Creed Viking vs Penhaligon's Sartorial - fragrance first impressions

In this video, I’m sharing my first impression comparison of Creed Viking and Penhaligon’s Sartorial, two timeless yet very different masculine fragrances. I’ll explore how Viking delivers a fresh, spicy kick with its vibrant blend of mint, pink pepper, and woods, while Sartorial offers a more refined, polished feel with its modern twist on a classic barbershop scent, featuring metallic aldehydes, lavender, and beeswax. Whether you’re drawn to the bold adventurer in Viking or the tailored elegance of Sartorial, I’ll break down their performance and style to help you decide which suits you best. Don’t forget to like and subscribe for more fragrance comparisons!
#CreedViking #PenhaligonsSartorial #FragranceComparison #NichePerfume #LuxuryFragrance #SpicyFragrance #BarbershopFragrance #FragranceReview #ScentOfTheDay #PerfumeReview #FragranceCommunity #BoldFragrance #FreshFragrance #PerfumeAddict #FragranceLovers #CreedFragrance #Penhaligons #PerfumeBattle #MasculineFragrance #FirstImpressions #perfumelovers

[@phantomplastics6582]

Invasion Barbare may suit your taste as a fougere that has some spice and punch.

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@phantomplastics6582 I’ve heard great things about about it! It’s expensive but I’ll try to get a decant.

[@shawn6170]

love it

[@oTEMPE5To]

I get incredible performance from sartorial personally. It outperforms most of my collection and is borderline too loud the first few hours with 2 sprays 😊. I don't pay too much mind to concentration these days. Viking feels like an upgrade to bracken man to me but not my favorite. Creeds best scents for me are Royal water and original vetiver. Absolutely fantastic fresh fragrances. My favorite fougeres currently would be : Sartorial Fougere d'argent and beau de jour by Tom Ford Nishane B-612 Orto Parisi Brutus Houbigant fougere Royale and duc de vervins l'extreme Cartier Pasha de Cartier Dua river fougere

[@SeldomlyOften]

Thanks for the recommendations on those, I'll try to check some out :)

[@301268bmh]

Thank you for the video, Daniel. I tend to wear Sartorial with a suit and spray once on the back of the neck and a couple of times around the shirt collar. Seems to last all day and the scent doesn't change as much as it might if just sprayed on skin. I prefer to wear it in mild to coolish weather, as the metallic note can become overbearing in warmer weather. Another favourite fougere is Special for Gentlemen by Le Galion, an "amber fougere". Powdery but quite dense. You might like it.

[@SeldomlyOften]

Thanks for the recommendation and wear style. I finished my sample so I might just need to grab a bottle :D

[@Ilovelove111]

Funny that you would say that about Creed as a brand. I have exactly the same bias, which is why I don't own any bottles of them, nor am I curious about their two newest offerings. Having said this, I do like Viking, though 😅

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@Ilovelove111 well, it just was never really appealing to me, I don’t like pretentious marketing 😉

[@andrei.laowai]

Samesies about bias, but I do own my first and last creed bottle - royal oud (cedar), as it is basically a French Lover (beautiful green mix of angelica, galbanum, cedar and cardamom) that lasts more than 2 hours.

[@joaopaulostasiu1091]

Royal oud and Bois du Portugal are the only ones that are truly worth it, viking as well but doesnt perform as good as the previous one

[@nathanielmoody3656]

Alright! I’ve been waiting for this kind of comparison. I’m also interested in adding a Fougere to my repertoire, but like you, don’t necessarily think it matches my personality or style, and probably would only use it on certain occasions. I would love to see you add Invasion Barbare and Fougere Emeraude to your comparisons. Anyways, this was a good one and helpful!

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@nathanielmoody3656 thanks Nathan, the MDCI seems like a popular good one!

[@PureMagicStudios]

You should try a sample of Erolfa from Creed, my signature scent, love it. Nice video as always 😎

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@PureMagicStudios thanks for the suggestion! Not a very popular scent, might be right up my alley!

[@william6509]

Please try Royal Oud. Best creed by miles!

