Canoe Dana for men

I love this one. There is a type of Vanilla scent here despite no vanilla being in it?
Is it the Heliotrope?
It's a light Fresh, Powdery and Soapy barbershop scent. Very unisex.
If you just want something safe then try this one. Good gift item. Especially if you are sensitive to strong scents.

It is pronounced CAN-OO-AH

I just bought an 8oz of this in 2024 because I'm trying to experience some of the more "classic" fragrances these days. It is a really unique fragrance. FYI, vanilla is NOT a top note, nor does Dana even list it as a note. Actually, Dana's website for Canoe and the box itself don't really agree with what the fragrance smells like. Speaking of Dana's description, they list this as a sport scent. It TOTALLY is not. I think of sport scents as being heavy citrus, mint, and watery notes. This is soft and intimate. This is something you wear to bed with someone you love, not someone you just met. It's 100% a-gender, it's not even unisex, that's how neutral it is.

TLDR; Soapy, powdery, with a slightly bitter herbal note that adds just enough tension to make it interesting


Notable ingredients:
Fragrance: This is anything that is just for aroma and doesn't have to be listed individually unless it's been deemed possibly hazardous. There's soapy aldehydes in coriander, and I feel this is actually the heart of Canoe.

The following aroma ingredients are listed separately, the required listing is basically along the same lines as parabens being removed from products: there's no real evidence to show they're ACTUALLY dangerous.

Benzyl Cinnimate: weakly balsamic
Benzyl Salicylate: weakly balsamic but also floral
Citral: lemongrass oil is 80% this
Citronellol: grassy, floral, found in a large tray of plants
Coumarin: it's found in tonka bean and cinnamon, gives woody warmth and sweetness to fragrances
Geraniol: it's found in large amounts in rose
Hexyl Cinnamal: synthetic jasmine-like scent, but naturally found in chamomile
Isoeugenol: found in yang-ylang, gives a spicy sweetness to fragrances
Limonene: found in citrus peels
Linalool: found in lavender and cannabis, produces a soothing floral smell

Goodness gracious...I wish someone would make a "Beast-Mode" version of this...
It smells sooooo amazing!
But it's sooooo WEAK!

Another staple in my barbershop fragrances. I enjoy this fragrance quite often and it pairs nicely with my Pinaud Clubman aftershave.

Canoe by Dana: a Vanilla, lavender lush rush of memories of childhood. It is so unusual in that the most noticeable notes of Vanilla and Lavender with a heavy dose of Carnation have an oddly hypnotic effect that, well reminds me of when I was a kid, and I got a whiff of the rubbery plastic head of my cousin's Jerry Mahoney ventriloquism doll. I like the smell for the memories but it's not something I would wear. It's an old classic that is going into my cabinet of curiosities, a museum of memories. The bottle is beautiful in a kind of nautical deco way. Interesting and certainly a challenge I would expect for most people to wear. Still, for some reason I kind of love it.

Canoe seems to be the Rodney Dangerfield of iconic men's fragrances. It gets no respect, no respect at all—though it deserves so much. It's about as hip as antacid tablets to even the vintage freaks who worship at the altar of Evernia Prunastri. It isn't bold or brazen, it's rather mild and genteel. In fact, Canoe was originally released for women, much like another drugstore icon, Old Spice (Dana would eventually release a practical dupe of Canoe, Ambush, also marketed to ladies). It's really been taken for granted as that sweet, vaguely fougere-ish number that Dad or Gramps kept in the medicine cabinet and splash on now and then.

On the contrary, there is so much for me to love about it, besides the fact that my own father always had some at hand when I was a kid. It has a little of everything I love: a fluffy lavender, a carnation punctuated with clove, geranium, clary sage, and cherry-pie doughy heliotrope. There is a somewhat pungent vanilla underlining it all, that softens and grows muskier over time. This bottle I have is around three decades old, so YMMV depending on what version you access. My friend John Biebel does a terrific write up on Canoe here on Fragrantica that is definitely worth a read. I personally find Canoe a comfy wear, as soft and cozy as flannel pajama, during bedtime.

This is lovely, vanilla and licourice. It’s like a nice nostalgic afternoon treat. It’s like your school friend’s grandad who’ll say reassuring things and make cute jokes when you go to their caravan for some lemonade after a day at the beach. Really genuinely pleasant. Not harsh.

Trivia: The original name for this fragrance was "Canoë", and was originally pronounced ka-NO-ee .

P.S. I have a vintage bottle of Dana AMBUSH here... It's very very similar to CANOE, except a bit more floral.

eleccyman1 I think I rather associate this as one of the colognes that Elvis Presley wore along with Old Spice and Brut LOL

"What are you wearing, Junior? You smell like a French putaine"

“It’s Canoe. Johnny wore Canoe”

We often lament that performance of modern frags are a shadow of what they once were (rightly so in most cases). Well, no problem with Canoe, because it's always been weaker than a newborn kitten. I'm over 50, and my grandpa always had this around, along with Hai Karate, Old Spice, and Brut. I'd slap some of this on in the 1970s-80s and even as a small child who knew nothing about colognes, thought "this is too weak and doesn't last". I'd only buy this for nostalgic purposes.

* * *
"fresca como brisa marina" . . .
(from vintage ad)

My fragrance hobby began by seeking out vintages like Canoe (1936) that had awakened me to the fragrance world back in the 60s. Marketed as a men's fougère, Canoe (similar to female-targeted Ambush, also by Dana) was a fad in my high-school days. Now, decades later, this "nostalgia in a bottle" holds a bracing citrus and lavender top; carnation, cloves, and geranium heart; powdery heliotrope, vanilla, and tonka-bean base; and wistful memories of my youth.✿

Current formulation's longevity on me: weak
Scent family: Aromatic Fougère

Just acquired a small 30ml bottle. First impressions are I find this neither particularly barbershop nor clean. Thirty minutes in and I can’t seem to get past a not particularly pleasant liquorice smell. The way this is going I may never put this on again. Disappointing.

Update: one month in and what do you know? Perseverance pays - I love it! Spicy, powdery. That liquorice smell is still there but now it seems softer and sweeter. I really like it. A really nice everyday fragrance.

