Cool Water vs. Polo Blue EDT Cologne Comparison

In this post, I want to do a head to head comparison between two popular men’s aquatics: Polo Blue EDT vs. Cool Water by Davidoff. Now, I’m not a huge fan of either, but I do think they are both solid colognes. The question is, which one smells better? Is there a difference in how long they last? Which is more versatile?

Tale of the Tape: Cool Water vs. Polo Blue

Polo Blue

Notes include: amber, melon, patchouli, geranium, cucumber, tangerine, moss, musk

Click here to try: Polo Blue by Ralph Lauren for Men, Eau De Toilette Natural Spray, 4.2 Ounce

Read my original review: Polo Blue Review

Cool Water

Notes include: lavender, mint, tobacco, amber, musk, jasmine, sandalwood, neroli, coriander, rosemary, and more

Click here to try: Davidoff Cool Water Edt Spray for Men, 6.7 oz

Read my Review: Cool Water

Opening

Cool Water opens up with mint, tobacco, and of course these notes are surrounded by an aquatic aroma. It’s got a green and fresh smell, that later picks up white floral notes, and a fairly soapy scent. I really do like the uncured tobacco note and the crisp spice of the mint. It is at times sharp and then smooth.

Polo Blue goes in a different direction with the crisp aquatic style, as it starts off with cucumber and melon. These notes are flanked by a light tangerine and amber. It is pretty straightforward, pleasant, if unremarkable.

Which is better? While I like the mint tobacco combo in Cool Water, I actually like the smell of Polo Blue better. Yes, it can be boring, but it works well.

Edge: Polo Blue

Projection

The sillage of each of these fragrances is consistently moderate. Neither goes into extreme projection mode, nor are they weak. Solid, but won’t overpower a room.

For me, I don’t notice a real difference between how much either projects on my skin. Call it a tie.

Edge: Push

Longevity

With newer bottles of Cool Water, I get 6-7 hours of wear from it. Older formulations were about 8. Polo Blue hits 7-8 hours pretty consistently, not a huge margin, but better than the Davidoff. Maybe the 1980s version of Cool Water was even better, but it’s still decent these days.

Edge: Polo Blue

Versatility

Both of these fragrances are solid choices for everyday wear. They can go casual or to school or to work, depending on your circumstances. Cool Water and Polo Blue are safe and inoffensive, to those around you, and can gather complements without choking out a room.

Neither is a club scent or really a date night cologne. They shine in spring/summer, but can go year round, as well. There’s no real distinction, in this category.

Edge: Push

Overall Scent

Cool Water has a really nice opening act, with the mint and tobacco, that sit in the watery mix. I’m not a huge fan of when it turns soapy, towards the middle, but it does come around again with a woody/aquatic base to round things out.

There’s a reason that it’s been popular for so long and it has an advantage of being very reasonably priced.

I like Polo Blue, I’m not a huge fan of the scent (it’s pretty linear and simple), but I would rather wear it over Cool Water. For me, the EDP version, is better than this EDT that I’m comparing to Cool Water. But, I’d take both of the Polo options over the Davidoff.

Why? It just smells better overall. These are fairly evenly matched scents, with similar uses and performance. The melon/tangerine combination with crisp cucumber and the amber notes are quite enjoyable in Polo Blue.

It also doesn’t have the sort of soapy aroma, that Cool Water gives off at times. It’s not way better, but it does have a slight edge in this comparison.

Cool Water is the more inexpensive option, often by quite a lot, so take that into consideration. I like Polo Blue more, but not sure if I’d pay $30 more for a bottle, if I could get Cool Water and another scent for the same price. But that’s up to you and your situation.

Winner: Polo Blue EDT

Best Men's Colognes

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.