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tachbek – :
I’ve reviewed Racing before so won’t repeat myself. I really like it but wanted to update my opinion on the performance, as I’ve noticed a few negative experiences from members recently. I’ve been wearing Racing in an office environment lately and noticed a significant difference compared to my old job. This lasts all day and is noticeable all day. Door to door, my work day is almost 10hrs. I’ve received compliments after 8hrs and in the enclosed space of my car on the way home, I can still smell it on myself. I didn’t have issues with performance previously but in controlled environments Racing has amazing performance on my skin. Hopefully others will share my experience.
sasha_ig – :
Very poor performance. I’m really disappointed. That was my first impression. I was wrong. It happens that I can’t smell myself but others can! So I began to spray my arms and forehand so I can smell me better!. XD
kutok4 – :
I get what people are saying when they say it smells like Invictus Aqua, however, they are different.
I am super pleasantly surprised by this one.
This is Invcitus Aqua’s older, more mature brother while still staying youthful.
I get the super fresh vibe, but the herbal tones amp up the masculinity. I am getting bergamot, lavender and woody notes.
Really surprisingly good….mass appealing stuff. very fresh, very masculine, very appealing.
stas_logica – :
This smells like the Paco Rabanne Invictus Aqua 2016. It has that same bubblegum sweetness that has been mixed well with the grapefruit and orange blossom.
Ambroxan is not listed, but it is definitely present in the background and just like Invictus Aqua it is behind the bubble gum sweetness tamed by the citrus.
Don’t buy the overpriced 2016 Invictus Aqua or similar scents like Azzaro Wanted.
I don’t get the CH Men, Le Male, or even Eros. I have those three and this is comparable to 70%Invictus Aqua while Montblanc Spirit is 50%.
The Sauvage vibe is probably from the ambroxan and grapefruit, but Sauvage doesn’t have that bubble gum sweetness unlike Icon Racing.
I respect other people’s comments since we all have different body chemistry and my comparison to Invictus Aqua 2016 is just my own opinion.
If you have Invictus Aqua, you might want to pass on this one.
Just like most designer perfumes this is also a crowd pleaser.
My wife doesn’t like the original Invictus, but she complimented me on this once I got home from the mall and she said that it does have the original Invictus vibe, but better because of the citrus.
UPDATE:
Great summer fragrance, but the longevity is an issue with me. It projects for about 5 hours then slowly becomes a skin scent. I wasn’t expecting it to be this weak since it is an Eau De Parfum. I would love to use this as my signature scent, but lacks longevity. Such a shame for a great smelling Eau De Parfum.
kata – :
The smell reminds me of eternity air Calvin Klein . It does have a Sauvage vibe to it, but doesn’t project great or last long. Great smell, but my Azzaro pure last longer and I bought the bottles on the same day and compared the duration. It’s not worth the price unless you find a tester bottle.
Sallma – :
((TLDR: This is like if Invictus had a slightly older Brother. This dry down is more woody / powdery and citrusy, its nice but still youthful. Whereas Invictus/Ultra Male stay the same from opening to close, this opens like Invictus and changes into something that is actually pretty nice. It’s a good scent))
I’m also going to be changing some things around since I’ve had more experience with this scent and with ppl.
At first I thought this scent disappeared after 3 hrs, I would spray maybe 4 sprays on when I wore this and felt like that was fine.
The other day I started receiving some very different responses as I past by ppl, I had worn 3 days straight of 3 sprays (1 on each side of neck, 1 back of the neck). Ppl were starting to say (and this was 3-4 hrs after initial spray) that my fragrance was very strong and i was getting some negative reactions when i walked by ppl. Only with this scent (which was one of my most complimented for a while)
I did notice that the scent was a lot more musky and ambroxan-y as well as very heavy cedarwood at it’s base then I realized and couple with notes of powder and citrus/floral notes it could be a little annoying over time.
It’s for sure more potent then I first thought and I really think it’s more ambroxan heavy then i noticed the first half dozen times I wore it. The lavender in it is also very underrated because of how strong some of the other components are
I only noticed the sweet invictus opening and later a powdery / floral semi-sweet drydown and I thought it turned into a skin scent pretty quickly (3hrs)
but now I think the ambroxan in this scent actually gives it a lot more longevity than ppl notice (i didn’t notice) the weird thing is that it doesn’t project too heavily while you stand still BUT the moment you move it leaves a trail that is very noticeable.
It’s a very tough scent to judge how much to spray because it does linger when we move but it’s hard to smell when you stand still.
maybe 2 sprays? or just 1 on the back of the neck because i did notice on clothes it lasts for a long time but it’s just so hard to guage how strong this scent actually is.
