Colonia Pura (2017)
by Acqua di Parma

The opening is by a nice orange-bergamot dyad, with the bergamot lagging behind the orange in importance during the initial blast. The is not really sweet, and although there is neither a typical Chinotto nor an actual grapefruit component to it, I can detect a subtle bitterness that is emphasisied by a bit of petitgrain in the background.

In the the drydown the development shifts to the floral, with jasmine and hyacinth present, and I also get whiffs of oleander blend as well. The florals remain a bit uninspiring on me, and a bit dull at times.

The most interesting heart note is an agreeable coriander, which moves into the foreground and where it stays for some time.

In the base I still get the coriander note, but gradually it is replaced by a mix of patchouli and musks. The patchouli is soft, smooth, light and rather discrete. The white musks are not sweet and quite nondescript. Both components are underlined by a woodsy undertone in the background, with touches of cedar at times, but mainly just a general wood impression.

I get soft sillage, adequate projection and five hours of longevity on my skin.

The summery scent’s forte is the nice orange-dominated top note, which is a bit less refreshing and bright than some other openings produced by this house, but is still a good start. Unfortunately, the heart notes and particularly the base becomes increasingly generic, and towards the end they are rather weak and predictable. Overall 2.75/5.

This is what I had hoped Bvlgari's Aqva Amara or Cartier's Roadster Sport would smell like. It's an orange-driven fragrance with an aquatic, aqueous sort of sheen and a cooling herbal edge which I interpret as mint despite the fact that it's not one of the officially listed notes in the pyramid. There are some light floral qualities and that clean, bitter-soapy citrus embellishment of the petit grain, giving it a slightly formal, "white button down," impression, reminiscent of more classic eau de colognes . But overall, Pura is an easy wear, and something that can be thrown on casually or feel right at home in a more dressy situation. In fact, it seems like something that would be great to wear to a summer wedding, when the the thought of dutifully sweating it out in a tux keeps you from reaching for those heavier, darker fragrances. Performance is solid, with about 5-7 hours of longevity with good projection for 3. What I enjoy about Pura is its focus on orange, which is a nice departure from the more common citrus notes--it conveys the mandarin with a confident, unapologetic presence and in turn gives it distinction. Paired with a cool, green, herbal quality resembling mint, we're left with a fragrance that is both refreshing and relaxing to wear. Thumbs up and worth sampling. For now my rating stands at 8.5/10

Colonia Pura opens up with bergamot and a very heavy orange, which gives this an interesting start, as outside of the orange, this starts as a pretty standard eau de cologne. Truthfully, I think the orange in this is just a bit too strong for my tastes, as it comes across as "cologne plus orange." Had they ratcheted the orange down, this would have blended better, in my opinion.

It eventually fades down to a woody, musky base that is perfectly acceptable and not unpleasant. The sillage is relatively weak, and as far as longevity goes, it's a cologne. If you're familiar with how Acqua di Parma Colonia (1916) performs, then there's your reference point.

The issue for me is that this scent just does not say anything at all. It's a nondescript cologne that is inoffensive and utterly forgettable. I won't say that it's bad, because it's not. But in no way can I recommend this as something to buy. Because of the price, I'm very tempted to give this a thumbs down, but instead, I will give it a very hesitant neutral. If you find a bottle of Colonia Pura lying on the street, enjoy it. But I wouldn't part with any shekels for this.

To me, this smells like Caswell-Massey No. 6 soap-on-a-rope. If I were in my late 60s/early 70s I would wear this to my retirement community mixer and probably not be eating tapioca pudding alone. It ain't bad, just not my style.

Colonia ditches the barbershop aura and goes aquatic. The result is a surprisingly terrific blend of old and new that delivers one of the best orange peel accords I've ever come across.