XX Intense
Eau de Parfum, John Varvatos (2024)

I’m not as cynical as Varanis Ridari, but I admit XX Intense isn’t for me.

Pros: It smells pleasant enough. Performance is not obnoxious, so it doesn’t assault one’s senses. It is generally as good as most fragrances of its ilk (which isn’t saying much, but at least it’s not bad). It’s cheap on grey market sites and the occasional brick and mortar discounter.

Cons: I’m almost 40 and this wears like a 20-something fragrance. It’s pretty generic, all things considered. Pick any random fragrance at the Macy’s counter and you’re bound to smell something that serves the same banal purpose.

Overall: not bad but not needed.

XX Intense by John Varvatos (2024) capitalizes on the success of the original XX by John Varvatos (2020), itself a fragrance that borrowed heavily from Paco Rabanne Invictus (2013), at least in the opening. The erstwhile XX spawned its own sub-range with flankers, and has more or less taken over as the flagship for the range, in the wake of parting from longtime perfumer Rodrigo Flores-Roux some years ago. XX Intense is not much more interesting, perhaps other than factoring in some extra weirdness with cyclamen, damascone (rose odorant) in the heart, and upping the "picklewood" sandalwood compound found in trace amounts in the original XX. Some of Alien Man by Thierry Mugler (2018) also seems grafted on too. Bang 'em out by Friday, we gotta make the numbers before the end of the quarter, gentlemen.

Some people compare this heavily to Valentino Uomo Born In Roma Coral Fantasy by Valentino (2022) or the discontinued Polo Red Extreme by Ralph Lauren (2017), and that brings some heat to the reception of the fragrance, as it can typically be had as a cheaper replacement for either on the discounter circuit online. If you're the kind of bottom-feeding type still looking for "chic magnet" recommendations in 2024 from self-serving narcissist YouTubers spraying 33 shots of Xerjoff Naxos (2015) to the forehead (while screaming "power" at the camera), this might be something for you. Otherwise, I think we have another pass here, even for longtime Varvatos fans. Performance is okay, and this is not more extreme than the original XX at all. If you wear this, you will merge with the collective sillage of the metro bus you're riding on the way to work.

The only thing kinda of cool here is the cracked black and red pattern bottle, which makes XX Intense look like some sort of evil artifact from a Dungeons & Dragons campaign; like this is something you would drink or wear around your neck to transform into a dragon that goes on a village-burning rampage, with 33 sprays of Naxos in his claw, screaming "power" in a horrifyingly-deep voice as another village roasts into oblivion. Wish I could buy just the bottle, and then fill it. So much for chick magnets, and so much for another wholly-unnecessary designer compliment-mongering drivel release that will be shilled by influencers today, then forgotten about tomorrow; that is of course, until it is discontinued and becomes a "hidden gem". Let me off this ride, please. Thumbs down