In the same day i had probably 4 ppl kind of complain or make very brash coughing noise as i walked by
i had 2 ppl say that they didn’t smell my scent at all (we were standing still)
I got 1 compliment
I still think this is a good scent but it’s longevity / strength is for sure being misjudged by many of us. Projection may suck but the sillage is for sure there and it’s very ambroxan heavy, with floral / citrus and powdery notes and i feel like that can have a really negative effect if you overspray especially since i’m not more aware of the scent trail/cloud this scent leaves.
This reminds me of Sauvage tbh, the first few times I wore it, I didn’t know how much I had on, then little by little it became more apparent. This is kind of a weird scent like that where it does have heavy ambroxan scent in it and it may be tough for our noses to smell it and can take some time to really get it.
Scent is still solid 7.5 type of scent
sillage though is way higher than i thought, it’s at least a 8 (if you are moving around a lot in the same area this will really linger if you spray more than 2)
price is still good 60 bucks is not bad
part of me gets invictus / original 1 million vibe (way toned down) with the floral aquatics that are pretty much there the entire time but underneath it has a lot of cedarwood and ambroxan.
I don’t really think this EDP is nearly as weak as many of us may have thought and although it reminds me of many popular scents it’s still something that i like.
karagoz – :
I picked up a bottle of Icon Racing a couple months ago and have worn it perhaps half-dozen or more times. Offhand, I find it to be a very-pleasant, well-received, highly-versatile, fresh fragrance. It doesn’t quite smell like anything I have ever put my nose on, and yet it reminds me of the ghosts of every popular men’s fresh fragrance I have smelled in the past 5-years. Go figure!
What do I get out of Icon Racing? I don’t detect individual notes as much as I do accords: sweet, fresh, citrus, aromatic, woody, soapy, with some of the original Icon metallic vibes. It definitely leans more on the youthful side, but just about anyone from sixteen to sixty should be able to rock this one.
Performance is okay in that it lasts around 6-hours and projects moderately on my skin. Moreover, this scent is well-liked, inoffensive, and an aromatic-freshie that will garner compliments during the first 1-2 hours before becoming a softer, woody-aromatic, snuggle-scent. So it’s a good fragrance for first spray to first lay.
I have Icon and all the flankers since I plan to swing them in my meaty fists when running low on ammo during a Zombie Apocalypse, I suppose. All the Icon bottles are gorgeous works-of-art that are extremely heavy and have weaponized for self-defense; the words stunning and awesome are understatements. I like all the scents in the Alfred Dunhill Icon series but, to be honest, none of them Wow! me…just very nice, somewhat unique, incredibly well-packaged, fragrances. If wish to have an well-rounded fragrance library (without spending a fortunate, buying tons of fragrances, or overthinking it) just get Icon, Absolute, Elite and Racing. Mission accomplished!
Overall, I find Icon Racing to be a very nice fragrance packaged in an incredible bottle. It’s worth picking-up, at the right price, but you won’t lose any sleep not having this one in your Scent Armory because there are literally a dozen or more similar popular men’s fragrances that will do the job of getting Suzy Q to play with Cupid’s Little Arrow late at night. Cheers!
shahdav – :
It’s a like but not a love. Icon Racing doesn’t remind me of Invictus Aqua in any way. This is a very sweet fragrance. I get more of an Ultra Male cotton candy vibe + tonka, even though it’s not listed in the note breakdown. I would wear this in spring, but not in summer as it can be cloying in the heat. Longevity is acceptable, but projection is weak. On skin, it’s gone way too soon! Blind buy worthy? Not really. However, if you sample it first and like it, it could easily be a signature scent.
Scent: 8/10
Longevity: 7/10
Projection: 5/10
Price: 7/10
BofeGrearne – :
Love the opening of this, the first hour is amazing with an amazing cardamom note that reminds of a fresher version of CH Men Privé.
However, the dry-down is extremely disappointing as it turns into a skin scent in no time (performance is terrible) and the scent becomes generic, synthetic and cheap.
I want to keep my collection small and only made of perfumes that I really love and want to wear often, so there is no space for this in my rotation. I won’t buy a bottle.
osbo4 – :
It’s fresh scent. Sporty sweet. Easy to wear. Reminds me of that Jean Paul Gautier Ultra male sweetness to it and slightly aquatic like invictus acqua.
