Invictus Victory by Paco Rabanne

Invictus Victory was the 2021 flanker release from this popular line. I don’t know if it has caught on quite to the same extent as some of the others, as of yet, but seems to have a generally positive rating among people. I grabbed a sample a while back of this Paco Rabanne cologne and have been testing it out. How does it smell? Does it last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Invictus Victory Smell Like?

Notes include: pink pepper, lemon, vanilla, amber, tonka bean, olibanum, and lavender

Click here to try: Invictus Victory

My Full Review

Here’s how Paco Rabanne describes this cologne: The new Invictus Victory extreme eau de parfum seizes with its power and seduces with its freshness. Instantly, citric lemon notes flow. The woody fragrance of incense strengthens the composition whilst the sensual vanilla wraps itself around a fiery Tonka bean. An eau de parfum that subtly celebrates modern masculinity.

So, this Paco Rabanne is actually not anything like the other entries in the Invictus line of fragrances, and instead, shares a whole lot of overlap with the less popular (but nice) Pure XS line.

It’s almost like they decided to not make a third Pure XS flanker and just rebranded it under the Invictus label. Nonetheless, Victory is a likeable cologne, no matter the nametag it is presenting under.

Pure XS is boozy and sweet. Pure XS Night is spicy and sweet. This is more of a warm gourmand with hints of spice, but with a heavier use of vanilla, tonka bean, and amber.

The opening act gives me a nice dose of lemon, a general warmth, and a peppery kick to round things off. The pink pepper gives it that extra bit of a warm vibe, but isn’t super overwhelming in the mix.

The marketing definitely overplays the lemon note, as it is the weakest of the bunch, and is gone pretty quickly.

It’s also got a smokiness in the very early part of the wear. That’s from the olibanum note, which replaces the myrrh that’s found in the Pure XS scents. Basically, incense. Later, it smells more like a generic wood, just smooth.

As it dries down, that’s when it becomes more of a vanilla and amber based cologne. But, with everything coming together, Invictus Victory actually gets a chocolate smell, also. Sort of a mix between vanilla and chocolate.

Not sugary milk chocolate, mind you, more of a raw cacao. Lavender comes into play, at this point in time.

Clean and smooth for the middle act. Then, a thicker finish with less of the lavender. Really, vanilla is going to dominate. Tonka bean and amber fight out for most of the rest of the space.

Lavender and the general woodiness stick around in a pretty sparing amount.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, Victory doesn’t come across as a powerhouse to me. Strong initially, but fairly middle of the road for much of the duration. You’ll get a nice scent trail going, but it’s projection wasn’t huge off the skin.

Still, it is a solid wear and never felt weak to my nose.

With the longevity, it can go just over eight hours. Maybe nine, depending on the day. That is great for the price range of this. You’ll get your money’s worth from the performance with Victory.

On clothing itself, it will go for days.

Seasonally, this one is an autumn and winter wear for the most part. You could probably sneak it into the early springtime, but I’d pass on spraying it for the summer.

Victory is more of a younger man’s fragrance, like most of the rest of the Invictus scents. It has a nice appeal for the nightlife and should catch attention with its gourmand style. Is it really sexy? Not really, but that delicious attractiveness should do just fine.

Overall Impressions of Invictus Victory

Overall, do I like this fragrance? Yes, I think that it is nice. Victory gives you a youthful gourmand sweetness that is attractive and easy to wear.

The opening is interesting. The brief lemon is a nice touch, that I wish lasted a bit longer. Good smokiness from the incense note.

The dry down isn’t super complex or anything. It’s still good, just doesn’t catch my attention in the same way.

It’s like the long lost brother of the Pure XS line and has some similarities to something like Code Profumo. This one goes heavy on the vanilla and tonka bean, sweet, amber-laden, and  can be a bit too cloying for some.

If you’re not into that sort of fragrance, you might want to skip on Victory. Also considering that it doesn’t have much to do with the other Invictus colognes that have been release. As such, if you’re a fan of those, you might not enjoy this one.

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.