Mare Pacifico Linari 2014

Who doesn't know it?

For years, one has had to sift through tons of light-medium-dark blue colored bottles ("Aqua", "Mare"....) when entering perfume stores, which compulsively and ultimately 99.5% poorly attempt to capture something natural in a nautical sense that doesn't smell like tired citrus soup or stagnant pond.

Is there really a need for a premium fragrance to succeed in the maritime endeavor?

Well, Linari, usually known for room fragrances, has done its homework well.
"Mare Pacifico" comes with a noteworthy seriousness that I haven't experienced in this fragrance category for a long time. At the same time, the scent, although designed as unisex, feels much more masculine than all the "real" men's aqua fragrances of the last decade.

No clumsy, splashy opening, but rather something more like spray and surf with muted-fresh notes of citrusy birch leaf. Calone, which can evoke impressions of watermelon, hints at itself in traces as an exotic wink.

It feels slightly herb-fresh, like a somewhat breezy day at or on the Mediterranean. With a Mediterranean touch from cypress, one is not too far from the mainland.

The whole thing is underlaid with something that comes very close to the aforementioned "sea mist." A fresh-herb, algae-mineral impression is created, quite harmoniously composed. However, a slightly artificial undertone does shine through, which is owed to the partially synthetic materials used.

Kephalis, a tobacco-like substance, and patchouli ground the overall structure with spicy, slightly fresh-woody tones.

At just under 150 euros / 100 ml, it is still quite pricey - without a doubt a reasonably successful aquatic fragrance, although I can't quite imagine its everyday use due to the very consistent nautical-algae-mineral orientation.

ADDENDUM: The scent becomes quite annoying after several wears thanks to the synthetic-clean Calones. Smooth, too much like a clean freak. Not for me.