Valentino Uomo Acqua Valentino 2017

Even though the Uomo line is on par (or arguably better) with the Dior Homme line or the Prada Homme clearly Uomo Acqua falls short versus Dior Homme Eau and Prada l'Homme Eau.

I recall this fresher, heavy on the tomato leaf, powdery and very nice but now that I finally got ahold of it it's way powderier than I recall, it's also sweeter so tonka seems to be front and center and maybe it's my mind playing tricks on my but this is nowhere as nice as I recall.

It's ok, I'll wear it now and then but it's not going to be visited as often as many others in its category

This fragrance was part of my last perfume order. Although this scent has been on the market since 2017, I have been interested in it since the release. It hasn't really made a big impact on the sales charts or in the fragrance community. However, that doesn't matter to me, as often these scents match my taste perfectly. I already own the regular Uomo and I really like it as well. I even find it better than the highly praised Dior Homme and Dior Homme Intense, which are very close to this DNA.

Before I get to this Acqua, a word about summer updates of well-selling heavy fragrances: I like these sweet and refreshed versions for warmer days. In my collection, you can find many fragrances inspired by well-known sweet scents, such as La Nuit de L'Homme, 1 Million, Code, Spicebomb, L'Homme Ideal, and a few others. I find it creative for warm days and it stands out from the usual green, citrus, and aquatic DNAs. Definitely a great addition for fans of sweet fragrances.
The summer version of Dior Homme (Dior Homme Eau) is one of my favorite summer scents. Powdery fragrances are simply wonderful in summer and can be made very summery. That's why I also bought this summer version. You can already find it online for about 50 euros for 125ml. Really a fair price compared to many others.
The bottle is stunning. Just like the Uomo and Uomo Intense. Here, it fits the scent in a light color. The bottle isn't highly weighted for me, but it's one of the most beautiful bottles you can have.
Now to the scent: I can say upfront that the DNA is clearly recognizable throughout the entire duration. Of course, it has been refreshed here. Especially with citrus notes and slightly herb-green notes. It could come from green tomato. The top note is very summery and not too heavy, despite the Uomo DNA. Refreshment achieved. The powdery iris is noticeable throughout the entire duration. Beautifully light and especially unique for summer. This herbaceous freshness also fits well with the iris. In the base, it then becomes noticeably heavier and a sweet note remains paired with musk and light leather. The freshness has naturally faded, but the base isn't too overpowering anymore. Overall, a very successful version that should find few enemies and is also very unique.
I find the longevity to be underrated by many here. On me, it lasts 10+ hours, which is very, very good. To test the longevity, I spray the fragrance on the back of my hand to see if the scent is still present. Many fragrances are indeed close to the skin or a bit more than that. This one can be included in that category. Freshly sprayed, it is still good, the base is very subtle. Overall, thanks to the medium sillage, it is very suitable for everyday wear.

Overall, a fragrance that I can recommend. Especially for this price, a great alternative for many occasions.

Since I have liked all Valentino Uomos so far, I didn't hesitate long at the airport before this year's summer vacation to make the purchase - there wasn't much noteworthy and new competition to be found anyway. Additionally, I was curious about how they would lighten and summerize the coffee-nougat DNA. In my mind, that was a tough task. And I was right to think so. Although it is anything but unbearable or bad, and it supported and refreshed me quite well at the pool bars in Crete and in the Samaria Gorge, "Uomo Acqua" is not a hit. If I could turn back time and stand at the terminal again, I probably wouldn't choose it and would rather bet on other horses... but one thing at a time.

"Uomo Acqua" is clearly one of the Uomo family, which becomes apparent after just 10 minutes when the original DNA emerges far too early and only slightly lightened. That's too slow or quick, depending on how you see it. But even before that, there is the first small disappointment: to sniff out a tomato, whether red, green, or purple, you need a long nose that digs into the spray area, plus a fertile imagination. These are the two biggest missed opportunities and points of criticism. The rest is solid to fine - a powdery, transparent, and somewhat synthetic vanilla-iris that melts into a white nougat-leather cream. It doesn't sound like summer, it's not high summer, but it can work at 25 degrees. However, there was much more potential overall, and it plays it safe in an annoying way.

