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23 Janvier 1984 1991

5.8 / 10 34 Ratings
A perfume by Pozzo di Borgo for men, released in 1991. The scent is fresh-aquatic. The production was apparently discontinued.
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Main accords

Fresh
Aquatic
Woody
Synthetic
Green

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
GrapefruitGrapefruit OrangeOrange Quantified ThumbprintQuantified Thumbprint
Heart Notes Heart Notes
LavenderLavender SageSage
Base Notes Base Notes
CedarwoodCedarwood OakmossOakmoss SandalwoodSandalwood Iridescent ScrewIridescent Screw

Perfumer

Ratings
Scent
5.834 Ratings
Longevity
5.922 Ratings
Sillage
6.018 Ratings
Bottle
7.429 Ratings
Submitted by DonVanVliet · last update on 05/29/2025.
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Reviews

6 in-depth fragrance descriptions
Drseid

828 Reviews
Drseid
Drseid
Very helpful Review 6  
Something You Don't See Everyday... An Aquatic With An Oakmoss Base...
Voyageur opens with an almost aldehyde-like grapefruit top note before quickly transitioning into its herbal aromatic lavender heart, giving the scent a very light fresh almost soapy marine vibe. A very strong oakmoss base note appears quite early in the scent's development, really co-starring with the aromatic lavender throughout. Joining the oakmoss in the base is a cedarwood supporting note that acts as the scent's backbone without calling attention to itself, content to let the oakmoss and lavender drive the scent's general nature through the dry-down. Projection and longevity are both average.

Voyageur has undeniable pedigree from its legendary nose Jean Kerleo of Patou pour Homme and Patou pour Homme Prive fame (among many other uber-masterpieces) so it is only natural to come in with super-stratospheric expectations. Those expecting similar greatness to Kerleo's best work are bound to be disappointed and based on the other reviews indeed were, as Voyageur does not deserve being mentioned alongside those Kerleo masterpieces. Setting that aside, Voyageur when approached for what it is (an aromatic lavender composition that was created to compete with the Cool Water aquatics that were so popular in the 90's), I think Voyageur should be viewed in much higher regard than it gets credit for. One primary thing I immediately noticed was the great oakmoss base that dominates the scent and just cannot be found in today's compositions due to restrictions on the ingredient. Those seeking a calone-free aromatic marine-like scent that is "restriction-free" would be wise to seek out this one as it is quite competent and relevant, and the oakmoss makes it easily wearable year-round. At its approximate street price of about $0.50 a ml it really is quite the steal and one of the best options in its genre. The bottom line is while I am not a big fan of the fresh aromatic marine genre, I am very happy to have Voyageur in my collection and award it a "very good" rating of 3.5 stars out of 5. Kerleo at his worst is better than 95% of other noses at their best.
0 Comments
jtd

484 Reviews
jtd
jtd
Helpful Review 4  
Voyageur
Perfumer Jean Kerléo, co-founder of l’Osmothèque, creator of the exquisite Patou 1000, must have dreaded having to make an aquatic men’s fragrance in 1995. What he created is at least an interesting comment on life post-Cool Water.

Even in 1995 the release of an aquatic fragrance would have been met with tedium and low expectation. It was 7 years after the release of Cool Water, and while there had been hundreds of imitators, Cool Water was still king. In fact Cool Water created another slot to be filled in the roster of every perfume house. A new genre had been created! Each one needed an aquatic/calone/fougère fragrance in their line-up, and the challenge was to create one that met the expectations of the market and at the same time reflected your brand. Tough for Patou. Aqua-Joy anyone? Sublime Water?

The crux of this dilemma is creating something to reflect your brand while at the same time appealing to the broad masculine market. This genre, the fruity masculine aquatics, had a cultish aspect to it and straying from the known was tacitly discouraged. Once a certain safe island of perfume is reached by men, change is considered a threat to self image.

Kerléo’s solution? So far as I can tell, what Jean Kerléo did was to create a pleasant, recognizable citric aquatic top note, then fold it into a mossy, woody base. The result is a perfume that had recognizability in the form of a pan-masculine aquatic note, but had a warmer dry down than Cool Water's chilly metallic vibe. It seems like a slapdash approach, a little of this, a little of that, stir and spritz. But I must say that this is the most appealing of the aquatics I've smelled. The top note is an aquatic collage, but it doesn't appear to have been made by rote, and has a tangy citric astringency in lieu of a clanging metal note.

