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~unter~Wasser~Häkelei~ DANKESCHÖN ❤ (by Seejungfrau)

Artisan Acqua John Varvatos 2013

7.5 / 10 170 Ratings

A limited perfume by John Varvatos for men, released in 2013. The scent is fresh-spicy. It is being marketed by Revlon Inc..
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Main accords

Fresh

Spicy

Citrus

Green

Aquatic

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Mandarin orange

Angelica root

Minneola tangelo

Paradisamide®

Galbanum

Mastic

Heart Notes

Clary sage

Lavender

Toscanol®

Basil

Coriander

Geranium

Jasmine sambac

Palmarosa

Base Notes

Moss

Patchouli

Fir balsam

Perfumers

Rodrigo Flores-Roux, Givaudan

Ratings

Scent

7.5170 Ratings

Longevity

5.9138 Ratings

Sillage

5.6134 Ratings

Bottle

8.3163 Ratings

Value for money

7.728 Ratings

Submitted by Apicius · last update on 02/10/2026.

Source-backed & verified

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Reviews

13 in-depth fragrance descriptions

02/20/2018

9.5Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

Brightstar
18 Reviews

Brightstar

Helpful Review 2

Fresh and More than Acqua Scent (9.125/10)

Scent
Fresh scent. Feels like a combination of citrus scents and musky scent. The scent is more than an acqua scent and its unexpected.

Longevity
The hold of the scent is medium.
For non 4-seasons countries, it is very suitable on day and summer season. The longevity can hold for only 2-4 hours.
For the 4-seasons countries, the longevity is better which can be around 5-6 hours.

Performance
The performance is good on top notes. But fades away gradually within middle. Surprisingly, the base notes hold better even the scent is not so strong, but it is still there.

Sillage
The sillage is medium. The effectiveness is not enough.

Uniqueness
The uniqueness is on the bottle rather than the scent. Because it is in the family of John Varvatos Artisan, the scent is quite similar from each other, but the bottle is unique.

Bottle Design
The design is unique and attractive. With the mixture of modern design and traditional craft, it is a superb design of the John Varvatos Artisan Acqua fragrance bottle.

Updated on 03/01/2018

05/04/2019

9Scent 5Longevity 5Sillage

Elysium
917 Reviews

Elysium

2

As the aroma of a basket full of citrus on a terrace overlooking the sea

One of the things that I like most about Varvatos's colognes is the shape of the bottles and the admirable covers. In contrast, one of the things that I dislike most is the performance, as you should know, most of the Varvatos's cologne suffer from a weak sillage and longevity, although the overall redolence is gorgeous. Artisan Acqua is a flanker to JV Artisan, yet a bit of a different take on the original, and to tell you the truth, I was not charmed the very first time I tested it. The sharp barbershop, shaving cream, old school cologne, and aftershaves resemblance put me off quite a bit. But, when that powerful opening calmed down after a while, what I could not stop doing was to smell my hand, and the cologne positively captured my senses.

To begin with, Artisan Acqua comes with an excellent presentation of all handmade and hands knitted rope, with a metal aged cap and medallion. The opening is just fantastic as I aforementioned, bright but bitter citrus blend, you definitely get the mandarin and other herbal notes, a few sweetness from the pomelo, and the aromatic lavender, something more than a usual aromatic and citrus opening. There is a lot of citrus and spicy in there, mandarin, unnatural paradisamide molecule, and angelica create a lemon-minty accord.

After a bit, slowing emerging from the citrus aromas is a slight wood note reminiscent of bleached wood baking in the sun on the seashore. This bright, bracing, and somewhat salty heart note takes over Artisan Acqua for several minutes before it is overtaken by something I'll describe as floral, light, and semi-creamy jasmine and orange blossom white floral accord. The floral effect is fleeting and leads to hints of fir, soft moss, and subtle wood notes. Yes, it settles down into a greener fragrance, more old-school accord, rather than the citrusy accord that was first introduced to my nostrils. In my opinion, there is more greenness that comes down due to the fir resin, which adds depth to it. And yeah, there is something aquatic but not like Acqua di Giò, Nautica Voyage, or D&G Light Blue, just to mention a few.

The dry down is balsamic and resinous, thanks to the lentiscus and fir balsam, ... It is freaking amazing, more than just what you aspect, not totally generic. I recommend for a casual as well as a business day, with a blazer, daytime. Definitely, for warm spring months or lazy days at the beach, by the pool during summertime. The performance could be weak from time to time, which a cons most of the times, but it could be a pro if you wear it in the morning and have no time to take a shower before dinner or night out, so you will safely apply a night cologne without any dangerous mix. Although it does not last nearly as long as I would like it, it's the scent. It is unique: it is citrusy and spicy and has a great bite to it.

My overall take on JV Artisan Acqua is not the typical aqua fragrance! This is one hell of a scent, but I do understand where all the hate comes from. Not meant for the younger mass population crazy for Dior Sauvage or Bleu de Chanel crowd-pleaser lovers, and for that reason, I love this fragrance. This is a modernized gentleman's scent, the same school as Cerruti 1881 I would dare. Very intriguing. One would expect something fresh, tropical, and aquatic after looking at the bottle and ads. Artisan Aqua, however, is a clean, slightly soapy gem of a fragrance. It has a barbershop, shave cream vibe that is straight-up addicting.

