Mania

Armani has released and discontinued several "Manias", but none have the uniqueness and sensuality of the original Mania from 1999. Created by Jacques Cavallier, it has notes of bergamot, orange blossom, iris, green notes, cloves, nutmeg, saffron, amber, white musk, incense and vanilla. After its bright citrus opening, Mania reveals its heart of soft spices and subtle florals, on a base of incense, amber and silky woods. Unlike most heavy spicy orientals, Mania has a radiance and lightness that makes it not only versatile, but comfortable. It is not as dry as the notes suggest, as it has a very well-constructed harmony between spices/woods and musk/amber, making it deeply elegant and sensual. Mania is a different oriental, one that wears you like silk, rather than a warm coat. Its frosted bottle interprets its contents well and transmits the effect and sensation of steam, like a glass that fogs up, in a steamy bath in an Onsen, surrounded by incense, candles and essential oils... a sensual scene, not lustful, that reflects peace and comfort. Cavallier had (I don't know much about his current creations) a magic touch for creating original, challenging and polarizing perfumes — an undeniable quality. Perhaps that's why Mania and other creations from his past were not a sales success, leading to their rapid discontinuation, as they went against the trend of their time. Mania is the middle brother of Chaos (1996) by Donna Karan, and Nu (2001) by YSL... being more affable than its older brother, but less daring than its younger brother. Totally unisex, Mania is another masterpiece by Jacques Cavallier. A semi-fresh, semi-warm, spicy oriental perfume, one of those compositions that we no longer find in designer perfumery. Time passes, some perfumes disappear, but the mania of being unique remains, through formulas that are ahead of their time.

Radiant , bright , sweet and slightly powdery. Not as spicy as I thought it would be , it’s rather soft and musky. But there is an oriental facet to this fragrance that makes it unique. Unisex but a little more feminine leaning. Definitely very vintage Armani - understated , elegant and high quality. It shares these house aspects with the original Code EdT for men (aka Black Code) which I’m very familiar with. The vanilla is not the modern sweet gourmand vanilla but rather something that is more realistic to the actual vanilla pods. It’s a flowery and slightly bitter vanilla. Like 80% sweet 20% bitter. Phenomenal creation. I could see this worn year round with some care needed on warmer days for the spicy / vanilla aspects not to become overpowering in the sun. It does have some similarities to YSL Nu which I also own , but they are remarkably different. Nu is VERY 00s YSL Tom Ford era and is much more in your face , exotic and daring. Which also makes it sometimes stand out too much. This one has all the appeal but it’s much softer. The softness in it actually remind me of a more modern creation, margielas matcha meditation. They have something similar to them which surprised me. I am reviewing this based on the spring 2000 PARFUM concentration 15mL bottle which is honestly some of the best packaging I have seen for a bottle. The composition should be the same just that this is a oilier dab version. It’s definitely very potent.

Vintage SAFFRON & WHITE-MUSK Scent with Nutmeg, Cloves & Guaiac-Wood... After the spray dries and the sillage starts to open up, I can feel the clean & sour-citrus tones of orange-blossom & bergamot sweetened by vanilla & labdanum with saffron peeping through. As it transitions to the heart, I get a bittersweet & sour spiciness from saffron, nutmeg & cloves. White-musk & vanilla-woods in the base keep everything together with a fluffy sweetness. It gains powdery sweetness the longer it's drying down, with some powdery tones from iris. The use of saffron here is unique, and ahead of its time. This has above average performance for year-round wear, but with the vintage amber-spicy profile I would be more likely to wear this in cooler months. I fell in love with scent back when it was released, but it was quickly discontinued. When I first sprayed this vintage bottle, I found that time hadn't been too kind to it, opening with sour citrus, and a long wait until the delicate beauty emerges. It's still a love for me, if only for nostalgic reasons. Enjoy! Update 07/27/24: Sprayed this on this morning to check if how it's evolving (after I sprayed out about a quarter of the bottle many months ago). The sour citrus is still there but it only lasts about 5 minutes or less. The vanilla & labdanum are starting to age now giving it a sweet depth and bringing it closer to what I remember. I'm glad I didn't throw it out.