[@WhenHerbSpeaks]

I LOVE *Royal Oud*. I don't know enough CREEDs to call it Creed's BEST but...I love it. I won't even say it's my favorite "oud"....because....compared to Middle East ouds....it's so different.....wonderful, refined. PS: My first CREED was *Silver Mountain Water* in the late 90s....I've purchased a number of bottles since then. I use it much less often since the *niche* explosion. (((🐧))) #nYc2o24

[@SeldomlyOften]

It has been a highly recommended one! I'll get a sample :)

[@shawn6170]

creed is a french house btw 0:03. but anyways i love both of these fragrances, i feel like they catch the essence of what a straightforward masculine scent should smell like in term of accesibility and use for most occassions. as a side note, you should really try out royal oud by creed - it is an absolute gem

[@SeldomlyOften]

It might be a French house now but it was definitely born in the UK and has strong british old school vibes. Royal Oud is another one I heard a lot about, I'll try to get my nose on it soon, thanks for the recommendation!

[@EndersFPS]

Try Bon Monsieur from Rogue Perfumery. Awesome fougere. Also, who did your logo / YT intro? I'm going to start a channel similar to yours where I simply share my enjoyment for fragrances.

[@SeldomlyOften]

Thanks for the recommendation! I did the intro animation myself, had the idea based on the text, thought about the S and O coming together and did the whole thing in Resolve, messy but it works :)

[@yiyithewuster]

Havent tried anything from Penhaligons, but Viking was the first “expensive” fragrance I got a bottle of. Scooped up a 100ml for $200 (its like $250-280 here in the US now so kinda out of my price range now). Performance is excellent on my skin, well over 9 hours with perfect sillage for my preference. Really does it all for me.

[@SeldomlyOften]

It’s quite good, wore the sample again since filming and I really like the whole vibe 👍

[@vinylpimp]

Please add Houbigant Royale Fougere to the mix, regular and extrait versions

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@vinylpimp was eyeballing it, seems like a valid option 👍

[@andrei-cosmin.popa85]

Thank you for doing this, Daniel! While I'm not a big fan of fougere, judging by what I often choose to wear, I definitely appreciate some. For me, Bracken Man and Bois Du Portugal would be my absolute favorites among all I tried so far. I'm quite fond of the Creed perfume precisely because of how old fashioned, classic and perhaps even outdated it smells. I might "have to" purchase that in the near future 😅

[@SeldomlyOften]

I have a sample of Bois du Portugal lined up for a video, very excited about it. Bracken Man is awesome but it's not what I'm looking for right now. Thanks for the commen!

[@andrei-cosmin.popa85]

​@@SeldomlyOften I expected Bracken would be a controversial one for you, as it's heavy on cloves, but lacking the peculiar Amouage vibe 😅

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@andrei-cosmin.popa85 it definitely does not give off your typical Amouage vibes, but it's good and I actually really like clove!

[@DavideV101]

Unrelated question Would you consider to do a “kinda” list of favorite lether frag? Would be nice as well to have a list of favourite based on notes Thanks always, my personal fav KZbinr in a see if sold people

[@SeldomlyOften]

I might do something like that but I would keep the list short in any case, bombing you guys with a ton of frags is not my thing. We shall see how stuff evolves :)

[@DavideV101]

@@SeldomlyOften would be very much appreciated. Even 3 reference frag would be enough in the way you present the concept

[@jasonharris5873]

You said you got rid of your bottle of beau de jour how do you feel these compare against the tf? Thanks, love your channel

[@SeldomlyOften]

Thanks for the comment! Honestly? These are very comparable and I really liked Beau de Jour, this might be psychologically’ better because of the pedigree (?). I’m reaching 😂

[@bulletje33]

I don’t care much about Creed, but I do own Viking and Royal Oud. Two standouts from the house. I’m a sucker for a good fougere. Best for me by far are Amouage Bracken Man and Fougere d’Argent from Tom Ford.

[@SeldomlyOften]

Bracken Man is totally awesome (video with that coming up) but didn’t really meet my needs.

[@filippo0703]

My fav is Beau de Jour. I was also curious to hear your opinion on Absinth by Nasomatto..?

[@SeldomlyOften]

I have a bottle of Absinth and I'll do a full review of that soon, in the mean time I mentioned it in my fougere comparison part 2 coming out next :)

[@SeldomlyOften]

it's not a fougere by the way, not in the conventional sense at least.

