Valentino Perfume: 10,947 Reviews of Born in Roma, Intense, Extradose

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Review-analysis guide: 10,947 customer reviews read on Ulta (November 2, 2026), sorted and counted by us; product details from Amazon listings checked November 2, 2026.

By The Beauty Read · Checked November 2, 2026 · AI-assisted research and editing · Contains Amazon affiliate links

Our Valentino perfume pick for most shoppers is the original Born in Roma Donna Eau de Parfum (paid link). After we set aside 8,906 reviews, nearly all from sampling programs and launch waves, it tied Born in Roma Intense (paid link) and Born in Roma Extradose (paid link) on lasting power (29%, 26% and 27% said the scent lasts long) and was called easy to wear about twice as often (17% against 8% and 9%).

Valentino Born in Roma vs Intense vs Extradose, once the giveaways are out

We read 10,947 Ulta reviews of three Valentino perfume bottles from the Born in Roma line, and only 2,041 made our count. Most of the rest came from a sampling-program feed and from giveaway waves around each launch. Without them, the three read far closer than their names suggest, down to the same 6% of reviews for each saying the scent fades fast.

The gaps that held up were narrower. Extradose drew the most comments that it projects or leaves a trail (12 of 94, or 13%, against 5% for the original and 4% for Intense) and was most often described as vanilla or sweet (27%). On so few reviews, those Extradose leads are hints.

Our first buy would be the original, for everyday wear. It has by far the deepest record and more repurchase talk than Extradose (29% against 16%), though its edge over Intense is thin on Ulta-written reviews (31% to 26%). Extradose is the next step for more trail at night. Intense gave us no number that sets it apart, so smell it first. [R-ULT-BIR] [R-ULT-INT] [R-ULT-EXD]

Why 8,906 Born in Roma reviews were set aside

We read every review on the three Ulta pages on November 2, 2026, in the All reviews view. The original's 6,360 split into 1,235 written on Ulta, 1,021 labeled Reviewed at Valentino (the brand's site) and 4,104 labeled Reviewed at Designer Fragrances. Intense's 2,673 were 1,025 Ulta-written and 1,648 from Valentino's site. Extradose's 1,914 carried no source label, so we treated them as written on Ulta.

The Designer Fragrances feed went out whole. Its 4,104 cards run from October 25, 2019 to February 17, 2022, and reviews in it named the BzzAgent, Influenster and SoPost sampling programs. 536 said the perfume was free, 1,722 share one date (January 29, 2020) and 222 repeat an earlier review. Sampling-program copies never count in our tallies. The 3,320 that might otherwise have qualified gave one or two stars just 2% of the time, against 6% for the original's Ulta-written reviews.

Brand-site reviews of the original came in a wave from December 2021 through May 2022, about 73 a month against about 21 in the six months either side. That stretch held 26 of the 38 Valentino-site reviews that said free, and reviewers in its spring months named Influenster and VoxBox. We set all 438 aside, though ratings alone would not have flagged it (2% one or two stars, the same as the brand-site reviews we kept).

Intense lost three windows. On Ulta, 718 of 855 reviews from December 2025 to February 2026 (84%) said the product was free, and our rule drops busy months where most reviews say so. Of the other 137, 10 were repeats, and the 127 left gave 2 one- or two-star ratings (2%), against 10% among the Ulta-written Intense reviews we kept. On Valentino's site, a launch campaign from January to March 2023 (857 reviews, 144 free) and a SoPost run in January and February 2024 (690, 95 free) held 239 of the 247 brand-site reviews that said free, with about 1% one- or two-star ratings. The brand-site Intense reviews we kept were just as glowing, so we also give Ulta-written numbers.

Extradose's page is mostly launch. 1,768 of its 1,914 reviews arrived from February to April 2025, 1,661 in the first two months. No card had a badge, yet 408 said the perfume was free, 57 repeated an earlier review, and our readers noted many answering the same template questions. Of the 1,303 others, 17 were about another product, unused, empty or not in English, and the 1,286 left gave one or two stars 1% of the time, against 6% of the 94 we kept. Of the 146 reviews posted after April 2025, 52 also came out, 47 of them saying free.