The overall effect is that Kerléo has managed to make a demi-chypre out of Cool Water DNA. While Voyageur doesn't have quite the classic ambery dry down of a chypre, the top note of grapefruit stands in for bergamot and a large helping of oakmoss does the rest.

How tragic that the solution to this ongoing problem was a material that was being curtailed out by regulation. Voyageur was doomed from the start.

from scenthurdle.com
0 Comments
BrianBuchanan

363 Reviews
BrianBuchanan
BrianBuchanan
Helpful Review 3  
Food and water
The little boat that the miniature bottle comes in gives a misleading idea of the juice inside.
The aquatic calone-lavender-citrus theme is there of course, but cantaloupe melon and thin washed out pimento - supported by a woody accord - steer this journey towards a beach front taverna, and not the high seas.

Sandal Mysore offsets the harsh side of the aquatic and it adds a tobacco-balsamic sweetness. Honey and mint nuances give further weight to the gourmand theme.

By three hours it feels like everything has been drenched by a huge wave that crashed on the sea front - leaving salted bitter plums in its wake.

Later you can smell a bit of amber floating about.

As a Cool Water clone Voyageur is nothing new, but does it improve on the original? In my opinion yes. Cool Water is where this voyage begins.
Updated on 01/09/2023
0 Comments
Taurus

1183 Reviews
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Taurus
Taurus
Top Review 11  
Between Traveling and Falling Apart
As we know, there are perfume brands that no longer play a serious olfactory role but still released one or two outstanding scents - and there are brands that have almost cult status yet still published a flop that somehow doesn't fit their portfolio.

The same applies in the fields of automobiles, art, music, film, technology, etc.

In the case of perfumes, this concerns Jean Patou, whose creative nose Jean Kerléo has already been responsible for top classics like 1000 for women and Patou pour Homme.

But does Voyageur really stand out as much as it seems here?
I can imagine that it is certainly not the easiest task for a perfumer when their client demands a new, fresh, aquatic scent. Let's assume that we are dealing with a commissioned work that may have been influenced by the market conditions at the time. Perhaps not only the fragrance direction was specified, but also the name and thus the theme. I actually find the idea with the cocktail shaker quite fitting. It certainly aligns well with an Eau de Toilette that evokes a desire for leisurely, relaxed travel on a cruise ship (see below the photos with the miniatures inside the metal ocean giants) to exotic destinations. After all, our Voyageur is not just a plain Aqua scent, but shines with slightly fruity notes, which don't necessarily have to be just grapefruit and orange. There was probably something else at play.

Towards the end, it even becomes a bit more refined and really pleasant thanks to the sandalwood note. At times, it narrowly avoids synthetic waters, but that is still within an acceptable range.

I don't know how many Aqua scents I have sniffed throughout my life, but among them were far less exciting and unremarkable creations.

No, I do not want to praise Voyageur excessively or sugarcoat it. You can't turn a donkey into a riding horse, nor can you turn a rubber dinghy into a luxury yacht. However, I do think that it comes off worse in the ratings than it actually is. Of course, it cannot compete with the other Jean Patou perfumes, but I believe that it can at least score a bit with solid freshness and, at times in the drydown, with elegant warmth and a slightly fruity approach.
8 Comments
Peter111

17 Reviews
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Peter111
Peter111
2  
How different tastes can be...
...once again confirmed in this case.
Out of pure curiosity, I bid on a half bottle of "Voyageur," but the After Shave.
And amusingly, everyone was raving about it: colleagues, my wife, my daughter, and a good friend who, like me, invests a lot of money in "fragrances."
"Its scent is really nice..." and "...I don't know it at all, but it smells original..." are comments I heard, and I received not a single negative piece of feedback.
VOYAGEUR will certainly not become my new favorite, but I don't find it that bad.
I just had to make this defense...
1 Comment
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Statements

3 short views on the fragrance
7
8
Late work - Aquat, certainly influenced by the spirit of the times, caters to the mainstream. Fresh air synthetic. Nowhere near Patou.
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8 Comments
13
7
One of the weaker scents from Patou. This aquatic also ages poorly. The top note is already off, but the base is pleasantly woody-mossy.
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7 Comments
3
1
More bottle than scent. Or a toy for big boys? ;-)
Fruit-herb-moss-wood medley without any punch.
Playmobil... ;-)
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1 Comment

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