The fragrance used by serial killer Richard Kuklinski, no less.
Whilst disembowelling victims, he would put this on under his nose to cover the grotesque smells from their innards!
Just a bit of useless info I picked up recently……watching him being interviewed 😐

I just received a bottle if this and sprayed on card. I can smell the comparison to Pinaud Clubman, but what first came to my mind was a comparison somewhere between Yardley's English lavender and Brut. There is a slightly dirty indolic facet. Where is that coming from? There is no jasmine note listed. But that indolic facet steers Canoe away from comparisons to Avon Wild Country and certainly even Brut. And it's too vintage for a close comparison to Fred Hayman's Touch. And to my nose Paul Sebastian Fine Cologne is closer to classic Old Spice than Canoe.
I'm now wearing Canoe and the slightly sweet, powdery, spicy drydown with lavender draws a very slight comparison to the brilliant Tiffany for Men to my nose. This is primarily attributable to the powderiness I believe.

I love wearing Canoe on the weekend during Spring/Summer. Splash some on, and get the first tee time on a Saturday/Sunday morning when the air is still nice and cool, and life is good.

I have not smelt this cologne in over 17 years buut I just bought 40 Knots by Xerjoff and ita giving me flashbacks of Canoe o.O.

If you want to know how this fragrance smells, then this review is not for you.  There are plenty of other reviews out there for that.  Plus, this fragrance was out since the 1930s so you've had plenty of time to get your hands on it by now.
What I will tell you however, are the occasions in which I would wear this fragrance. Hopefully this proves to be just as helpful.

There are two occasions in which I would wear this fragrance.

1.  I have never been to Spain, nor do I know much about the place.  Yet, I know enough about Spain and Canoe by Dana to know that if I had a night out in the heart of a Spain beach town eating some of the finest delicacies, sipping on some fine wine, and bedding some fine women, then I would most definitely be wearing this fragrance.

2.  The only other time I would wear this fragrance is on a classy boat in the hot weather.

That's it.  Those are are the only 2 occasions for which I would wear Canoe by Dana.

I bring this to my barber and leave the bottle and have him use this as aftershave ,it is beautiful subtle and absolutely perfectly done in my opinion for what it is.

I bought the after shave and edt set in 2016.
and
DO NOT BUY! I threw it away. I never used it and the liquid in the bottle actually lost its scent. I swear to God the liquid lost all of its scent. Both died in the bottle. I have never had that happen before. It did not smell great, and then it did not smell at all.
AVOID!

This is your standard old school barbershop fragrance from back in the day. It's similar to things like Tabac Original, Old Spice, Brut and also Pinaud Clubman Aftershave, powdery aldehydes, citruses and light spices. This lasts longer than Pinaud Clubman. Works well as an aftershave if you buy the splash bottle.

My dad bought me a bottle of this over ten years ago when I was first getting into fragrances because it was his "favorite cologne" all I can say is, we for sure have different taste in fragrances.

I get a strong Lemon(think household cleaner or lemon pledge) mixed with a powdery vanilla and a little bit of spices, mostly lavender.

I can see this being good when it was launced in the 30's. Nowadays it is totally forgettable and so much better frags out there for the same price or less.

You get citrus baby powder and about 5% vanilla in background, it's definitely a barber shop scent, I love barbershop scents but it's still not for me for various reasons.
Longevity about 1-2hrs tops skin scent.
Avon Wild Country smells better in my opinion only problem is it's satisfactory longevity as well but still last longer than this and surprisingly this is more strong or fresh like masculine. You smell more citrus or "lemon" to be exact and alcohol in pinaud and canoe, you smell more lavender in Avon Wild Country.
(I would pick Pinaud over canoe just because it's cheaper and smell 99% the same and it's what barbers use til this day..)
This smells like
Soapy old man playing dominos sitting in a urban barbershop. Nothing wrong with that right.
5/10.

(2weeks later)
I really regret buying. Pinaud is cheaper and smells better

I blind bought based on recommendations here.

I struggle to love it - though I definitely don’t dislike it. All I really get is:

Johnson’s Baby Powder + soap + Brut 33 from the 80s (no bad thing).
Then a touch of lavender and something aromatic I can’t put my finger on.

It lasts 4 hours. I just have other cheap scents that are nicer. And I’d wear expensive scents for daywear too, so…just no real need for this.

Update: I tried to like it. Then I tried not to dislike it. Now I dislike it.

Tony Danza wore this so my mom ran out and got me some as a teenager. i had no idea at the time if it was good or not. seemed ok

The dry down is okay, but I find the first little bit of this frag intolerable. Something very harsh, artificial, and unpleasant about it, like a chemical black licorice hospital linoleum type vibe. After 30min or so it gets a little better, but pretty much smells just like baby powder to my nose.

I love Pinaud Clubman and was hoping to get an EDT similar to it, but I really don’t find this wearable and it has zero nostalgic value for me. It does eventually smell like a powdery Clubman and I get the comparison, but in my opinion this makes a pretty awful cologne.

Canoe edt follow up. Canoe is a great frag going back to 1935. Even the 1960’s version of the cologne has pathetic performance. As kids we’d dump it on and in two hours just a skin scent at best. So I bought new Canoe cologne. Same awful performance. So then i bought the new Canoe edt. Slightly stronger but mostly gone on my skin in one hour. So what to do since I like the scent.

I put small amount of vaseline intensive care on pulse points inside elbow. It was amazing. I got five to six hours from Canoe edt.

I took vaseline intensive care moisturizer version and put little on inside of elbow and spread it out around forearm. I waited no more than four or five minutes, three is about right. Then gave a few squirts into the sprayed on area. I tested this with other frags and it sometimes tripled performance, really. It is extremely cheap. Think how much you will save over a year. You can spray less and get super performance. I tried using some body oils but they did not do much. The vaseline intensive care creates a barrier over your skin that traps moisture in. The perfume lands on this barrier thus is not soaking into my dry skin, thus it lasts much longer. I think any of the vaseline intensive care products that trap moisture in would work. I tried eucerin and it did not work. This hack does not seem to increase performance so much when using a perfume oil or attar. Does something but not much. So it is for the spray perfumes only. I expect it would clog up a roller ball applicator. Try this in your worst performing frags to really see the difference.

