Giorgio Armani Acqua di Giò Profumo Decant

Acqua di Giò Profumo takes an extremely tired category and makes it good. The aquatic opening is familiar — bergamot, grapefruit, sea spray — but then something unexpected happens: a dry incense and patchouli note rises underneath and turns the whole thing smoky and mineral. It is the same idea as the original Acqua di Giò executed with an entirely different level of sophistication.

Seven to eight hours of wear and strong projection for the first three. It is versatile, appropriate everywhere, and unusually good in both hot and cold weather because the incense gives it cold-weather substance the original lacks.

The Armani aquatic line has many flankers and they vary wildly in quality. The Profumo is the one worth your money, and a decant is a cheap way to confirm the difference against whatever else is in your cupboard.