Acqua di Gio Absolu vs Dylan Blue Comparison

In today’s comparison, we have a head to head match up between a Versace fragrance and one by Giorgio Armani: Dylan Blue vs. Acqua di Gio Absolu. Now, both of these men’s colognes have become fairly popular over the past few years, but which stands out the most? Which has the better performance? Versatility? Which one simply smells the best?

Tale of the Tape: AdG Absolu vs. Dylan Blue

Dylan Blue

Notes include: black pepper, violet leaf, grapefruit, bergamot, tonka bean, ambrox, fig leaf

Click here to try: VERSACE Pour Homme Sealed Dylan Blue Eau de Toilette, 3.4 Ounce

Read my full review: Dylan Blue

Acqua di Gio Absolu

Notes include: patchouli, marine notes, labdanum, tonka bean, wood, bergamot, grapefruit, lavender, rosemary, apple, pear

Click here to try: Acqua di Giò Absolu Eau de Parfum Spray 4.2 fl oz Men

Read my full review here: Acqua di Gio Absolu

Opening

AdG Absolu opens with the citrus notes of bergamot and grapefruit, apple, wood, sea water, and tonka bean. It’s very fresh and aquatic with the woody notes providing a solid base for the other notes to play off of. It then, develops a warm and resinous smell due to the labadanum.

Meanwhile, Dylan Blue also starts off with the bergamot and grapefruit citrus combination. It’s also aquatic but opts for a black pepper note to spice the composition up some. More citrus than aquatic and with a does of ambroxan.

Which is better? I like complexity of AdG Absolu and how it develops, hitting many different notes, and doing it all very well. Dylan Blue isn’t bad, but kind of simple and very similar to so many other colognes.

Edge: Absolu

Projection

The sillage of both of these scents starts out pretty strong for the first hour. Then, both of them settle down into something that is much more moderate. After wearing both multiple times, I really don’t notice a distinct difference between how powerful and how much each projects.

Edge: Push

Longevity

Dylan Blue has consistently gotten me 5-6 hours of wear on my skin. No matter how many times I’ve worn it, it’s the same results. Meanwhile, AdG Absolu will go for about 8 hours. Neither is an insane length of time, but the Armani takes this category.

Edge: Absolu

Versatility

One thing that both of these fragrances excel at is in how versatile they are. Yes, they are both best in spring and summertime, but can easily make the transition to the rest of the year without issue. They can be worn casually or for evenings out or at work. There isn’t an advantage in this for either one.

Edge: Push

Overall Scent

I do like Dylan Blue, I even have a little mini bottle that I use from time to time, and it has grown on me more with passing time. The citrus and ambroxan notes are enjoyable, the fig leaf is a nice added touch, and overall its quite fresh and pleasant to wear.

However, it can also be kind of boring and a bit linear. There is some overlap with AdG Absolu, but Dylan Blue is ultimately simpler, and doesn’t have quite as good as smell.

Absolu, not only has similarities between itself and Dylan Blue, but also with Invictus Aqua. The thing is, it is superior in both aroma and performance to both. It takes a citrus and aquatic base and adds resinous and earth qualities to it.

The patchouli lends itself perfectly, not being too heavy, while there is a delightful amber permeating the whole things. It’s not my favorite fragrance by any stretch, but it does what it does, at a high level. It’s a solid choice for guys in their 20s.

I will say, that Absolu has more of a marine aroma than does Dylan Blue, and usually costs more. So, if those factor in, you might consider going with the Versace.

Winner: Acqua di Gio Absolu

Best Men's Colognes

Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.