Drakkar Intense 
Guy Laroche (2022)

For the price point, you can’t be mad. It’s cheap as chips. With the right ingredients this creation would’ve been absolutely amazing beyond belief but obviously the budget has kept Intense in the lowest grade. For what it is, this intense version is actually nice. Not great, not bad, for sure wearable and hardly offensive in the least. It will be the dumbest most boring reach in your collection when you don’t really want to wear anything at all.

To my dismay, I was under the impression that this was a 50 year flanker of the original Drakkar from 1972 due to the lack of ‘Noir’ displayed anywhere which in hindsight, makes zero sense. I don’t understand why the manufacturer Designer Fragrances decided against this. Until I received the sample card and read the description, this intense version is after all a flanker of Drakkar Noir. The description reads:

‘Drakkar Intense is the new and even more powerful interpretation of Drakkar Noir. Both rebellious and addictive, the scent blends the depth of a suede harmony with the warmth of a touch of vanilla. Zesty notes of bergamot and sage essences add a fresh contrast for a sensual and unforgettable trail. A seductive and vibrant masculinity captured in a bottle’.

In my opinion, this new intense version doesn’t have much to do with Drakkar Noir. This could possibly be because I’m only familiar with the original formula of Drakkar Noir. To my seasoned nose, I get lots and lots of vanilla, too much in fact. Hardly a touch as mentioned in the description. There’s a tiny bit of suede, some lavander and some fillers in the middle. It’s almost a one note wonder of vanilla. I’m particularly not too keen on vanilla so I’ll never wear this.

It smells like something from Swiss Arabian. That being said, Drakkar Intense is incredibly close to Swiss Arabian’s Noora Onyx which is a concentrated perfume oil dupe of Drakkar Noir but with added vanilla. It has the same synthetic to the bone feel. Granted this entire composition for Drakkar Intense is just a slew of aroma chemicals but they have been handled well so kudos. There’s nil depth or development. It’s a sleepy and linear accord of vanilla, lavander and suede with fillers as mentioned prior. There’s no complexity here at all. It’s a linear accord.

If you’re in a pinch and simply want an easy to wear cologne that you don’t have to think about, Drakkar Intense is the perfect choice. If you’re looking for something exciting with endless dynamism, you’ll surely be disappointed.

I’m going to purchase a 100 ml of this for that flacon alone, love the flacon and the color of the liquid. The cologne itself though leads a lot to be desired but for the price, you can’t beat it. Just make certain that you like hella synthetic compositions and make sure to pick up a sample because a full size flacon is not worth a blind buy.

The classic clean and freshness of the original is still there but this is sweeter, spicier, darker and more complex. This actually is an Intense flanker of the original, something which isn’t always the case despite a fragrance's namesake.

DN Intense is not overly impressive or something new but if you like the original and want something more modern and seductive, then this could be a great find.

I get better longevity with the Intense version. Projection about the same.

Smells ok. Slightly boozey which I think is from the combination of patchouli and suede and some spiciness of coriander. I can't do an analysis or comparison with Drakkar Noir, but I think you'll find plenty of that from other reviewers here (or Fragrantica). If you enjoy woody, slightly ambery barbershop type of scents, you'll find this pleasant. I don't think this is bad, but it's also not remarkable.