Colonia Essenza

Colonia Essenza, inspired by Acqua di Parma Colonia Essenza

Colonia Essenza opens with a crowd of citrus: lemon, orange, mandarin, grapefruit and bergamot, with neroli and petitgrain (distilled from the leaves and twigs of the bitter orange tree) giving the peel a faintly bitter, leafy edge. Rosemary keeps that first stage herbal rather than sugary. Underneath, rose and jasmine form a quiet floral middle, and a touch of clove adds a dry spice. The base turns to vetiver and patchouli, with white musk and amber smoothing the finish.

About the original

Acqua di Parma presents Colonia Essenza as a deeper reinterpretation of its original Colonia and classes it as citrus woody. No perfumer is credited in the sources we checked, and its launch year is not clearly documented. A Special Edition in a black bottle appeared in 2015, reportedly with the same formula. The regular version is now sold in the redesigned Colonia bottle of clear glass with a black cap, in a yellow box.

Our version

Ours is an independent eau de parfum made to evoke the same character. It is not Acqua di Parma stock, not an official relaunch and not the original formula.

Who it suits

People who like the original Colonia but find it too purely citrus may prefer this one, since the brand presents it as a deeper reinterpretation with clove, vetiver and patchouli underneath. Anyone hoping for a sweet or gourmand scent will find little of that here: the listed notes are citrus, herbs, flowers, spice and woods.

Related scents

• Acqua di Parma Colonia Intensa
• Acqua di Parma Colonia Pura
• Acqua di Parma Colonia Club

Notes of the original fragrance, as published by the brand.

Top notes: Lemon, Orange, Bergamot, Mandarin, Grapefruit, Neroli, Petitgrain

Heart notes: Rosemary, Lily Of The Valley, Rose, Jasmine, Clove

Base notes: Vetiver, Patchouli, White Musk, Amber

The top is all peel: lemon and orange first, then bergamot and grapefruit with a slightly bitter neroli and petitgrain accent. Rosemary sits just behind them.

In the heart, rose and jasmine appear alongside lily of the valley, and a pinch of clove gives the flowers a dry, spiced outline.

The drydown is woody and clean, vetiver and patchouli with white musk and amber rounding the edges.

How is Colonia Essenza different from the original Colonia?

Acqua di Parma presents it as a deeper reading of the original Colonia, with clove in the heart and a base of vetiver, patchouli and amber under the citrus.

Is Colonia Essenza for men or women?

Acqua di Parma sells the Colonia range without a gender split. We list it among our men's scents, but it suits anyone who likes citrus colognes.

Is this the 2015 Special Edition?

Our version is inspired by the regular Colonia Essenza. The 2015 Special Edition came in a black bottle and is reported to share the same formula.

Inside the EU, delivery is free on orders of €49 or more. Below that it is a flat €4.99. Outside the EU, delivery is a flat €4.99 on every order. We send every order in 1 to 2 working days. It arrives in 3 to 7 days across the EU and in 7 to 14 days outside the EU. You have 14 days to return an unopened bottle.

Acqua di Parma and Colonia Essenza are trademarks of their respective owners, and all rights remain with them. Parfumour is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or connected to Acqua di Parma in any way, and no business relationship of any kind is implied. Our product is an original interpretation created to evoke a similar scent profile, and the trademark names are used purely for honest, descriptive comparison, so that you can quickly identify the style and fragrance family you are looking for. We make no claim to sell the original product, and we do not use the same ingredients or formula. Any similarity lies in the overall impression of the scent as interpreted by our own perfumers, not in the source materials.