Reviews of Acqua di Giò pour Homme (1996)
by Giorgio Armani

To my opinion one of the best if not the best scent related with water.
Its very fresh,masculine beside the flowery(roses?) notes its a perfect summer,
day and maybe sports (to me) scent.In conclusion I recommend it and as long as
long lasting...it's not like the Emporio series even Code lasts shorter.

I have never understood the popularity of this cologne. It smells cheap and musty. I am reminded of the stench of the odious task I did with love; changing the litter in my cat's litter box. It has spawned many imitators, all as awful as the original.

Marine/aquatic fragrances comprise the smallest part of my collection, and while Acqua was once one of my perceived favorites, I quickly became bored of it. The first few times I wore it, I was intrigued by the persimmon note, which I had never smelled in a fragrance before. However, after more and more wearings, I found that in the drydown things began to take on a sour fruity smell. Its longevity is also subpar; even with multiple sprays, it lasts around 4 hours and then disappears entirely. Not to mention that everyone and their uncle wears this and douse themselves in it so liberally that you can pick it out on a crowded sidewalk! Once I started making the transition over to niche and added Millesime Imperial to my wardrobe as my new aquatic (and a far better one at that), I quickly got rid of the ubiquitous Acqua di Gio.

There is something more emasculating about this cologne than even so-called sweet scents. It remains for me ungrounded... like so much of what is now called "culture." But it is not so much masculine or femine here. I consider AdG an insincere scent, ergo it's popularity? One I don't have to think about? After all, there's that close-up black and white photograph...

No. It is not "overrrated." It is overpurchased.

I too do not consider it an "aquatic" but more like the floral vapor state bees or birds experience on a hot day after the rain.

If this is popular especially with young ladies, it enables them to have sex while maintainiing the delusion on some level that they have never known a man or perhaps, on another level, that they have been with a close female friend.

Shame on you Aqua di Gio!

Hmmmmmmmm watery notes & roses. I am not a fan of roses. After all they dont smell pleasent.. This stuff just does not set well with me. It has a smell that im not fond of. Yes the longevity is good. Yet the smell is something i can live without. The bottle is plain & ugly. No creativity there. I suppose it is 1 of the better scents from armani. Then again im not a fan of this house.

Its an ok scent. Very, very easily recognizable. Lasts for max of about 2 hours on my skin with generous application. I think the only way I can get better longevity out of this one would be to use the after shave...but even then it only adds maybe two more hours of longevity.
I liked this when I was younger and inexperienced in the fragrance world. Not my go to anymore since I've started using Bvlgari Aqva and Erolfa. Doesn't stand up to the depth, sillage and longevity of these.
Used to be a thumbs up for me, now its a thumbs down.

It's ubiquitous for a reason - it's a nice, light scent that works pretty well on almost anyone. Fairly intense top notes, the jasmine is very noticeable, but it dries down to its very cool citrus and aromatic wood base notes. It's inoffensive, and though I can't honestly speak to the college crowd, it's not as common as I have read. Still, I would be cautious wearing it, especially on dates or something along those lines, as I have heard "Hey, you smell like my ex boyfriend" once or twice.

Sillage is mediocre, though, and it does not last an incredibly long time, one spray on my wrist will have faded nearly 100% within three to four hours.

Still, it's a good scent, it's very recognizable and like by many people, but use caution.

Roses and pepper. That's exactly what this smells like to me. The initial sprays smells almost identical to the dry-down, although a tad bit more of the "rose" scent comes forward when this settles down. This is a rather strong fragrance that shouldn't require more than one or two sprays to do the job. Any more than that and I'm gagging. (and so are the people around you)

It's good stuff, just use it sparingly.

Acqua di Giò is one of the best fragrances on the market today. The notes are perfectly balanced, and when applied properly, it quickly becomes one of the most fresh and seductive scents. I recommend that you spray this at least 15-30 minutes before you plan on going out, as it takes that amount of time for the scent to really smell good. I never fail to get TONS of complements from the ladies! One girl was so obsessed with the scent that she told me she stole her brother's bottle and sprayed it on her wrist before going to bed so that she could fall asleep smelling Acqua di Giò!!

