When looking for a perfume, many people say they want something “sexy” or something “fresh.” Perfume houses are hip to that, and tend to market their wares with smoldering starlets or oceans and dew-tipped garden flowers. (That is, unless they can play both sides and put the starlet on the beach.)
The popular sexy fragrance is easy to define. Start with a friendly fruit note, add amber, vanilla, and maybe patchouli, toss in a shot of jasmine and the obligatory rare jungle orchid, and presto: sexy perfume. A clean fragrance can take a few different approaches. It can be citrusy (many colognes), ocean-like (Issey Miyake Eau d’Issey), fizzing with steamy aldehydes (Narciso Rodriguez Essence), or soapy (take your pick of the Clean line). It can finish with cool wood or vetiver, or — more likely these days, it seems — a wave of laundry musk.
Giorgio Armani has raked in good money selling fresh fragrances. Acqua di Giò, both the feminine and masculine versions, have been best sellers since the mid-1990s. Acqua di Gioia is the brand's latest try for the “fresh” vote, and it plays up both the ocean and laundry musk angles of clean.
Acqua di Gioia Eau de Parfum launched in June of 2010 and was developed by perfumers Loc Dong, Anne Flipo and Dominique Ropion. Its notes feature crushed mint leaves, limone primo fiore, aquatic green accord, pink pepper, jasmine sambac, peony, cedar, labdanum and brown sugar accord. The fragrance was supposedly inspired by Armani’s visits to islands such as Pantelleria and Antigua, and is “rooted in nature and in water.”
If an island inspired Acqua di Gioia, then it must have been a stretch of beach adjoining an outdoor bar. To me, Acqua di Gioia smells like tart lemon zest twisted over a sweet mojito with a sprig of jasmine in it. In the background is the “ocean” scent of melon, cucumbers and ozone that you smelled all over the 1990s. The brown sugar accord burns nearly all the way to the end of the fragrance, after the lemon and jasmine are long gone and after the only bit of ocean left is what you get when you wring out a bikini. Just before Acqua di Gioia disappears, clean musk makes a soapy appearance.
The fragrance has solid presence for something marketed as an “acqua,” and those who love it will be rewarded with six hours on skin and about a three-foot sillage.
I’m not a huge fan of aquatic fragrances, and after another wearing, when my sample is drained, I probably won’t try it again. When I want something fresh, I’m more likely to reach for the pineapple-vetiver L’Artisan Parfumeur Ananas Fizz, the patchouli-inflected Rochas Eau de Rochas, or even the plastic-lemon-amber of Revlon Jean Naté. That said, there’s something intriguing about Acqua di Gioia’s mix of tingly jasmine and brown sugar, and people who don’t mind a little calone in their perfume will want to give it a try.
When you want a fresh fragrance, what kind of perfume do you tend to reach for?
Giorgio Armani Acqua di Gioia is available in 30 ml ($39.50), 50 ml ($62) and 100 ml ($80) Eau de Toilette and is easily found online and at department stores.
I sampled this and didn’t care for it much. Not that i’d toss a sample or bottle handed to me, but not enough to give it a serious try on my own. I do like “fresh” fragrances, as a rule, and reach for Chanel’s Cologne as a staple.
Chanel Cologne fresh and Acqua di Gioia fresh are truly different types of fresh. Given the choice, I’d take the Chanel, too!
Great review Angela!
I once had a 20mL travel spray of Aqua Di Gio, but I gave it to my dad, because it didn’t suit me at all. I don’t like all those ozonic, oceanic, watery fragrances.
When I say fresh I rather think of elegant citruses, with a small warming hint of vanilla. Just like in Chanel Allure Edition Blanche, that I’m planning to buy soon.
That’s right–what is it now, three weeks until your birthday and your new bottle of Allure Edition Blanche?
Exactly, my birthday is getting closer (24 feb) and I’d love to get Chanel Allure Blanche. But being realistic I probably won’t get it, perfume is to expensive business for my parents. But maybe I’ll get something small and some money, so I would be able to buy it for a smaller amount of my own money.
Sounds like a good plan!
Yes, it does. And I’m also waiting for my birthday -20% off for a present thanks to my Sephora VIP card.
My husband gave me a bottle of this. I’m not a big fan of Acqua di Gio, but this one I like. My daughter almost used up a whole bottle, so I got her Lady Vengence by Juliette Has a Gun to stop her from steeling AdG. Anyway, I got so many compliments when I wore it last summer in Provence. I think it’s a good summer fragrance if you like acquatic fragrances.
