Aqva Pour Homme

" A Q V A by BUGAAERI " seems to be the appropriate way to announce this when anyone asks what you're wearing. It's a weird, moody and mysterious kind of fragrance - almost like you're a creature who has emerged from the ocean yourself. Quite an intriguing scent! The salty seaweed note has an almost gasoline or freshly cut grass approach to it. For a fresh blue scent, this one is quite dark and peculiar. Almost like an impromptu stroll in the late summer evening, taking advantage of the cooler night air as the dew is settling over the lawns you pass by. It smells more natural, earthy, and almost dirty when put against the clean cut scents "freshies" seem to go for. Compared to some of the other blue/fresh fragrances I have, I'd say this is the most unique and "masculine" approach to capturing freshness in a bottle... Bleu de Chanel is a bit too fruit based and pretentious, Versace Pour Homme is more refreshing but bland and forgettable, and Davidoff Coolwater is a more bare bones version of this to me (while I've heard it's one of the original "ocean" scents, it's just too much like bodywash in this era). AQVA definitely has that early 2000's sense of manliness to it - trying to be minimal, to the point, and taking itself way too seriously. Almost to a theatrical sense, like this scent belongs to a character. Moving past the mood and story this one tells, I'd say the uniqueness might make it difficult to wear. The heavy and strong saltiness isn't very friendly or approachable for a work environment, the wet/clean freshness isn't that cozy or alluring on a date, and the overall boldness might be too dark for an everyday signature piece. I think this one would be good for a weekend trip or vacation where you'll be surrounded by the fresh summer air to contrast this. In the winter it reminds me of leaving the indoor swim practice when you still have chlorine in your hair. While I don't think a large bottle is good for blind buying - I do recommend getting a sample to try out. This fragrance is quite an experience in itself!

The story behind my purchase of this fragrance is pretty basic, yet full of surprises. Just before my Birthday, I was looking for a new aquatic scent to replace my Light Blue, Eau Intense (which served me very well). I was about to buy that again, until I suddenly remembered that this existed. Having never smelled Aqva Pour Homme before, I was lucky to find out that my local perfume retailer has a lot of these in stock, and my god was I pleasantly surprised when I found out I had the opportunity to test a discontinued perfume. As for the smell, it's not that easy to explain. Imagine a beach on the territory of a luxury resort in an exotic place like Bora Bora or the Maldives, this is how I see this. It is an amazing blend of aquatics and citruses with the stand-out seaweed note (which, despite not sounding that pleasant, is actually blended in very well in this creation). This has a tiny touch of citrus sweetness, but definitely leans more to the salty sea profile, at least to my nose. While my signature scent is the ADG Parfum of 2024, I am seriously thinking about replacing it with this. At the end of the day, Aqva Pour Homme is the only cologne in my collection that I ended up buying two 100 ml bottles. As for the issues that everyone keeps on mentioning, I work around that. In my opinion this is one of those scents that, despite having a weak sillage and lacking longevity, is capable of being a signature perfume. I believe everyone who is a fan of aquatic scents must try and massively recommend it for purchase if you manage to stumble upon it in a store. Despite being an extremely unique perfume DNA, it manages to be very likeable, so hats off to Bvlgari for creating this gem. Hats back on, however, for discontinuing it :( Extremely versatile and certainly wearable throughout the whole year. 9/10

So many perfumes of the 90's promised an oceanic smell, yet so few delivered. Aqva was the first I remember that gave me what I really wanted. It's an evolution from Cavallier's previous work on Acqua di Gio which many compare it to, but fixes every problem I have with that fragrance. Make no mistake, these may both call to mind the sea but they couldn't be further from each other in execution. Aqva opens with a stank which soon finds its footing as sharp and salty mandarins. Not just the fruit but orange leaf and blossom as well. After a few minutes it dries into a classic masculine approach with lavender and clary sage and something of a leathery accord. We'll call it patchouli. Not sure how to articulate it other than salt water soaked and algae laden woods. Old things washed up on the shore. There's a slightly rotten accord to everything, and I mean that in the best way. The fruits are overripe, the florals are starting to turn brown, the seaweed covered woods have been carved out by ocean waves and baked to perfection in the sun. It doesn't reek like the actual ocean does with rotten fish or dead birds or whathaveyou. It's an impression that brings the dankness of the seashore to mind in an artistic way. The far drydown brings out a sort of tobacco accord, not dissimilar to the one you'd find in Cool Water's drydown. There are hints of it through the heart too. The lavender and patchouli persist for the lifetime of the wear and the woods help to round it out. To me, this is a masterpiece. Even those who wouldn't slap that label on it would agree that it's a skillfully made perfume, I would think. If this scent brings to mind little more than "generic aquatic" or "AdG clone" or "gym bro", what even is the point of perfumery anymore? Bvlgari Aqva is much deeper than all that.

Agua dulce... agua salá. When the sea breeze blown away by the storm meets the foamy water over the fine sand of the beach. Bvlgari Aqua, for me remains one of the most beautiful, deep and aromatic fresh men's perfumes. It smells like a storm, fresh air, it induces a state of reflection, as if you were standing on a rock with your hands resting on your head and your eyes lost on the horizon. Bvlgari water is an amalgam of emotions. A meeting of rain with salt water from the sea. The notes of petit grain, seaweed, cedar and sage are to blame for this sensation. They simulate so well the clean, slightly saline air pushed to shore when a storm is approaching. Citrus fruits do nothing but push the green-aquatic scent to the surface. It doesn't smell very fruity or like a cocktail served on a terrace. It is a fresh fragrance, slightly dark and very fragrant. Amber rounds off the edges of the plant while giving it a solid base. For a perfume of this type, the performances are excellent. It persists on the skin for up to 8 hours and the sting is the one that stands out. You feel like in a wet cloud of rain, passers-by can feel the aroma from a few meters away, especially if you are helped a little by the wind outside. Bvlgari Aqua pour Homme is a gift that the sea gives us all. It is like a floating bottle drifting on the sea that does not contain a letter but the very essence of the water.

Today morning, I wore Bvlgari Aqva Pour Homme, my favorite fragrance for extremely hot and sunny days. It never fails to uplift my mood whenever I feel exhausted because of extreme sunny heat. However, today's weather was a bit different, bit rainy, cloudy, a bit less heat, and a wet, humid feeling in the air. In this climate, I noticed a particular characteristic of this perfume that doesn't usually show in a hot, dry climate, Fishyness. Interestingly, I found that many other users have also observed this characteristic. The middle note wasn't particularly fishy like actual fish or seaweed; rather, it reminded me more of a wet, damp, stale swamp pond covered with green algae. This characteristic resembles that kind of smell, as far as I can recall. However, it's important to note that this character is masked by the aromatic, deep marine aquatic accord of the perfume. Dont get me wrong, I still love this smell and would wear it any day, that's how much I love this timeless classic marine scent. I just noticed this additional dimension of its personality today. Interestingly, this note is not noticeable in dry, hot, sunny climates. It maybe some DPG thing Bvlgari can fix and I request the brand please dont discontinue it, reformulate it or weaken this masterpiece