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I recently got a hold of a sample of Hugo Element cologne by Hugo Boss. I’ve already done plenty of Hugo Boss reviews on this site and I’ve been wearing Hugo Red seemingly a lot over the summer, so I was looking forward to getting to try out another scent from this house’s line. In this post, I want to explore how this fragrance smells, how it performs, when it could be worn, and whether or not it is worth a buy.
What does Hugo Element Smell Like?
Notes include: ginger, coriander, cedar, courmarin, calone
Click here to try: Hugo Boss Cologne for Men, Element, 3.0 Fluid Ounce
My Full Review
Note: I’m updating this page after 6 years to meet the new formatting of the website. Boss Element has been discontinued for a long while at the point.
The opening of Hugo Element is kind of an aquatic blast of ginger for the first 5 minutes before transitioning into a citrus laced fragrance. I have to say, the citrus notes in this are fantastic, they are really fresh and juicy.
Element is quite crisp and aquatic, which I found to be very attractive, and I was beginning to enjoy this cologne a whole lot. The calone note isn’t too heavy here, just adding a light impression of being aquatic.
That said, it is a very linear experience, after 10 minutes you know exactly what you’re getting. There isn’t any real complexity, just clean/aquatic/citrus with ginger undertones.
Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility
Projection wise, Element isn’t great. It is on the softer side of moderate and doesn’t seem to want to make its presence all that known.
Longevity is also another issue. It quickly becomes a skin scent and only lasts around 4 hours, which is disappointing. I know not to expect too much from this sort of light, watery, and warm weather fragrance…but something more would’ve been fantastic.
I feel like this could’ve been a really nice spring/summer casual wear, had it been designed with better performance. It would be safe to wear to work, but it’s not a formal sort of fragrance at all. Though, outdoors or out around town during the day and it’d be cool.
Overall Impressions of Hugo Element
Overall, is Hugo Element a buy? I can’t say yes. I actually like the fragrance itself, it works, and has great citrus notes. With a little added intensity, this would’ve been a nice scent to wear around during the summer.
The citrus is really nice, I love ginger, and it is a refreshing wear. It had some positive aspects in place, it just needed a way to bring it all together better.
I’m sure you could double the application and get a longer lasting use out of it; but why bother with better performing scents out there.
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Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.