Canoe by Dana

Canoe by Dana is a lost piece of history from the dark ages, made for the eternal uncle. Launched in 1932 by Javier Sierra, ex of Myrurgia, with his hit Tabú, but the Cologne Canoe arrived in 1936, right as the Civil War broke out, so it wasn’t the ideal time. Spanish men, even today, resist talking about perfumes and prefer calling them colognes so they don’t seem like they’re putting on feminine things. The name comes from the Real Canoe Club of Madrid, founded in 1930 by some mountaineers who wanted to live outdoors. It was an elitist thing, only for a few, with high dues, but with ten thousand square meters in the center, near the Retiro, it was very desirable for the Salamanca neighbors. Curiously, the name comes from a mistake: since they couldn’t buy canoeing material in Spain, they ordered it abroad and it arrived written ‘Canoë’, and since they liked it, they kept it. Fragantica says it’s a fougère, but I disagree; for me, it’s pure aromatic, like a barbershop with anise, nothing of fern. It’s still sold online in Spain. It’s a soft Cologne, for bathing and morning grooming for classic gentlemen, although from my point of view it’s totally unisex, to the point you’d put it on a baby. What stands out most is the anise, which isn’t listed on the sheet, with lemon from the bath waters and a very soft white musk that makes it clean and neat. Like any barbershop aromatic, it has a bit of vanilla, rosemary, and tonka bean, and a pinch of clary sage to give it body. The trail and longevity are low, skin-close, as befits these fresh colognes that everyone likes. It’s the classic Cologne that could exist forever because it smells like a shower and cleanliness.

Oh! I gave this to a boyfriend back in the day. I remember my mom bought it for me since I was studying for exams. I imagine he loved it because he wore it all the time. When we drifted apart, I bought a small bottle to keep his memory alive. It’s well-citrusy and fresh, reminding me of his morning routine, then settles into a soft warmth with a subtle sweetness. What wonderful perfumes those were!

I asked for advice one day on the forum for recommendations of perfumes for after the shower, they recommended many very kindly but this one caught my attention because of how old it is, from 1936, what a date! And I will always be grateful to the person who advised me. Si-Ei-En-Ou-I, CANOE. When I finally managed to get it and it arrived, it came accompanied by two other colognes I tried immediately, but the jewel of that order was Canoe, and it had to be tried as it deserved, with time ahead to enjoy it, so that night, to erase any trace of other scents and to prepare the stage for this historic perfume, waiting to perceive what it would offer me, I took a good shower. I left the page blank for this Canoe to write its history of years ago on me. Its opening catapulted me and immediately enveloped me, intoxicating me. When I sat on the sofa, that sofa turned into a canoe that gently rocked me, and the landscape I crossed slowly was flowery and secluded. A very relaxing, fresh, and velvety sensation, it lulled me, taking me into dream worlds of past times. I was traveling.

The truth is I can’t add much more to the excellent review marked by our dear Dame de Noir on this perfume, only to confirm that, indeed, when Dana created it at some point in the late thirties, it was conceived as a perfume for women and then quickly repositioned in the male market, upon noticing its success among men. I have no idea when the bottle I have is from. It’s 230 ml inside a beautiful glass bottle that emulates a liqueur bottle. A complete delight. Well, to the point. The structure of Canoe is the classic fougère: lavender, tonka bean, and oakmoss. The opening has sparkling notes of lemon that, along with the herbal ones, promote a fresh and relaxing sensation. During the dry down, geranium appears and the warm embrace of the tonka, sweet and extremely powdery. The scent is the prototypical ‘barbershop smell’. Similar, for example, to Brut or Pinaud Clubman: you’ll like it if you like these, and vice versa. I have a great weakness for this type of proposals, so it’s logical that Canoe pleases me a lot. Its green and powdery aroma has a normal aura projection -but not irrelevant-, and with very good longevity. It’s fine, very elegant, as classic as pocket watches or fountain pens. You have to be a bit into this vibe to use it. Canoe isn’t designed for special occasions, but to develop in daily life, to bring peace in the small morning grooming rituals, to varnish life with that sensation that everything is correct and in order. In a postmodern society, of rapid consumption, insatiable search for stimuli, and wild individualism, that such perfumes still exist is a gift from heaven for those who take things differently.