Giorgio Armani launched Armani Code in 2004, first under the name Black Code, an eau de toilette signed by Antoine Lie and Antoine Maisondieu. The house classifies it among ambery woody scents. Since 2023, it has presented it in a refillable bottle and describes its composition, which it says is unchanged, through green mandarin, lavandin, tonka bean and cedar.
Ron Pitt of Dapper Confidential compared the original eau de toilette with its refillable version in 2023: minimal differences, a slight improvement in his eyes, and a fragrance he finds elegant, powdery and woody, cut out for evenings and the colder months.
Olfastory’s review
Dapper Confidential, two nearly identical versions
On October 10, 2023, Ron Pitt compares his 2004 bottle with the refillable version. Despite very different listed notes, he perceives only subtle differences, hard to tell apart in the air; the new version seems to him to last a little longer.
He describes a lively, sparkling citrus opening that quickly softens into a warm, powdery aromatic wood. He finds it elegant, more mature than the sweet fragrances of the moment, ideal for evenings and cool weather, and sees the tweaks as a slight improvement.