Alto Mar

Claus Porto gave me a lot of good first impressions: the first look at the website, the package smelling amazing as I cut through the tape (I would discover it was the soap after opening), and the first spray of Alto Mar, which felt light and refreshing. They call Alto Mar a tribute to the sea, and to a Portuguese appetite for adventure and freedom. They describe it opening light, with calone and mint and a hint of anise, then moving into rosemary and absinth with jasmine, and finishing on sandalwood and cashmere wood, with the sweetness of tonka and the weight of vetiver.

I want a fragrance that I look forward to putting on, one that invites others to be aware but not overwhelmed by its presence. As I write this review on one of the first fall-touched days in Florida, the fragrance gives me a touch more of a summer or spring vibe than the cooler weather I know is coming. That being said, if you are a solo fragrance person, that light and refreshing scent is something I wouldn't object to wearing all year. I do like the idea of having different scents for different times of the year.

I did feel like the scent faded a bit throughout the day, to a point where if I applied it in the morning, I would do a light reapply before heading out for dinner or drinks. I think that could also be a reflection of how much I liked the scent. I found myself missing it, though it never completely faded. There was always a subtlety it left behind come later in the day.

Claus Porto started in 1887, when Ferdinand Claus and Georges Schweder opened a soap and fragrance factory in Porto. The house later passed to Achilles de Brito's firm, Ach. Brito, which still makes it. Musgo Real, the men's line, came in 1936. One thing I thought was brilliant about their fragrance marketing: if you buy the $39 discovery set, you get a redeemable voucher for the total value of the set, to use on your next purchase of a full-size Musgo Real eau de toilette. There's basically zero downside to buying the discovery set, trying all five, and then ordering your favorite.

Alto Mar is a Field Leader in fragrance. I think a mark of a good fragrance is one that you look forward to applying, knowing it won't overpower the room or the people around you. It feels like a common thread through Claus Porto, a subtle luxury to the brand, like you're getting something special to savor and enjoy. If you find yourself truly enjoying the scent, Alto Mar is also in their soap line.