• Marketed to Men, but could be considered Unisex
• Citrus Aromatic
• Italian-Style Barbershop scent
• A shameless, and far less expensive, copy of Acqua di Parma Colonia
• Inoffensive, good for Office Wear
• Primarily for Day Wear, but is a good choice for a hot summer night
• Light – Moderate Sillage
• Light – Moderate Longevity
• Best for Spring and Summer
• Vegan? Probably
• Cruelty Free? Unknown

Acqua di Pino Cologne

The fragrance house of Pino Sylvestre launched Acqua di Pino Cologne in 2021, which would normally exclude it from this website. Because it’s a clone of a very well-known classic cologne, it gets a review.

This Italian-style barbershop eau de cologne is a shameless copy of Acqua di Parma Colonia. It does have some subtle differences, how noticeable those differences will be to you will depend on how sensitive your nose is.

Acqua di Pino Cologne isn’t as flawlessly blended as AdP Colonia, but it does smell much more expensive than it is. It might even fool people who know Acqua di Parma Colonia, it’s that close of a scent.

This is very much a classic-style cologne, but it doesn’t smell outdated. People of all ages could wear this with the possible exception of teens; it might be a little too mature for them. Teens who like retro-fragrances could wear this one without seeming to be trying too hard to appear older.

Although both fragrances are eau de colognes, Acqua di Pino doesn’t have the staying power of its elder cousin. Spraying it on clothes does extend its lifespan by several hours though. It does seem to cling well to fabric. On skin, this cologne will last 2 – 4 hours, and I’d expect it to be closer to 2 hours for most people.

The Opening

The opening of Acqua di Pino Cologne is all citrus. Lemon is the most prominent note, and it’s a zesty, clean, natural-smelling lemon. The lemon note is accompanied by a sweet-smelling orange. It’s not a candy-like sweetness, but a naturally sweet orange-fruit scent.

As is typical for citrus notes, they fade quickly and reveal the herbal, aromatic, and green heart notes. There’s a little bit of warm spice in this: ginger, and it’s blended perfectly. Ginger gives this cologne a little bit of heat without being overbearing.

The green notes in this are earthy with a little bit of pine. Pino Sylvestre is known for its pine-scented colognes. This formulation has some of the traditional Pino Sylvestre pine-scented DNA, but it’s not overdone.

The pine-tree scent is where Acqua di Pino Cologne really differs from Acqua di Parma Colonia. AdP Colonia’s green scents are more herbal-floral.

As the dry-down approaches, Acqua di Pino Cologne develops a soapy note, which is presumably the iris. The soapiness isn’t overwhelming or out of place, it adds to the overall clean freshness of this citrus aromatic cologne.

The Dry Down

The dry down of Acqua di Pino Cologne is subtly musky with a smooth woody note. The musk is clean-smelling, well-blended, and doesn’t stray into dirty animalic-musk territory. The clean freshness of this cologne continues into the late dry down.

Like the famous cologne it’s modeled after, Acqua di Pino retains a bit of lemony citrus straight into the dry down. The later dry down, when it becomes a skin scent, turns this cologne into a soapy herbal-aromatic scent underpinned with wood and a clean-smelling musk.

Is Acqua di Pino Cologne Vegan?

The only known animalic ingredient in Acqua di Pino Cologne is musk. Animal-derived musk has been outlawed in perfumery for years. Acqua di Pino’s low cost is another indicator that the musk used in it is synthetic.

Acqua Di Pino Cologne is almost certainly vegan.

Is Acqua di Pino Cologne Cruelty Free?

The company that makes Acqua di Pino Cologne is Pino Sylvestre. Pino Sylvestre’s animal-testing policy is unknown.

Video Reviews of Acqua di Pino Cologne