Vendetta Uomo (2026) by Valentino

Valentino has resurrected the Vendetta name for their 2026 release, Vendetta Uomo. The original was released back in 1991, but I’ve never tried it, and it doesn’t seem to have much in common with this newer one. So, what does the new men’s cologne from Valentino smell like? Let’s review!

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Quick Overview

Valentino Vendetta Uomo is a modern woody-spicy fragrance built around fresh ginger, cinnamon liquor, patchouli, and smooth woods. It opens cool and bright, gradually becoming warmer, slightly boozy, and more patchouli-forward as it dries down.

Despite the cinnamon-liquor note, Vendetta Uomo isn’t especially sweet, syrupy, or gourmand. It has a more refined and mature character, with good longevity and noticeable but controlled projection.

 

Quick Overview

Valentino Vendetta Uomo is a modern woody-spicy fragrance built around fresh ginger, cinnamon liquor, patchouli, and smooth woods. It opens cool and bright before becoming warmer, slightly boozy, and more patchouli-forward as it dries down.

Despite the cinnamon-liquor note, Vendetta Uomo isn’t especially sweet, syrupy, or gourmand. It has a more refined and mature character, with good longevity and noticeable but controlled projection. This makes it versatile enough for the office, casual wear, dates, and evenings out, particularly during fall, winter, and cooler spring weather.

Overall Rating: 7.9/10

Vendetta Uomo at a Glance

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Vendetta Uomo: What it Smells Like

Notes include: ginger, cinnamon liquor, and patchouli

Click here to try: Vendetta Uomo at Sephora

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My Full Review

Here’s how Valentino describes Vendetta: Vendetta Uomo Eau de Parfum, the new fragrance for men by Valentino. A bold woody spicy signature, as the scent of unstoppable passion. The olfactive pact between the zesty brightness of a fresh Ginger shot and a spicy liquorous woody depth. This composition offers a bold and magnetic presence designed for a confident and free-spirited man.

So, this is going to be a one-time wear review, initially. I will come back with more thoughts later, as all of my reviews are ongoing and updated over years.

I tested Vendetta Uomo out at Ulta, with four sprays on my arm and I did an additional three on, the blotter paper, in order to experience how it develops off of the skin.

From the jump, you’re going to get hit with that ginger note. This is one of the things that had me wanting to test out this Valentino fragrance, as ginger and cinnamon are two of my favorite spice notes. I was hoping for something bold and maybe a bit heavy.

That’s not really what Vendetta is. I also saw some reviews compare this to Stronger with You flankers or one of the Most Wanted scents, but those aren’t like it either. Those colognes are much sweeter and/or spicier than what I pick up here.

Vendetta Uomo isn’t weak, but it is a more reserved and lighter feeling scent than the usual gourmand or boozy fair. The ginger is great, bringing a fresh coolness to the opening act. It is indeed a bright note, as the brand says, and it’s nice how this one comes alive

The cinnamon liquor, joins giving the fragrance a booziness to it. On the blotter paper, the cinnamon liquor feels more prominent even deeper into the wear.

With my skin, I start to get more patchouli coming through, so perhaps you’ll experience a stronger dose of the booziness than I personally get. It is there for a good portion of the first hour or two, with the patchouli note taking over bit by bit.

This one feels slightly fresh, a colder opening, that warms up as I get deeper into the wear. Nothing syrupy with the liquor and there is an underlying sweetness with Vendetta. Not sugary or particularly gourmand, but it is there lingering.

The tail end of this one is a slightly spicy woods with a patchouli note that is in the lead and quite well-balanced within this structure. There’s probably an amber/ambroxan note in here as well, that’s what it comes across like to me. Smooth, not a rough-styled ambroxan.

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Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Vendetta isn’t a heavy fragrance, it’s not a beast projector, but it’s noticeable. Slightly above average in this regard, will leave a decent scent trail with enough sprays, but isn’t one that fills up a room.

That being said, it actually does last a good amount of time even while not being a powerhouse fragrance. I got somewhere in the 9 hour range with this one, on my skin

Seasonally, this is mainly going to be an autumn and winter wear. Though, it can be one that extends into the springtime, since it doesn’t have that thick, cloud-like density to it. I’d probably just avoid the hottest days of the year and you should be fine.

It can also be worn anywhere from the office to a night on the town. Vendetta is refined and well-behaved, but still retains plenty of attractiveness to grab some attention in close quarters. I don’t know that the name itself fits what this scent actually is.

This fragrance will skew older, it’s more mature than Stronger with You or Most Wanted (again, doesn’t smell like either) style wise.

It might not be the first choice of most teenagers; though, I don’t find it to be an anachronistic throwback, Vendetta is still contemporary with more of what you’d get from classic colognes.

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Overall Impressions of Vendetta Uomo

Overall, do I like this fragrance? I do. It has a modern interpretation of a classic style and doesn’t just produce more of the same like so many other releases.

However, it doesn’t strike me as a great scent, just a really good effort. Pleasant, low key, last long, but without anything that really jumps out to me. The ginger is close, but it doesn’t last all that long on the main stage.

The cinnamon liquor is interesting and I enjoy how it smells. But, it’s also a little too passive on my skin.

Vendetta is worth trying out for sure. If you want something that’s simple and attractive, it’s a very solid option from Valentino. I’m not a massive fan of any of the Born in Roma colognes, so, I would most likely pick this one over any of them.

I was hoping for more from this initial entry, but maybe my expectations were too high. This is a cologne that I’d wear again and maybe develop to enjoy it more over time. I think that to be the case, because the remnants of what I get on the blotter are intriguing.

Or maybe they just put out a flanker in a year or so, that really delivers a knock out experience.