Introduction

Nautica Voyage cologne/aftershave is an fresh aquatic fragrance that has garnered a staggering amount of popularity over the years. Introduced in 2006, it never quite lit up the scene the way it’s fore bearer, Acqua Di Gio did. Steadily, it has amassed a comparatively modest following, with more and more people discovering this gem of a fragrance. It’s not a big seller, but it has a fiercely loyal fan-base who swear by it.  As you will find out later in this Nautica Voyage fragrance review, popularity doesn’t always correlate to quality.

Packaging & Presentation

Nautica Voyage comes in a very simple two tone box – two shades of metallic blue. It is so simplistic and unimaginative, you begin to wonder if this isn’t a cheap drugstore fragrance – especially if you have never heard of the brand. Inscribed in silver are the words NAUTICA VOYAGE and a description of the bottle size and concentration . The back of the box has a list of ingredients and the prerequisite warnings.

The bottle is an unusual half cylinder shape with a round hockey puck shaped metal lid that has the words “Nautica Voyage” engraved on top of it just to remind you of what’s inside should you forget. It (the bottle) feels heavy, sturdy and well put together. Any fears about quality or the lack of it are allayed here as this really feels like top of the line stuff. The attention to detail is spot on and this beauty of  a bottle more than makes up for the disappointingly drab box design. In the bottle is the juice of course, which is a pleasing, transparent, oceanic light blue. All very fitting indeed.

You can purchase Voyage in various sizes. Bottles of the EDT are available in 1Oz, 1.7Oz & 3.4Oz guises. You can also get a 75ml shower-gel although I only seem to see this in a Nautica voyage gift-set and not as a standalone.  You can also find a deodorant stick and aftershave balm to really immerse yourself into the Nautica Voyage experience should you be so inclined! You also have an abundance of flankers; Island Voyage, Voyage Summer and Sunset Voyage. It looks like the guys over at Nautica are really fond of this stuff.

 

Nautica Voyage Review

Nautica Voyage is a fresh aquatic fragrance created by Master Perfumer Maurice Roucel (Musc Ravageur, New Haarlem, Rochas Man.. need I say more?). Yes, i’ll agree that this formula has been overdone, with Acqua Di Gio instigating the popularity of this particular genre of fragrances. However, the simple truth is aquatic fragrances are a cash cow and fragrance houses are in business. If there’s money to be made, why not release an aquatic?

The initial burst of Nautica Voyage is a bit underwhelming as the notes are so gentle and transparent. Those rave reviews have you expecting something so incredibly unique and different. I found my eyebrows rising and my shoulders shrugging in indifference. “Is that it?! Man those folks at basenotes are so easily pleased. Smells like any other aquatic to me. Meh! This stuff ain’t special”. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Voyage is a bit of a slow burner. The sort of fragrance you spray on your wrist at a department store and quickly forget about. Once you’ve polluted your entire arm with a dozen other fragrances, you get a whiff of something amazing but you simply can’t remember which it was. That’s the kind of fragrance Voyage is – a bit of a slow burner.

You see, Nautica Voyage isn’t a loud, shouty fragrance. It’s very difficult to describe because the fragrance itself is far from weak but the scent itself (what you smell) is transparent and airy.. which makes it appear weak. It’s always perceptible and you won’t have to sniff your wrist or do jumping jacks to detect it but you always feel as if it could disappear at any moment yet it doesn’t. It sticks around and refuses to quit.

The initial burst gives way to a strong citrus note which I suspect to be either bergamot  or lemon. I have trouble distinguishing the two as they are so similar to my nose. Immediately after the citrus notes have subsided, you can detect a cool melon note rising to the fore. Melon gives fragrances a ‘watery/oceanic/ozonic’ vibe and it has a very soothing, refreshing effect. I’m an amateur on notes but I reckon this may well be the infamous calone (also known as ‘watermelon ketone‘). Interesting! I also notice that there are some green notes anchoring the melon. This is where you begin to appreciate Maurice Roucel’s nose. The ability to make a light, airy transparent fragrance smell so rich and full bodied is testament to the man’s skill.

