Light Blue for Women vs. Eau Intense Comparison

Light Blue continues to be a top seller in the ladies’ fragrance space, well over a decade after its release. Obviously, it is going to spin off some flanker scents, most notably Light Blue Eau Intense. Is this ‘beefed up’ version, a better one? Does it actually outperform the original? Which one is a better buy?

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Tale of the Tape

Light Blue

Notes include: rose, apple, musk, lemon, jasmine, and more

Click here to try: Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue By Dolce & Gabbana For Women. Eau De Toilette Spray 3.3 Oz

Read my original review: D&G Light Blue Review

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Light Blue Eau Intense

Notes include: lemon, granny smith apple, amberwood, marigold, and jasmine

Click here to try: Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Eau Intense For Women Eau De Parfum Spray 3.3 oz

Read my review: Light Blue Eau Intense

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Opening

The original Light Blue starts off with lemon, a nice apple note, and some rose. It’s sharp, somewhat aquatic, crisp, with a decent amount of rose aroma, to give it some depth.

The lemon and the apple create a slight lemonade aroma to it. Slightly sugary, but not ever overwhelming with it, more like an undercurrent. 

Later, it will shift more floral and musky with less of the in your face impact of the fruit notes. But, they do start with a bang.

Eau Intense also begins with lemon and apple. It’s a Granny Smith apple and is actually stronger than the lemon, at first, reversing the original. Also, the rose is replaced with marigold, here.

This gives it a different feeling, while still being fairly familiar. The absence of the rose helps, as does the toned down lemon note. The amberwood note does appear too, early on, in place of the cedar from the original. It’s not massive, but the freshness is already peaking through.

Which is better? I actually prefer the start to Eau Intense. I like the apple note more, it doesn’t feel as sharp, and the marigold is a nice change of pace from the usual rose.

Edge: Eau Intense

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Projection

Obviously, with the name Eau Intense, the sillage should be stronger than the original. It is. The original is pretty light to moderate, anyway, but Eau Intense does indeed have a bolder character to it.

Edge: Eau Intense

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Longevity

While Eau Intense is certainly stronger, I don’t know if it actually lasts any longer on the skin. For both of them, I get somewhere in the 9-10 hour range, which is great.

Though, I really don’t notice Eau Intense going on beyond what I get from Light Blue. The original EDT has always been one of the better performers, as far as mainstream perfumes go.

They really didn’t need to do much and it doesn’t seem like they did anything to improve the longevity with Eau Intense.

Edge: Push

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Versatility

Being two versions of the same basic scent, they’re really not going to be different, in terms of usage. Both are best in the spring and summer months. Both are suited to being a fresh daily wear, casual fragrance, or other events along those lines. No real distinction.

Edge: Push

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Overall Scent

I do like Light Blue. I think it has some really strong positives about it, which is why it has become a classic. The lemon and cedar combination can be sharp, but it is ultimately fresh, and clean.

I enjoy the floral notes like rose and jasmine, and it provides really good performance. It’s a simple reach for daily wear.

That being said, I prefer Light Blue Eau Intense. I will say, it won’t be for everyone. It can be a bit too bold, and amberwood is an ingredient which can bother folks. It’s got a synthetic freshness, that I think can give it a unique freshness versus cedar, but some may not like it. 

Personally, I like the boldness of Eau Intense. I also really like the apple note getting a boost in this version. Yes, the lemon is stronger later on in the wear, but I enjoy that opening apple. 

It’s a close battle, but I’d take Eau Intense. There’s obviously a lot of overlap, but the composition just smells nicer in this version, versus the original. Plus, there are a lot more perfumes that are similar to Light Blue versus the Intense version.

Winner: Eau Intense