Guiding Water

“Guiding Water” is easily my favorite release by The Harmonist, as well as one of my favorite Aquatic Florals out there in general. I will say, as a fan and owner of both the Parfum & Eau De Parfum versions, I find the Parfum version to be superior. And sure, the general strength of sillage and performance are a part of that, but there are little differences in the actual notes/structure that I pick up on. I thoroughly enjoy both but to me atleast, the Eau De Parfum tends to read as more of a clean, soapier Floral fragrance than the Parfum, which is more of a true Aquatic Floral. It’s procession of lush, white florals of cyclamen, water lotus, and lily are both led and tempered by a fresh, green watermelon rind note—stabilizing the composition’s Aquatic appeal. This is a gorgeous fragrance; it’s strong enough to wear throughout all four seasons, but it truly shines in the heat in my opinion.

The opening was spectacular! Gorgeous watermelon accord and pleasingly more pronounced than in Jusbox Feel n Chill. I own both Feel N Chill and Ege/Ailaio and this feels like a fusion between the two, but spectacular in its own right and with the lovely inclusion of watery white floral. A unique and refreshing summer fragrance. Totally full bottle worthy if I didn’t already own the other two!

Straight up 1990's Calvin Klein vibes. Great summer perfume. Minimalistic, fresh, professional fragrance perfect for the office. I have a decant of this and wouldn't shell out more money for a full bottle as it's just not unique enough for my tastes. Really great for what it is though and if you like clean, ozonic fragrances you'll likely really love this.

I loved it! A fresh perfume, not too sweet, super elegant, doesn't bother anyone, perfect for hot summer days! You can feel the watermelon but it mixes with the other notes and the smell is wonderful. The final evolution of this perfume is magical! It feels like being in heaven, cozy, delicate, clean!♥️♥️♥️

This is so comfortable and relaxing. It is impressive how you can really smell the water, I had no idea that water could smell so lovely, like floral water. A little bit spicy at the beginning, very soft but powerful and long lasting. It reminds me of a spa at a resort by the beach. Love

I’ve tried sooo many clean, fresh, just showered fragrances and they never really give me that just out of the shower clean vibe. This one does. It’s sooo fresh and watery. On me I don’t get much watermelon. Just a great fresh aquatic fragrance. I absolutely love it!

Sprayed on very tart. It is a blend of my favorite scents so had high hopes...it did not disappoint! The watermelon, white flower, and watery notes make for an easy wearing, refreshing daily wear. A full bottle is definitely destined for my perfume tray.

An elevated watermelon Jolly Rancher! Bright, refreshing, and quite playful. I wasn't expecting this scent in the super serious marketing package from Harmonist, with the black bottle and "soothing" descriptions. Love this for a summer scent.

Got a sample at the mall, and now I want a whole bottle! I brought it with me on spring break. I love how clean it makes me feel; it brightens my spirits and doesn't worsen my hangover. It truly has an aura-cleansing feel.

I detest aquatic fragrances but love this. I don’t really get watermelon, just a general fruity, floral muskiness. Very high quality and a bit subdued overall.

Super fresh, light & aquatic. Love it, very nice mood boosting summer scent. I don't really get the hint of watermelon though

Gorgeous, very unisex, and lasts forever! This is one of my favorites from the Harmonist and def FBW.

I'm testing the Harmonist discovery set blind. I haven't looked up anything about them: names, notes, etc. Did the white ones already, this is the fifth and last black one. Big and musky opening. Initially there's a cat urine element similar to a great fume blanc wine, but more middle in tone, and only for the first few minutes as it dries down. I (being relatively new to fragrance) can only assume this is patchouli centered? It is musky, minty (in freshness), slightly damp, and woody. If Harmonist is getting this effect with no patchouli, they clearly are doing some scent majick. As the day goes on the musk tappers slowly throughout the day, losing some of its depth and becoming more "clean" smelling. Still a great scent at every stage but didn't last as long as hoped (hoping it would last forever). Looking at the name and notes now, it's all magick! Guiding Water? Blind test this on a friend who knows nothing and see if they say anything about being "watery" without showing them the way. The individual notes make sense and each explains some portion of the overall effect, except watermelon. Maybe I'm too new, but watermelon seems far from the musky fresh fragrance. To me it leans slightly masculine given the specific muskiness it has. Either way, a nice pleasant and refreshing fragrance. Show me the way Harmonist.

