Aspen for Men (1989)
by Coty (originally by Quintessence)

I enjoy Aspen. It has a fresh, "walk through the pines" profile that is pleasant for both me and people who are close to me. I think of colognes as cool and light versus warm and dark. A cool and light cologne such as Aspen is ideal for wearing at work. In the evening I prefer a warmer, darker scent such as Quorum.

Aspen is bargain priced so anyone on the fence does not need to spend much to try Aspen. It takes a few days to really know how a scent will work for you. In store tests are never as informative as wearing at home.

Very solid fragrance for the price. This, to me, is what Polo should have been. A fresh, "green," citrus accord that dries down into a milder version of itself. Nothing super exciting but it gets the job done.

Right now I have Aspen on one arm and Cool Water (CW) on the other and, frankly, there's not a lot of similarity to my nose. CW famously uses a ton of calone which Aspen doesn't seem to (as much). CW is aquatic, Aspen is foresty.

CW is a relaxing walk along the beach on a warm yet pleasantly breezy day. Aspen is a relaxing stroll through the woods on that same day. However, I'd say that Aspen is closer to being the "green" version of Nautica Voyage, another "blue" fragrance that's a bit sharper than CW.

Synthetic? Yes, but not unpleasantly so. Aspen does not smell like a floor or toilet bowl cleaner unlike, say Burberry Weekend or Grey Flannel. It punches well above its price-point and has quite decent longevity.

If you're on an extreme budget, you could get through the days of summer with only Aspen and Nautica Voyage. One green, one blue.

Smells really uncannily similar to Davidoff Cool Water, except it's more green. There is no pine or fir note; it's a pleasant green fougiere aroma. Sillage is moderate but leaning weak, as is longevity. It has a powdery accord that smells kind of dated; like an 80's cologne. It smells very synthetic - but in a pleasant way. I think having this and Cool Water together is a redundant purchase as they both smell very similar (but Cool Water has more aquatic notes and is a bit more complex). But since this is so cheap it's probably worth getting as a sort of extension to your Cool Water supply. I do think that Cool Water is better to my nose however, due to its more aromatic opening and drydown (with the citrus and lavender notes). Overall I like it, and really enjoy the pretty sophisticated looking green glass bottle as well, but it's not as good as Cool Water at all (though smelling similar initially, Cool Water has a way more complex and less powdery dry-down). It was so similar to Cool Water that I ended up giving it to my dad. I just smelled both side by side on both arms (Aspen vs. Cool Water) and to my nose, Cool Water is far superior. It smells more lively with an aquatic calone note and more pronounced citrus. Aspen is greener but less intense in sillage and more powdery. However I do have to admit I really enjoy the drydown of Aspen. It's very green and pleasant (but with less sillage and projection than Cool Water).

4/5

At times, Aspen comes off a little harsh but I still find it pleasant and in that same green/fresh/clean vein as Cool Water/GIT.

Aspen was the first fragrance I ever noticed and then asked someone what they were wearing. My older sister's boyfriend would wear it when he came over back when I was in junior high. I remember it being very fresh and distinctive, so one day I asked what it was and he told me Aspen. I recently revisited this when I saw a tester in a store and while it isn't something that I would buy now, it does have that Cool Water/GIT vibe and is still very fresh.

On my skin, even in the current formula, I get good projection and longevity.

The only thing Coty ever got right. Among the Coty fragrances that could be bought for under $10 at most drug stores, this has it's place among some legendary affordable colognes. Not certain if there was a reformulation but it seems to smell the same as it did in 1995 when I first smelled it. There are a lot of comparisons to Cool Water and I've even heard Green Irish Tweed by Creed. I like to freshen my linens and clothing with this fresh fragrance. It's super cheap but rightly so since it doesn't last very long. This is such a clean smelling fragrance and you won't forget it ever.