I bought the canoe cologne and it was so weak it would barely smell as i remembered it to smell. I just got the eau de toilette version what a difference. Now it brought back the memories. It lasts on me at least three or four hours with two sprays, six sprays would probably be all day or darn close to it. this longevity is ok for my skin. i expect spraying on clothes would go 12 to 18 hours.
This is a beautiful frag going back to 1936. One can wear this in any season but is better suited for warm weather. it is anything but dark.
In the 1960’s and 1970’s this was very popular drugstore frag. Everyone knew it. Today hardly anyone knows it, so would be different. Hard for me to say this is dated unless someone recognized it, then would be dated.
It is first cheap too.
The other ones from this era to try are Jade East and Brut. I already got Brut eau de toilette but have not worn it yet. Of course there is Old Spice but that was usually an after shave or deodorant. I do not recall seeing that in an eau de toilette. a kids back then would use aftershaves as a cologne since cologne ward barely much longer lasting. So we’d pour on the after shave since it was so cheap. I remember loading on the Mennen Skin Bracer to get a few hours out of it. None of us knew anything about real perfume, it was all about drugstore cologne and aftershaves.

a classic. totally unisex, anyone can wear this anywhere and it would be appropriate. powdery with a bit of zing, it smells very clean but not astringent. for me it falls somewhere between old timey shaving soap and clean laundry

Ahhh...The scent of memories.
This was my first cologne...stole it from my cousin while visiting my aunts house back in the 80's.
It was under his bed, covered in dog hair, buried under clothes...saw a glimmer of something under there...reached under and grabbed it...a bottle! Wiped off all the dog hair with the clothes under his bed and went to open it...VIOLA!!
It was the same smell I had smelled countless times on my uncle and on my cousins countless times before!!
Into the pocket it went!

Canoe just brings back good memories of easy times in NYC, weekends of playing "Dungeons & Dragons" with my cousins at their house, "Kareteka" and "Spy Hunter" competitions on the Commodore-64, summertime driveway/backyard barbecues, playing with their pet dog...and getting dog hair everywhere, flying those styrofoam hobby planes with the plastic propellers, wandering around the neighborhood playing without our yo-yos and seeing who could "Walk the dog" the longest, Flying "Paper Airplanes" and blowing bubbles from your apartment window,
having "trash-racer" competitions in the gutter when the fire hydrant was on at the end of the block/top of the street...we would go to the top of the block with something that would float on water and then place our "Racers" in the gutter-stream and see which would make it to the other end of the block first before they all got sucked into the sewer grate at the corner... (Oh man, didn't mean to ramble on that much... =o )

Canoe just has that laid back chill vibe that relaxes you when you smell it. Takes you back to when you didn't have to worry...and life was easy.

Canoe was barely a "like" before I bought a set of inexpensive atomizer bottles and filled one with this old girl. Now, it still does not last long, maybe 3-4 hours, but spraying it on made a 100 percent difference in my opinion of the overall smell. I love this now...

I have purchased this recently, so it is not the original. It smells nothing like what I remember it t
o be like long time ago. It always lacked performance. We used to dab it on heavily and if you got two or three hours out it you did great. Some would carry it with them or leave it in the car. The original was nice and sweet, it projected some too.at his new one is very vaguely what i remember. A shame. We wore a canoe, English Leather, Jade East, Brut, Old Spice and that was about it. Sometime we used Mennen Skin Brace after shave as a cologne because it lasted. We did not know from non drugstore perfumes. We did not know their names ,or even where to buy them. This was all we knew from. Many of us had all of them, but every one had a favorite. Today the English Leather has great resemblance to the old original,so does mennen skin bracer. The modern perfumes of today are so much better but these are fun to bring back memories.

Canoe is a masculine that used to be a feminine and can easily be worn by women as well as men. I like wearing it in summer. It's not a marine scent but I find it rather seaworthy, and would be perfect to wear whilst sailing. It's a light fragrance but the sillage on my vintage cologne is rather deceptive, as it sneaks up on me - subtle at first and louder later. Very vanilla with some citrus, spices, herbs and woods. Long-lasting for an EDC.

I actually was just wearing Dior Savauge edp and on the dry down i noticed a familar smell, and that smell was canoe by dana. maybe its just me but they almost smelled identical once the sauvage edp dried down. But i love canoe...my mother reccommeded it and said it was her favorite scent to smell on a man when she was grown up. definitly a classic worth having.

I actually was just wearing Dior Savauge edp and on the dry down i noticed a familar smell, and that smell was canoe by dana. maybe its just me but they almost smelled identical once the sauvage edp dried down. But i love canoe...my mother reccommeded it and said it was her favorite scent to smell on a man when she was grown up. definitly a classic worth having.

Elvis's favorite fragrance, this and Brut, and I see they are similar , so I understand his preferences.
cheers

If you took Clubman Pinaud and amped it up, you get BRUT, yet if you were to tone it down you would get Canoe. This is a great classic aftershave, clean fresh scent in the line of Barbershop frags from years gone by. Great inoffensive wear that paved the way for bolder fragrances in the sixties and seventies. It is dated but worth revisiting.

Time travel in a bottle

Just received my "travel bottle" in the mail. I wanted something exactly like Clubman Pinaud aftershave, and it most definitely is. I also wanted it to last longer as it's an EDC, but longevity is below average. I asked my wife's opinion and she said it smells like a baby. Okay, it does, and also like a fresh, new haircut from your barber which was my goal: Accomplished.

My husband had a vintage bottle of this in the medicine cabinet, but never used it. I took a whiff of it one day and really, really liked it. I remembered that some of my boyfriends wore it in the late 60s and early 70s. We've moved, and I can't locate it yet. But I'm going to steal it for myself if he's not going to wear it! Not too sweet, not too heavy, not too masculine for a woman. Not earth-shattering, but just a nice scent you can wear every day.

I'll confirm what many reviewers are saying, Dana Canoe is definately an old school barber shop type scent. Probably not for younger men unless you have an interest in old school or barber shop scents. Clean, and I pick up the citrus and lavander notes. Also it smells a bit green to me and soapy.

As a maturing fraghead, I have entered a phase wherein I love barbershoppy stuff- especially Pinaud Clubman which has been a staple of American barbers for yearsssssss....

Dana Canoe and Avon Wild Country are two scents which are very much like EdT clones of the infamous Clubman aftershave.

Dana Canoe is a great way to extend that "fresh from a haircut" feeling from the 1960s...

A easy "go to" wear for me on days when I am reveling in being an old dude.

And it honestly just smells good.

