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Stronger with You has been a big hit under the designer’s Emporio Armani label. Since the release of the EDT, the brand has released a whole lot of flankers to this original formulation. Which, can be kind of difficult to sort through, if you haven’t come across them all.
Not to worry, as I will sort through the Stronger with You colognes and rank them in order from first to worst. Hopefully, making it easier to narrow down your search and find the right SWY fragrance for your style.
Ranking the Best Stronger with You Colognes
I do have to note that I have yet to try the Amber and Tobacco versions of this series. So, the ranking is based on all of the other current fragrances. I will update once I’ve gotten around to those newer scents.
Stronger With You Intensely– For me, Stronger with You Intensely is the best of the series so far. Not head and shoulders above the next two fragrances on the list, but it’s the one that I prefer.
Pink pepper, sage, and cinnamon really rock the opening of Intensely; helping it live up to the title. Those spicy notes contrast with the toffee accord and the sweeter use of vanilla and caramel.
There is a lavender note which has its time in the middle act. Intensely becomes less spicy over time, with the back half being very much a blend of toffee, vanilla, and amber notes.
It’s a bold fragrance that’s great for nightlife and has 11 to 12 hours worth of staying time, on the skin. Intensely review
Leather– SWY Leather is my next pick on the list. It actually shares a lot of overlap with Absolutely, but I think the leather note gives this one a slight advantage. Plus, these two are fairly different from many of the others on the list.
Chestnut, leather, and vanilla open things up in this cologne. It doesn’t have that same spice as Intensely, it’s smoother with a resinous aroma from the elemi note. Sage and some spices are here, just much softer in this mix.
The tail end will be mostly vanilla and leather. Some hints of oud, chestnut, and the remaining elemi. Really though, the first two notes will be the focus.
Great performance, also. Leather can go well into the double digit total number of hours. Stronger Leather review
Absolutely– Stronger with You Absolutely is another edition that I really like. If you have a tough time getting a bottle of Leather or simply don’t want a leather accord, this is a great option.
This one starts off with a light citrus, but what really stands out is the glaze of the chestnut note. Very similar to SWY Leather, but here the mix is sweeter. Slight cinnamon and rum also add some warmth/spice.
But, it’s not that dominated by the boozy accord. Really, that’s what was intriguing me about Absolutely before I tested it, and I wish they had given this more of a rum kick.
Chestnut is one of the differences between this and Intensely. Here, you get a good deal of it and it is the main note for a good portion of the wear. If the chestnut is the note you really enjoy from this series, Absolutely might be your best bet.
Again, this is technically ranked third as of now. But, it’s a really tight race between Absolutely and the top spots.
SWY EDT– The EDT is the one which started the series off. Now, I’d say it’s middle of the pack among all of the releases. Still a nice fragrance, but there are better options for most people on this list.
Cardamom, pink pepper, and mint. It’s spicy and fresh up top. Still, has a nice sweetness throughout. The warmth and sweetness will grow over time, but you still have the additional sage to get through.
Vanilla and cardamom will share much of the focus, after the opening. Amber, chestnut, and woods also come through. The tail end is really dominated by the vanilla note, with some drier woody influence underneath that.
All in all, I like it. Can be a good one to pick up, especially since it seems to be the one, which can be had for a bit cheaper price than the others. Stronger with You review
Oud– To me, this one has a lot of overlap with Leather. But, it’s a mix of that one, Luminous Night, and A Midnight Stroll.
Sweetish, smoky, woods, and a rubbery tinge like in the aforementioned Gucci. Smoother in the dry down, still with a leather accord, but plenty of woods and lavender. Less sweet for sure, in the latter stages.
Between this and Leather, I prefer the leather accord to the oud. The oud isn’t even super present in the mix. It’s there for sure, but it’s a part of the mix and doesn’t have that aggressive use of the oud that some might be hoping for.
Still, this one is pretty good. I’d just prefer the others and the most closely related fragrance to wear SWY Oud. Stronger Oud review
SWY Only– The first of the lighter versions of this formula. Which, I’ll give Only a slight edge between the two.
Grapefruit, lavender, geranium, and chestnut are the main draws early. So, that bright citrus mixed with the calming lavender and the cooling freshness of geranium.
During the middle, you get vanilla and more of the chestnut. Very much in line with the original Stronger EDT. The chestnut will fade and it’s basically a lavender and vanilla cologne that is just a less heavy representation of the series.
Don’t hate it, but also don’t really see a point in having this cologne, unless you completely love the SWY series. Stronger with You Only review
Freeze– To me, Freeze at the bottom of the list. Actually, I don’t think there is much separation between it and Only. These two are the lighter offerings from the lineup, neither of which is great. It seems SWY is at its best as a more substantial cologne.
Coming into trying Freeze, I was certain that I would really like this one. Nope. It’s okay enough, but it never reaches the level of being anything all that memorable.
Frozen lime, ginger, and sage are the strongest notes up top. You get some further fruity notes with apple and orange, but they’re never as strong as that lime, which I do actually like.
It’s lighter and becomes much closer to the original in the dry down, when the citrus has faded.
Freeze isn’t bad, it’s just the worst of the line. Stronger with You Freeze 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.