Chanel Bleu de Chanel Eau de Parfum

Grapefruit zest, cold mint and a thin ribbon of incense drifting through a cedar-paneled room: Bleu de Chanel Eau de Parfum is the warmer, rounder version of Chanel’s best-known men’s fragrance.

Grapefruit, lemon, mint and bergamot open it, with pink pepper, coriander and aldehydes adding sparkle. Ginger, nutmeg and jasmine give the heart a spicy-fresh pulse, with a touch of melon. The base is incense, cedar and sandalwood, rounded out by amber, patchouli and labdanum.

It is a versatile men’s fragrance, at home at work, at dinner and in any season. Next to the 2010 Eau de Toilette it is smoother and more ambery, while the 2018 Parfum leans further into sandalwood. The caveat is its popularity: if you want something unusual, you will smell this one on other people.

It is sold out for now. When it is back, a 5 ml decant lets you wear it for a week and test it side by side with Armaf Tag-Him, which is often compared with it.

Notes. Top: grapefruit, lemon, mint, bergamot, pink pepper, aldehydes, coriander; heart: ginger, nutmeg, jasmine, melon; base: incense, amber, cedar, sandalwood, patchouli, labdanum. Launched in 2014. Perfumer: Jacques Polge.