Note Pyramid
Invictus
Lavender is not what anyone expects from this name, and that is the most interesting thing about Rabanne Invictus Parfum. The bracing citrus of the original is gone entirely, and what replaces it is cool, herbal and dry.
Lavender is the entire opening, used clean and slightly camphorous rather than sweet or powdery, with that faint bitterness real lavender has when it is not softened. Starting a men's fragrance on it alone is a bold decision and it makes the first minutes unusually calm. The heart keeps the temperature low. Violet leaf is the greener of the two materials there, sappy and cold, with the cucumber like smell of a crushed stem, and myrtle is drier and more herbal, faintly resinous and a little medicinal. Neither of them is sweet, and together they extend the lavender rather than contrasting with it. The whole middle reads as something cool and well pressed.
Sandalwood is the only base material, soft and faintly sour, and it is what gives the finish any warmth at all. Four materials in total, so this is a small composition and a steady one: there is no second act, just a slow softening as the herbs recede and the wood takes over. At parfum concentration it lasts a long time while staying fairly close to the skin, which suits its character; this is not a scent that announces itself, and it is the most adult thing in the range by a distance. It reads masculine, it is comfortable in an office and in mild weather, and it is one of the few things in the range that works the whole year round. Anne Flipo and Caroline Dumur composed it, and the year on record for it is 2024.
Please note: images are a guide only. Packaging and bottle design may occasionally differ from those shown due to manufacturer updates or promotions.
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