Colonia Acqua di Parma 1916Eau de Cologne

Colonia (Eau de Cologne) by Acqua di Parma

Bottle Design Adolf Loos

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Designer Edition 2011 von Luca Scacchetti

Colonia (Eau de Cologne) (Acqua di Parma)

8.0 / 10 569 Ratings

Colonia (Eau de Cologne) is a popular perfume by Acqua di Parma for men and was released in 1916. The scent is citrusy-fresh. It is being marketed by LVMH. Pronunciation

Scent goes well with Molecule 01

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Top Notes	Lemon, Orange, Calabrian bergamot
Heart Notes	Lavender, Bulgarian rose, Vervain, Rosemary
Base Notes	Vetiver, Sandalwood, Patchouli

Ratings

Scent

8.0 | 569 Ratings

Longevity

6.4 | 422 Ratings

Sillage

5.9 | 399 Ratings

Bottle

8.0 | 403 Ratings

Value for money

7.0 | 21 Ratings

Submitted by DonVanVliet, last update on 01.03.2021.

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Reviews

02/28/2021

9.5
Scent 7
Longevity 6
Sillage 8
Bottle

Salva

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Salva

Top Review 28

Simple can be so beautiful...

There are houses that stay true to their line.
Houses that stick to their principles.
Houses that stand for certain values.
Houses that are easily recognized by their uniqueness.
[...]

Parma, located in the region of Emilia-Romagna in the north of Italy; a university city, known among other things for its Parmesan cheese as well as ham. And this city offers just such a house mentioned at the beginning, namely Acqua di Parma.

This classic Italian house, which stands for Colonias or fresh citrus scents like no other brand, I discovered relatively late. About half a year after I was already registered here, I got then from Bastian a sample of Essenza. Thank you Bastian, you have brought me consequently this famose brand closer!

Tested I have then first some blue ADPs, which I found good, but not good enough to pull in a bottle (the brown / black bottles, in turn, I had paid little attention).
[...]

But for some time I had the need to get me a classic cologne, because such a one was missing in my collection. A cologne that carries this designation and just fits especially to very warm temperatures. In this context I remembered Acqua di Parma. I had a quick look at Colonia, which was released in 1916, and the Intensa version. From both a bottling ordered I let them against each other in the duel, so to speak.

The reason why my decision fell on this Colonia is simple: I find him incredibly noble and simple-beautiful. And the emphasis is on "simple".
[...]

The fragrance starts with a classic, intense and fresh citrus note that smells very natural, pure and elegant. Right at the beginning you have the sun, the blue sky, lightly dressed and good-humored people in front of your eyes. The fragrance immediately exudes pure joie de vivre.

In the further course, I perceive slightly spicy-herbaceous nuances, which are probably due to the lavender or rosemary. But still the lemon shapes the character and holds back the other notes and actually remains until the base, where it then becomes a bit drier and woodier. I attribute this to the minimal woody accords that round out the fragrance towards the end.
[...]

In terms of longevity, I have found that it comes across much better on warm days and lasts longer. In fact, I have only had him on colder days to use, but in retrospect, this turned out to be not quite as suitable.
Because when I wore him several times in the past days at the significantly warmer temperatures, he suddenly held longer and smelled more intense.
Here I would say nehm I perceive him neat 5h on my skin, which is quite good for a cologne, I think.

So I know for me that I will use it almost exclusively for warm days, since I also
originally wanted to get for such.

He is also not a fragrance that pulls a larger cloud with him. But that is in this case also good, because anything else would not fit. He stands out namely by his stylish and classic aura.
[...]
Conclusion:
This Colonia stands for me as a symbol of the Italian attitude to life. A fragrance of simple beauty and elegance, which is endowed with timeless character. An incomparable, very high quality citrus freshness, which I did not know so far.

Just terrific that he has been on the market for so long and I can enjoy to know him and spray me with.

