To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
kighgloro – :
This is a no-brainer pick for a drugstore aftershave. The menthol is stimulating, the fragrance itself transcends it’s 1930’s heritage and is completely appropriate for the modern man. In my opinion, this is not a unisex fragrance, rather it is the fragrance of masculine ambition, experience and confidence. Aqua Velva Ice Blue lasts for several hours on my skin and seems to project at about half an arms length with light to moderate sillage. All things considered this may very well be one of the best inexpensive fragrances on the American market today.
alexoper7 – :
I love the smell of aqua velva. It smells so clean and fresh.
killers55 – :
This is a classic aftershave used by men since 1917, so basically over a hundred years. Unfortunately it is now only sold in plastic bottles rather than in glass as it used to be (and in my opinion everything smells better in glass than in plastic). Luckily I still own the original glass bottle of Aqua Velva that my dad used to use (he gave it to me); when it runs out I will keep the glass bottle and just refill it with modern Aqua Velva. This is a really refreshing and cooling aftershave due to the intense menthol and mint in it. It really cools the face, while also providing a slight burn if used after shaving. As for the scent, I detect mainly mint, lavender, oakmoss, and leather – these notes are very noticeable. It’s an odd combination but somehow works really well. Sillage from it is actually pretty good (although it’s an aftershave) while longevity is weak as it’s an aftershave. Still, it’s the best “minty” aftershave out there in my opinion and will forever be a staple for me.
5/5
Aerohopleneriqhn – :
One of my fresh fragrances as a teen. Back then it was all to me as I was just a beginner. A fresh peppermint with a hint of lavendar and musk. I also sensed a bit of dirty but in a good way. That being said it could turn someone away from wearing this but don’t. It’s truly comfort in a bottle for me..
HottMycletync – :
In Europe this product is manufactured by UNILEVER ESPAÑA, S.A., and the bottles (200 ml and 400 ml) continue to be made of glass.
The European “option” is somewhat lighter. Excellent after-shave lotion, very discreet, which can be used with any other perfume of choice without interfering with it.
nicel – :
An old boyfriend used to wear this. Honestly, it smells a lot fancier than you’d think based on the price point and the fact that it comes in a plastic bottle. One of the things that first attracted me to the old boyfriend was how nice he smelled, so this could be considered a stealth chick magnet. He smelled even nicer when I had him try a sample of a more upscale men’s fragrance I’d gotten for free, but if you don’t believe in shelling out for designer cologne when something less expensive works perfectly well for your fragrance needs, this is a good choice. Just maybe don’t publicize that you’re wearing Aqua Velva, because some people have brand bias and might judge you for not wearing Le Deseigneur Eau de $$$ Pour Homme or whatever.
VlaZim – :
peppermint candycane, with definite menthol, some sweetness, coolness, and musk later on. maybe some lavender and other ingredients like some citrus tang.
It’s quite nice, the scent and the menthol feel.
I read that this was the original from 1917. I thought this might have been a flanker but the website says this is the original one, and was first made as a mouthwash but then made into an aftershave.
FrexxxxEx – :
Fourteen fragrance notes? For Aqua Velva? I’m sorry. I’m not picking up the complexity. It smells blue. With menthol. I like it. But it’s not Bleu de Chanel.
vvovanm – :
I agree with karlovonamesti below that there is a resemblance to Bleu de Chanel, notably in the fruity and floral notes that emerge from the heart after the initial menthol, lavender and vanilla hit, and also in the cedar and sandalwood base. At the other end of the continuum, with the oak moss and vetiver, is the old man ghost of Royal Copenhagen (I know because my old man used to wear it.) I also agree that this seems totally unchanged from the bottles I experimented with as a teenager, some 30 years ago. The bottle has just been redesigned, however (it’s sitting on my shelf now), looking at once more retro and more modern, the flattened out kind of postmodern vintage look that has so saturated the mass market as my generation ages (sigh). At least it is really *that* old?
pro100xxl – :
Neroli, oakmoss, clove, eucalyptus or camphor/minty note? Rather nice, old style mens’ scent. My husband won’t like coz it probably smells like grandparents, but I like it. Apparently it was mostly menthol in the old days, “minty-herbal-leathery-chypre”. Then it was reformulated and was much less menthol-minty and the leather note got “brown”. The brown note was dropped with the glass bottles and now it’s lighter, minty/chypre in plastic. A clean manly smell wihtout being a modern aquatic. Suprisingly great for coming in a plastic bottle for less than ten bucks
Olivia_fromAD – :
**EDIT** — I have amended my review to one word. It is enough. yuck.
matrix1802 – :
This was the aftershave and scent of my grandfather. I miss the glass bottles, but the electric blue liquid inside seems to have changed little since I was young. Ever since I started shaving, I’ve had a bottle of this in my cabinet. That will never change. The perfect, crisp, “man’s” scent.
Stahtoowl – :
This is the original Aqua Velva fragrance, and it’s a classic for a reason. This is a fresh, bracing, slightly sweet and mossy barbershop aftershave, which is amazingly long-lasting (especially for an “aquatic”). My Dad used it on occasion (although he was more of an Old Spice guy), and I borrowed it for my own use. It works as a unisex, especially in warmer weather.
Applied lightly, this is suitable for office wear.
When I was a teen, there was an amusing TV commercial with a tough American football player (I think it was Dick Butkus)who mocked a teammate’s locker which contained designer men’s cologne. “Must be the quarterback’s locker!”, he declared, then said “Real guys who get mud on their uniforms use Ice Blue Aqua Velva!”. Then he walked off, flanked by two shapely cheerleaders, to the tune of the jingle “There’s something about an Aqua Velva Man!”.
OrdedeNumdamb – :
This is what Bleu de Chanel is based on. I’ve been using Ice Blue for 20 years and can tell you its menthol punch is unforgettable and surprisingly modern. It’s basically a slightly fruity and herbal aftershave with heavy mint and a darker, woodier drydown. Formula unchanged since the 1960s at least as I had a chance to wear vintage from that era also. I like Skin Bracer a little better than this, but when I’m wearing BdC I use Ice Blue.
A quick note: this is NOT the original Aqua Velva fragrance, but it is the original flanker to it. The first in the line was simply called Aqua Velva, and I think it was amber colored and not going for the “icy” association of its successor.