Dissecting What Tom Ford Truly Means When He Says Acqua

Tom Ford is by far one of the most highly debated fragrance houses on the market. Its divisive audience either falls deeply in love with his creations or sees them as chum in comparison to some of the other offers in his price range.

The Tom Ford Private Blend collection has often been seen as a top-tier collection of fragrances that are easily accessible by the massive. Maybe not from a price standpoint, however. His fragrances can be found at big-name department stores like Nordstrom and Holt Renfrew, as well as ordinary perfume stores like Sephora.

Alike any other designer fragrance house, the label operates with the intention of releasing flankers to its most-priced possessions. In some cases, these fragrances have turned out well. While in others, they turn out to be watered-down versions of sought-after DNA or just so out of right field that we forget what fragrance they’re trying to emulate.

The fragrance community has found a way around Tom Ford’s exuberant pricing. And no, it’s not just grey market finds. These lower entry points into Ford’s Private Blends come through the doors of his Acqua flankers.

The Acqua label has been attached to five fragrances since 2016, with the latest editions entering the market in 2019. In the past, the Acqua label signified a shift toward a more blue, watery-based fragrance with someone oceanic qualities.

While snobs of the brand overlook these flankers due to their presumed watered-down nature, these five fragrances are stellar options for anyone trying to get their foot in the door of Tom Ford.

Sole Di Positano Acqua and Fleur De Portofino are among the newcomers, with the first being the least popular. Both of these scents flank longstanding Tom Ford favourites. Although, their DNA never seemed to take off in mainstream settings.

Mandarino di Amalfi, Costs Azzurra, and Neroli Portofino are three of Ford’s best summer scents. Subsequently, their Aqua flankers have been seen as inferior to their original DNA, with members of the community dropping words like “thin” and “disappointing” in forums.

In the case of Mandarino di Amalfi, there are only three changes to their individual note breakdowns, although the Acqua flanker can be found for 40-60% cheaper across grey market websites. Similar effects are seen in Costa Azzurra and Neroli Portofino.

Tom Ford is an exclusive group that is hard to break into without a strong financial backing. However, investing in the Acqua variants of timeless fragrances are a great way to be a part of the Ford brand without breaking the bank.