Drakkar Essence

Surprisingly I really liked this, I feel if this was sold by a more popular brand that doubled the price or added a zero to the retail price (cough cough parfums de overpriced marley) everyone would be raving about how nice it is. Not a masterpiece by any means but still a lot better than a lot of bargain bin colognes out there. It's another one of those similar to Axe Phoenix body wash but this is more citrusy and not as linear. Usually you'd think the axe reference is a bad thing but it's a cheap reference that is similar and I do like Phoenix. The mint is blended in so well I didn't know it was there, Hopefully It's definitely more of a sports fragrance to me. I'd say younger crowd under 30, middle school , high school, something to get someone into cologne or a quick holiday gift. It's a lot easier to wear than some colognes in my collection as well. I could see people clubbing or having intimate moments with this and I feel you will get this boost of confidence wearing it. I hope they continue to make it in the following years as the current fads popping up are getting silly people claiming they would apparently rather smell like Starbucks coffee shops or some poorly blended borderline body odor smelling oud and rose. It's not overly strong or powerful so an office scent you could pull off for sure. It may last 4 or 5 hours if you're lucky if sprayed 3 or 4 sprays on. The bottle looks great and does a fine job of explaining the scent. Question is would I buy another bottle? Absolutely. I've smelled and bought scents for 2 to 5 times the money I didn't like this much.

Well here's a pleasant surprise. I rarely have time to review anymore but something struck me with this fragrance. The bottle is nothing fancy but the sprayer is quite good. No collar on the sprayer, don't even care. It was like 20 bucks. Upon first blast, I get a very shower gel vibe. Citrusy, minty. However, it smells nearly identical to an actual shower gel I've used. Duke Cannon's Naval Supremacy. It smells great! If you haven't used it and are in the market for one, I'd recommend it. As I would this fragrance at such a price. As it dries down, it becomes more in line with lavender, woodiness and a touch of sweetness from the tonka. It's really not reinventing the wheel but it's quite pleasant nonetheless. Longevity is not awesome but maybe around the 6 hour mark, becomes a skin scent in 2 tops. That's not horrible for what it is. Anyone could wear this, could be a great signature office or casual scent. Might not stack up in the cold, I would go spring/summer. Price is right. All in all, I rather enjoy it.

Good blue designer scent with solid quality ingredients that give it some bite and decent performance. The mint & grapefruit are upfront and captivating in this, making it hugely versatile and all season friendly for sure. Extremely fresh at the beginning before entering a nice spicy manly drydown. I love that deep blue bottle too whose colour is a good reflection of the scent 💙. To me it smells juicier but quite similar to Aqua Quorum which is one of my favourite ever scents. I'm not sure why it was undeservedly available for a relatively short time, and is now becoming rare. A solid 8.5/10 and a clear recommendation from me if you can find it.

I've owned two bottles of this fragrance and it's good, but not great. It has decent performance on my skin, the smell is not offending and the grapefruit comes through nicely which I do like. What's not great is that it doesn't feel exciting, like its already an outdated fragrance. Price is decent for someone who is just starting out in the fragrance game but if you've been in it for a while you can definitely find something better.

