Giorgio Armani and beauty
The fashion house was born in Milan in 1975, in the atelier on Corso Venezia. The first fragrance arrived in 1982, in a squared-off bottle, and since 1988 fragrances, makeup and skincare have been developed together with L'Oréal. Acqua di Giò, with its marine notes, came out in 1996, the makeup line, created with makeup artist Pat McGrath, in 2001, and Sì, with Cate Blanchett as its face, in 2013. The designer died in Milan on September 4, 2025.
Sì: the versions compared
Sì, Sì Intense and Sì Parfum
The starting point is Sì Eau de Parfum, a chypre with blackcurrant, May rose, patchouli and vanilla. Sì Intense uses a blackcurrant nectar drawn from the buds, with Damask rose, davana, bourbon vanilla and smoky black tea. Sì Parfum is the gourmand take, with smoky vanilla and touches of leather.
Sì Passione and the floral variations
With Sì Passione the character shifts: it's a fragrance with pear, blackcurrant, rose, jasmine and vanilla. The Red Musk variation has a soft musk and is a fruity floral amber, while Red Bloom pairs raspberry, iris and woody vanilla. Then there's Sì Nude Bloom, which takes up the blackcurrant accord of the original and pairs it with a trio of roses, including May rose, and patchouli.
The other fragrance families
Acqua di Giò and Code: for him
Acqua di Giò is the house's marine family. Acqua di Giò Parfum comes in a refillable bottle; Profondo is available as an eau de toilette, with grapefruit, cypress and lavandin, as an eau de parfum and as a Parfum. The Elixir has notes of violet, leather and sea. The Code line is a different story: Armani Code Eau de Parfum is an amber, spicy fougère with green mandarin and nutmeg. Finally, Stronger With You, from Emporio Armani, is built on a marron glacé accord and comes in Intensely, Absolutely, Parfum, Amber and Powerfully versions.
My Way and Acqua di Gioia: for her
My Way le Parfum opens with bergamot and cardamom and has a heart of tuberose and jasmine; it also comes as a refill. From the same line, Ylang and Sunny Vanilla are the fruity and sunny variations, alongside My Way Nectar. Acqua di Gioia Intense opens with Italian citrus and red berries, with Damask rose and jasmine at its heart.
Armani Privé: haute parfumerie
Armani Privé is the house's high-end collection, largely unisex. One part is devoted to leather, from Cuir Noir Intense to Cuir Zerzura, Cuir Nu and Cuir Rubis. Then there's the oud of Oud Royal Intense, the Somali incense of Bois d'Encens and the floral oriental Musc Shamal, plus La Collection des Terres Précieuses with Bleu Lazuli, Rouge Malachite, Vert Malachite and Indigo Tanzanite. Among the eaux de toilette are Orangerie Venise from the Les Eaux line, built on bitter orange, and Rose Alexandrie, devoted to May rose. The selection also includes Orange Méditerranée, a green citrus with bigarade and fennel, and Iris Bleu, with galbanum, orris butter, jasmine and guaiac wood.
Armani makeup
For the base there's Luminous Silk Foundation, a fluid foundation with light coverage and a luminous finish, suited to all skin types. Power Fabric+ is a natural matte foundation in a liquid-powder texture, formulated with Micro-fil technology, and it also comes as a concealer and in a compact version. To prep the skin there's the Fluid Master primer, a clear smoothing gel, while Skin Tint is a tinted serum with hyaluronic acid and niacinamide. The Luminous Silk family also includes Cheek Tint liquid blush, Eye Tint liquid eyeshadow, Glow Bronzer and Acqua Highlighter. For eyes and lips, there are Eyes to Kill and Vertigo Lift mascaras, Lip Power lipsticks and Prisma Glass glosses.
How to find your way among the families
The simplest approach is to start from the olfactory family the house assigns to each fragrance. Sì and Sì Parfum are chypres, the latter being the gourmand version, while Sì Passione, My Way and Armani Code Femme are florals. Among the men's fragrances, Code and Stronger With You Amber are amber fougères, Stronger With You Intensely is a woody oriental with fougère accents, and Acqua di Giò is the marine line. For gifting there are sets of Sì, My Way, Acqua di Giò and Stronger With You, and the Sì, Acqua di Giò and Stronger With You sets also include shower gel.
Frequently asked questions
What does Armani Sì smell like?
Armani's Sì is a women's eau de parfum in the chypre family, built on a blackcurrant accord with May rose, freesia, patchouli and vanilla. It was launched in 2013, created by perfumer Christine Nagel, and it's the fragrance from which all the other versions stem.
What's the difference between Sì, Sì Intense and Sì Parfum?
All three start from the same blackcurrant chypre, but the accents change. The original eau de parfum combines blackcurrant, May rose, patchouli and vanilla; Sì Intense adds Damask rose and davana, with bourbon vanilla and smoky black tea. Sì Parfum is the gourmand version, with smoky vanilla and touches of leather.
Sì vs. Sì Passione: what's the difference?
Sì remains a blackcurrant chypre, while Sì Passione has notes of pear, rose and jasmine. Among its variations, Red Musk has a soft musk and fruity notes, and Red Bloom pairs raspberry, iris and woody vanilla. Sì Nude Bloom, on the other hand, takes up the original's blackcurrant with a trio of roses and patchouli.
Which Armani Privé leather fragrance should I choose?
Cuir Nu is inspired by Venetian tanneries and pairs leather with rose and smoky coffee; Cuir Rubis, by perfumer Violaine Collas, matches it with licorice and red plum. Cuir Zerzura is inspired by a desert oasis, poised between cool and warm, and Cuir Noir Intense is dedicated to the art of leatherworking.
Who makes Armani fragrances?
Armani fragrances are developed, manufactured and distributed by L'Oréal, which has held the exclusive license for the house's fragrances, makeup and skincare since 1988. The Armani beauty offering includes the Giorgio Armani lines such as Sì and Acqua di Giò, Armani Privé haute parfumerie and Emporio Armani fragrances such as Stronger With You.
What is Armani Privé?
Armani Privé is the house's haute parfumerie collection, separate from the Giorgio Armani lines such as Sì or Acqua di Giò. Its compositions are almost all unisex and are organized by family: leathers such as Cuir Noir and Cuir Nu, ouds and resins, La Collection des Terres Précieuses and Les Eaux.
Which Armani men's fragrance should I choose?
It's best to start from the kind of scent you're after. For marine freshness there's Acqua di Giò, in the Parfum, Profondo and Elixir versions; Armani Code is an amber, spicy fougère. Emporio Armani's Stronger With You comes in Intensely, Absolutely and Amber variations.
Luminous Silk or Power Fabric: which Armani foundation should I choose?
Luminous Silk is the foundation for a radiant effect, with a fluid texture and light coverage suited to all skin types. Power Fabric+, by contrast, has a natural matte finish in a liquid-powder texture and smooths skin texture. For minimal coverage, there's Skin Tint, a tinted serum with hyaluronic acid and niacinamide.
Which Armani fragrances are refillable?
Several Armani fragrances come in refillable bottles, such as My Way le Parfum, which has its own dedicated refill, Acqua di Giò Parfum and Armani Code Eau de Parfum. Sì Intense is also offered in a refillable bottle, while the house presents Acqua di Giò Parfum as eco-designed.
