Explorer Ultra Blue by Montblanc
Bottle Design:
Mark Eisen
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Explorer Ultra Blue 2021

6.5 / 10 253 Ratings
A perfume by Montblanc for men, released in 2021. The scent is fresh-citrusy. It is being marketed by Interparfums.
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Main accords

Fresh
Citrus
Aquatic
Synthetic
Spicy

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
Italian bergamotItalian bergamot Citrus fruitsCitrus fruits Pink pepperPink pepper
Heart Notes Heart Notes
Marine notesMarine notes AmbergrisAmbergris
Base Notes Base Notes
LeatherLeather Woody notesWoody notes Indonesian patchouliIndonesian patchouli

Perfumers

Videos
Ratings
Scent
6.5253 Ratings
Longevity
6.3218 Ratings
Sillage
6.2222 Ratings
Bottle
7.2238 Ratings
Value for money
6.9204 Ratings
Submitted by OPomone, last update on 08/22/2025.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to
Encode Blue by Maison Alhambra
Encode Blue
Voyager Intense Blue by Fragrance World
Voyager Intense Blue
Ege / Αιγαίο by Nishane
Ege
Chrome Extrême by Azzaro
Chrome Extrême
Aqva pour Homme Marine (Eau de Toilette) by Bvlgari
Aqva pour Homme Marine Eau de Toilette
Chrome Intense by Azzaro
Chrome Intense

Reviews

13 in-depth fragrance descriptions
KimJong

64 Reviews
KimJong
KimJong
Top Review 11  
A familiar, clean, mineralic scent
I was quite looking forward to it even before it was released. I tested it on my skin yesterday and also brought a scented paper. Now I have to say that it is a thorough mainstream aquatic perfume but not boring. Explorer Ultra Blue can still be included in the same category with Sauvage, Y, or so, but it is not a shower gel type, rather a perfume with marine mineral elements such as Bvlgari Aqva, D&G LB Swimming In Lipari, or Invictus Legend.

We already know that Montblanc is not a brand of originality or artistry in the perfume market. Their value is to finely predict consumer demand and join the trend at the right time. But they couldn't join the ambroxan festival of the 2010s. They must have been very concerned about how to inherit the trend as a latecomer in the market, and the result is this, Explorer Ultra Blue. They didn't make the scent more luxurious or special at all. Instead, they took note of the phenomenon in which other designer brands began to accept the salty mineral use. That salty mineral use is something that niche houses have tried first, something that has already been known to the point of safety, but has not become very popular yet.

Anyway, the early opening of Ultra Blue is a fruity cocktail-like scent, which is not very refreshing but also not sticky. This opening provides sweetness for teenage consumers but does not follow the pattern of mainstream men's perfumes. Anyway, the opening disappears quickly, soon after, a salty bergamot pops out. Pepper doesn't stand out very much, but adds a little bit of sharpness to this. And the ambroxan bomb, which is already supersaturated in the market, begins, and it followed the trend of men's perfumes in the 2010s, but emphasized the salty one. It is not necessary to mention the synthetic patchouli and leather that remain in the drydown. They are not materials for a good scent, they are just to increase the longevity, I think.

However, I think there's a reason why mineralic thing can't be completely mainstream, like ozonic thing. Ozonic perfumes make citrus brighter and more beautiful under certain conditions, but when it's not very hot, they also smell like cheap wipes. Likewise, Mineralic perfumes can give different experiences depending on the wearer, but sometimes it evokes horrible unpleasant memories for a person like me. I was born in a conscription country and had to be conscripted regardless of my will. Soldiers there disinfected always, whether was cleaning a camp or grooming equipment, with iodine solution. So the mineralic perfume is the smell of iodine solution used in the army for me. Whether it calls mineralic, marine or seaweed, whatever.

