Bad by Diesel

I’m new to perfumes and as soon as I smelled the decant, it clicked instantly. It’s like a mix between Invictus and Bad Boy: intense, but what a surprise. It’s not innovative; it’s a warm, versatile classic. I’d recommend it, but only as a decant—I don’t want to spend that much; I can’t see myself buying the original for under $10 in knock-off shops.

Probably a hidden gem, similar to Diesel Plus Plus in some notes but much more interesting and deep. I wear it all year round; it has good performance without being overwhelming and begs to be smelled, earning plenty of compliments. You can shower and, amidst the vapours, you still smell great.

What on earth has this man been smoking?

Hello everyone… I’ve seen many comments, all correct. I think it comes down to the notes: they are familiar and commercial, a generic set, timeless and easy to use like eau de toilette. Top, heart, and base are very balanced, leaning neither way. If it were a Chypre scent, it would be a quiet walk through a peaceful city. What I like about BAD is when I don’t know where to turn and want something casual that doesn’t stand out, but with strength and medium longevity: it’s one of my favourites. It reminds me of Carolina Herrera and brands that use cardamom, also youthful scents and the lavender in Sauvage. The only downside is that it’s totally masculine due to a lack of floral notes; if it had them, it would be well-rounded, but I don’t think that’s the intention. Regarding the caviar, I think it’s a way for the perfumer to cover up with discordant blends that don’t come out as intended. It’s an unpleasant fish note, synthetic, gummy, tarred, salty, and plasticky; it’s not noticeable on the skin but appears in the projection. If you accept it as caviar or a touch of bad boy, no matter. The problem is when you think it’s a flaw rather than a virtue, and you spoil the pleasant notes. I’ll use it until it runs out, but since I found that caviar part unpleasant, I know I’ll set it aside like others that excited me with a WOW and then I found the ‘wow but…’. The search for the perfect scent continues… There are thousands of options…..

Bad Diesel is aromatic, spicy and woody. It opens with a citrus and semi-sweet top with amber and violet hints. Then lavender and tonka bean give it a fougère nod. In the dry-down, the woods emerge but the lavender keeps the freshness. It suits temperate climates, not winter due to lack of warmth. Not elegant, better for daily wear or the office. Lasted about 9 hours with average projection. In short, it doesn’t stand out or feel original, but it smells good and serves anyone who just wants to smell nice without complications.

It’s a super synthetic Invictus, so much so that it gives me a headache. At this price, I’d recommend the original instead, but if you’re looking for something more classy and enjoy the scent, Acqua Di Gio Absolu is your best option.

It’s one of my favourites. You feel like an Anarchy son on your Harley: leather scent, super rich and warm.

Superior fragrance to Invictus: the opening is less sweet but after five minutes it evolves, becoming more mature, persistent and heavy, similar to Paco Rabanne. I recommend it over Invictus, although it’s less striking than Acqua Di Gio Absolu, which follows a similar path. I’d say Diesel Bad is the Invictus for men over 35. I recommend it.

I absolutely love this fragrance. The blend of leather and caviar with sweet notes gives it a very original salty touch. It might be a bit cheeky, but it’s clean and not cloying. Better for evening wear and I wear it in winter.

One of my best friends gifted me Invictus Aqua for my birthday in 2016. I’m of using designer perfumes for everyday that please the majority, I keep the heavy artillery for special occasions and my niche eccentricities for environments where they’ll be appreciated or when I fancy putting on something just for me, knowing I might offend. No matter how many compliments I receive, I DETEST fragrances with a chewing gum smell + aquatic notes. Still, year after year my girlfriend or some friend decides to gift me one of this type, so I use them occasionally when I meet up with them. Fortunately, my family usually asks beforehand and almost always receive a spare bottle of something they know I like. To the point: Invictus Aqua had a pleasant smell in the air if you like this style, the best reactions always from girls under 25, especially with the heat. The problem was an inescapable smell of boiled egg every time I brought my nose to the application point. I’d never experienced anything similar with a perfume. After ruling out paranoia by asking trusted people (they struggled to catch it at first, but found it if they looked) I decided to leave it. Luckily, several reviewers on YouTube have superhyped it, and today I’ll have about 30ml left of a 100ml bottle after selling two dozen samples online, so I haven’t cried much. This weekend, the same girl who gifted me the Invictus Aqua gifted me Bad out of the blue. Want to know how the discontinued 2016 Invictus Aqua smelled? EXACTLY the same as Bad, with half the trail and fixation, and a very slight woody note in the dry down that the original doesn’t have. I’m writing this review with two sprays on each arm. Literally, a copy and paste. Including the super sexy boiled egg note. The only interesting thing about the 2016 Aqua was that it lasted until pool baths. You came out of the water and still smelled yourself. Others could learn from this fixation and trail… About three hours ago I applied them, the Aqua is still detectable without needing to bring my nose to the arm, Bad has already been on my skin for almost an hour. Recommended for lovers of the discontinued version; the new 2018 version is still abominable, but they’ve rounded off the ultra synthetic smell taking the fixation and (something good) the egg smell with them. Equally I wouldn’t buy either of the 3, for less money Dylan Blue, First Instinct, First Instinct Blue or Legend Spirit will do the job. In the same price range, ADG Profumo or Light Blue Intense have extremely contrasted and bulletproof ADNs regarding female public reactions. PS: editing to say the bottle is nice, it catches the eye inside the “no thanks” shelf. PS2: second edition after reading reviews from colleagues. Those who say it resembles CH Men Privé, please go to the ENT as soon as you can. I’m on my third bottle of this perfume, and literally they have 0 in common… It can be said it’s a “bad boy” version of Nuit De L’Homme (another one I’m on my third bottle), especially in the dry down if you smell them one after the other although they have several well-differentiated notes. Now, with Bad there’s no resemblance at all. But none.

