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Light Blue Pour Homme is a series that is still going on, over a decade after the release of the original. The list is now up to a dozen scents, but which one is actually the best smelling? How do these Dolce & Gabbana colognes rank versus one another? This is my list after extensively testing them.
What are the Best D&G Light Blue Colognes (Ranked)?
Note: The list doesn’t include, an older release, Beauty of Capri. I haven’t tried it to this point, didn’t want to spend money on a full bottle, in order to do so. By most accounts, it was middle of the pack, at best. It’s been discontinued for a long time and is getting difficult to find, anyway.
This list starts at my least favorite and concludes in order with what I consider to be the top Light Blue.
A Volcanic Island
Discover Vulcano– At the bottom of the list, is the unique, but ultimately not very good Light Blue Discover Vulcano.
I do give credit to D&G for trying something a bit different, but its appeal is pretty limited for most people.
Vulcano came out in 2014 and is led by a massive use of cypress and an initial burst of lemon. It can be somewhat sour, dry, and it doesn’t really develop all that much.
Lavender, cedar, vetiver round things out with some ginger spice thrown in for good measure. It’s not completely terrible to me, but the combination of notes and trying to capture the spirit of this island, just never worked to my nose. Vulcano Full Review
Citrus Explosion
Italian Zest– Italian Zest could be ranked a place or two higher on the list. For me though, this is the spot to put it. I did easily like it more than Vulcano, but slightly below the next entry on the list.
Zest opens up with a mass of citrus. It’s tart, sour, and even bitter. Lemon is the lead early, with further contributions from the grapefruit and bergamot notes.
There are the drier and spicier elements. Some incense smokiness, Sichuan pepper, and a musky finish. It’s got plenty of overlap with the original Light Blue Pour Homme, just in a much less likeable form.
As I wrote in my review, “The progression of this scent is: citrus, citrus/spice, citrus/musk/spice, citrus/musk/woods.” It’s all okay, the opening is kind of annoying, but Zest is just a forgettable cologne. Italian Zest review
Ice Cream Blend
Light Blue Love is Love– Love is Love is another Light Blue flanker that went for something a bit different, yet familiar, and ultimately kind of misses out on being a great scent.
This fragrance seems to try to bridge between the Pour Femme and Pour Homme lines of Light Blue. It’s like a mix of the original Pour Homme and Femme Intense. Taking elements of each and adding a vanilla ice cream note in the mix.
It’s sweeter and creamier, with the same apple note that the women’s fragrance uses. It does remain fresh and aromatic without becoming too much of a one-sided scent.
It all sounded better on paper than when I’m actually wearing Love is Love. The smell is pretty good, performance is okay, and it never truly delivers anything all that memorable. Love is Love Full Review
Taking a Dip
Swimming in Lipari– So, this one and the next are essentially tied. I don’t have a particular preference for one versus the other, but I did have to buy a full bottle of the next entry.
Swimming in Lipari is a saltier and marine version of the Light Blue DNA. It shares a lot of similarities with something like Light Blue Sun, in the initial stages.
Grapefruit, rosemary is basically the same as the original. Then, you add a lot of amber and a salty marine accord. Now, you’re swimming. It’s all pretty nice, nothing great, but I did like the oceanic vibe that this one puts off. Swimming in Lipari Review
Living
Light Blue Living Stromboli– I had slightly higher hopes for this one. I got my full bottle and wanted to try it out, as it had an aquatic calone accord. Not a salty oceanic note, but more of a synthetic fresh aquatic aroma.
Well, the pink pepper note really dominates things early. Not bad, but pink pepper isn’t my favorite note. Living Stromboli is a refreshing spice, with an underlying dryness to the entire fragrance.
Patchouli, vetiver, and some very light citrus round things out. The citrus here might be the lightest in the entire series. The watery accord is good, it comes out strong in the back half of the wear along with amber. Living Stromboli Review
Shine On
Light Blue Sun Pour Homme– Grapefruit, bergamot, and coconut give this one its fruity essence. It’s a lighter and ozonic cologne when compared to the original Light Blue Pour Homme.
Ginger is the main spice here, giving it a much less intense kick than the rosemary of the original. Though, that is also still somewhat present.
I like the breeziness here. It doesn’t have the aquatic focus of the previous two entries, but is kind of like standing on the shore, with a nice amount of coconut sweetness blowing around. The grapefruit and the woods, in the base, really finish things off here. Light Blue Sun Review
New Vibes
Light Blue Summer Vibes– Summer Vibes is the new Light Blue flanker release for 2023. To me, it’s in the upper half of the best releases from this line, just doesn’t quite ever reach the top.
It starts off with a lemon note, perhaps with the usual grapefruit, as well. With that, you get the return of the cypress note that is found in Vulcano. This is much better than Vulcano, but it is interesting that these are the only two Light Blue colognes that feature it.
Less of a juicy citrus, more of a light aquatic feeling. Amberwood is also prominent here and Summer Vibes has a nice sweetness throughout. Mostly, you’re going to get cypress and amberwood, with some other potential unlisted woody notes. Fresh woods for the summer months. Summer Vibes Review
Hyper Grapefruit
Light Blue Forever– Forever takes the grapefruit note of the series and makes it photorealistic. Not the same synthetic smelling grapefruit of other releases, this one goes for smelling like the fruit itself, and it for sure accomplishes that.
That grapefruit is joined early on, by another breezy/watery blend, and a dose of violet leaf. That last note, is the reason that Forever occupies this spot on the list and not a place higher up like its successor.
To me, this comes across as being too green and a touch bitter. I still like it, but it the one that they put out the next year, is a better version of Forever. Cool bottle, though. Light Blue Forever Review
The Original
Light Blue Pour Homme– Light Blue edges Forever on the list, basically because Italian Love exists. I feel that Forever is pretty much superfluous, so it gets knocked down a spot in favor of the first release.
The citrus, pepper, and rosemary. It’s so familiar now and you can detect the presence of this formula in most of the flankers that were released pre-2020. Crisp, citrusy, herbal, spicy, with a nice rosewood in the base.
Is it still good? Yes, I think Light Blue still holds up. It’d be one of the first ones that I’d try in the series, before moving onto the flankers. If you’re not feeling this, you probably won’t like most of them. Light Blue Review
Forever Love
Light Blue Italian Love– Italian Love is basically a remixed Light Blue Forever. But, the violet leaf in this one is much more tolerable to me. You also get a bergamot note up top with the grapefruit. It’s a tart and sour mix.
The ozonic breeziness is stronger with this one, less green, and it does indeed give you more of a blue-ish impression, like the bottle shows.
Italian Love is everything that was great about Forever, just enhanced. For that reason, it grabs the number two spot on the list. Italian Love Review
Intense
Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Intense Eau de Parfum Spray for Men, 1.6 Ounce
The grapefruit has now gotten a ‘frozen’ element added to it, making this cologne feel colder and sharper than the others. I also like that it’s very aquatic, but not too salty marine. To me, it was always like being by the pool on a hot summer’s day.
Juniper, amberwood, musk keep this one fresh and interesting. Not as spicy as the original, but Eau Intense does indeed still have some of that peppery influence.
D&G has still yet to top this one and it is still selling strong, all of these years later. Eau Intense Review
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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.