Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Just Starting Out › Acqua Di Gio...Is there an alternative?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Acqua Di Gio...Is there an alternative?

post #1 of 18
4/25/07 at 10:15pm
Thread Starter 
Hey, it's Mike. I'm new here.

Quick question for everyone, whether they're a grizzled veteran or a newcomer like myself.

I spent most of my teenage-adult life neglecting to purchase a fragrance. One day back in October, I stumbled upon a cologne that quickly changed my mind.

Acqua Di Gio was its name, and at the time, I was completely unaware of its obscene popularity.

I want to move on to something a bit more exclusive. A bit more classy. Granted, I absolutely adore Acqua. I love everything about it.

I just hate the fact that everyone knows exactly what I'm wearing.

Is there an alternative with the same type of smell? Is there something as clean, crisp, and, dare I say it...Fruity? I love all of the notes this thing hits, and I believe it's been the number one selling cologne for all of these years for good reason.

Let's put it this way: The only reason I'm considering swapping to something new is because of its popularity. Otherwise, I love this "style" of scent.

Is A*Men really as good as people say? Anyone have any suggestions?

I cannot thank you folks enough, and I look forward to hearing back.

Thanks again!
Reply
Reply
post #2 of 18
4/25/07 at 11:06pm
Hey Mike, Welcome to Basenotes.

Some clean and fresh scents that come to mind are Bvlgari Pour Homme, Bvlgari Pour Homme Extreme, Paco Rabanne XS. Chanel Platnium Egoiste also has a "crispyness" to it. I like Ralph Lauren Romance as well, I find that it is refreshing and crisp, but the general consenses here is that their are better scents out there. Other things you might like to try out are Terre d'Hermes (kinda smells like clean dirt in the drydown, not sure if you'll want that), Live Jazz, Mugler Cologne, Geir.

I suggest you try some of these out to find something you might like. Most can be found at Sephora or a department store counter. As for A*Men, when I first started I didn't like it. It has grew on me a lot since then, but I don't think of it as something I can wear everyday. It seems to be better for special occassions, and especially in cooler weather.

Well, good luck and have fun! and good job on spelling it Acqua and not Aqua haha!


EDIT: Also, don't forget to check the Basenotes Directory for reviews to help you find more information on something you might like.
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 18
4/25/07 at 11:07pm
If you really like ADG..then I'd suggest trying these...some of these are really familiar to ADG....or in the same class, or at least worth checking out:

Aramis Life
Azzaro Chrome
Bulgari Aqua
Dior Higher
Essenza Di Zegna
Givenchy Pour Homme (Red Bottle)
Emporio Armani White
Haltson Unbound (Heard this ones really close and a lot cheap..like 10 bucks cheap)
L'eau D'Issey Pour Homme (Heard it's popular)
Paco Rabanne XS

Maybe more on the pricey side....harder to get..maybe more unique in the masses:

Creed Himalaya, Silver Mountain Water, Erolfa or Millesime Imperial
Geir Ness EDP for Men
Bond No. 9 New Hamptons

This should keep you company...and for Angel Men..just test it out but I heard this just as popular as ADG...so maybe not so unique and a lot different then a fresh fruity scent...it's very sweet and strong with notes of chocolate, tar and patchouli.
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 18
4/26/07 at 5:46am
2 scents that i think have the same essences you mentioned (clean, crisp, a tad fruity)

are hermes

Un Jardin sur le Nil

and

Un Jardin En Mediterranee

not exactly literal twins to acqua di gio but similar in spirit i think
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 18
4/26/07 at 7:04am
I've owned l 'Eau Dissey for about 2 years now and that comes to mind absolutely!

It is very floral and citrusy at first smell....dont be turned away believe me, the drydown is awesome in warm weather. That, to me is a warm weather scent...it actually gets better in the drydown!

Another onw which is safe and nice is Allure Sport from Chanel. Just got the bottle yesterday. It is the Sport smell of the 2000's lol.

Also Bvlgari Extreme is a clean fresh scent with an air of "Detergent" after smell, but it is a nice alternative and I think people wont know what your wearing with this one. It's good though.

