuit de L'Homme deodorant stick extends the trail every day.
Your questions, answered
Which fragrance does Austin Butler represent?
Austin Butler has been YSL Beauty's global ambassador since 2023 and the face of the men's fragrance MYSLF, whose campaigns were photographed by Gray Sorrenti and directed by Julia Ducournau.
Which films does Austin Butler star in?
He stars in Baz Luhrmann's “Elvis” (Elvis Presley), Denis Villeneuve's “Dune: Part Two” (Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen) and Jeff Nichols's “The Bikeriders” (Benny), alongside Tom Hardy and Jodie Comer.
What does Y by Yves Saint Laurent smell like?
A modern aromatic woody: fresh apple, ginger and bergamot on top, sage, juniper and geranium at the heart, amber woods, tonka bean, cedar and vetiver in the base. Clean, energetic and easy to wear in any season.
What's the difference between L'Homme and La Nuit de L'Homme?
L'Homme (2006) is luminous and fresh, carried by ginger and pale woods — perfect for daytime. La Nuit de L'Homme (2009) is darker and smoother, with its creamy cardamom — ideal for the evening. Both come in several concentrations at Olara.
Who created Y by Yves Saint Laurent?
Master perfumer Dominique Ropion, also the author of Frédéric Malle's Portrait of a Lady and co-creator of Lancôme's La Vie Est Belle. Y Eau de Parfum launched in 2018.