Bottle: a good spray head, an overall stylish presentation. It could have been a bit bluer or more aquatic.
Sillage: not remarkable, but not a total flop.
Longevity: unfortunately only 4 hours, including the Greece bonus/deduction.

Conclusion: a watered-down, sometimes even generic version of the original. Works better than expected, but unfortunately not really well. It could have dared to stray further from the father scent. And it needed to expose more tomato. Unfortunately, unfortunately, unfortunately.

Ah, the Uomo Acqua. I have been waiting a long time to try this fragrance, or rather, I wanted to test it the whole time. Why? Because I have always liked the regular Uomo with its coffee scent very much. And this one also had tomatoes listed in the fragrance pyramid, which made me even more curious. I have annoyed one or two friends about how much I wanted to finally test the scent, but it was nowhere to be found...

Well, I finally got to test the fragrance when I saw the long-awaited tester. Of course, I had to grab the bottle immediately and spray myself quickly before some idiot (I really do have a bad opinion of some people sometimes, don't I?... :D) could grab the typical bottles like Dior Sauvage, Le Male, One Million, or Armani Code and spray themselves excessively (hence "idiot," because they spray themselves from head to toe, leaving a gigantic scent cloud, making it hard to smell the fragrance you want to test, and it gets distorted by the rising scents that fill the whole store...).

Anyway, I was lucky that no one was there or came along, and I could test the fragrance in peace. And yes, I liked this scent. I expected a bit more, but it is not bad at all!

The scent starts off very fresh due to the citrus notes. A lovely lemon can be smelled, along with the (unfortunately only faintly scented) tomatoes as indicated. Yes, the scent does smell like tomatoes, but indeed like green tomatoes as stated; it does not smell like you have brushed against tomato plants (which I actually find great). However, you have to smell closely here, as you can only perceive the tomatoes when you sniff at the sprayed spot; I cannot smell them in the rising scent cloud.
I think that due to the quickly emerging sweetness, the fragrance does have the DNA of the original scent, even though it is certainly not as sweet as the regular Uomo.
Iris, musk, and vanilla work well together, but their scent (combined) reminds me a bit of tonka beans, which made the fragrance remind me a little of Chanel's Allure Homme Sport for a brief moment, only that this scent is herbier and fresher. I couldn't detect neroli, and vetiver wasn't really noticeable either.
The later heart note and especially the base are sweet as described above, but in a relaxed way, making it suitable for warm days. Overall, a nice scent, although the lovely top note unfortunately fades a bit too quickly. However, I did not find the scent to be aquatic despite the name.

The sillage is unfortunately rather moderate. No matter how much you spray, everyone who wants to smell this fragrance on you has to come quite close. It's a shame, really; I would have liked it to be a bit stronger.
The longevity is slightly below average at five to six hours. But that is normal for summer fragrances.

The bottle is the same as Uomo or Uomo Intense. Almost the entire bottle is adorned with pyramid-like facets, giving it an elegant and high-quality appearance. The color is now light grayish. There is no cap, as always. On the front in the middle, you can see a chrome plaque with the brand name. As always, a very nicely made bottle.

So, what can I say? I have waited a long time for this fragrance because I like the Uomo scents from Valentino. I wasn't disappointed, but I must admit that I expected a bit more. Perhaps it is because I thought that the note "tomato" could lead to a somewhat more robust and fresher scent.

I mean, yes, the scent is fresh, but apart from a brief moment at the beginning, it is not really zesty. It may be good for summer, but it could have retained its fresh notes and herbal scents much longer (in my opinion, the fragrance could have been a bit fresher, as I don't think it is very suitable for really hot days). What bothered me the most was the rather low sillage, but that is a problem that most summer fragrances have *sigh*

As I said, I shouldn't be misunderstood here. The scent is good, the scent is nice, the scent fits well in summer. It also has the DNA of the original Valentino Uomo, of course in a very simple and relaxed way. For me, it is a nice daytime fragrance, but honestly, there are many more beautiful fragrances for summer in my opinion, but that is known to be a matter of taste, which I mention specifically before some start whining again... :D

You should just try it out for yourself. Either you will like it a lot, or you will find it just "okay."