Across all three pages, cuts outside the windows removed 111 free reviews, 16 repeats, 13 about another product, 4 from people yet to wear it and 50 about shipping, empty or not in English. That leaves 2,041, with the original's 1,707 split 1,149 Ulta-written and 558 brand-site and Intense's 240 split 149 and 91.

Sample-driven numbers, for the record only and kept out of every other figure here. On their own, the 1,286 Extradose launch-wave reviews that passed our other checks said the scent lasts long 61% of the time and praised the bottle 71%, against 27% and 10% for the 94 we kept. In Intense's free-campaign months on Ulta, 87 of the 127 reviews that neither said free nor repeated another said it lasts long, against 24% of the Ulta-written Intense reviews we kept. [R-ULT-BIR] [R-ULT-INT] [R-ULT-EXD]

What reviewers smelled in each Valentino perfume, and how long the scent lasted

Reviewers mostly smelled the vanilla. Extradose's listing leads with a blackcurrant accord and a rum accord, yet only 7 of its 94 reviewers mentioned fruit or rum. [A3]

Lasting power barely separated them, and a weak or skin-close scent came up in just 29 reviews across all three. Extradose's listing says its trail feels more powerful and more enveloping than the Intense, and reviewers leaned that way on projection, 12 of 94 against 9 of 240. Those counts are too small to prove it.

Sweetness complaints stayed rare. Only 2 Extradose reviewers called it too sweet or cloying, and none of the 25 who praised its staying power also called it too sweet or too strong.

Compliments did not split them either. Extradose's 29% sits a few points above the original's 25%, on a sample too small to separate them. [R-ULT-BIR] [R-ULT-INT] [R-ULT-EXD]

Valentino Donna Born in Roma review, the steady everyday bottle

Amazon's listing calls the original a floral ambery woody eau de parfum, with jasmine sambac on top, a cashmeran heart and a bourbon vanilla base, and says it works year-round, most easily in spring, fall and evening wear. We link 1 fl oz bottles of all three, each sold by Valentino Beauty and shipped by Amazon. Amazon titles the line Valentino Born in Roma Donna, and Ulta orders the words Valentino Donna Born in Roma. [A1]

Across 1,707 usable reviews, 82% loved the scent, 29% would buy it again or called it a signature scent and 17% called it easy to wear. The easy-to-wear lead holds on Ulta-written reviews (15%, against 6% for Intense and 9% for Extradose). The repurchase lead over Intense mostly does not (31% to 26%), since Intense's brand-site reviews pulled its overall share down (9 of 91).

The weak spot is recent. Ulta-written reviews from 2024 on said it lasts long 22% of the time and fades fast 9%, against 29% and 6% in 2020 to 2023 (401 and 748 reviews). Our tags cannot say why. Only 12 reviewers said it smelled different from before, from a tester or from another bottle, or thought the formula had changed or the bottle was not authentic. [R-ULT-BIR]

Blind buyers did fine. 44 of 50 who bought it unsmelled loved the scent, close to 91 of 102 who tried a sample or tester first. Its gap is projection, mentioned by only 5%.

Valentino Born in Roma Intense review, from 240 usable reviews

The 1 fl oz Intense page on Amazon is thin. Its bullets say only that the scent is intensely feminine with vanilla and jasmine, an elegant yet daring evening fragrance, in a compact size. Amazon's listing for the Intense names more notes under its 1.7 oz option (vanilla, bergamot, blackcurrant, jasmine and benzoin). Like the original it is an eau de parfum. [A2]

Only 240 of the page's 2,673 reviews survived, so treat Intense shares as a smaller sample. 80% loved the scent, 26% said it lasts long and 23% mentioned compliments, all within a few points of the original. The listing pitches it for evenings, yet evenings, dates or going out came up in 8% of reviews, about the original's 7%.