[@Principemostprincipe]

Daniel listen: top 3 in no particular order: Nicolai - new york intense Nishane - b612 Amouage - sunshine man Viking and sartorial cannot come in the same sentence with those 3 mentioned above. Bracken man is good but still cannot compete with those

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@Principemostprincipe hey man, I really trust your opinion, I’ll try to get at least a sample of the first 2, sunshine is more of a pain in the ass to find. Thanks!

[@komm13]

@@SeldomlyOften b612 is awesome. I also like sartorial a lot though ! sunshine is reinstated again from amouage!

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@komm13 oh wow! Need to check it out!

[@bulletje33]

@@komm13not completely correct. Sunshine is back on their website, but they sell a batch from early 2022. It’s old factory stock, when it’s gone it’s gone. I know because I bought one and talked extensively with them before pulling the trigger.

[@komm13]

@@bulletje33 such a shame. Was waiting for it to pop up in discounters...now i have to bring myself to blindbuy amouage at full price

[@hypnotoads]

I own a good few fougeres, and the only ones I return to regularly are Masque Milano's Sleight Of Fern and Rogue's Bon Monsieur . They make me smell like the CEO I never was!

[@SeldomlyOften]

Cool! I’ll check these out 👍

[@wagstaff6135]

Nice. I love Sleight of Fern and Bon Monsieur (and a couple other Rogues - Mousse Illuminee and Targhee Forest; not sure if the latter two are technically fougeres (?) but they’re at least fougere-adjacent, and probably more so than Sartorial or Sleight if Fern, even!)

[@komm13]

You could also try fougere d argent from TF, the only TF i bought. Felt like a more balance and refined BDJ .

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@komm13 yes, I’ve heard! I’m a little done with the Private Blend price situation but I might find a good deal

[@komm13]

@@SeldomlyOften yea i know, i got it for around 160 some time ago...still expensive for 50ml but now its ridiculous at 270

[@justaddlight]

Sartorial would be my pick between the two. Nine times out of ten. ⛵ Very fair descriptions Dan. Viking Cologne a very decent $5 fragrance too. 😂

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@justaddlight I was meaning Sartorial too, the bad performance was holding me back initially but by proper spraying it on textile non only the frag smells even better but the longevity becomes acceptable

[@ethanrrs]

I quite like sartorial personally, but I'm overall a fan of those herbal forward fragrances in general, even if they veer into a generic 'gentleman' fougere vibe. I find orto parisi viride to be in this same general ballpark although not very much alike with the literal notes, and other absinthe bitter fragrances give me a similar feel. You might really like bracken man as the clove is amped up even more and the performance should be a bit better overall. An off topic note on concentrations: nowadays it is becoming more and more confusing as to what the 'ACTUAL' concentration is for a perfume -- companies have backed themselves into a corner for making their audience think that a higher concentration is ALWAYS better performing and more luxurious. And the newer synthetic molecules that are trendy are VERY powerful (see: the javanol and ambrocenide in ombre nomade and Norlimbanol or sweet amberwoods in other modern mass appealing hits). So, in order to make the perfume not be a literal nuclear bomb, they put the correct amounts of these crazy powerful ingredients, and the concentration ends up being something small like 10-15%, even lower sometimes. And then, they pump up the rest of the formula with solvents or airy ingredients like hedione so they can officially claim that their perfume is an EDP or higher concentration for advertising purposes. This is just to mention that although yes, a lot of conventional EDT fragrances will be light and wear off after a couple hours, there will be a handful of newer ones that don't follow this concentration advertising scheme, and you'll find that it lasts like 12 hours on your skin++ like an Alessandro Gualtieri creation which has all these huge molecules.

[@SeldomlyOften]

Thanks for the massive comment ! I already filmed another first impression with Bracken Man and, although I really liked it, it wasn’t what I was looking for (spoiler). As per the concentration, I completely agree but there are some frags out there that just have a lighter wear feeling. One of them I have is Black by CdG and I discovered it was an edt after I went to check due to the ‘light’ feeling.

[@tpapa1980]

I love fougeres, it's my favorite style! yet from a point on there are similarities between most of them.I think Sartorial maybe has the best opening from every fougere that I've tried, yet it lacks on performance. It's a very personal fragrance and at the dry down I think that there are many fougeres that do the job better, at least to my nose. On the other hand Viking is a lovely spicy fougere, better in my opinion than Bracken Man, it reminds me of Old Spice which I love, but Viking too lacks on performance, especially considering the price. I still prefer from both of them Beau de Jour which you had. For a neo-fougere style I always reccomend B-612 from Nishane. My signature scent and obviously my favourite fougere is the discontinued YSL Rive Gauche, and I'm happy that I have enough bottles!

