Acqua di Gio Essenza

Those were beautiful times, before the sweet upgrades, the likes of kamrah and jpg elixir, etc. Super men times will return. that's for sure. "The year 2012 brought the release of a refreshed version of Essenza, which Morillas handled as befits a true professional... he did not try to subject his own IMO finished work to a remodeling, but decided only to expand it with an additional nuance - bringing a breath of green lightness and freshness, effectively diverting attention from its monothematic, ozone-water heart.... although Essenza retained the distinctive and recognizable character of the original - but it also gained a new, bringing even more relief from the heat - while effectively cutting it off from the millions of clones modeled on its phenomenon.... The beginning of Essenza, is a hit of fleshy peel of just peeled grapefruit, sweet bergamot and intense green-herbal mannerism, with a clearly perceptible - but receded into the background, the main ozonic-water thread of Acqua di Gio... a major revolution in sound in vain, except that the fragrance has changed course by a few dozen degrees, but still flows in the direction taken in 1996.... the addition of greens and the noticeable presence of flowers, vetiver, sage and basil in the heart chord dulled slightly the coldness and austerity of the sound of the ozonic-water classic - but at the same time made it colorful, more multidimensional, more interesting and, above all, much more lively in perception.... in my opinion, the fragrance benefited from this expansion of notes not only by the sheer facelift of the composition, but, above all, it gained in clarity and became more crisp than the conservative protoplast, which has managed to wither a tad over the last dozen years or so.... to sum up: it has succeeded Morillas Essenza exquisitely, and unlike the classic - which has been tarnished by over-popularity and oversupply of counterfeits - I will wear it with real pleasure, because in my opinion it has more to offer and it has been served better.... the fragrance has gained at least a second life from this fruity-herbal facelift - and this fragrance has quite a lot of competition, even if qualitatively it doesn't come close to its heels... longevity and projection absolutely flawless, and the perceptibly woody base adds additional sophistication to Essenza's decline... so, if you're looking for a chic fresher for summer - I highly recommend it... reminds me: the classic Acqua di Gio in the first place, of course, but lovers of the whole family of Bvlgari (Aqua, PH and Men), Hugo Boss (XY, Element), Collistar Acqua Attiva, D&G Light Blue, Lanvin Oxygene - and even in its own perverse way Hermes Voyage will be delighted with Essenza.... Head: bergamot, grapefruit, aquatic notes and calone, Heart: jasmine, floral notes, basil and sage, Base: musk, clary sage, ambergris, cedar, patchouli, vetiver, pepper, ambergris"

This is what a true fresh & vibrant fragrance should be. Better than the OG in terms of performance and depth of scents. The original was great for those 4-5 years of my early twenties as a spring & summer banger (anytime is a good time if you want to smell clean/fresh regardless of season) but, eventually grew tired of it since I had it on 24-7 and wanted something with a bit more substance. Then Essenza came along about 7 or 8 years after I stopped using adg and it was an epiphany of some sorts. It was Essenza or Issey Miyake Summer editions and Essenza was easily the top dog. More mature yet, still youthful & vibrant almost bringing me back to my younger adg glory days. I bought 3 bottles (200 ml's) back in 2012 and thought I'd never have to hurry for more. Ran out in 2019 and have been scrambling ever since. Shame on Armani for being obtuse and ignorantly defiant in not continuing on a success. It's mindblowing to be honest. No, the scent wasn't groundbreaking or revolutionary, just a solid evolution of the original that was damn near perfect at what it was meant for. I own Profumo and nowadays I prefer it as it is the best 4 season freshy that I own. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to be on Fragrancebuy.ca a few months ago and happened to check their rare & discontinued section and lo & behold, they had Essenza in a limited quantity in both 6.8 & 2.5 is. Picked up 2 bottles of each for nearly retail prices, about 15% over. A steal for what they are going for on the auction sites. I won't tell what you should or shouldn't pay for this juice but, if you enjoyed the original and can find it and afford it, don't hesitate. If scents can be canonized or ascend to the heavens as gods, this is one of them that belongs on Mt. Olympus for Zeus himself. Immortal, period.

