801 sea spray, cedar, grapefruit

#157 of My Fragrance Journey - Bon Parfumeur 801 (Sea Spray, Cedar, Grapefruit): A Subtle Freshness with Coastal Breeze Some fragrances want you to feel like you've escaped somewhere. This one's quieter than that - it just reminds you what it feels like when your shoulders finally drop. First spray's like throwing open every window after days of stale air. Grapefruit up front, bright and juicy, but it's got this gentle bitterness running under it so it never turns sugary or flat the way citrus openings sometimes do. Fresh, but honest about it. Not hollow. Then it starts warming up a bit. The marine note doesn't hit you with salt spray or that synthetic ozone thing - more like sea air drifting through shutters left open. Soft, mineral, barely there almost. Rosemary weaves through it quietly; pink pepper and a bit of nutmeg keep the whole thing from going cold. This is honestly what I like most about it. It knows when to hold back. Cypress shows up earlier than I expected, throwing these long green shadows across everything, cedar gathering slowly underneath. Nothing's fighting for the spotlight here - every note just seems happy supporting the mood instead of trying to be the main event. Wearing it feels less like perfume, more like carrying a particular kind of weather around with you. A coastline stuck somewhere between sun and shade. It's the kind of fresh that lets softness actually take up space. Not fragile about it, not shy either. Just settled in its own skin. That quiet confidence makes it genuinely easy to wear. In real heat, where the heavier stuff starts feeling suffocating, this just stays breathable the whole way through. Office, post-gym, lazy summer afternoons where clean air feels like the real luxury - it fits all of it. Its flaw, though, you can't really talk around. What it builds is lovely, but it doesn't stick around nearly long enough. Projection's intimate from the jump, and within two, three hours that whole bright coastal thing has folded down into a soft whisper of wood and clean musk. The fade itself is graceful - it's the speed of it that gets me. Just as it finds its rhythm, it's already letting go. You will end up reaching for the bottle again. No way around that. And yet I keep going back to it anyway. Not every fragrance needs to prove itself through power. Some just change how a day feels - a bit more light, a bit more air. Reminding you fresh doesn't have to mean loud. Sometimes it just means everything around you feels a little lighter. Best in real heat, tropical weather, anywhere the heavier ambers and gourmands start turning oppressive. That soft, close projection actually works in its favour for office or gym wear - gives you your own little clean bubble without stepping on anyone else's space. Longevity's the real weak point, no getting around it. Poor lasting power, weak projection, and it drops into a skin-close musk-and-wood scent within two to three hours. Expect to reapply if you want that sea breeze to stick around for the whole day. Still, it's a genuinely well-made aquatic freshie - captures sun and sea in a bottle better than most. Performance is fleeting, sure, but it's got this easy, crowd-pleasing charm that makes it a nice pick-me-up on a brutal summer day. If you're someone who cares more about atmosphere than staying power, more about calm than making a statement, this one leaves the door open quietly and lets you decide whether to walk through it. Some days that's genuinely enough. Vibe: Sea air through open shutters. Grapefruit and cypress shadow. A coastline caught between sun and shade. Performance: Soft, close projection from the start - settles into skin-close musk and woods within 2 to 3 hours. Reapply if you want it to last the day. Fit: Hot weather, office, gym, anywhere you want clean and light over heavy. Best for people who value atmosphere over staying power. Would you reapply mid-afternoon for a fragrance this good, or let it fade and just enjoy it while it lasts? More scent stories and visuals on Instagram - @lavendercloudsjd

I LOVE this perfume, very masculine but in a fresh and sophisticated way, its giving bottom/switch The notes I smell are grapefruit, sea salt (seaweed??), cypress, cedar, and that delicate soft musk we all need more of, Im so serious why is musk so irresistible?! I get so many complements when I wear this, those salt notes turns heads in the good way. its a striking sent for the folks but north with snowy weather because warm sent dominate the population up here. very good but careful guys we might get catcalled!

I was about to buy blindly Jo Malone London Wood Sage & Sea, but read from Fragrantica about Bon Parfumeur and bought this instead. Luckily! I love this scent! We live near the beach and this smells exactly like our beach: the wind, water, salt, sand. Later I went to the department store and sprayd on Jo Malone - uhhh, what a terrible smell, it was a mistake: like heavy, old perfume gone really bad. Sometimes I mix 801 with 001, love those both alone and together. They are airy, light, like a summer wind breeze.

