ZARA
SEOUL 532-8
2015
Nutmeg
Tangerine
Marine Notes
Lavender
Amber
I have to say I was a bit confused as I didn’t research this well before buying. Listed notes on the Zara website at the time of the (2021? re-release) are pepper, ylang ylang and amber, so I was intrigued. However, other sources lists tangerine, nutmeg, sea notes and lavender, which seem a lot more likely, given the scent. And apparently it’s a clone of the original Invictus. To me, this is an aquatic-ish scent, that I unfortunately instantly disliked.
While the spiciness isn’t bad (I think there could be a lot of pink pepper; I get a bit of a cherry scent throughout), the aquatic nature of Seoul rubs me the wrong way. It has a distinct bitter, plasticy, ‘wet dog’ watery vibe (probably an overdose of calone or something related to that). It’s reminiscent of Nautica Voyage to me (the whole scent is). I don’t remember the original Invictus well, nor is it to my taste, but I assume that to be sweeter.
From a distance, it’s relatively fresh and sporty, but Seoul doesn’t manage to outdo the Nautica’s or even Zeeman’s gimmicky 5€ eau de parfum called Lucht Blauw, nor is it worse; you kind of know what you get with this style of scent.
Often with Zara, it’s hard to judge it harshly, considering it’s price point, however with Seoul, you get what you’re paying for and there are other options to consider even in the cheapest category. Presentation being an aspect that Zara excels in though. As someone who dislikes this style generally, Seoul was a try-once-and-never-again type of situation.