posted by Sheenie on Fragrances, L'Occitane

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Cologne. I’m not referring to the German city, nor is it a subtle nod at Anchorman. Perhaps it’s a forgotten format but thanks to the French house of L’Occitane the good old-fashioned cologne is experiencing a revival with the launch of their brand new collection of colognes this month.

Inspired by the region of Provence there are three fragrances to choose from (one for women, one unisex and one for men) all fresh and light for warm summer days. Warm summer days…more like wet and windy as I look out of my window as I type this.

So how is a cologne defined? Well it’s down to the levels of essential oils in a perfume solution. Eau de toilette contains 6-10% essential oils, eau de parfum has more with 11-15% and cologne has the least amount with 3%-5%. With that in mind, the idea with colognes is to spritz generously which is helpful since L’Occitane have created a 300ml bottle at £37.

There are three colognes available: Eau Ravissante is for the ladies, helpfully in pink and a floral cologne of flower petals with citrus fruits, Eau Captivante for the gentlemen, in masculine green, an aromatic cologne of bergamot and lime zests and Eau Universelle Citrus Cologne, is the unisex fragrance in a neutral yellow, which I was sent to try.

With notes of grapefruit and bergamot it immediately hits you as a refreshing and crisp scent, so I can see why it’s been created with the summer season in mind. It’s not to my personal liking however, as I prefer strong feminine fragrances of a floral, spicy and sweet variety which linger on my skin.

A cologne is ideal for anyone who doesn’t like the overbearing scents from eau de toilettes and eau de parfums – this merely hints of a fragrance and unless you’ve never tried colognes then you may be disappointed with this collection.

Each fragrance is £37 each for 300ml, with handbag size sprays also available at £21 for 50ml and shower gels at £13.  To buy click here.

*PR sample*