Invictus Victory vs Bad Boy

Invictus Victory is a flanker of the very popular Paco Rabanne cologne. Meanwhile, Bad Boy is the original of Carolina Herrera’s more recent best selling line. Since each of these fragrances has a similar style, they can be the final two picks that someone is deciding between.

On this page, I break down how Bad Boy and Victory compare and contrast with one another, after having tested and reviewed each. Which smells better? Lasts longer? Is the better buy?

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Tale of the Tape: Bad Boy vs. Invictus Victory

Bad Boy

Notes include: white pepper, cocoa, sage, tonka bean, vetiver, pink pepper, grapefruit, and amber

Click here to try: Carolina Herrera Bad Boy EDT Eau de Toilette 3.4oz / 100ml For Men, Black

Read my review: Bad Boy EDT

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Invictus Victory

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

Click here to try: Invictus Victory

My Full Review: Invictus Victory

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Opening

The opening of the original Bad Boy EDT, strikes quite differently to my nose, depending on whether it is close to the skin or not. Up close, I get a honeycomb like aroma that is dipped in amber and dotted with various pepper notes.

From afar, I really pick up the sweeter and creamier aspects of this scent. Namely, the cocoa and tonka bean.

Invictus Victory starts a lot like the old Pure XS line that Paco Rabanne had put out some number of years before this. Victory has a lemon note up top, with pink pepper, and a dose of incense.

Kind of smoky, but it doesn’t dominate the composition. Up top, it’s a bit of that lemon with a spiciness and smokiness. As it moves on, Victory will start to have a greater use of the vanilla and amber notes.

Edge: Invictus Victory

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Projection

Bad Boy has never been a heavy or very far-reaching fragrance whenever I’ve tested it out. It’s more of a moderate fragrance. Not weak, but it doesn’t blow the doors off.

Victory does start off strong and it has a heavier/thicker feeling to it. That more powerful projection will last for an hour or two, before settling into a moderate sillage itself.

Between the two, Victory is stronger at first and still has a slight edge after that. Not much, but it gets the win here.

Edge: Invictus Victory

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Longevity

Invictus Victory takes this category as well. On my skin, the Paco Rabanne cologne will last for 8-9 hours, which is pretty good but not elite.

Bad Boy falls a few hours short. At it’s best, I get 7 hours from that fragrance. Again, the upper end of average, but nothing spectacular.

Edge: Invictus Victory

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Versatility

Seasonally, they’re both the same with what they bring to the table. Autumn and winter wear mainly, with the ability to venture into springtime, on days where it doesn’t get too warm.

They do both skew younger, have more nighttime vibes than something that you might reach for daily. But, they can cover that base too, if you don’t have a very formal environment you need to go to each day.

Really, there isn’t much separation in this category.  So, I’m calling it a tie.

Edge: Push

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Overall Scent

Overall, which of these fragrances is the one that I’d go with, if I had to decide? For me, it’s not too difficult of a decision.

Looking back over at what I like about Bad Boy. The sweetness, the amber, the late stage vetiver, and use of cocoa. It’s kind of messy, when you press your nose to the skin. However, I do enjoy the fragrance while it floating in the air.

It’s just never been much more than that. It’s performance is middling, but it does have a good deal of versatility and this Carolina Herrera scent is very wearable.

But, I’d take Invictus Victory.

Spicy and smoky. Better use of the vanilla note, with maybe a somewhat harsher amber not versus what I get with Bad Boy. The performance is also better.

This isn’t a massive preference for one versus the other. I’d just choose to wear Victory 6 or 7 times out of 10, if all I had were it and Bad Boy.

Winner: Invictus Victory