Bought it out of curiosity and because it is cheap. I seen it as a child on some forgotten famiily members shelf from long ago. I love the bottle but the fragrance is whatever. I save it for when I go to the gym or swimming pool. It just has a basic lemony fresh scent. Nothing horrible, but nothing fantastic either. To me it’s just like wearing a soap. It’s just something you use to not smell bad. Not to smell good just not smell bad. On a side note my wife hates it because it reminds her of the mosquito repellent he used growing up. So when I want to irritate her I have to trick :)

Edit: it just hit me that this smells like baby wipes. There you have it. The scent pyramid should just show a picture of Johnson and johnson

Funny, it was originally released as a female perfume, and now is a men's cologne. I say unisex for sure. It is a vintage smelling lavender & vanilla barbershop scent. The heliotrope, oak moss and patch are great. Soapy and very friendly.

@gtabasso is your review on the aftershave or the splash cologne? Does it moisturize your face after a wet shave? Some of these aftershaves are irritating.

Lastly, does your wife/girl enjoy the scent? My lady sometimes dislikes my aftershaves because they remind her of her grandfather. He probably used Canoe back in the day lol

I have vintage. It is lots of lemon in the top then lemon, lavender, carnation, tonka, heliotrope. It reminds me of unsweeetened Shalimar in a way that is a little spicier. That weirdness and lemon/vanilla combo. This is a bit more herbal as well. Very pretty. Final drydown is a lovely dry tonka.

A while ago I purchased a vintage micro mini of this scent. On the first try the scent seems rather feminine until it dries down to a masculine old style cologne.
According to the intro notes Canoe was originally a women's perfume, until over time it became a men's scent.
So what's this genderbender like? Quite nice, in an old fashioned style. And by old fashioned I mean classic and light, a skin scent rather than monster sillage and lasting power. I can see Hercule Poirot wearing this discreet, elegant scent.
Vintage Canoe is worth a try, probably more so than the modern version which I don't know but seems to inferior to the original.

Oh wow, just tried some of this that my husband has had for a while, not sure of the age. It reminds me a lot of a scent from the 1970s called Blue Jeans by the Shulton Company (long out of production and not indexed on Fragrantica). Clean barbershop soapy scent. Fougeres need to come back in style.

Also a lot like Avon Wild Country.

Yep. The current version is Pinaud Clubman with less citrus and a bit more powdery vanilla. Could also be Brut with less anise and more vanilla.

Either way: if you like this kind of classic barbershop scent you can't go wrong with Canoe. It's been around since the 1930s for all kinds of good reasons. Treat yourself and/or a loved one to its classic, nostalgic-yet-now greatness.

Barber Shop!
Sweeter than Clubman.
For $20, you can have both cologne and after shave. Shave apply both and go. The after shave and cologne work best together.

EDIT -- 2022 I threw it away. I never used it and the liquid in the bottle actually lost its scent. I swear to God the liquid lost all of its scent. I had the after shave splash and edt spray gift set and both died in the bottle. I have to tell everyone DO NOT BUY!

This fragrance has not changed a bit since the last time I wore it. It's like reuniting with an old high school buddy that looks as if time has been on his side and he looks the same as he did Senior year! This is a very nice classic barbershop fragrance for men, similar in it's make-up to such fougere fragrances for men as Coty Stetson and Old Spice. At the same time it's very much it's own unique scent. A day wear casual T shirt or polo shirt and slacks type of scent semi formal, very soapy and powdery with a woodsy musky dry down, clean and refined, masculine but bordering on unisex.

Opens with a bit of a sour and yet sweet lemon lime type of aroma, an orange smell, probably layered with other citrusy scents and notes like bergamot and neroli or lemon verbena. Fresh and sharp, energizing, and almost aldehydic. A splash of citrus. The citruses fade and the cologne then get into the floral notes of lavender, bourbon geranium, and heliotrope or an iris flower. These flowers are normally feminine and powdery and one can argue that it does smell unisex/feminine but to me the lavender has always been sexless and or unisex and has a very distinctive spicy-floral scent that can be worn by men. The lavender is soapy and what with the lemon it's similar to lemon or lavender scented hand soap. I don't mind that scent so much as it is very pleasing.

Greenish notes abound here. There's patchouli with aromatic leaves, shrubs, lemongrass, vetiver, oak moss but not too much oak moss. Not a full chypre or green scent as I like (as in Ralph Lauren Polo or Tsar Van Cleef & Arpels). It's green but at the same time not an outdoorsy or rugged masculine scent. The clean smell becomes woodsy very woodsy like smelling the inside of a wooden cup or like some other reviewer accurately observed like the wood of a canoe hence the name of the fragrance perhaps. The vanilla is the final note and it takes over the scent in a very stylish clean polished and powdery way but a bit dark with musk and wood.

This is a fougere-wood scent, without making a big statement and lacking in more mature and heavier traditional masculine notes like leather or tobacco. Instead it makes a perfect introduction to cologne for boys or young men who don't want to wear a real cologne. This is more a vanilla or powder than cologne and smells of a clean barbershop fougere.

Makes a good day time casual date fragrance to wear among friends or a romantic date. Doesn't strike me as being formal or nocturnal. It's also good for wearing any time of the year. If you like Old Spice you should like this too. It has a similar feel and it has some of the same notes but it has a woodsier scent in the dry down. A classic and a good one.

Just purchased a bottle which says 'made in China' smells of harsh chemical just like baby Johnson shampoo couldn't stand it.

Do not buy the "new" Canoe with the typeface Times New Roman-ish font that says Dana on it, that's probably the latest reform. It's quite terrible compared to the proper one with Dana written in the original signature style logo.

I love this so I'm going for my third bottle soon, not the typeface knock-off looking one, the REAL signature logo Dana.

If you still cannot find a good Canoe, just get any version/formulation of Avon Wild Country and call it a day.

I've only worn this once, but I'm a fan. It's definitely a mature, classic scent; reminiscent of a barber shop. I'm not sure how much I'm digging the splash method, though. I'll probably splurge on a smaller atomizer and give that a shot with this scent.

I recently gave my fiancé a set of "Dana classic" minis, including Canoe, and I occasionally "borrow" this scent as well.
Canoe is indeed a classic, slightly powdery barbershop fougere, with a barely sweet vanilla accord that adds an interesting note, and makes it more of a unisex cologne.
Longevity and sillage are both moderate, and seem to be better on warmer, more humid days.
If you want an old-school fragrance that is good for everyday wear, you can't go wrong choosing Canoe! It's not a sexy cologne in the traditional sense, but is attractive and approachable.