Unfortunately, as many of the reviewers have also mentioned, this fragrance is MUCH overused by young adults, especially those in college like myself. I never fail to smell it on at least 10 people when in a nightclub scenario. What a shame. Everybody wears it. Everyone knows about it. But if your like me, I refuse to not wear this scent just because everyone knows it by name; it's that great. So, how exactly does a guy go about wearing such an amazing fragrance and at the same time avoid smelling just like everybody else?

I recommend that this fragrance be added to your arsenal of great scents that smell great with your natural scent, but you must be tactful about when you use it. My style is to change things up a bit; keep them guessing. Seriously. It may seem extremely obvious, but you'll be surprised how you'll keep reaching for the same fragrance to use in the same situation every time it comes up. You may use the same fragrance when you go clubbing, or when you go to a bar, or to class. When you find yourself making those situational associations, force yourself to try something new. I love it when I sit next to a girl in class and I'm wearing Very Cool by Tommy Bahama one day and then the next day I'm wearing Cool Water by Davidoff. I actually catch her moving closer to me momentarily just to find out what I smell like!

These are just my thoughts. I hope they help...

Since my conversion of marine-religion, the ADG has taken a back seat. and who else but to dethrone the previous duke of marine scents? Bvlgari Aqva. Both are similar in terms of salty, sweet floral notes, with ADG appearing very thin beside its longevity nemesis. This scent is one that ladies are easily drawn to. The calming, breezy, notes are great, but die down really fast into a diluted version, with the original starting notes presenting a watered down scent that is stil recognisable, but for something that cost more than all its mainstream peers, one would expect ADG to have more decency in its longevity. Maybe the idea was intentional to have ADG be as subtle as possible. I reckon they're trying to avoid smelling too sweet or floral for a marine scent, a task Bvg's aqua took care off perfectly, witht the latter having a thicker more concentrated formula. ADG would have scored at leat an 8 out of 10, a couple years ago when i was using my first 100ml bottle. The one im using now is the 4th to date coz i had to use quite a lot of sprays to keep it sustainable, but bow i find myself using it to scent my sheets, pillows and covers sinc the scent has always offered me a clean sense of calmness. I hardly wear it out as it fades too soon an i would have to stand-by an atomizer just to re-lift. Im still hoping ADG would have a intense flanker out soon, but for the time being, it serves nothing more than to freshen my bedroom with its scent. The Marine version of Bvg's aqua is almost identical exept for the former having some stronger citrus notes. I woulnt recomend this purely because of the inflated value...... nonetheless, it remains one of the best selling armani frags in singapore as told to me by a friend who works under laureal, in which armani frags are distributed by. all the review b4 mine would have given good enough desciption of the scent, so il skip the detail.... buy it only if they are going on clearance if ever

I enjoy this fragrance and find it to be extremely refreshing, especially in hot weather or after working out at the gym. The fact that it is commonly used and well known does not turn me off about it, but rather is another indication that this is a classic scent. Remember Chanel's slogan for their No. 5? "Every woman alive wants Chanel No. 5." Of course not every woman alive wears it, but Marilyn Monroe did. The fact that No. 5 is well known and commonly used does not make it any less of a quality classic.

its alright not bad not good....to be honest i like it....ther is a reason it was a best seller....i know its overly rated..but what do u want from a colonge other than to smell good? dont listen to the crap they say about this..this is a very good colonge last long and smells nice..buy it if u can afford it.... its probly in the top 10 colonges that i have ever bought..anyway i give a thumbs up..

Let's all stop being intellectually dishonest; this EDT smells fantastic from start to finish, and that's what the "thumbs" rating should be based on. On the other hand, ADG is also as played out as possible, so I really can't recommend it. If anything, if you've never smelled this definately get yourself a tester and find out what all the hullaballoo is about.

That's right, you heard me...

hullaballoo

It's a classic, that's all that can be said. It seems this one set the standard for comparison on the others (and there are tons of them).

Still . . It's a great original work from a brilliant house, just mimicked way, WAY too much. BUT . . .

Imitation is the greatest form of flattery they say! :-)

great aquatic but 360 red is cheaper.wonderful melony smell that women love.