I have a pretty "safe" wardrobe. I lke mettalic scents and I HAVE owned Acqua Di Gio years ago when it first came out. Now I smell it and it goes on me like Citronella or pledge..lol I dont wear it anymore.

DEFINATELY...check out your local perfumery and tell them what your looking for and go through a whole shit load of em. Take the spray cards home with you and do some smelling, you'll pick the ones you like.

Good luck!
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 18
4/26/07 at 9:16am
I second the L' Eau D'Issey by Issey Miyake recommendation.

Another recommendation: Colonia Assoluta by Acqua di Parma.

Welcome to BN!
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 18
4/26/07 at 12:58pm
Hey, Mike,
Welcome!

Because of Acqua Di Gio's massive popularity, it's no surprise that it gets a lot of hazing around here. You're ahead of the game, because you're essentially already aware of that.

Everyone else has already made good suggestions, so I won't pile on.

I'll just say this.. yes, A*men is great... to me. It's a very divisive fragrance, though... be sure to try it first. I predict that, as is the case with most newbies (and many non-newbies), when you smell it, you'll be shocked! It's megastrong.

Cheers, Dave
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 18
4/26/07 at 2:07pm
Hey Mike,

"grizzled veteran"...nice touch

You might want to test Kenneth Cole Reaction. Good luck and take care.


Mike
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 18
4/26/07 at 7:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisW View Post

I like Ralph Lauren Romance as well, I find that it is refreshing and crisp, but the general consenses here is that their are better scents out there.

I like it too, but I was wondering what you had to say about its longevity?
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 18
4/27/07 at 5:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by genvy5 View Post

I like it too, but I was wondering what you had to say about its longevity?

It lasted a surprisingly long time the last time I wore it this past weekend. I sprayed it liberally about 5-6 times on my neck and chest. It lasted from early afternoon all the way until late evening. I hadn't worn it since the summer before that.
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 18
4/27/07 at 9:41am
All of the above are good recommendations. If you need clean, fresh and fruity, try:

Calvin Klein Escape
Eau de Cartier
Chanel Pour Monsieur
K. Cole Reaction
Creed Erolfa
Creed Milliseme Imperial

A-Men, as mentioned, is better for cooler weather. But good, in sparse application.
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 18
5/7/07 at 1:21pm
unbound by halston
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 18
5/7/07 at 2:53pm
How much are you willing to spend?

In the affordable range

Bulgari Aqua (or Bvlgari Aqva, as they say it on the bottle )
Bulgari Pour Homme
L'Eau d'Issey (but if you're concerned about ADG's popularity, you might aviod this one...)
Mugler Cologne
Terre d'Hermes (don't worry, it doesn't smell exactly like clean dirt...more of a watery/mineralic/spicy tone to me...you should definitely try it)
Eau de Cartier Concentree (with the gree juice...I think that's what it's called)

In the extravagant range
Most of the recent Creeds (Green Irish Tweed, Millesime Imperial, Erolfa, SIlver Mountain Water, etc etc etc)
Acqua di Parma
Bond no. 9 Bleecker Street, Wall Street, Central Park, or Hamptons.
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 18
5/8/07 at 6:20pm
Let me put another vote in for Paco Rabanne XS - it is fresh, powerful and relatively distinct. A*Men is a great scent, but if Acqua Di Gio is what you like, well.... let's just say be sure to test it first!
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 18
5/9/07 at 6:03am
My choice for something like Acqua di Gio but different would be Bulgari Aqva. I rather like Allure Homme Sport as well; it has a non-cloying vanilla base IMHO with an aquatic start.
Reply
Reply
post #16 of 18
5/9/07 at 7:41am
I agree with Allure Sport for a substitute for A. D. Gio.
Reply
Reply
post #17 of 18
5/11/07 at 10:15pm
Follia di Aquarama is something along the same lines.
Reply
Reply
post #18 of 18
5/13/07 at 7:30am
I'll echo the recommendations for Halston Unbound and Kenneth Cole Reaction. I'll also add to the list Givenchy Blue Label. Finding a scent similar to Acqua di Gio is not hard as many companies have made their own version of it.
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Just Starting Out
Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Just Starting Out › Acqua Di Gio...Is there an alternative?