Only got hold if this for the first time in December 2019.It was a completely blind buy as the store only had sealed units in cellophane available but it was definitely not a mistake. The reviews on here helped tremendously. What an awesome fragrance! Clean and fresh and I can’t stop smelling my arm whenever I wear it, definitely addictive stuff! Longevity is quite good and I like this more than the other two Gio Acqua frags (original and Profumo) I tested the day I bought this. Sadly discontinued like a lot of my other favourates so try and grab some while you can from stores that still have stock at REASONABLE prices, not the over inflated rip off prices that I have seen online! I was fortunate to get three 75ml bottles on a special deal at the equivalent of $77 (normal price around $102) each. I also have to add that the bottle design from the amazing magnetic cap, the thick glass to the the silver plate on the bottom is top notch and my favourate out of all my various fragrances that includes Creed Aventus. For that reason I will use this straight out of the bottle and not from a decant as it is part of the whole experience..LOL.. Now I just hope I will be able to afford and be able to locate more the day my stock is depleted. I trust that Giorgio Armani will realise their mistake and bring it back. 9/10 UPDATE: Wore it last night (3 months later) after getting out of the shower and it just reminded me again why I fell in love with this fragrance from the moment when I first got it in December 2019. 100% Pure class.

The original Acqua Di Gio became my signature fragrance back in 1996 upon it's release when I purchased whilst on holiday on the Greek island of Rhodes. I've long been a fan of fresh citrus / woody fragrances so this hit the spot immediately. Perhaps when combined with the view I was enjoying from my holiday appt terrace whilst watching a beautiful Mediterranean sunset when 1st applied, it had 'added value'! Who knows, but what I do know is that I'm transported back to that moment in time now whenever I wear or smell ADG. I tried a sample of 'Essenza' back in December 2012, not long after it's release & was blown away immediately. I didn't think that my favourite fragrance could be improved upon & don't get me wrong, that's not exactly what I think has happened here ... I'd rather like to think that this is a slightly more sophisticated version of the original. I own all 3 versions (ADG, Essenza & Profumo) & for me, this is easily the best version. I tend to wear Profumo the least (although I don't dislike it), the original for casual / daytime wear & Essenza has now become my signature fragrance. Out of the 3 I'd say that it has the best silage / longevity. I get around 4-5 hours of good silage & around 6 hours of longevity ... on me, it's still a very nice skin fragrance for up to 10 hours depending on weather conditions. Heartily recommended for lovers of citrus/aquatic/aromatic fragrances with above average performance .. If you love ADG & don't have this in your collection, treat yourself ! :o)

AdG EDT was my first purchases as a man some 25 years ago. It was the king then and still reigns supreme today. It is the true definition of an EDT... very bright and loud. Essenza is an excellent flanker. I thoroughly enjoyed wearing it today. It sets itself apart from the world of freshies, while still retaining that excellent balance between fresh and citrusy with the masculine spice that the AdG DNA is known for. For me, however, it was short lived. I got about 90 minutes of projection out of it and by the 4 hour mark, there wasn't much projection left. I was only half way through my shift and planned for the worst, so I reapplied. I did not go easy on the trigger before work either. 3 sprays on each arm, 3 on the neck and 3 on the shirt. What a bummer... If Essenza was still produced today, I would happily pick up a bottle for $80, but you are smoking crack if you think I would pay the $170ish that it is going for today. To be honest, AAM Aqua Oud has everything I want in this DNA, it screams for 12 hours, and it costs $40. My huge collection will be null and void of any AdG once this 10ml decant of Essenza is gone. I may pick up a bottle of EDT for nostalgia's sake if I see one for $40. The flankers have zero to offer me. I have tried them all in store and none of them perform. Aqua Oud has spoiled me rotten. It only took wasting my money on 150 dupes to find a small handful of keepers, but Aqua Oud was almost worth the trouble. 8/10... -1 point for low performance