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The One from Dolce & Gabbana is a line of fragrances that keeps chugging along and releasing new flanker scents. I recently revisited these colognes and also tried the one’s that I hadn’t gotten to yet, in order to do reviews for the site. I figured that I should also create a ranking list of the best The One colognes for men, as a more accessible guide on the topic. So, here that is.
What are the Best Dolce & Gabbana The One Fragrances (Ranked)?
The Best
The One EDP– After going back over this entire lineup, the number one option is still The One Eau de Parfum. Taking everything great about the original EDT and adding depth and better performance.
I grabbed a new bottle for myself, after years of not having any in my collection, just based on re-testing the EDT version.
I personally pick up more grapefruit in the early stages of EDP. That amber and tobacco combination is beefed up and is so fantastic when it hangs in the air.
You do still need to go heavy on the sprays for this one to perform. With my bottle, I can get 6+ hours and sometimes around 8 with a good amount of spraying. Still not amazing, but it’s what you’ll probably need to do, if you really want to enjoy The One. The One EDP Review
Sweet, Warm, Fruity
The One Luminous Night– For some, this is the best of the entire line. I still think that it’s a notch below EDP, but I also have a bottle currently being shipped to me, since I got a decent price finally.
One thing is for sure, Luminous Night is the best of the limited edition Night colognes that has been released thus far.
The opening is a contrast between colder and fresh notes (basil and sage) versus the warmer sweeter notes, highlighted by its signature use of dates.
The fragrance will get warmer, sweet but not overly so. Amber, incense, and woods will round Luminous Night out and creates a fantastic cologne. Nice performance, not a complete beast, though. Luminous Night Review
The Original Release
The One EDT– With the original, I will always love how this smells. But, the performance is bad. So, just get the EDP, since it’s basically the same (more or less). The EDT will get the third spot, but it wouldn’t be the one to buy, unless you really want to spray the heck out of yourself daily.
Revisiting this original version was great. That light grapefruit note, basil, and the warm amber tying everything together. It’ll only stick for 3-4 hours, if sprayed a lot in the same place, and that’s the main gripe.
Again, just get the EDP. The One for Men Review
Best of the Second Tier Options
The One EDP Intense– This one sort of gets overlooked, as it is the Intense version of the EDP, and doesn’t nearly hit the same level of enjoyment. However, I think that it is actually underrated, and is definitely in the top half of The One releases.
This opens up with a cooler blend of spice and woods. Sage, cypress, and cardamom are all apparent from the opening. A nice amount of spice, but this is a woodier version of the formulation, much like Royal Night (listed below).
Neroli and cardamom have their moments, but this one actually has a leather note which will come to lead things and a resinous labdanum note, instead of just being the usual amber. The One Intense Review
A Spring/Summer Remix
The One for Men Grey– Grey often gets a bad wrap when compared to some of the others that I have placed below it. While I don’t think that it’s spectacular, The One Grey is marginally better than the others and changes up The One formulation.
What’s the deal with Grey? Well, it’s basically a summertime version of the original formula. The grapefruit in the original is given a large role, the fragrance is lighter and fresher, with much less of that tobacco and amber.
The opening goes bold with an array of spices, complementing the citrus. I get a lot of the basil, but there’s also: cardamom, sage, and coriander. All given more prominence in this when compared to EDT or EDP.
The vetiver, lavender, and tobacco come out more later on in the wear. It’s clean and an easy one to wear on the warmer days of the year. The One Grey Review
Bold Spice, Dry Wood
The One Royal Night– I actually thought ahead of trying both of them, that I might prefer Royal Night to Luminous Night. But, that wasn’t the case. This is pretty good, but ultimately not a must have for me. A missed opportunity for something great.
Royal Night goes heavy with the spices up front. It goes with the usual cardamom and basil notes, just really amped up, and adds nutmeg. I like it, the spice is dynamic and pretty captivating.
Yet, that part is short-lived. The cardamom and cedar notes have there phase, also. However, the dry down is pretty boring with just amber and woods. Super dry and while it doesn’t smell bad or anything, kind of loses its steam, as Royal Night progresses. Royal Night Review
Peppery Vanilla and Lavender
The One Gentleman- The One Gentleman is another fragrance from this line, that I thought I would like more than I actually did.
This one has a spicy punch early on. The usual cardamom from the rest of the lineup, along with a bigger dose of pepper. It kind of contrasts with the sweetness and creaminess of the vanilla note, but I sort of like how this starts off.
Then, it’ll dry down into more of a vanilla and lavender combination with only lighter bits of spice popping through. It’s got too much freshness and sweetness for me. It gets annoying to wear after a while.
I don’t totally hate The One Gentleman, but it’s not one that I’d really ever reach for either. The One Gentleman Review
Best Performer, Not a Great Scent
The One Mysterious Night– Mysterious Night will be near the top for some people. For me, it’s near the absolute bottom. But, in terms of performance this one is loud and lasts for ages, unlike some of the others.
The main trifecta here is rose, oud, and saffron. I personally love saffron as a note, but have grown to almost hate the repetitive combination of oud and rose, that has become a signature of every high-end designer.
But, if you like those notes, here is an affordable option that is actually blended well. I just cannot get into it.
Blood Orange Freshness
The One Gold for Men– I actually would personally rather wear this than Mysterious Night, but I can’t really say that it is a great cologne. I don’t want bottles of either, but Gold isn’t all that bad.
This is a heavier use of citrus than even Grey. Along with, aromatic spices. Here you get a strong blood orange, clary sage, and cardamom. Ginger, however, is the strongest of the spicy notes.
That will fade, then you get an earthiness and cold freshness with geranium. Not a complicated fragrance. It has its enjoyable moments, but not really worthwhile Very similar style to Legend Red by Montblanc, but also not as good as that one. The One Gold Review
Last Place
The One Sport- This version came out over a decade ago, following up the success of The One EDT. It’s by far the worst in the series and one that you probably won’t come across in the wild nowadays.
If you merged the bad performance of the EDT with a bland fragrance, you essentially get Sport. It actually reminded me of the old Deep Energy by Adidas, the difference being that fragrance used to cost under $10, while you paid D&G prices for this. The One Sport 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.