Aquaman by Rochas

I’m not sure if it’s still in production; it’s a sea-green cologne that I quite liked. What I disliked most about Aquaman was the heart—a muddle of grapefruit and coriander that smells of hot wax, a scent I hate, and sometimes juniper, which gives off that cooked egg aroma found in Miyake’s Blue Water and the Essenza version of Acqua di Giò. Aquaman was a gentle aquatic; instead of going for a pure, hard cologne, it allowed bursts of herbal and mountainous sweetness to come through. I adored the dry-down: the grapefruit, with its laundry-basket scent, faded away to leave a calm, slow, aromatic water. It’s that ultra-cliché smell I love, which many others find banal, but here it was delicious thanks to its floral and herbal finish from sage, cardamom, and cedar. The eucalyptus was also lovely; it didn’t shout or smell of fluorine. Aquaman conveyed a sense of water—gentle, tranquil, and very comforting. It’s a perfect example of perfumes you either love or hate; if you don’t like this genre of men’s fragrances, you’ll find it repetitive, unnecessary, and artificial. I’m a lover of these waters, so for my taste, Aquaman was a representative very much worth considering. PS: I remember the longevity was quite acceptable.

Aquaman by Rochas was, for me, decidedly a delightful surprise—a perfume that has little to do with its name, offering oceanic and aquatic hints but actually leaning towards a luminous green without dismissing certain doses of sophistication. Jacques Cavallier really shone here. It seems he capitalised on the artistic spirit of early-millennium men’s perfumery to create a fragrance with niche aesthetics, sharing that vaporous quality with other current stars (Kenzo Air, Gucci Rush, Nemo by Cacharel, etc.), with Japanese subtlety and minimalism giving meaning to olfactory poems. The opening fits the era of its birth and sets itself apart from almost any other trend perfume to chart its own course. An intensely herbal and slightly fruity aroma emerges, where eucalyptus takes the lead. Not so much balsamic or infused, but dry, like gathering bark from the ground on a mountain walk. Add herbal notes and geranium, and you get a green energy boost, reinforced by a very subtle aquatic tone, just as was done in Horizon by Guy Laroche or Escape by Calvin Klein. The wood emerges gradually as cedar, beautifully wrapped by cypress and what I believe is vetiver (though not declared), and it lingers on the skin for many hours with excellent longevity, especially since it doesn’t boast the greatest projection (though this was common with those wonders from the 2000s). I find it very hard to understand why Aquaman isn’t included in the ace of spades, among the holy grails of the early decade, although this is in a way a blessing since, although discontinued, it is still possible to find it at a reasonable price.

The opening is different, with a soft grapefruit and notes of cypress and eucalyptus. After two hours in the heat, sage and coriander gain strength. By six hours, I still notice the sage, a bit of geranium, and perhaps an ambery, musky touch. By eleven hours, cedar and amber until the very end. The trail with 1.5 ml was heavy for a couple of hours, then moderate and skin-scented, lasting over twelve hours. It smells deceptive: despite the name and marine colour, it is a soft, spiced woody fragrance for intermediate days. The ambery finish is not deep enough for the evening, and the curious opening can spark interest without being overbearing, preventing the metallic sage from dominating.

I had it years ago; it seems discontinued or very hard to find. It has potential and smells wonderfully but fails greatly in performance. It suits winter better. It is a peculiar scent, like dry eucalyptus with citrus and an unknown bitter note, perhaps due to the mix of citrus and spices. There is also a sweet herbal note from the sage that reminds me of herbs for baths or rituals against bad energies, or wet herbs after a cold, rainy day, with a gentle melancholy. Upon application, it is dense and enveloping but loses its trail in minutes and stays close to the skin, almost a joke for the nose and the wallet. It promises much but delivers little: it is very ephemeral. If it had better projection and fixation, it would be a great fragrance with a strange and unique personality. Fragrance: 9/10 Longevity: 2/10 Projection: 4/10 Price: 7/10.