FRAGRANCES: Bench Bratsplash Cologne 'Strawberry Shake' (Comparison Review 2001 vs. 2021)

 

Bench Bratsplash Cologne 'Strawberry Shake'
(Comparison Review 2001 vs. 2021)

Bench Bratsplash Cologne

"Enjoy the delicious scent of bratsplash with the succulence of hand-picked strawberries."

Retail: PhP 125.00 (2021)

Variants: Strawberry Shake, Kiwi, Raspberry, Green Apple

Sizes: 50mL/100mL

Bought: Ever Grocery

Made in the Philippines

Fragrance oil from France.

Not tested on animals.

In 2001, I bought 5 bottles of this Strawberry Shake and then one bottle each of the raspberry, green apple and kiwi. The strawberry was obviously my favorite and the sweetest scent of them all. The green apple was delightful too but gives car freshener vibes. Raspberry had a cough syrup vibes. The weak Kiwi scent is almost 'not there', I could not distinguish the scent, it was kind of sweet-sour mushy fruit like green mango. Those were my impressions from 2001. I have not bought one again until this April of 2021. It has been nagging in my thought for a week and accidentally saw this in Ever Grocery.

Strawberry Shake is my favorite variant. Here is my comparison of what I vividly remembered in 2001 versus the one I found recently...

1) Same bottle design and look. There is small and big bottle, but I recommend getting the big one so you can generously splash it all over your body and clothes.

2) What I used to do in 2001 was spray generously all over my body, hair, shirt, and especially collars. For a fair comparison, I did it similarly in 2021. Putting it to test in both hot open air and cool aircon environments.

3) On first spray, it smelled similar to what I remembered from 2001. There was the sweet scent of strawberries. After a few seconds is when the difference appears. 

4) The original 2001 bottle had a sharpness to it and smelled like syrupy sweet candies. The scent begins very mild but becomes strong, very opaque and cloying after a few minutes. People who passed by would say it was too sweet, too strong, even suffocating. It was consistent everywhere I went and nobody wanted to sit beside me (well, I overdid it). This cheap cologne was like glue on my skin and clothes, it could only be removed by washing off with soap from my body when I get home. That is what I loved so much with an inexpensive fragrance -- IT HAD A PERSONALITY AND ATTITUDE!

5) As for the 2021 impression... it gives a similar scent on first spray, but immediately you notice it is rounder and tamer, and then has a tangy apple and mild sour plum undertone that was not present before. It has a good projection within the first two minutes and carries far along the air, but immediately crashes into mild skin scent and doesn't evolve anymore. It's almost gone by 10 minutes. Did you know that I could still smell the Safeguard soap on my skin (bagong ligo ako) whereas the cologne already disappeared. People don't even notice I'm wearing it. When my parents who are sensitive and hate perfume don't even notice it, you know it's too weak.

Conclusion: I vividly remembered this cloying fragrance from 2001. It had a strong character, the wearer could use it to both repel and attract. Now in 2021, I just get a lackluster cologne. You might say that the 2001 was for teens, the 2021 is for kids. I was emotional on our reunion but then disappointed after a while. But this is an important reunion, at least it's still around for old time's sake. I'm not buying again, but those who want to experience can find them in groceries like Ever, in Bench stores, or from Shopee.

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