Nevertheless, Explorer Ultra Blue may be the first Mineralic perfume I'll buy. It scents more familiar and wearable than other perfumes with mineral notes to express the cold smell of the sea. it's more recent than Bvlgari Aqva. Nor is it overly sweet like Invictus Legend. It's definitely more masculine than D&G Light Blue Swimming In Lipari. It lasts longer than Valentino Born In Roma and has a little more clean feeling. But surely Ultra Blue won't be my most favorite perfume, and even if I buy it, it'll be time to sell at a discount store very cheaply. Sometimes others simply abbreviate these words as "Nothing Special", but I thought this perfume was pretty good than "Nothing Special". That's because It have made the kind of smell what I hate as acceptable as possible.

PS 1: Very little resemblance to Explorer original. The original wasn't even a literally original anyway, you know, so please stop your hasty expectations about Ultra Blue.

PS 2: If it's the same price range, of course ADG Profondo is much better. However, if the price of Explorer Ultra Blue goes down to 1/3 of Profondo, the evaluation will be different.

PS 3: I'm sorry for my childish English.
2 Comments
Smirky

483 Reviews
Smirky
Smirky
3  
Average blue fragrance for men
Liked Explorer and Platinum Explorer, so decided to try Ultra Blue. The best way I can describe it is a dialed down version of Explorer that is more fruity. It's as if the woody accord in Explorer were almost eliminated. The added fruity accord is generic, not specifically pineapple. I'd also say Ultra Blue is sorta like a watery and watered down Dylan Blue.

You can gather from the above that it's a generic blue fragrance, perfect for summer. Performance is at the lower end of moderate - got about 4 and a half hours of longevity at which point it was a barely detectable skin scent. If you don't have a blue summer fragrance, Ultra Blue could fill that hole, although I think there are others that are better. Of Explorer, Explorer Platinum and Ultra Blue, Ultra Blue is my least favorite.
0 Comments
RatCow

1 Review
RatCow
RatCow
2  
I am confused by the influencer hate for Ultra Blue.
I don't get the all the negativity on this one from the toobers. Maybe my expectations for Ultra Blue were different than the rest of planet earth. Sure, the performance is moderate, but performance IS moderate on most fresh fragrances with similar profiles. Ultra Blue is exactly par for the course when it comes to avg. summer frag performance. As far as scent goes, I disagree that it smells like every other another generic blue like so many say. I think that assertion is mistaken. Look at the "smells similar" fragrances below. Mostly all blues yes, but the suggestions are all over the map exactly because it is hard to pin down another blue fragrance this smells like. Scent preference is highly subjective though, so to each his own. But to my nose, this is a great summer daily scent for men around 30+ with control over their libidos. Its not a chick magnet or attention seeker, but it was not designed to be. Its a nice guy fragrance. Maybe its a young married man with a steady job fragrance. We need frags like that too, not just screaming head turners. So, obviously I am a fan of Ultra Blue and think it deserves a shot. Don't pass on sampling it, especially if you live i a hot, long-summer climate like me. Consider what it is meant to be. Consider what it is not meant to be. You do have to spray a little heavier with this just like most other nice guy freshies.
0 Comments
Tchuli

35 Reviews
Tchuli
Tchuli
1  
ABCs 123s
Purchased from : eBay
Price paid : $12 / 0.48 fl oz
Format : spray
Method : Right wrist

Okay, so being a fan of both regular and platinum versions of Explorer, I figured hey, what could it hurt to blind buy a couple tall vials of their rarely-spoken-of cousin.

Man, this a crazy cousin.

The first blast is icy and clean but that subsides within a literal 5 seconds. What follows is a stark similarity to Nautica Voyage (which I hate) and what I'd describe as diapers or a nursery. There's some kind of non-descript mixed fruit aroma that reminds me of poopy diaper and gummy snacks. Some ripe and melting banana. The diaper changing room/nursery smell persists and the cologne does not morph or change.

