Acqua di Gio (Mens)

Giorgio Armani's Acqua di Gio has spent almost three decades as the reference point for the entire fresh-aquatic category, built on a crisp bergamot-lime top over a signature marine-calone heart that reads unmistakably like sea spray. Copycat's Acqua di Gio (Mens) gets the opening right - the citrus is bright, the marine accord is present and recognisable, and the first twenty minutes on skin could genuinely be mistaken for the original in a blind sniff test. The trouble starts an hour or two in: Acqua di Gio's cedarwood-patchouli-musk base is smooth, faintly soapy, and stays close to skin for six to eight hours, giving the fragrance its famous 'just showered' longevity, while this version's base thins out into a flat, slightly synthetic musk that most wearers will need to reapply well before evening. The jasmine and coriander that round out the original's heart are only faintly present, leaving the dupe a touch more one-dimensional and aquatic-forward than the real thing. As a cheap way to test whether the aquatic-fresh style suits you before spending designer money, it does the job; as a genuine substitute for all-day wear, it isn't close.