Although Dana is a Spanish company, Canoe has always struck me as a quintessentially French fragrance. (Every bottle I've owned or seen says "Made in France"). It's subtle, yet immediately recognizable, and murmurs rather than shouts. It reminds me of the piano music of Erik Satie --- unpretentious, compact, and introspective.

I tend to wear Canoe on overcast or foggy days, or when there is a light rain, and something about the muted colors in that type of light seems to go very well with the understated fragrance notes in Canoe. It's been part of my collection for decades, and while my tastes have evolved over the years, I never seem to get tired of it. Unlike many other scents, Canoe adapts itself to a wide range of moods and occasions, and works equally well for all ages. A classic that has stood the test of time, for all the right reasons.

The fougère has been a yardstick of masculine perfumery since Houbigant released Fougère Royale in 1882. It is a slow moving genre that has sauntered from decade to decade with periodic touchups. The principle accord of lavender and coumarin can support a wide range of alterations. With a few compositional tweeks fougères have ranged from mossy or aromatic to oriental and aquatic hybrids.

The genre was created by the French, idolized by the British and democratized by Americans. Though Canoe was composed in the 1930s (actual release dates vary) in France, it came to epitomize a populist American style of a fragrance. Until the mossy fougères of the 1960s and aromatic fougères of the 1970s, oily-powdery musky lavenders were the masculine paradigm. The accord was ubiquitous, scenting a range of men's grooming products, becoming the scent of the masculine 'safe zone': the barbershop. (Paradoxically, a heliotrope-inflected version of this accord scented the baby powder of the era as well. Was the American man infantilized or were babies inculcated into the culture of masculinity?) Canoe's vanillic musk bears only a passing resemblance to the fougères of the present. On the other hand, it has much in common with sweet, powdery musks like Helmut Lang edp/edc, le Labo Labdanum 18, Kiehls Musk no 1 and even S-Perfumes S-ex.

Compared to previous fougères Canoe dialed down aromatics and woods and emphasized musky vanillic tones, making it as much an oriental as a fougère. A tart geranium accent steers the perfume away from custard, just as Jicky's dusting of culinary herbs does. Canoe ventures so far from 'pastry' vanilla that it lands in the infamous 'plastic doll head' territory. To the modern nose, geranium gives Canoe a dated feel, but it also cuts the softness and prevents a marshmallow effect. By drydown geranium loses its sticky, green sharpness. What remains is a lingering tartness and a slight rosy hue.

Jean Carles composed Canoe as well as its 1955 sibling Dana Ambush, a fougère marketed to women. The two were the sold as masculine and feminine bookends, though they are enough alike that the gender assignments seem arbitrary. Perhaps Carles took inspiration from Guerlain Jicky, which was launched as a masculine fragrance but became unisex by popular acclamation.

Since Paul Parquet's Houbigant Fougère Royale, each generation has had a version of the genre. There is an unbroken line off fougères nearly 150 long and no other perfume style has the old boy's historical momentum. Penhaligon's and Yardley preceded Canoe, which paved the way for Brut, British Sterling and Grey Flannel. Canoe is still produced, but lacks the roundness of earlier formulations. Fortunately, Canoe has been in production for so many years that large quantities are available on the cheap at ebay. The durable vintage musks and high alcohol content (eau de cologne concentration) preserve older bottles very well.

(from scenthurdle.com)

Canoe was my father's cologne & aftershave & consequently it became my first aftershave & cologne upon hitting puberty. Takes me back! Junior high school dances, summer jobs, driving school. Canoe is a superb introduction to cologne for young boys. It has an informal air, very relaxed & casual, powdery & pleasant as a fougere with citrus, lavender & vanilla woods. As many have already noticed, Canoe has similarities to Pinaud Clubman but I also detect similar notes to such powdery barbershop scents as Stetson & Old Spice. If one wears these fragrances, it follows the same formula of citrus, lavender plus other florals, woods & vanilla. This is a very soothing and calm, innocent fragrance devoid of sex appeal. It's evocative of a summer camp for boys in North Eastern United States like Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut. It smells like being in a wooden canoe out on a lake with wood cabins visible by the shore. So many notes are evocative of a summer camp & forest: woods, cloves, moss.

This fragrance got me through many "firsts" & it's a classic vanilla fragrance. I have no problem with the powdery florals - heliotrope, lavender, geranium. Because it is floral it can easily be worn by the ladies as well, if you're a girl who gender bends & tries on men's colognes with floral notes like this one. In fact this formula is a tweaked version of Dana's own AMBUSH. They are quite similar except for the one note of bourbon & more cedar wood notes. This bourbon is like a delicious drop of bourbon (vanilla bourbon) someone spilled into a citrus based cologne. The first spritz is citrus (lemon) & lavender, fresh and clean. Then it turns into a floral scent with light powdery carnation, heliotrope & geranium.

When dry the fragrance is a bourbon vanilla with moss & woods. It's decidedly more masculine then when it opens. Like I said, informal & subtle, casual, discreet, clean and easy to wear. Canoe matches up with casual day wear: polo shirts, T shirts, jeans, or even dress shirts with jeans. Not a heavy hitter nor complex, but very enjoyable & a beloved classic. I always remember my father smelling of it and the matching aftershave. He would shave for a long time while I watched in the bathroom doorway on Sunday mornings. Canoe is a nostalgic & many of us do remember this smell and have good memories of it the way we do with Old Spice.

For Dad

Soundtrack

Lolita Ya Ya (Stanley Kubrick film soundtrack)

Canoe opens with a very pleasant floral, powdery, barbershop vibe. Unfortunately (for me) it quickly dries down to a loud soapy scent very reminiscent of Ivory soap. Not unpleasant but not a scent I strive to smell like. This would be a nice after bath scent to continue the theme of soapy and clean. I found the Ivory Soap scent lingering around on me to be overwhelmingly persistent. Oddly about two hours in the scent suddenly disappeared into a skin scent. I was happy my ride with Canoe was a quick one. Not unpleasant, but not for me. I wish I loved this given the price point and the history. Unfortunately I don't see myself giving this one much use.

Definitely an older man's scent(think 60+ years old). It smells like baby powder

The bottle that Fragrantica shows for this fragrance may have been released in 1996 but the fragrance was actually released in 1932, according to one reviewer.

