English Laundry’s most popular scent (2014): mint and green apple over iris and tonka, with a creamy vanilla base.
At a glance
Oxford Bleu is a 2014 eau de parfum from English Laundry: mint, green apple and lemon over a powdery heart of iris, tonka bean and geranium, with a creamy base of vanilla, sandalwood, vetiver and oakmoss.
It is the most popular scent in the line on Parfumo, and reviewers widely compare it to Versace Eros.
Creation and context
English Laundry is a clothing label created by Manchester-born designer Christopher Wicks and launched in 2009. Its fragrance line began in 2010 with Arrogant, and its scents are produced and marketed by 3B International, which both Parfumo and the official English Laundry shop name as the company behind the line.
The official shop, Fragrantica and Parfumo all date Oxford Bleu to 2014. None of them names a perfumer. The brand presents it as “a proven attention-grabber and compliment-magnet” and describes a minty, fruity opening that settles into “a rich buttercream sillage.” The dark blue bottle carries the same heraldic crest as the rest of the line.
The composition
English Laundry has not published a formula. The structure below uses only the materials that the official shop, Fragrantica and Parfumo all list.
Fragrantica classifies Oxford Bleu as a woody floral musk; Parfumo’s community calls it sweet-fresh, with woody, powdery and floral accents.
Why it matters
Oxford Bleu is the most popular English Laundry fragrance on Parfumo, where it heads the brand’s popularity list and has more ratings than any other English Laundry scent. Reviewers on both Parfumo and Fragrantica compare it to Versace Eros, and many describe it as a more mature, less sweet or more office-friendly take on that style.
Parfumo reviews carry titles such as “Best in House” and “The More Refined Eros.” The name follows the house habit of English place names, here the university city of Oxford.
Reformulation and editions
The original Oxford Bleu is sold as a 3.4 oz (100 ml) eau de parfum, and the official shop also offers a three-piece gift set; Parfumo lists a matching after-shave. A companion, Oxford Bleu Femme, followed: Parfumo dates it to 2016, Fragrantica to 2019. No reformulation of the original is documented. When Fragrance Help first listed it, distribution was limited.
Wearing it today
Expect a fresh mint-and-apple opening that turns sweet and powdery, then settles into vanilla and soft woods. Parfumo users rate its longevity and sillage at around 7 out of 10, higher than their ratings for Arrogant, Signature, Notting Hill, Riviera or Cambridge Knight.
It works year-round and in the evening. If you already own Eros, test both on skin: reviewers find them close enough that you may not need both.