I just can't give this a thumbs up. It smells decent. When I first purchased this years ago it was distinctive enough where I felt like I was wearing something that stood out for summer. Not only has that changed but so did my feeling for the scent. It now goes on like bug spray and is almost caustic on me, even on drydown. I just cant wear this with confidence anymore.

Very fresh fragance and what else? Not class here, not original product. Boring in my view.
Not bad, I recommended for summer time.....but I repeat, a lot of fragances smell like Aqua di Gio.
I prefer exclusive stuffs like Terre d Hermes. Nothing more to say.

Overrated in my book. Also can be used for Bugspray. No cologne should ever smell like this. If you want a REAL cologne, try Aramis.

I am using Acqua di Gio for about six months....Personally I like it a lot....but unfortunately i am usually the only one who smells it......it keeps itself to your skin......low sillage. Longitivity is about 6 hours.....

Another problem with this perfume is that there is nothing special left about this perfume....everyone wears it and everyone knows it.

So for me its an everyday perfume specially for office

I'm a university student, and have to agree that this cologne is wayyyy too common among young guys. I like the scent itself, but when entire hallways reek of it, it gets to be headache-inducing. Also, I found that when applied to my skin, the reaction with my skin's natural chemicals caused the scent to vanish only minutes after it was put on.

Nothing new or special. Sweet clean scent that you always smell passing by in the mall/street/wherever. I will say that it is nice once it has dried down. But be forewarned that this scent has a Very short lasting strength. I can spray 8 or 9 sprays on, and by lunch it has dissapated completely(and yes I asked others around me, it simply doesn't last). For the right person and body chemistry you may get better lasting power, but for the cost it's not quite worth it. Never buy this from Armani, it's not worth over 50$ and ebay usually sells it off for under 30$. Wouldn't buy again, but it at least is nice.

Great fresh scent created by Alberto Morillas. Has had many immitations, very popular with women, a must have.

I have a small bottle of this at my beach house. It just seemed to be the right location for an ideal warm weather fragrance. Best way to describe it? Clean citrus.

Ah, the age old question. How would you like your salad, with lemon or Acqua di Gio on top?

This smells like a mush, made of melon, lemon and desperation. So generic and overused, it is sickening. Fratboy meets 'wanna-get-laid' tonight personality. Very very mass market. I think it is the male counterpart of Angel: two incredibly overrated, overused and one note, food-like smelling scents that make me wanna cringe.

And it is always the 'Angel girls' who find the 'Gio guys' attractive. It is not even fresh anymore, during summer days under the heat, it only brings out a sickeningly sweet aura of the base notes. Perfect for the American market though. And unfortunately, changed the face of men's fragrances forever, or at least all the summer releases/ Eau Fraiche editions of fragrances. Kinda sad.

A classic frag I wuld say, the scent is long lasting, fresh floral, sweet ad masculine. The only problem with this is that it's everyone's favorite, making it kind of a typical scent smelled everyday once you entered the staffroom...

Hmm...smells very good, I get a lot of compliments from women on what it is that I am wearing. Girls love it. But don't tell them what you're wearing so that they'll keep thinking about you. ;]

I use to love it(age22),but now that I am older(age34) I lean toward more niche fragrance houses now. If you want a Mans Aquatic go out and smell Erolfa by Creed. because this was once a favorite of mine,I will give it a thumbs up!

Good for athletic activities and summer days, but nothing special at all.

Although it is one of the most commonly used fragrances out there i'm still a fan. Behind every following there is a reason and AdG is no exception. The scent not only drives 9 out of every 10 women wild but if fragrances were a casino this would be the safest bet in the house. It's still a staple in my collection and I wear it about once a week. Good overall FRESH scent.

C-L-A-S-S-I-C!!! Girls love this scent. Best worn on a hot sunny day, not offending. Great for all occasion...

Even though I am new with fragrances, I can tell that this is a little too generic. I have smelled this before. The hints of the earthier flowers are light on top with the white rose support. Good to just wear when you can't think of anything else to wear or you're going to a boring gathering and want to be nondescript but have a pleasant aroma aura about yourself. Other reviews say it good for summer and I have to agree, it just doesn't go with the colder months.