My interest in Canoe came from my interest in vintage fragrances. I'm a fan of Clubman Pinaud and a variety of aftershaves in that vein, so naturally, Canoe was right up my alley.

I'll start by saying that I have no experience with the 1990s version of canoe, the bottle I have is a bottle of Canoe after shave which appeared to be, as best as I can guess, from the 60s. As someone pointed out to me, dating Canoe is difficult, because the style didn't really change over several decades.

There's not much I can add that hasn't already been said but in a nutshell, it opens very similar to the classic Pinaud Clubman but dries down much closer to Pinaud Special Vanilla with a lesser strength vanilla note.

The after shave becomes a skin scent almost immediately and fades quickly thereafter. If you were to imagine a lesser strength 4711, you'd have an idea of the longevity problem that I'm trying to convey. Again, this is a 40+ year old vintage bottle of after shave I'm reviewing, so that report may not be as accurate as other vintage or newer bottles.

*** Update ***

I received my bottle of Canoe Eau de Cologne and I have to say that I'm impressed. This bottle also appears to be from the 60s or as late as possibly the early 70s, however, the fragrance is just wonderful. It's considerably stronger than the after shave but still remains close to the skin.

With the EdC, as with the after shave, it opens smelling very similar to the original Clubman Pinaud and drying down more like the Pinaud Special Vanilla.

Sadly, longevity is lacking and the scent is gone in four hours or less. Again, this is with an early vintage bottle, so the later reformulation may be better.

Canoe for me is the epitome of the fragrance term "fougere"--a juxtaposition of a fresh citrus-herbaceous accord on a warm, sensual ambery-woody-musk accord that produces a seamless composition which as a sum, is greater than any of its parts ever could be. Its warm, friendly, inviting, and very versatile. I'm familiar with both modern and vintage formulations. The vintage, while richer, is more angular and is actually not as long lasting. The modern formulation is more synthetic, probably heavier on the vanilla, but longer lasting and sunnier.

Ladies, try Inoxa's "Gingham" for something similar, but more feminine. Its not unlike "Ambush", with the same "vintage barbershop fougere" opening featured in that fragrance, Canoe, and Royal Bain de Caron, but dries down with more vanilla and amber.

Male version of vintage Ambush. I really want this in a Christmas set with body lotion, I've always considered the bottle and logo incredibly attractive. The scent to me is very vintage sweet, sort of sentimental from my childhood. This is something I would drench myself with and only use at home or at bedtime. I'm convinced I will love Pinaud Clubman from all the positive comparisons.

Update: I now have Canoe and Pinaud Clubman and find that the latter actually smells closer to Ambush.

If your like me you use this site to hear reviews before you purchase colognes so here's my impression.
It's very floral and there's are some Masculine notes of Vanilla and Oakmoss but what really makes this 1 different it has a combination smell pattern
Like imagine a pattern of Floral,lemon,oakmoss and vanilla in a repeat combination.
Put some on before work lasted about 3hrs in Splash form
Really its the Lavender and Clary sage that deserve the credit because that are the back bone of the scent
1 of my Fav. All time aftershaves is Clubman Vanilla
It host almost the same combo of lavender,sage,oakmoss and vanilla,so I decided after a few months of reviews commercials and Clubman lol I figured I'd try it.Best thing ever

A few months ago, I bought a bottle of Canoe aftershave (current version), purely due to its low price. I didn't trust the current version or its maker DANA - This DANA spoiled my beloved Monsieur Musk.

Well, this new version aftershave turned out a good one, much better than my expectation. I compare this aftershave version to a vintage cologn version, and I think I like the current one better. The vintage one lacks the cleaness, it's a bit muddled. while this aftershave has a soft crystal-like feeling. A light, clean, and uplifting scent.

I admit that at first I tried very hard to find its faults, yes, a little bit chemical sometimes(because the vanilla notes), very linear(I tend to prefer complex ones)... but finally, I find I often come back to Canoe when I ask myself what I should wear every morning. I think hard why I often make desicion that wear Canoe:

1. It's a clean, friendly scent. I don't need to worry my scent offend other people on the bus, in the same office...
2. It's not strong scent, won't distract myself. I feel completely relax when I wear Canoe, so it suits lots occassions, at work, outing, etc.
3. I like its vanila side very much, it did smell a little chemical, but acceptable anyway.

Thought I'd try this fragrance again after many years, about 30!
Bought the edt spray even though the label says Splash!
I wasn't expecting much and for the first 10 minutes smelled chemically and sharp alcohol. Then the fragrance evolved. I would say it isn't too much different to the old formula. I would definitely say fougere with vanilla and unusual because I cant compare it to anything. Yes, it is old fashioned but I couldn't stop smelling myself yesterday evening and wondering why I haven't bought this for so long.
It is inoffensive but noticeable and for those who say it isn't long lasting I applied at 6pm yesterday and could still smell on waking at 7.30 this morning.
I loved it so much I wore to work this morning but not too many sprays. I would say 6 is enough.
Price wise an absolute bargain.
I am going to buy a back up today as will wear it casually as much as possible.
Just to mention my skin usually eats fragrance and rarely do I get much lasting power or projection.
Rating 9 out of 10 for smell,
10 out of 10 for price,
6 out of 10 for projection..
Thumbs up from me!!

I have an unusual mini from the early 1960s and does this define early barbershop fragrances! It is quite lavish in its presentation and holds little back. Its more urban and French than Old Spice of the same era.

I immediately get oakmoss and iris mingled with discreet flowers, a bit of leather and musk. I would have to say its a chypre. I get no coumarone here. Indeed its more unisex and can easily be worn by a woman. Its more refined than other men's offerings of the day. Dana really dominated the scene of the 1960s. This formula has long since vanished and regrettably will never return.

i got a 15 ml sample probably not the vintage stuff; the openning reminds me a lot of Caron's champagne or fragrances like colognia assoluta (ADP), virgin island water by Creed and stuff which all have that 'old-time-feel' factor in a case is not really pleasant for me; after the openning the projection brings me in mind scents like brut and the general feel tends to be dated! another cult figure probably? Not a bad scent though i guess, pretty historical and loving its name also!

I may be Weird, but I liked the Canoe I smelt in the seventies, and also the current formula, and I'm female.