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@tpapa1980 thanks for the extensive comment and recommendations! I’ll try to cover the missing ones. Beau de Jour was indeed very good but I can’t go back to sold frags, gotta keep moving in a direction!

[@oTEMPE5To]

I find sartorial lasts all day without a problem, borderline too strong for the first few hours hahah. One of my favorites in my collection. I also agree with your assessment of viking vs bracken. Bracken reminds me of bay rum mixed with a fougere. As for favorite creeds though, absolutely love original vetiver and royal water. Probably won't pick up viking

[@tpapa1980]

@@oTEMPE5To As far as longevity, Sartorial lasts about 7 hours for me, but it's not very present, that's my "problem" and dry down it's not that interesting as the opening. It still is a very good fougere, but to my nose I prefer other stuff instead of Sartorial. If i had to choose a fougere that would be so personal as Sartorial, I would probably go for Fougere D'Argent. As for Creed, it's not a brand that I care a lot, if I had to choose a favourite Creed it will probably be Viking or GIT (which I have).

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@oTEMPE5To Sartorial's opening is loud AF, it's just a really harsh transition to the drydown in terms of presence. I need to wear it more to better understand but my sample is out.

[@oTEMPE5To]

​@@tpapa1980 love my fougere d'argent, thst one IS my best performer in my collection haha. It's still projecting off me after 12 hours it's insane. But I never get sick of it

[@flarmentaro]

Regardles of your interest in Creed, i really recomend you the reading of "the Ghost Perfumer" the story of what probably is the best perfumer of the last 50 years, a one if a kind type of person. It's also full of anecdotes and informations on how perfumes are really made and by who ;)

[@SeldomlyOften]

Thanks for the awesome recommendation! Sounds really interesting, I'll definitely look into that :)

[@MrPhanhphanh]

Can you review the fragrances from d'Annam?

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@MrPhanhphanh never tried any, I’ll see what stuff I can get my hands on 👍

[@legoguru3000]

That mint was too spicy for me in viking, haven't tried sartorial yet though. I wanna try Sohan from Penhaligon's as well

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@legoguru3000 in the next first impressions I cover Penhaligon’s Endymion, really quite good

[@andrei.laowai]

I don't know what batch of Sartorial I have (bought new in Jan 24), but that thing is choking me out for the whole day if I do more than 3 sprays - but if it's that or under, then it's the most pleasant classy experience

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@andrei.laowai I wore it again since the recording and sprayed properly on neck/shirt it’s still noticeable. I wouldn’t say it’s super strong but still, better than first impressions.

[@andrei.laowai]

@@SeldomlyOftenperhaps I'm sensitive to particular aroma-chemicals in it, is all. Like I can't perceive a fragrance if there's even a whiff of amberwoods xd

[@glamconnor]

Blazing Mr. Sam is my favorite date scent (from the penhaligon's portraits collection). Check it out.

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@glamconnor thanks! That seems to be the most popular one. I’ll check it out 😊

[@william6509]

@@SeldomlyOftenplease do along with Royal oud! Its money in a bottle

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@william6509 Man, everyone recommending Royal Oud, need to try it out!

[@ptc4566]

Bracken Men for the win!

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@ptc4566 already recorded a video on it! Great stuff but not exactly what il looking for (especially at the premium new old stock prices)

[@Zach-jv7jg]

Personally love Green Irish Tweed, but most Creeds do not wow me + they tend to perform poorly + extremely overpriced. "Unjustified luxury" is very accurate.

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@Zach-jv7jg that’s the one Creed that I don’t like, tried it again, just doesn’t work for me

[@Zach-jv7jg]

@@SeldomlyOften fair enough. To each their own!

[@naseerfawzi2201]

again i'm still in the first 3 minutes of the video but i can't help it , i have to comment about something, you are really specking my language here, me too i dont see my self as the gentlemen fragrance, it dont mean i dont have them, but , my test always on the dark side , on the animalic stinky oud kind of personality , please try ancre nior .. i mentioned it for you last comment, it mix the both to be honest, the barbershop, vetvir , and the dark vibs, it is designer by the way , but it is amazing , it is really dark, and i really like leather fragrance , i find my self there .

