Valentino
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Green tomato hits with arresting greenness, its vegetal sharpness cutting through the citrus brightness, whilst mandarin orange provides a fleeting sweetness that's almost immediately muscled aside. The clary sage announces itself with herbal insistence, establishing an off-kilter freshness that signals this won't be a conventional citrus fragrance.
The orris absolute emerges as a powdery, slightly dry anchor, whilst Moroccan neroli adds a waxy, almost honeyed dimension that prevents the composition from becoming thin. The herbs settle into a cooler, mint-tinged backdrop against which the sweet accords (64% powdery, 88% sweet) create an intriguing tension—prettiness constantly questioned by its greener, earthier underpinnings.
White leather and haitian vetiver establish a subtly animalic, slightly woody character, allowing the vanilla and musk to remain restrained rather than dominant. The fragrance becomes more contemplative, settling into skin with a soft, powdery veil that retains faint herbal and leather whispers rather than fading entirely.
Uomo Acqua arrives as a fragrance caught between seasons—neither fully spring nor summer, but rather that liminal moment when green things are still asserting themselves against warmth. Sophie Labbé has crafted something deliberately restless, a composition that refuses to settle into comfort. The citron and mandarin orange don't play the expected brightness game; instead, they're tempered by an unusual green tomato note that introduces an almost herbaceous tartness, as though you've crushed a leaf between your fingers. This isn't the squeaky-clean citrus of mainstream fragrances. It's something with friction.
What makes Uomo Acqua genuinely interesting is how the orris absolute and clary sage refuse to soften into conventional florality. The orris contributes that distinctive powder—not pretty and cosmetic, but dense and earthy, the sort you'd find on old velvet. The clary sage leans into its herbal, slightly minty character, preventing the composition from ever becoming placid. Moroccan neroli brings a waxy, almost honeyed complexity that momentarily suggests sweetness before the haitian vetiver clips its wings. The white leather in the base is the final masterstroke, introducing a subtle animalic edge that keeps the vanilla and musk from becoming cloying.
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3.5/5 (137)