Well, I remember all the guys wearing this in high school in 1963. It was first developed many decades before that. Probably in the 1930's or 1940's. That's why I'm really puzzled by the date of 1996 in the description. Was it re-introduced or reformulated in 1996? If so shouldn't there be an entry in the fragrance directory for Classic Canoe and one for the current version? Was the 1996 a typo? Very mysterious.

Loved it on the guys in 1963 Although rumor has it that Canoe smelled just llike Tabu -- but that was a high school rumor (LOL). Not sure I could recommend it in todays world but nice to know it is still around.

I recently bought myself a vintage bottle of My Sin for old times sake. Now I think I'll go in search of vintage Tabu just to have it.

I agree with the comment likening it to Pinaud Clubman aftershave.

It's a soft, clean, pleasant, well groomed scent. Great for the office and everyday wear. Nothing in your face or offensive about it.

I like it very much. I don't think you'll regret putting it in your line up.

All Hail to the hall of famers 1997
for me Canoe it's little bit like Chanel Antaeus but less stronger
I just got it for $12 and I will keep it forever in my wardrobe.

from opening I can smells citrus scent with some lavender, after 10 minutes Canoe turns to soapy scent with Carnation, Clary sage, Cloves, and Tonka bean it's makes me take a long breath and bring back my memories from 90's.

Scent: 9/10
Longevity: 7/10
Sillage: 7/10

I have only tried a vintage formulation. There is no major fougere accord here and the lavender has a light/herbal quality. The vanilla is clear but this is not a sweet, gourmand scent. Instead, while it's just a little powdery, I think of it as a light herbal/vanilla. Don't expect strong spice or wood notes. It's natural smelling and has at least decent projection ("sillage") but the longevity may be a bit light for most people. I'm surprised that this one is somewhat unique, unlike its skunky older kin but also clearly distinct from recent ones like Rochas Man. I'd certainly describe Canoe as comfortable, and classify it as "casual." It may be that if I had applied more some of the other notes would be more obvious, and it may even become a powdery scent, so if that happens I'll update this review. Note that for all I know the most recent formulation is awful.

Canoe is a simple and very pleasant citrus, lavender, and vanilla scent that is worth having just for the history, not to mention it smells great. It was first released in 1932 around the nadir of the Great Depression; I think of it as a sweet gentle happy scent intended to comfort a glum world. The lavender top is very soft and warm, enriched by a touch of lemony citrus, then it changes gradually to a mildly sweet synthetic vanilla-tonka base. I have the current (2013) formulation and by description it is similar to the original.

By the way, by synthetic I mean that it smells like vanillin and coumarin, which are the main scent components of vanilla and tonka - it doesn't smell funny or "chemically" (whatever that means since nearly every chemical smells different) in any way. It smells like strong essence of vanilla/tonka but without the complexity associated with the natural extracts. Coumarin was first synthesized in 1868. Vanillin was first synthesized in 1874 (and it is an aromatic aldehyde - contemplate that the next time you describe a scent as "aldehydic", which really means a particular class of long chain aldehydes that have a harsh waxy scent). Together, they started the road to synthetic perfumes. Natural vanilla absolute is very expensive and natural tonka bean absolute is even more expensive; both synthetics eventually became dirt cheap and they both smell fabulous. Their synthesis contributed to the rise of inexpensive "everyman" perfumes (male and female), with Canoe being one of the first.

First cousin to Avon Wild County, second cousin to Stetson.

A soft, powdery, barbershoppy vanilla scent. It doesn't last long at all and stays close to the skin. It smells... cheap.

It's funny... thirty years ago or so I thought this stuff was desirable. How far I've come. Well... at least you get the nice Art Deco label and bottle.

This is the first cologne that I ever owned. I have a soft spot for this one. The scent isn't bad, it just smells like a powdery aftershave. I gave it to my 10yr old nephew, he loves it.

smells like a much better pinaud clubman aftershave. like note for note with the inclusion of more vanilla, and a bit more sweetness.

I bought Canoe for my dad and I smelled it for the first time a few days ago. Eh...it smells like a cheapy aftershave to be honest. I wouldn't use it but it means a lot to my dad. It brings back a lot of memories for him, which is cool. I can appreciate that.

Now I don't know what the guy who made this was thinking but holy cow he should be given an all time greatness award. I've got a pretty good beard these days but I remember this stuff many years back when I still had a really good spring in my step and a shaving razor in my hand. I used to spalsh this sucker all over my face after a good shave and feel like I was going to float away.
I remember always pouring more then i needed into my hand knowing that I would have to rub the extra on the rest of my body. I was quite the looker back in the day and the ladies would hug me extra long when I wore this magical elixir.
It was like taking the vanilla my mom used for baking and adding fifteen Emiril dashes of fresh. BAM!!! BAM!!! BAM!!! to the lemon cookie recipe. "easy on cinnamon Mom!" I always used to say. Now I wonder why she ever put cinnamon in the lemon cookies to begin with! Ah, what can you do? We were a strange bunch.

I you want that classic masculine "barbershop" scent, Canoe has it. It's very similar to Pinaud Clubman but without the overwhelming, gagging sweetness. It's a great daytime scent, but it seems to fade pretty fast. Definitely a classic to add to your collection.

Barbershop talc is exactly what I was thinking about as the fragrance dries down on my skin. I am a girl and I like to experiment with man's fragrances once in a while. This is definitely manly in a traditional way. Simple, masculine, strong but not overwhelming. Reminds me of James Bond :)

Canoe is a nice vanilla-ambery fougere with a prominent coumarin/lavender/tonka accord comprising most of its structure. I feel it's a cross between Pinaud's original Clubman aftershave-lotion, and Brut, but with the power of both scaled way back. There's also a hint of dirty orange blossom on top, and a load of pure barbershop talc in the powdery drydown. I get about four hours out of it. Certainly classic, now in a simple barbershop manner, and by no means exciting or daring. Wear this when you're with a salt-of-the-earth woman who finds strong, silent types sexy (i.e., you).

a skin tonic with classic scent,one my first cologne purchases as a young man.

I'm a 23 year old girl and I've begun to try all of the classics, as well as men's fragrances.
My skin just tuckers most scents out before they have a chance but with Canoe, I just don't want it to last.

On my skin, it smells a lot like anti-bacterial hand gel. There is a sharp, powdery and bitter note on dry down. Sadly, very little ceder. I can't stomach it. I'm sorry.

