Valentino sells a lot of men's fragrance, and the names pile up fast: Uomo, Uomo Intense, Born in Roma Uomo, then a run of Born in Roma flankers with colours and fantasy words attached. This guide sorts them by who they suit and says which concentration each one is.
A quick word on the title. What Americans call cologne, British shops sell as aftershave. The bottles are the same: men's eau de toilette and eau de parfum. If the word has you wondering whether this is a shaving product, our explainer on aftershave covers it. Everything below is a fragrance.
The picks are drawn from the verdicts on our own perfume pages, compiled from wearer reports. Where wearers are split, we say so.
The Born in Roma bottles, for sweet and modern
Born in Roma Uomo arrived in 2019 and the rest hang off it. The plain bottle is the original eau de toilette. The Intense is an eau de parfum and sits apart from the colour editions, which are all eau de toilette flankers with a fruit or spice twist of their own. Our verdicts describe most of the family as sweet, modern and made to be noticed.
Born in Roma Uomo Intense - Eau de Parfum
Built on vanilla, lavender and vetiver, composed by Guillaume Flavigny and Antoine Maisondieu in 2023.
Of the men's Valentinos we hold, this one has the largest community behind it. It is a sweet, vanilla-woody scent that fills cold air, so it suits evenings out. Our profile scores both longevity and projection as long, and 58% of the longevity votes call it long lasting or eternal.
Born in Roma Uomo Coral Fantasy - Eau de Toilette
Red apple and cardamom open over clary sage, drying down to tobacco and patchouli. From Nicolas Beaulieu and Jean-Christophe Hérault, 2022.
Bold but smooth is how the verdict puts it, a scent that gets noticed without being overbearing. About half the longevity votes (51%) say it lasts long, a good deal more than the plain Born in Roma Uomo manages.
Born in Roma Uomo - Eau de Toilette
The original, from 2019 and made by Antoine Maisondieu and Guillaume Flavigny. Violet leaf and salt at the top, sage and ginger in the heart, vetiver underneath.
A sweet-mineral scent with a bold, synthetic edge that stands out in a crowd. The verdict calls it playful, best for nights out or casual confidence. Longevity is where it differs from the Intense: 31% of longevity votes call it long lasting or eternal, against 58% for the Intense.
Born in Roma Uomo Yellow Dream - Eau de Toilette
Pineapple and mandarin over gingerbread and ginger, with vanilla and cedar at the base. Maisondieu, Flavigny and Nathalie Lorson wrote it in 2021.
Juicy and sweet. Our verdict says it has more depth than the average sweet scent, which is why it works on dates. Fewer than a quarter of longevity votes (24%) call it long lasting, so expect to reapply.
The Uomo originals, for gourmand and iris
These came before Born in Roma, and our verdicts describe them as more sophisticated.
Valentino Uomo - Eau de Toilette
Olivier Polge made it in 2014. Bergamot and myrtle open over hazelnut, dark chocolate and coffee, with leather and cedar underneath.
Our verdict calls it a benchmark among sweet, nutty masculines: a hazelnut, chocolate and vanilla swirl that is comforting and smooth.
Valentino Uomo Intense - Eau de Parfum
Iris, vanilla and leather, with tonka bean in the heart and mandarin and clary sage on top. It dates from 2016.
A modern classic with a loyal following that reads as sexy and elegant. The one complaint is the iris, which some wearers find too much like a make-up bag. Both longevity and projection score as long in our profile, and about 70% of longevity votes call it long lasting or eternal.
Fresh and green
Born in Roma Green Stravaganza - Eau de Toilette
Only three notes are listed: bergamot, coffee and vetiver. Lorson and Olivier Cresp composed it in 2024.
The wearers' description is fresh and urbane, with smoky coffee against a crisp green backbone. It is the freshest of the Born in Roma flankers here. Longevity is the catch: fewer than one longevity vote in five (18%) calls it long lasting.
Hard to find now
Three Valentino men's scents are hard to get now, according to our verdicts.
Valentino Uomo Intense 2021 - Eau de Parfum
Mandarin, nutmeg, juniper and sage open it, and the base holds iris, vanilla, leather, tonka and patchouli. It is rated 4.64 out of 5 by 2,002 voters on Fragrantica, and 74% of longevity votes call it long lasting or eternal.
A smoother take on the iris style, and one wearers adore: the verdict says it leaves die-hard fans of Dior Homme Intense questioning their loyalty. Valentino pulled it, which is a shame.
V pour Homme - Eau de Parfum
A sweet, spicy, woody scent from 2006: pink pepper, tamarind and mandarin on top, with sandalwood and amber in the heart and vanilla, cacao and cumin at the base. Wearers call it a masterclass in elegant masculinity and, in the community's phrase, "sex in a bottle". Our profile scores longevity as long and projection as moderate. It is much missed, and the consensus is that it is hard to find.
Valentino Uomo Noir Absolu - Eau de Toilette
Cinnamon and pepper over incense and frankincense, with sandalwood at the base. It came out in 2017 and has since been discontinued. Our profile scores both longevity and projection as long.
People who love it are obsessed and talk about the compliments, while others find it linear or a bit bubblegum. About three in four longevity votes (76%) call it long lasting or eternal.
Not for everyone
Three recent Born in Roma releases split wearers hard. Sample all of them before you buy.
Born in Roma Extradose Uomo - Eau de Parfum
Lavender-led, from 2025. Some wearers call it a beast-mode compliment magnet and some call it a sickly, synthetic mess. Most longevity votes (78%) call it long lasting or eternal, so it lasts if you do like it.
Valentino Uomo Born in Roma Purple Melancholia - Eau de Toilette
Cardamom, coconut, lavender and amberwood, from 2026. A loud, sweet coconut that some adore and others cannot stand. It is not a safe blind buy.
Valentino Uomo Born in Roma Ivory - Eau de Toilette
A creamy, sweet and slightly smoky lavender from 2025, with bergamot on top. It has landed badly with many wearers, who call it mid or poor on performance, though some find the milky gourmand side comforting. Our verdict says to try it before you buy it.
Where to start
For a first Valentino, the two Uomo originals have large communities and consistently positive verdicts, so they are the safest way in. If you want something sweeter, begin with Born in Roma Uomo Intense or Coral Fantasy. If you like the sound of the Born in Roma family but want it lighter, the plain Born in Roma Uomo is the original, and Green Stravaganza is the fresh one.