I think It has smell like Versace eros + Paco Rabanne invictus aqua + Azzaro wanted = Dunhill icon racing
The score:
Scent : 6/10
Longevity : 4/10
Sillage : 5.5/10
Performance : 5.5/10
Compliment : 6/10
liberty2010-46 – :
@mmcdonald36
Yes montblanc legend spirt
Less in the peeformsnce but quite similler in the scent.
pof – :
Take Azzaro Wanted which doesn’t smell anything like this and is putrid because of that lemon opening and then try and make that smell even worse and you’ll get this. So basically the only Similarity is that they both don’t smell good. Has that corn chip note like reflection man as well in the drydown,no joke! One girl on YouTube said it was nice and everyones baby batter went mad. The whole dunhill icon line is a dud for me but at least the original and other two flankers are somewhat original unlike this mess. Their older stuff was way better. The bottles are also that ugly that you couldn’t even photoshop it to look better.
stv81 – :
eros+invictus aqua+rasasi hawas+azzaro wanted+drakkar noir=Dunhill icon racing
very good performer
8/10 overall
Zndex – :
Guys, have you smelled fragrances other than Invictus Aqua? Does every single new release really smell like Invictus Aqua to you?
SOKATTETFAT – :
My wife is going to love this tonight. The grapefruit. WOW.
Serioga – :
A fragrance that doesn’t open well for me, a very ‘of the moment’ vibe to it and what I considered to be a bit of a messy composition, not unpleasant just that usual swirling mix of too many notes, which is neither one thing or the other. However, I have to say the way it settles down Icon racing really comes into its own. The oud in the base, although quite typical of a designer sort of oud is actually quite pleasant combined with the caradmom and white floral of the original it’s kinda creamy and enjoyable. This is a passable woody scent and that base of vetiver/oud/cedar is nice and the orange blossom is long lasting. Doesn’t stand out enough to peak my interest but I liked it more towards the end for sure.
shahinovav – :
Mark0, the fact that I found Dunhill Icon to be unique invalidates your opinion as far as I’m concerned. It’s all subjective anyways. This was a step backwards to me, and has little resemblance to the original, while being similar to more than a few others I’ve tried. I even have an al-rehab oil roll-on that smells like this. So to answer your last question, I care..you don’t have to. There is nothing that says a scent in a low price range can’t be original or interesting – that is ludicrous. Niche and mass-appeal are not even mutually exlusive. Just because someone takes risks and anticipates a smaller audience doesn’t mean it won’t still be widely liked. I have several cheapies in my top 20 that have remained there after trying several hundred niche scents, and some of them are as challenging as any of them
wolentin – :
People keep commenting on here about how fragrances are boring with the same old line “There’s nothing new here”.
What did you expect ?. It’s a mass appeal, Dunhill scent in the lower price range.
If you want something out of the ordinary, don’t try Dunhill fragrances. I suggest you spend good money and get your hands on an odd niche creation.
As long as it smells good and serves a purpose….who really cares if it’s “boring” ?
Margosha – :
My first impression was a strong similarity to Platinum Egoiste, only fruitier and sweeter. It also reminds me of the drydown of Alfred Sung Homme. There is definitely nothing new here..it’s a crisp, clear, shower gel smelling scent with a slight old-school classic barbershop touch to it. I do get a little mint, as well, so I can see how it’s been compared to Viking, though it’s definitely sweeter and does not have any ginger note. Smells pleasant for sure, but rather boring
strannik1968 – :
★★★★ (4 / 5 stars)
Icon Racing is the youthful Dunhill Icon release.
Mid and opening giving off a mix of Paco Rabanne Invictus and JPG Le Male Essence and Popeye / Superman.
7 hours longevity and great projection. It’s a generic crowd pleaser but just classy enough with the woods and cardamom to be suitable for office wearings. Worth a bottle at the now discounted $30 prices.
dead6282 – :
In the opening it smells like Bazooka bubble gum with some citrus and soap accords. Disappeared rather quickly. After 5 hours it’s completely gone.
The scent has nothing in common with Invictus Aqua.
lisa200786 – :
I was excited to try and then fairly unimpressed with this fragrance given the great reviews. I prefer the original Icon to the rest of the line with this being the least compelling buy of them all. This version is a sweeter more candy-like iteration of the original Icon. Inoffensive in the way many others have described – the sweetest of the Icon line for sure.
Arramperm – :
Big disappointed.Performance sucks. It projects only 15 minutes on my skin, and last only 2-3 hours.
Yes, It smells nice for first 15 minutes, but it become skin scent.
I can smell hype of Invictus when spray on cloth.
vitalii55 – :
I hate the way that the world of perfumery had taken,Icon Racing it´s sold out online,and in stores (price like 100€) and you know why? Jeremy hype this fragrance but this its similar to Invictus Aqua,Montblanc Legend Spirit and many others,nothing new in this…But Jeremy spoken about it and everyody buy this , i will pass.
berserk – :
Guaiac wood? Really? This is just another synthetic ambroxan bomb.