I love it, too and won't start with babbling about the meanness of the discontinuation ;) I try to review this, since there seems to be some confusion. This version of MANIA is totally different from ARMANI MANIA, which can be found frequently in the shops. Where the new one to me is just a floral-sth., this perfume is special, although I have to admit that it's more fresh and less spicy than I would have thought when I saw the listed notes. Mania is fresh, orangy, slightly bitter and light. The orange blossom is very strong in the beginning,very flowery fresh, then it becomes creamy and more settled with earth and wood, I think it's the safran which becomes strong. After 4 hrs I smell woody-nutmeg, with a hint to the citrus/orange of the beginning. The first hour can be too strong of this perfume, but then it becomes more toned down - very nice and interesting. unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a smell-alike, my bottle is almost empty.

One of the most perfect fragrances ever made. It's such a shame the original formulation has been discontinued. It's newer version is a mediocre replacement and smells nothing like this. I had no idea of the notes until I saw them here and I'm surprised. It's not as spicy as the notes suggest. This is more of a very well blended harmony of citrus, floral and mildly spicy notes. It's more of an oriental than spicy. It has to be experienced to be appreciated. I wish this was relaunched in all its original beauty.

A carmine universe of red, warm, sweet & tart spices. Like saffron particles & raisins suspended in the air, twinkling like stars & planets. There are Middle Eastern dishes that combine saffron & raisins, and this scent reminds me somewhat of those. It's a warm & bright spicy-sweet amber, but even though it's officially vintage there remains something avant garde about the use of saffron here, even today. I like to layer it over Bentley for Men Intense to sweeten & deepen the base.

If anyone still mourns the loss of this magnificent fragrance, I would urge you to try Libre Le Parfum as they are blissfully similar to my nose, certainly the closest thing I have come across so far. This was such an unusual fragrance, why it was ever discontinued I will never know - perhaps it was just too unusual to be popular which is why they replaced it with the far less wonderful version (IMO) which is also now discontinued.

My number 1 fragrance of all time. I wore this all through high school and college and beyond. I was the only one wearing this at the time while everyone was wearing Polo Sport or Curve... lol. I would get comments all the time. Nothing smells close it even reminds me of Mania. Sad it's been discontinued. Masculine scent, not for those that like sweet fragrances.

i find this perfume perky and playfull but sometimes snicky and full of joy!Spicy and yet fresh...as i speak i can bring it to my mind! Really modern and special, distinctive and outstanding! I used to wear it in highschool and after that it was sadly discontinued. I think it would have been a must for young women :) between 16-23 too bad it's out :/

I took a chance and bought this one online. I was reluctant because it has been discontinued for a while so I was worried that the scent would have lost it's uumph. I was pleasantly surprised, my exact words "Hello lover!". It's powdery yet sexy. It's an oldie but goody. It made me feel great. Isn't that the ultimate goal of perfume????

First Armani got rid of this version of Mania and then they discontinued Sensi...What were they thinking? Two of the most gorgeous and original perfumes.. This made you feel like you were stepping into the cool interior of a Spanish/Italian Cathedral on a hot summers day...beautiful, exquisite & calming.

So perfect, not to spicy, not to sweet, not girly at all, not ladylike, not something granny would wear. I'll cherish it for ever and buy it again if it's relaunched. I'm happy I could find DK Black cashmere again (but it's not mania), meet my criteia of a me-perfume. Miss it so much it was ME.

Mania is seriously intoxicating! It's warm and spicy with a hint of sweetness from the vanilla and orange blossom. I get so many compliments when I wear it, it definitely has staying power too. Perfect for colder weather or evenings out.

My favourite perfume EVER. Nothing else compares to it. It was not too sweet, not too spicy, not headache inducing, it was warm, and fabulous. I am very sad it was discontinued. The only perfume I could call my signature scent.

This was my one and only signature scent since I was 18...and then it’s gone. Since then I’ve bought hundreds of perfumes, I’ve changed my favourite almost twice a week, in an endless search. Nothing compares to Armani Mania.

