Mandarino di Sicilia

It’s an obscure brand I haven’t given a second thought to in about 20 years (I think I used to buy their scented candles back then). I was on the hunt for something fresh — something like Cool Water, but more modern and long‐lasting. I typed my fragrance preferences into Deepseek, made a list, and headed to the store. To my surprise, every scent on the AI‐generated list was great — nothing needed changing. In the end, I kept the rest of the options on my “to bottle” list, but I bought the Acqua di Parma first. The consultant also suggested their fig scent, which I got too — but I’ll talk about that later. The main reason I’d never really considered the brand before was that I somehow assumed their fragrances didn’t last long, kind of like Jo Malone colognes. “Oh, no!” the consultant exclaimed. “They stay put, especially the Mandarino one.” She was right — it lasts at least 20 hours on my skin. The scent is mostly suited to mornings and daytime; it’s energising. If you wear it in the evening, it’ll be like drinking strong coffee — you won’t fall asleep. It’s perfect for warm weather: it mentally transports you to the Riviera. Its uniqueness also lies in the fact that, unlike many fresh compositions, it doesn’t remind me of laundry detergent or air freshener — no household‐chemical vibes at all. Another definite plus is the reasonable price and the fact that it is not overly popular (too many people are chasing overhyped fragrances like Louis Vuitton). So now this scent is my personal elixir of energy and, at the same time, a ticket to the Sicilian Riviera. 👌🏻 I’m happy with the purchase — and with the AI’s recommendations. P.s. too sad they say it will be discontinued.

Spearmint gum laced orange popsicle . And a sprig of petitgrain (lemony leaves/twigs) . Like perhaps a mint-forward interpretation of Eau de Rochas Homme replacing the basil. This is quite effervescent in the opening, and a bit more dated in its greenness and sweetness (late 80’s / early 90’s) - think more Aramis New West for Him and Escape, as opposed to say Versace Eros. Ironically enough, my mind also went to A*Men Ultra Zest and Tauer’s Orange Star as more “contemporary” fragrances - this never going too thick nor heavy nor too sweet. And perhaps a nod to a more “natural” Cedro di Diamante . Very orange, very green, slightly sweet, slightly off-putting, slightly entrancing . Better than Futura? For me, yes - a perhaps slight return-to-form. *update: wife purchased this for me after finding a t-shirt in the hamper that kept the fragrance for a few days - asked me what it was, and immediately went online. Very happy summer ahead! As an aside: Tomlaf188 (below) notes coriander - to me, fresh coriander is better represented in Aqua Media; however, I will concede this ADP does hint at the cilantro vibe of Live Jazz - sweetness and all. So 188’s impression is quite apt. As an aside #2: heracles (above) references Annick Goutal fragrances in relation to this fragrance and I wholeheartedly agree - and appreciate hercales opening my eyes to that correlation. Certainly there is a bit of a nod to the tip-of-the-tongue Eau d’Hadrien EDP, but also to the lesser-referenced Un Matin d’Orage EDP in its water-drenched opening. Very eye-opening citrus. Very apt correlation, indeed, especially to Goutal’s creaminess found specifically in the EDP blends (compared to the EDT blends)

I blind bought this because I had smelled Tom Ford’s Mandarino di Amalfi in-store and completely fell for it—but it was just too overpriced for what it was. When I heard Acqua di Parma released Mandarino di Sicilia, I figured it could scratch that same itch, and honestly... it kinda does. The opening is super bright and sharp in a good way—like that feeling when you eat pineapple and it almost stings your tongue. It’s this punchy mix of green mandarin and bitter orange that feels so alive and fresh, like sun hitting citrus peel. There’s also this clean minty coolness underneath (spearmint, I think) that adds this breezy effect without smelling like toothpaste. Compared to Amalfi, this one is definitely more linear and more citrus-focused. No florals or deeper base. And yeah, it doesn’t last that long on skin—maybe 3-5 hours max unless you go heavy or spray on clothes. But honestly? It smells really clean, natural, and expensive in a way that a lot of citrus scents don’t. If you’re expecting it to be a 1:1 dupe of Tom Ford’s version, it’s not. But if you just want that bright, luxe citrus energy without dropping €250, this is a really solid summer daily driver. I’ll definitely keep wearing it in warm weather.

This is a very accurate rendition of the mandarin orange imo. Smells like I'm smelling the real thing. They managed to make it perform good (for a citrus) without making it smell like chemical fixatives (looking at you arancia la spugnatura flanker). I love this brand but their releases such as the newest Colonia Club have been absolute garbage, and not befitting of a brand with this heritage and pedigree. I mean come on, Cary Grant and Audrey Hepbern wore ADP and you release this new club that smells like a worse made copy of Armani Code? But I digress, this one is more befitting of the quality I expect from the house. If you like Arancia but hate that it only lasts 20 minutes, give this a try. If you are obsessed with performance get the arancia flanker or don't wear citrus dominant fragrances because you'll always be disappointed. You cannot have natural and strong performance in this category, you pick one or the other. Here, you'll get 6ish hours which is very good for a natural smelling citrus. ---------------------------------------------- Scent 90/100 Performance 65/100

It's petitgrain and spearmint forward. Green mandarin is unripe but manages to provide some fruitiness to it. Among ADP's greenest fragrances, alongside Cipresso and Ginepro. This one is a brighter, fresher green than those two. At first, I wasn't a fan but it's grown on me in the last 20 minutes. Becomes a bit more creamy and rounder as time goes on, but not by much. The opening is too green and soapy for my taste, so I wish they rounded it out a little more in the dry down. Although, overall, I like smelling this, the way I might like looking at a piece of art, I can't imagine ever wanting to smell LIKE this. However, I will say that this is so much more interesting and commendable than what ADP has been putting out for the past couple of years. They haven't released a memorable fragrance in years, and nothing that's catching any interest in the fragrance community. Doubt this will either.