Extremely aquatic upon the first spray, and on drydown turns into a pleasant fresh fragrance. Sea notes still stay on my skin throughout the day, but the sillage isn’t great and I recommend spraying maybe one again throughout the day. I’m layering it with 301, and the freshness pairs very well with the smooth amber and spices from the 301 and turns it into a fragrance more suited for warmer weather. The layering reminds me a bit of Tam Dao. Overall really pleasant! Great everyday scent.

Fresh, clean, summer in a bottle! All the notes are present at first spray with waves of sea spray, cucumber and citrus mingling nicely. It's a lovely and effective pick-me-up for those hot days. On me, it doesn't last very long but I just keep respraying it! It may feel a little safe to some but sometimes you need something that doesn't necessarily stand out, something that simply makes you feel good, refreshed and happy and that's fine by me!

I like this a lot and I swear on initial impression this smells like one of the gap perfumes from the 90s-00s... heaven or dream I can't remember which one, but probably a bit more refined. After a day of wearing it I can't make up my mind about this thing. I keep wanting to smell more and more of it, but it also is kind of weird and put me off eating, like somehow food combined with this smell made me queasy.

On a blotter, this smelled so, so wonderful. Fresh, but not too fruity, like a brand new day full of possibilities. On my skin, however, it dried up pretty quickly to a very masculine leaning base, and I don't feel good wearing such notes. But – I had my partner try it on. And boy, does this scent suit him! Sillage is not huge here so it stays pretty intimate, which I love. He's getting a bottle for Christmas.

I was looking for a well made, fresh, aquatic fragrance. I was not disappointed. Surprised by the performance and subtle strength and complexity. A superb easy summer fragrance for those sweltering hot summer days. Bravo Bon Parfumeur!

hot damn this stuffs good, real good, finnally a niche quality aquatic that doesn't smell like the "nasty" parts of the sea no one wants to smell like

I'm testing the Bon Perfumer discovery set of 23 fragrances blind. I haven't looked up anything about the brand or the fragrances. I'm working through the cute little bottles in their numbered order. 801 opens like pure ocean water without salt, or sand, or anything beachy, more like where a waterfall of mountain spring water meets the shore. And with a tad of spice sweetness. The opening is as brief as the water rushing through, quick and momentary, leaving you not landing on the cliffs, pebbles, or grit of silicone beneath your feet, but moving swiftly, and giving way to a far different landscape, right into the deep forest; musky, woody, herbaceous. A perplexing change. Any trickle of the opening is far gone. At the end of the ride you find yourself back in the water, but where the mountain spring maybe started, wading through deep musky greens. Looking at the notes, as with many other fragrances in this line there are more notes that might bend the overall effect, rather than stand on their own. The citruses for one give the top freshness but there is no undeniably quintessential citrus there, the ivy seems more enduring. The middle and base notes carry the fragrance through, with less pepper and more rosemary. Overall, green, slightly spicy, musky water. Typically not one for aquatic fragrances I find it appealing and a welcome change. Of the 23 samples these two aquatics (801 & 802) stand out.

An easy pleasing fresh aquatic. Go ahead, spray it on if you want to smell fresh, but don’t expect anything beyond that. This is easy to use for summertime casual wear and can be appreciated for what it is: basic freshie notes coming together to create a basic freshie. Doesn’t last long, doesn’t project much. I’ll use it as a work and out of the shower spritz, but I wouldn’t say it was worth buying even for the $44 budget price I paid. Better off getting a bottle of Nautica Voyage for 15 bucks. If this is your style and you want better performance, I would steer you towards Aqua Di Gio Profondo or Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Intense.

Simple, refreshing and aquatic. When I look at the note pyramid, I expect a juicy citrusy opening; however, I get an aquatic and fresh opening instead. It actually reminds me of cucumbers, fresh and green. Rosemary comes forward shortly afterwards, that typical aromatic scent of the herb. It brings this cooling and calming effect to me. Later some woody notes come up. I can get the clean cedar note here. It is a good combination with the aquatic notes. I see it say sea notes, but I personally don't really find it salty enough. Longevity is fine, easily 3-4 hours on my skin. Not bad performance for a fresh perfume.

Extremely similar to ELDO's You Or Someone Like You, with a CK Be moon orbiting in the background. Aquatic in a vegetal way (with no calone), it is very pleasant. And just like that ELDO fragrance: on my skin, 801 smells like the ubiquitous aloe vera lotion by Vaseline; that is, until the CK Be essence makes itself known in the drydown.. It's very natural, smooth, and refreshing in a 90s kind of Bath and Body Works way. To call this niche is really a stretch, yet it's worth a try.