This is my extended review of Drakkar Essence. Drakkar Essence was a fragance that intrigued me since I did like Drakkar Noir. I sampled this cologne for the first time at a Target back in May. I liked it back then and purchased it on sale for $18 for a 1oz/30ml and its 2.7oz deodorant stick. For me, I found it to be a scent that while it is very new, it's old at the same time. I liked it from the moment I tested it but I couldn't put a finger on the why it was familiar, then I saw it on an Amazon review... the reviewer called it a mix of Drakkar Noir and Polo Blue. After reading that it clicked and I have to agree with that. Then I realized upon buying it, it was more minty than Polo Blue. It may not be a long lasting scent due to the mint but otherwise is set in basic notes. I find the mint gives you the option to use it as a nightime scent (similar to Drakkar Noir) but with the daytime sensibilities and seasonality of an aquatic (like Polo Blue.) If you like both scents or want a Drakkar Noir for daytime, this maybe the fragrance for you. That said, while I like the scent, my main knock on this fragrance is its short life of about a 4 hour cologne. This I think is mainly due to the mint. That said, the sillage is pretty good on it. The price is a little high for this juice so I can't see getting it for the typical pricing you see in the department stores but I will seek it out when I need it and hope for a sale. That said, it is a three season scent that can be used for sure in spring and summer, as well as be pulled off in fall, given it isn't cool and snowy. Rating wise, I would have to give Drakkar Essence at a 7.2 out of 10, mainly because Drakkar Noir a 7.5. It's a nice revision for the modern day but not the best minty aquatic I have, that goes to Cool Water Night Dive (even though they are NOT alike.)

I truly love and prefer to spend my money on winter/fall scents, and am not a fan of the summer season. Too hot; give me a crisp fall day instead of the humid souplike summers here in Memphis. That said, I needed a new fragrance to wear this summer. My Ralph Lauren Safari just wasn't cutting it, and that was the lightest scent in my small collection. So until I found something that I really wanted to be my signature for the summer (which turns out to be the wonderful Varvatos Artisan Acqua despite the longevity issue), I bought a small bottle of Essence at Target for around $20. I think Essence is a bit underappreciated. Sure, it's not the ubiquitous 80s powerhouse its older brother was, but it's a solid frag for the warmer (and even damn hot) weather, and I can also imagine it performing well in cool weather. It hits with pulp-bursting grapefruit dripping into mint. I can't particularly smell the mint on its own, but i can sense its contribution to the citrus. This mint-enhanced citrus hangs around for quite some time before drying down into a softer musk fairly reminiscent of brother Noir. On my somewhat oily skin, it has decent projection and great longevity. It seems to stick to my skin even when the humidity has me sweating, and that's a great thing to a recent Southern transplant who spent the first 40 years of his life in mild southern California. It's nothing exciting, but it does what it does very well and it's growing on me each time I wear it, which is usually at work where I manage a large antique mall which frequently has me performing physical tasks like helping customers move and load furniture purchases. Very happy with my $20 purchase and might even buy another when this one runs out.

#58 in my "Tour de Fragrance" of 250 scents in 250 days. Back in 1982 when Drakkar Noir was first introduced to the market, I liked it a lot. I like all the barbershop scents. But though college age women agreed they wanted to have sex with the sweaty, hairy-chested kickboxer in the uber-macho Drakkar Noir commercials (or failing that, with the Bowflex guy), they soon began to mock you for wearing a fragrance that smelled of baby powder yet promoted itself with such machismo. In a year every coed at the college recognized the scent instantly, and by '84 you couldn't give it away. Still, I tried Drakkar Intense a couple of months ago with trepidation and was happy with both the scent and the price. Given that, I purchased a Mini-Drakkar Essence and got around to trying it today. There's no hint of Intense's muskiness nor Noir's baby powder in this, but OH BABY is there grapefruit! And I like it.... while it lasts, which is not long at all. Too weak to merit the price given that it's a skin scent in a couple of hours and not even that in four. $65 for a 100ML bottle to smell like grapefruit for an hour or so? Get some Ocean Spray Ruby Red for $4.19 a half gallon and drizzle it on your chest.

I always have been a big fan of Drakkar Noir, so I was very interested in trying out this new Drakkar Essence.. I finally ran into Drakkar Essence at Macy's so I sprayed it on the tester strip and sniffed it out.. This is my first impression of this scent.. Essence opens up with lots of mint and blended with the grapefruit it makes a very fresh opening.. The lavender comes and joins the party and not long after so does the sage along with the sweet woody notes.. The minty lavender sage vibe last a while and it does bring to mind scents like Le Male or Versace Eros but it still is different.. I can not help but to think of Curve also.. The woody notes, tonka, and musk create a nice sweet vibe and eventually when Essence dries down you really get something that smells a whole lot like Curve! It is not very unique but it smells pleasant.. I am sure that if the younger crowd give this a chance it will be a hit..