One of my best friends gave me Invictus Aqua in 2016. I’m one to use designer fragrances for daily wear that please the majority, keeping my heavy artillery for special occasions and my niche eccentricities for environments where they’re appreciated or when I fancy putting something on just for myself, knowing I might offend. Although I receive many compliments, I DETEST fragrances with a chewing gum smell plus aquatic notes. Still, year after year my girlfriend or a friend gifts me one of these, so I use them occasionally when meeting up with them. Fortunately, my family usually asks first and almost always give me a spare bottle of something they know I like. To the point: Invictus Aqua smelled pleasant in the air if you like this style, the best reactions were always from girls in their mid-20s, especially with the heat. The problem was an inescapable smell of boiled egg every time I brought my nose close to the application point. It never happened to me like this before. After ruling out paranoia by asking trusted people (they found it hard to catch at first, but they could find it if they looked), I decided to leave it. Luckily, several reviewers on YouTube have overhyped it, and to this day I have about 30ml left from a 100ml bottle after selling two dozen samples online, so I haven’t cried much. This weekend, the same girl who gifted me the Invictus Aqua gave me Bad out of the blue. Want to know how the discontinued 2016 Invictus Aqua smelled? EXACTLY the same as Bad, with half the trail and fixation, and a very slight woody base note in the dry-down that the original doesn’t have. I’m writing this with two sprays on each arm. Literally, a copy and paste. Including the super sexy boiled egg note. The only interesting thing about the 2016 Aqua was that it lasted until pool baths. You’d come out of the water and still smell yourself. Others could learn from this fixation and trail… I applied them about three hours ago, the Aqua is still detectable without needing to bring my nose close to the arm, while Bad has been on my skin for almost an hour. Recommended for lovers of the discontinued version; the 2018 update remains abominable, but they’ve rounded off the ultra-synthetic smell, taking away the fixation and (something good) the egg smell. Still, I wouldn’t buy any of the three; for the same price, Dylan Blue, First Instinct, First Instinct Blue or Legend Spirit will do the job. For the same price, ADG Profumo or Light Blue Intense have vastly contrasting ADNs that are bulletproof with the female public. PS: editing to say the bottle is indeed pretty, it catches the eye inside the ‘no thanks’ shelf. PS2: second edition after reading reviews from colleagues. Those who say it resembles CH Men Privé, please make an appointment with an ENT as soon as possible. I’m on my third bottle of this perfume, and literally they have 0 in common… It can be said to be a ‘bad boy’ version of Nuit De L’Homme (another one I’m on my third bottle of), especially in the dry-down if you smell them one after the other, although they have several well-differentiated notes. Now, with Bad there is no resemblance at all. None.

It’s true it adds nothing. It’s Diesel’s alternative to Ch Men Privé or Man in Black, those that shine with a leather jacket. But I like it.

The name fits this gem perfectly. Generic, synthetic and with poor performance for the modest price of 60 euros. In short, very bad.

Bought the Bad by Diesel using the samples given in-store. I’ve tried other scents from the brand and none convinced me, except Fuel for Life Homme, which isn’t quite my style but is the most usable they have. Bad starts citrusy and spiced, but those citrus notes are artificial, low-quality and smell dirty, lacking any brightness—the antithesis of what it should be. Fortunately, the spices kick in later; the lavender lingers, but cardamom saves the accord somewhat. Here you can sense that hazy warmth mixing with the dry, dusty touch of iris root and woods. There’s also a sharp, very astringent and acidic note that clashes and throws everything off balance; I suppose that’s what they call tobacco. I’ve tried many tobaccos, but this ‘thing’ resembles nothing and is one of the worst I’ve ever smelled, even becoming irritating after five minutes. Upon drying, I detect a salty edge—nothing of caviar, but rather a cocktail of cheap musks that ultimately dies out into a detergent note identical to Invictus, though at least Invictus is better made. That musk is Tonalid. Longevity is good, sillage moderate. In short, another horrendous designer fragrance, another clone, a lack of imagination and shoddy quality that offends good taste. The consumer who trusts a prestigious brand is the one who loses, while companies charge far more than they deliver. Rating: 1

@Ivan 80 I know we weren’t discussing a specific review, but it’s curious to see how every skin smells differently and the same perfume isn’t perceived the same by everyone. I have one that sounds youthful to some but old-fashioned to others. I’m glad this Bad by Diesel suits you, but to me it smells very dark, and the issue isn’t that; it’s that it has poor performance. It is original in its own way; not everyone uses a caviar-and-tobacco blend. I presume it has a touch of leather, though I can’t guarantee it. Anyway, wear it with pleasure, as that’s what counts.