Reviews of Bulgari Aqua pour Homme Marine (2008)
by Bulgari

This did not go well on my skin. As the name implies it is an acquatic, a terrible one at that as it is not unique. Is it possible to have a unique aquatic fragrance? Masaki has got a few.

I can't believe this is actually worse than the original.

Even though I found it offensive (think wet trash bags), I thought Bulgari Aqua was at the very least creative and envelope-pushing. Aqua Marine just seems like a tired retread of so many other aquatics.

Be smart and pass on this one.

How can't you like this perfume? It's fresh and it's sweet, it's long-lasting and the smell is great and intriguing.

How can I sense a feeling to my nose common to what I smell when in the seaside? I have to admit this is a statement of the obvious, "Marine" syas it all. However, the beautiful version of algae smell or whatever it is accompanied with strong, pungent citric notes, tangerine to my senses, that even though appealing at first, keeps on present as the scent evolves. This makes Bulgari Aqua Marine a linear scent that ends up being quite tiresome due to its persistency and sillage.

I do not fancy aquatic scents, but I would make a disservice to this community if I don't try the original version, Aqua. After all, many state this is the best of its kind, so it must be tried.

I appreciated this essence...it's quite clean ...when using it, people say that it smells like just-after-bathing...even after hours...I personally believe that's better than the Tradicional Bvlgari Aqva.

Aqva marine is more wearable than the original, but this condition has a price: It's a less distinctive fragrance. The main difference is that the original's spice character is absent here. They concentrate their efforts in the seaweed note and added the (nowadays) common "refreshing powder" accord. The melon or whatever note remains the same in the start but is subdued quickly by the notes described above. I didn't notice any increase in sweetness and the longevity is weaker but acceptable.
I prefer the original and its spicyness (that somewhat reminds me of a less pungent Fendi Uomo).

Most of my impressions of Bulgari’s Aqua Pour Homme Marine have been said already by other reviewers. Marine is pretty much a generic scent, somewhat similar to a lot of aquatics out there, therefore not having very much in it to make it unique. It’s uh… pleasant and ehhh … boring; I would probably think much better of it if I didn’t own the original Bulgari Aqua Pour Homme, which I love. In comparison, Aqua PH Marine is simply not a worthy sibling to the original. I enjoy the opening of Marine with the obvious grapefruit note, but when it develops its aquatic signature, it loses all that could be interesting to me. Its aquatic note and its whole ambiance is clear and precise but it is so ho-hum. Its somewhat woody drydown makes it long lasting for an aquatic, but with the base I lose almost all sense of the marine environment that should serve as a motif; instead I get just a diluted wood base. Its sillage is weak and it has quite good longevity. My mini will be the last of my purchases of this.

its too too light.i hate spin-offs....lol.i think i will stick with the original

This is a fairly linear scent, but for a fresh and light fragrance, that doesn't really matter that much. For months I couldn't decide whether I liked the original Aqva or this better, but my most recent testing discovered an offputting raw and lotion like smell in the Aqva drydown which puts Marine on top. Its an ultra crisp semi-sweet-salty brine smell that immediately evokes the image of a shore. However this scent is nothing like the rawness that is Kenzo pour Homme. Sillage is amazing as well. Its a bit less unique than Aqva as a scent but less commonly used among people. Alot of BNers give this poor ratings, but don't listen to them - their tastes and yours are probably different, not to mention the numerous fragrance snobs here, if you are looking for a powerful marine scent then test it out, its available in nearly every perfume shop.

I tested this out at the store expecting it to be your run of the mill aquatic, that is exactly what I got but with only a slight hint to tell the difference between other aquatics. Also the scent faded pretty fast on my skin. My personal aquatic is Dunhill Desire Blue lasts all day, gets tons of compliments, and is fairly cheap

I agree with the generic verdict. Thumbs down but let's not get too carried away. It's not as if Versailles came out as a re-formulated marine and smelled like Axe.
All Bulgari did is screw up a B+ scent. One that was eminently wearable but hardly a work of genius.

The added citrus in this flanker is the main difference. Though it is a fresher approach, longevity is by no means compromised. There is a spiciness to it that I find less prominent in the original. Its projection is also something to boast about.

At first, I didn't smell anything at all. Now it's settled into something that smells like a stale swimming pool, or like somebody who's been in the sea for too long, or like slightly rotten seaweed. It smells very cliché like an actor from the Dukes of Hazard. Not very enjoyable at all. In fact, I find it rather sickening. I've got two samples but they'll end up in the dustbin real soon.

Coming off a wonderful high of a week spent on the Maya Riviera, I bought a bottle of Marine on quick decision between a paper test strip sampling of it and regular AQVA. I think the refreshing topnote of some strange melon sold me, plus the very cool bottle. First mistake. Second mistake, reading too much into these Basenotes and Chandler Burr's review.
In general I haven't liked water accords so what was I thinking? The first day back I hated the stuff as I thought it smelled very synthetic in the heart, and weirdly dry and musky in the base. But I've grown to like this juice. People have said it is synthetic, one dimensional, weak, and not complex. I disagree; it is a good ride. IMO: First, it is a hot weather frag only. The initial blast and for an hour after is complex melon sweetness, but always with this dry iodiney undertone like kelp coming up from under the tide in Maine. The next couple hours it turns to sweet wet flint. The final hours are a challenging dry warm musk, almost animalic, but staying very close to the skin. There have been some suggestions that the ladies tend to like it; I also suspect that is true. One funny thing: smells similar at first to my son's RedZone body wash. Go figure. Anyway, given that I don't always want to be wearing a complicated olfactory challenge, Marine is a pleasant warm weather wear with just enough going on to keep it interesting. It can remind you of the ocean, but it doesn't have too. Worth a neutral, at least.

i don't like this one.
it's smooth and gentle,but too sweet,some of the odors just like the seafood or shells.
may it's causal wear,but to me it's over vigor.

