Sel Marin

As others have said before me, this is a very salty ocean smell. The citrus disappears very fast. However, it definitely also has some subtle sweetness, something flowery that makes it more wearable, and there is a distinct note reminding of seaweed. Even though I don't like aquatic scents in general, I bought a bottle of this one. It is not a typical aquatic, which from what I've heard tend to be calone-heavy. This one is not. It's subtle and classy, and first and foremost salty. It evokes associations of the sea at a harbor or dock less than the open sea, but it is very airy and, if sprayed moderately, you will occasionally catch a whiff of it over the day. That being said, I live on the Atlantic coast and tested Sel Marin side by side with the real sea. It definitely does not smell like the sea, which is probably desirable because the real sea can smell quite rotten. Sel Marin gets close to it, and has some airy feeling, but without the fishy part and more wearable. For some people it might still be too close to the real sea, though. The scent is also not for everyone, I personally like it but don't love it. It's one of those scents that are very specific and recognizable, and a thing on their own. Like e.g. Encre Noir is a peculiar "mint-as-if-it-were-vanilla-with-high-pass-filter", Sel Marin is a rather specific marine scent that you'll either like or don't. In terms of performance, I personally think it's exactly in the right ballpark. Longevity is good, it lasts 8 hours on my skin. Sillage is low to moderate, which is desirable for a niche perfume like that. I wouldn't want to wear a brutalist perfume with overpowering performance. But if you insist, check out Megamare. If you're looking for a more traditional marine scent, you might also want to take a look at Imaginary Author's Every Storm A Serenade. This is a more traditional calone-heavy aquatic, way less salty, and also more mass-appealing than Sel Marine. If you want to be reminded of the seaside and salty air next to it, Sel Marine is an excellent choice.

God this is good. Do you remember the old meme of the guy sprinkling salt on some meat? Replace the meat with an EDC and you have Sel Marin. An extremely simple refinement of an Eau de Cologne, Sel Marin takes the classic structure and, with a seductive wink, salts it. Remarkably, this is more than sufficient to bring the EDC into a brand new territory, not especially marine in nature but not fully terrestrial either. The issue with marines, I find, is that most of us mainly smell the ocean in the form of the coast - venture further out, and you need scuba gear and thus lose your ability to smell your surroundings. Coasts aren't always the best inspirations for perfume though, as great swathes of softly rotting crap are repeatedly beached upon them, with bladderwrack and shells, shrimp and dead bits of fish. Here instead, we're way WAY above the sea on a pristine cliff with abundant citrus trees and herbs, drinking some kind of clarifying tea (or gin) and pouring over (and drawing in pencil on) an old, salt-encrusted map of the local islands. For something so simple, Sel Marin is incredibly soft, even cozy, and far more evocative than one would expect for what is essentially a (modestly) salty cologne. The salt note perhaps tilts this ever so slightly in the masculine direction, perhaps, which is why I think it's very important for women to wear this. This is a real gem, one of the best not-quite-marines I've smelled, and would work well on anyone of any gender, age, or background. On my skin, it's quite fleeting, lasting similarly to an Aqua Allegoria (but far better than most recent releases in that line), but has more oomph than a classic Eau de Cologne, thankfully. An exquisite reminder than in the days before soap, there was always salt water.

This is my first day wearing it—I was so excited to get my sample yesterday—and already I'm kicking myself because it's another full bottle I have to buy. Love this! It feels like the Holy Grail. I can't stop sniffing my wrist. With the caveat that I've only been wearing it for three hours, this is the first and only true ocean scent I've ever found. Replica's Beach Walk smells realistic, but too flowery and there's something in all Maison Margiela scents that is way too screechy on me. Both Jo Malone's Wood Sage and Sea Salt and Rochas Aquawoman are gone in half an hour. Acqua diGio, Light Blue Sun, Bobbi Brown Beach, and all the others aren't even close. So far, the sillage is good, AND I could still smell my "just-have-to-try-it" mini-spray on my wrist last night even after I washed my face and stuff. But anyway, the blink-and-you-miss-it lemon opener is still a nice intro to the salt water. Then the vetiver comes in! Aaahhh. Two of my favorites. It doesn't feel like a sunny summer day at the beach, though. There's definitely no suntan lotion to be found here. This is a cold November day, walking on a deserted New England pebble beach, where the tide has just gone out and the beach gives way to pine trees a few feet away. I'm definitely getting some still-wet rocks in there. I'm looking forward to receiving the Every Storm a Serenade that I ordered at the same time, but so far this is the oceanic I've been looking for. Edited to add that after having it a few months and wearing it several more times, there is a sharp, sour note in there that I'm not especially crazy about. It never fades away, either. I still like it but would wear it a whole lot more if that wasn't in there. Maybe I'll have a change of heart after using it this summer.

Sel Marin smells of a parsley salad with salt and lemon. Still, it's one of the best interpretations of the salt theme out there. I've always passed on this because I needed to try more offerings exploring this theme, but after trying several perfumes, including, but not limited to, Ammare by Cartusia and Seahorse by Zoologist, (both of which include a fennel note btw), it became apparent that I had to go back where I started. Heele's Sal Marin is still the best: nothing is superflous here, nothing to distract you from what this perfumes declares to be: salty freshness to accompany you for a few hours. Period. This year I'll finally buy me a bottle. I took my sweet time to make up my mind, but I'll finally realized this was what I wanted all along. I tried Sel d'Issey hoping it was similar but better, and to my disappoimtment it isn't (on both accounts). The only other real competitor (and probably future purchase) to Sel Marin, for me, has always been Atlante by Sarah Baker. That one is a totally different story though: a depiction of a cold, dark, unforgiving ocean. More realistic than Sel Marine, but they realize two completely different concepts and serve different purposes: one is a fantastic smelling all-purposes daily wear, the other is more contemplative and to call it an uplifting scent is a bit of a stretch. Ok, Sel, this year is the year!

I used to find marine scents boring and unrefined, dull in most cases, until I tried Tirrenico and Maestrale and fell in love with both of them. Sel Marin has always been touted here as the best of the bunch and to be honest I was less than impressed with the first 2ml sample I got my nose into. I thought it lasted very little and the fishy overall was a bit offputting then. I thought of it as unwearable. However, I thought a second chance is deserved when fragrances seem to attract so many people (only Aventus is still a "I don't get what's with that one" after 20 samples). In this case I am more than happy to regret my initial thoughts and I now love this scent. You just smell gorgeous with this scent on you... it is that simple. I don't know if they have toned this down a bit or if samples come in some sort of extra parfum to cheat or what... but it smells truly nice, chic and it is such an easy choice though not very strong. It is not groundbreaking (if you want to be wowed go for Tirrenico, Maestrale or Acqua di sale imho) but still it is different to most designer fragrances so you will not be deceived. As for the smell, a lot of salt, a subtle coconut and algae surrounding and something weird giving it some edge.