Acqua Di Gio . Explain it to me?

I've been reading about Acqua di Gio for years, and it was always high on my wish-list of fragrances to acquire.
My new girlfriend gave me a gift set (ASB, 3.4z EdC, DeoStick) on our 3rd date about a month ago.

I can barely smell it when its first applied, and then I can smell nothing 5 minutes later.
Evem wjem its sprayed directly on my skin, the fragrance doesn't really sit right with my nose.

I know this fragrance has a reputation as a "PantyDropper" ... and of course, Armani is one of the leading Fragrance Houses in the world. She seems to go wild for it, and I get positive body language from other women that speaks volumes, too.

I don't get it. It doesn't smell like anything special to me, even when I can smell it. And unless I keep re-applying it fairly frequently, I can't smell anything at all.

Can someone explain this to me? Why does this particular fragrance line have such a stellar reputation? And is there any way to get the fragrance to last longer?

Acqua di Gio has the reputation of being the best sold men's fragrance of all time (probably true).
As with any fragrance, it's not something unusual that a some will love it while others will remain unmoved by it. So I don't really understand your point there. You don't have to like it.
As far as the fragrance goes, I find it to be first and foremost a significant fragrance as it had a major influence in the fragrance world that came after it.
In terms of smell, I think it's very difficult to judge it 25 years after it's release, because it has been copied and imitated so many times since, that the scent itself has become too common and ordinary. It is however a very nice, clean and elegant scent, completely unoffensive and highly versatile. Women (especially ones who haven't picked up this scent on too many guys) will still compliment on it often.

For me personally, it's still a fragrance I enjoy quite a lot from time to time. There's something very uplifting and pleasant in this scent and no other fragrance I've ever worn or tried did it quite the same.

Touching on your last point, I'm afraid ADG is the victim of many reformulations and as it stands now it's only a shell of what it was in the early 90's. That being said, it should still last 5-6h on most people and project well in the first couple of hours.
If your experience is far from that, there may be multiple reasons: either you have a bad one or a fake (you can compare it to a tester in a fragrance shop), your skin absorbs it too quickly (in which case a moisturizer can help prolong the scent a bit, but not by heaps) or you're simply experiencing olfactory fatigue, which is a very common reaction to various fragrances. For the latter, you can simply ask around if they can still smell it on you or not.

And finally, if you really like the scent (from what you've said I'd think ... not really), you can try the two flankers - Acqua di Gio Essenza or Profumo. Their performance is much better than the original and the scent, in my opinion, is a clear step ahead too.

I did not like ADG 20 years ago. Recently bought a split of Porfumo and after a few tries getaway. It is one of many "popular" scents I do not like. For example, I find 1 million by Paco Rabanne simply nauseating.

Quality moisturizers applied liberally do increase the longevity of perfumes my skin. Try something unscented such as CeraVe.

ADG reminds me of L'eau D'issey Miyake pour homme, an aquatic I wasted $35+ on.

I don't care how many women love it; it/they're just cookie-cutter "clean" metro scents- yuck.

If the ladies like it so much, it might be because it smells like something they'd wear.

YMMV.


AA

shavergn said:

for example, i find 1 million by paco rabanne simply nauseating.

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+1,000,000; qft.


Aa

Ad Astra said:

ADG reminds me of L'eau D'issey Miyake pour homme, an aquatic I wasted $35+ on.

I don't care how many women love it; it/they're just cookie-cutter "clean" metro scents- yuck.

If the ladies like it so much, it might be because it smells like something they'd wear.

YMMV.

AA

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In a study of what causes arousal in women, women's perfume and pumpkin pie ranked ahead of men's cologne.

Old Spice does it for my wife though, guess I just got lucky

Clausewitz said:

In a study of what causes arousal in women, women's perfume and pumpkin pie ranked ahead of men's cologne.

Old Spice does it for my wife though, guess I just got lucky

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I know about the pumpkin pie ... unfortunately, most of them seem to be infused with cinnamon, and I'm allergic to that.

The scent of cucumbers also causes arousal in women ... maybe its the Phallic symbolism?
Perhaps I should stock up on Thayers WH in that flavor.

I've done extensive experimentation with Pheromone colognes over the last 20 years or so.
Most of the ones I've tried are utter garbage, but for the ones that work, THEY REALLY WORK!

My current girlfriend gets really wild whenever I wear the AdG ...
or maybe its the Alabama Slammers she drinks when we go out dancing.
(Or maybe its just ME ... I've always been somewhat of a Chick Magnet.)

My wife just gave up.

"I don't know who you smell like," she admitted, after smelling 63 aftershaves, 44 soaps and 41 different colognes.


AA

Clausewitz said:

In a study of what causes arousal in women, women's perfume and pumpkin pie ranked ahead of men's cologne.