Simply fresh and clean. I also found it slightly soapy. The citrus is muted under the aquatic and green aromatic notes. I would have loved more of a salt note. Good performance on my skin. It's a great scent but not significantly different from any other cool fresh summer scent to justify purchasing a full bottle. But if you are looking for one to add to your collection, this is definitely worth considering.

This isn’t the most exciting fragrance at all but it is ‘nice’. Pleasant light and salty grapefruit / cedar vibes. If you’re looking for something marine that’s simple and easy to wear this is a good shout, although I’m sure there are better / cheaper options. It does last a long time on my skin and clothes (can still smell around 12 hours later) but it has very small sillage. Good for the beach or hot days

A fresh and elegant scent. Less grapefruit and more cucumber in my opinion. Somehow reminds me of a fresher, brighter version of Le Labo Santal 33. Has that same, herby, woody, elegance but brighter. Masculine leaning but I could see this working for those that prefer more traditionally feminine scents as well. Would be great as a home fragrance as well.

Nice citrusy spicy opening! Very clean smelling as well. The dry down is more aquatic. I blind bought a small 15ml because it was on sale. Nothing to rave about but this could be a safe office scent that does not bother anyone. This leans more masculine and not so niche but more designer oriented.

Clinique Happy for men with nutmeg and rosemary. Aquatiq fresh a bit spicy well belnded.. nothing not to like . As soon as I see heavily discounted bon porfumer I immediately buy it, the qualty is superb.

Great fragrance. As described. Grapefruit, sea spray, and woods. It sits very close to skin. It is very much a skin scent for me unfortunately. Jo Malone has more pushing power...which is crazy.

Beautiful fresh scent. Smells very much like Seahorse, without the metal.

Deliciously refreshing citrus with salt and a woody base. Good longevity.

Very clean and bright aquatic with a touch of citrus.

First time experiencing Bon Parfumeur might be the last...I got last summer a 2 ml sample of 801 among other marine/aquatic samples since it’s becoming my favourite type of scent to wear during summertime. I haven’t thought much of it and I decided to give it another shot today. I still don’t like because it’s smells a bit rough and unrefined in the opening and more masculine than other marine scents I had the pleasure to try. I am aware that Bon Parfumeur it is not the most expensive brand but in this case, you get what you paid for! The note structure of 801 is mirroring that of the rest of this type: sea notes, grapefruit, mandarin orange, citron, rosemary, cypress, ivy with the addition of nutmeg. Which is what I think I don’t like here. Nutmeg is a heavier spice than I normally associate with orientals or gourmands scents fit for fall/winter. Don’t think it adds anything pleasant to the overall smell. Makes it a bit different from other aquatic/freshies, but not in a good way for me. It’s not necessarily a bad combination of notes, but not my favourite. It’s more aromatic and woodier than some of my favourite. Also, I feel like 801 smells more chemical and very artificial than the other of the genre. Performs quite well, on par with other marine scents tested, some double the price, so if you’re on a tight budget and you want a more affordable, masculine leaning aromatic/marine scent, this might be a great option. For a female, I would very much suggest Salina by Laboratorio Olfattivo, Lofoten by Olfattology or a great cheapie, REM by Reminiscence.

The same thing happened to me with this one as with other Bon Parfumeur offerings I've sampled. They seem so simple when you look at the notes featured in the name. I see three notes I should like, from past experience. Cedar, sea spray and grapefruit? Let's GO, I say! Then I try the stuff and it turns into a muddled affair where I think I'd have a hard time even putting the scent into a category if I were to test it blind. I will say that I did like the cedar in this for a short while, when it seemed to be "in charge." It just happens that I got greedy today and tried another sample from a friend--Byredo Palermo. If I want a citrus rush I am going to hit that hard. A lovely classy smooth scent--which you don't usually say about citrus based scents--or at least I don't. I recommend that one whole-heartedly.

