Review: Versace Man Eau Fraiche

This is a carambola fruit, also known as star fruit.

 It is also one of the dominant notes in this fragrance.

We used to have a carambola tree in our front yard. Summer brought about a bounty of these curiously shaped fruit, and we'd slice them up, dab them in salt, and enjoy them in the cooling late afternoon sun.

Now for those who haven't tried the fruit, carambola has a particular dry tartness to it that makes it more green in taste compared to an orange or a lemon, where you get a very bright and aromatic citrus scent. That green citrus note takes center stage for me in Versace Man Eau Fraiche, supported by the bergamot and herbs to give it an aromatic body on top of the watery notes in the fragrance.

It's so easy to pick out the syntheticness of an aquatic fragrance if it's not blended well. After all, what is water supposed to smell like? Certainty not of anything in particular, last I checked. But that aquatic note, blended with the tartness and greenness of the citrus in this fragrance, gives an impression of a dew-kissed, freshly cut star fruit, which by association takes me back to those afternoons in the shade of the carambola tree, enjoying the fruit while the sun started to set on the horizon. That break in the heat, when the temperature passes that barrier from warm to cool, is what I get when I spray Man Eau Fraiche.

It's on my short list whenever the temperature spikes and just looking out the window makes you dread going outside. It's for the days when walking out the door means getting embraced by the thick humidity, and when a sport scent is still too complicated and harsh to take outside. Versace Man Eau Fraiche is safe, likable, and natural-smelling, and sometimes that's the sort of vibe you want. Best for outdoor casual.

Fragrance Name: Versace Man Eau Fraiche
Date Released: 2006
Perfumer: Olivier Cresp
Notes: Lemon, Rosewood, Carambola, Cedar leaves, Tarragon, Sage, Musk, Amber, Sycamore wood