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Cool Water vs. Acqua di Gio Cologne Comparison

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So, in this head to head cologne match up, we are going to take a closer look at two of the best selling men’s fragrances of all time: Acqua di Gio vs. Cool Water. It’s an early vs. late 1990s competition, but which of these famous scent smells the best? Which gives the better performance? Has greater versatility? Which is the better buy today?

Tale of the Tape: AdG vs. Cool Water

Acqua di Gio

Notes include: bergamot, tangerine, neroli, jasmine, rosemary, patchouli, rock rose, hyacinth, persimmon, marine notes

Click here to try: Acqua Di Gio By Giorgio Armani For Men. Eau De Toilette Spray 3.4 Ounces

Read my review: Acqua di Gio 

Cool Water

Notes include: lavender, mint, tobacco, amber, musk, jasmine, sandalwood, neroli, coriander, rosemary, and more

Click here to try: Davidoff Cool Water Edt Spray for Men, 6.7 oz

Read my Review: Cool Water

Opening

Davidoff’s Cool Water opens up with a refreshing aquatic aroma laced with mint and tobacco. The smell is pretty sharp and green, as the tobacco note doesn’t have that cured scent that you’d find in a cigarette or cigar.

Beyond that, Cool Water has a soapy element that comes in, when its floral notes begin to take center stage. It always stays aquatic but it does have various facets of its personality.

Meanwhile, Acqua di Gio, hits right off the bat with tangerine and bergamot. It’s a great and delicious citrus start, that also has more of a sea breeze aquatic aroma versus, the actual watery scent of the Davidoff. Jasmine also joins in for added depth.

I recently tested out Acqua again while at a store and that opening still hits. Really an amazing balance in that fragrance.

Which is better? I prefer AdG over the Cool Water. I like the mint and tobacco opening of Cool Water, less so, when the soapy aspect kicks in. With AdG, I really love that citrus blast and great summer feel.

Edge: AdG

Projection

The projection on both of these scents is pretty moderate. Neither has crazy strong sillage. I think AdG is slightly better nowadays, so it gets the edge. They used to be pretty much on par with one another, but Cool Water isn’t the same cologne that it once was, in terms of performance.

Edge: AdG

Longevity

If you get an older bottle of Cool Water, it’ll last over 8 hours. Reformulations happen over time and the latest batch I tried was 6-7 hours. Acqua di Gio also gets 6-7 of wear on my skin, before it fades. Both are decent, but not extreme performers.

Cool Water used to have an edge. Actually, both used to be better than their current formulations. Nowadays, there’s no real winner. It might entirely depend on the batch that you get.

Edge: Push

Versatility

Both of these colognes really shine in the warmer weather, but are so versatile as to be wearable year round. They are office safe and can go completely casual.

AdG is probably sexier and has more ability to be a nighttime wear…but it’s not really a club scent. Not much advantage here. I might be tempted to lean more towards AdG, since I think it’ll have more appeal among younger guys.

Edge: Push

Overall Scent

I’ve tried both of these fragrances many times over the years and have a clear idea about which I prefer to wear. Cool Water is a nice scent, it has changed over the years, and smells like it has been altered somewhat from what I remember.

It’s not completely different, but noticeable if you’ve come across that vintage bottle. I like how it develops, while maintaining that aquatic scent. From the opening to the soapy middle to the dry woods, that kicks in after an hour or so. For the price, it’s a solid everyday choice.

Acqua di Gio is just better. It’s not my favorite cologne in the world, but I do enjoy wearing it from time to time. It is more enjoyable to me, than is Cool Water. It is a classic blend of citrus, wood, and that aquatic sea breeze.

Plus, floral undertones to give it more character. The jasmine note really stuck out to me, the last time around. It was just so good with that opening bergamot and tangerine, with the marine influence.

Both have been best sellers for a reason, but the Armani takes the cake.

Winner: Acqua di Gio

My Way Parfum by Giorgio Armani

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My Way Parfum is the 2023 release from Armani in this My Way line of fragrances. I bought a sample of this a few months ago to test out and see how this edition held up and even if it was worthwhile to check out. After putting it through its paces, how did Parfum stack up? Does it last long? Is it any good?

What does My Way Parfum Smell Like?

Notes include: iris, bergamot, orange blossom, vanilla, tuberose, ambrette, cedar

Click here to try: My Way Parfum

My Full Review

It’s been a long time since I’ve tried the original My Way. I wanted to do a comparison between and this Parfum version, but wasn’t sent the sample that I ordered. As such, I don’t want to try based off of memory alone.

This one opens up with some incredibly light citrus (bitter orange mostly) , that will be overshadowed by iris, orange blossom, and musk. Tuberose comes out more for me, later on.

However, it’s a musky and powdery mix, on my skin in the early stages. Between the bitter orange and muskiness, I’m not too keen on the opening.

But, the tuberose and vanilla move in to replace much of the influence of these opening notes, and I start to like Parfum much more.

It’s mostly about the tuberose and iris from here on out. Vanilla, is third and all of the other notes just provide various levels of support for the rest of the wear.