I love it. Very fresh, clean and light. Great for every day wear. I used to wear this one a lot. But it has become far too common. Everyone knows what it is, and too many people are wearing it. But you got to expect this one to be common as it is a wonderful fragrance. Its a classic, and will either be around for a VERY long time, or will always be remembered. I can see this one becoming discontinued and then re released in 20 years. Just because its so good.

I have owned Acqua di Gio pour Homme, since it hit the market. I like this fragrance, but it has become so common, that I hardly wear it anymore. I usually put it on during a hot humid summer day, when I'm hanging around my home. I rarely wear this one out. Acqua di Gio's market success has made it become very familiar and pedestrian.

Yes this is overworn. And the fragrance has become 'cheap' smelling as a result. Bright lemony sweetness that is manly and fresh. My advice, buy it and don't touch it for 5 years. It is a classic, so don't worry about it going out of style. If anything, it is out of style right now since everybody and their father is rocking this tirelessly.

I never liked this one to me it smells like roach spray I tried it several times but it's a no no for me

Light and fresh, but with reasonable staying power, sillage and accessability.

Light, clean and citrusy. Fresh, and yes, it does have a light tea quality.

This is one of those trend-setter fragrances - that so many other companies copy, and very poorly I might add, flooding the market with headache- and sinus-inducing, overly sweet "me-toos"...and yes, a multitude of people wear it, and it is generic in the same sense as Cool Water, CK One and Issey Miyake, insofar as they are TREND-SETTERS and generic ORIGINATORS...not the crap that floats around every department store corner...

6/10.

It's not strange at all this fragrance is popular, it really is a very nice discrete, soft and light citrus tea scent.

It is very strange this fragrance is so popular, because it doesn't stand out, it is too discrete and light and doesn't contain a sharp musk note.
(And I thought "good taste" was a quality that only concerned a happy few)

It is unfortunate that this fragrance is so popular, because I like it very much, but do not wanna smell like everybody else.

Oh well, DKNY Men is similar in a way, but less floral and with an even stronger tea scent.

I love this scent, the problem is so does every other man under 25. Perfect nowadays if your goal is to be like everyone else, especially if you are in high school or college.

On the plus side it is pleasant although very recognizable now. Longevity is great, and this is probably the best aquatic still.

If you have no creativity or imagination, this bad boy if for you!

This is a nice summer scent (fresh and clean), but everybody on this world got this scent. I don´t want to smell like everybody. It´s a classic.

I like to call it Acqua di Conformity. If your goal is to remind your wife or girlfriend of one of her ex-boyfriends, this is the cologne for you. It's not a bad smelling scent, I used to wear it in college, but so did half of men on campus. I stopped wearing it when a friend told me that every single guy in his frat house owned it. Enough said.

CLASSIC! My signature scent. Perfect for all year around. Long lasting. Gets compliments. The ladies love it. Perfect chemistry on my skin.

I've used Acqua di Giò as my primary fragrance for ten years now, and I still love it, which speaks a lot about it's qualities I think. I've never come across another fragrance that smells anything remotely close to it, and it feels just as fresh and delightful now as it did ten years ago.

The only possibly downside to Acqua di Giò that I can think of is that it's so popular and well-known that one might feel a bit unoriginal wearing it, but has absolutely nothing to do with the fragrance itself.

Not much else to add = aquatic scent. Longetivity, sillage excellent. Personally, I just don't like the scent. Very commercialised and possible a victim of its own success as 'me too' fragrance.

My daughter's 20 year old (ex)boyfriend used to wear this. It was o.k. I guess. He used to strut around all cocky and whatnot...leaving me with an obviously bad impression! All in all a mediocre scent.

its nice one.i used wear 10 years ago in the collage,one of the oh you smell good scent.its not my taste anymore

I consider this the best fragrance ever made. Armani has overall excellent quality in their fragrances (black code, armani pour homme) and this is the best they have done.

But yes, I too can feel that it is to common and maybe a little worned out. I'm looking for the new absolute best fragrance. I can also symphatize with "ifconfig" because I know with note you are referring to, I have smelled it sometimes and it can be annoying if you smell this scent too much.

But it really is the IDEAL for the average young man, aged 18-35. Everything you need: fresh, sexy, mystic and masculine. On a young man during the summer months it is unbeatable to date if you ask me. The charts don't lie.

