L'Eau Bleue d'Issey Eau Fraiche

I got an out-of-season offer on this and have been trying it for the first time today--albeit at room temperature (about 20°C) in Scotland in November. As I expected, it's a fragrance I'd have liked to take to Mexico on holiday a few months ago. I imagine it'd work well there. To my nose, it's light but not weak, straightforward and pretty linear but not monolithic. Yes, I did get an eye-opening blast of alcohol at first (not unpleasant), combined with a strong resinous note of what I suppose must've been rosemary but that, not looking at this page, I felt was more like juniper or maybe fir or cypress--kind of leafy-woody-sappy all the same. I liked that a lot but it seemed to last only seconds. Then the patchouli and especially the mint became more obvious. Incidentally, this isn't at all a leafy, nettly kind of mint but more a sweet menthol aura. I can see why people mention toothpaste, mentholated cigarettes, etc. but to me this seems much more natural and soft. Rounding off the mint and patchouli is a blurry, slightly sexy (I hesitate to say dirty) warmth, presumably from the musk; I really like the balance. The whole does not in any way smell like detergent to me but I did get a kind of fleeting laundry freshness early on. That seemed in keeping with what I agree is a kind of aquatic note but not aquatic in the established, marine sense. (I hate that kind.) This made me think more of rain and, yes, I can see why another poster mentions sliced cucumber. As well as the image of a soft cloud of mintiness all around me, the whole effect made me think of actual white clouds in summer sun and of white egyptian cotton, as much because of the all-pervading feeling of freshness as anything else. Sprayed on the sleeve of my wool jumper instead of--as above--my skin, the fragrance takes on more of a mossy or vetiver note. (I love it when that happens.) I'm a few hours in and can still clearly make out the musk, though not much else that I could name. I would say both sillage and longevity are reasonably good, although to me this is inherently a light fragrance (though, again, not weak) and more about ambience than a powerhouse punch in the face.

#1736 in my “Tour de Fragrance” Got this sample sprayette from scentwithsense.com. The rare Issey Miyake that I really like and would wear regularly, so of course it’s discontinued. Nice minty/musky scent for warm weather. The two hour performance one can expect from any fraiche, even if you bathe in it, but it smells great. There are some bottles still out there on eBay for $35-99. This musky herbal freshie is quite different from the Miyake “L’Eau Bleue” that is still available. If there’s an exact analogue to this scent I haven’t encountered it. There’s some similarity to Hugo “XY”, an EDT that’ still out there for around $30, but that is woody whereas this isn’t. And the others everyone’s mentioning (and I have had them all), add lavender to the mix which completely changes the character of this combination of notes to which the rosemary is the key. So I wish I had an alternative I could point to, but I don’t. Good Luck and Good Hunting!

This is basically a lighter, more linear take on the original Bleue. Or, as DrNDJas put it, a "fraiche" flanker that lives up to its name. The rosemary and bergamot are still the dominant notes here, just like in the original, but there's less depth to the fragrance overall. This isn't necessarily a bad thing; it's just as refreshing as Bleue - perhaps even more so - and keeps the calming, classy aroma without the heaviness or complexity. As such, it's a great choice for hot/humid weather when a citrus/aquatic just won't do. Now, I blind bought this only because I'm such a huge fan of the original Bleue, and if you own that already, this is probably going to smell quite redundant. That being said, it's still a high-quality fragrance, and I can recommend it to anyone looking for a budget fresh woody scent.

This is a perfect example of how to do an “eau fraiche” flanker! The unmistakable DNA of the original Bleu d’Issey is definitely here, but simplified and made transparent rather than dense. Rosemary is still the prominent player, followed by mint and mild citrus. Fresh and herbal, almost forest-like. Based on the herbal opening, the drydown is unexpected-and genius-revealing a beautiful light musk that lingers for a long time. I don’t detect much patchouli at all. Bleu eau Fraiche is a fragrance that transports me to a calm, serene place: a hot day, but you are sheltered from the heat, cooled by the shade of giant fir trees. If you are looking for a warm weather scent (it can also be worn anytime imo) that scores high in uniqueness and character, this is a great choice!