It sounds like Acqua di Gioia is a winner for you (and your daughter)! Plus you’ll always have those wonderful memories of Provence when you wear it.
Yes. It felt fitting that I wore it there. Not in London, that’s for sure!
Maybe the Juliette Has a Gun fragrance better suits London….
My nose seems to interpret many prevailing notions of “fresh” as “noxious,” especially where Calone or laundry musk is involved. I much prefer things like Eau de Rochas (one of my favorite perfumes of any genre), Cristalle EDT, Tokyo Milk Sea and Sky (a recent discovery), and even Eau des Merveilles.
And thanks to the generosity of Rappleyea, I’m now considering a FB of Ninfeo Mio.
I haven’t tried the Tokyo Milk fragrance you list, but I love the other ones in your comment, so I’m going to have to seek it out.
Sea and Sky is very different from the others I mentioned, and I’m not quite sure how to describe it. If there were an upscale sauna treatment that somehow involved watercress or another peppery green leafy thing, and if this sauna opened onto a stretch of pristine beach, it would smell kind of like that. It’s more evocative of a feeling than of any specific aromas.
Nice description! Just makes me want to try it more!
Emily, someone over at MUA asked me to describe Sea and Sky (which I like very much), and I hemmed and hawed and finally said, “it smells like … sea and sky.” Your description is much better.
Aww, thanks!
oh my I’ve got to try that too! Wonderful description! I haven’t tried any tokoyo milks yet, what others do you like?
I have to chime in and recommend Eden. I get so many compliments on it.
And I’ll add Ex Libris to the list. Fig Leaf, Magnolia, Musk & Cardamom.
I enthusiastically second Aparatchick’s recommendation of Ex Libris. It’s one of my current favorites and has triggered a bit of a fig obsession. Eden is on my to-try list, too. I very much liked Dead Sexy (woods and dry-ish vanilla) the first couple of times I tried it, but then I started to notice a weird plasticky note that turned me off. It seems to be pretty popular, though. Also heard good things about Marine Sel — I think Meg has recommended that one to me — and Gin and Rosewater.
I confess I have tired of “fresh” but every once in a while I still give myself a spritz of Kenzo, L’eau Par Kenzo. To me, it smells like the West Virginia mountains in early Spring
What a nice vision!
Hi Angela, I couldn’t help but smile at your review…and I agree, acquatic scents amd I do not get along too well either. My idea of “fresh” scents are probably most everyone else’s “oldy-moldy’s”!
I like Eau ‘d Givenchy and EL’ PC and even EL’s JWM for my version of fresh scents. Fresh scents don’t necessarily mean “beach” to me..gimme some Hermes Eau Claire des Merveilles and some EL Bronze Goddess for that. feeling.
Yes, fresh and beach aren’t necessarily the same to me, either–a fresh, crisp green with a little moss tossed it to take the edge off is perfection.
Very glad to see Eau de Givenchy get a mention. It’s one of my faves as a fresh choice. Also Diorella, Kenzo’s Eau de Fleur de Magnolia, and White Linen (sort of, it is soapy-fresh).
All those choices are wonderful. I bet a lot of the perfume-wearing public (not real perfume lovers, though!) would think those fragrances were too perfumey and not fresh enough. Yet what could be more refreshing than Diorella in spring?
I quite like Acqua di Gioa too – probably not enough to pay full price for it, but at the store I work in the “Acqua for Life” Limited Edition is half price, so I think that will be my next purchase. I much prefer it to the original Acqua di Gio for women. I think it’s the whiff of mint that hooks me.
Is Acqua for life a collection of both the Armani Acquas? It sounds like a good deal!
I love the old Aqua di Gio for women; it smells like a fresh bath in a summer morning. I’m somehow tired of calone and trying to avoid frags with that , at least with lots of. When I searching for a fresh perfume I do not try to find an especific olfactory family, but an especific feeling: something like the sensation of “after bathing in a summer Sunday morning”.
It’s nice–and not as common as I’d think–to find a fragrance that evokes a feeling. And the feeling of a summer morning bath sounds so nice, especially on this cold January afternoon.
When I want fresh, I go for Aramis, which is a leathery chypre with animal facets. Most would disagree with me that this is fresh, but its quite radiant and sparkling with clearly defined citrus notes, which are I think are the main quality of so called “fresh” scents. More traditionally, I reach for Moustache by Rochas and Diorella when I fee the fresh urge.
Spoken like a true Chant fan! And a Roudnitka fan, too.