[...]
Grazie Parma!
And grazie to everyone for reading!

20 Replies

02/19/2021

9
Scent 7
Longevity 6
Sillage 8
Bottle

Scentastic08

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Scentastic08

Helpful Review 11

The entry into the niche world

For this comment I have to go further. I am still quite new in the perfume world and the old flagship of the Italian cult niche house Acqua di Parma takes a very special role in my perfume world. More about this later.
It had never been of great importance to me to smell particularly good and conspicuous. If times a party stood or with friends was met, then one has just made the perfume on it, which one has got sometime times as a gift. These were in my case, for example, Diesel only the brave or the classic CK One. These Eau de Toilettes have completely fulfilled their purpose. No more and no less. Looking back, I have to grin then but and be happy about the development of my Riechapperats.

On the idea that perfume could now be more than a companion for a particular occasion, I then came through my best friend. This has not dealt too much more with perfumes than I, however, he has become aware of the house of Creed at some point. Little by little he enlarged his collection and I was allowed to smell and try more and more with him, for which I am very grateful to him :-)
Also, it was he who has "taught" me a lot about perfume and so my interest has always grown and I also wanted to own a special fragrance that smells like more than just sweet party rasper.

Now this is where Acqua die Parma comes in. I tried many houses, designer or niche, expensive or cheap. However, I didn't want to spend a fortune on my first real fragrance either. And that's when I became aware of the Italian house, which has been capturing the beautiful spirit of Italy so beautifully for what feels like an eternity. High quality, super smell and a not too high price for a pure niche house have convinced me finally. Now, however, the question arose which fragrance it should be. I have tested many and also the Blu Mediterraneo series I found very interesting. Ultimately, however, I have decided for the classic: Colonia!
The since 1916 tingeln through the shops of the cash hit of the house has it me from the beginning, perhaps also because I smelled him for the first time in the summer and he fits so incredibly well to the season. But also because I was looking for a versitilen fragrance that is timeless, which I can wear on different occasions and especially the my nose also beautifully caresses.
Thus, the decision was made and at a time of year not quite suitable for this fragrance, he was then also taken as the first niche fragrance in my care.

Now to the fragrance itself, after the somewhat sprawling prehistory. As already addressed Colonia is for ages on the market and was also already in the 20s, 30s and 40s of famous actors gladly worn and attained so also worldwide fame. It is very classic and smells like it. However, in no bad way! You don't get an old men's fragrance here, but a timeless masterpiece. For me, this fragrance is also due to its beautiful citrus accord a captivating representative of the Chypre fragrances.
In the top note captivates the already mentioned lemon. A wonderful lemon! Here it smells not after sweet zusammengekleistertem citrus slap, but very noble, light and simply natural. Also, the lavender in the top note already comes to the fore, but is still very much pushed back by the lemon. This is an eau de cologne, as the name suggests, with the supposedly weakest perfume concentration. Since it should not surprise you that the top note lasts only about 30-45 minutes, which is perfectly fine, because otherwise it would also be too much lemon of the good.
The lavender then comes in the heart note so right into gear. Here he then fully drowns out the citrus notes and can so really shine! But even here the theme of fresh remains in focus. The lavender continues to be accompanied by a beautiful lemon bergamot accord, which gives it a perfect freshness and it therefore in no way smells like "old granny". Also, the lavender accompanies one significantly longer than the lemon and passes only after a very acceptable 4-5 hours.
Remains then the base note which continues to appear wonderfully fresh but now gets some warmth instilled thanks to one of my favorite notes: The sandalwood! This fits perfectly with the previously very fresh fragrance notes and now nestles against the skin ran and envelops one with a wonderful creaminess, which is still not heavy or oppressive, but rather light and still fresh.

