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Gentlemen, I’ve been wearing The One for Men by Dolce & Gabbana EDT for the last week, and I must say, I have mixed feelings about it. 

It is considered a woody, spicy fragrance composed by Olivier Polge and has succeeded since its release in 2008. Of course, many flankers have followed since, and I will talk about those as well, but is this “one” any good?

Here’s what I think.

Price

It’s relatively cheap for a designer fragrance. I still wouldn’t pay that amount for reasons I’ll discuss.

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They ship worldwide, they only deal in authentic stock, and they’ve got a solid 30-day return policy, which keeps things risk-free.

Prices do move around (sometimes daily, especially during holiday sales), so it’s always worth checking the current deal. 👇

Appearance and Presentation

D&C’s “The One” line originated with a fragrance for women, and the bottle design is similar to the men’s version, as you may have already noticed. It’s simplistic but generic and, to me, resembles a typical overpriced designer mall scent. It doesn’t look cheap and has an attractive wooden cap, but overall, I think it’s boring, so I’m moving swiftly on. 

The Notes

Top Notes – Grapefruit, Coriander, Basil

Middle Notes – Ginger, Cardamom, Orange Blossom

Base Notes – Amber, Tobacco, Cedar

My thoughts on the notes

This is a lovely-smelling fragrance; there is no question about that. It opens with fresh, fruity notes, blending nicely with the ginger and coriander. The spicy notes begin to surface as it transitions to the mid, with the warmth of the amber and tobacco notes giving it a beautiful, cosy appeal. A warm, spicy, ambery scent is essentially what this fragrance is at its core, and it has been composed exceptionally well. 

It’s not complicated and is somewhat linear, but it is masculine, sexy and addictive, making you keep leaning in for another whiff. Disliking this smell is practically impossible, and you cannot go wrong with it. 

Is it masculine?

It is unreservedly masculine in a smooth, sensual way that will undoubtedly leave the ladies wanting more. My wife couldn’t get enough of it.

Performance

You may be thinking, if this fragrance smells so good, why the mixed feelings, and why wouldn’t you buy it? Well, I’ll tell you why: the performance is almost laughable. It lasted about 30 minutes before it completely faded, and not even a mere skin scent could be detected after that. It’s very disappointing and could be vastly improved. I recently reviewed F by Ferragamo Free Time (also composed by Olivia Polge), which was half the price, and the performance was phenomenal, so there are no excuses here.

Fortunately, in 2015, D & G released The One Eau de Parfum, which addresses many of the performance issues, and the scent profile is more or less the same as the EDT. 

I’ve also tested this one, and although the price is slightly higher, I recommend skipping the EDT and going straight for the EDP. I would say that the EDT version is now redundant since the release of the EDP.

The whole point of wearing a fragrance is so you and other people can actually smell it for a reasonable amount of time, and if that’s not happening, then what’s the point?

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When to wear

As with most amber and spicy fragrances, it’s ideal for winter, autumn and spring. You’ll want to avoid it in the summer heat as it could become nauseating, although having said that, I wouldn’t worry too much because you won’t be able to smell it for long anyway.🤷‍♂️

Where to wear

The scent would work in most scenarios, although it would be particularly well-suited for evening wear. Spicy and amber scents are always a great option for those special occasions, formal events, nights out and things of that sort. 

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Sexy masculine scent
• Perfect for evening wear
• An overall crowd-pleaser
• Great for the winter, autumn and spring

Cons

• The performance sucks
• There are fragrances with much better performance for half the price
• Redundant since the release of the EDP version.

Other Flankers

2010 The One Gentleman is now discontinued. The scent could have been better, and the performance was even worse than the original EDT. It’s a vanilla and lavender-based fragrance that is nothing like the original.

2012 The One Sport is a watery aquatic release that is also discontinued and, again, has terrible performance. You’ll find these and The One Gentleman on eBay. Generally, they’re not worth the money they are currently going for. I can see why they have both been discontinued. 

2018 The One Grey is probably the cheapest of the bunch and is a fresher, herbal take on the original, more suited for professional settings such as the office. For the price, it’s alright, but nothing special.

2020 The One EDP Intense Like all designer fragrance lines, there has to be an intense version of the original, right? Well, not exactly, because this one has an entirely different scent profile to the EDT and EDP. It’s a fresh, woody, leathery scent, but still very good and worth checking out. 

2021 The One Gold follows the typical fashion for a gold fragrance. It has a vibrant fruity opening with a familiar warm ambery base that you’ve most likely encountered before in other fragrances. It smells okay, but nothing really out of the ordinary. Furthermore, the performance could be more robust. No surprise there. 

I should also add that a few others in the lineup exist mainly for the Middle Eastern market. They are much harder to get your hands on and tend to sell out quickly, so if you ever see one on sale, buy it. They are all excellent and comprise The One Royal Night, The One Mysterious Night and The One Luminous Night.

Conclusion

So, back to the original EDT, as this article is already getting pretty long. Should you buy The One for Men EDT? I will say no, as there’s no point, and I’ve made my reasons for that clear already. However, I have heard of other people getting better results than me, and if that’s you, then you’ll probably disagree. If you have tried this or any others from the line, comment below and let me know your thoughts. I am always interested in what you have to say.

READY TO GRAB THIS FRAGRANCE?

If you’re ready to add this to your collection, here are two reliable places to check:

• FragranceX – usually the best prices, discount codes, and a wide selection. They also ship worldwide.
• Amazon – great if you prefer Prime delivery speed, just make sure to buy from a trusted seller.

👉 Pick the option that works best for you.

No matter where you’re reading from, smell good, spend smart.

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