You may already be familiar with Blu Atlas. If not, allow us to make a quick introduction.
Blu Atlas is a men’s personal care brand whose mission is to minimize the number of chemicals men use in their skin and body care routines by developing premium, effective products. They formulate their products with vegan ingredients and never use parabens, phthalates, or sulfates.
A standout product amongst the growing collection is their signature fragrance, Atlantis ($100).
Defined as a cologne for the guy who travels off the beaten path, Atlantis is rooted in adventure. But what does that mean for the everyday wearer? We’re breaking down the nuances of this exciting men’s cologne launch, so you can decide whether it’s a must-buy.
The Notes
Atlantis might have a dark, matte black bottle, but the fragrance inside is light and airy. The scent is bright and citrusy at first, playing off the tartness of bergamot, lemon, and blackcurrant. It’s a great fresh start since lemon is cheerful and vibrant (an instant pick-me-up note). Meanwhile, bergamot and blackcurrant add a luxurious complexity, mingling citrus acidity with herbal and floral undertones that lean slightly sweet.
The heart of Atlantis is what gets you feeling clean and confident. Lavender has a soft, powdery, slightly floral scent that seems to melt into the skin, but not before it holds space for clary sage, peach, and apricot to shine. Clary sage plays off lavender’s fresh, herbaceous, and floral undertones.
It’s a perfect transition from top citrus notes to fruity heart notes down to its musky, masculine base. Peach and apricot aren’t notes you often smell in men’s cologne, but it’s worth every sniff when you do. With Atlantis, they help bring out the lush, juicy scents you’d find in a tropical environment.
Rounding out the fragrance, you’ll find a melody of orris, oakmoss, violet, ambrette seed, and musk. Orris is an interesting note that I’m glad to see. It’s known for its smooth, skin-like scent that works beautifully with violet and woodsy notes. Violet, like orris, is soft and powdery, but it also adds an air of greenery that echoes in the earthiness of oakmoss. Ambrette seed and musk end the fragrance on an ambery, musky tone, further solidifying it as a clean skin scent.
The Scent
All great fragrances start with a scent story that provides inspiration and nuance to the layers of notes and direction the fragrance takes. These scent stories help determine whether a cologne will be deep and warm, like a smoky New York City jazz club, or crisp and aquatic like a summer swim off the southern coast of Italy.
For Atlantis, the scent story instantly transports us to Bali. Its culmination of cool citruses, herbal nuances, lush fruits, and mossy woods captures the sights and scents of the coast of Bali, leading you from the sunny beaches to the vibrant green jungles.
Consider Atlantis a fresh fragrance, artfully balancing brighter fruit, floral, and citrus notes with more decadent woodsy scents. Even as Atlantis transcends into deeper, more masculine base notes, it eventually makes its way back to lightness—as if finding a clearing in the middle of the jungle. The unique blend is crisp and sophisticated for a day at the office, clean and skin-like for a day at home, and upbeat for a day ripe with adventure.
Atlantis is also calming because it makes you feel capable and comfortable in your own skin. You might not know where the day will take you, but you have Atlantis as your familiar anchor to hold you down when the fog or the seas get rough.
It’s worth noting that, as an eau de parfum, Atlantis has excellent lasting power. The cologne sits close to the skin, which benefits others because the scent isn’t overwhelming or in your face and benefits the wearer by boosting longevity. I wore Atlantis every day for a week, putting it on at the start of each day. It easily lasted my 9–5 workdays and into the early evening.
The Mission
Blu Atlas is on a mission to revolutionize men’s personal care, creating premium products from 5-star ingredients that fit into every aspect of your daily self-care routines—the fragrance is no exception. Atlantis is a standout product from the Blu Atlas line.
It’s made with the same ethos as the rest of their collection – top-notch ingredients, made in New York, and formulated with industry standards – but not it adds that touch of luxury only a high-quality eau de parfum can provide.
Who It’s For
Atlantis is advertised as a men’s fragrance, meaning it leans more masculine than feminine on an olfactory scale. But Atlantis is a unisex fragrance that anyone can fall in love with (in fact, it’s pretty easy to).
The versatility and balanced blend of fragrance notes mean Atlantis appeals to a wide array of palates. It’s approachable, alluringly fresh, and expressive. Not only does it strike a delicate balance of fruit, floral, woods, and musk, but it escapes being too overpowering or, on the flip side, underwhelming.
With this in mind, there’s really no one Atlantis wouldn’t be good for. You don’t have to be a rugged adventurer hopping on your next flight to love Atlantis, but you could be. The clean smell makes it great for everyday life and even office wear. And we have a hunch it’d be an excellent vacation fragrance to throw in your luggage when you want to smell as good as your surroundings look.
The Final Verdict
Blind buying a fragrance can be scary, but I’d feel comfortable buying Atlantis any day. The quality of the scent and ingredients is superb, and at $100 for 3.4 ounces or 100 ml, it’s rare you find a deal as good.
Atlantis is also a scent that suits multiple occasions, so you’ll definitely get your wear out of it. If you’re in the market for a clean, approachable scent that ticks all your boxes, go ahead and snag a bottle.