-Elysium

Updated on 04/13/2020

01/25/2022

8.5Scent 4Longevity 2Sillage

Fajrianto
13 Reviews

Fajrianto

1

Classic Fougère with A Modern Touch

Fresh, green, somewhat pleasant, and classy. Classic Fougère with a modern touch. I find the old man's deodorant vibes in this fragrance as some youtube reviewer said.
Sadly the longevity and projection are weak. I got a decent deal, 25 USD for a 75ml bottle before this fragrance went rare.
Forgot to mention, the bottle is freaking amazing!

05/14/2014

9Scent 5Longevity 5Sillage

Leimbacher
2878 Reviews

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Leimbacher

Top Review 13

Cooler than Kevin Costner

It was immediately clear when I saw it in the Duty Free area that I would not only test it, but also take it with me to Tunisia. The price and appearance were completely convincing, and the fact that no one knows it yet is also a plus. Additionally, I am a bit of a JV fan and own a few of their perfumes, so I am certainly qualified to write a first comment on Acqua. On the test strip, it seemed very tame, not really noticeable or detectable. But now on vacation, it has steadily become my most worn perfume - despite competition like Dior Homme Cologne or Tauer's Cologne du Maghreb.

Acqua has little to do with the orange from the original Artisan, even less than the spiced orange from Artisan Black. This is commendable and scores points with me immediately. It almost has the vibe of the original John Varvatos, only sharper, saltier, and more watery. I also detect something vintage, but this time completely without leather. And surprisingly, it has quite good longevity, which is not a given for either Acquas or JVs. Acqua is very distinctive and does not remind me of any current Acqua scent, which will please and relieve many. Acqua is at least as cool as its bottle, a sharp, young, spontaneous sea scent that fits perfectly at the beach. A salty fruity note is detectable, or a fruity salty note, however you want to see it ;). Almost something chlorinated appears from time to time - but not disturbing. And before the comments come: not just because I am testing the scent by the pool ;). But the most important thing about Acqua is definitely its ability to merge with the wearer's skin. As a result, it has almost no sillage, but the entire skin smells salty, sensual, sexy, natural, Mediterranean with the right application. Finally, a summer scent that has completely convinced me, even in the Tunisia long test.

Bottle: handmade Waterworld style - The most beautiful of the year?
Sillage: super minimal, but meaningful & intentional in this case.
Longevity: much better than the sillage, lasts a good 7 hours on me.

Another very beautiful scent from JV, where the content almost keeps up with the appearance. Even though JV always has strange, self-created fragrance materials, I often buy into it. Because their scents are something special among designers, especially among those who actually target the younger buying segment. Therefore, I also pay respect to the JV perfumer here, as he has distanced himself from the orange juice Artisan roots, as well as from the typical summer, sport, or Acqua conventions. Bravo, it partly reminds me of extinct small oases like Guy Laroche's Horizon or the groundbreaking Bulgari Acqua. Even if this comment certainly contains a lot of initial enthusiasm and vacation mood!

04/15/2017

7.5Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

Taurus
1190 Reviews

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Taurus

Top Review 10

Acqua can quickly dilute its reputation

Oh dear - who at John Varvatos came up with the name Acqua for this Artisan offshoot?
It probably misled not just me completely. Of course, as an experienced perfume enthusiast, one should have no reservations or prejudices about the term Acqua, but with the multitude of offered fragrances, name and bottle can, at first glance, provide initial clues.
But even the crocheted package string around the bottle doesn’t quite fit.

From the very first seconds after spraying, it becomes clear: this is not an Acqua in the classical sense, but rather a citrus-fruity feel-good scent with candied lemon and a refreshing splash of mandarin liqueur. Perhaps not as concentrated as one would like, but rather a bit lightly ... um ... diluted, yet that is by no means a reason to name this offspring Acqua.

As time goes on, our Artisan becomes a bit more serious, welcoming a fresh note of muscat sage along with a minimal hint of coriander, yet the sweet citrus approach remains, leading one to wonder if it resembles other fragrances or why no one else has thought to combine these themes so elegantly.

If I bring my nose closer to the sprayed skin - yes, one shouldn’t really do that - it reveals a casual aura of sparkling powder and a diffuse light rose note. Perhaps not everything has a thoroughly natural atmosphere, yet it is absolutely tolerable.

After a while, Artisan Acqua drifts into a subtly herbaceous-coniferous direction, without completely forgetting the two previous scent impressions.

Is Artisan Acqua fresh? Definitely!
Is the scent citrusy? Yes, but in a relatively sophisticated way!
Is our candidate sweetish? Yep - especially at the beginning, the citrus notes are quite candied, but served without a sugar shock!
Is it also spicy? Yes - and that makes it somehow so refined!
And what about the name Acqua? In my opinion, it does not fit the scent at all - it is too substantial and too complex!

Perhaps at John Varvatos, they wanted to indicate a fresh, carefree summer scent for marketing reasons to attract more interest. However, this could lead to a significant backfire, causing some potential buyers to be put off by the name.

I myself am only a conditional fan of Acqua scents, but this one, which for me isn’t really one, I found absolutely likable.

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