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Uomo Born in Roma has spawned a ton of flanker fragrances since its release, including the very popular Born in Roma Intense. Being in the same lineup, people are often deciding between these two colognes.
So, in this post I wanted to do a head to head comparison between these fragrances, after having tested each of them out. Which smells better? Lasts longer? Is the better Valentino to buy?
Tale of the tape: Uomo Born in Roma vs Intense
Born in Roma
Notes include: ginger, salt, mineral notes, sage, vetiver, violet leaf
Click here to try: Valentino Uomo Born In Roma EDT 3.4 oz / 100 ml Men’s Spray
My review: Born in Roma
Uomo Born in Roma Intense
Notes include: vanilla, amber, lavender, vetiver
Click here to try: Born in Roma Intense
Read my review: Intense
Opening
Born in Roma EDT is sweet with a prominent mineral note, and an aquatic kind of vibe thanks to a salt and violet leaf duo. It reminds me of a mix of Invictus and Invictus Aqua, in the early stages.
The ginger isn’t heavy, but it adds a nice freshness to the mix and as this one dry down it will become cleaner and soapier, with less resemblance to those Paco Rabanne fragrances.
Uomo Intense still has a sweetness in the opening act, but it’s definitely not to the same extent as with the original. It’s actually tempered by the lavender note, which plays a big role here.
Also gone, the mineral notes. Which, I really didn’t like very much in the original, so I’m glad it is absent.
Intense does develop fairly differently than the original. This is mostly about lavender and vanilla, once that initial sweetness burns off. Also, I think there is some unlisted sage in here too, like they have in Coral Fantasy.
Which is better? For me, I’ll give the edge to Born in Roma Intense. It’s not as sweet and I like the lavender and vanilla more than what I get with the original.
Edge: Intense
Projection
Born in Roma EDT begins pretty strong with its reach. I can detect it from up to 8 feet away, when I spray it on a t-shirt and walk away. That’s with a few sprays.
It will settle into a cologne that is more moderate, but it’s not a weak scent at all.
Intense starts off on a higher level and maintains that throughout. It’s not significantly more powerful with its reach, but it is a step ahead of EDT, and has a slightly heavier feel to it.
Edge: Intense
Longevity
Born in Roma EDT lasts somewhere in the 7-8.5 hour range. Most of the time, it will be 7-ish, but sometimes I could still detect it at that higher end of the range. A solid fragrance, no real disappointment with the longevity.
With Intense, I personally get 8.5-9 hours of wear out of it. Again, performance wise, it’s not that much of an improvement over the EDT, but it is noticeable for sure.
Edge: Intense
Versatility
EDT is best in spring and summer. With Intense, it’s more of an autumn through early springtime scent.
The main difference here, is that Intense is more well put together and can fit in better in more situations, day or night. Now, it’s not strictly a formal scent or even designed for that, it is more mature than EDT is.
So, outside of younger guys as a group, Roma Intense would be a better fit for most adults. Both of these are versatile scents, but Intense has an advantage.
Edge: Intense
Overall Scent
Overall, which of these two Born in Roma fragrances do I prefer?
Even though, I’m not a massive fan of either of these or the series as a whole, Intense is easily my choice. The performance is better, not be a lot, but there’s a bit more than Roma EDT.
Beyond that, I like the scent better. The opening is more tolerable with the sweetness and there is a nice play between the vanilla, amber, and lavender notes. I do find the back half to be pretty boring, while still smelling good.
I don’t think that Born in Roma is a bad fragrance. It’s pretty good, gets better as it dries down, and the performance is solid. It’s not too original up front and there are other fragrances that are similar.
But, between these, Born in Roma Intense is the better buy.
Winner: Intense
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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.