Welcome to Fragrance Friday, where each week we’ll be keeping you abreast of the newest and most iconic releases in the dynamic world of men’s fragrances. Born out of the desire to showcase one of the most overlooked, yet versatile, elements of any discerning man’s style this weekly column will help you finesse your own signature scent. This week, we’re looking at the best Acqua di Parma fragrances for men.
For the past few weeks, I have been focusing on one specific brand at a time. You can see all the brand-specific wrap-ups below.
- Best Creed Fragrances For Men
- Best Jo Malone Fragrances For Men
- Best Xerjoff Fragrances For Men
- Best Tom Ford Fragrances For Men
- Best Kilian Paris Fragrances For Men
For this week, I want to hop on over to Italy and highlight one of the country’s heritage perfume houses, Acqua di Parma. The label has long been a symbol of impeccable taste over in Italy and there’s little surprise there. A typical Acqua di Parma is fresh, citrusy and clean, which is safe but rarely perfected in the world of niche perfumery. Acqua di Parma is consistent in this regard, which is a big reason why it has stuck around for so long. It’s especially why Colonia, introduced in 1916, is still seen as a bit of a blueprint when it comes to citrus.
The best perfumes evoke imagery. Acqua di Parma has been doing so for such a long time that even the sight of the label is an instant rush to the Mediterranean. Below, I’ve picked five perfumes I think best represent this dedication to fresh, coastal scents so you’ve got a bit of a cheat sheet when you head on over for summer in Europe.
5 Best Acqua di Parma Fragrances For Men
Colonia Intensa
Top Notes: Cardamom, Calabrian bergamot, Sicilian lemon, ginger
Heart Notes: Myrtle, artemisia, neroli
Base Notes: Leather accord, cedar wood, patchouli, benzoin, musk
Release Date: 2007
Perfumer: Alberto Morillas
Colonia is the blueprint and Acqua di Parma will likely never stop creating new versions of its signature. One of the better versions to date is Colonia Intensa, introducing a lot of heavy, woody notes to the original citrus-centric profile. It works incredibly well, with fresh and spicy notes on the top dipping down into those creamy woods on the base.
Colonia Essenza
Top Notes: Calabrian bergamot, lemon, mandarin, orange, grapefruit
Heart Notes: Petitgrain, neroli, rosemary, clove, lily of the valley, rose accord, jasmine accord
Base Notes: Patchouli, vetiver, white musk, amber
Release Date: 2010
Perfumer: Michel Almairac
Here’s another spin-off to Colonia that works brilliantly. You get more of that fresh, airiness, starting off juicy and clean but dialling in something more complex once the stacked middle notes kick in. It’s here that the scent really opens up and you start to pick up notes of clove and jasmine before it shrinks back to focus on the amber woody base.
Ambra
Top Notes: Orange, Calabrian bergamot, petitgrain
Heart Notes: Cedar, Cypriot oil, rose, patchouli
Base Notes: Ambergris, sandalwood, musk, vanilla, labdanum
Release Date: 2019
Acqua di Parma’s Signatures of the Sun collection is where the brand started really playing outside of its niche, presenting wildly distinctive fragrances that weren’t as immediately recognisable as the famed Italian brand. Ambra is one of them. Released in 2019, the woody aromatic scent gets a lot of its character from the orange notes on the top, heightened by bergamot and petitgrain for that really zesty, aromatic opening contrasted nicely with the long base of ambergris and sandalwood.
Vaniglia
Top Notes: Heliotrope, neroli, Calabrian bergamot, Mandarin orange
Heart Notes: Vanilla, jasmine sambac
Base Notes: Cedar, musk
Release Date: 2019
Here’s another one from the Signatures of the Sun collection. Vaniglia, as you can tell from the name, focuses on vanilla and slightly gourmand notes, really lifting once that vanilla and jasmine sambac kicks in for the middle and sticks around for the dry-down.
Fico di Amalfi
Top Notes: Italian lemon, Italian bergamot, grapefruit
Heart Notes: Fig nectar, pink pepper, jasmine petals
Base Notes: Fig wood, cedarwood, benzoin
Release Date: 2006
Blu Mediterraneo Fico di Amalfi is a safe, typical Acqua di Parma but it’s too reliable not to include in this round-up of the best Acqua di Parma fragrances for men. I don’t often like perfumes with fig as it’s excessively creamy and pungent, but this is an easy exception as it illustrates a scene of rocky sun-drenched cliffs dotted by fig trees.