Invictus copy more or less.
Mass pleasing and complements getter but way annoying to me.
The original icon is million times better.
Magilnitsky – :
I see the trolls came back. The longevity and projection are actually really good.
mozgoklu – :
I have this fragrance… the smell is very similar to ultramame mixed with popeye eau fraiche.
This smells NOTHING and I say NOTHING like invictus aqua or ch men and I mean NOTHING
NEED_FO_MY – :
I have this fragrance… the smell is very similar to ultramame mixed with popeye eau fraiche.
This smells NOTHING and I say NOTHING like invictus aqua or ch men and I mean NOTHING
aIIXumuk – :
dunhill icon racing green: I feel this should have been bottled in a light green bottle. It’s fresh, sweet, minty. It lasts a long time. It is out of character for the line. It reads as if they sat back and said “ok, we need to make something for the younger crowds, something sweet, fresh and minty.” I like it a lot but if you have invictus aqua or popeye eau fraiche, it is a bit redundant. Max Forte got it right when he said “It is a combinaion of invictus aqua and popeye eau fraiche”.
I have it because I have the other 3 in the line. Had they done something green, woodsy and fresh with that green bottle, as if racing through a countryside on a winding road in the warmer months, it would have been more accurate packaging. I like it a lot but it is something I already have in other frags. I think the hype is overblown.
savinov – :
Reminds me very strongly of Azzaro PH Onyx, and only slightly less of Xeryus Rouge.
I agree with Fablab – with the name it has I was really anticipating some combination of leather/suede with either some mimicry of Farenheit’s gasoline accord, or maybe even some powdery rubber like Bvlgari Black.
vovan48lip – :
I do not understand all this love: very similar to Invictus Aqua, strong sweet-fuity notes, totally chemical.
Based on the name, I was expecting something leathery, dark, smokey notes, burnt rubber of the wheels running fast on the road…
Definetely a missing opportunity to dare and do something new
Richi123 – :
At dry-down, it smells 100% like vintage CH Men without the smooth sweetness from CH Men. I’m pleasantly surprised.
Slam Dunk – :
Nice fresh scent. Sporty sweet. Easy to wear. Reminds me of that ultra male sweetness to it and slightly aquatic like invictus acqua. Great for hot summery days. Daytime prefer to wear this. Great performance and good longevity. I can see myself wearing this on the beach drinking nice cold margarita.
Dios – :
For me it’s a mix between Azzaro Wanted and JPG Popeye eau fraiche nothing special but if you like the ones i mentioned above you will like this one, mass appealing with good projection. 7/10.
ruslan_kot – :
I really love this smell. Very sporty yet fairly versitile. Has almost a class sporty vibe to it. I get pretty descent longevity on this. This is a great EDP that is finding its way to the front of my cabinet.
belaVereswart – :
Just got my bottle in 3/2/18. So glad to have this fresh slightly sweet treat. This bears resemblance to a blend of Azzaro Wanted with Ultramale (I smell pear) sweetness and a smidge of Invictus (citrus) and Dylan Blue due to the musk. I like the fragrance alot it goes in a totally different direction from the others. The bergamot is front and center and seems to be there throughout the life if this scent although you can clearly pick up the other notes as well. Keep them coming DUNHILL, maybe the next one should be a gourmand beast! With a really good chocolate note, leather and tonka. Update to follow. Happy Sniffing
eugora – :
To me it smells mostly like Paco Rabbane’s Invictus Aqua & Jean Paul Gaultier’s Ultra Male with a hint of Versace Dylan Blue. Percentage wise I would say 50% Invictus Aqua 30% Ultra Male and 10% Dylan Blue. Thats just what it smells like to me personally.
Performance:
Projection- Projection is pretty moderate for me, definitely not too subtle, but it doesn’t leap off my skin either. Rating 7/10
Longevity- This fragrance lasts the same as Invictus Aqua for me, which lasts quite a while about 7-8 hours. Rating 9/10
Versatility- This fragrance like its inspirations is extremely versatile, this is where it shines because it smells like so many of the popular fragrances put together. I feel it would perform best in spring and fall. However I can see this being worn in summer and winter. It can be used as a casual scent or work scent depending on how much you spray. Rating 10/10
Uniqueness- Definitely where this fragrance lacks, it smells like so many others put together it looses its own identity. Rating 4/10
Overall Verdict
This fragrance is pleasant, but not groundbreaking. Is it hype worthy you might ask? It depends on your taste, but personally I don’t think its amazing I think its good. If you like Invictus Aqua and Ultra Male this could be the fragrance for you. I would recommend sampling first, it is a safe blind buy if you do not mind fragrances smelling similar to another fragrance.
