Ocean
Bath & Body Works (2010)

Very average aquatic freshie with good longevity.

Medium Thumbs!

Ocean by Bath & Body Works (2010) effectively replaced the outgoing Glacier Bay (2005) as the bog-standard aquatic option in the men's line of B&BW, but it is far inferior to my eyes, at least in smell. I remember getting this when it was still in those soap bar shaped bottles, right around the time Twilight Woods for Men (2010) and Classic (2010) announced the changing of the guard. At first I was really kinda liking this, as it smelled different from other aquatics I had, but it was because of Ocean by Bath & Body Works that I learned not to make a purchase based on top notes alone. I soon discovered the total chemical mess that was underneath that pleasant top, and even though at the time I didn't exactly identify this as "chemical smell", I knew it was the smell of "cheap" and I ended up forcing myself to use it a handful of times before finally passing it on to a friend.

The opening of Ocean, which is by far the only redeeming part, consists of a nice fruity tart fresh mishmash that smells like it was trying to copy Polo Blue (2002) in some ways, but Kennneth Cole Reaction (2004) in others. You get a fresh cucumber-type feeling with a melon scent likely from calone-1951, some saltiness and citric freshness mixed with the expected aquatic aromachemicals. After this, the realization you've been baited and switched comes in, when a collision of white florals, lavandin, and sharp synthetic woods over some kind of mineral musk do the rest of the talking. At this stage, Ocean smells more like television static than a fragrance, and I truly hate it. Wear time is much better than Glacier Bay was, meaning you're stuck in static hell for about 8 hours, while projection does sit close to skin. Best use for this is like any other fresh aquatic if you're into them, so think summer and gym or casual outdoor use. I'm guessing gifts for young relatives are where most of this gets sold.

Glacier Bay may have had piss poor performance, but it smelled good while it lasted, being minty and clean, smooth and refreshing like the cologne it was advertised to be, and a simple inexpensive pleasure. Ocean is like the all-you-can-eat buffet equivalent, pushing quantity over quality and stuffing you full of lukewarm barely-prepared entrees from steam trays that look like they never get cleaned. Yuck. Ocean someone persevered into the newest packaging refresh for the brand, so current bottles look rectangular and come across like something a respectable mid-tier designer house looking for a minimalist aesthetic would release. Don't be fooled, this is complete garbage and unless you have some sentimental attachment to the stuff (which is completely understandable), you can do far better for the price or even less. Avon, Nautica, Calvin Klein, or Armaf all have aqautics at or below these prices that smell leagues beyond this one in quality. Thumbs down.

Rain on this ship's deck
Cannot smell of my garden
And yet there I stand.

This is the common sub-par 'fresh / blue / aquatic' disinfectant mall fragrance that is chemical, nauseating, and utterly unremarkable. Goes on strong and dies down quickly.

Basically the lowest common denominator of the lowest common denominator itself. In other words, a bottle shelf product of the bottle shelf category, but unfortunately sold for as much as Havana or Cool Water.

Get Cool Water instead.


1/5

It maybe one of those "generic blue water/marine" smells, but it holds a dear place in my heart as this was my first cologne from a year ago. That said, it is a very clean, kind of soapy water scent that I enjoy as it kind of reminds me of Long Island beaches. I find it lasts about two hours. Despite it being a year, I have about half of it left due to it becoming a sometime scent (that's Arizona for you.) Great scent from about Memorial Day until Labor Day and around the office if you don't want to offend people by stronger or musky scents that may be offensive to smell.

A co-worker has it and I gave it a sniff. This is your typical "blue water- marine" scent. "Ya can smell 'em coming a mile away". Very chemical. There are so many other choices out there.