But, I do hope for some tough competition among summer fragrances 2007.

There I was with her in a fragrance shop, trying out new fragrances. She told me that this is her favorite and asked me to try this on. So I did.

A nice, refreshing, airy, lively scent was what I had expected, but the experience was more like that of wearing a detergent or a toilet cleaner. Made me wonder why it is so popular. Perhaps the majority of the people like the smell of air fresheners?

On the other hand, it *was* midwinter when I tried it on. So I'll give it the benefit of doubt and, perhaps, try again in the summertime.

At first i really liked this fragrance, but after awhile it just becomes really annoying. It literally clings on to you, you will still smell it on your clothes a few days later. At first it was a pleasant surprise, but you get so sick of the fragrance easily, after awhile you just won't be able to stand it.

The fact that women recognize this smell, unlike some concensus, is a good thing. Most reactons I've received with this smell are positive, others are of mere recognition (which isn't a bad one). It smells good, and one spray can do about 3-4 hours.

A love affair gone terribly, terribly bad.

My first aquaintance with this fragrance was heady and wonderful, but with time, this thing has turned sour. There's this underlying jarring note that I can't place running through the heart-, and base-notes, like I'm smelling a wonderful perfume in the toilet.

I will not be buying this thing, which is unfortunate because I really wanted to like this fragrance.

Used to like this when I first got into cologne. Now everyone wears it and it just smells like soap to me now.

I'd rather prefer Just Me for men by Paris Hilton, smells like this but a lot more mature and all around better.

This is one my favorite summer frags. Its ideal for reagular use becuase it is a fresh scent that isn't overpowering. Great especially when used casually. In the years to come this will be known as classic scent.

Too commonplace but man does it smell good. I think most of the criticism is unjustified. A solid, clean summer scent that doesn't scream for attention. I would agree that the white musk in base makes this good. If you haven't tried this before then give it a shot and see what YOU think.

Guess this soporific of a scent goes to show ya just why many in the American public oughtn't vote, reproduce, or carry firearms. That THIS less-than-mediocre scent -- of all scents -- should be "number one" is not terribly different from the idiocy of Dubya being President.

It is kinda played out, but its still good. i think it gets too sweet on my skin sometimes, so maybe not for daytime use. have a nice day!

I like this scent, a very strong and lasting cologne that is good for the summer months. I love the white musk in the basenotes that comes through and shines, this is a must for any armani fan to have in their wardrobe of colognes.

Thin and watery. A scent I could envision the cartoon character Aquaman wearing (while under water). Actually, its really not that bad of a scent. Its just incredibly boring.

Ugh. I have smelled this so many times on drunken nights, while in clubs/bars, etc. A mere whiff of this toxic concoction makes me want to vomit.

Has to be one of the most overrated colognes out there today.

something for the younger crowd. nice and watery. thumbs up and the only negative that I can find is that it was too popular. I remember smelling this in the mall on 4 different people. bought it for my nephew. he told me the girls talks about how good he smells.

Giò is an ordinary perfume. which was overrated by peoples. makes vomit and
those who said it's Acqua di Watermelon all right.

I like it enough to give this a thumbs up. The scent itself is very nice, lightly fruity and somewhat watery but not aquatic to me. Fresh, cool and soft, i think the sillage it's not out of this world.
The longevity might vary widely depending on the user. On me, it's so-so.(wich is composed of mostly, white ambery musks).
Safe and nice, i can see why it's been a smash for years and years. It doesn't take my breath away, i don't think it's a scent that will go down in history as a very unique or original fragrance, as it feels almost too safe and regular. Not the typical men's fragrance either as it doesn't smell like the hesperide- citrus-woods or pines of yore. That everyone has this one? who cares about that anymore?

Not even close to the best fragrance in the world like some here say. It's not even lightyears close to being the greatest fragrance in the world. I don't understand the mass appeal for this. If you want an aquatic scent that is actually good, then try Bvlgari Aqva or Mare. This fragrance is nothing special at all. I'd rather just wash my clothes, it pretty much gives the same feeling. Cannot understand why this is the best seeling fragrance.