SHOOT! I was thinking about ordering A 3.4 ounce from Macy's.com, even to the point where it's in my shopping bag and all I need to do is check out. Was hoping for a powerhouse fragrance like the good old 80s Noir type fragrance to go "boom boom boom" to but with a little more maturity. I'll still look around before I pulled the trigger, and maybe go by to get some samples and not open the box. But for $64 a 3.4 ounce bottle is not terrible, I'm just incredibly interested with the lavender and mint combination. The Tonka Bean drydown is probably going to be very similar to all the other ones out there. Thoughts from anyone else?

I totally agree with Jason Elliott's review. This is nothing special, especially considering the EXTRA special fragrances that Guy Laroche shared with us once every decade or so. However: for a safe, office friendly, long-lasting scent that won't break the bank: this is worth a try. I caught a 50ml bottle for around $10 and I am extremely satisfied. It's in the same family as Aqua Quorum (a favorite), to my nose. Given what others have said about this juice, a blind buy may not be wise. But if you can try it, do so. You may be pleasantly surprised! Well worth it if you can find it below retail.

This and Sedley do smell a bit similar as the votes suggest, but the similarities are miniscule. Sedley smells a bit darker, more nuanced, higher quality... That's not to say that this isn't a great fragrance in it's own right. For the price you can find this at, it's a great scent for the Spring and Summer. Bright Grapefruit and Mint notes lead the way for a great warm weather scent. For those who prefer musky over aquatic in their summer staple, this is a good look.

I like it but at the first sniff the musk really stood out smelled a little like almost musky arm pit but then it settles down to a nice light fresh showered scent its likeable and safe any age could sport this 7/10 I'd buy it but when its cheaper I wouldn't pay full retail for it I'll wait until the smaller stores get it and online retailers this fragrance would be great for spring and summer a change up

Nothing much to experience here. A grapefruit driven concoction that's not worthy of the Drakkar Noir name. There are worst flankers out there, but you ultimately walk away feeling like this offering is a hasty cash grab by Guy Laroche's house and nothing more. Look for Essence at a Retailer clearance shelf in the not too distant future. Probably sitting right next to Horizon.

Not bad - but not especially good, either. It begins very astringent and sharp, then settles down, more or less, to the same fougere vibe as the original Drakkar. But I'm pretty sure I prefer the original. Longevity on me is not good; in about an hour it becomes a very subtle skin scent.

Doesn't smell a thing like Drakkar Noir (to me, anyways) but I like it. Great warm, and even *hot weather* scent. Very fresh, and doesn't smell like every other 'blue' fragrance. Not a powerhouse by any means but it wouldn't be as good if it was.

First fragrance that I own. Fresh minty citrusy scent. Performance is ok

Nice & clean & freshy scent for summer hot days🎆 good release👍♥️

Is it bad? No, not at all. It has a unique sharp/soapy opening that's quite nice but, when all is said and done, it really doesn't do much that Navy, Ocean Dream, Giorgio's Wings, or dozens other blues didn't already do. Except for that fleeting opening, ESSENCE doesn't have anything to really set it apart. In fact, COOL OCEAN by Axe does much the same thing. If you can get it for cheap, great. But don't expect much. Unless you are a Guy Laroche completist, you really aren't missing anything. Also a better buy than Drakkar Intense but that's not saying much.

Ugh.. I feel like I just covered myself in a fresh fruity deodorant with a hint of Drakar DNA. At least it is not unbearable, but I doubt that I will choose to do it again.

