Azzaro Wanted vs Wanted by Night

Azzaro really struck upon a hit with its release of Wanted. It followed up in 2018, with its flanker scent, Wanted by Night. As such, a lot of people now have a dilemma about which of these fragrances they should buy, the original or the flanker? In this post, I’m going to break down each and compare them by category, before declaring an overall winner.

Tale of the Tape: Wanted vs. Wanted by Night

Wanted by Azzaro

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

Read my original Review: Wanted Review

Wanted by Night

Notes include: cumin, cinnamon, lavender, tobacco, lemon, orange, cedar, cypress, patchouli, fruits

Click here to try: Azzaro Wanted by Night Eau de Parfum for Men – Mens Cologne

Read my full review: Wanted by Night

Opening

The original Wanted starts things off with a prominent lemon note heading things up. It’s actually got a pretty similar smell to Invictus versus being a sharp and intense sort of lemon. Then, the next few minutes start to ramp up the warm and spicy cardamom, along with the creamy tonka bean note.

Meanwhile, Wanted by Night, plays down its own citrus and fruity notes. They are present, but take a back seat to the spices, particularly cinnamon and cumin. The start closely resembles Ultra Male by JPG, just stripped of the pear note, and the original Wanted.

Along with the cinnamon and cumin, is a nice tobacco note and some benzoin.

Which is better? I’ve always thought that Wanted was decent but not amazing at the start. Wanted by Night, is the better of the two in my opinion. It retains some sweetness, but the cinnamon spice and tobacco notes really set it apart.

Edge: Wanted by Night

Sillage

Which of these two is stronger? Both of these start out pretty powerful and can project themselves well. After that, each settles down to a more moderate scent, while still being above average when compared to other colognes.

I’ve worn both of these plenty and don’t really notice a clear cut winner, in this category, it’s about even.

Edge: Push

Longevity

Again, the performance for me is about the same. Both of these gives me 7-9 hours of wear, on my skin. Neither is elite, but they are quite good and can give you the full work day equivalent. They are similar scents, so, this is not to be unexpected.

Versatility

Seasonally, I think is where Wanted gets the edge. It can venture much more easily into the warmth of spring and when it’s not insanely hot out during the summer. Meanwhile, Wanted by Night is more confined to the autumn and winter months.

Both would be geared a bit more toward casual wear and nightlife. I don’t consider either to be formal or more of an office scent. Wanted by Night is a bit more mature, but still has a youthful vibe.

Edge: Wanted

Overall Scent

Wanted was always a pretty good cologne to me, but I never felt blown away by it. Its similarities to Invictus at the start, wasn’t a selling point to me. However, the dry down is much nicer with the apple and juniper notes.

However, Wanted by Night is just better to me. I like how it starts, I like the spiciness, and since it resembles much of what you get from Wanted in the latter stages…it makes more sense to pick up. I like the darker qualities while having enough sweetness to avoid being a spicy mess.

I like both, not in love with either, but I’d rather wear Wanted by Night. I mean, I have been wearing Night over the past few weeks, fairly regularly and that’s never been the case with Wanted.

Winner: Wanted by Night

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.