Navy for Men by Dana (1995)

by: Dr. Marlen Elliot Harrison

This is another in a series of bargain fragrance reviews, scents that may be found online or at discount stores for US $25 or less. Leave a comment below for your chance to receive a sample, shipped anywhere in the world, free!

Summary: The bargain fragrance response to the aquatic/sport paradigm of the late 80s and early 90s, Navy for Men (as in the color navy, not the military) celebrates its 20th birthday this year and with good reason: despite the bargain price tag, this modern fougère can fairly stand alongside its designer contemporaries with highlighted notes of mint, lavender and tangerine.

Perfumer: N/A, please tell us in a comment below if you know.

Try this if you like: Lavender, mint, tangerine; 1990s sport scents; classic fougères, citrus aromas.

Pros & Cons: Many folks love to hate this, ascribing words like synthetic, low class, cheap and common. Considering how easy it is to find Navy in dollar stores and apothecaries for about the same price as a Starbucks Frappuccino, some of those terms are apt. However, there is much more here than meets the eye. The bottle and packaging are basic and the fragrance is wholly unoriginal; however as many of its contemporaries have disappeared from production, Navy now stands out as a representation of a bygone genre. Add to that the decent longevity and overall pleasure of the composition, and in my opinion this is a bargain winner not to be missed.

Notes: “Top Notes: Tangerine, Lavender, Sage. Mid Notes: Watermint, Nutmeg, Geranium. Base Notes: Siam Wood, Musk, Sandalwood”—DanaBeauty.com

Reminds me of: Ralph Lauren Polo Sport, Aspen for Men, Creed Green Irish Tweed (heresy!, I know), Patou Voyageur, Davidoff Cool Water, Lanvin L’Homme Sport.

Designer’s Description: “Perfect for the man who values timeless sophistication and personal style. Discover the magnetism of this classic masculine scent. Refreshing citruses and herbs highlight this modern blending of rugged woods and spices. Subtle nuances of leather and clean musk provide long lasting appeal.”—DanaBeauty.com

Number of times tested: Five times over the last two months.

Number of sprays applied for this review: Two sprays to the back of my hand from a 100 ml bottle I purchased online (ca. 2015).

Fragrance strength: Cologne

Development: (Linear / Average / Complex): Although rather linear, I discovered an exciting, airy, aquatic note weaving in and out of the first hour of Navy for Men and indeed there is a very subtle leather/musk accord in the drydown.

Longevity: (Short / Average / Long-lasting) Surprisingly good for a cologne, about four-five hours.

Sillage: (A Little / Average / A Lot) On the softer side; Navy is perceivable but quickly grows quiet.

Note about the packaging: A blue glass and plastic bottle that recalls the shape ofGuy Laroche’s Drakkar Noir housed in a matching, blue, paper box.

Where can I buy it? A 100 ml Cologne spray is as low as $10 USD on online auction and discount sites.

The Bottom Line: I’ll admit it: I’ve long been a fragrance snob. For years I have been drawn to new and niche and thumbed my nose at drugstore classics and designer dupes. “They are too synthetic,” I thought; “I don’t want to smell like everyone else,” I asserted; and “They’re just plain cheap” I assumed. Somewhere in that 30-year journey I got wise that price tag and designer name did not equal quality of product nor was price or label any guarantee of my satisfaction.

Then something groundbreaking happened: I was sent a set of un-named sample vials, designer mixed with niche and drugstore, whose identities were known only to the sender. To my surprise, I fell in love with Charlie Blue and assumed it to be niche; likewise, I felt that a popular Tom Ford scent was likely a drugstore fragrance. I also somehow mistook Navy for Creed’s Green Irish Tweed (upon first sniff)! Then Charlie fragrances began to pop up on blogs and here at Fragrantica and I became enamored with the idea of saving my money and exploring the best of what I assumed to be the worst, only to find that there was plenty to get excited about under $25 USD, hence this column.

Dana’s Navy for Women (above) and Navy for Men launched while I was in college and many of my peers wore the fragrant duo. I remember on more than one occasion complimenting a female friend on her Navy for Women (an ambery gourmand) and spying bottles of Navy for Men in more than a few dorm rooms alongside Polo Sport (nearly identical), Safari and Stetson. At the time, Bath and Body Works and Victoria’s Secret were just beginning their expansions into affordable fragrance territory and many of us approached Dana and Coty fragrances as affordable alternatives to the expensive designer scents. The mint, lavender, citrus and musk paradigm had arrived and Navy by Dana pretty much nailed it for a fraction of the cost of other scents. True the quality of ingredients here as compared to Creed’s, for example, is indeed noticeable. But at first sniff, there are identifiable similarities and for anyone strapped for cash or unwilling to shell out a car payment in exchange for a bottle of scent, Navy might surprise you.

Ties Image: The Silentist