Man Rain Essence by Bvlgari

Rain Essence is a 2023 release, that is a part of the Essence series of fragrances by Bvlgari. I have already reviewed the others that have been put out thus far. So, I bought a sample of Rain, to try and keep up to date with this lineup. How does it smell? Does is last long? Is it worth a try?

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What does Rain Essence Smell Like?

Notes include: orange, green tea, lotus, musk, guaiac wood, amber

Click here to try: Rain Essence

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My Full Review

Here’s how Bvlgari describes it: An ode to the transformative force of rain. A fresh and woody musk signature, signed by Master Perfumer Alberto Morillas.

The opening is a very ozonic and green tea heavy start. The ‘rain’ feeling is there. This one is light with an aquatic watery accord. This is made up by the citrus, tea, and lotus.

The lotus gives this one a further floral and stem-like green aroma in the background. I like the freshness that this one starts out with.

Then, Rain Essence will start to lose much of the orange note that presented up top. The fragrance begins to transition into its musky phase. A phase, that will last for the duration.

It’s still light, but less ozonic, with a soapier finish to it (and hints of powder, at times).

Rain Essence is clean, but warmer, and there is a spice/smoky aspect from the guaiac wood in the base. Basically, what you’re getting is a woody musk fragrance with the remaining lotus, some green tea, and maybe a slight remnant of the orange note.

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Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This does keep to a lighter feeling, much like the name suggests. It’s not going to be a heavy cologne that leaves a massive scent trail. Though, it projects well enough. 4-6 feet, at the start. Around, 3, after that.

Not great, but it doesn’t need to be a monster.

The longevity is fine, but again, not great. Somewhere in the 5-7 hour range, is what I got out of Rain Essence during testing. It hits the bare minimum, of what I’d expect for something at a bit of a lower price.

For what this costs? It probably should be better.

This is one that you’d want to wait until spring and summertime to wear. Outdoors, in the sun, Rain Essence holds up very well and it’s at its best.

It does have good versatility as a daytime fragrance for those seasons. Safe to wear at the office or just around town casually. It’s not offensive or super pungent in any way, quite safe and clean, with a fairly unique profile.

Man Rain Essence isn’t one that’s going to dominate the nightlife or be labeled as being particularly ‘sexy’.

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Overall Impressions of Rain Essence

Overall, do I like this fragrance? Eh, it’s okay. In this Essence series, this one is at the bottom for me, along with Glacial. I might have more of a preference for Rain Essence, but not by much of a margin.

So far, I’d rank them like this: Wood, Terrae, Rain, Glacial. I would’ve figured beforehand that Rain and Glacial would’ve been my favorites based on the concept. Even so, I’m not a massive fan of any of these Bvlgari scents. I like the idea, more than the execution.

It does manage to create a rain-like effect, especially early on in the wear. That’s probably the highlight of the whole thing, for me.

I like it a lot more when I have citrus, tea, and lotus as the main focus. Very nice ozonic/aquatic fragrance. After that, it’s muskier, more like a soapy or body wash type of clean. Not bad, just nothing great.

Performance is also pretty mid. So, that’s not even a saving grace.

Beyond all that, though, this retails for over $100 per bottle. At that price, it’s a strong pass from me. Personally, I probably wouldn’t buy a full bottle even with a heavy discount, but you should wait until it hits the discounters if this is a cologne that you want to try.