Club de Nuit Intense Man is one of the best selling and most discussed men’s colognes available on the market today.
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Its success has been due to an affordable price, along with a tried and true blend of classic fragrance notes that emulate the widely popular and influential creation from The House of Creed known as Aventus.
Club de Nuit Intense Man was released in 2015 and has won awards as recently as 2022, but is Club de Nuit Intense Man still relevant and can it stand on its own?
I took some time to break down this fragrance in my Club de Nuit Intense Man review. Check it out and see if this fragrance belongs in your cologne rotation.
Snapshot of Club de Nuit Intense Man EDT
| PROS | CONS |
| Great value for the quality | Similar to many other fragrances that emulate Aventus |
| Exudes professionalism and respectability | Popular scent style may not be considered unique anymore |
| Highly appreciated compliment getter | Strong initial opening at times may turn off some |
| Very versatile - can be worn in all seasons, in many situations | May not be able to try it in a local store |
| Evolves into a unique scent as it dries down | Some synthetic aspects may seem harsh at times |
- Fragrance Type: Citrus Woody Smoky
- Scent Potency / Appropriate For: Great Potency / can be a signature scent, best for work, date, casual, day or evening
- Sillage: Solid - projects well, but never too loud
- Longevity: Very good 4 - 8 hours
- Price: $
Scent Notes
Club de Nuit Intense Man notes open with an initial blast of citrus fruits that come off fresh and invigorating. It was a bit pungent at first, but then a bright lemony scent kicked in which quickly morphed into clean notes of lime and bergamot rind.
The pineapple note is hardly there and for the most part, the opening is defined by crisp, juicy, tart and fruity citruses.
After a few minutes, the darker black currant notes kick in. They create an almost earthy blueberry note. I noticed this even more when the temperature was high, getting slight wafts of a dark but juicy red fruity mist that pops off the skin.
As the cologne develops, a lighter floral note appears, but it’s only there to lift the rich woody birch notes that help create the dominant theme of this fragrance. That’s when Club de Nuit Intense Man begins to settle into a smoky, woody musk.
It grew deeper and darker on the drydown and the last few hours gave off a masculine, airy ambergris and patchouli with a smoky undertone. The notes never became too heavy, but remained balanced and buoyant.
Performance
Although the overall scent profile and effect of Club de Nuit Intense Man is similar to Creed’s Aventus, one area where it excels over Aventus is in performance. The sillage is powerful, creating a significant scent trail as I moved around throughout the day.
Even after a few hours of spraying, I received a nice compliment about my cologne from someone who was over an arms length away.
I noted the aroma throughout the day, at times showing different aspects of the scent, from the woodsy smoky notes to the occasional wafts of patchouli.
It lasted a solid 6-8 hours on my skin and continued to project off my clothes for 12+ hours. Clearly this is what makes Club de Nuit Intense Man EDT attractive. You get a lot for your money when you compare the price of Club de Nuit Intense Man to Aventus.
Who Makes It
Club de Nuit Intense Man is produced by Armaf, which has released close to 200 fragrances since being launched in 2010 and they show no sign of slowing down. As part of the House of Sterling Parfums, Armaf is one of six fragrance brands within the Sterling lineup.
Released in 2015, Club de Nuit Intense Man EDT was not the first fragrance released in the Club de Nuit line, but it is likely the one that sparked the continued growth within the Club de Nuit fragrance collection.
After the success of Club de Nuit Intense Man, Armaf expanded the collection to include additional concentrations of CDNIM, including Club de Nuit Intense Man Limited Edition Parfum and Club de Nuit Intense Man Pure Parfum.
Like many of the colognes and perfumes produced by Armaf, the Club de Nuit collection replicates the fragrances of well known luxury brands like Creed, Maison Francis Kurkdjian and Chanel at a lower price.
In general, Armaf does not disclose the perfumers that created their scents, but their similarities to these giants in the luxury fragrance world is unmistakable.
Who Would Like It
Club de Nuit Intense Man takes its inspiration from arguably one of the most prominent and popular mens fragrances created this past century.
The “Aventus-style” fragrance has become so significant in the men’s cologne market that many designer, niche and clone houses have created their version of this fragrance style.
The style of Club de Nuit Intense Man leans a bit more mature and can suggest a more professional appearance. It conjures up someone who is a boss & is in charge.
It exudes an air of respectability and even though it has these qualities, it is almost universally appreciated. As a result, even younger, more casual guys can pull it off. It will elevate any guy’s game, no matter what the starting point.
One thing to note is that because Club de Nuit Intense Man can tick so many boxes, for some this may also mean that there is nothing unique about it.
This fragrance is not breaking any new ground, so anyone looking to stand out from the crowd or make an individual statement may want to look elsewhere. Still - any guy who wants to smell great & leave a positive impression can’t go wrong with this one.
When and Where to Wear It
Club de Nuit Intense Man is the perfect choice for any guy, in almost any setting, professional or casual, day or night in any season. It is literally the blueprint for a signature scent. I’ve worn it to an office setting and I’ve worn it when grocery shopping on the weekend. In all cases, I enjoyed it, felt comfortable & the scent fit right in.
