Navy Dana 1990

Navy was one of the first "signature scents" I had in the early 90s. I re-bought it this year (2026) and, unfortunately, it smells so different. Hardly recognizable. I looked online, and apparently it was majorly reformulated when Cover Girl sold the scent to Dana in 1999.

This Navy opens with baby powder, then the powder disappears and it becomes spicy. Next, the amber appears and grows stronger. The baby powder returns. We land on an unexpected mix of powder, spice, and amber. It is strange.

Always a reason why some scents stick around and that's because they just smell good and Dana's Navy just does. It has staying power, and a little spritz goes a long way. It's inexpensive, and its scent will remind you of a musky, patchouli, amber with a hint of vanilla essence in the background. I compare it to the daytime version of Tabu, or the good girl version of Tabu if there is such a creature. Navy is just a nice scent that isn't overbearing. In its initial spray, there is some peachiness, followed by a hint of rose. These notes dissipate rather quickly. It's the drydown that I love. Once the basenotes appear, the muskiness definitely stays with the amber, the vanilla and a slight scent of cinnamon begin to intermingle. It's a very wholesome type of scent. The fragrance has staying power to last all day, which is wonderful for an inexpensive product. If you enjoy an oriental perfume, try Navy. You just might be surprised. It packs a lot in its scent that keeps circling around the base notes in a pleasant surprise all day long. An old favorite that I'll just keep handy for when I want to feel good about myself. It bears repeating that Navy is not so much a watered-down version of Tabu, but it is a less sultry version of it. If Tabu is your night perfume, then Navy would be the one you'd reach for during the day.

Now I'm taking a look at an older miniature again. The Navy actually appealed to me quite well in terms of scent, but the longevity on my skin is rather poor at around 6 hours. The sillage is correspondingly subtle.

The top note smells greenish, spicy, and oriental with clove, cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg, and a bit of allspice. The heart note offers a sweet floral sea consisting of jasmine flowers, ylang-ylang, tuberose, rose water, neroli, and orange blossoms. The base remains on the sweet side and features bourbon vanilla, amber, and a hint of musk.

I believe this fragrance may not be very well received because it falls into the more "inexpensive" category. However, I find the scent DNA really successful. Only the performance could be significantly better, but reapplying is also manageable at these prices.

Navy is a really pleasant, warm, sensual scent for very little money. You can find it everywhere in the USA in almost all major supermarkets or Walmarts and K-marts, etc.
The fragrance belongs to the category of oriental scents. Actually, it is one of the few oriental fragrances that I like.
Navy doesn't have a very good reputation in the USA since it is so inexpensive (around $6-7), but I really like it and hope to get it again someday.
It didn't smell cheap, lasted well, and was just so soft and warm with that oriental-sexy note that always reminded me of my mom during my time away from Germany, whom I missed so much. That's why this bottle holds a decent portion of (nostalgic) love for me to spray on :-)