It is with Colonia definitely an absolute freshness monster. The fragrance shines in summer and spring. From personal experience, however, I can say that he is wearable at any time of year and always fits. Of course, in colder temperatures, the durability suffers as well. The sillage is generally not very strong and is around 1-2 hours, depending on the weather. However, that's okay considering the cologne concentration. However, the Eau de Cologne concentration has a wonderful refreshing effect in the summer due to it's higher water content! On the skin, the scent is good and long to smell, 6-8 hours are there in any case.
The bottle is very simple and therefore perfect for this fragrance. The spray head is well made and also sprays a decent amount, so not too many sprayers are necessary.
The class of the fragrance and its age are often lumped together with associations such as "old man fragrance". But I must disagree. In my opinion, Colonia is to wear for almost any age group. (Here I exclude times under 20 year olds want to wear the fragrance at a village party).

Who is looking for a long-lasting sillage monster is absolutely wrong here. But who is looking for a classic non-fragrance, which smells high-quality and is not too intrusive, which is absolutely right here! Colonia just has that certain something extra and smells like it. And indeed, it also smells, owed to the bergamot and lemon, a bit of Italy for everyone's skin.

6 Replies

01/21/2021

9
Scent 8
Longevity 7
Sillage 10
Bottle 10
Pricing

Ischgelroi

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Ischgelroi

Helpful Review 9

My Italy in a bottle

Acqua di Parma is simply Italy for me. I was allowed to get to know this brand first in Italy and was immediately blown away by this simplicity. The classic Colonia was always somehow for me something where I did not dare to go, somehow I always had the thought in my head that is only something for the more mature men and so I first bought other Colonias. 3 years later I bought my first Colonia bottle and I do not regret it a second, clearly Colonia is not necessarily modern perhaps also somewhat old-fashioned, but I love this perfume nevertheless. Colonia is a perfume that always fits it is never out of place or unpleasant. I also find the history of this masterpiece fascinating, not many perfumes can claim to have survived two world wars and still not belong to the old iron. Colonia is simply something special in its own way and I hope it stays that way for a very long time. I find this freshness with the lemons, oranges and bergamot notes just perfectly implemented. I have not yet found another brand which implements this combination so perfectly.

2 Replies

12/20/2020

9
Scent 7
Longevity 5
Sillage 10
Bottle

Jannik200999

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Jannik200999

Helpful Review 5

Summer in a bottle

I needed a scent for the summer. For the days when it's really hot. If you're looking for something like that, you probably can't get past the Colonia.
I had long thought about which fragrance I now get me. Ultimately, my choice is then fallen on this gem here.
Yes, there is the Essenza, there are longer lasting EdCs, there are cheaper and so on and immediately.

So why this one?

Because I was fascinated that this cologne has been around for over 100 years, and is still loved and appreciated.

And yes, it is a great cologne. I have never smelled something so citrus-fresh. THE candidate No.1 for the high summer. Later, the freshness is indeed partially displaced by the lavender, verbena and rose, but it never goes away.

The durability is considerable for an EdC, I perceive it 7-8 hours on me with decent sillage. The bottles of Acqua di Parma are for me anyway the most beautiful on the entire market.

A literally timeless fragrance, which hopefully still has a long time.
Oh man, now I have a desire for the.

1 Replies

05/04/2020

8.5
Scent 6
Longevity 7
Sillage 9
Bottle

Skills0401

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Skills0401

Top Review 16

The Barber of Emilia-Romagna

In my almost two years here at Parfumo, writing comments is something I haven't necessarily indulged in - writing a good comment takes time and reflection, so I reserve the right to write about fragrances that awaken something special in me. All the more respect for all those who comment much more often and for a longer time!