Just received my Guiding Water Parfum from Saks 5th Ave during the Black Friday sale. I bought it because I got a sample of Guiding Water from Nordstrom but can’t remember if it was EDP or Parfum version. So I took a chance and got the Parfum. After receiving it and wearing it, I’ll have to go with the EDP version. To me the EDP version is much more brighter and vibrant than the Parfum version. To me the EDP version is fruiter, almost juicer in a way with a hint of aquatic salt elements, and of course light white florals. The Parfum version turns the opposite direction as far as richness goes. Imagine the EDP version but boil it down to a thicker, richer almost cooked version of it, like a pan sauce in a way. It’s a beautiful fragrance but I can’t see it being a daily wear, but more as a special occasion fragrance. Out of the two versions, I much prefer the EDP version. If you love the fragrance, I don’t see owning the two fragrances as redundant since to me they are drastically different when it comes to the actual scent profile. But i much prefer the EDP version over the Parfum version in terms of wearability and just out of pure enjoyment of the fragrance. EDP is a fun watermelon floral fragrance and the Parfum is just the much more mature version.

This is one of those perfumes that I thought I was meh on, but I wound up going through a decant pretty quickly! I'm pretty down on calone and watery notes more generally, but I don't find the calone here *too* obnoxious. It blends well with the florals. I also get a tea note; maybe that's supposed to be melon rind? In any event, there's some sourness and bitterness that adds depth. At the end of a sniff, there's an aromatic black pepper that leaves a grace note of spice. Very nice! And for such a light scent, the sillage and longevity is very good. This perfume will never be my personal favorite, but it's extremely well done. If you want a non-traditional freshie or like watery scents, I think this is a must-try.

As a non-floral lover, the opening was a bit overwhelmingly floral, with strong aquatic vibes... but that dissipated within the first 5 minutes. A floral base remains, but transitions into something much more aquatic and airy. The freshness of watermelon without the sweetness. About an hour in turns very lily heavy and lightly sweet fruity while retaining watery, aquatic essence for the next 4-6 hours. Impressive staying power. UPDATE: I have come to love this scent. The florals are soft and aquatic and feel gentle and femme, while the fresh watermelon never gets It's become a suprising love for me that I find myself reaching for consistently in warm weather. Feels incredibly feminine on my (F) chemistry.

I'm generally not a fan of many scents designated as "aquatic", but this one is an iteration I can get behind. Guiding Water is bright, airy, heavy on lily, lotus, cylamin, and sunshine. The watermelon has the rind in tact, tart and with some bite. The pink pepper lends just a bit of sharpness. The Harmonist is pricey, and whether or not Guiding Water warrants the cost is a matter of personal opinion. I find it inoffensive, pretty, and at the same time it's thoughtfully executed and not exactly common, which is quite an accomplishment in a fresh summer scent.

Mmmm quite lovely. Something about it reminds me of Estee Lauder Pleasures, and for me this is a good association because I like Pleasures. Guiding Water has a bit more watery freshness than Pleasures, I think. The only thing I don't like about Guiding Water is the Lily. Ugh, it might be headache-inducing as I wear this a while. Because of the lily note I think I prefer Pleasures over this. Not full bottle worthy for me, I have a travel size and it's enough.

Beautiful bright and fresh opening. I can smell the aquatic notes with salt, pepper, and lotus dancing playfully in the background. The watermelon is quiet (smells more like the rind, almost cucumber-like). This is a getaway fragrance.. transports you to a Greek oceanside. Wishing The Harmonist made smaller 30 ml bottles especially at their price point. I appreciate the aesthetic of their potion-esque looking bottles.

I bought this based on a first impression - watermelon aquatic notes which I loved. When I got my bottle home and tried it all I could smell is a cedar closet with some moth balls. Not horrible but not the aquatic fruit I smelled initially. I’ve tried it a dozen times since then and no fruit, just cedar closet and moth balls. Very disappointed. This was an expensive lesson on not trusting your first impressions.

So this is probably one of very, very few aquatic fragrances that I like. I like it but I wouldn't wear it. Smells aquatic in the opening but the drydown is very lovely. I smell the watermelon and it's nice. This fragrance is quite feminine and ethereal smelling. It's tranquil. Smells like a spa. It's not my style but I like it but nfbw for me. -

Really reminds me of Issey Miyake’s L’Eau. A bright, aquatic freshie, grounded by musk in a very clean way. Wishing for more watermelon. Well blended, suitable for daily wear, maybe even office settings where *some* fragrance is allowed. Classy clean girl, that’s what this frag denotes to me.

