Acqua Vetiver

Acqua Vetiver from the Italian brand Collistar, released in 2023, is a spicy, sweetened vetiver for men. Spicy is the word everyone uses; about two thirds also call it gourmand, and a minority find it woody, aromatic or citrusy.

Mandarin orange and mint open it with bright, cool freshness, and plum adds a dark, juicy sweetness. The heart is warmly spiced: cinnamon and nutmeg for dry baking warmth, cardamom for a green, aromatic lift. Vetiver forms the backbone of the base, dry, rooty and a little smoky, with tonka bean adding an almond-vanilla sweetness and Orcanox, a modern ambery material, giving a smooth, long-lasting warmth beneath it.

It is less the crisp, watery scent the name might suggest and more a spiced, cosy wood. The profile suits autumn and winter and the evening, and someone who likes vetiver but wants it softened with spice and a touch of sweetness rather than left raw and green.

Acqua Vetiver — for men fragrance by Collistar (released 2023). Notes: Cardamom, Cinnamon, Mandarin Orange, Mint, Nutmeg, Orcanox™, Plum, Tonka Bean, Vetiver. — Parfica open fragrance database