Acqua di Gio Profondo Lights (2023) Full Review
Profondo Lights.
A flanker of one of the best Acqua di Gio fragrances.
Acqua di Gio Profondo Lights was released in 2021. It is based on aromatics, citruses, spices, and woods. It lasts five hours on the skin with moderate to light projection. In this review, I will describe its smell, performance, and if it’s worth it.
Table of Contents
What Does Acqua di Gio Profondo Lights Smell Like?
The opening is led by a variety of notes. Green cypress and bright, citric mandarin are the most prominent. Warm and spicy cardamom plays second fiddle in the background. They aren’t as prominent as I’d hope they’d be, but still allure attention. All of this sits atop the signature Acqua di Gio backbone.
The citruses fade, the scent develops, and Profondo Lights emphasizes greens and aromatics more. With its herbal, spicy nature, rosemary fills the void while cardamom strengthens. The backbone is still marine and woody notes.
Profondo Lights is a complex fragrance. The first hour to two, it constantly develops its notes, whether the weakening, strengthening, addition, or subtraction of notes.
The mid is the same as the first few minutes, but with a significantly stronger cardamom that has lost fresh Mandarin accents. There is a lavender addition that soothes the herbal rosemary, stopping it from becoming too green but retaining freshness.
The dry-down finishes as the original Profondo but with less intensity. It is green and fresh with dominant aquatic notes. In the background are touches of musk and wood. This is what you’ll smell for the rest of the wear.
Acqua di Gio Profondo Lights notes:
TOP NOTES
- Sea Notes
- Green Mandarin
- Cardamom
MID NOTES
- Rosemary
- Balsam Fir
- Cypress
- Mastic
- Lavender
BASE NOTES
- Vetiver
- Cedar
- Patchouli
Performance
The longevity is in the five-hour range with moderate to light projection. The first one to two hours, when the opening and mid are constantly changing, pushes out an arm’s length. Once the scent settles, so does the projection. The rest of the wear recedes to a light ambiance.
It pushes out one foot, not becoming a skin scent til the five-hour mark. In the right conditions, I have gotten six hours, but I have also gotten four hours on the days it was colder than expected. The sillage is no better. It leaves a scent trail as you move, but nothing that hangs in the air well.
This performance is with five sprays. The projection is not the best, but it is a common problem for most Acqua di Gio fragrances. It’s difficult to find a big projector based on citruses and aquatics.
Profonodo Lights is spring and summer wear. The addition of warm cardamom helps it perform slightly better in cooler temperatures. As for occasions, it is all. It shines on casual and office wear because of its sophisticated and lowkey nature.
The mass appeal and likability are above-average. This is the main reason it is great for office wear. There’s nothing decisive about this fragrance. Not that you should, but you could overspray Profundo Lights and not overwhelm anyone.
Lastly, the uniqueness is average. Deep down, this is an Acqua di Gio fragrance and, more precisely, a noticeable flanker of the original Profondo. Without considering the other Acqua di Gio’s, there’s nothing special about an aromatic and aquatic-based fragrance.
Final Words
The final burning question is, is Acqua di Gio Profondo Lights worth it? No. I thoroughly enjoyed testing this fragrance. I enjoy the original Profondo, so I had high hopes for Lights. The problem is that it is similar and doesn’t provide additional value.
There is warm cardamom spice, but deep down, they are 80-90% the same scent development.
*At the time of writing, Acqua di Gio Profondo Lights has been discontinued and can only be purchased on eBay.
If you try Acqua di Gio Profondo Lights, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.