Acqua di Giò Profumo (2015)
by Giorgio Armani

Love this frag. Great strong fresh citrus opening. Great spring/summer daytime fragrence. Easily a blind buy for anyone and a must own

I like this overall. Had worn the original ADG as it came out in the '90s and liked it. Aquatics however were not really my thing and I moved on. Very pleased though with the Profumo version, although as has been said previously, if you didn't like the original, there's not a lot new here to make you change your mind. But I think there's a bit more depth overall, and I get a bit of black tea with the incense, rather than much patchouli. But even with this more mature version of ADG, the calone vibe is still there, and that aquatic side can be cloying. I learned the hard way on a Christmas morning as I opened it, giving myself three large spritzes and being overwhelmed with the aquatic wave that resulted. But with a less-is-more approach, this is very refined. It's a quality scent and a definite compliment-getter. Good stuff.

I am struggling here in view of all the great reviews. Basically this is similar to Hugo Boss unlimited so its a freshy on the upper end of the spectrum of mediocrity veering towards the generic less aquatic than HBU and here we have more depth and masculinity so teeters into thumbs up. Could even be a crowd pleaser but you'd feel guilty with the compliments because you know this is the lazy choice. There is just much better out there and its not cheap.

How do you solve a problem like Profumo?

Profumo is in the style of fragrance that I immediately makes me think of as being "cologne-y." It's abstract and its accords don't neatly correlate to real-world aromatic experiences.

The opening of Profumo causes me to recoil a bit. There's nothing genuinely watery/ozonic/marine about the sea notes here (a version of this with a real sea spray feel, maybe some seaweed, would be much more appealing to me), and the bergamot is the "shower gel" kind, unrealistic and thin, rather than juicy and sharp. The mid and base get more interesting, though, with the smoky quality of the "incense" creeping in, but it still feels shallow to me.

I can't help but feel that Bvlgari Aqva Amara was the superior "designer incense aquatic" of this era, but nevertheless both it and Profumo would have benefited from more realism and richness being given to the notes they each list in their respective note pyramids.

I was always a bit put off by original Acqua di Gio. It just never really seemed to click with me. Was very light and way too fleeting. I never understood how it was so popular.

When this came out, I was a bit jaded, but saw some positive reviews coming in from all quarters.

I took a leap and blind bought it.

It is quite good. They tinkered it in a way that made it a bit more substantial than the 90s calone monsters. That lighter aspect is still there, but folded in nicely with some other notes.

It's pleasant and versatile. Great work scent. Good easy reach scent for sure.

A strong two thumbs up on this one.