Bright and pleasant, like smelling water that’s been soaking in white florals. Mildly sweet but not at all cloying, it’s like a fresh bite out of watermelon near a spring, refreshing. Leans slightly female but could be worn by either gender.

Very pleasant aquatic fragrance, just a bit floral and fruity. Very clean. Not offensive at all. Though, not very interesting either. A fine tradeoff, I think. Great for the humid midwestern summers inflicted upon me.

I saw an ad for this brand in Vogue. If you go to the website, you can order FREE samples of any of their perfumes, you just pay for the shipping. A review of Guiding Water is forthcoming.

Guiding Waters is light and subtle. I get lotus and aquatic notes and a hint of gentle musk. This is what you want to sprtiz on the those sweltering days of summer.

Reminds me of a bit of a softer Chanel Chance Eau Fraiche with a touch of D&G Limperatrice. It’s okay it’s pleasant if you like fresh scents. Moderate projection.

Melon juice driven aquatic scent with floral undertones. Better on skin than on paper. Resonates in hotter climates.

This is very green, I’m surprised there isn’t a cucumber note. Aquatic lotus with watermelon rind.

Guiding water is a beautiful, aquatic and floral perfume. However there are certain aspects to like and dislike. I think the watermelon note is accurate despite many note smelling it. It is more of a rindy, fresh exterior compared to the juicy, sweet red flesh. The floral from jasmin, cyclamen and lotus flower contribute greatly to the ozonic, airy floral scent. I must say out of the 3 florals it is predominantly lotusy compared to jasmin and cyclamen. It is more of a green floral compared to the white and pink floral. Wateriness can be attributed to the rindy watermelon, airy floal and clean laundry-esque musk. I imagine a small, rapid, transparent creek running in a grassy expansive plain in the middle of warm spring day. Creek so transparent that the rocky bottom of the creek gives it a glossy black look. Now with rocks mentioned, here are the aspects I dislike. The fragrance has an oddly minerally, hard, cold aspect to it. I liken it to the American arrowhead bottled water, more hard minerally water compared to a filtered soft sweet water. The coldness, similar to a concrete wall in a cold abandoned tundra city. It can be harsh and you can almost taste it. It dried my mouth in a distasteful way. Sure, the cold and mineral aspect can be what makes this a refreshing, aquatic fragrance, but i despise it to the point that it makes it harder for me to reach for it. It is a beautiful fragrance nonetheless, but please make sure to try it on skin. On the blotter, the mineral like aspects are not quite present. It may disappoint you after purchase. For me, I am stuck with a full bottle, which i will presciously use on a scorching hot day to refresh. However, I will never be able to say I love this fragrance. I personally rate it 7.2/10. Beautiful and in line with the feng shui ideology behind this fragrance. For the reasons mentioned above I cannot love it.

I've been looking for a high quality fresh, water scent for years now with no success, and I had such high hopes for this scent and this brand. I was delighted to see they had fresh sample set, so I imediately ordered it, and Guiding water was in perfume version, not edp. I had one spray from the sample bottle on the upper part of my wrist, and the smell was still there two days later, after two showers and xy hand washes. I normally like my perfumes to last long, but this is just riddiculous, it's Montale-style synthetic festival. The smell itself is a nice, fresh floral, but nothing new or original, and absolutely nothing that I would be willing to pay 300€/50ml for. Such a disappointment...

Smells like any feminine aquatic from the early 2000s. Very heavy on the lotus. If that's your bag maybe you see nuance in it but I get drugstore deodorant.

If you've ever smelled ozone gas, this is it, combined with some clean notes. It's not bad but it's bizarre.

A pleasant and inoffensive aquatic scent. It's not particularly complex, long lasting, or remarkable.

Reviewing a sample from 2022. Guiding water was launched in 2016. Not sure if it has been reformulated. This opens with ozonic florals, airy and light. The watermelon is not really detectable and is probably just a facet of the calone. The florals increase in complexity and are enveloped in peppery musk. It is not sweet or indolic. There is too much of an underlying synthetic note that extends into the drydown ?ozonic/aquatic notes that I find distracting. This may have been done to increase longevity but there is always a price to pay. Quality- poor-good 2.5/5 Unisex - leans feminine Performance- very good 4/5 Overall a pleasant clean but somewhat generic floral. The aquatic notes and lotus don't conjure water for me. 6.5/10