About half an hour into the fragrance, you begin to notice some sharp floral notes. These persist through-out the life of the scent but I find that the melon is always at the forefront. I’ve also been told that this scent is salty but personally, I can’t seem to detect the saltiness in this at all. There’s only one scent that I know to be salty and that is Bvlgari Aqva. I can honestly say don’t detect anything at all similar in Nautica Voyage. Aqua Di Gio is sweet/citrus sour while Voyage is melon green/fresh. It smells like a freshly cut watermelon or a freshly cut cucumber. There is a tiny hint of sweetness but it’s mostly a cool vegetal freshness.

The beauty of Voyage lies in that melon/watery note. In-fact, I’ll go out on a limb and proclaim that this is the secret of all aquatics. That note is what gives aquatics their distinctive watery, ozonic feel. There’s just something strangely addictive about that cool, watery melon that I have never been able to put my finger upon. Then there’s also the fact that this stuff isn’t exactly lacking in sillage. For a light aquatic, Nautica Voyage TRAVELS. Most fresh scents stay close to the skin but Voyage is comparatively nuclear. Even after 5 hours, I can still detect a very perceptible cloud of fragrance around me which I find that extremely unusual for a fresh scent.

While Voyage doesn’t quite have marathon longevity, it pulls out 8 hours with ease. Also, this is the sort of scent you CANNOT overdo no matter how crazy you go on the spritzer. The notes are too benign to offend and the watery-ness of it all never seems to overpower. I sprayed my wrist just once over 4 hours ago and I can easily detect it. I have eau de parfum strength fragrances that can’t match that sillage!!

For the curious, this is a compliment getter. It’s linen fresh, light and extremely pleasant. You become very confident when wearing Voyage because you just know you smell good. You just know that this is an agreeable smell that virtually anybody will like. I’ve seen heads turn and people invade my personal space to get a whiff. I even have work colleagues go into my bag and pinch a few sprays!

Where To Buy Nautica Voyage EDT In The UK

Extrascents – £18.70 (3.4 Oz, Free UK Shipping)
Cheapsmells – £13.75 (1.7Oz, Free UK Shipping)
TheFragranceShop – £14.99 (3.4 Oz Free UK Shipping — haven’t used them before)

I live in Surrey, England and I ordered mine from cheapsmells.com. It cost me just £15 for a 3.4oz and the delivery is free. Unfortunately they only have the 1.7Oz available since the big one is out of stock.

If you prefer them, you can have it on Amazon (affiliate link) for just over £20.

Where to Buy Nautica Voyage Cologne In The USA

For for those in the US, you can get it through my affiliate link for Amazon. It’s as cheap as $14!! I wish i lived in the States!! Unfortunately I’m not familiar with other retailers from the US. Please comment and tell me the good ones so I can link to them.

Nautica Voyage Review Verdict

Longevity: 8/10 (It will go on for anything between 6 and 8 hours. Not too shabby and extremely impressive for a light aquatic)
Scent: 9/10 (Divine smell. Fresh, light, airy, ozonic, watery.. just perfect as far as fresh fragrances go)
Uniqueness: 5/10 ( Smells similar to Halston Unbound, Acqua di Gio and many more)
Value for money: 9/10 (Can be had for the equivalent of £9 in the US. Bought mine for £15. Extremely affordable for a scent that should cost three times as much).

Altogether Voyage scores 7.75/10. Not a terribly high score but that is only because you are not getting something terribly unique. As an aquatic, Voyage may well be in the top 5 fragrances of all time in its category. This gentle,  refreshing scent is a must-have in any wardrobe. It outlasts many oriental, spicy fragrances while remaining light, refreshing and cool. It has more sillage than a lot of Eau De Parfums while costing a quarter of the price and last but not least, it’s the perfect aquatic; airy, ozonic, fruity, fresh and most importantly; dirt cheap!

What we have here is the dictionary definition of a ‘sleeper’. In the world of fragrance, the Nautica brand is relatively unknown. No one associates Nautica with quality, MUST HAVE fragrances. Nobody seems to talk of them much at all. However, this once again proves that the basenotes forum knows best. Over there, this fragrance is praised and revered and I can see why. It’s head and shoulders above 99% of all ‘aquas’/'l’eaus’ and it costs a fraction of the price. If you are a fragrance enthusiast, you owe it to yourself to have this gentle aquatic to wear in the summer months! This is a MUST HAVE.

You WILL NOT be disappointed.

Nautica Voyage is TwoSprays’ official fragrance of the Month.

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