Ooh, this doesn’t sound like something I’d reach for…
When I’m in the mood for “fresh,” I reach for beachy or cologne-like scents: Bronze Goddess, Jil Sander Sun, Guerlain Cologne Imperial (or Eau de Guerlain, or du 68) or Carthusia Via Camerelle!
It sounds like it’s either beachy or classic cologne for you. Sounds good to me!
Hi Angela, You had me laughing with ‘the only bit of ocean left is what you get when you wring out a bikini’. I am not generally a can of this type of fragrance as it immediately calls to mind the early ’90’s- going out clubbing and being practically knocked over by the waves of New West for her and Eternity and Escape. Bleearghh! My stepsister wore all of those and I am sure our house reeked mightily of a Friday night from the battle between her ozone-aquatic horrors and my orientals and woods . I like to think Shalimar and Fendi made short work of the competition!
If I want fresh or beach I go for Eau de Guerlain, O de Lancôme, Hove Verveine, Clarins Eau Dynamisante , Calyx or Bobbi Brown Beach ( which smells exactly like the Hampton And Rye Beaches of my childhood). Oh and Origins Birthday Suit Body Oil- spearmint t and lemon loveliness!
Wow! You guys sure had a fragrant house on a weekend night! (I sure wish Fendi weren’t discontinued, by the way.)
Me too! Dreck released by the gallon and yet the good stuff is done away with….grrrrr
I could list 20 fragrances right now I’d trade for some good old Fendi.
les nuits de hadrien by annick goutal is my choice..it has a little body and still sings out or jean marie farina by roger& gallet for a traditional calone..laguna is probably my new fave “beachy” scent..lots of vanilla [not a big vanillic] but theres something salty about it.
I don’t hear much about Les Nuit d’Hadien these days, but it sure is a wonderful perfume. Thanks for the reminder!
Which laguna is that? The Salvador Dali fragrance?
I may have to try this for the brown sugar and mint!
For me ‘fresh’ fragrances are important, to keep me alert on warm days or at work. Although I always veer towards orientals, I probably get more wear out of fresh scents which make me feel more confident in muggy afternoons – especially if I need to feel/look composed and professional.
So much for my MANY ambers and gourmands : /
Fresh frags for me are Christalle eau de Verte, Jardin sur le tout (and other jardins), Infusion de Iris, and Herba Fresca.
I’m wondering whether Delices des fleurs would work as a fresh fragrance for me. It’s very airy and soft but may not have enough of a bite?
For some reason, your list of fragrances reminded me of Eau de Cartier and what a wonderful fresh fragrance that one is. Great for work, too.
I haven’t smelled Delice des Fleurs yet (at least, I don’t think so, it’s so hard to keep track these days).
Good remembering. I love Eau de Cartier, despite its 10-minute- lasting on me.
I love the idea of having one of those vat-sized bottles so you can spray it on every hour if you want. Wouldn’t that be nice? Could even keep it in the refrigerator.
LOL! You’re reading my mind! I’ve already have two 200ml bottles of it! :p
That’s great!
That’s also my problem with it – that and laziness! Love the scent but I’m not the type to respritz once an hour : )
My fresh choice is Guerlains Herba Fresca from the Aqua Allegoria collection. Lovely!
Hi lise
Mine too!
Thanks Angela for your review!
You’re welcome!
Nice! It would make a great name for a cocktail, too!
Haha, that`s rigt, Angela. And it really does smell like a really fresh cocktail.
Now I’m thirsty!
Lol! I´d buy you one for all the lovely reviews you are writing. I really enjoy reading them!
Lime Basil Mandarin Jo Malone
Gucci Envy
Outrageous Frederick Malle
Osmanthus Different Company
Just reading those names brings a fragrant, crisp tingle to my brain!
Osmanthus is great!
I just wish it lasted longer on me!
oh and I really enjoy L’Eau Neuve Lubin
I have a sample of that one around somewhere–I’ll get it out and try it again.
So nice of you to review this fragrance Angela, I thought NST was going to let this one pass. I reviewed this one last year for my audience, with almost the same words LOL. It is absolutely not what I’d call fresh. The one very good point about it is the accompanying music – loads of people were drawn to listen to – and purchase – Crimson Wings, the album of The Cinematic Orchestra featuring the song selected by the marketing gurus at Armani. It’s called The Arrival of the Birds and it is just beautiful, well beyond what the fragrance will ever achieve.