Sampling Bon Parfumeur 801 Sea Spray Cedar Grapefruit, and it hits the mark reasonably well, being palpably aquatic and fresh, with woody and citric tones. There’s something vaguely dirty and animalic in the sea spray aspect, so it’s not a totally clean, benign aquatic but rather something with a bit of attitude and provocation, all while still being a fairly grounded, fresh experience. It’s pleasant but not especially memorable, and I prefer some of the other freshies in the line that I’ve tried so far. Still, I can see how this would be mass-appealing. Its concentration is EDP and it has the same standard retail pricing of $107/53/34 for 100/30/15ml, not bad, overall, though, I think it would be more worthwhile for a couple of the others that I’ve tried. 6 out of 10

801 Sea Spray, Cedar, Grapefruit by Bon Parfumeur is a fresh, aquatic aromatic perfume. It opens with a bitter citrus accord that feels green and sharp, quickly transitioning into a cooling blend of cypress, rosemary, and salty sea notes. While it’s undeniably refreshing and ideal for hot weather, the overall impression leans heavily toward a generic men’s shampoo scent, which limits its appeal. Rating: 2.5/5

This is your typical blue, shower gel marine fragrance, in the same vein as Bvlgari Marine. Not bad, just nothing new and quite expensive for this simple dna.

A rather pleasant, well-done marine scent, probably with some citrus too — so it’s about lightness and freshness.

This smells exactly like Bvlgari Aqua Marine. A fresh marine scent for the summer. Overall ok.

This was a complete blind buy and when I say that I'm happy that I didn't pay full retail for this trust me. This was a total let down. It doesn't do anything at all. I've let this Macerate and still no improvement from it 🤷🏾🤦🏾🤷🏾🤦🏾🤦🏾😢

The drydown smells like shaving gel

Cannot stand. It leans masculine, and starts off very pleasant. Very soon it is a distraction. Not entirely sure what the intention was, but it is like your wife's eau is on you at the same time.

Ce truc est tellement léger c'est comme une brume... Cela devrait couter 5 € pas plus Ce n'est pas du tout un parfum de niche L'odeur est générique et inintéressante

UPDATE: this was gorgeous on the tester. It’s also fantastic on my spouse. However, on my skin, it’s giving men’s body wash. Don’t let that deter you from sampling. Everywhere else is beautiful, just not on me. One of my favorite testers from my BP discovery set! Exactly as it says on the box, this scent is fresh & aquatic. It’s ideal for hot, humid days outside. Upon initial spray, the sea salt is right up front. It’s this note that lends 801 to the aquatic olfactory family, though I think you could also place it with the aromatic and/or skin scent family without much fuss. The grapefruit doesn’t sweeten, or even make blatantly citrusy, but instead lifts the entire fragrance and helps keep the scent fresh. If 801 only consisted of the cedar & sea spray notes, I imagine it going rather sour on skin. The cedar, however, does add a gorgeous depth. My worry is that even with that wood note, this scent will have low longevity or turn into a skin scent rapidly. It reminds me of Glossier’s Fluer in all the right ways. I love them both and I’m very pleased with 801. Will report back after a proper skin test!

This is extremely fresh, in a crisp and "in your face" way. I think it's a very unique smell, and very risky to blind buy. I actually like to wear this one more in the colder weather, because it highlights the "crispiness" of this fragrance. There is also some dirtyness on this smell, making it more animalic than the others typical fresh fragrances. (this is a hot take that you might not agree with, since this is very far away from being an animalic scent). This being said, I think this is fresh and harmless enough to be a great everyday scent, but it comes with a big personality too.

This opens up smelling like a generic sea-inspired lotion, or like those little soaps shaped like seashells- the opening is very unisex. There's also a bit of soapy citrus. As it dries down the marine notes start to dissipate, and this becomes a citrusy, woody, aromatic fragrance that leans masculine. I really like the dry down a lot. Performance on this is good--lasts most of the day with soft to moderate projection.

Awesome stuff, only Bvlgari Aqva original beats this. My new go to. A blue and berry aqua scent.Almost an exact copy of Bvlgari Acqva Marine, only this version, Bon 801 is more concentrated, natural and all the notes are transparent. You can smell the salt also. Fresh, juicy, watery, and tart I bought a bottle for my collection. I recommend it for a great day on the yacht or just around the beach or ocean.

With these notes, I thought I'd love it, but as others have said, I find this scent very chemical -- like a synthetic baby-wipe smell. I bought a few Bon Parfumeur samples after smelling 101 and loving it on a friend, but I disliked all of them. They all wound up smelling like aftershave, or baby aspirin, or something. Which is a pity because the samples are adorable.

It’s a nice aquatic. A little basic. But the dry down smells a bit like a man trying to cover up his body odor with cologne.