In high heat, it projected beautifully, giving off refreshing wafts of earthy fruit & airy ambergris. In cooler daytime temps, I noticed more of the smoky cedar, vanilla and patchouli aspects of the scent. I can wear this scent in all four seasons, day or night and feel confident that it was the right choice.
The only time I would have preferred wearing something different was one night when it got really cold & I was cuddling up in front of the fireplace with my girl.
I love those warm cozy scents in situations like that & while Club de Nuit Intense Man wasn’t exactly out of place, I wanted something a little more gourmand with a deeper, more musky cuddly vanilla or amber note. Something like Mercedes Benz Club Black or maybe even Dolce & Gabbana The One EDP would have fit the bill.
Packaging and Presentation
Considering how inexpensive Club de Nuit Intense Man is, there is a lot of detail surrounding the packaging and presentation. Sometimes budget colognes “cheap out” on quality of the box, the bottle or the sprayer, but not here.
This box is a solid, strong cardboard with a textured finish & a small rhinestone in the upper right corner, which is a signature element of this collection.
The Armaf logo and lettering use a silver foil stamping technique. The fragrance name is etched into the cardboard on the left side panel and a silver hologram certificate of authenticity sticker is on the right side panel.
Inside the box you’ll find a promo card that mimics one which contains the origin story that Creed provides with their fragrances. The Armaf version promotes the latest releases in the Club de Nuit collection.
The bottle for Club de Nuit Intense Man is a heavy, solid black opaque glass with a matching cap that snaps into place.
Rhinestone elements appear on the bottle and cap as well, with 2 on each side of the cap and one placed on the lower right of an Armaf logo emblem that is attached with a chain to the neck of the bottle and adheres to the front.
Club de Nuit Intense Man sports a durable atomizer that mists out an ample amount of fragrance. Overall, the packaging is solid, with a royal masculine look and feel, even if it comes off slightly overblown to a Western audience.
Personal Impressions
There are a few ways to evaluate this fragrance - first as a stand alone creation, then secondly as an alternative choice to the legendary and often imitated Creed Aventus.
Judged on its own merits, this is an easy buy. It provides incredible value for the price and when I consider the scent’s versatility, longevity and projection, Club de Nuit Intense Man punches way above its weight.
There are some synthetic aspects to CDNIM and the initial spray can come off a bit harsh, but that disappears quickly.
Overall - I like having Club de Nuit Intense Man in my collection so that I can experience an Aventus inspired fragrance without the financial pinch I get when using the original version, which costs ten times as much.
I can conserve my Aventus for those special occasions.
When I think of Club de Nuit Intense Man as a replacement for Aventus, then it gets a bit more complex. It really all depends on why I’m wearing it. Aventus is a singular experience. The natural ingredients can even change a bit from year to year, almost like a fine wine.
One aspect that makes Aventus magical is how clean and natural it starts out and evolves. It is something that only the person wearing it will likely notice.
There is an ethereal aspect to Aventus that I don’t get from Club de Nuit Intense Man. With that said, anyone smelling Club de Nuit Intense Man as I pass by would be hard pressed to notice a difference.
Similar Fragrances / Alternatives
There is no shortage of men’s colognes that emulate this Aventus-style of fragrance. There are both niche and designer fragrance producers that have created their own take on this smoky, woody citrus genre. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Mercedes-Benz Select Eau De Toilette - Highly respected Master Perfumer Olivier Cresp created this fresh take on a woody chypre that opens with a similar fresh fruity note with a slight woody, ambergris element. Perfect for a warm day outside or a quick refresh when playing sports.
- Montblanc Explorer is an Eau de Parfum concentration, so it has solid longevity with moderate projection. It is a bit more subtle than other variations of this scent style and as a result, it comes off clean and elegant.
- Mancera Cedrat Boise Eau de Parfum markets their version of this style as a unisex offering. It does this by replacing the ambroxan note with white jasmine and a brighter floral fruity tone. It still has a masculine grip, but balances it with a bouncy freshness.
- Nishane Hacivat exhibits the most complex and extraordinary version of this scent style. It has massive strength and sillage that will make a powerful statement. More green with heavy notes of oakmoss and patchouli, Hacivat turns the volume up to eleven.
Final Thoughts
Shortly after being released in 2015, Club de Nuit Intense Man became the standard by which many Creed Aventus clones were judged.
Its success has spawned additional concentrations of the scent within the Armaf line. That success also helped conceive the Club de Nuit collection as a primary source of affordable versions of Creed’s most popular men’s fragrances.
The bottom line is that Club de Nuit Intense Man is a solid choice, whether you’re looking to substitute it for a luxury fragrance like Aventus or not. It has a broad appeal, fantastic longevity and is more affordable than many other choices that try and accomplish the same result.
Ron Pitt is a winemaker who developed a passion for fragrance while studying the olfactory relationship between smell and taste. After producing and marketing wines that focus on complex aromatics along with flavor, Ron altered his attention from the tasting room to the perfume lab. In addition to his passion for both wine and fragrance, Ron and his wife have been rescuing beagles for over 20 years.