Vaniglia Acqua di Parma 2019 Eau de Parfum

Acqua di Parma already has a special place in my heart. I simply enjoy their craftsmanship. Even the scents that don't inspire me to wear them myself, I perceive as pleasant and well-made. Elegant and, in their way, very Italian. Vaniglia is the first one that has actually moved in with me.

The name says it all - what you see is what you get, and it's generous. I couldn't exactly say what kind of vanilla this is. But I can say what kind of vanilla it is not: No baking aroma vanilla, no Barbie vanilla, no plastic vanilla, no oriental vanilla, no gourmand vanilla. Also not a smells-like-a-real-vanilla-pod vanilla. Most closely, it's a powdery vanilla.
There is no smoke, no burnt notes, no wood (at least not to my nose, although some is listed) and no spices, nothing that dims the sweetness. The bergamot in the top note briefly says "Hello" and is then immediately gone. What remains is the heliotrope, to which a beautiful jasmine note joins that is in no way indolic or carrion-like.
These already sweet-smelling flowers combined with vanilla are just shy of being over the top, but still just on this side of sugar shock and nausea. I really like sweet scents, but I can quickly be turned off if they become overwhelming and cloying. That is not the case here. I particularly enjoy this balancing act on the edge. Musk brings the mentioned notes together into a dense, creamy-powdery scent carpet that, once woven, lasts for hours and hours and smells damn sexy.
I am very surprised that the sillage is apparently not particularly good for many commentators here. Vaniglia feels like the strongest and longest-lasting scent in my collection. Absolutely brutal! Going out, sweating, sleeping (or not) - it handles all of that easily and is still remarkably present the next morning, not just for me, but also for those around me.

Conclusion: Not a scent I can wear every day, but when I do, I do so with enthusiasm. Very dense, but not heavy, if that makes sense. It has relatively little to do with the usual Colonia vibe from AdP, and anyone expecting a vanilla interpreted in this way will likely be disappointed.

I would be interested to know how it smells on men's skin. In principle, I see it as quite unisex, but if it develops like it does on me, you have to be a confident man without an affinity for dusty masculinity clichés to wear it. Therefore, perhaps not a candidate for a blind buy. It is not cheap, but lasts (at least for me) forever, as two sprays easily last around 14 hours. I find the price/quality ratio quite reasonable.

One last note: I think it's great that Acqua di Parma regularly offers 20ml bottles. Especially for such scents that you don't wear daily but occasionally, this is a perfect size (especially when the scent is as long-lasting as this one). Why do I need a 50 or 100ml bottle that might go off before I finish it? Plus, it’s easier on the wallet. Even if the smaller size is more expensive than the larger version, I can afford such a scent that otherwise wouldn't easily fit into my budget.