[@SeldomlyOften]

I tried Encre Noire in a comparison video, I found it very good, surprisingly good actually! It’s on my buy list, especially since it’s so cheap but I want to try the extreme first 👍

[@naseerfawzi2201]

@@SeldomlyOften extreme for me is for the normal people. Not for the fanatics lol. I tried it it is softer. The original is darker

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@naseerfawzi2201 interesting take! As hilarious as it sounds the thing holding back the purchase is the space the thing will take up 🤣

[@Katalin04]

Is Creed Viking a good fragrance? Yes. Is it worth the money? No, which is why in this situation a clone would suffice, of course, in my opinion.

[@SeldomlyOften]

I agree 100%, that's why it's still sitting in my cart, waiting for some magical sale to arrive. There just are other great options out there.

[@Katalin04]

@@SeldomlyOften a 30+ % discount blackfriday-like its the only way i would ever even look at it seriously😁

[@edutottenham]

I love sartorial but hate viking

[@SeldomlyOften]

Why do you hate Viking? The mint note?

[@edutottenham]

@@SeldomlyOften the clove is wayy to strong for my liking

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@edutottenham ahhh, love clove heavy frags 😜

[@assumptaai]

D my tiny brain is gooning out from discovering new oranssi PazuZu and this French animalicbfuckfest house called Marlou in 24hrs. I can't handle reviews rn but both these things are up your alley if you don't already know them 👽

[@SeldomlyOften]

Hey, sounds really cool! I’ll see if I can find it out there in the wild.

[@assumptaai]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pqW6k6V-odqZebssi=VlxgEBGOircnEP6E

[@assumptaai]

@@SeldomlyOften yeah I posted links but YT is a bitch

[@assumptaai]

@@SeldomlyOften links are disabled in your comments

[@assumptaai]

I watched some of this & I am dying at "refined Britishness" cos this Penhaligons perfumer is French lol Also I am half Scottish and half British born in Zimbabwe& I live in the UK sometimes. Britain is built on complex class structures, yes there is an element of pre-Thatcherism Royal family refined tweeness that Penhaligons plays into but that is the extreme minority. Britain is the birthland of pagan druids, coal mines, punk music, the hacienda&rave culture. London is one of the most culturally diverse and extreme places you can choose to live. There is so much edge and grit to it, there is no golden Mediterranean light or magickal Northern Lights, it's hard and grey and still postwar industrial by large unless you go to the countryside. Excuse the essay but I am very passionate about the UK& I hate it when people think it's all refinement and drinking tea on a fucking lavender bush actually I do not like Penhaligons or jO malone at all for this reason

[@kathywitter6076]

With Penhaligon's pricing, you hit the nail on the head. The brand has always under performed and been been overpriced; a bit like Jo Malone!

[@SeldomlyOften]

Yup, Jo Malone is another brand I never really looked at due to the somewhat unjustified pricing

[@alexceraudo9383]

Penhaligon's is a good house which I define as "eccentricity keot at bay". there are here and there scents that I like and own, especially the discontinued Anthology Collection or the very vintagish like Victorian Posy and Cornubia (not your taste I beileve) or some works by Douchafur when he was in-house perfumer: Amaranthine, Ostara above all. sartorial never projected a lot eben in its 2010 original formulation (my mind still associates it - for those who are italians - Merito L'appreto con il manico, or Stira e Ammira, i.e. starch, starch and starch to iron shirts: make the collar-bone as rigid as you can, so you won't breathe!). I made a point not to own any Creed, but I can make an exception for Love in Black (in the original black bottle, tagged at the non-marked up price). Not a fougere guy my-self,if I may I would suggest you to sample Opus II by Amouage which is very refined and Fougere Bengale by Parfume d'Empire for a noticable twist on the fougere style (even fougere emeraude by Les Indemodables, but still not sure about it..too early to assess) Cheers Daniel and thanks for your helpful reviews: it is clear there is an awful amount of works behind!

[@SeldomlyOften]

Ahhh, the Fougere Bengale and the Les Indemodables sound like my kind of thing! Thanks for bringing these to my attention, I'll look into them :)