Best Nautica Cologne for Men
Nautica is a US-based apparel brand that is all about sports and action, capturing the adventurous spirit of the water-lover.
It has a range of men’s colognes, which more often than not come in blue packaging, and offer up fresh, aquatic fragrances.
There are more than 20 to choose from, and each has its own distinct notes while still aligning with the overall nautical theme.
Let’s dive into our top picks for the best Nautica colognes for men. Here they are…
👑 Our Pick for Best Overall
⭐ Our Other Picks for Best Nautica Cologne
- Best of the Best: Nautica Voyage
- Runner Up: Nautica Blue
- Best on a Budget: Nautica Pure Discovery
- Best Fresh Scent: Nautica Aqua B007W15WX0
Best Nautica Cologne for Men Reviews
Nautica Voyage (👑 Best of the Best)
In our view, the best Nautica cologne is Voyage, which is a men’s cologne that can help you turn every day into an adventure.
Voyage from Nautica is marketed as a great casual or everyday cologne for men and is one of the number one best sellers on Amazon in the category of eau de toilette. This is the quintessential men’s fragrance, but with an aquatic twist. Whereas many men’s colognes feature-heavy scents such as tobacco and leather, this one goes a different route and sticks with fresh and invigorating aromas that are made to entice the sense of smell. It manages to capture both the masculine essence yet with a sweet afternote. It is mainly intended for use in summer due to the refreshing sea breeze scent, but you can use it year-round since it’s a great long-lasting cologne.
The aroma of this cologne from Nautica is akin to that first full inhalation of ocean breeze you get as you get to the beach. The way Voyage manages this is through a combination of refreshing scents that tantalise the sense of smell without at all overpowering it. This cologne opens up with a soothing blend of fresh, green aromas accented with a light floral character. It follows this up with a sweet and fruity scent for the main body of the fragrance, and then wraps things up with traditionally masculine woody aromas.
The top note of Voyage by Nautica features green leaves, apples, and lotus. With this combination of ingredients, you’ll get the cutting aroma of fresh-cut grass, which is balanced out by the mellow fruity fragrance of apple. The lotus adds a floral note to the first impression, which is sweet enough to keep things light. It’s an enlivening opening which is soft and subtle, yet engages with the nose enough to pique curiosity and invite it in for more.
The middle note of this cologne is mainly made up of water lotus, which is a curious choice for the body of a men’s fragrance. Nonetheless, the water lotus does a great job at capturing the fresh scent of the sea, while throwing in some sweet and fruity notes for good measure. This is an excellent subtle aroma that makes the cologne suitable for everyday wear since it is by no means overpowering.
The base note of Voyage brings the masculine edge that you’d associate with most traditional men’s colognes. You have a combination of cedarwood, marine notes, and amber which combine for a woody yet aquatic aroma that’ll make you feel like you’re in a forest by the sea. Amber and cedarwood are common aromas for cologne, given that they lend a grounded, woody character to the body of the fragrance, ideal for giving you a confidence boost.
Features:
- 100ml or 200ml bottle
- Top Note: green leaves, apple, lotus
- Middle Note: water lotus
- Base Note: cedarwood, marine notes, amber
Nautica Blue (🥈 Runner Up)
Nautica Blue is our runner up pick for the best Nautica men’s cologne, and is also a very popular fragrance listed as an ‘Amazon’s Choice’ product on the retail website.
Nautica Blue is an elegant and lively men’s cologne which the brand describes as ‘energetic’ and ‘thrilling.’ Whereas Voyage plays it safe in order to be suitable for everyday use, Blue kicks things up a notch and really runs with the aquatic theme. This is the fragrance for special occasions, and the one which should tap into your adventurous spirit. If Voyage is the cologne for reminding you of days spent at the beach, Blue is the cologne for making you think of adrenaline-fuelled water sports like surfing and deep diving. This is the cologne that captures the raw power of the sea, each inhalation like a new wave crashing against the rocks.
The aroma of Nautica Blue is lively, and kicks things off with a combination of fruity aromas. The citrus especially contributes to the invigorating scent, which is akin to first stepping into cold waters. This is followed up by a more mellow aquatic and floral body, which can be thought of as the moment you first dip your head under the water and feel a deep calm wash over you. Finally you have the traditional masculine notes coming through, which is a signature trait of many Nautica colognes for men. This helps ensure that the cologne feels grounded and steeped in masculine essence.
The top note of Nautica Blue consists of pineapple, bergamot, and peach. Like Nautica Voyage, these scents create a fresh and invigorating first impression for the sense of smell. Yet, the slight acidity of the pineapple and the citrus of the bergamot create a more complex character to the beginning of the fragrance which can be likened to the moment of first entering cold water. It’s like a mild shock to the system, which wakes you up and opens up the senses for what’s to come.
