Earlier this year, I posted my thoughts on the garden series from Santa Maria Novella – I Giardini Medicei – Quercia. At that time, I’d tried five of the eight fragrances in the line. I’ve since sampled Ambra and Acqua, with Incenso being the only one left to try. Today I’ll share my thoughts on Acqua.
Aquatic scents aren’t my favourite genre, so it was with some trepidation that I approached Acqua. I dip my feet slowly into the water whenever I encounter perfumes with marine-themed marketing. Indeed, one small spray, just to be safe. Too often, there’s an over-reliance on Calone and other screechy materials to achieve the watery effect. But Acqua comes as a pleasant surprise. It smells like a watercolour painting brought to life. Pale florals, light musk, and the perfect amount of fruity sweetness, courtesy of pear, ensure the scent never drifts too far into treacherous tides.
As I wear Acqua, I imagine myself by a pond on a crisp spring morning. Graceful water birds glide about the water lilies as the stresses of the week gradually wash away. The nicely judged dose of musk in the base, combined with the freesia and lotus flowers, evokes thoughts of pink, purple, and white coloured blooms. Although I visualise myself by a pond, that could quite easily be a spa, or indeed near the Medicean Villas fountains, which form the inspiration for the fragrance.
Acqua draws comparisons with Parle Moi de Parfum’s Totally White, En Passant from Frederic Malle and Magnolia from this Santa Maria Novella collection. Like those fragrances, it’s light but not lightweight. The pear note at the top of Acqua makes it slightly sweeter and fruitier than those, though. There’s not a hint of aggressiveness or sharpness in the blend. And Acqua is an appropriate name, as there’s a nice thirst-quenching quality to the composition.
I wouldn’t, however, pay the asking price for this fragrance. We’re on shaky ground, or perhaps more aptly, in murky waters, with the AUD 299 price tag for 50ml. Indeed, half that price would seem more reasonable. Acqua won’t blow your flippers off and is unlikely to offend. Still, I like the fragrance; it’s an outlier in a sea of mediocrity for this genre. I’m happy to go with more than one spray. Indeed, discovering a good marine perfume is about as elusive as spotting the Loch Ness Monster.
Notes: First image from Santa Maria Novella. All other pictures are my own. I purchased the sample of Acqua.
Here are some other images I see when I spray Acqua.
