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It’s been a little bit since I’ve done a cologne comparison on the site and I really don’t know how I haven’t weighed in on today’s two competitors, head to head: Versace Eros vs Invictus by Paco Rabanne. These are two of the most popular fragrances out on the market today, especially with younger men.
In this post, I will cover which one smells better, performs better, has more versatility, and which is the best buy. I have linked my original reviews of each cologne below, so check those out too.
Tale of the Tape: Invictus vs. Eros
Versace Eros
Notes of Eros: mint, green apple, tonka bean, madagascar vanilla, vetiver, Italian lemon
Click here to try: Versace Eros Men Eau De Toilette Spray, 6.7 Fluid Ounce
My original Versace Eros Review
Invictus
Notes include: grapefruit, sea notes, mandarin orange, bay leaf, jasmine
Click here to try: Paco Rabanne Invictus Eau de Toilette Spray for Men, 3.4 Ounce
Opening
Invictus has a very nice and youthful citrus opening that is highly sweet and pretty candy-like in its aroma. Less of a natural juicy fruit and more of synthetic candied one.
This is paired with sea notes to give this Paco Rabanne fragrance, a summery and marine vibe. It’s all quite upbeat and sunny. The grapefruit and mandarin here are synthetic, but the aroma has grown on me over time.
Meanwhile, Eros is loud and bold, right from the start. Invictus can be that way too, but the Versace can be really strong.
Italian lemon is joined by green apple and a crisp and cool mint note. This is the intense period before Eros fully develops its masculine warmth and envelopes the wearer. In newer bottles of Eros, I get way more of the lemon note than I did with original batches.
Between the two, I like how Eros opens a bit more. Invictus is quite nice, but I like the mint note in Eros better than what its competitor can offer. Eros doesn’t seem as good to me as it used to, but I think it still takes this head to head.
Edge: Eros
Projection
Invictus really does put up a fight. It is a good clubbing scent and has quite a big opening hour or so. However, I don’t think it ever matches Eros in its level of projection, and certainly doesn’t maintain the sillage throughout. Invictus moves more towards a moderate after an hour or so, while Eros stays beasty for much longer.
Update: Newer bottles of Eros, still seem to have better sillage than Invictus, it’s just not a complete monster anymore.
Edge: Eros
Longevity
Again, not only does Invictus fail to match the sillage output, and falls to a moderate in short order. Invictus also doesn’t last as long as Eros. I will say that, Invictus is quite solid, and actually lasts long enough for most all purposes or occasions. I’ve always gotten 6-7 hours from it on my skin.
Versace Eros, gets me 10 hours pretty easily. Do you always need that much? No, but it can do it.
Update: The last batch of Eros that I tried was around 7-8 hours. Still better than what I get from Invictus, just not nearly as much of a discrepancy. Eros used to be complete beast mode, but it gets the job done nowadays too.
Edge: Eros
Versatility
Both of these scents trend towards the younger set. Think teens through mid-20s. Not to say, an older guy couldn’t wear it, but that’s most of the age range. I do actually feel that this is one category, in which Invictus takes the edge.
Because it calms down and isn’t as loud, it can be worn in close quarters without dominating the room. Eros can do that sort of, as long as one doesn’t spray more than two times max.
Also, I think Invictus performs well in many different climates, while Eros is more of a cold weather scent. Both are great for the nightlife. Though, Invictus just seems to check more boxes in this category.
Edge: Invictus
Overall Scent
Without a doubt, I’m going to give the nod to Eros. The Versace is just the better scent all around for me. It has so much more depth and character. Both are sweet colognes, but Eros has further woods and vetiver, that makes it more interesting to me.
I actually do like Invictus, though, not nearly my favorite scent. It is super sweet and has an attractive profile, but doesn’t touch Eros’ level, in my opinion. The opening is the highlight of Invictus, but even then I still prefer Eros.
Invictus is a very nice choice for younger guys and women around that age seem to enjoy it. It has a nice aquatic vibe with the citrus notes, that is simply upbeat and fun to wear. But push come to shove, I’m riding with Eros almost every time.
If you need one of them to be more of an all-around wear, in warmer climates, then it can make sense to go with Invictus instead.
Winner: Versace Eros
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Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with the different fragrances that I’ve owned, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, that new hobby grew into a consistent passion, helping millions of readers along the way. I have personally written reviews for well over 800 perfumes and colognes for both men and women. This is along with writing hundreds of other in-depth fragrance guides.