Stulle

With the first spray, a bright and very peppery freshness unfolds, immediately accompanied by ginger with a certain sharpness. Almost instantly, green cardamom spice follows, which is the core theme of the fragrance. I find this very special and I can't recall a comparable opening.

The fullness of the jasmine smells very soft, not overpowering and not indolic. There is also something warm and floral, very delicate and subtle, but I can't quite identify it. I really like the beautifully dry iris root, as it comes across as not sweet, powdery, or lipstick-like at all compared to iris fragrances like DIOR HOMME INTENSE. The often tricky cinnamon also appears here dry and unsweetened - yes, I can tolerate it this way.

The base feels like the perfect embrace: gentle yet firm, with a slightly mossy and more woody warmth & spice. Perhaps minimally vanilla-tinged, as suggested by the fragrance pyramid, but for me still without sweetness; rather with a kind of balsamic sweetness. This comes across as cedar-structured and tidy. Vetiver appears over time and I like it as a fixing base note - how could it be otherwise - naturally excellent, even if it is not the main actor here.

Although I sprayed the fragrance almost untested on my wrist and then exposed myself to other people for several hours - at seated events in enclosed spaces, one can easily check the nerve factor of a perfume - the class of the fragrance surprised me once again. Although always present, X had no ambitions to flood the room or overly disturb the neighbors. I have subjected my surroundings to quite different test candidates...

A little anecdote on the side: a few days later, I coincidentally read a theater review in RBB about the premiere, and I particularly noticed this sentence:

"Men wear suits and women silk scarves with their jackets, most guests are of senior age" and then THE sentence: "In the rows of seats, it smells of expensive perfume."

THAT WAS ME, THAT WAS ME!! I swear, Alta!

I could of course perceive a few other fragrances before and during the break in the foyer, but I actually found mine the most beautiful. Haha. And regarding the "senior age," you just narrowly missed the mark, Mr. Editor....

Final consideration:
one can certainly complain about the brand CLIVE CHRISTIAN and chuckle at the somewhat heavy-handed orientation and pricing (gold crown on the bottle... well....) But on the one hand, other popular brands do similar things & are at least equally successful, moving within the same price range.

On the other hand, one simply cannot deny CC the truly high quality, and that is what ultimately counts. You expect a lot... and ultimately, you also receive it. Additionally, there is the understatement of most fragrances; because the brutality with which other labels present themselves to confuse, ahem, impress a young and more influencer-affine audience is thankfully nowhere to be found here.

Who can wear this fragrance now?
I see it more on men than on women, although that is known to be very subjective. A certain maturity and life experience could also go well with X. For the prom, uninhibited flirting, or a wild party night, I would probably reach for something else.

I am really happy with the two recently tested fragrances from the house and would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the unnamed fragrance donor here!

Oh, what a beautiful classic has found its way to me?

This fragrance was part of my older brother's sparse collection back then, shortly after its release, which I shamelessly made my own whenever he was away for a few days... hehe!

COOL WATER was, like many fragrances of the era, a milestone. Nothing I had known up to that point smelled so fresh and wonderfully alive. Fragrance wanderers, remember: we came from the Powerhouse era! In Douglas, there were things like Azzaro, Antaeus, Lagerfeld, Kouros, and other muscle-bound scents with mustaches and blow-dried waves. The lightness of life was not really represented, at least for the very young males.

Thus, CW opened a new direction in fragrance fashion with its aquatic freshness (in the perception of the general public), which was soon more or less expanded by other lively and summery scents. Therefore, for me, it is one of the pioneering fragrances and has also - cleverly - sustainably defined the term aquatic.

The current COOL WATER, which is now unexpectedly in my possession, is both green and lavender-soft and smells more like cats than peppermint. A hint of jasmine plays along, followed by a cautious rose geranium and a light musk note.
The amazing thing is that, as @Axiomatic mentioned, it actually smells like a swimming pool in the further course - more precisely, like a damp swim cap after a visit to the pool. I hadn't really thought of that before.

How great the current differences to the original are, I can no longer say after so many years; I briefly tested the Caline recommended by my friend @Yatagan and would say: just as beautiful. However, during the paper test, no difference was noticeable, which will certainly look different during a thorough and directly comparative skin test.

I wouldn't have bought COOL WATER for myself now, but I gladly accepted it as a gift and am surprised by the joy it brings me. And to be honest, it comes in very handy for me in this sense!
The days are getting longer, the new year 2026 promises much good, and the motivation and thus energy level is steadily rising. Spring will come again this year - I swear, bro - and COOL WATER cheerfully supports the anticipation!

And one more thing stands out to me: the feedback on this fragrance is remarkably large and positive, even unsolicited - what more can you wish for for 20€? Take this, niche junkies! :D

Bitter orange and lime; along with lavender and various greens - galbanum foremost, but also juniper-like notes rise to my great delight in the olfactory center. Then it becomes floral in the sense of ylang-ylang and jasmine; thus deep and rounded, yet brightened by a touch of neroli and a lovely hint of rose geranium.

The finale is musky warm, accompanied by spicy patchouli, and continues to be illuminated in a green-gray hue - this color is one of the main characteristics of the fragrance. A hint of cashmeran enhances the fruity creaminess and remains perceptible as a base note - not overwhelming, but that is something one should also appreciate. The fragrance has much beauty despite this and combines classic elements with freshness and modernity.

Moreover, with ROJA, you usually smell what is listed in the fragrance pyramid and do not have to deal with imaginary notes - I have come to greatly appreciate this.

I quite like the fragrance and believe it can be worn very well in mixed company (that is, WITHOUT fragrance-sensitive people like us). I will also do this more often with the very generous decant and thank the generous perfume lover for the lovely experience!

At the beginning, oudy and somewhat animalistic in this sense, then soon the rose geranium takes the lead - green, fresh, radiant, and still living up to the "rose" in the name. This one becomes stronger: robust and dark, yet for me not old-fashioned - I would be very sensitive to that.

A delicate, fruity note, possibly a tiny hint of tuberose, shyly and kindly peeks through the door.
This gives the heart note something juicy.

But look - patchouli pushes forward nicely and enters the room in a friendly yet not too loud manner! The spicy and at the same time light-footed ambery finale with a beautifully sandy character brings great joy and warms even aching hearts...
To the generous donor, I extend my warmest thanks for this discovery - for the discovery of the MGO brand and for my very first attars!

The cap with the Vooochel on it unfortunately didn't survive the long time in the cellar, but the content: oh wow, it's fantastic! Such a juicy peach-chypre note is rarely encountered; it is slightly citrus-enhanced, as far as these notes have survived the passage of time (not really...), but it quickly bridges to a balsamic-woody base.

After a while, I recognize the wonderful heart: definitely clove, YY and iris as well, and the lily provides its very own touch, which has been perfectly framed. Finally, the foundation delights us with a (nowadays certainly forbidden) musk note, the most beautiful oak moss, ambratic balsam, and the vetiver that I love so much!
So the perfume ultimately remains in a beautiful sandalwood warmth with these highly pleasing accents of the fragrance pyramid.

Ah, how my heart rejoices when a (usually not too young) lady wafts by smelling of L'Air du Temps - even if it's just the EdT. Or am I floating myself because this scent enchants me so incredibly? I can only give it a full score without the slightest doubt.