Seven Intense by James Bond 007

I’ve reviewed most of the James Bond 007 line of men’s colognes up to this point, but found a sample vial of another one in a box, that I had lying around. So, today’s review entry will be of that one, entitled: Seven Intense. This is the flanker fragrance to the original Seven for Men. What’s inside? How does it actually smell? Does it perform well? Is it actually worth a purchase?

What does Seven Intense Smell Like?

Notes include: oud, leather, vanilla, cinnamon, amber, nutmeg, saffron, caramel, and more

Click here to try: 007 Fragrances Seven Intense Colognes, 1.6 Ounce

My Full Review

The opening of Seven Intense gives me a blend of cinnamon and leather. It’s got a smooth, warm, and masculine spice that is actually quite well done.

I didn’t know what to expect coming into this one, but I was pleasantly surprised by the start. After about 5 minutes, I start to detect the oud note and a bit of amber, but not all that much.

There is some general sweetness in this mix, but nothing that is distinct early on. Supposedly, there is notes of orange, apple, and bergamot up top. However, I don’t really get any of that. Cinnamon and leather with some sweet touches.

I want to talk about a dry down period with Seven Intense, it’s just that, there really isn’t one. If I really press my nose to my skin I can get a faint vanilla and possibly caramel sweetness, but it is so damn faint. This 007 cologne, like so many of the others, is really weak.

It’s called Seven Intense, you’d figure that they’d actually try to add some intensity, but alas. I’d like to add more detail to how it smells, but that’s about its entire lifespan.

Based on the notes, I would expect something with a lot more depth and nuance. It’s not there, though. I do like that opening.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

As I mentioned, the projection is extremely lacking. If you apply a lot of the fragrance, you’ll get a few minutes before it becomes a skin scent…the sillage sucks.

The longevity here isn’t exactly great, either. You might be able to smell it for 3 hours or thereabouts and that’s it. Most of that time will be that vague vanilla and caramel, that I wrote about.

I think it’s a shame that the performance is so bad with this cologne because I actually think that Seven Intense smells really nice. Had they put forth the effort to give this scent some punch, it would be on the list as a great inexpensive fragrance.

The warmth, the leather/oud combo, the cinnamon spice, and the sweet undertones…I like it all. This is a scent that should be right up my alley, as it’s ingredients fit the profile of just about everything I really enjoy.

When it could be worn? Cold weather. Casually, semi-formal. It’d be a great little starter cologne for younger men. If it could be a better put together fragrance.

Overall Impressions of Seven Intense

Overall, do I recommend Seven Intense? Obviously not. It’s probably one of the best smelling colognes from the 007 line of fragrances, it just has terrible performance. I wish companies would stop labeling weak sauce scents as ‘intense’.

It’s like they just need a word to separate it from the original, whether or not it fits the bill as intense, is irrelevant. That’s my biggest complaint with these James Bond colognes, they all usually smell good to very good, they just cheap out on making them last.

They are usually inexpensive, but not super cheap. I also see bottles going for over $40, which is pretty ridiculous for something that should be under $10 with what you actually get.

The 007 line has plenty of colognes with potential, but rarely hit their mark.

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.