Neroli Portofino (2007)
by Tom Ford

Overpriced neroli cologne.

Beautifully crafted Neroli scent, characteristic of Tom Ford's elegant style and adherence to high standards in his production of the Private Blend Collection.

Neroli Portofino has a classic eau de cologne quality, made fancier by the inclusion of fancy supporting notes that all create a fresh, bright, clean lemony citrus and spice effect. I feel transported to a sunny Italian portside, feeling the warm breeze and smelling the seaside beckoning me to explore it.

Amazing how sharply divided reviews have been for this one! It seems to be based on what one's expectations are for this EdP compared to other such fragrances each one has experienced, as well as the longevity issue of Neroli Portofino.

As for me, I enjoy this elegant, alluring scent and give it a strong thumbs up!

I'll make this short: it's the exact scent of 4711 Eau de Cologne with better longevity. The scent itself is mesmerizing and spectacular (as is the scent of 4711, upon which this is based). But the longevity is only moderate at around 4-5 hours - which is an improvement to 4711 as that only lasts 2 hours if you're lucky, but it's nothing groundbreaking. And it's way overpriced. If you have the cash, then by all means get Neroli Portofino Forte for something better that lasts even longer. But if you don't want to pay that much, Bond No. 9's Eau de New York is just superior to this in every way and for less money. And the best cheap alternative to Neroli Portofino is Ferrari's Bright Neroli. But if you want something more 'green', then go for Mugler Cologne.

However if you really just want the Neroli Portofino scent to last on you for 8 hours and don't want to keep spritzing 4711 Eau de Cologne in a travel atomizer, then listen to my advice and get the perfume oil version of this for $6 from the Kuwaiti perfume oil company "Universal Perfume Oils and Cosmetics" (Google it). It's exactly the same as Neroli Portofino but with better projection and 8 hours longevity. And a 3 ml bottle of the oil should last you ages. You now have knowledge of the best kept secret in perfume buying.

5/5

Much has been said and made of Neroli Portofino, perhaps one of the first fragrances in the modern era to explore the highly concentrated eau de cologne style. Perhaps this is a marvel of modern technology, possible only in this day and age.

Neroli Portofino is essentially a super concentrated version of the classic cologne (4711) structure. It has a bright, sparkling neroli opening that persists an appreciable amount of time on skin before subsiding to a subtle ambery base. It has appreciable sillage initially and rather good tenacity considering it's basically an amplified eau de cologne.

But there is a caveat.

Personally I'm not certain whether more concentration is always better in the case of eau de colognes. A traditional cologne aims to be refreshing, invigorating and provide brief joy and upliftment, meant to reapplied every hour or two. A super concentrated cologne, therefore, could essentially be self-defeating in its purpose.

If one is just looking for a long-lasting fresh fragrance, there are numerous more exciting options in forms of fresh florals, fresh vetivers and even aquatics.

Secondly, since Tom Ford did Neroli Portofino, everyone has tried to do their own Neroli Portofino aka concentrated cologne. For instance, Malle's Cologne Indelebile (very much alike to Neroli Portofino itself, except for having a clean white musk base) seems to have even more radiance and tenacity than Neroli Portofino.

Personally I prefer traditional eau de colognes (Nicolai, Mugler, Guerlain, Hermes....), fresh florals (Chanel Cristalle), fresh vetivers (Guerlain, Tom Ford, Lubin), aquatics (Bulgari Aqua, Sel Marin) or simply concentrated colognes that are more innovative (many from Atelier Cologne, and possibly others).

While the opening is very invigorating, it can come across as screechy on a bad day.

Note: While I believe this was the first 'concentrated eau de cologne' on the market, I shall be very grateful if anyone is able to point to another 'concentrated eau de cologne' released contemporaneously or earlier.



P.S. My recommendation? Try Mugler Cologne, which is one-tenth the price and ten times as fun. It doesn't last as long on skin, but lasts longer in memory.


2.5/5

Another Neroli fragrance.
I tried both versions (normal and intense). Intense is a bit more interesting, bitter, different, but projects less. Normal is more acid and fruity. Smells like a good eau de Cologne. A bit disappointing.