Tried this one at Target last fall. I went to target with the thought of buying this one, as I liked the Original Drakkar. At first spray, it smelled very synthetic/detergent like, I did three sprays, I had some basic shopping to do so I thought I'd come back after the drydown. Well after 15 minutes it was pretty safe to say, this is a synthetic dud. Surprised Guy Laroche put this one out, Original Drakkar still has a good name. This is a very poor offering though. If detergent was one of the ingredients listed, I'm pretty sure detergent would be the top ingredient chosen.

There's a reason why the general public has not taken to this scent like other releases especially like the classic Drakkar Noir. I've applied this a few times but I just can't get into it. People mention grapefruit and mint but all I get is a generic grapefruit and nothing else. I'm surprised that a well known name company produced something so bland. This is so bland, so much so that I'm tempted to give away what I have left of it. No mint , just grapefruit and maybe lavender. You won't be impressing anyone.

I imagine this to be like taking a partial bottle of Cool Water and topping it off with Drakkar Noir. It is horrible... So bad, it's a scrubber. I suffered through it for 2 hours before breaking out soap and water. It had lost quite a bit of power in 2 hours, but I couldn't take it any longer. I like Drakkar Noir and have had several bottles. Used to wear Drakkar Noir daily, now I wear Drakkar Noir maybe once every couple months. Very sad this isn't a good update that I can enjoy.

Reminds me immediately of dime-a-dozen aftershave. It lasts a little bit longer than that, but I'm only getting the sharp, refreshing citrus. It's not poor quality, just very much generic. At least Azzaro's blue-watery-citrusy version has a unique quality and some depth to it.

There definitely isn't much more to be said about this fragrance. Picture a shower gel easy wearing freshie, that's about it. That's probably why it has such a low rating! But overall enjoyable. Like Irish Spring in a bottle. 6.5/10 I will wear this one to the gym :)

Really didn't perform well. If you ever used Gillette body wash in the 90's, you'll feel right at home. Bought it blind on sale, sold it after a few sprays. Grapefruit, lavender, and soap is all I got, and not for very long either.

Sampled it at Kohls, was surprised that Drakkar could smell good. On paper it was pretty good but on skin there is a bit of a B.O. scent. I'll have to pass on this one.

This did not impress me in the least! All I got was a generic fresh scent of lavender, mint, and woodsy notes. It was boring an unimaginative. A big let down for sure!

Fresh out of the shower gel type. Very boring

very boring and fades away really fast . not worth buying

I know what I like and with what I have in my room right now it would make a nice addition. I didn't know that Drakkar had this out and just saw it when I was out buying something else in a drug store. So seeing it without any hype or being told what to think by advertisements I picked up a tester and could have either liked it or hated it. my impression.. well its a blue colored cologne so spiciness or aromatic is to be expected. Artificial fragrances in it or not it is something for going to clubs and the younger generations now. I like Drakkar Noir more but I wish they would make it last longer as it't not aged well in that regard. Unlike drakkar noir I could smell this on my hand for 3-4 hours and it survived me washing my hands (gasp) after I finished soldering a really complex wiring. Drakkar would be in my sink and I'd smell nothing if I did the same. It's honestly one of those colognes I didn't care for at first and it grew on me as I can't wear the same cologne every day. I'd gladly throw my Theirry Muggler Angel in the garbage if it wasn't so expensive/valueble to the cheapskates who buy half empty bottles on ebay. It could be worst like a strong heavy miagrane inducing musk , it could be light and forgetful like most calvin klien colgones I've tried. Intensity is just right and the scent works. I like to use Axe products as reference as it's cheap and they have many scents; it's like if Kilo and phoenix were fused.. no other way I can discribe it. So cool, fresh , somewhat "waterproof" , just the right intensity. I may just buy it.