At some point, the tuberose takes the majority of the weighting from the iris, though.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This one does indeed have some power. While it’s not as heavy as Si Intense by Armani, which I also tested, it does have a better ability to project and leave a scent trail.

Parfum doesn’t degrade as fast as that one and it also has a higher peak, in terms of its reach.

On skin, this one gets me about 9 hours of wear. On clothes, it’ll go on and on like many other fragrances. But, it’s still very good just on skin alone.

Seasonally, this one is great pretty much year round. Probably avoid wearing Parfum on the hottest days. Outside of that, it has enough substance and balance in the colder months, but not getting bogged down when its slightly warm.

It’s nothing that’s going to be for the nightlife or that is particularly sexy. However, it’s good for day to day wear, work, casual, and things of that nature.

Overall Impressions of My Way Parfum

Overall, do I like My Way Parfum? Somewhat. The opening isn’t all that great, but I do like the dry down. The musk and iris in the beginning, is not something that I really liked. Even if, I tend to love iris as a note. Just doesn’t work for me here.

It does get better when the iris and tuberose start to blend and the other notes fall by the wayside. It’s a lovely white floral perfume at that point, with some cedar freshness, and less of the ambrette.

The performance seems to outstrip the actual smell itself. Like, the performance is quite good, but the scent is pretty good but nothing remarkable.

It’s worth a try, if it sounds interesting to your personal tastes. But, I don’t think that this Armani is going to be one that everyone needs to get a bottle of. There nothing here that most people would miss out on, but not trying My Way Parfum.

Si Intense by Giorgio Armani

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Si Intense is one that I hadn’t covered before. I did review the original here, but wanted to catch up a bit on the series. Well, this is going to be on the edition of Intense that was released back in 2021 by Armani. How does it smell? Does it last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Si Intense EDP Smell Like?

Notes include: blackcurrant, patchouli, florals, benzoin

Click here to try: Si Intense by Armani

My Full Review

Here’s how Armani describes Si Intense: encapsulates the confident energy that characterizes the Sì woman. Empowered, feminine, and free, she embodies an irresistibly modern femininity, which through the prism of this new intense scent takes on a sophisticated, seductive air.

Apparently, Armani has done a few versions of Intense. One, came in a black bottle. However, this review is not about that edition, even if they overlap in notes.

Anyway, this one kicks off with a warm, fruity, and syrupy blend headed up by the blackcurrant with some davana herbal aroma, early on. On my skin, this and the patchouli, really prevent the blackcurrant from being too tart or overwhelming.

It strikes a good balance.

Then, the rose notes comes into play. Again, on me, this doesn’t jump out with its strength. Si Intense just becomes slightly less fruity and loses some of that light bitterness of the davana.

It’s a fruity amber with patchouli and rose. The amber and rose will creep in on the fruitiness, as it dries down. But, Si Intense remains sweet and warm.

Throughout, you will get periods of earthiness/woodsy aromas, but it’s underneath the thicker blackcurrant, jammy rose, and benzoin notes.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This one has some heaviness to it and an ability to project itself well. But, Si Intense doesn’t ever feel overwhelming to me. Great scent trail for an hour or two and you’ll for sure know that it is there.

But, nothing that is going to blow you out of the room.

The original Si, got me around 6-7 hours of wear on skin. This one will bump it up to an extra hour or two. It does seem to be completely gone by 8.5 hours for me, though.

Here, again, this one is going to be for the autumn and winter months mainly. I wouldn’t go too warm with Intense, as it will probably get bogged down and get kind of messy.

It is safe enough to wear to work or school, but attractive enough to wear on a date. I would definitely enjoy smelling this scent on a woman.

This Armani does basically fit the bill, as a ‘one size fits all’ kind of perfume. It is more limited than the original in terms of the climate, but pretty much its equal in any other use case.

Overall Impressions of Si Intense

Overall, do I like this one? Yes, there’s plenty to enjoy here and I’ve thought that the original Armani Si, is a really good mainstream fragrance. This obviously has overlap, but I think that Intense can stand on its own as a fragrance.

The original Si had more of a greenish smell, than what I get with this one. Still, lots of the amber and patchouli here, but more warmth and the rose influence.

I do like the syrupy sort of start that Intense gives me, as well.

The performance is decent, you get good strength, but the longevity is only slightly above average. Though, I really don’t think that this one has too many flaws, at least none that are glaring.

It’s worth a try. It’s probably a safe blind buy, but the price may be a limiting factor for some to want to go that route. Try it if you can, beforehand to make sure you love it. Si Intense is a very good entry from Armani, so it shouldn’t be that difficult.

Stronger with You Oud by Emporio Armani

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Stronger with You Oud is one of the latest samples that I received, from this long running series of men’s fragrances by Emporio Armani. This one was released in 2022, following two years after the release of the Leather edition. How does SWY Oud smell? Does it last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Stronger with You Oud Smell Like?

Notes include: vanilla, oud, lavender

Click here to try: Stronger with You Oud

My Full Review

Stronger with You Oud actually reminds me a fair bit of The One Luminous Night in the opening act. It’s a sweetish, smoky, and woody blend that is very reminiscent of that D&G release.