But today it's time again - it's about 20 degrees in New York and after a rainy spring, which is overshadowed by COVID-19, it's finally sunny for a longer time. The air on these early summer days always has a special energy for me and on such days AdP Colonia is a fragrance that underlines this energy but at the same time reminds me that it doesn't take much to enjoy life

The energy is expressed here in particular by the tangy and lemon-dominated opening, which is at the same time pleasantly cool. Accompanied by a light bergamot, Colonia makes a self-confident but very natural appearance here and brings a kick of freshness that lifts and energizes the mood. This prelude is a rather short pleasure, because after about 20-30 minutes the citrus fruits embed themselves very harmoniously into the base of the fragrance, which makes a lot out of little. Lemon and lavender are carried here by other herbs and a fresh, slightly soapy note, which evokes associations with the south, with sun, but also with down-to-earthness. There is no need for a protruding pyramid of scents here, just a few natural ingredients - you won't find any synthetics here.

A few weeks ago, I had a very similar scent in the nose of a barber in a Mexican city, and there was nothing superimposed on it either: a chair, wonderfully aged wooden furniture and a barber and apprentice who did their work. Simple, but efficient, and proud of what you are and what you do - I have the same feeling with this classic from Acqua di Parma. And perhaps it is this association that makes me think of Colonia as a so-called "barbershop" fragrance, or rather a precursor of it.

Shelf life and sillage are not the most important things with Colonia. 4-5 hours one has a pleasure with it, whereby the sillage is stronger than expected at the beginning, but then quickly recedes, leaving the wearer almost alone with his pleasures.

All in all, Colonia is a wonderful companion for warm days, reminding me that less can often be more - an important lesson especially in Corona times

7 Replies

04/26/2020

8.5
Scent 7
Longevity 6
Sillage 7
Bottle

FvSpee

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FvSpee

Top Review 32

Colonia instead of Corona. No. 4: Parma per sempre!

With "Parma" everyone has his own associations. Gourmets think of Parma ham and Parma cheese (a.k.a. Parmesan), my friend Miro, who works at the EU Commission (no, he's not responsible for the allergen rules on perfumes), probably thinks of EFSA, the EU agency for food safety based in Parma, historians may think of the house of Bourbon-Parma (Parma was for a long time Austrian or French before the foundation of the Italian nation state), and literature lovers think of Stendhal's novel "The Charterhouse of Parma", which, however, is not about Carthusian monks but about love and politics. Perfume lovers think, of course, of Acqua di Parma, perhaps THE best-known Italian fragrance brand, at least in the men's segment.

One of them is the "blue series" of AdP with a wide variety of mostly quite successful summer waters: I think the house has succeeded very well in occupying the modern niche segment and earning a lot of money. I'm no expert, but could I imagine that this series appeals to a similar (perhaps not quite as prestige-conscious and rip-off-resistant) segment of buyers as the equally blue one by Tom Ford.

The other is: This scent here (and its flankers): THE ORIGINAL.

In "Colonia" by Acqua di Parma we encounter (historically certainly not correct, but in the sense of a felt truth) something like the Italian Ur-Cologne, the ultra-montane counterpart of 4711 and Farina Gegenüber. Especially in the opening phase, the relationship to the German and French colognes and colognes in the tradition of the Cologne houses, but also, for example, of Guerlain's Impérial, is clearly noticeable: A tradition is being continued, which is why there are nine points for the well fitting name "Colonia".

The attack is perfectly lemony; and this lemon holds exactly the middle ground between creamy soft veiling and sharp, hard or sharp prickiness. It is a wonderfully strong, medium to dark yellow, round, solidly built, soft and yet strong lemon, with slightly green and bitter-fresh citric companions (I would have guessed bergamot and bitter orange here and was close).

After about 20 minutes, stronger floral impressions become visible, I would not have suspected rose, a decided (even heavy) rose scent is also missing, it is more an unspecific, but very beautiful floral aspiration. I don't think that rosemary and verbena were separate either, but I assume that they provide the stable, pithy and masculine bass underlay, even without smelling them specifically. In this phase Colonia changes miraculously between a floral-soft lemon and a crisp lemon sorbet, possibly with pistanzias on it.

