Acqua Di Gio by Giorgio Armani

Since its release in 1997, Acqua Di Gio by Giorgio Armani, has enjoyed an immense popularity and success in terms of praise and sales. This cologne is always at the top of the charts in terms of numbers of units sold and enjoys a near universal appeal.  For this post, I want to take a deeper look at this popular Armani fragrance and explore what exactly gives it this appeal.

Note: I have come back to this post, to revamp and really, do an all new review. I have grabbed a sample of the latest batch, that I could get, and tested it out. Reformulations do happen with fragrances over time (although this wasn’t completely different from what I remember of older bottles).

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Key Takeaways on Acqua di Gio

• An absolute classic, that’s continues to be a best seller
• Breezy citrus aquatic with spice and jasmine highlights
• Moderate performance with newer batches
• Easy and approachable daily wear. Great starter fragrance.

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What does Acqua di Gio Smell Like?

Notes include: bergamot, tangerine, neroli, jasmine, rosemary, patchouli, rock rose, hyacinth, persimmon, marine notes

Click here to try: Acqua Di Gio By Giorgio Armani For Men. Eau De Toilette Spray 3.4 Ounces

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AdG Fully Tested Review

Acqua di Gio opens up with a whole host of citrus notes blended with a slightly salty marine aroma. It’s immediately very fresh and clean, easy to see why it has become an absolute classic. It is a bright scent with a summery disposition and conjures up images of a breezy shoreline.

The citrus is a lime and lemon affair mostly, but with definite bits of tangerine floating around in there. It’s a great smell, that can actually be sour at points, but that’s not a persistent feature.

AdG has always had this undertone of floral notes, I definitely pick up on jasmine being in the opening stages, which is a nice contrast from the juicy citrus and aquatic elements. Though, when you move forward in the dry down, there is neroli and hyacinth also peaking through at times.

I have really been enjoying that opening lime and lemon, especially when it starts to transition, and more of the jasmine comes out. That phase it utterly fantastic.

If all Acqua di Gio offered was some citrus and light floral notes, it would have never been as copied by other perfume manufacturers as it has been in these past 20+ years. No, what I think it is that gives it its strength, is that woody base and the pure aquatic vibe.

These two aspects permeate every part of this cologne, its sort of a water-logged cedar soaked in the citrus juices. Then, add some light musk, and other slightly spicy ingredients to boost the freshness. It never gets bogged down or overly spiced, just super clean and upbeat.

The version that I am using in 2020 for this review, doesn’t seem to have quite the same amount of woodiness, but it is still there. This batch feels quite more marine than I remember the older ones being, but that might be a trick of memory, rather than reformulation. Overall, it is quite like how I remember.

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Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, it’s always had a moderate but solid sillage. It’s an aquatic after all, so it’s not going to be a complete bomb of a scent. You can certainly over-spray and choke out a room, but with normal application, it will be a narrow radius of scent around the wearer.

I get about 6 hours of wear from this sample, maybe closer to 7 during some wears. Again, not amazing but a very solid daily wear.

This is probably one area, where this fragrance has lost a step over the years. The longevity, is still good, but the other AdG scents have a much better performance. The sillage in the later hours is fairly soft, also.

Seasonally, I really like it in the warm weather, but in actuality this can be an all-purpose cologne and that’s what guys have been doing for decades. It’s also kind of become a unisex fragrance, at this point, because many women really enjoy this smell and so don it themselves.

AdG is of course a very versatile cologne that can be worn casually or more formally or out on a date. It’s been a best seller for a reason, people really love this aroma, in general.

It does skew more for younger men, but I think its flanker AdG Profumo, is better for older guys (and better overall).

Nonetheless, it still has a mass appeal and can be safely worn by anybody. There’s a reason, it became a classic.

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Overall Impressions of Acqua di Gio

Overall, do I still like Acqua di Gio, all these years later? I have to say that I do. It’s not my favorite cologne, I like Profumo more, and it’s been copied countless times…but it is still a very good scent.

It really set the stage for many colognes that came out from the late-1990s on and is going to be a best seller for many more decades probably. For citrus aquatics, this is still among the best to ever do it, and bottles are certainly easy to come by.

I do enjoy most of the newer AdG offerings more than this. However, the citrus opening and the use of jasmine here is still awesome. That’s what is distinct about it versus the others and experiencing it again, is what made me tear through my samples pretty fast.

This is still a good cologne. There are just other options out there, that smell very similar to this, but are much more affordable. For me, I appreciate this scent, but don’t have much use for it anymore.

That being said, I’ve been seeing Armani put this one sale a whole lot lately. So, maybe some of that value can come into play for those looking to get a bottle. With discount codes, you can get a giant bottle for at a nice price, and I could be swayed to grab one if the mood struck.