5 Best Armani Colognes – Who’s The Best? [Ranked]
Armani.
Its claim to fame is Acqua di Gio.
Yet, the best Armani colognes have so much more to offer. The original Acqua di Gio didn’t even make this list. Here are the top five Armani colognes for men. I will describe their smell, performance, and anything else you need to know.
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Table of Contents
#5 – Armani Code EDT
The opening starts sweet with fruity notes at the forefront. In the background, they are supported by citrus, leather, and tobacco nuances. The first half an hour to hour has a soft & creamy faucet. This is attributed most to Tonka Bean, that peaks in and out.
The fruits fade over time. Leather, citruses, and spicy anise take the lead while tonka bean and tobacco sit in the background with sweetness and warmth. The anise and citruses are an interesting duo of fresh spices that grab attention.
The heart of the fragrance doesn’t have any note additions. However, it moves away from the sweets and spices in a darker and cleaner direction.
Wood adds to the base with a fresh and smoky edge. The rest of the wear is leather, creamy tonka bean, and tobacco, with lingering citruses and spices all sitting atop a wood base.
Code EDT lasts seven hours on the skin with moderate to light projection. It pushes out an arm’s length at its peak for the first three hours.
After this period, it recedes but maintains a one-foot ambiance for the rest of the wear. This is cool and cold weather wear for all occasions.
#4 – 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.
Profondo lasts eight hours on the skin with above-average projection. The sillage is as good. The more you move around, the better Profondo projects and smells. Unfortunately, it’s not dense enough to leave a long scent trail.
This is exclusively spring and summer wear. This is the biggest downfall of the fragrance. As for occasions, it is all. Sophisticated enough for formal occasions but casual and subtle enough for all other situations.
#3 – 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 less prominent than 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.
The performance is eight hours on the skin with moderate projection. The initial hour has an arm’s length of projection, but after this period, it recedes.
This is best for spring and summer wear but still performs in cooler temperatures. As for occasions, Parfum is great for everything.
#2 – Code Absolu
The first spray is a quick hit of creamy orange and apple. Within a minute, they went away, but at least it was a nice start. This rolls into a tonka bean and nutmeg mix.
This duo has a degree of woodiness, but the main idea is sweet and creamy, while the nutmeg has a touch of spice.
As the scent develops, I sometimes pick up rum nuances, but nothing that stands out.
After an hour or two, the scent starts to dry down. Two things are going on in the end. On one side of things, there is vanilla with light rum nuances.
While on the other side, there is a woody suede that sits in the background as support. The rest of the wear are all these notes together.
The performance of Armani Code Absolu is outstanding.
It lasts over 12 hours on my skin and nearly fills a room with its projection. Its elegant and classy aroma suits it best for formal and special events. Profondo lasts eight hours on the skin with above-average projection.
#1 – Armani Stronger with You Intensely
Stronger With You Intensely puts the capital ‘S’ in “Stronger.” And it is an attractive fragrance.
The first spray says, “Toffee, toffee, toffee.” This is the only emphasis in the opening. It is sweet and powdery, much like the real thing. But beware, the sweetness will become syrup-like.
Sometimes, I can catch the wafts of cinnamon spice in the background, but most of the time, it gets drowned out by the sweetness. As the scent progresses, it gets sweeter and has a more caramel smell.
For a large part of the wear, it’s just this smell. Once in the dry down, vanilla adds equal parts to the toffee and keeps the same sweetness.
This is the entire wear and all you’ll smell til the end. If you aren’t into sweet fragrances, then you aren’t going to enjoy this.
The performance is the same story… strong! It pushes off the skin for hours, leaving a scent trail a few feet long and a scent bubble well past arm’s length.
Final Words
The original Acqua di Gio was one of my first fragrances, as it may have been for many of you. It didn’t make this list because there have been numerous other great releases inside and out of the Acqua di Gio line since its release.
With this said, if you think the original Acqua di Gio is quality and enjoyable to wear, you’ll really appreciate these five.
I love that no matter when I buy an Armani fragrance, I’m guaranteed the utmost quality and average performance or better.
Do you need every fragrance on this list? No. But the top three are cornerstones of the brand. Owning one or all three will leave you with an excellent fragrance.
Owning an Armani cologne is awesome, but don’t just limit yourself to the brand. Discover the best Dior colognes for men here.