This is completely ubiquitous for a reason. I think it's fantastic. I usually dislike men's colognes, which I feel can be too heavy and overbearing (doesn't help when the wearer bathes himself in it, either). But I had a boyfriend who wore this, and I just about died. For a men's cologne, it's light but impacting. Unless your body chemistry makes it smell like trash, guys really CANNOT go wrong with this one.

An incredible fragrence to smell if you prefer something light, cool, fresh, and crisp over something heavy like Envy. Acqua di Gio smells incredible after 20 minutes, but it does stay "smell-able" more than two hours after applications. It's also magic when it comes to compliments from girls. It's a super-safe fragrence, since it is quite common, but nonetheless, it pleases.

Good, fresh, nice scent, but EVERYONE and their little brother owns this scent. I once had a girl correctly guess which scent I was wearing becuase her boyfriend wore the same scent.

A light refreshing daytime scent. I enjoyed it, but, like Cool Water, it is far too popular / common.

something unsettling about this one, sour and salty at the same time and cloying. I don't understand the mass appeal

A light refreshing aquatic scent that is not too strong, and is a real nice to wear, only everyone and their mother wears it. It's disheartening when you go to friend's house, and even his mother is wearing the same cologne. We might as well stamp barcodes on all our heads. I'm still not going to knock this stuff, I like it enough to wear home from the pool sometimes despite it's popularity.

meet the one person who never purchased this fragrance. acqua di gio is my life! - NOT
at least i try to be different from the rest of the planet.

Where I live, Aqua Velva and Old Spice are de rigeur, so Acqua di Gio is not well known. That said, I don't like it. There's a sour grass note in the mix that one can easily achieve by spending a few hours in a silo.

Fresh and beautiful? Yes. Boring and predictable? Yes. One of the safest fragrances around these days, Acqua is just too popular for its own good. I think it carries a lot of weight in the United States because people like to hear the Armani name associated with their purchase. There is only one person who wears this fragrance anymore, "I'm a middle-class white guy who knows all about luxury and having a good time." Run from the trend, not towards it. Gio at least opens the door for me to smell original with Aramis Surface and Givenchy BL. You can't go wrong buying this one, but that isn't to say a lot is going to go right, either. Safe and unoriginal to the extreme, which is sad considering this actually set the stage for all those aquatic scents that make this so bland. After the current trend dies down, it might not be bad to bring it back out, but until then...

This fragrance has MAJOR longevity problems. I love the initial burst of fresh herbal and marine notes, but it simply does not last long enough on me to make it worthwhile. Great fragrance notes, refreshingly minimalistic frosted glass bottle, but it simply does not last long enough for anyone (including me) to smell it 30 minutes after application.

Forget this smell conjuring images of a fun day by the ocean, all I can associate this scent with is loud frat boys. That being said, it is overall relatively pleasant, but not only can you smell pleasant without feeling like an abnoxious frat boy but you can find scents like this that are flat out better. Bulgari's take on Aqua, for instance, is simply put a better version of this scent. You won't feel like a tool wearing it either.

This is a good cologne. But it is used so often that I have come to hate the scent. I smell it 5-10 times a day on campus. This is a problem: a great cologne should smell different on different people. I myself have worn it, but don't intend to ever again for this reason.

I wanted to say no completely only because its sooo popular..I use to wear it back around 2000 until I was at a mall and I smelled it around a group of teenagers. And that's when I said its time to move on. Bottom line is that its a nice scent but for the younger croud and if you wanna smell like everybody else, hey I bought my 15 year old nephew a bottle this past christmas. And he loves it in fact those girls are going crazy over him in school and aqua plays a part in that...

This cologne is not overrated, it's just overused. It smells ok, the drydown is generic. The cologne in general is generic. I wear it sometimes because my girlfriend likes it. Armani makes way better colognes, I wish stores like wal mart would market these, instead of Drakkar and Acqua. It's good if you like aqua and smelling like 50% of the people in the room.

No need to explain what this one smells like as most people who wear cologne have probably tried it once before... Acqua di Gio is it's own worst enemy... if it werent so popular it would probably be liked more. One of the best no matter how you slice it.

An excellent scent, but over played. Too many people have it so I rarely wear it. Masculine. Citron.