For me this is one of the worst colognes I've ever smelled. I maybe did not expect to fall in love with it, but I did not expect this to go into the stinker hall of fame. Wife loves it. Go figure. I may try to send it back and order something else. At least it was cheap. I'd almost rather wear Nautica Voyage (puke).

0 Comments
Jo3ku03

1 Review
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Jo3ku03
Jo3ku03
Helpful Review 10  
Why so much criticism?
Finally, the Corona numbers are going down again and today I am eagerly heading to the perfume shop I trust for the first time. I had already looked into the new releases that saw the light of day in 2021. I particularly focused on the "freshies," as I have always been a fan of blue, citrusy, and aquatic scents. Spicy, smoky, and heavily woody fragrances have never really appealed to me... God knows why :p
On my testing plan were 3 fragrances: Light Blue Forever (with the supposedly genius-smelling blood orange), MontBlanc Ultra Blue, and Cologne Bleu by YSL... I think you know what kind of scents I’m into ;)
When I arrived, the new Light Blue immediately caught my eye, as it was displayed in the shop window. My little heart skipped a beat and I went straight into the store.
I sprayed it on and smelled it. Eyebrows furrowed and sniffed again...
Well, what can I say? Indeed, a strong blood orange that I hadn’t detected in any other fragrance before. But as mega good as often described? I don’t know. For me, definitely not worth the money. I could have also cut open a grapefruit and spread it on my skin. In my opinion, it would have been the same scent... Well, there were still two left. So I grabbed Cologne Bleu and sprayed it on. A typical drugstore fresh opening and after a short time a clear similarity to the TuttiFrutti Invictus. Unfortunately, for me, another swing and a miss? So there was still one left: Ultra Blue by MontBlanc
I had heard increasingly negative things online and on YouTube, so I had no high expectations for the scent.
I sprayed it on and smelled:
The scent definitely starts off very citrusy and pleasant. If I had to describe the top note, I would say it’s a good mix of 2828 by Acqua Alpes and the green "Skin Food" cream by Weleda. Overall, the scent seems rather linear in my eyes, but maybe my nose just isn’t trained enough to pick out the individual components... The scent definitely doesn’t fill the room when you enter. Personally, I like that^^ It could also be due to my rather sparing amount of 2 sprays ;) Longevity for a freshie is above average. Certainly not a very unique scent, but a rating of 6.5 seems quite low in my opinion.
3 Comments
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Statements

63 short views on the fragrance
5
One more needless fragrance, one more of the 574636 same blue fragrances. Citruses and pepper in the opening. Aquatic, woody in the base.
0 Comments
5
tested it today at my local fragrance store. This has to be one of the lightest perfumes I have ever smelled. Water +a slight citrus squeeze
0 Comments
4 years ago
4
Smells like that shower gel made in the basement of your next door neighbor, absolutely horrendous.
0 Comments
4
I wanted to prove that the hate was undeserved, that it was just misunderstood but I was wrong. I'm just glad I went with a 30ml
0 Comments
3
Takes the best ideas out of Azzaro Chrome lineup (soapy, creamy, metallic violet) and throws in a hefty dose of peppery spice + more citrus.
0 Comments
2
A bit disappointed with this generic synthetic mineral scent. If you have a good collection of blue-type fragrances, you may skip this.
0 Comments
1
My first perfume so it's nostalgic for me. Reminds me of my holiday to Rome! Great for a blue, but mediocre performance. Good price though!
0 Comments
1
It’s a spring and Summer scent. Its very citrus forward. I lose the Pink Pepper but it is very aquatic and woody
0 Comments
22
14
Holy sh***!
Never smelled anything like it!
Fresh-citrusy-aquagel
The revelation of 2021
This will stop Mandys
& drop Pantys
Oh my God!
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14 Comments
8
3-in-1 shower gel meets sports brand EDT meets locker room deodorant mist meets everything except the explorer DNA
costs like a designer, smells like 5€
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0 Comments
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