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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?
Quick Overview
Cool Water and Polo Blue EDT are both easygoing fresh aquatics made for casual wear and warmer weather. Cool Water is the cheaper classic with a sharper, minty-green feel, while Polo Blue is smoother, cleaner, and a little more polished. In the end, Polo Blue wins overall, but Cool Water still makes sense if value is the main priority.
| Category | Cool Water | Polo Blue EDT | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening | Opens with mint, tobacco, spice, and a green aquatic freshness. More distinctive, but sharper and less immediately smooth. | Opens with cucumber, melon, tangerine, and amber. Simple and familiar, but smoother and more enjoyable overall. | Polo Blue EDT |
| Projection | Moderate projection. Noticeable enough for daily wear, but not loud or overpowering. | Also moderate. It performs at about the same level and stays safe around others. | Push |
| Longevity | Newer bottles usually last around 6-7 hours, which is solid but not quite as strong as Polo Blue. | Usually lasts around 7-8 hours, giving it a slight advantage in wear time. | Polo Blue EDT |
| Versatility | Works well for casual wear, school, work, spring, summer, and easy everyday use. | Also fits casual wear, school, work, spring, summer, and safe everyday situations. | Push |
| Overall Scent | More affordable and has a nice minty aquatic opening, but the soapy middle can be a drawback. | Cleaner, smoother, and more enjoyable overall, even if it is somewhat simple and linear. | Polo Blue EDT |
| Value | Usually much cheaper, making it the better buy if you mainly want an affordable aquatic cologne. | Smells better overall, but the higher price may not be worth it for everyone. | Cool Water |
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. That’s the way that it goes, usually. However, Cool Water still holds up rather well.
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
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Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with the different fragrances that I’ve owned, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, that new hobby grew into a consistent passion, helping millions of readers along the way. I have personally test out and written reviews for well over 800 perfumes and colognes for both men and women. This is along with writing hundreds of other in-depth fragrance guides. You can also follow me on: YouTube, Instagram, and Tiktok!