Projection and longevity are both strong for an aftershave. It clearly projects within arm's length for several hours and sometimes you can still catch whiffs of it in passing 6-8 hours after application. The skin scent might even last until bedtime. This is truly an underrated gem. It smells like an expensive, classic, 1980s scent, without the dirt or skank. The scent itself is in my personal top 10.

Taxi by Cofinluxe's drydown, at the very end, smells similar to Cool Wave but instead of a chypre, it's creamier in a fougere way. Taxi does it softly, Cool Wave confidently. Drakkar Noir shares a similar "vibe." They both have a a virile athleticism to them while having a simultaneous fresh/dark feeling to them. There's probably some very light citrus somewhere in CW. In the late '80s Gillette's market studies indicated that American men were putting more time and effort into grooming than Gillette previously realized, but most fellows weren't sure where to turn for a good cologne: it seemed "too personal" to ask friends about and there was not yet an internet full of opinionated blowhards such as myself. Gillette pounced on the market opportunity... slowly. They spent several years (and millions of dollars) in testing, focus groups, and market analysis, culminating in the 1993 release of the Cool Wave (a "foresty chypre") and Wild Rain (a dewy, herbal, aquatic fougère). Both scents had full product lines including splashes, balms, shave gels, deodorants, etc.

Customer reviews

Cool Wave earns a SpongeScore of 3/10: yet another aftershave best used as a cologne instead of a post-shave product. Cool Wave is a woody chypre: citrus up top, labdanum and oakmoss below, and various woods for embellishment. The odd thing about this fragrance, though, is the inclusion of a massive dose of dihydromyrcenol: a fresh, citrusy (lime/bergamot), vaguely floral (lavender), vaguely metallic chemical that's extremely resilient and long-lasting and thus frequently used in both personal and household cleaning products. You might recognize it from fragrances like Drakkar Noir, Green Irish Tweed, Cool Water, Aspen, Bowling Greene, and a large percentage of "metallic" or "aquatic" perfumes on the market. It gives Cool Wave a unique super-clean / super-90s character that few other aftershaves possess. Problem is, you won't notice it if you put it on your face and go blind to it in an hour. You'll be left going "I feel like I should put some cologne on" when really no, no you shouldn't because you're already wearing some. There's no need to pair it with something else. Frankly, I would recommend against it because you'll leave a wake of nuclear sillage behind you.

Considering that the original impetus behind Cool Wave was "Gillette noticed that American men weren't buying as much perfume as Gillette wanted them to," it should be no surprised that YES Cool Wave Can Stand On Its Own as a cologne... if that's how you use it. It has the strength, the staying power, and the complexity it needs to act as your '90s fragrance of the day. You'll be walking around in a pleasant little bubble of Cool Wave all day long. Lacoste Original (1984) has a drydown that is nearly the same as Gillette Cool Wave. The only difference is that the Lacoste has even less longevity, being a 3 hour scent. As it settles on the skin it becomes somewhat more of a dry scent, which categorizes it as a chypre. But that clean, steel-like scent remains and it reminds me more of fragrances from the barbershop fougere genre. First off, Gillette Cool Wave opens with this fresh scent that conjures up images of cool, cold, steel. It's incredibly clean in the most masculine way.Much like Clubman, Cool Wave has absolutely nothing in it to hydrate, moisturize, or smooth one's skin. Nothing. Not even trace amounts of humectants. Unsurprisingly, my face does feel bare and clean after application, but this product is not doing your skin any favors. This is a wonderful eau de cologne-strength fragrance that has a very "classic" late 80s/very early 90s vibe to it. Despite the suggestive name, Cool Wave has no menthol and does nothing to sooth or cool my face. In fact, some of my all-time most painful aftershave experiences have been with Cool Wave. Zero points. As Cool Wave dries down it begins to reveal its woody chypre side, with a heart of subtle patchouli and tobacco resting on top of a big smooth base of oakmoss, leather, pine, and musk. There's no amber or vanilla in here to sweeten it up and it's a pretty grown-up scent. Ingredients (abridged): Alcohol, water, perfume, hydrogenated castor oil (an emulsifier to keep the perfume in solution)