At first, there is a very tiny sweet smell. Perhaps, vanilla with an aqueous note but that quickly disperses.

Sillage: Soft.
Longevity: Weak.

It's more of a winter scent, to me. I kind of hate it but I'm sure that other people can dig it.
I wonder if they have reformulated it...

I'm female, and I love the way this smells. Patchouli is a friend of mine.
I'd read that it smells very similar to original Ambush, and it does.

I wore it in Jr high. I liked it it was a classic even back then. But carrying the price that it does to day. Only kills its appeal to the new and younger crowd.

If it does not cost and arm and a leg, it cant smell all that good.

I do not know why the information above, states that Conoe was launched in 1996? It was first launched in 1932. So it has been around for a long time :)

Canoe, Brut, Rive Gauche, Pinaud's Clubman, Aqua Velva, Skin Brazer y English Leather son verdaderas fragancias de Barberia. Bueno esto es para los que no tenemos prejuicios con la edad y gustos, porque para eso se hicieron los perfumes para disfrutarlos, busca tu fragancia y usala sin temor alguno.

I will have to agree with a previous poster that Canoe has changed. The bottle I got was a new EDT in a splash top. I applied this sparingly to my forearms and soon there after had a nifty rash.

The fragrance is now heavy-handed and is not as well constructed as I remember. I detect a “petroleum” note too which was not there in the 80s.

I will buy an vintage bottle on ebay.

Nevertheless, a fabulous classic, but do test on your skin to make sure you do not get any reactions with this old standby from Dana.

I'm looking for an older fragrance called canoe?

Even though this was created in the 1930's, it doesn't smell as outdated as one would imagine. Granted there are many fragrances out there today that were crafted 20-50+ years after Canoe that have a very outdated feel to them but somehow Canoe maintains a very modern appeal about it. I admit that I'm a sucker for barbershop scents and Canoe is right in that realm. It's a combination of light florals (mainly consisting of a soft lavender and carnation), a dash of vanilla, and velvety woods. There's nothing overwhelming about it and just smells light, fresh, and clean. If you've ever been to the barbershop, the last thing the barber does before he's done is lightly brush you with talcum powder. That's exactly what this smells like. The "fresh out of the barbershop" feel. One downside is that it doesn't seem to last too long (about 4 hours) but what can you expect from an EDC. Besides, a 3.4 oz bottle runs you around $10-$12 at most, which is a great bargain. It's great for any age and believe it or not, even young women take notice to it.

There is also an EDT version, which I also own, that is much more potent than the edc and can easily get cloying. It's a bit too thick of a scent at times and seems to work better in cooler weather, as oppose to the edc which can be worn year round. The florals in the edt are amped up and overall the edt just seems a bit rougher around the edges. Sure longevity is great but it's not as beautifully crafted as the edc, but regardless, both are two great fragrances! I do recommend the EDC over the EDT however. It's good stuff!

i think it smells great, i have some much more dignified brands in my collection, but i will tell you sometimes you like a crisp slap in the face after shaving fragrance splash..and i always get a compliment. it is so inexpensive so it is not a big deal if you have to reapply once in awhile.
i bought a big bottle of it , put some in atomizer that i keep at work, it just smells great putting this on.. i have clubman ,which my grandson loves that , makes me laugh.. i turned him on to this and now it is hey pop, do you have any more canoe..seems he as a new little girlfriend and she really likes it..lol..i can see the club man comparison. but slapping this stuff on after a good close shave is heaven..try the atomizer trick for a few sprays a little later on when you feel the scent start to fade...wonderful , timeless good smell.

Cisco, yes you are right, Canoe has been around for a long time - my grandfather wore it. I know it's been re-configured a few times over the years, but I'm always surprised at what a pleasant fougere this is.

Canoe has a freshness to it that's not super-sophisticated, but has a nice barber-shop vibe. It's a greener version of Old Spice. The only note that I'm not terribly fond of is the vanilla, which becomes apparent around the heart/dry-down.

Canoe is a nice warm-weather scent if you plan to be outdoors - it wears well and fades to a pleasant echo within a few hours. I've noticed that women really do like the scent a lot, even if it is rather old school and inexpensive. I recommend it for those who like vintage scents. If you can get a bottle of an earlier formulation, it will probably smell particularly nice.

Considering they are practically giving it away it´s not that bad. I don´t really like it but I don´t dislike it either, it is a little strange cologne.
Update: I have come to like this more and more. After using it now and then I now really like wearing it, quite formal and natural.

Another Canoe lover here. I love it's opening and the warm base. It smells vintage in a good way, warm, soft, and stunning and never cheap if not overapplied.

The EDT, not surprisingly, has much greater longevity than the cologne and is closer to how I remember this smelling when I was a kid. (42 now).

I don't normally like herby scents but this one stole my heart. Soft flower notes with a touch of spice and lemon dry down to a cool and bracing "earthy" scent. Wonderful for hot days or casual events.

I am confused on the origin date of Canoe. I wore the men's version in the 60's as did many of my friends. I thought it was very clean and pleasant. It did not smell masculine on me....just clean. If I thought it was even close to the original formula I would get some because I need a sports perfume. It's a lot cheaper than Polo Sport by Ralph Lauren.

I bought a bottle and either my chemistry of this formula has changed. It did not jar my memory at all and no longer smelled good on me.

The first year this was available was 1932. Its a beautiful fragrance. The top notes together reminds me of lemon meringue pie. Its very smooth all the way to the base. Though it lacks longevity. I dont mind reapplying to start the notes over again. The votes are more for spring and summer, but it works just as well during the fall and winter season.

Years ago, when I was in High School, some of us decided to wear our boyfriends' cologne for one of those "Sadie Hawkins Day" things. My boyfriend happened to wear Canoe quite often so that is the one I chose and I loved the way it smelled on me! My friends liked it too and pretty soon, all the girls were using Canoe as our own!
Although I haven't worn it for years, I love this cologne - it is light and clean smelling and the moment I catch it's scent, I am transported back to my carefree, happy youth!

A very clean fragrance I don't get tired of. This was given to me as a gift when I was 16... and I just buy more when I run out. I'm 24 now... still sticks with me. It reminds me of the tonic the barbers use right after a haircut, but it carries a bit more dignity than that. For a fragrance released in the 1920s, this must have been ahead of it's time.

One of my 1st colognes age 13, Lol. great starter cologne