ARMANI
CODE PARFUM

2022

PERFUMER
Antoine Maisondieu

Bergamot
Bergamot Leaf

Iris
Clary Sage
Orris
Aldehydes

Tonka Bean
Cedarwood

The original Armani Code was my first signature scent. I wore it for over a decade (alongside Acqua Di Gio), before getting into fragrances, so I’m well acquainted with the DNA. One of the reasons I grew tired of it, is that in more recent years, the ‘oomph’ was lacking; it became brighter and softer, with worse performance in every bottle that I bought of it since around the time of its release. Needless to say, I was mildly enthusiastic about a Parfum flanker for Code.

And it’s not bad; it is a true concentration upgrade from the original DNA and not a flanker that smells much different. Unfortunately for me, it has moved in the wrong direction.

Parfum is not a darker, heavier version of the original Code. To me Code used to be a ‘sexy’ scent, versatile and classy enough, but also suitable for date nights. My critique of it becoming brighter and softer is still relevant with the new Parfum. It’s more watery and more soapy; less spicy and less sweet at first. There are stronger cues to fresher powdery scents like Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male and even to something akin to Amouage Reflection Man in Code Parfum.

It smells nice, clean, masculine and still somewhat unique, but it’s not the ‘Code’ that I was looking for. Where other flankers are more playful, this one is more mature, but in an ‘office scent’ way and not so much in a ‘date night’ way.

Unfortunately it seems my days with the Code DNA are still over.