Acqua di Gio by Giorgio Armani

I recently bought a collection of minis, and among them comes one of Acqua di Giò. You can tell it’s not the reformulated one. You’ll read my review below. The reformulated one is pure earthy pineapple, and its scent doesn’t feel refreshing to me at all. In contrast, the mini one is the original, fresh, elegant, fruity floral that gives you energy but is refined at the same time. Just as my childhood nose remembered it. Another loss for perfumery, and counting…

It’s one of my must-have perfumes. It’s very fresh, energising, I use it for daytime, ideal for hot days.

I found a renewed version abroad, since in my country it hasn’t been sold for years. It’s my grandmother’s garden in summer with the sheets hung out in the sun. It’s clean, fresh and so personal. It’s like just out of the shower in the middle of summer. It’s not as sharp as the one from the 90s but it’s still beautiful.

I finally got myself a little bottle, a travel size, and oh! Surprise! What have they done to Acqua di Giò???!!! They have messed with it!!! About a year ago I bought the Senigalia version and I said to myself: “what happened to these people? did they never have the original for inspiration?” Apparently they did. The reformulated original. I have a very good olfactory memory. This would never have left a beautiful memory in my child nose. Only an earthy pineapple remains, but more earth than pineapple 😂😂😂🙄🥹 No other notes can be perceived. Disappointment with the reformulations. They’d better take it off the market, and move on to something else.

I am a woman and with Armani what happened to me is that I was first a fan of the Armani men’s perfume that is shaped like a light bulb, my boyfriend bought it in 1996 and I used it, I adored it. Fresh sharp, lemony and dry delicious very different from everything. Then a year later I gave him Aqua di Gio for men and… guess what, I used up almost all of it myself one summer, it was for men so what? Aquatic and fresh it felt like opening a watermelon, I loved it and a year later I bought Aqua di Gio for woman. My first perfume with vodka and peach much sweeter than the previous ones which I am still in love with. Since then every perfume with peach and vodka catches my attention. Aqua di Gio for woman was a groundbreaking perfume in the late 90s something very different from those very concentrated and matronly perfumes. It still seems youthful and sparkling to me for spring and summer.

I was almost a teenager, and back then in the pedestrian streets of Córdoba the perfume shop saleswomen would come out to promote new fragrances. Those were times when they did not filter you by age or the clothes you wore, we all got a blotter with Acqua di Giò. What a pleasure to smell it!!! If it entered through the eyes, I would say I have it engraved on my retina. Few perfumes seem to me so fresh and elegant at the same time. It is refined. It is a masterpiece. It always smells good, from the opening until its drydown. Definitely flawless!

You could say it’s the perfect perfume for after a shower after a long hot day at the beach. Aquatic, floral (mostly jasmine), subtly herbal, clean and powdery. Ideal for all seasons but especially for hot days, as it’s a fresh and soothing perfume. But the freshness this perfume recalls is not citrus freshness even though it has them in its composition, but that of water, of the sound of a stream lying in the grass with flowers between sun and shade of the trees, of the first dip in the sea, of getting out of the pool wet and walking barefoot across the lawn straight to the towel. Acqua di Gio instantly fills you with good humour and joy. Personally, at the time of Acqua di Gio, close to the start of my transition from girl to woman, I could have discovered this classic but I went from scents like Don Algodón straight to the super gourmands that were starting to become so fashionable and advertised everywhere (Les Belles de Ricci by Nina Ricci, the Escada summer editions, Angel… even the mythical vanilla by Yves Rocher became part of my collection) and unfortunately I never went through these aquatic perfumes that I like so much now. Even so, Acqua di Gio undoubtedly transports me to those first youthful holiday days even though its scent wasn’t with me then. But it doesn’t smell of youth in general (nor youthful), as the current generation couldn’t be more different, but of all of us who entered adolescence in the late 90s and early 2000s. A great era and without a doubt a great perfume.

This perfume fascinates me, it has that so special summer smell, so fresh, I really pick up that vodka note that drives me mad. Unfortunately I don’t use it because in Argentina they don’t sell it any more, so I use it sparingly only on very special occasions.

This was my first fresh aquatic perfume smelling of the sea, the beach, summer!! Extremely sexy, just spraying it made me happy, it’s that type of perfume that gives you energy and cheers you up. I still love it, unfortunately it has very poor longevity on my skin, but I love that very special odour it has.