This is better than the original Bleue D’Issey in my opinion. Very strong rosemary note in this fragrance which helps to separate it from the original while still keeping the overall green vibe. When comparing to the original it almost feels like putting glasses on. It is a lot easier to pick out individual notes and everything feels more simplified, which works to this fragrances advantage in my opinion. Definitely more suited for warmer weather than the original, however I could still see this being worn in the winter. Even though this is a lower concentration I think it lasts just as long as the original. This fragrance is very herbal and clean and I think it can be dressed up or down.

A fresher and lighter version of original l'eau bleue, with mint on the top and slight sourness from bergamot throughout. While the original l'eau bleue may lean more towards cooler seasons, Fraiche indeed performs better in summer (albeit not an ideal cologne when temperature climbs over 35°C). Rosemary and musk are prominent, which lends it a medicinal aura as in the original version. As herbaceous as I love it. It's surprisingly a crowd pleaser. DISCONTINUED. side note 1: the sourness, which is stronger than the original, possibly was due to changes to the smell, as the bottle was produced more than 15 yrs ago and obviously its former owner didn't keep it well.

It's a nice fragrance and A Hidden Gem, Fresh, Clean, Bright, Airy and UPLIFTING. It opens up with like fresh bitter citrusy and green notes in the background then dry down is green musky. It has one of the best fresh opening men's perfumes. This is perfect for the spring and summer. The Patchouli, Rosemary and Mint notes are dominant in this perfume. Projection and Longevity are average, it smells so good and very pleasant, l really enjoy it and I love L'eau Bleue D'issey Eau Fraiche EDT for Men by Issey Miyake. Two Thumbs Up. Rating : 8.5 / 10

Omg! Why didn't I know about this one? Just tried it on about an hour ago. I haven't felt excited about a fragrance in a while. It is so sexy. But: I don't think longevity is that great. I mean it's only been like an hour and it's kinda fading away. (I think I just sprayed it twice on my wrist) I think I'll buy it and overdose on it before I leave the house! I'll give it one more try tmrw and see how that goes.

guys i dont know if my nose played a trick or what, but the drydown of this thing was very identical to YSL Lhomme and also Armaf niche platinum which are very similar in nature but not beast mode, this fragrance lasts a lot more and got very lovely aroma to it.im gonna surely buy this :) i recommend you to try this,this is gonna be a crowd pleasure and complement garner in springs and summer

Peppermint. I get a watery fresh mint vibe. Amazing frag with poor longevity. But... can we worn in 100F without a problem. Fresh mint like a chewing gum peppermint with a watery touch. Very green very pleasent and has that cooling effect. This is ONLY for the extreme heat with lots of sprays. Beach or nigh by the sea with blazing hot nights, high humidity. If you can get it cheap... take it.

Is it a good fragrance, not groundbreaking today but maybe it was in 2007 when it was introduced – a good day fragrance for summer or spring – more greenish that blueish – so the name can be misleading – you can still get it for a reasonable price though I noticed that prices were slowly moving up and are more expensive than the Bleue version which is also a lovely fragrance

Very bright but smooth citrus for first 10 mins or so lovely. Gets a little woodier as it goes along in mids but still fresh eventually settling to a standard blue/woody cedar frag. Longevity could be better and I stay hydrated and moisturize my skin. If you can get it cheap and don't mind reapplying then go for it,don't pay exorbitant prices on Ebay!

i used this fragrance for years and i loved it. When i was wearing it everyone were asking for this particular perfume on my skin. Pity that they did not continue its production. I loved it and I was never bored in smelling it. Day and night time from spring till autumn. It was great.

I have had this for almost 2 years now. Simply amazing. I reach this more than more expensive fragrances during warmer days. Perfect when weather is not very humid but still warm. Doesn't last long but one of my favourites

its good. i like it for winter even though its minty fresh because it has a stupid herby woodsy vibe that evokes a cute small woodland creature. It's stupid because it lacks depth, but it is good. its good overall

To me it smells just like the Bleue! Maybe a bit less intense. I dont really smell the bergemot and the mint is very faint, but I still love the smell and get compliments. It smells clean and fresh.

I picked this up in TJ-MAX for around $20!This is just fantastic summer scent! I like to saturate my t-shirt with this on those really hot and humid days!Underrated Gem!

This is clean sharp and safe to wear without offending anyone. All the notes used in this are so appealing to me - mint and patchouli - my favourite. Rosemary - nice!

great frag.. very versatile . iMO very manly i just love this scent out of my 200 frags this def top 20

Fresh clean. Sophisticated. Unique. Good performer. Everything you want in a summer fragrance.