It's a very interesting combination of warm and fresh. At first it seems very well balanced but soon it settels down to SMELL exclusively like one of the spices out of my kitchen. Now why would you want to smell like a certain part of a spice shelf at your local supermarket? JUST TERRIBLE

First spray is a huge sweet citrus blast, maybe a little spice but smells almost feminine. Luckily, after about 15 minutes it settles into a more generic mens citrus frag. It's a nice warm weather scent, but can get a bit cloying if over applied.

Actually, this is much much LESS "marine" than the original AQVA (which I love very much). Another one of those fresh fruit salad scents that come in heaps these days and that do absolutely nothing for me.

As much as I adore Bvlgari fragrances, this is a big no-no. MUCH too much of that overly done, synthetic "marine" note that I can't stand. Enough already! The original Aqva is fantastic, however.

I REALLY, REALLY LIKE THIS ONE! It reminds me of Aqua Di Gio by Armani because of the salty facet to it; but this fragrance has a more aquatic, outdoorsy, sea spray character, whereas Aqua Di Gio smells more of fresh clean skin. This fragrance smells of fresh sea air, the sea spray and ocean water [if ocean water had a scent] and cleanliness. Bulgari Aqua Pour Homme Marine is my new favorite. I would recommend wearing this scent during the Spring/Summer months. Furthermore, this scent is a very good cologne to wear to work and on the weekends...it is a very non-obtrusive or offensive fragrance. A very casual, relaxed cologne, easy to wear. I highly recommend this fragrance.

I like to make statements with my scents and this is kinda the inverse. To this point, Vetiver was about as 'background' as I have gone and I was a little wary of investing in a scent that sits so far back. But I must admit, I like it. Not adore or cherish, but I find myself applying it frequently. I've also gotten some good reviews from the women in my life who don't always fancy my more strongly characteristic fragrances. Pretty good for my first dumb blond.

it's too weak and "sissy", almost. I just don't like it....doesn't feel like a fragrance to me, doesn't wow me at all.

I AGREE WITH OMNIRAY, AQUA (THE ORIGINAL) IS A GOOD PERFUME BUT THIS ONE...NO SILLAGE, NO PROJECTION, NOTHING BUT EXPENSIVE,MONEY FOR NOTHING

A blast of grapefruit/bitter orange taht dries down into a sweet musk base. Nothing similar to the aromatic sweetness of Cool Water, it's more like Be Delicious Men minus the coffee and mixed in with Creed's Neroli Sauvage. Very light and very fresh. But as others have said, somewhat generic. A safe gift for those who you'd like to give a cologne to and aren't fragrance snobs.

I know this smells generic, and it is not anything "special" as most people seem to agree. This fragrance however is a wonderful warm weather fragrance and it lasts awhile. It still has the notes of ocean that the original had, but it also seems to add something that makes it lighter. This is a great middle of the day fragrance, or a great weekend warm weather fragrance. It does not seem to fit dress up though.

it's fruity and genericly fresh. i honestly expected much more of this....

at least the original Aqua had its' twist, its own take of fresh and aquatic.

i expected this to be like a summer version of other fragrances, a derivative of the original formula, watered down a bit, with fruity and zesty notes added. but no, instead it's a totally different fragrance, but unlike the Kouros->Body Kouros story, this didn't turn out to be great too.

it's inoffensive and light enough to be a seller. might even sell more than the original. that's what generic fragrances do. sell like hell.

Better than the original imho - like the grapefruit note...wait for the drydown.

Ouch, I'm not sure I like this one. It smells very, very generic. It smells like Cool Water no. 109240 Summer Flash Freeze You edition. Jacques Cavallier probably did this scent in his lunch break. I feel no relation whatsoever with the original Bulgari Aqua, which you may like or not, but at least it was very original with its salty, seaweed feeling.

There's supposed to be some poseidonia in Aqua Marine as well, but I can't find it. It's also not briney, like the original Aqua. All I smell is a lot of calone. It's sweet, floral and a little woody in the drydown. A very generic aquatic.

Sillage and longetivity are incredible though. I sprayed some on my gym clothing and 3 workouts later I still smell it. Time for washing, I suppose.

i dont understand this fragance,... why change the original version to this cheap aqua fake ?

Simply put, one of Bvlgari's worst and uninteresting release to date.

This smells incredibly cheap. Embarassingly generic and sweet/salty in a way that could make you sick. Much more calone than its predecessor with barely any similarities. (What seaweed note? Where's the poseidonia?) This could've and should have been marketed as a totally different fragrance -- not a spinoff/flanker of Aqua. "Eau de Calone" would be a fitting name.


Here's my little story:

My relative went abroad and asked me what I wanted at the duty free. I told her "Bvlgari Aqua." Instead I got Aqua MARINE. It came with a miniature -- so I opened it before opening the big 100ml bottle in the box.

Tried it on my skin, sniffed a few times. Next thing I know was that I already sold it to my friend that lives in the same university apartment. I was really relieved that I had been able to sell it so quickly. :D

Bottleworthy? Definitely not for me. Be sure to try it on yourself a few times before deciding to invest in a bottle.

This one smell good but weak longetivity

I personally love this scent. It is a lighter, fresher version of the original Aqua. Definitely a good scent for casual, summer wear.

This smells more than a little similar to Davidoff's Cool Water. If you're a fan of the original Bvlgari Aqua (which I am), avoid this one.