Greatness by The Dua Brand

Versace Eros has been a top seller in the fragrance space, since its release back in 2012. Being that it is such a popular scent, it is only natural that The Dua Brand came out with their own ‘inspired creation’ of the 2012 original Eros EDT formula. I purchased a bottle, a few months ago to test out. Does it actually perform?

What does Greatness by Dua Smell Like?

Notes include: mint, vanilla, tonka bean, green apple, lemon, ambroxan, geranium, cedar, vetiver, oakmoss

Click here to try: Greatness

My Full Review

Well, one of the things about Dua’s fragrances is that they can take time to macerate. Basically, the aroma will change over a period of time. As such, what you get initially, isn’t going to be the same after a few months as it improves into the aroma that you’re looking for.

Now, most of the time this is minimal, in my experience with other fragrances from this brand. Sure, there’s some change, just nothing too major.

With my bottle of Greatness, it was a pretty pronounced change over the two months since I’ve purchased it. Which, makes my glad that I held off my review to this point.

The initial trial run, had way too much off the ambroxan coming out for this to be enjoyable. Now, it has settled.

Anyway, this Dua fragrance is inspired by the 2012 formulation of Eros EDT, a cologne that I am quite familiar with, as I had bottles of it during this era. My main complaint with the modern Eros, is how much the lemon overwhelms and throws off its former balance.

Greatness does correct this. In fact, the lemon is pretty subdued in the mix.

Early on this one is fresh and cold. Mint dominates the composition (with a touch of geranium), which is closer to how the 2012 era was like. Underneath that, is the crispness of the green apple note, the citrus, and a vanilla.

Is it the same as I remember? No, but it’s close. Maybe it’s a function of me misremembering the scent, but I did have a ton of time wearing the original Eros.

What’s different? The apple and lemon are too quiet. The lemon, I’m fine with, but the green apple doesn’t have the same sweetness. Secondly, the vanilla and mint felt richer and creamier as a pairing in the original.

Don’t get me wrong, much better than what I’ve gotten from the modern Versace release, just a bit off.

After that, the mint will still be heavy in the blend, but the vanilla and tonka bean really ramp up.

That’s another aspect of Greatness, it doesn’t have all that much development. More vanilla, tonka bean, ambroxan. Less mint and the fruits.  It’s more of a minty tonka bean and ambroxan for a lot of the wear. Then, some light woods.

So, a fairly close rendition of 2012 Eros, just without the same depth. I like it, though.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This one does match that initial intensity and projection of Eros. However, I think that it shifts into more of a moderate scent quicker than does the Versace. On my skin, anyway. The performance is good though.

The longevity is somewhere in the 8-8.5 hour territory. Again, didn’t hit the same level as old Eros, which basically hit 10+ hours every time. It does match the modern batches, which are still quite good.

No change when to wear. Skews younger, colder weather is better, more in the nightlife mold…but can be worn daytime.

Overall Impressions of Greatness

Overall, do I like Greatness? Yes, it’s a very good rendition of older bottles of Eros, just not exact. Once it had time to sit on my shelf for a while, the experience was much better. Still a notch below the old Versace batches, but a better scent than the newer one’s.

Plus, it’s a better price. Everything else about it, is basically in line with the Eros that is available nowadays. The sillage initially, is about the same, but slightly less staying power with the projection.

I do like the minty freshness of this blend. Wish it were a tad creamier with the vanilla and a stronger apple note, but it’s still nice. I don’t mind the lack of development, as I loved the opening act of the old Eros the most anyway.

This is worth trying, if you’re interested in Eros EDT or just want to replace your bottle at a lower price. I’ll wear this more, as it gets colder in the autumn.

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.