The main body or middle note of this cologne is made up of mild floral notes coming from water lily and jasmine to even things out. This is a soothing transition in aroma, which conjures up the feeling of deep calm you attain after you’ve submerged in water and your body has acclimated to the harsh temperature. There’s nothing better than a calming character like this to a cologne, since it can help ease your nerves on special occasions like a first date or an adventurous activity.
The base note brings things back down to earth and solid ground, with the typically masculine aromas that you can come to expect from Nautica. There’s sandalwood, musk, and cedar in the base note of this fragrance, all of which contribute a pleasant wood, perhaps even warming, scent. This is like the moment you get inside after a long time spent in the cold water, and warm up with a nice hot mug of tea and huddle up by the cosy wood-fuelled fireplace.
Features:
- Available as 2.5 fl oz, 4 fl oz, 6.7 fl oz, and 11.7 fl oz bottles
- Top Note: bergamot, mandarin
- Middle Note: lavender, sage
- Base Note: sandalwood, amber
Nautica Pure Discovery (💸 Best on a Budget)
Nautica Pure Discovery is our top budget pick for Nautica colognes for men, and it still offers up a fantastically fresh aquatic aroma.
Pure Discovery by Nautica is a bold fragrance which is especially enjoyed by citrus lovers. This is the cologne for going on adventures and getting out of your comfort zone, but without feeling like you’re wearing an extremely expensive cologne. This is the perfect everyday companion scent that can guide you through your day and help you make the adventurous decision more often than not. If you’re looking for a designer fragrance to add to your collection which won’t require you to shell out too much money, then Pure Discovery should be a strong contender at the very least.
The aroma of this cologne isn’t as subtle as Voyage or Blue, but rather aims to keep your attention throughout and keep you present in every moment. It achieves this with a striking opening marked by a powerful scent of citrus, along with some other interesting earthy notes. It is mainly characterized by its slightly spicy, floral body though, which keeps you engaged and alert. It can be compared to riding a wave for the first time, a little scary, yet the reward on the other side is worth it. Then you have, as you might have already guessed, the typical woody masculine aromas that are commonly associated with Nautica’s colognes.
The top notes of the Pure Discovery cologne by Nautica are an exciting combination of mandarin orange, clary sage, and Amalfi lemon. The strong citrus smell of the orange is the one which grips the sense of smell the most, but subtle wafts of lemon and earthy sage complement it well. If you enjoy the soothing smell of a freshly peeled orange, then you’re bound to love the opening of this fragrance.
The middle note of this Nautica cologne takes it in a different direction than you might expect. Rather than going for the heavy floral notes as in some of its other colognes, for Pure Discovery Nautica goes a more herbal and almost even spicy route. The lavender provides the floral character that is commonly used in Nautica colognes, but then you have coriander and ginger which liven the fragrance up and give it that engaging quality. These are the ingredients which keep the adventurous spirit alive even after the bold citrus aroma has started to subside.
The base note finishes the fragrance off in typical Nautica fashion, with a distinctly woody character. Nautica often uses woody scents like cedarwood or sandalwood in the base notes of its colognes, and it’s easy to see why. The woody aromas are enjoyed by many men, as they conjure up images of being out in the woods alone in nature, or enjoying a beer in an isolated log cabin, or sitting by an open flame or fireplace. This is especially great for a line of colognes which has an aquatic undercurrent, since you end the fragrance with a comforting, warming scent that reminds you of drying off after a dip in the water.
Features:
- 3.4 fl oz bottle
- Top Note: mandarin orange, clary sage, Amalfi lemon
- Middle Note: ginger, lavender, coriander
- Base Note: sandalwood, Virginia cedar
Nautica Aqua Rush (🍃 Best Fresh Scent)
Nautica Pure Discovery is our top budget pick for Nautica colognes for men, and it still offers up a fantastically fresh aquatic aroma.
Pure Discovery by Nautica is a bold fragrance which is especially enjoyed by citrus lovers. This is the cologne for going on adventures and getting out of your comfort zone, but without feeling like you’re wearing an extremely expensive cologne. This is the perfect everyday companion scent that can guide you through your day and help you make the adventurous decision more often than not. If you’re looking for a designer fragrance to add to your collection which won’t require you to shell out too much money, then Pure Discovery should be a strong contender at the very least.
The aroma of this cologne isn’t as subtle as Voyage or Blue, but rather aims to keep your attention throughout and keep you present in every moment. It achieves this with a striking opening marked by a powerful scent of citrus, along with some other interesting earthy notes. It is mainly characterized by its slightly spicy, floral body though, which keeps you engaged and alert. It can be compared to riding a wave for the first time, a little scary, yet the reward on the other side is worth it. Then you have, as you might have already guessed, the typical woody masculine aromas that are commonly associated with Nautica’s colognes.