Ulta shoppers were tougher on it. 15 of 149 Ulta-written Intense reviews (10%) gave one or two stars, the highest share here though from a small group, against 6% for the original's and 6% for Extradose. Just 1 of its 91 brand-site reviews gave one or two stars. [R-ULT-INT]

Its lasting and projection shares (26% and 4%) sat at or just below the original's, so it is no blind step up. The 23 reviewers who compared it with another Born in Roma version split 12 for Intense, 4 for another version and 8 calling them similar, though the tag does not record which version they meant.

Valentino Born in Roma Extradose review, more trail from fewer reviews

Extradose is the only one labeled parfum. Its Amazon listing describes a floral amber scent with a juicy blackcurrant accord, a warm rum accord and a dense vanilla-extract base, says its trail feels more powerful and more enveloping than the Intense, and recommends cooler weather and evenings. [A3]

Only 94 usable reviews remain, all from May 1, 2025 on, so every Extradose figure is a small sample. 78% loved the scent and 27% said it lasts long. Its clearest lead is projection (13%), and 11 liked it better than another Born in Roma version while 1 said the reverse.

A fairer test uses the original's Ulta-written reviews from the same months. From May 2025 on, 17% of those 167 said the original lasts long and 2% that it projects, against 27% and 13% for Extradose. The direction favors Extradose, but 94 reviews can suggest that gap, not settle it. [R-ULT-EXD] [R-ULT-BIR]

Complaints were few (6 said it fades fast, 4 called the price a real drawback, 6 gave one or two stars). The record is short too, about a year and a half of usable reviews, and only 5 mentioned a season, too few to test the listing's cooler-weather advice.

Which Valentino perfume to buy blind, and how much to spray

For daytime and the office, the reviews point to the original, the only one that more than one reviewer in ten called easy to wear (17%). Evening mentions were level across the three, 7% to 9%.

The listings' spray advice differs. The original's suggests 2 sprays for day and 3 to 4 for evening, Extradose's 1 to 2 and 2 to 3, both from 12 inches away. The 1 fl oz Intense page gives no count. [A1] [A2] [A3]

Blind buys look safest with the original. Intense (5 blind buyers) and Extradose (2) have too few to judge, so test those first. Reviews will not settle a Valentino Born in Roma vs Intense choice either, since only 50 of 2,041 usable reviews compared one version with another. [R-ULT-BIR] [R-ULT-INT] [R-ULT-EXD]

Keep reading

• Vanilla perfume: NEST, Cheirosa 59 and Fireplace
• Hair perfume: Gisou, OUAI and Kitsch
• Vanilla body wash: Dove, eos and Athena Club

Frequently asked questions

Which Valentino perfume lasts the longest?

None clearly. 29% of 1,707 original, 26% of 240 Intense and 27% of 94 Extradose reviews said the scent lasts long on skin or clothes, and 6% of each said it fades fast. Extradose drew the most projection comments (13%), from a small sample.

Is Valentino Born in Roma Extradose good?

Promising, on a small base. After 1,768 launch-wave reviews and 52 later ones (47 of them saying free) were set aside, 94 usable reviews remained. 78% loved the scent, 27% said it lasts long, 13% said it projects and 6% gave one or two stars. The record starts in May 2025, so it is short.

Valentino Born in Roma Intense vs Extradose: which projects more?

Extradose, though both samples are small. 12 of 94 Extradose reviewers (13%) said it projects, people notice it or it leaves a trail, against 9 of 240 for Intense (4%). Extradose's listing claims a more powerful trail than the Intense. On lasting power they were close, 27% and 26%.

Born in Roma Extradose vs original: which is sweeter?

Reviewers called Extradose vanilla or sweet more often, 27% of 94 against 21% of 1,707 for the original, though 94 reviews is a small sample. Too-sweet complaints were rare for both (2 and 13 reviews). Its listing builds on vanilla extract and a rum accord, the original's on bourbon vanilla, jasmine sambac and cashmeran.

Is Valentino Born in Roma a winter fragrance?

The original suits any season, with 32 wearing it in fall or winter and 29 in spring or summer, and its listing says year-round. Intense reviewers leaned cold, 10 to 2, though that is just 12 of its 240 reviewers. Extradose's listing recommends cooler weather, but only 5 of its 94 reviewers named a season.