Davidoff
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Wet melon flesh crashes into lotus petals and blackcurrant juice, creating an immediate aquatic-fruity haze that's bracingly cold and slightly synthetic in that distinctly '90s Calone-drenched manner. Bergamot and citrus notes prickle at the edges whilst pineapple adds a tinned-fruit sweetness that shouldn't work but somehow establishes the fragrance's unpretentious character.
The florals finally emerge with soapy lily of the valley and hawthorn leading the charge, though they remain sheer and almost translucent rather than rich or indolic. Honey weaves through with unexpected restraint, warming the aquatic-floral accord without tipping it into sweetness, whilst the jasmine and rose peek through like pressed flowers between pages.
A soft, skin-like musk-iris veil settles in, powdery and clean with the faintest whisper of sandalwood providing woody structure. Those berry notes—raspberry and blackberry—persist as vaguely jammy, slightly fermented ghosts, whilst vanilla adds just enough creamy sweetness to prevent this from disappearing entirely into laundry-musk territory.
Cool Water Woman arrived in 1996 as Pierre Bourdon's aquatic answer to the decade's obsession with clean, transparent femininity—though it transcends its marketed gender with unrepentant freshness. The opening is a melon-forward assault softened by aqueous lotus and water lily, creating that distinctive '90s "ozonic fruit salad" effect that somehow never quite reads as sweet. There's a clever citrus-blackcurrant tartness cutting through the melon's honeyed flesh, whilst pineapple and quince add a slightly fermented, tropical sharpness that saves this from complete vapidity.
As it develops, the florals remain curiously muted—hawthorn and lily of the valley provide green, almost soapy accents rather than full-throated blooms, whilst the rose and jasmine hover in the background like the memory of a hotel soap. The honey accord threads through the heart with surprising subtlety, never veering into gourmand territory but adding just enough golden warmth to the aquatic framework. By the dry down, this reveals itself as more musky-synthetic than you'd expect from such a fruity beginning. The sandalwood and iris provide a papery, slightly powdery skin-scent base, whilst the berry notes (blackberry and raspberry) linger as jammy, almost fermented undertones.
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3.8/5 (113)