The top notes of the Pure Discovery cologne by Nautica are an exciting combination of mandarin orange, clary sage, and Amalfi lemon. The strong citrus smell of the orange is the one which grips the sense of smell the most, but subtle wafts of lemon and earthy sage complement it well. If you enjoy the soothing smell of a freshly peeled orange, then you’re bound to love the opening of this fragrance.
The middle note of this Nautica cologne takes it in a different direction than you might expect. Rather than going for the heavy floral notes as in some of its other colognes, for Pure Discovery Nautica goes a more herbal and almost even spicy route. The lavender provides the floral character that is commonly used in Nautica colognes, but then you have coriander and ginger which liven the fragrance up and give it that engaging quality. These are the ingredients which keep the adventurous spirit alive even after the bold citrus aroma has started to subside.
The base note finishes the fragrance off in typical Nautica fashion, with a distinctly woody character. Nautica often uses woody scents like cedarwood or sandalwood in the base notes of its colognes, and it’s easy to see why. The woody aromas are enjoyed by many men, as they conjure up images of being out in the woods alone in nature, or enjoying a beer in an isolated log cabin, or sitting by an open flame or fireplace. This is especially great for a line of colognes which has an aquatic undercurrent, since you end the fragrance with a comforting, warming scent that reminds you of drying off after a dip in the water.
Features:
- 3.4 fl oz bottle
- Top Note: mandarin orange, clary sage, Amalfi lemon
- Middle Note: ginger, lavender, coriander
- Base Note: sandalwood, Virginia cedar
Ultimate Guide
There’s a few things you need to know before investing in one of Nautica’s colognes for men, such as what the different notes mean and what you can expect from the fragrance in terms of common scents.
Top Note
The top note of a fragrance is what contributes to its opening scent.
You’ll typically find that fresh or citrus notes are used for the top note of a cologne, since the brands want to draw the customer’s attention.
After a period of time, the top note will blend into the body of the fragrance, which is known as a middle or heart note.
Middle Note
The middle note is essentially the main body of a fragrance.
Here you’ll find a wide variety of scents, and this will largely determine the direction of the fragrance and what you’ll be smelling most of the time.
The middle note works in tandem with the base note after a while to produce the overall scent of the cologne.
Base Note
The base note comes in the latest, but lingers the longest.
Typically base note scents will be earthy, woody or sweet, and they will complement or balance out the body of the fragrance.
What Does Nautica Cologne Smell Like?
While it’s difficult to categorize a whole range of colognes, it’s easy to see that Nautica chooses to include an aquatic theme in each fragrance.
As a result, you should go into the process expecting fresh and invigorating notes coming from a variety of sources.
These are light colognes which stray from the traditional heavy male fragrances with scents of tobacco and leather. Lots of citrus notes and floral notes are used in Nautica colognes, but by far the most common aroma you could point to is the woody base notes the brand is so fond of.
In all 3 of the colognes we reviewed in this guide of Nautica colognes, there is some form of woody character to the base note, offered up by anything from cedarwood to sandalwood.
It seems like Nautica appreciates the warmth and comfort that these woody scents can lend to a cologne, and it goes well with the aquatic theme as you can imagine drying off by a wood-fuelled fire after a dip in the cold water.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Nautica Colognes for Men
Does Nautica cologne smell good?
Nautica cologne for men is an excellent choice for those who appreciate fresh and invigorating aquatic aromas.
They are for those men who dare to be different, and have an adventurous spirit which invites them to live life to the fullest each day.
If you enjoy fresh aromas with interesting twists and subtle woody finishes, then it’s hard not to like Nautica’s colognes for men which are well-rated by many.
Which smells better Nautica blue or voyage?
In our view, the best nautica cologne for men is Voyage, as it offers up an excellent combination of fresh aromas and can be worn as an everyday cologne.
Nautica Blue we believe is a more specialist cologne, and one which is best reserved for special occasions.
Both are fantastic colognes, so it really boils down to what type of fragrance you need and which aromas appeal the most to your personal sense of smell.
How long does Nautica voyage last?
Nautica Voyage is a well-rated men’s cologne which is praised for its longevity.
You’ll find that different people have different opinions on how long exactly it lasts, but in general, you can expect it to last the length of a short sea voyage.
In more concrete terms, somewhere in the region of around 6 hours is the general consensus.
A Final Word From The Trending Man
Finding the right cologne to complement your personality is no easy feat.
If you’re looking for something fresh and invigorating that conjures up images of pristine sandy beaches and captures the aroma of ocean breeze though, you’re bound to find a cologne you get on with from Nautica.
