Cool Elixir by Davidoff

Not perfect for everyone, but ideal for going out after work or a cool evening outdoors. The opening is chaotic: starts with sweet, floral lavender, almost pink. If you get overwhelmed easily (like me), use it sparingly because it projects over two meters for the first 20 minutes. Then, for an hour, it keeps the scent but with less projection. By the two-hour mark, it becomes soft, like a bubble of incense and woods with a fabric softener vibe, lasting another 4 hours. The best part is its dry-down: intimate after two hours, but on skin it lasts over 10. It’s masculine, not too youthful (best for 28+), not versatile, and avoid using it in the heat. For the price, it’s worth it if you like these notes. It delivers on the brand’s oud promise. Not a blind buy, but it’s good. Rating: 7.5/8.

Probably one of the best designer fragrances I’ve tried this year. It’s not the most original or natural; it smells synthetic from the start, but with a unique twist and the necessary maturity. It’s a modern fougere that follows paths like Sauvage Elixir, but with hazy, heavy, resinous lavender with an ambered sweetness. The novelty is its ‘rose oxide’: a cold, mineral, refreshing sensation, far from being fleshy, more like a metallic breeze with the lavender. Its woody-resinous base suggests autumn/winter, but it’s an all-rounder if you control the sprays, as it’s potent and dense. The oud provides a dark, resinous background that gains weight over time, without being animalic or dirty. It’s a current fougere, easy to use, potent, long-lasting, and distinctly masculine. A new take on lavender with character. For me, almost a 10, especially avoiding the current disasters of masculine bakery scents.

Holy cow! This Davidoff is a weird proposition: smells like modern fern, but up close, it’s gum. I like it, even though the brand doesn’t say so, it’s a citrus fougère with green apple and rose notes that last a mere breath. Then the oud appears, which I think accompanies the fragrance for its entire life, and the lavender at the hour makes it soapy (what a surprise!). At 3-4 hours, I still smell the oud, spices, and resins; I’ve heard there’s some honey, maybe it’s resins or an aged touch. It lasts a long time on skin, projection is good without being invasive, and the trail is moderate. It’s fresh, almost mentholated thanks to the resins and oud. For me, it’s a discovery; I know it won’t please everyone, but it’s a great perfume that I hope follows in Zino’s footsteps and stays around for decades. Pity it’s targeted at minorities, but the summer song is the one playing the most, so it doesn’t have to be good music. P.S. Thanks, Davidoff. Edited Dec 6, 2025: I know some don’t smell the oud, but I notice it more with each use. One more thing: I have rose bushes at home, and this fragrance smells like the stem to me, is it suggestion? It’s given me more play than the three hundred fragrances I bought this year. If you don’t like it, no big deal, but try it arm-to-arm with others and you’ll see how it highlights the oud, the rose, the lavender, the resins, and the powdery drydown. It’s a beast of a perfume.

I bought it almost right after release and liked the aroma, and especially the price. It’s an Elixir version, which ties it to a dark and intense fragrance, and it delivers very well: very good longevity (8-9h) and I like wearing it quite heavily. Projection is very good for the first two hours and then settles into the personal bubble but still noticeable. I’d rate it as more mature, for 35 or 40 years old. I detect a lot of lavender and it has a small soapy touch that I always enjoy. I see it for cold climates, though it wouldn’t be bad in cold springs. Better for nights than mornings, but I see versatility in the latter. The bottle is elegant, with good glass and a heavy, quality cap, despite not being magnetic. Overall rating: 7.5.

The opening is amazing, hard to describe, but it has a spicy, woody, and slightly smoky air. Very addictive. It dries down quickly and leaves a lavender scent identical to Valentino. That said, it lasts a long time. Perfect for a daily signature scent.

I don’t know if I’m the only one, but when a friend showed it to me and I tried it, it seemed like a dupe of Hugo Boss’s The Scent Elixir for Him, perhaps due to the lavender. It has an excellent price, though it might not last as long or have as much sillage as the original, but that’s solved by carrying a small atomizer in your pocket.

The opening smells horrible to me; it repels me just as much as Sauvage Elixir due to that synthetic opening they share. It must have a tube of ambroxan. As the intensity drops, it settles into an ambroxan/wood scent with a slightly aggressive but weak rose touch. It’s nothing like my style, very far from the original and lacking versatility. It smells formal and quite mature. Total disappointment for me.

First impression: it’s a risky bet by Davidoff that won’t please everyone, but it’s well executed. I perceive three clear notes: medicinal wood, bitter licorice, and rose with metallic nuances. If I had to describe it as an image, it would be a very black, varnished wood trunk with licorice and roses on top. The first 2 hours are potent and then they fade, but they’re still perceptible for another 5-6 hours. It’s a very masculine, dark, and mature scent, for men 40 and up and formal occasions. I don’t feel it as an attractive perfume, but one that marks boundaries. I don’t see it as daily wear because it can get tiring. Its ideal climate is intense cold, nothing of heat because it’s suffocating. Max 3-4 sprays. It has echoes of Sauvage Elixir, though not identical. It’s not for blind buying and won’t please the majority. Personally, it hasn’t disgusted me (it feels quality and I value Davidoff taking risks), but it hasn’t fully pleased me either because I’m not a fan of such dark and mature scents.

The opening smells horrible to me. It repels me as much as Sauvage Elixir, and they even seem similar in the opening, so synthetic. It must have ambroxan by the bucketload. After an hour, its intensity drops and it leaves an ambroxan/wood scent with a slightly aggressive but weak rose touch. It’s nothing like my style. Very far from the original and I see 0 versatility. Formal and quite mature. Total disappointment for me.

If they had told me a couple of years ago that Davidoff would launch a Cool Water with oud and rose, I would have laughed at such a blunder. If not for the fever for Arabic perfumes, I still wouldn’t believe it now. But here it is: an Oriental Fougère with an olfactory pyramid you could find in any Ard Al Zaafaran. Getting ahead of its arrival in regular stores (what would reviewers do without Duty Free!), and since I’m a defender of the Cool Water line, my first impressions have been pleasant. The fresh opening is undeniable, with lavender dominating over citrus, to seal the accord with oriental background notes. There are fruity facets in the dry down to tie up the heavy notes quickly, the testimonial oud, and a surprisingly well-handled rose, nothing artificial. This restores my faith in commercial brands for meeting standards that justify price increases.