Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Tobacco Giorgio Armani 2024

This is a joint review of the last five Stronger With You flankers (2020-2024). Cécile Matton keeps composing flankers that are mass-appealing, but also have enough character to strike my fancy. Not every scent must pose a challenge; sometimes I want to wear a simple one.

What are some characteristics of the line? Other than sweet, creamy vanilla, Cécile often utilizes elemi, lavender and chestnut. Elemi and lavender provide spicy airiness, elevating the scent and balancing sweetness. Chestnut complements vanilla, bringing earthy nutiness, which is arguably the most appealing aspect.

A quick scent rating before we begin:
6.5/10 Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Tobacco
6.5/10 Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Absolutely
6/10 Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Amber
6/10 Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Leather
5/10 Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Oud

The performance is similar across the board - you can expect at least 8-10 hours on skin with moderate to soft projection.

2024 - Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Tobacco
Scent: 6.5/10
Longevity: 8/10

It's no surprise that the most complex release is my favorite. Vanilla is accompanied by a more resinous base, making it aromatic. The opening is spicy, which is a proper treat for my spoiled brat of a nose. Then there's also earthiness of chestnut.

Tobacco and pimento are the real stars of the show. I can pick up peppery spiciness of pimento, as red as the bottle. What's even better, tobacco actually has some development here, which is unusual for a designer. It starts out green and slightly bitter, almost leaf-like, then dries down to designery cherry-like pipe tobacco.

I'm honestly surprised by the creativity. Where Herod is more polished, Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Tobacco is way more playful. There's an argument to owning both if you like sweet tobacco perfumes. The former for going out and/or special occasions, the latter for casual daily wear.

2023 - Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Amber
Scent: 6/10
Longevity: 8/10

While nowhere near as complex as the tobacco flanker, quality of this blend is decent. It's mixed so well that I have to say there are no rough edges. I prefer multifaceted scents, but I can't deny that there's beauty in simplicity.

Using lavender as a top note gives it more of a fresh twist. It's green and a bit soapy, which goes well with resinous heart and creamy sweetness in the drydown. It lacks complexity for my taste, but look no further if you want something sweeter.

2022 - Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Oud
Scent: 5/10
Longevity: 8/10

My least favorite from the line, but that's my subjective opinion. The oud accord has a strong medicinal smell. In my head, I associate this kind of sickly sweetness with Lattafa (low quality).

It's not unpleasant, but sadly I can't help it. I dislike fake oud, and medicinal ones are the worst offenders. If you don't mind the sweet smell of bandages, this could be a good flanker for you. There's a woodier base, which works well with creamy vanilla.

2021 - Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Absolutely
Scent: 6.5/10
Longevity: 9/10

The problem child of the line. Cécile had the right idea; bergamot to elevate rum in the opening, davana and lavender in the heart to introduce greener notes, so that chestnut and vanilla don't become too unbearable.

Well, the plan has failed successfully. This will obliterate your nostrils. It's incredibly boozy and almost too sweet. I've been wearing it for a year and always wait for cold temperatures before putting it on.

As if it wasn't strong enough, there's some Iso E Super and patchouli in the base, making it stick to your skin like glue. If you enjoy boozy gourmands, this might be right up your alley. Masculine leaning, because it's loud and unapologetic.

2020 Emporio Armani - Stronger With You Leather
Scent: 6/10
Longevity: 8/10

Gorgeous, but too one-dimensional for my taste. Lavender fades away quickly, then it's creamy sweetness of chestnut and vanilla for the rest of the wear. It's clean and unisex, so there's that.

It's not too leathery - think of leather as a creamier supporting base for the vanilla. With some woodiness in the mix, this flanker might be worth the chase if you like creamy gourmands, but can't stomach medicinal oud.

Stronger With You Tobacco is most certainly among the best from the Stronger With You lineup. Its opening is all about the spices, with the black pepper, pimento and sage notes dominating. The tobacco accord immediately joins in and soon after, it steals the show, giving you a potent, yet somewhat soothing oriental tobacco scent. For a long time after the spices from the opening fade, that's pretty much all I got - just an ever so slightly spicy tobacco.

