Drakkar Noir & Drakkar Intense | Fragrance Reviews

Today I'm sharing some thoughts and first impressions on a couple of fragrances, Drakkar Noir (A Day Fragrance) & Drakkar Intense (A Night Fragrance). I won't we be going into my usual breakdowns as the nature of this blog will be to compare and contrast the two, as opposed to reviewing them individually on their own merit.

Bottles 

Both the Drakkar Noir & Drakkar Intense come in elegant bottles that could remind you of shampoo in terms of shape. Drakkar Intense which is the latest edition has a see-through glass bottle and an ambery liquid. The Drakkar Noir remains in a solid black bottle and has more mystique because of it.

Notes for Drakkar Intense

Top notes are Wormwood, Coriander, Bergamot and Rosemary;

Middle notes are Lavender, Clary Sage and Juniper Berries;

Base notes are Patchouli, Lavender, Moss and Suede.

Notes for Drakkar Noir

Top notes are Lavender, Lemon, Bergamot, Rosemary, Mint, Lemon Verbena, Basil and Artemisia;

Middle notes are Juniper, Coriander, Cinnamon, Carnation, Wormwood, Angelica and Jasmine;

Base notes are Oakmoss, Leather, Fir, Pine Tree Needles, Sandalwood, Vetiver, Patchouli, Cedar, Amber and Resins.

Which is better?

The Drakker Intense is a modern fragrance and has all the character traits of what you might think a modern man should smell like. The Drakkar Noir has a more of a barbershop smell. The dry down is more impactful and the leather notes give it a firm landing. I think the Drakkar Noir is a scent that still holds up, I believe people buy it either out of nostalgia or they might be looking for a very mature scent.

If you're in my age group, say 40s, looking to date younger women, then the Drakkar Intense, is sweeter, spicier, darker and has more complexity than its predecessor. However, if you're looking for value the Drakkar Noir certainly hangs around longer. In fact a lot longer. The Drakkar Intense does get a lot of compliments, but only within the first couple of hours of application.

In reality if I were doing a blind smell test, I would have not joined the dots on these fragrances coming from the same house. I know the Drakker Intense is a flanker for the very first Drakker fragrance, and they are very different in terms of composition and ingredients, I didn't really see a through-line or a signature that would put these two fragrances next to each other.

If you're gifting one of these to a friend or loved one the Drakkar Intense is a safer bet, but if you want to buy someone something truly unique then opt for the Drakkar Noir.

Available where?

The Intense is available on Amazon for around £25-35 100ml

The Noir is available on Amazon for around £20-£25 100ml.