Smoky and sexy, it makes you wonder why they don't make fragrances like this anymore. It is old school Armani sophisticated and perfect in every way. If you love Oriental fragrances, this one is a must!

once i bought this and loved it but after that they discontinued it :P something not to be taken very seriously ,but i will say it any way,is that dkny Red Delicious reminded me of mania!

My goodness how I miss this stunning fragrance. Nothing will compare to it, nothing comes close to similar. :-(

I adored this one years ago - is it still available in this form?

I had no idea this existed, until someone in the community put in out for sale. Has nothing to do with Armani Mania, a good thing if you own both and you paid too much for Armani Mania already :) Both rare and discontinued type of expensive. This is a beautiful, delicate and very potent. The same perfume, had it been produced after 2020, it would have been a faint excuse of a perfume. Not this one. it is so bright, a beautiful iris that shines after 2-3h and with an incredible staying power. Not cloying, not sweet, not fresh, just beautiful and wearable. But with an attitude, not boring or 'where did i smell this before'. A happy perfume :)

I like both perfumes (Armani Mania - peach color juice with white top and Mania - with black top.) This one is more serious and subtle. I think it is beautiful. It is not too sweet, not too fresh, not too fruity, not too flowery, not too spicy. It is just perfect to project status and femininity at the same time. I think it is a great interview fragrance (especially for the colder months). Mania is perfect for the office. It is rich, a little concervative and at the same time uplifting. Sillage and longevity are average for me.

managed to get this long discontinued scent on ebay... I had it once soon after it was created, and never smelled it since my bottle broke:( Now feels like meeting old friend - scent is so recognizable. I absolutely agree - it is very modern, minimal and rich with precious woods. It is the sandalwood with musk at the base that lingers almost forever. But sadly it is not in your notes here. I disagree about amount of vanilla and presence of cloves. Those are definitely not the main notes anyway.

Uno dei migliori profumi mai esistiti in commercio. Opulento ma non assuefante, non convenzionale, moderno e inedito. Non riesco a capacitarmi di essermi innamorato di un profumo che purtroppo non viene più prodotto ( conoscevo di nome il profumo ma non l'avevo mai sentito, una settimana fa in una profumeria c'era un flacone, che mi ha persuaso tantissimo,tanto da farmelo comprare). Assoluto amore a prima vista totale. <3

Lovely, sexy, spicy, warm. It's such a shame that that kind of fragrances are being discontinued. Ech, I truely loved this 'black' Mania. The new Mania can't be compared to this and smells nothing like it - it's a different aroma.

The last original fragrance concept (scent/ packaging/ advertising) bearing Armani name. And it was discontinued soon - to be followed by those located between shame and disgust.

This modern fragrance is not as spicy as the notes suggest, it is spicy and yet fresh. Mania is very unique, edgy and minimal.

There is a huge difference between this and the newer Mania (peach juice, white lid). I love that one but I'm not a fan of this one, to me it smells like nutmeg flavoured lemonade. Its got this fizzy quality that is not agreeing with me. If any of you want it, PM me as I am happy to give it away for something small. I have 15mls left from a 100ml bottle.

This is a bit far from what it states. I find it a rather sporty fragrance, sweetish, watery, nothing special, not better than a cooling shower-gel.

Something in this sits a little odd on me. I thought that when I first tried it years ago and again now it is discontinued. Got rid of my bottle.

This is not for me. I don't see it as an "oriental spice". To me it's more a fresh and shiny one. I'm not into citrusy or green scents.