I loved it, a floral fruity aquatic perfume, the pineapple doesn’t stand out much but the peach does and I detect a light melon aroma, you can sense that sweet vodka undertone which is certainly there as like a good old-fashioned perfume it’s a floral bomb but not at all overpowering, its watery notes and the calone lend moderation to that floral bouquet. This perfume smells totally of the beach to me without being the typical coconut and vanilla fragrance. It smells of a cocktail party on the beach, of a fine restaurant near the coast, it’s very lovely, I’ll enjoy it for what remains of the summer 💕

The nineties gave birth to the aquatic floral classics, so deeply ingrained in the collective memory of those who lived through that decade. Scents that were replicated over and over again, also reaching other generations. Earthy, animalic, chypre perfumes, with high doses of woods, leathers, tobaccos, incenses, carrying intense loud flowers, began to be banished and saw their irremediable decline. The beginning of the aquatic era, catapulted by the success of the well-known synthetic accord (molecule called Calone) that perfumery translated as The Breath of the Ocean. Calone is similar in structure to the pheromones produced by certain types of algae, which in its crystalline form has a rather sour smell, once diluted it takes on this oceanic aspect, reminiscent of saltpetre, slightly sweet, that freshness of a freshly cut cucumber, also linked to that fruity, watery idea we connect with watermelon. This concept exploded not only in fragrances, but also in all marketing, which aimed like in fashion to relax the past model. We then saw thousands of adverts with lonely people on the beach, where the sun hits the sand, couples kissing in the sea breeze, or running in the wind wearing light and preferably pale clothing. Lightness, freedom, the crystalline purity of the scents conveyed this idea. Succulent tuberose, dark roses, stunning gardenias, were overshadowed by the aquatic sweetness of water lily, lotus flower, the sweet scent of lily. Peony, freesias (except the untouchable lily of the valley) had more relevance than at other times. But this was also accompanied by an even stronger intervention of fruits, melon, peach, pineapple amongst others, but capturing the juiciest, most aquatic side. Soft white-type musks reached stardom even more towards the end of that decade. Entering the world of Aqua di Gio it is essential to say all of the above, and also to comment how iconic this fragrance was marking an era where Cool Water for women, L’Eau Par Kenzo, L’Eau d’Issey also shone. Some spicier, some woodier, some more floral, some more fruity, but all with that common touch. I would also like to comment something, ALL eras of perfumery had fragrances that were very connected to each other, companies were not foolish, they saw that a scent caught on with people, and soon sought to replicate it. That is why we could see in the same market countless similar fragrances, even though some stood out with more originality and quality. So what we see today where everything smells similar, happened before too. I think the exception I would make is that previously fragrances had much more quality. We observed a similar structure, but two or three different notes could give us a similar scene, but with some new characters retouching the work we had already seen. Aquatic florals have 2 problems, first some do not age well over the years, and others just like 80s fragrances do not handle reformulations well. Perhaps the difference is less dramatic, but it is still felt. The 90s Aqua Di Gio made by Cosmair, is a delicate and aquatic beauty. The Cosmair version has an aquatic opening of water lilies, peonies, freesia, calm but without losing aromatic personality. Hyacinth is soft, but in the background it can be detected without problem. As the fragrance settles the sweetness of pineapple mixed with lily of the valley begins to emerge. The vodka note is sweet and subtle. The musk is at its perfect level, very light touches of rose edge the composition. I can detect the amber side, but the wood notes are too faint for me to distinguish. The Luxury Products reformulation is quite close, the opening is louder and loaded with a vodka note high in artificial alcohol. The good thing is that as this part clears, and we see in action the lily of the valley and hyacinth combo with subtle rose tones, it acquires the original beauty. Aromatic aquatic floral where one spray is more than enough.

Oh! How I wish I could turn back time, specifically to 1996, when my adventure in the working world was beginning, I walked through beautiful streets surrounded by trees, the sun softly touched my face, everything was slower, more paused and I was wearing this wonderful fragrance. January 1996, I discovered that the turquoise colour smells beautiful, that even when it is very hot, a fragrance can make you feel fresh, that with just one spray your mood can change and make you feel beautiful, sensations… emotions, all this and more comes to my memory when I see a bottle of Acqua di Gio, or rather when I remember it. In a country like Chile, where everything arrives late and the good lasts little, the presence of this intoxicating potion is no exception. I miss it…, that aroma of summer, sun, delicate dresses, magical sunset colours… missing an era where fragrances were masterpieces, where I usually go back every time the fast pace of today chases me, just close my eyes and remember its scent.

I’ve been using it for about 20 years and in summer it’s essential for me. Fresh, long-lasting on my skin. I haven’t found another one like it. I never get tired of it. Nothing simple, many nuances, it evolves and changes as the hours go by. I love it!!!

Turquoise. If colours were notes in scents, the predominant note of Acqua di Gio would be turquoise. When I smell it I feel this colour intensely, sea turquoise, sky turquoise, very close to wet plants and flowers, breeze, light. It smells fresh and aquatic, at once sweet and floral. It is an indescribable and hypnotic scent, it is simple but none is like it. I never get tired of it, it’s my go-to when I don’t know what other perfume to use. It gives me optimism and joy, serenity and lightness. It’s the feeling of having taken a shower after a beach day, but without a soapy or powdery smell, something different and more authentic. Longevity is excellent for a fresh perfume. More than a classic, it is a timeless and essential scent. I usually buy perfumes in the smallest bottles sold, because I like variety and I get bored. But Acqua di Gio is always there, and in its large bottle.

Super fresh, I think it’s already a classic. It’s one of the ones I own and I’ll try to always keep in my collection