Here I think, wow, this is such a stand-alone fragrance that is just as difficult to optimize as a Parmesan loaf, a cypress or the cathedral of Parma. The thing just stands in the world and you hope, forever, or at least for a few thousand years. After about an hour, however, there is a development that irritates me a bit, because the lavender enters the stage noticeably and fills it for about an hour. Lavender in eau de cologne is classic at most, it is also in 4711; but I find this too dominant here; for my nose the citric is (temporarily) too much displaced here. But that may have a very subjective touch. I actually like lavender very much, but for the last few months I seem to have been noticing it very strongly, perhaps more strongly than it is there.

From the third hour onwards, the citric regains lost ground, lavender remains moderately present, and at the same time the base, first woody, then wonderfully classic, fades into soapy, tender sweetness. Great, incredibly harmonious finish! br />
Apart from my lavender irritation, I like colonia very much, but I perceive it as almost overclassic. So classic that I find it almost a bit old-fashioned, which is saying something for me, because I'm not twenty-five anymore either and usually get rather curious about labels like "Opaduft". But my opinion doesn't seem to be a general opinion: If I look at this: 385 owners, and many of them with rather hip and club-suited nicknames, which rather less remind of educated citizens in retirement. It's nice that this fragrance seems to have kept its youthful freshness; I indulge and wish it at least another hundred years. Parma per sempre!

Two further remarks:

A friendly perfumer has left a note under No 1 of this small series saying that hard times are good for light fragrances. There seems to be something to that. The No. 3 of this series was launched in 1938, during the time of the annexation of Austria, the Munich Agreement and the late phase of the Spanish Civil War. This one actually dates from 1916. What "Verdun" is for Germans and French, the Isonzo River was for the Italians and Austrians, where the bloom of Italian youth died in mud, hail of grenades and machine gun fire during several years of war in succession, including 1916. It was a stalemate that lasted for years, ironically "won" in the end, in 1918 the Austrians: the Italian front collapsed and the way through northern Italy to Rome was open. But at this very moment the Spanish flu and the political disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire caused the Austrian army to collapse. And so everything remained as it was: a big draw, military situation as it had been four years before, only with infinite mass graves in addition, such as Northern Italy had last seen, if at all, in ancient times. And in the middle of this mess, a few dozen kilometres behind the front, in 1916, this light, cheerful little summer water was created, which is still a good mood bringer today. Crazy, right?

AdP's Parma occupies an intermediate position for me: it clearly shows its affinity to the Franco-German tradition of light, fleeting, citric-cool colognes. At the same time, with its good performance, differentiated fragrance development and a shelf life of five to six hours, which puts many a modern 300-euro-supplier-niche EdP in the shade, it can unhesitatingly claim ambitions to play a role in the world of "real perfumes".

23 Replies

02/13/2020

8.5
Scent 5
Longevity 6
Sillage 6
Bottle

Tijanero

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Tijanero

Lemon paired with soap

Actually, I'm more of a fan of heavy fragrances, but when I visited my regular perfumery at the weekend, I couldn't go home without what I learned was the classic Acqua Di Parma - Colonia. The citric freshness combined with soap just blew my mind. Seldom have I been so happy with a spontaneous purchase as with this one.

3 Replies

07/27/2019

EmmaPeel

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EmmaPeel

Top Review 13

The ultimate fragrance even for the hottest summer days

The only fragrance I can stand even on hot summer days, which still surrounds me with a touch of elegance and freshness despite sweating.

As with lemon ice cream, the art is that it should taste like lemon, but the balance between sour and sweet is the art.

Here it doesn't smell like a rest stop, but like a relaxed ride in a cabriolet along the Amalfi coast, with a light breeze, on a hot summer day.

I've been using this fragrance for almost 30 years now and every summer I think you could get something new.

Then I smell my way through 30 new perfumes to end up with one of my two classics (Hermes Orange Verte/Aqua die Parma Colognia)
The term timeless fits here like ass on bucket.

