Wanted EDT by Azzaro

I recently sampled a fairly new fragrance release from 2016, Wanted by Azzaro. The bottle struck me as unique but also kind of lame, with it’s gun barrel shape and motif. Anyways, I don’t particularly care about the bottle, as long as the juice inside is attractive. With that in mind, I want to do my latest review of a cologne on this one from the house of Azzaro.

As usual, I am going to cover what’s in it, how it smells, how it performs, when it should be worn, and whether or not I think that Wanted is worth a purchase. Note: I am revisiting this post a few years later, to update my thoughts, after trying this again recently.

What does Azzaro Wanted Smell Like?

Notes include: tonka bean, lemon, cardamom, vetiver, juniper, ginger, geranium, mint, amber wood

Click here to try: Azzaro Wanted Eau De Toilette Spray, 3.4 Ounce

My Full Wear Review

Before getting into my own thoughts, let’s see what Azzaro has to say about Wanted: Lauding a new free and vibrant masculinity. A woody, fresh and spicy EDT with an addictive trail.

The opening of Wanted, provides a burst of the lemon note, which is actually quite pleasant and not too overwhelming. Almost immediately, one is struck by how it resembles Paco Rabanne’s, Invictus. 

It mimics that bubble gum sort of smell, that you get with Invictus. However, Wanted gives you some ginger, mint, and more woodiness. In some ways, it is very similar, and then I can completely detect differences.

It is fresh and the citrus note is kept in place, by the cooling spices, and smooth tonka bean. A few minutes in, I start to get a lot of cardamom. The warmth of that note is an interesting play, off of the rest of the aromatically fresh ingredients, in this cologne.

I mean, you have: mint, ginger, juniper, and vetiver (which does become more prominent). The further you get away from the opening, the less it smells like Invictus, and Wanted really becomes its own thing.

One thing that does sort of bother me with this scent, is how some notes smell particularly chemically synthetic, like in the way a candy flavoring doesn’t resemble the actual underlying scent that it is trying to replicate. It’s not bad or anything, just something I noticed.

My love of tonka bean, is satisfied more as the scent progresses, in it’s life cycle. It is joined by, a dash or apple and juniper berry, that gives Wanted a lovely and smooth fruitiness. It all strikes me as fresh and only slightly spicy, as the ginger note only complements and never takes center stage for itself.

While it does have the fruit notes as the main draw, Wanted remains completely masculine, and doesn’t stray into the unisex or women’s category. Sure, it has its sweetness, but nothing crazy. I think that it is bolstered by the woody and plant notes that play the background and keep the overall composition in check.

The last part of the wear, does get quite dry, and woodsy. Vetiver, amber wood, ginger, and mainly tonka bean; is what I get, when it’s on its last legs.

How Long Does it Last? What’s the Sillage Like?

Projection wise, I didn’t find Wanted to be all that loud or heavy. It’s towards the strong side of things, at the start. But, not much more than moderate, thereafter. People close by will be able to smell you but not across the room, unless you’re just pouring it on.

Wanted surprisingly has good to great longevity. For something that isn’t overpowering, it sticks around. Not to the upper echelon levels of 12+ hours but 7-9 hours seems to be within range. It’s been very consistently in this range, each time, that I wear it.

When Should it Be Worn

Wanted feels like a non-descript cologne, in that, I could see wearing it in almost any season (except maybe extreme heat) and it would still be appropriate for nearly any occasion. It’s quite fresh, clean, and attractive enough for a night out but not too crazy for the office.

It has a nice balance in terms of its use. It should be pretty popular and be an easy grab for guys.

Is it Good Overall?

Overall, do I like Wanted? I actually do, but only somewhat. It’s not my favorite thing ever, but I think that it does what it sets out to do well. It’s affordable, has a nice smell, and good performance.

It’s not earth shattering but it gets the job done. For me, I really have to be in the mood to wear something like this, and that mood doesn’t come around too often.

I’d say if you’ve tried Invictus and hated it, stay away from Wanted. On the flip side, if you’re an Invictus fan, you might actually like this one more. For many guys, this will be a very solid option, as a daily wear/nighttime cologne.

Update: Honestly, I now think that this is the weakest fragrance of the Wanted lineup. Wanted by Night surpassed this. Which was then in turn surpassed by The Most Wanted colognes. I would buy any of those before this original release.

None of those existed back when I originally wrote this review, so I felt that I should add this part as an addendum.

It’s kind of crazy how the flankers got better over time, from this original formula which was pretty much only decent. Wanted EDT has its strengths, but there are just better options, based on this concept.

Best Men's Colognes

Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.