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Versace Eros has been one of the most popular fragrances on the market, during this decade, and it appears it will stay that way for a while. However, Emporio Armani’s Stronger With You has come on strong, in its own right.
These two colognes have lots of similarities, but which one smells the best? Which lasts longer? Which is the superior fragrance?
Note: I have updated this page where necessary, years after I originally posted this.
Tale of the Tape: Eros vs. Stronger with You
Versace Eros
Notes of Eros: mint, green apple, tonka bean, madagascar vanilla, vetiver, Italian lemon
Shop Amazon for: Versace Eros Eau de Toilette Spray for Men, 3.4 Fluid Ounce
My review: Versace Eros
Stronger With You
Notes include: vanilla, mint, cardamom, chesnut, amber, pink pepper, sage, violet leaf
Click here to try: Emporio Armani Stronger With You for Men Eau de Toilette Spray, 1.7 oz
Read my full review: Stronger with You
Opening
Eros kicks off with a trio of notes, being: apple, lemon, and mint. The newer bottles of this seem to be stronger on the lemon, and it seems that the vanilla/tonka bean doesn’t come on as strong.
Nonetheless, Eros is a mix of warmth, cool spice, and sharp citrus. It is bold and makes a strong statement, right away.
Update: This latest travel sprayer of Eros is better balanced than it has been in a few years, it’s no longer a heavy lemon opening for me.
Meanwhile, Stronger with You, also has mint; however, it is overshadowed by a stronger warm spicy duo of cardamom and pink pepper. It’s fresh and spicy up top, with vanilla coming in a bit later like Eros, to smooth things out and sweeten.
Which is better? To be honest, the opening act of Stronger with you isn’t all that impressive to my nose. It is much better later on, but up top it’s mostly a cardamom bomb.
Not necessarily a bad thing, but there are better examples and SWY comes across as being sort of messy.
Eros smells more lemony to me, in recent batches, but I still like the crisp energy associated with it.
Edge: Eros
Projection
Stronger with You does have quite a large sillage. It isn’t one which will require more than a few sprays. I was surprised at how well it projected, and while it’s not obscenely powerful, it does a very good job.
Eros is still a powerhouse. I am of the belief, that the newer bottles aren’t as strong as they once were. Still up there, just not as much so. For instance, the latest little sample that I got, doesn’t hit the same heights as Eros Flame nor an older bottle of Eros that I had.
To me, there isn’t a real winner in this category. I’d say, as it stands now, these two are pretty equal.
Update: This is still pretty much a tie, I might give a slight edge to Stronger, as it seems to sustain the strength for a longer period of time.
Edge: Push
Longevity
Both of these fragrances perform extremely well. Stronger with You lasted 9 hours, on my skin. Eros, still goes above 10 hours for me.
Not really a big deal, as both last an entire workday, but Eros has a slight edge.
Update: Newer editions of Eros have taken a step back in terms of performance, in my experience. As such this category is flipping to the Emporio Armani scent.
Edge: SWY
Versatility
Both are built to perform better in colder weather, both are better for younger men, and both fit more for casual situations. Think nightlife, rather than, the office. For this category, these two colognes pretty much fit the same bill.
Edge: Push
Overall Scent
Stronger with You is a good cologne. I enjoyed my experience wearing it. At first, I thought that I wasn’t going to like it, but that changed with the dry down.
It became a great vanilla scented fragrance, with cardamom, some nuttiness, and later hints of herbal notes/woods. The performance is outstanding and I have no major qualms with this scent.
I still like Eros better. I think that it’s lost a step, but the sweet creaminess of tonka bean and vanilla, still gets me. Playing off the mint, apple, and lemon is awesome.
It’s bold and the performance is still somewhat there.
This is a pretty close race, though, Eros still has the upper hand here. I will say, I don’t think you can go wrong with either of these scents, so long as you wear them in the right climate or setting.
Update: I probably still would lean Eros. But, since this original posting, I’d pick SWY Intensely, Absolutely, and Eros Parfum (in that order) before either of these two.
If it’s only between the EDT’s, it’s closer to a toss up for me nowadays. Some of you might actually prefer that stronger vanilla and nuttiness of Stronger with You to what Eros offers.
Winner: Eros
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Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with the different fragrances that I’ve owned, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, that new hobby grew into a consistent passion, helping millions of readers along the way. I have personally written reviews for well over 800 perfumes and colognes for both men and women. This is along with writing hundreds of other in-depth fragrance guides.