Overall Rating 8/10
morozich – :
It’s alright you could layer sauvage and Invictus aqua together and you would get this scent but it would be better than this. Not saying it smells bad kinda in away smells cheap. If you bought it because some dumb drunk girl who was hungover in a video from a Jeremy Fragrance video that’s your mistake. But Jeremy in general knows what’s good and what’s bad. But anyway luckily I sampled it. It’s eh.
Scent: 7/10
Sillage :6/10
Performance : 6/10
Compliment factor :6/10
petrov32 – :
This has been, by far, my worst blind buy. It smelled hideous and nauseating to me. My friend literally calls me the “fragrance whore” because I tend to like almost any scent. It has this weird, old cotton candy smell to it. Like this really mellow, low ball sweetness that smells like an old person scent. I was so hyped for this to smell good after seeing so much about it. Maybe I need to get other noses on this, maybe it’s me.
Эвелина4 – :
A more well blended and balanced version of Dylan Blue. It has whatever dylan blue offers while it lacks the sharper edges. More pleasant and more mass appealing without unnecessary stuff. Performance and power while it’s not bad, it’s moderate at best.
NitskidaWaids – :
i do notlike the smell cus of invictus vibe , but this one lasts whole day so wtf with ratings..
frederickeburgosw – :
Hey guys,
this is not a review I just want to give service announcement. One person tried to manipulate voting on the website so we deleted and banned dozen fake accounts. We will keep eye on this fragrance for future attempts.
karatel947 – :
Yes, this is in the same vein as Invictus Aqua with a hint of Bleu. I find the original Icon to be a masterpiece – while this one can garner compliments just as the Paco Rabanne one, I find it insipid… I guess it’s OK. Works as a gift.
paypeLiesty – :
A well crafted fresher version of the original Icon. The freshness of grapefruit, bergamot and green note of vetiver are balanced by soapy cardamom and lavender in the background.
The dry-down is nice, reminds me of Carven L`Eau Intense which I like a lot.
A nice addition to the Icon line, thumbs up.
батя42 – :
I have Icon, Elite and Absolute…and like all three (bottles are fantastic) and will probably purchase Racing in the near future. Okay,this one is being compared to Bleu de Chanel, Green Valley, Tres Nuit (i.e., GIT) and a green barbershop scent…makes me both eager and fearful of buying a bottle. Oh well, we’ll see what happens.
njjvnwrssxr – :
Following the previous releases, Icon Racing clearly is a cop out catering to the mass market, taking the popular genre of sweet fruity opening and clean woody dry down. In this sense, it is a disappointment.
garik6484 – :
Very nice fragrance. It is so nicely blended. Sweet, fruity opening with a nice subtle creamy woodiness. Do not know about the dry-down because I was too excited to write about my initial experience. Smells all-season to me. So far: scent 9/10. Will update.
Update: Nooooo. It is drying down into Ultra Male. I really hope this will not be the actual drydown. 🙁 Where is this pear coming from?
Update 2: Pfew. It smells like Ultra Male for about half an hour and then dries down to a smooth floral, woody scent.
SVETLANA.BELOVA.79 – :
Mass appealing crowdpleaser. On the same note as Bleu de Chanel, except this has much better performance and it is cheaper. Pepper and citruses dominate the whole life of the fragrance.
And yes, in the dry down there are similarities with Green Valey from Creed, which is quite interesting.
For a price and quality, this is a no-brainer. Modern, fresh, long-lasting fragrance that is great for any situation.
I am in love.
Scent: 8/10
Performance: 8/10
Versatility: 9/10
Weloattaido – :
To me, Racing is a fresher, sharper, airier version of the original Icon. Grapefruit provides a brighter opening compared to the earthiness of the original, that gives way to a greener woody/vetiver base in place of the silver bottle’s leathery/vetiver. The greenness I get is a Forrest fresh rather than an earthy kind of vibe, which I personally love and would suit anytime of year or weather.
Racing lasts longer on my skin than the original and projects similar sillage for an hour or so longer. I get 5-6hrs with 3-4hrs of noticeable projection. It’s a great all round scent and perfect for any occasion. It leans towards daytime but would be really nice for an outdoor summer evening occasion.
mdimon07 – :
In the dry-down it smell so much a lot like GIT by Creed and Tres Nuit by Armaf, just sweeter with a minty hint and a slight bubblegum vibe.
Performance is absolutely incredible all around, projects really well and strong, longevity is amazing as other Icon releases, but even better. On clothes and paper strip it still goes strong after a week.