This is definitely an underrated sports fragrance. Essence has a mass-appealing fresh, citrus-based opening. Then as it dries down it becomes more sporty, slightly less fresh smelling. I'm attributing that to the light synthetic woodsy notes that's typical in many popular men's fragrances. You can still detect notes here and there in the dry down that remind you of that cold, fresh opening though. As it dries down further, the bold middle calms down and the scent begins to smell cooler and fresher again but still retaining a hint of that masculine aspect from the middle notes. If you like the smell of the original Old Spice Pure Sport deodorant or Dove Men's Cool Fresh anti-perspirant this is in that general direction but not as addictive. My problem with modern men's fragrances that are sporty or fresh: The sporty ones can be very cloying, and harsh. Allure Homme Sport for example. The freshies cane be too fresh and come across as powder soft or even feminine. Versace Pour Homme is like that to me. Overall, this is a generic fresh/sporty fragrance, but I like it because it's not one of those scents that's trying to attract attention, but it doesn't have the cloying nature of more famous "sport" fragrances, nor does it have the synthetic scratchiness of cheaper efforts like the Adidas line. If you just want that casual, man-who's-fresh-out-the-shower vibe, this is ideal. 6.5/10

This is a refreshing cool icy minty musculine scent. It's out of production but still available at certain discounters, older resellers. On the opening first sprays, you'll definitely get the Grapefruit and Menthol like Mint, gives you a refreshing cool icy mint opening. The Drakkar Noir dna is there after the opening with some woodiness and then you'll get the musk and tonka for sure in the drydown. A nice flanker from the all ever super popular Drakkar Noir at the the time release in 2014. Seeing how some people say this has similarities to PdM Sedley, it's due to the grapefruit and mint opening but Sedley also opens kinda cirtusy, Drakkar Essense isn't citrusy or lemondry, it's just grapefruit and method mint. Anyway Sedley is a later release and it's a better and more quality juice and is different. If Drakkar Essense was released in the later years perhaps it might be more popular. However it's still a good scent profile after a decade since it came out just not widely available and seems no longer in production.

It is fresh and immediately reminds me of Ralph Lauren Sport. Though a scent that i like (it is not up my alley right now) (also, i don't love owning colognes that are too similar to each other - i want unique one of a kind). it is ocean, marine, blue, spritzy, mint or candy. I think of sailing and it is unisex. Ironically the scent is described as earthy (i smell water) "a scent designed w/ masculinity in mind" (i smell feminine) I do get the citrus esp. grapefruit. I don't get the exotic spices nor the lavender,sage or woody notes some vanilla. Sweetness but not toothache sweet or cheap. imagery inspired by the scent I see a young couple (unisex scent) on a sailing boat, warm day. They are dressed in light clothing , shorts. The season is spring, warm. it is not winter (not cold metallic scent it is cool and fresh). It is not hot summer. They would not be uncomfortable under the hot sun (not a heavy warm scent) They are a romantic pair and the scene could be a romantic comedy or romantic drama.

A disappointment. This fragrance is simply another fresh shampoo-like aromatic, this time with a preponderance of synthetic mint. There's a relatively nondescript citrus top note, followed by minty woods and a very loud lavender, the only element culled from Drakkar Noir. There's even a touch of green apple to distract away from it. It begins to loosely resemble DN about thirty minutes into its drydown (with light application). The smoky woods of that beautiful eighties fern are grafted in slivered proportions onto that massive minty lavender and (here's the shampoo, folks) a "fresh" white musk base. All things considered, this isn't really a bad fragrance if you enjoy the more recent designer offerings in this vein. For Laroche completists, owning this is required in the event they discontinue it within a year or two. For the rest of us, I say stick to Drakkar Noir and forget this dull flanker's flanker.

I would think would fall in the same line as Cool Water, the same sort of fresh masculine scent without the sea or water note, for that it has a juicy citrus notes, cool icy mint, and fresh herbal lavender, it is musky, strong and very energized, I can sense the woods and musk notes in the bottom giving it support, but the mint, citrus, lavender is top and very fresh. I do like it and feel it is very sexy and masculine. Oh the mint is there and it is cold, and I love it, the lavender is not sweet but herbal and there is juicy citrus that is not offending, sexy musk and woods, very good. Again I think Cool Water, maybe Swiss Army, Burbury Home, and Pasha Cartier to name a few in the same mint family, but this is bold and unique. Minty, lavender citrus are top, musk and woods are bottom.