2 Replies

06/17/2019

8
Scent 7
Longevity 6
Sillage 6
Bottle

Mantus

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Mantus

The softest shaving foam cream in the world

First of all, one can perceive an intense citric note, which brings with it a fine sourish hint and is due to the lemon.

At the same time, the lemon is enveloped in a fine, sweet, fruity shade, which ensures that the lemon's sour fragrance does not sting in the nose, but appears extremely pleasantly soft and is due to the orange
In the background a subtle herbaceous note rounds off the top note wonderfully and in my opinion is responsible for the fact that the soft aura is still a little potentized and comes from the Calabrian bergamot.

A little bit later the hint from the top note in the heart note has unfolded completely and is not to be surpassed in softness and you really see an older gentleman standing in front of you who has just painted himself with the softest shaving foam in the world.

Very fine sweet, slightly Mediterranean, but also herbaceous notes of lavender and rosemary merge with an even finer sweetish flowery, very delicate creamy nuance of the Bulgarian rose to a true shaving cream - fragrance that still possesses the quality that many "shavers" among us appreciate very much.

"Ick unfortunately can't shave me "right", because ick would look like a light buoy for 2, if not even 3 days; but the others could finally eat, but ick, if there would be the scent as shaving foam, would actually want to try again without hesitation.
- But ick must be honest to myself - Blank shaved look ick just like a Dullie" :-)
- And ick find dat wonderful, ick have always liked the Jeruch of shaving cream, already as a child, even if it is classified with most with the older faction - Why? - It's just like that, some scents just can't be explained and I think that's a good thing!
- Some things can also be "explained dead", but what is completely meaningless for me' - Just enjoy is' here the better option, as ick find!"

The entire heart note is enveloped in a wonderful, very delicately cooling greenish hue, reminiscent of mint and nuance, which provides a certain refreshment and comes from vervain.

In the last 3 hours a beautiful clear crème-like wooden breath remains perceptible on my skin and is due to the musk in interaction with the sandalwood.

Unfortunately I couldn't see Patchouli, but I can imagine very well that the fragrance component was used for background music.

In total, the fragrance lasts 7 hours on my skin.

The Sillage is designed from the start to be perceived very well at half an arm's length and this is maintained for 2.5 hours before it is minimised in quiet steps until the fragrance ends.

06/12/2019

9
Scent 6
Longevity 6
Sillage 9
Bottle

Groxxda

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Groxxda

Very helpful Review 9

First-class Cologne implementation

Colonia - as simple and precise as your name is your content. A perfect refresher for the guest bathroom.
When sprayed on, a friendly, balanced and noble top note with the promised citrus smells - no trace of pungent acidity or the dreaded toilet associations, but: light, fruity and pleasantly refreshing.
A small drop of bitterness that you pay for this unobtrusiveness is that this beautiful top note quickly clears the stage for the main actors. Maybe this is even wanted: You get the feeling of freshness without immediately pointing it out to the whole society.

Now to the main performance: I perceive Colonia as a balanced clean scent. Not after clean laundry but slightly soapy - inconspicuous but nevertheless unmistakable - by no means like trying to cover a bad smell but a self-confident charisma of "I washed my hands thoroughly".
The woody notes round off the fragrance very nicely. Make it unobtrusive, round and discreetly male (but not completely unsuitable for ladies).

As soon as the top note is gone, I don't recognize any more scent. The Eau de Cologne works constantly for a few hours. I find the durability sufficient for its intended use (refreshing).
Before I left the house, I wouldn't go to Colonia for perfume. I prefer to leave this work to a full-grown perfume and enjoy its complexity and fragrance. I also see Colonias "Primetime" rather in the evening. In the morning you better take a shower to get clean ;-)

For me, a host can hardly provide his guests with a more appropriate "freshener" than this Colonia. Even at the risk of everyone smelling reservedly and uniformly at an advanced hour, this is still better than the alternative: individual "human scents".

2 Replies

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