As a perfume collector I was very excited to finally get a bottle of this. At first, it is a soft fragrance it reminds me of the Must be Cartier and mixed withYSL's Nu and with a little citrus thrown in. This seemed promising at the start, because these are my favorite perfumes. Yet,it is very soft which is disappointing. Armani's first perfume for women is far superior. This is softer than Sensi on me, which is sad. Alternatively, if you like a soft citrus and musky fragrance, it does not have too much projection on the skin it only lingers. If so, then this one may be for you. I have had this perfume on the skin for only 15 minutes. It reminds me of a a watered down Fendi Theorema, where the orange lemonade smells fuses with delicate spices. I do not get the strong smell of DK Cashmere, or Rumba but a soft perfume. Perhaps it is a perfume where you would just like to have a hot chocolate cuddle yourself in the blanket and smell the soft perfume closely to the skin. Yes, you could wear this to work because it is not offensive, vanilla sprinkled with very light spices and florals. I prefer the newer orange mania because it is more robust, is for summertime and is happy with beautiful white florals. I get lovely compliments when I wear this. In contrast this perfume is for winter which is a light smell of generic citrus, vanilla and limited spices. Personally on my skin it is a disappointment, I would have to put it on clothes to get better wear and projection with this one. I understand why this perfume is discontinued, the quality is lacking for me. I like fragrances that are strong like Must be Cartier, Anne Klein and Obsession and the original Opium. They are great for winter. However, I can understand why people would like this perfume because it is soft, lingers and is not offensive. It does not smell sexy on me, like on others. It has a nice vanilla, musk and spice.Yet it does not make a bold statement that "I am here". But it seems rather constrained which is a pity. On me the spices or wood never really flourish. Fortunately, I received a bottle for a reasonable price, and was lucky I did not buy a larger bottle, because it is rather expensive. Yet, some people may get more out of this fragrance, I recommend that you try a sample of this before buying, because it is a required taste. Now it smells like a soft sweet male aftershave rather generic after one hour. Now it smells like sweet vanilla, musk and citrus lolly water and with no wood. Each person's skin is different so it may work well for you, but try it out first it, if possible. I know it is discontinued, but it is available on eBay. On me this perfume is soft rather than moderate. If there are any changes I will review at a later time.

I had never been a fan of Armani perfumes until I ran in to this beauty. It was the first (and last!) fragrance I smelled that was both oriental spicy and fresh. A rare and beautiful combo! It was different from what I was normally wearing (although I've always been very eclectic in my perfume taste) but it totally suprised me and it became my favorite summer scent. Special about this perfume was also the fact that I liked it as much on my clothes as on my skin. :-D I remember how the freshness of this scent was still notable on my clothes the day after, even after a night of clubbing when people were still allowed to smoke in clubs and pubs. So though it wasn't a heavy scent, the longevity was great. And I remember being on my 3th large bottle of this when I dropped it and it broke... . It was a brand new bottle, it just came out of the box. For 2 days long, everyone who came into my house, mentioned how nice it smelled. Which was quite painful as it was the most expensive air freshener I've ever had. ;-) When I went back to the shop, after this painful experience, to get a new bottle of this delicious juice, another painful experience awaited me. It was reformulated! In such a way I hardly reconised it! I never understood why they did that. This was a unique scent and when I smelled the new version, it reminded me of Aqua di Gioa, which I've never liked. So I never ever bothered again. Perhaps I should give it another try one day. I think my little trauma might be over by now...or it comes back with a vengeance. ;-)

When I was twenty years old I was miserable. Kicked out of school, forced to return to home without a penny saved. I moved back in with my parents and took a job at the mall. Sometimes for fun on my dinner break I would wander around the cosmetic counters of the department stores, sniffing at this and that, avoiding eye contact with the clownish painted faces of the sales ladies. Even then, before I had delved into the underground society of perfumistas, I could tell that the saleswomen didn't have a clue. They worked on commission and they were instructed to push whatever was a new release, whether it was right for the customer or not. It was during one of these 20 minute smell sessions that I discovered Armani Mania. This was the original version with a black cap. (Honestly, I don't understand why companies will bring out a completely different smelling perfume and call it by the same scent as the one they discontinued. Talk about confusing!) This version of Mania was a spicy mix of saffron, clove and nutmeg with incense smoke weaving in and out. It smelled like the woman I wanted to be. Warm, sophisticated, daring, mysterious....certainly not living with mom and dad.