I am very, very sorry to say that Pineapple Fizz is discontinued. Never have I seen a note of green pineapple quite like this one.If I want something fresh, since I can’t reach for Pineapple Fizz any more *sniff* and Azuree Soleil has been adulterated to this awful Bronze Goddess *double sniff* – well there’s not much left. I like Eau des Merveilles and while not exactly freshy-fresh, it is uplifting. The freshest of the fresh is for me Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca. I also used to like L’Eau par Kenzo but now it’s so ubiquitous I can’t be bothered. Then there are the green-fresh – Premier Figuier Extreme, Un Jardin Sur le Nil. Un Jardin En Mediterannee, Christalle Eau Verte. Ah to get my hands on a well done aquatic! A well done Pure White Linen.
I also like Sel de Vetiver from TDC, and Coeur de Vetiver Sacre from L’AP.
To end on a citrus note, Citron Verbena from L’Occitane is truly wonderful, but it only lasts about 20 minutes.
How could I forget Sel de Vetiver! That’s such a nice one–I’m surprised I don’t have a bottle.
I had no idea there was such good music associated with this fragrance. My internet connection is really slow (and I’m loathe to sign up for a cable connection right now) so I tend to skip the videos. I’ll have to seek this one out!
Thank you for the thoughtful review Angela. I wish I got all of those subtle notes from Acqua di Gioia. I’ve sampled it twice and both times thought “tinned fruit cocktail in light syrup served up on a drier sheet” – not great. I prefer Tom Ford Neroli Portofino for a fresh fragrance. People always tell me I smell really clean whenever I wear it.
“served up on a dryer sheet”! Love that.
And another big thanks to laundry musk…
Hey, I’d take Neroli Portofino over AdG, too! I bet you do smell great.
Angie: a bit off topic but I’ve not seen a more off-putting ad in awhile! The poor girl has not only had her pores “sanded” away (along with her entire right arm and part of her left) in the photo lab, but she looks stunned — and not in a good way. Kudos for giving this a chance…when I see the name “Armani” on a perfume these days, I could care less.
She sure doesn’t look “refreshed” and “crisp.” No, she looks positively cadaverous. Creepy.
I admit a good part of my motivation for reviewing this one is that I happened to have a sample on hand!
Her head is at an unfortunate “Death Becomes Her” angle. Weird.
And those eyes. Like I said, creepy.
And they managed to completely remove the fronts of her breasts, while leaving her the side of her right one.
Does no one check the Photo Shop team’s work before they go to print?
It’s like the proofs were mixed up with those for a Munsters movie or something.
Perhaps they were going for the zombie chic look?
Hey, that’s a great idea for the Eau Faux contest!
I have managed to ignore the entire line until just recently, when a colleague started wearing the Armani Code given her by her partner for Christmas. It smells glorious on her. Who woulda thunk?
Good for her! It scares me.
Some of my favorite freshes include 4711, Bronze Goddess, and Dior Escale di Pondichery.
However, I also don’t mind an aquatic fragrance from time to time. I enjoy Jennifer Lopez Deseo (surprisingly good stuff!) and this Bath and Body Works flanker called PS I Love You Spring Fling that’s an aquatic rose. I enjoyed the latter so much this summer that I’m considering scouring eBay for more – it was rapidly discontinued.
4711 is a classic!
Good for you for not being a snob about perfume. I need to check out more of the Bath and Body Works offerings.
Good question, Angela. I had to think about what’s “fresh” for me: Definitely Atelier Cologne Bois Blonds. Also, Neroli 36 (contains calone) is perfect for early spring when trees are budding and there’s a scent of flowering shrubs and grass in the air. It amplifies the newness of the landscape all around me.
Your description of Neroli 36 reminds me of how I feel about L’Ete en Douce, even though they’re different perfumes for sure. A nice feeling!
I just looked up L’Ete en Douce. It sounds like something I need to sample!
I only have a sample myself, but it’s nice to sniff from time to time.
When I really need fresh, I reach for that big honking bottle of Guerlain Vetiver. When I don’t need the AC on full blast, it’s time for the lovely Chanel 28 La Pausa, which has quite a lot of vetiver in that iris (which is fairly cooling to begin with).
There really is something cooling about vetiver!
Gosh, ” tart lemon zest twisted over a sweet mojito with a sprig of jasmine in it” sounds pretty good to me! I wish I got that from AdG, but all I can recall is nondescript metallic perfume-yness. I feel moved to try it again.
I reach for ToykoMilk’s Eden when I want to smell light/green. I mention this scent so much I’m starting to think I deserve compensation!
We’ve had so much Tokyo Milk talk today! I really want to revisit that line.