Eventually, it started sweetening up, with the tobacco smoothly diminishing and the vanilla and amber taking the wheel. And after about 5-6 hours, the tobacco note is a memory faded away in the background, and you're left with a pleasant ambery vanilla. The balance of notes is done masterfully. It really is a beautiful scent profile and an easy-to-like tobacco fragrance.

The longevity of the fragrance is also praiseworthy, lasting for 8-10 hours on my skin. However, what has been a big letdown is the projection. It's alright for the first two to three hours, but then the fragrance settles in quite close to the skin, and while it's still there, most people around you won't feel it. But that's my experience on my skin, so it could be different on yours. But personally, I'd go for about 6 sprays in one wearing.

Clearly, it's a winter-first fragrance, and the occasions where I'd feel like wearing SWY Tobacco would be anywhere from a dressed-up event, like a wedding, a date-night, or a work event/meeting. Nevertheless, I still think it's pretty versatile; maybe amongst the most versatile tobacco fragrances out there. So wear as you wish.

Ultimately, I'm very pleased with Stronger With You Tobacco. It's one of the more unique Stronger With You fragrances and that, paired with its consistent, well-balanced and soothing scent profile, surely make it one of the best in the line. If only it had a tad better projection on my skin...

Overall Rating: 6.9/10

Sometimes it’s just luck if you encounter a frag like this. The red bottle caught my attention when walking out of the shop, I thought “ah why not” and sprayed it on, not knowing what to expect.

An unexpected scent. Not immediately impressed but it was different and I liked it. When it dried down after an hour it became better and better. Like a comfortable cloak, the sweet incense and balsamic vanilla is just there. Not too strong, but strong enough to catch the constant, beautiful smell that lasts forever.

So I did some research when I got home and I understood that it’s a limited edition. There’s still some boxes left in the shop.. should I go back and buy it? What if it runs out and I may never smell this again.. what a dilemma, I already bought so many fragrances lately…

Ok I’ve done it. It’s a good 100ml. The perfume isn’t an everyday perfume and it doesn’t need a whole lot of sprays so it’ll last me a long time I hope. It will get a special place in my cabinet and I’ll cherish this one.

SWY line is arguably one of the most successful lines from Armani, and I really get why people like it that much. Chestnut, vanilla, woods and spices and it’s done! Absolutely is one of my favorite designer colognes of all time but… Enough. We had enough. Armani is releasing a new stronger with you EVERY year with minimal changes: Fresher version of OG (SWY Only, Imo underrated and great 4 season) leathery version of Intensely (SWY Leather) Horrible oud version of Intensely (SWY Oud) DUMBEST RELEASE IN EXISTENCE (SWY Amber, doesn’t even have a listed chestnut in there and amber is still present in many SWY’s) and on and on and on… Now we have Intensely with Tobacco. Someone need to stop Armani, this is literally the most braindead thing a company can do. Dior’s Eau Forte, even though it is horrible, tries to do something different but Armani releases same thing over, over and over again. About the fragrance itself, it’s a solid one. You would be impressed if this is your first SWY but I am not impressed by any means. SWY Intensely with Tobacco is extremely redundant thing for me. Lasts a long time, decent projection (still weaker than Absolutely and Intensely) suitable for fall and winter, price is slightly overpriced, I can find Intensely and Absolutely for much Cheaper prices. Overall, it’s the same thing with minimal changes. If you already own one of the OG, Intensely, Absolutely of Only Stronger With You, this is extremely redundant.

Remember the SWY Parfum? This is the same thing but way better. The Parfum offers a sensual, dessert-like, masculine scent, this one offers an even more sensual, classical, bold dessert of a powerhouse. This elevates the "Stronger with You" concept to new heights, offering a refined scent that combines the classic and throws in, you guessed it, tobacco, and some great supporters that make sure the smoky smell of this fragrance is not a mere note, but a statement. This is defined as bliss.