I have just found this gem in an antique shop for £3.00. It was a part of an old house clearance. I couldn't believe my luck, I grabbed it without any hesitation and having checked the code, it appeared that I became a proud owner of an original 1999 formulation :-) I've been previously trying to get the bottle without success which begs a question, why a lot of most extraordinary fragrances become discontinued? This fragrance, is without doubt, an exquisite essence of spices, amber and vanilla. The opening is somewhat fresh and sweet turning spicy, ambery with just a touch of vanilla and musk. What a symphony of beautiful notes! It lasts several hours and develops beautifully. Incredible performance. It most certainly is unisex - I can see this one being worn by men and women. Rich, potent, enveloping, perfect as a signature fragrance. In my modest opinion, it would make a perfect winter/fall companion. An absolute masterpiece. Thumbs up :-)

I wasn't familiar with this fragrance and I love hunting for these which are long gone. So when I spotted a pack of 12 samples with a radiculous price (seller wasn't aware of their "value") I didn't hesitate to buy them. The package horribly stinks of cigarettes which may have affected my percepcion of this fragrance (and I am an ex smoker with 15 years of experience!) With huge expectations I sprayed it on my wrist and waited for "wow", and then a question "why they have discontinued such a great fragrance?". And... there was no wow and I can't even say I like it. Maybe that's the smell of cigarettes but I can only detect a sweet note which reminds me of a very hated "exlamation". I do not know how the samples have been stored but the smell is quite weak (but not turned). And I simply don't find it special.

One of those scents, which require you to have enough charisma to wear it. Otherwise it will wear you. I love how it doesn't smell too sweet in order "to fit", it is uncompromisingly spicy and likeable enough to make you remember it and to stand out from bunch of other bottles. Its black box is just perfect for the character of perfume. And the title just says it all. I get confused when people mistake this one for Armani Mania of 2004. Nothing similar at all.

This is a spicy unisex fresh scent, interesting, but not really something I would like, or maybe in the heat of summer as it is a cold scent. The saffron is what is left on me, my clothes, it is bitter and doesn't smell real feminine. So I would say the original Mania is a unique cool scent, maybe more edgy than the later version, but I prefer wearing the newer version,it isn't so spicy and is warmer also.

There is another one I found on internet which this is THIS original mania but in Eau Tonique. Does anyone have any information or review of the Eau Tonique to share? Fragrantica does not have that listed here :( I imagine that should be the lightweight or fresher version of the mania? According to the batch code it should be produced just a few years after mania launch in 1999

I think many of these reviews are referring to the new version of Mania which replaced the original and is not at all similar, lacking in the depth, mystery and sexiness of the original version. WHY WAS IT DISCONTINUED... boo-hoo! I still have half a bottle left and treat it with the reverence of a magic serum. when its gone its gone for good :(

I finally found a bottle of this for a reasonable price. It comes from an era in the early 2000's when oriental perfumes reigned supreme. It is a very spicy vanilla with a bit of incense. it's just lovely and I agree, they don't make them like this anymore. It's a shame! This is one sexy little number!

I found this for $53 and I guess it’s the original formulation. I’m a collector so I mostly bought it because I really like Armani fragrances. It’s very strong. And I don’t love it on myself but after a few seconds it smells good on paper. If anyone is interested I may let it go.

Great fragance! I wore it because the shop-seller told me it is unisex, and I saw its publicity: a couple kissing them ... Fresh, I mean: Cold ... juicy but in a rare way ... liquid, luminose, stick ...

This is sadly not for me but I can see why it’s so beloved! I have a 100ml 2002 bottle that’s half full. Please message me if you’re in the US and looking- selling but open to a swap too.

This was my scent from the age of 18-21 and accompanied more depraved nights out than I can count. I miss it terribly, it was the most intoxicating, overwhelming smell of pure musky lust!

Me lo vendieron como unisex, jaja, y la lamina que habia visto recientemente era una pareja besandose, asi que lo lleve... stilo steack, adhesivo, fresco, frio ... me gusto...

I miss this fragrance so much...bring it back!! So much better than the resent Mania..

Very nice! Very fresh, light and happy kind of smell. I'll wear it anywhere any time.

Ha ha ha ha . . . A shopassistant sold me as unisex!!! Is ozonik and fresh...

"MANIA" IS AWESOME I love it. I think this will be my new scent.