Old Spice does it for my wife though, guess I just got lucky

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Old Spice was originally for women. It is essentially a carnation heavy floral with spices, and has a good bit in common with Chanel No 5 and Jean Patou's Normandie. Old Spice doesn't have the aldehydes and over the top qualities of either of those fragrances, but one could easily pass a very light application of Chanel No 5 off as Old Spice after the aldehydes fade.

Ad Astra said:

My wife just gave up.

"I don't know who you smell like," she admitted, after smelling 63 aftershaves, 44 soaps and 41 different colognes.


AA

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As long as she lets you keep buying them.

ciderguy said:

Old Spice was originally for women. It is essentially a carnation heavy floral with spices, and has a good bit in common with Chanel No 5 and Jean Patou's Normandie. Old Spice doesn't have the aldehydes and over the top qualities of either of those fragrances, but one could easily pass a very light application of Chanel No 5 off as Old Spice after the aldehydes fade.

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Now that I think about it, I did read something about the. But that's fascinating stuff, thanks for sharing.

I think it smells nice, but like many have said, it's become a little too common for my taste. But hey, you're wearing it for her, not for you, so as long as you don't hate it, and she loves it, keep wearing it. I love GIT scents. My wife can take them or leave them. My wife loves Aventus scents. I like them well enough, but prefer the greener scents. Guess what I wear most often?

Im wondering if it might be a seasonal thing?

Acqua di Gio seems to be a light, citrus scent, which is more approprate for warm weather.
perhaps I will get better results from it in the spring and summer next year.

As @gwsmallwood said above, I'm wearing it for her, not me.
Even if I don't like the scent, I don't hate it either.
At least she doesn't want me to wear The Veg.

No matter what she wants me to wear ... she's worth it!

gwsmallwood said:

Guess what I wear most often?

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An oud?

Fun, Fresh and friendly scent if you don't go swimming in it. It's a casual scent, but you could pull off as an office scent. I think it works for all seasons. It's the default cologne (along with Le Male) passed down from big brother to little brother for going out on Friday night. I've smelled it on single bros trolling at the mall and in Las Vegas Casinos. I find the EDT is easy to like. The Essenza is rank. I was going to buy it for something to grab in a hurry, but some little kid's mom complimented me which made me a little uncomfortable. That's a shame because I like the aquatic,cucumber, faintly woody scent.

Strayhair said:

It's the default cologne (along with Le Male) passed down from big brother to little brother for going out on Friday night.

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Funny how times change. I'm pretty sure when I was a kid, my brothers were all about Drakkar and Cool Water. For my wife's brothers, it was Curve.

Years ago (maybe 15) my wife gave me for XMAS a 4oz or 5oz bottle (I forgot). It was ok. I mean, I wasn't crazy about it. What I liked about was that it wasn't obnoxious. When I finished it it's not like I had to go get another bottle.

Want a panty-dropper? Versace Eros.

Its a fragrance that's been around for a long time and it still sells. Its not unique, and its not special these days. Peoples skin chemistry is different and it may last 12 hours on a person and 1 hour on another. Honestly if it dosnt work on your skin, ditch it and try something else. I see no point of even spraying somethig on myself if its there for 30 minutes and then nothing but a skin scent. That is what Curve is to me. But if it works on your skin, and you just want a plesent smell around the office or a casual date nothing wrong with it at all!

This is a great thread!
Think about the name. Acqua=water, Di=of, Gio=Gio I wondered about the name for a while then I saw a movie starring Morgan Freedman called Driving Miss Daisy. In this movie Morgan needs to stop driving because he has to pee, but he calls it "making Water". So Acqua Di Gio, Water of Gio.
I guess it could be sweat of Gio.

Also I was told early on when I was a young lad, I was not suppose to smell the fragrance I wear. If I do then I have to much on. A young preppy kid I lived with during college would spray it in the air then walk through the mist.

I bought it on sale and the Gio Rep set me up with trial sizes, a travel size. I have enough to last into 2018!

You think the scent has dissapated but trust there are at least 12 guys here at my work who think they can't smell their Acqua di Gio either. So, they just cake more of it on .....creating this napalm-like cloud of 90's chest hair smell.

From the reaction of the ladies here, I wouldnt be so quick to say its a universal "panty dropper."

For the life of me why is ADG so popular? I have a bottle still mostly full. Can't stand the stuff. Now there are a couple of flankers, they likely wouldn't appeal to me either, yet every snobbish department store will have massive displays of them, especially around Father's Day and Christmas. The fragrance industry has run out of ideas on how to revive itself, nothing but flankers are produced now. I stick with my 70's, 80's and 90's powerhouse and Classic scents. I predict this fragrance thing will come full circle some day.