4 Best Acqua di Gio Colognes (2023) Full Review

Acqua di Gio.

One of the most popular fragrance lines for men.

This review will describe the four best Acqua di Gio colognes. I will detail their smell, performance, and anything else you need to know about them.

*Unfortunately, Acqua di Gio Profumo has been discontinued and removed from the list.

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#4 – Acqua di Gio EDT

 The opening is profoundly fresh and bright. Acqua di Gio is an aromatic aquatic fragrance; you’ll smell like the ocean and surely get noticed. 

A recurring theme of Acqua di Gio is harmony between sharp citrus and masculine woody notes. The opening is bright and has a juicy freshness. When you count all the notes, there are 25 different accords. 

However, the most prominent are citrus, florals, sea notes, musk, and woods. The citrus duo creates a fresh aroma.

After the opening, the citrus fades quickly, transitioning from a fresh to a clean smell. What I mean by this is that as the citruses fade, the fragrance loses the bitter brightness of the citrus.

As the scent develops, there is an amplified calone and sea note. These accords stay present for the rest of the wear. Once the scent is entirely developed. 

Acqua di Gio smells clean, with masculine musk and wood accords in the background. Combined with a sea smell, the clean floral accord of jasmine gives a sweet residue.

Acqua di Gio EDT Performance

• Longevity: 6 hours
• Projection & Sillage: 1-2 hours and 2 feet, then fades
• Versatility: All seasons and occasions; weak in the colder temperatures
• Uniqueness: Average
• Compliments & Likability: Above Average
• Cost for Value: Above Average

#3 – Acqua di Gio EDP

The overarching emphasis in the opening is freshness and brightness. I catch green Mandarin orange leading the charge. It is more zesty than sweet and grabs attention. In the background are sea notes and aromatics.

At first, the sea notes sit in the background and provide support. At the same time, the geranium and sage aromatics amplify the freshness of the citric mandarin orange.

Over time, the citric nature will fade, and the aromatics will get more intense, retaining the fresh nature.

In the dry down, the mineral note will come out to play. The last subtle additions in the base are woody vetiver nuances and a patchouli note that jumps to the forefront of the aromatics.

The rest of the wear is fresh aromatics, woody nuances, and a mineral sea note backbone.

EDP lasts just as long as the Profumo and gains additional versatility. The extra density allows it to be better used in the winter. The citrus rollback makes it the most mature and sophisticated of all versions.

It is like the EDP grew up with the young men who bought Pour Homme in the 90s and early 2000s.

Acqua di Gio EDP Performance

• Longevity: Same as Profondo
• Projection & Sillage: Same as Profondo
• Versatility: Slightly better than the rest of the Acqua di Gio line
• Uniqueness: Same as Profumo and Profondo
• Compliments & Likability: Slightly less than Profumo and Profondo since its more mature and sophisticated
• Cost for Value: Same as Profondo

#2 – Acqua di Gio Profondo

The opening is juicy, green, and fresh. The most prominent notes are bergamot, green mandarin, and sea notes. A synthetic molecule called Aquozone creates the aquatic aroma.

A mineral accord is in the background of the opening and throughout the entire scent. Combined with the aquatic tones, it creates an almost rocky ocean vibe, like you are with the coral reefs rather than a sandy clear blue ocean.

As the scent progresses, an array of notes make it sweeter and greener.

For the rest of the wear, it only gets greener while retaining freshness. Aquatic notes dominate the dry down. In the background is a green tinge and touches of musk.

In summary, Profondo is mass-appealing with its ocean vibe theme. It is the most masculine of all versions and carries more depth.

This translates to its performance which is better than Pour Homme and Profumo.

Acqua di Gio Profondo Performance

• Longevity: 8 hours
• Projection & Sillage: 2-3 hours and 2 feet, then fades
• Versatility: Same as Profumo
• Uniqueness: Same as Profumo
• Compliments & Likability: Same as Profumo
• Cost for Value: Slightly better than both EDT and Profumo

#1 – Acqua di Gio Parfum

The opening is an intense blast of aromatics. There is a degree of sweetness with herbal and green accents. Much of this comes from the three mid-notes. I smell citric bergamot, but it’s not as prominent as the aromatics.

In the background, there is an aquatic freshness.

Like Profumo, it has more cool saltiness than refreshing aquatics. The mid stays similar to the opening with fresh aromatics. There is a slightly earthy patchouli note creeping up from the base. It gives a decent woody depth to the fragrance.

The dry down is simple. The woody patchouli gets stronger while a decent dose of incense from olibanum is added. Much of the aromatics have faded but left their freshness.

The rest of the wear is fresh wood and incense. This is a close replica of the now-discontinued Acqua di Gio Profumo.

Acqua di Gio Parfum Performance

• Longevity: 8 hours
• Projection & Sillage: Moderate
• Versatility: All seasons and occasions
• Uniqueness: Similar to Acqua di Gio line
• Compliments & Likability: Excellent
• Cost for Value: Excellent

Final Words

The Acqua di Gio line is one of the best in fragrances because of the sheer quality and diversity of the scents. They’re all very likable scents, but each with a slightly different scent character, always mass-appealing.

No matter the size of your collection. I always recommend having an Acqua di Gio.

All of Acqua di Gio’s fragrances are amazing. However, don’t limit yourself to Acqua di Gio. Discover the entire Dior Sauvage line here.

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