Bad Boy Carolina Herrera 2019 Eau de Toilette

From the extroverted, quite cheap bottle to the very sweet-synthetic scent - it was immediately clear to me, in a matter of seconds, that this attempt by Carolina Herrera to capture the "One Million" clientele would mostly encounter deaf ears and harsh criticism here on Parfumo. However, I think I have proven often enough that this doesn't always have to align with my taste. So what do I say about this eye-catching "Bad Boy" that I was able to test at the airport in Prague?

It feels like a mix between one of Paco Rabanne's from the current decade and Givenchy's (unfortunately) discontinued "Very Irresistible for Him." "Invictus Night" could also smell somewhat similar in the future. "Eros" and "Y" are not far behind either. The presentation, campaign, and my mentioned comparisons should make the direction clear to everyone right away. "Bad Boy" is a cocoa - or rather milk chocolate - scent, even slightly nutty. That doesn't have to be a bad thing, especially not with my still slightly gourmand-leaning taste. However, this nougat-like backbone of the very immature and club-appropriate fragrance is surrounded by "finest" power synthetic, aggressive and banal, making it sometimes hard to catch a breath. Especially when one dares to bring their nose too close. I have rarely experienced pepper so piercing, tingling, and artificial, and there’s always a Fanta vibe lingering. And I don't mean the classic yellow one, but some of the even more cringe-worthy special editions. Exotic from the lab, multi-fruit from hell, forced cleanliness meets chocolate factory. Cocoa meets freshly showered is simply... an acquired taste. To put it nicely. To put it harshly: baaah! It’s enough for the disco or the shisha bar, but unfortunately not for anything else. I guess I’m too old for that. This is not (anymore?) for me.

Bottle: Shazam! goes Player
Longevity: you really have to sweat, dance, and drink in the club until it's washed off. 8 hours, but quite comfortably. More likely more.
Sillage: definitely loud and intrusive, as expected.

Conclusion: uh, will this be the new hate object of the Parfumo community?! It wouldn't be undeserved, from the striking bottle to the scratchy cocoa scent, not at all. However, it does make sense for its target audience. Or is it even too... deliberately cool and gangsta for them?!