The opening is startling & unpleasant and I really thought, "wtf is this"? I am trying to appreciate it, it's different, but my idea of a fragrance with top main accords of mint & aromatic is Ralph Lauren Blue Polo Sport of which this is nothing like. I'm 30 minutes in and it seems to be fresh and clean on my skin, and slightly giving me a D&G Pour Homme vibe sans the neroli - and completely different than anything in my 70-75 bottle collection. I would call RL Blue Polo Sport a crowd pleaser - but not this, I sense people will either like it, or they won't. I would even describe this as D&G Pour Homme flanker with the mint replacing the neroli.

I wore Drakkar Noir for many years, many years ago. Fast forward to present day. This one is fruity/spicey, clean, fresh/musky and modern. Grapefruit and mint. I can't get enough of it. Essence is a completely different vibe than Noir. If you just want to smell nice to all around go for it! I wear this one right now more than any of my others. One of the reasons I like it is that it kind of transcends season and, night v/s day. It's a solid all around scent, which is just a bonus. Versatility! I could wear this in mid-summer or in the dead of winter. Late night party or day time work, it handles both well.

I'm about finished with mine and something got mentioned to me when someone asked me what I was wearing. They said it smells like a lighter version of Drakkar Noir, which I thought for a bit... I think I could maybe agree to a point. While Noir was a bit on the stronger side, this one is I think more pleasant, definitely like some have said before me, fruity, I want to say, now that I'm typing about this, it reminds me of Horizon by Guy Laroche. Nice to have, more of a day fragrance in my view, and for the cooler times ( wore this in the fall )

I can pick up on each note with every whiff, the fresh, juicy grapefruit peeks through, the mint is bold, the lavender is powdery and floral, masculine notes of musk and woods are sensed well as a solid base, the sage adds to the mint and the fragrance's freshness. Overall I feel like its a very masculine scent, the kind of scent you find in men's deodorant, and shaving cream, it just feels fresh and masculine, clean. I like it, it is the kind of scent I want my boyfriend or partner to smell like, musky, but clean, fresh and masculine.

I actually really like this. Opens with a blast of grapefruit and dries down to a nice green scent. People need to stop complaining about "oh it's not worthy of the Drakkar name". This is a fresh fragrance, a designer one at that. Do you think this is going to be a drugstore masterpiece? This isn't a niche fragrance first off, and if you want to get picky, I'm pretty sure the current formulation of Drakkar Noir isn't worthy of the name either. Just relax and enjoy the fragrance, it's easy to wear and it will make you happy.

Part 2 of my review after a day. I delivers on its promise, the grapefruit/mint top note convergence, and does not smell cheap, it's just not an attractive fragrance, in my opinion. If you like D&G Pour Homme & the idea of swapping out the Neroli and replacing it with Mint, you'll like the dry down of this fragrance.

Eau Clean de Toilet..........with this stuff! Horrid , screechy bastard of a frag that lasts longer than a punch in the nostril. You want Synthetic mint? OK. You got it. I use this at my job at the zoo to anger the gorillas when nobody's looking.SMH....

I sampled this today. It does get better with time, but really I just imagine a 17-year old wearing this as he asks a girl out to prom. Good first-time, starter fragrance. That is it, though. It really does smell like a cleaning product or deoderant.

Guy Laroche Still Alive!!! welcome back from the realm of the death. You don't need to became like givenchy and produce one perfume per week... but sometimes... we missed you. Sounds a great classic by the notes.

checked this out at Macys for the first spray it is very strong like a powerful Axe Body Spray. It does settle down to mod sillage at arms lenght. very dry and deoderant smelling.

just wating this gem come out, its being awhile that guy laroche dosent release a fragance!