Davidoff Cool Water Woman Eau de Toilette

The story of Davidoff Cool Water Woman begins with its masculine predecessor — Cool Water Men, created by Pierre Bourdon and launched in 1988, which introduced Calone to mass-market perfumery and in doing so created the aquatic/marine fragrance genre that would define the 1990s and produce some of the most widely worn fragrances in history. Calone is a synthetic molecule with a clean, ozonic, sea-breeze quality — the smell of ocean air, wet rocks and open water — that no natural material can reproduce, and its impact on perfumery was as significant as the introduction of aldehydes in the 1920s. Cool Water Woman, launched in 1996, translates that aquatic DNA into a feminine construction: softer, more floral and more fruit-forward than the masculine, but built on the same Calone-anchored oceanic freshness that made the original one of the best-selling fragrances of its era. It is the most complex composition by note count written in this session — twenty-three notes across three tiers — and one of the most broadly wearable, with a light, clean freshness that makes it as appropriate for active daywear as for casual evenings. The translucent blue bottle, designed to evoke a droplet of water, is one of the most immediately recognisable fragrance bottles of the 1990s. Also available: Cool Water Woman EDP 50ml for a richer, more concentrated version.

The opening of Melon, Lily, Blackcurrant, Quince, Pineapple, Calone, Lotus and Lemon deploys eight notes simultaneously — the largest top accord in the session. Calone anchors the marine character immediately; Melon and Pineapple provide the clean, juicy, slightly tropical fruitiness that characterises the freshest end of the 1990s feminine market; Quince — a note appearing for the first time in the session — adds a tart, slightly astringent fruitiness quite unlike the smoother stone and citrus fruits elsewhere in the collection, with a sharp, slightly floral quality that bridges fruit and flower; Lotus brings a cool, watery, slightly sweet floral quality; Lemon and Blackcurrant provide citrus brightness and dark berry depth. The heart of Lily of the Valley, Water Lily, Jasmine, Hawthorn, Honey, Rose and Lotus is where the aquatic character blends with the floral — Lily of the Valley and Water Lily both bringing the cool, dewy, slightly green aquatic floral quality that makes this the most watery floral heart in the collection; Hawthorn making its first appearance in the session, a distinctively English hedgerow flower with a slightly medicinal, cool, green-white character quite unlike the warmer florals; Honey adding the same warm, slightly animalic sweetness it brings to floral compositions, here cooling it into the aquatic context. The base of Raspberry, Musk, Sandalwood, Violet Root, Blackberry, Peach, Vanilla and Vetiver is warm and soft — Violet Root being Orris, effectively Iris under its botanical name, the same cool, powdery note that appeared in Tiffany Rose Gold, Alfred Sung, Jessica McClintock and Boucheron EDT; Raspberry and Blackberry adding warm berry softness; Peach its familiar velvety sweetness; Vetiver its cool, rooty depth.

How to Apply

Apply to pulse points — wrists, neck, décolletage. Cool Water Woman is a light EDT and benefits from two to three sprays for full effect. Apply to skin rather than clothing to allow the Calone and Melon top to open fully — the aquatic opening settles within fifteen minutes into the lily of the valley and water lily heart. Do not rub after application; allow to dry naturally to preserve the top notes. The musk, sandalwood and vanilla base lasts five to six hours on skin.

Explore the full women’s perfume collection at Oh So Luxe, or browse all perfumes & colognes.