Now, not the same, as the sage and date notes in Luminous are a lot stronger. Another aspect here, is there is a slight rubbery smell from the oud that I get early on. Much like what I got from A Midnight Stroll by Gucci.

I was expecting a stronger and perhaps dirtier oud note. But it’s more like a blend of those two aforementioned scents and SWY Leather, which also had an oud note. It’s sweet with some lavender and vanilla influence and a oud note that isn’t grabbing for attention.

This one is smooth and the leather note is definitely still here too. I really think they just swapped the strength of the oud and leather notes in SWY Leather, added some touches, and called it SWY Oud.

The dry down is a slightly powdery aroma with less sweetness, but a greater focus on lavender and the general woody notes (along with the light oud). You still get a of that Stronger with You DNA coming through, the chestnut, and it feels ambery.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

For me, this one seems to match the projection power of the leather edition, which was good. It’s not too heavy of a fragrance either, but Oud does have some density to its aroma.

Sprayed on clothes, I can detect this from like 6-7 feet away, at its peak. Thereafter, it will gradually draw closer to where you sprayed. However, the decline is pretty slow, and I never felt like I couldn’t detect it on myself.

The longevity is better, I can get up to 11 hours with this one. It seems to fall in that 9 to 11 hour range, each time that I have tested Oud out. So, it certainly delivers the performance if this is a cologne that you’re interested in.

Seasonally, I’d stick to autumn and winter with this. Colder weather is better here. Though, it can function well in moderate temperatures as well.

I’d keep this more as a nighttime wear. I don’t think that it is particularly sexy, but it can be used for more than a casual cologne, while still not being entirely formal. That rubbery aspect, early on, might not have the widest mass appeal of this SWY series. But, it will settle into something palatable for a larger audience.

Overall Impressions of SWY Oud

Overall, do I like Stronger with You Oud? Sort of. It’s not my favorite from the series, but it’s better than releases like, Only or Freeze. Personally, I’d go with Leather before this one, Absolutely, and Intensely too.

It’s fine, but it does begin to grate on my nerves after a period of wear. I’m not a massive oud fan and this, while not being a heavy oud fragrance (despite the name), just isn’t that great of an example.

That’s also a reason that I’d go with Leather versus this, as they do have a whole lot in common, but this has a slightly heavier weighting towards oud (while still not being dominant). Plus, that blend just smells much better overall.

It’s all nice enough, performance is really good, and this will for sure have plenty of fans. Me? It’s not something that I want to grab and spray on. If you’re a fan of the series, you should give it a try if you can, but might not want to blind buy.

Stronger with You Only by Emporio Armani

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Stronger with You carries on as a series, producing flanker after flanker cologne to the original. A 2022 release from this line was Stronger with You Only, which I picked up a sample of a month or so ago, to test out. How does Only Smell? Does it last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Stronger with You Only Smell Like?

Notes include: grapefruit, geranium, chestnut, vanilla, lavender, labdanum

Click here to try: SWY Only

My Full Review

Stronger with You Only starts off with its grapefruit note, out front and center. It’s definitely not on its own, but it does have the leading role.

Early, I get a good deal of lavender with it, geranium, and that signature chestnut. Later, the vanilla will come more into play. However, I don’t find it all that powerful, early.

This one feels cleaner and less of the heavier sweetness of some of the other entries from this line. Only is streamlined and has a balance that the others can also lack.

That balance will initially come through, once the grapefruit takes a step back. The lavender and geranium come into an equal distribution with the citrus note.

The next phase, it’s lavender and vanilla in the driver’s seat. The chestnut is no longer super noticeable, but I do still get grapefruit and the tail end of geranium.

That’s essentially what this is. A mellowed out SWY blend (the labdanum playing a dampening role. Softer, less sweet, and a good one to reach for if you like this line and want a more relaxed edition.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Only isn’t a heavy feeling fragrance, but it is one with good projection and will leave a scent trail. That being said, it’s a step down in terms of strength versus others in the series. That’s by design.

Still, I think this one is solidly above average versus the average cologne out there and doesn’t disappoint.

The performance is solid enough. I get right at about 8 hours, each time that I’ve worn it. Doesn’t seem to want to go any further than that, but it’ll work for most use cases.

What are those use cases? Well, this one can venture into the warmer weather better than other Stronger with You offerings. Not quite a summertime fragrance, but this will do nicely in the spring. Autumn, too.

Not particularly formal. Only is a good clean and casual daily wear sort of scent for the mild to warmer parts of the years.

Overall Impressions of Stronger with You Only

Overall, do I like SWY Only? It’s okay. I’m not a massive fan of this Emporio Armani line and this is in the bottom half of my preferences.

It’s fairly bland and there’s nothing here that is all that new. Again, if the original is one of your favorites, you might enjoy this lighter edition of the SWY formula.

I enjoyed parts of the wear, but then, it could start to feel annoying to me. That’s how the original was with me, also. That’s what Only is like, just again, a cleaned up and toned down version.

If you’re a fan of that, you’ll almost certainly like SWY Only. I’m not sure that this would change too many minds, if you haven’t liked the others. It’s probably better than Freeze is, out of the lighter variants of this series.