Best Turkish Lemon Cologne?

Hello Folks,

Well I have a good Turkish friend travelling back from from Turkey next week..he always offers to bring me shaving products and this time I have asked for some of the barbershop Lemon Cologne that I have heard so much about.
But... I don't know which brand to opt for? So does anyone have any recommendations...???

I have heard of Duru, Selin and Elvin as well as a few others but no idea which to go for...any that are better than others..and any to avoid?

Looking forward to seeing my friend as we studied together many years ago! It will be a great reunion and he is always such a generous guy bringing Tea,Turkish delight, loads of Arko, and Derby and other great shaving supplies!

So guys all advice on the Lemon Cologne welcome!

Thank you!!

I also posted this in the Aftershave forum so do forgive my stupidity!

I'm not familiar with the Turkish scents, but I think Dior Homme Sport has a prominent lemon scent.

Lemon cologne, or kolonya limonesi, is an androgynous fresher-upper. People sometimes pass it around in various public venues such as the intercity buses. It is a common scent in Turkey. To me, its fragrance takes me back to times I spent there.
The Duru 400ml is a bit more than 12 fl oz and it has the most "lemony" smell, as well as the strongest one IMHO. I picked up a bottle when I was there a few months ago and still have plenty left. You do not have to wait for your friend to haul it over. It is available online, like for $4.99 at Istanbul Food Bazaar of New Jersey. Amazon UK shows a Seasons brand, same 400ml, £7.30.

Search this forum with the word "Turkish", and you will find several posts on the subject.

I think Duru has some coumarin added to it.To my schnozz Pe-Re-Ja is much more natural and "lemony" ,and you can buy it in glass or plastic..Another one to watch for is this one in the picture...

DrColossus11 said:

I'm not familiar with the Turkish scents, but I think Dior Homme Sport has a prominent lemon scent.

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Interesting...thanks Jay!

DrColossus11 said:

I'm not familiar with the Turkish scents, but I think Dior Homme Sport has a prominent lemon scent.

Click to expand...

Interesting advice... thanks Jay!

GoneRetroInOH said:

Lemon cologne, or kolonya limonesi, is an androgynous fresher-upper. People sometimes pass it around in various public venues such as the intercity buses. It is a common scent in Turkey. To me, its fragrance takes me back to times I spent there.
The Duru 400ml is a bit more than 12 fl oz and it has the most "lemony" smell, as well as the strongest one IMHO. I picked up a bottle when I was there a few months ago and still have plenty left. You do not have to wait for your friend to haul it over. It is available online, like for $4.99 at Istanbul Food Bazaar of New Jersey. Amazon UK shows a Seasons brand, same 400ml, £7.30.

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Thanks for the info GoneRetroInOH! Much appreciated.

john parker said:

Search this forum with the word "Turkish", and you will find several posts on the subject.

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Thanks John I will certainly check it!

malocchio said:

I think Duru has some coumarin added to it.To my schnozz Pe-Re-Ja is much more natural and "lemony" ,and you can buy it in glass or plastic..Another one to watch for is this one in the picture...

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Wow I never heard of Taris before! Thanks for the info there Malocchio! Sounds interesting.

It's probably no longer available, but maybe in Turkey, is an early one :Chanel For Men. It came/comes in a square bottle and is yellow in color. I'll bet I've had this for 30 years!

Having a Turkish girlfriend, I am quite familiar with the lemon colognes and brands. There isn't a single house in Turkey that doesn't have a bottle of this kolonya.

To be fair, any supermarket / pharmacy brand should do the job. If I had to pick, I'd say my favorites are Pereja and Duru. Eyup Sabre Tuncer and Selin are also good.

If you are looking for non-lemon scents, check Rebul range. For me they are too strong, though.

I have a bottle of Duru. It has a nice fresh lemon fragrance, which is strong at first, but quickly fades. It is gone quickly on me.

Which opens up the opportunity to apply a longer lasting cologne.

Musikmann said:

It's probably no longer available, but maybe in Turkey, is an early one :Chanel For Men. It came/comes in a square bottle and is yellow in color. I'll bet I've had this for 30 years!

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If you mean Chanel Pour Monsieur (introduced in 1955), it's still in production and is a fantastic scent that I've worn since my twenties. I used to feel so, so clean in a pressed shirt and business suit when I used to take the train in the mornings. Chanel Pour Monsiuer had great projection and lasted practically the entire day. According to Basenotes.net, one of the top notes IS lemon, and:

Chanel insist that the formula remains unchanged since its launch in 1955 -- though US beauty industry news reports in 1988 claim the scent is new and was created by 258s.

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I've also read that the eau de parfum may be a bit different from the eau de toilette. It's very hard to even find Chanel Pour Monsieur anywhere other than the top department stores.