Maybe I just love perfume, and am easily wowed, but gosh this is beautiful. I can see why it falls under unisex. It smells similar to the many men's colognes that have a water/ocean theme. I will say this is a step above those, as the florals add a unique touch. This smells like lilies with ozonic notes. It's simple yet beautiful. In my opinion, a woman or man could easily pull this off. It dries down a bit powdery, but definitely in a good way. Not sure the longevity, but if it lasts, I'd be tempted to buy a bottle. I could see this as an all year round day-wear fragrance. UPDATE: This lasts forever. It is honestly worth every cent if you want to actually purchase this. I was at the grocery store, bagging my items, and I became really warm because I was wearing a sweatshirt and sweatpants and rushing through bagging. I started to smell this really good aroma in the air, but I new I hadn't put perfume on that day. In the car home I realized... I wore this sweatshirt earlier this week and I sprayed the tester of Guiding Water on my wrist.... I could not believe that my whole body started to smell of this perfume after putting it on myself around 5 days prior... Amazing....

I have the pure Parfum version - I don't think I ever need to buy another aquatic scent again. It's an amazing clean, fresh, lightly floral watery smell that absolutely shines in the heat. Things with this type of profile can often be pretty ephemeral - this one lasts and lasts and projects like crazy. I don't understand how anyone could possibly have anything negative to say about this. Edit: This maintains projection for longer than anything I've ever worn and I have a BIG collection. 10+ hours later and this is still creating a significant scent bubble that I haven't gone anosmic to, I'm smelling it on myself without trying very consistently. I have plenty of stuff that LASTS for 12+ hours but nothing that actually projects this strongly for that long.

Simple, no frills pure aquatic. Smells like freshwater, not salty. Muted white florals. It's remarkable in how "unremarkable" it is. Every other brand that makes an aquatic in this avenue tries to add some twist to make it unique & tarnishes how pure & naturally clean the base smells. The simplicity and quality is the value driver for this fragrance vs others in its olfactive family. I will say if you buy full retail, this is not worth the cash. BUT, you can get the EDP instead of the parfum to save some dough, and if you buy the refill of the EDP off the website & place into a decant bottle, it starts to make a lot more financial sense (cuts the price in more than half).

Ok I thought this was light and pretty, sprayed over my arm at a store and then went into another store down the street. I got 3 compliments from different people at different times that I smelled SOOO GOOD. So naturally now I have to buy a bottle bc of the attention it gave me! Haha To note, today is beautiful, sunny and breezy and the store had its doors open so i must have just floated in like an angel with all those compliments! Def could wear year round but spring summer I’d say would show it off the best. Also for reference, I never get perfume compliments like this with the exception of when I wear Valaya, so this was very nice.

What a surprise - an ozonic/aquatic fragrance I really like. The combo of watery lotus and clean cyclamen make this work beautifully. It's watery and ozonic without being off-putting - a tricky feat to accomplish! Even the pepper note is so delicately applied that it works, This is a unique little gem. I wish I'd have bought it earlier in the summer to use it on the hottest days. I've had nothing but excellent luck with Harmonist. They are rapidly becoming one of my favorite houses.

i like this! very fresh and aquatic at the opening but i do get the watermelon and white floral notes as well. the packaging definitely doesn’t match the vibe which throws me off. i think this would be really pretty and playful in hot weather. kind of reminds me of aquatic kids soap but not necessarily in a bad way

Guiding water is wonderfully aquatic and ozonic. It feels very fresh and clean, a cooling scent for hot summer days. The watermelon, like many have said, is not sweet and fruity but more like the rind. Having watermelon and lily notes, it reminds me of a mature version of Britney Spears's Jungle Fantasy.

It first opens like a juicy green watermelon rind but very quickly I get an overwhelming amount of lotus and lilies (white floral). Not a bad scent but not worth the money in my opinion, plus it gives me a headache inducing for me 5/10.

This one is just okay, and for the price point, I think there are a lot of similar or more complex aquatic/ozonic scents out there. It does have a nice smell, but it doesn't last super long either. Maybe only a few hours.

Light, flowery, with great projection. The lily and aquatic notes stand out the most to me. I received an enthusiastic compliment the very first day I wore it. Definitely worth sampling.

This is watery and melony and once sprayed, it really projects sweetness from skin-- too much so... might be the lotus. There are better choices.

Mehh, smells clean and clear and just like water. Didn't stand out at all to me, leans more feminine. No pop, quite bland but relaxing

Does anybody else smell lychee?