My go-to fresh fragrances are Eau d’Orange Vert, Philosykos, Orcas and Le Parfum de Therese.
I can smell the fresh just by reading the names. Eau d’Orange Vert, too! I forgot about that one, but it’s so nice.
Mmm… Philosykos, yes.
Mmm… Philosykos, yes.
Count me in as another of the anti-ozone/marine contingent. What once was a nifty bit of olfactory concept art – smell like the ocean! – completely wore out its welcome several times over, and why perfume houses keep returning to the Acqua/Nautica/Eternity/L’Eau d’CoolWater well is beyond me. It’s becoming a bit surreal.
That said, when I reach for a “fresh” fragrance – not often, but there are times when nothing else will do – I keep it green and citrusy. CK Eternity actually has a nice green edge that I can see past all the Calone, and I’m also a fan of CK One. Mugler Cologne is one of my summer staples; its opening of cut grass and freshly-squeezed lime is irresistible, and the soapy vetiver drydown performs beautifully in the heat. Chanel Pour Monsieur has enough lemon and green to qualify as ‘fresh’, although it’s decidedly more on the elegant side. And at least once every few months I’ll get a craving for Eau Sauvage, despite the utter dischord between such a sun-kissed, zingy, crisp-white-shirt scent and my dark-haired, winter-loving, jeans-and-sweater self. Whatever; spice of life, etc.
I think some of the best fresh fragrances are on the men’s side of the aisle. And I love the combination of the crisp, elegant Eau Sauvage with the rougher presentation.
Thanks for the great review again Angela – who would think that such a great line-up of perfumers could create something so off?
Regarding fresh – I usually reach for cologne-type things, but vetiver is wonderful in the right moment. Two scents that cannot go unmentioned are the glorious glorious freshest of woods Timbuktu, and PdN’s Weekend a Deauville, the only scent with a little ‘marine’ that I enjoy. Light-scents-for-hot-days include the perfect pineapple-grapefruit, vetiver-sandalwood combo of Ananas Fizz (ahem, Anne Flipo…) and Bronze Goddess, but I don’t feel they are fresh so much as refreshing. Hmmm – will go away and think more about this…
Hmm. Fresh versus refreshing–a whole new way to think about fragrance!
I actually love this one. It’s very wearable and the undertones are rich and complex on me rather than sweet and syrupy. It’s taking me all through the winter right to En Passant season.
So, you wear it in the winter, too! I can see where it’s robust enough to stand up to cooler weather, but I wondered if it would be more summery.
It’s probably too subtle for winter, but it’s an easy one to wear. The other two I wear in the winter months just before spring are FM’s Carnal Flower and EL’s Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia. It’s pretty warm where I live so they work well. If it were really cold, I’d go with Prada’s Infusion D’Iris or FM’s Iris Poudre.
The other day I smelled Chanel’s Chance on someone in the grocery store and wished I had the nerve to wear something that dramatic and powerful.
Oh, you must smell wonderful! I love those tuberose fragrances, even if they don’t like me quite as much.
I love this fragrance!! It reminds me of the ocean and wet tropical forests. I wore Cool Water Woman for several years, and this has took it’s place. This is like any other fragrance–got to try it on your skin and see how the chemistry is.
It sounds like your skin loves these ocean fragrances!
For fresh and oceanic, I love Heeley’s Sel Marin!
I haven’t tried many of the Heeleys yet. That’s something I need to remedy.
Eau d’Italie Jardin du Poete is another fresh facourite of mine. A little masculine, with notes of bitter orange, basil, grapefruit, angelica, helicrysum, pink pepper, cypress, vetiver and musk. Highly recommended.
All of the Eau d’Italies are worth trying, I think. Thanks for the reminder!
It’s so interesting reading the review and all your comments, mostly because it is so different from my experience. I wear this one when I need to feel empowered and slightly less feminine. I liked how there was a balance between it being masculine and feminine. I almost feel like I’m secretly wearing a man’s fragrance, and I guess this adds to the “empowering” feeling. I wear this whenever I have a tough meeting or am going to see people who intimidate me.
It’s great to have a fragrance that fills that role! It sounds like it works well for you.
How things change… thanks to NST’s influence, and my new-found perfume sampling love, I find this frag quite yucky now. It’s amazing how taste can change once you are exposed to other well-crafted work.
Hopefully you can still enjoy it from time to time! Maybe on a hot afternoon? I know what you mean about taste in fragrance developing–or even just plain changing. I ended up giving away a few bottles of perfume once I really started to get into it.