I’ve made a review months ago of one of Dolce&Gabbana’s most famous scent, The One, and praised how it manages to turn a particularly “dangerous” set of notes into a beautiful, unique, flawlessly blended fragrance. And, well… here we are again.
Today I’ll review Dolce&Gabbana The Only One, an avalanche of sweetness that has everything to cause anyone a painful toothache… and instead, turns out to be a stunning composition.
Review
Launched in autumn 2018 and composed by perfumer Violaine Collas, The Only One is The One’s kind-of-flanker, but the two fragrances don’t have much in common apart from name, similarly beautiful bottles, and the fact that both are “warm”, cold weather-type scents. Where The One is an ambery floral-oriental, however, I’d call The Only One a powdery-sweet gourmand.
The Only One opens with an explosion of syrupy sweetness, a shy hint of bergamot, and a clear coffee note. I also get a bit of “hairspray”, probably from the violets, which feels a bit artificial1, but actually works very well here. It adds dimension and a more mature, perfume-y side to an otherwise full candy-sweet opening.
In a few moments, the fragrance softens, and the notes become gentler. The violets, in particular, shine better from here on, as they’re joined by two other classic “make-up” notes, iris & rose, and go from hairspray to softer lipstick and face powder. The effect is still very sweet, but in a way that feels smooth and mellow instead of syrupy.
Although no berries are listed among the notes, there’s an accord in The Only One that smells to me like a fluffy, raspberry-flavoured marshmallow, in a way quite reminicent of another D&G fragrance, 2012’s Dolce&Gabbana Pour Femme. Here, however, the “marshmallow” feels lighter and less fruity, and is enriched by the presence of other notes: the violet-rose-iris impression of fine cosmetics; the coffee, which pairs with vanilla and a toffee-style caramel to create creamy cappuccino; a subtle hint of honeyed orange blossom; and a softly earthy patchouli base, which finally breaks (a bit) of the scent’s sweetness.
Fragrance Impressions
Conclusion
At first, The Only One almost feels overwhelmingly sweet, but just almost. For the next 20-30 minutes, its keeps softening, becoming less candy-like and more powdery. It’s still a sweet fragrance from start to end, mind you. But were many high-calories gourmands end up becoming tiring, this multi-faceted composition feels as interesting as it is indulging, and balances its edible caramel, vanilla and coffee with more perfume-y powdery notes, and a bright sugary opening with a more delicate, softer drydown. Beautiful!
1 Nowhere near JPG Classique-artificial, however.
