Gladiator

The opening is a 1:1 but elevated Mentos peppermint, very realistic. If that’s a scent you enjoy, you’ll most likely love this opening. Right away, you get a lovely mint note, slightly sharp (can be too sharp for some), as it should be to my opinion, with a touch of sweetness, beautifully dry yet mouthwatering. You can already detect hints of citrus and fruit, especially apple, that will bloom more fully later on. Impressively, this opening manages to pull all of this off without ever smelling too synthetic. As it dries down, the Mentos-like peppermint becomes less prominent, allowing other notes to come forward. The fragrance takes on a more mature character, with cedar, Tahitian vetiver, and patchouli providing a solid base, and coumarin adding roundness. There's also a sense of "airiness" introduced by some floral elements. The fragrance is airy, light, where something like erba pura would be dense, almost sticky. I understand the Aventus comparisons (particularly with certain batches), but to me, they’re quite different. Aventus isn’t as sweet, doesn’t have this minty brightness. I also understand the blue comparisons, yet I dont think this is a typical blue frag even tho it shares similarities. Later on, the fruity notes become very noticeable, especially pineapple, orange, and apple. The peppermint remains, but now sits more quietly in the background, rather than being the whole show. Longevity is quite good, lasting close to 7 hours. Projection is moderate, it turns into a skin scent rather quickly. 8.5/10 for me, not enough to make it in my rotation, but close, i'm on the edge.

This is truly a special fragrance. It’s familiar and mass appealing as a blue fragrance but not in a “me too” sense. The three notable comparables (I also own these) are PDM Percival, LV Meteore, Bond no9 Scent of Peace. These three fragrances feel like upgraded versions of their designer counterparts. Put the three in a Venn diagram then you have Gladiator in a huge central overlap, but with a super upgrade. The perfumer accomplished a way to improve where the past three are lacking: performance, sillage, richness. It has that addictive quality where I smell something and I want to actually swallow that scent. When sprayed on skin, you can see the sheen of the oils used. I had it on the back of my hand and I can draw scent trails in the air. The olfactory equivalent of light trails in long exposure photography. Extrait concentration with moderate projection (a couple feet past arm’s length) but with CRAZY sillage that lingers. Someone will smell you in a hallway or room that you left half an hour ago. Easily 12 hours performance before it becomes a skin scent. This outlasts the aforementioned three. And it’s a scent that most people will like, unless they hate blue type fragrances. Marketed as unisex but leans very masculine. It’s fresh, but deep enough to wear year round, even during winter. Only complaint is that the bottle sizes are too small. Uniqueness 7.5/10 Quality 10/10 Performance 10/10 Sillage 10/10 Price point 8/10 Overall rating 9.5/10 Impressed enough to try out the others in this house.

Well, damn...I have to admit, this is really good. It leans effortlessly masculine right from the start. My only gripe is that this scent profile has been done countless times before. It’s something we’ve all smelled hundreds of times, but this particular composition is executed exceptionally well. In the opening blast, the mint takes center stage, but it avoids any toothpaste-like vibe. About ten minutes in, the fruits step in to mingle with the mint, and the blend is genuinely amazing. The pineapple is very reminiscent of the pineapple in Aventus, while the apple, grapefruit, and lemon add a wonderfully vibrant touch. As it settles, it dries down into that familiar masculine woody base. Think along the lines of Aventus-ish, Montblanc Legend, Fierce, or Percival. As a bonus, the performance is definitely above average. I wore it yesterday and had a very positive experience. I wore it again today as a base layer and applied Michael Malul Ocean Noir on top of it. Lawd have mercy, it smelled so good. Gladiator provided that dry, woody base, while Ocean Noir added in some blue juiciness.

I've worn this a few times now, and while I get the Aventus and Hacivat references, I find Gladiator primarily a minty and herbal experience with some added citrus undertones, rather than the other way around (at least on my skin, that is). Yes, there is the familiar pineapple accord accompanied by a blast of citrus right in the opening, but I feel like they die down rather quickly - say, within the first 10 to 15 minutes - and after that, the mint and the herbs take over, remaining as the dominant notes throughout the wear. Likewise somewhat against the grain of the public discourse around this scent, I find Gladiator to be a rather unique creation exactly for this reason. Yet, I can totally imagine it appealing to the masses - it's not a challenging scent by any measure! This is exactly the kind of niche perfumery I appreciate and love. Excellent execution by Sora Dora.

I'm pretty surprised by the low rating on here . It has a crowd pleasing scent . This smells great! It has a big burst of citrus and freshness when first sprayed . The peppermint subtly cools down the top not. Light cedar then comes out with very little patchouli but the white flower comes out the most at this stage . Once it dries down it keeps a pretty good balance of wood and citrus notes. I will say that this reminded be of Bleu de Chanel . Like a lot, except this one is more brighter when dried down . It also has cleaner wood notes . I haven't had Bleu in about 2 years but I think this is better. This is definitely on my buy list now after using it for a few days . It projects pretty well for like 3 hours . It will stick on the skin for 8 hours plus . Solid performance. Now to hope it eventually dips in price. While I would pay the 220 I don't need it right now

I sampled the EDP before getting a really good deal on the Extrait, I am glad I got the Extrait (smaller bottle). While they both have the same "blue" smell, The Extrait has weaker projection, but a better separation of notes. With the extrait you can smell the mint in the opening mixing with the apple and citruses, drying down into orange, white florals (smells like Tiare or something equally light/powdery), and tonka bean. While they have the same notes, the EDP focuses on projection and elevates the apple note to the point where it feels almost like YSLs Y. Like I mentioned, the projection is tame, not a room filler like the EDP or Percival, but rather a six foot bubble that last 8-10 hours. If you want a niche "blue" scent that won't gas out a room this is the perfect hot weather option (for cooler weather I'd still go with 7 Cobalt).

A joy to wear when it's hot outside. Starts off with a fresh blast of herbal, bitter mint, a lot like Amouage Beach Hut does. This bitter freshness is doubled with grapefruit. Has pineapple and apple in the heart, but it doesn't remind me of Aventus or Elysium like it does for some people. In fact, in some whiffs it may remind you a teeny bit like Dior Sauvage. A fleeting resemblance only. The woody-musky drydown is masculine, yet has a calming quality to it. This one surprises me with how well it lasts and projects, especially when you go out directly in the sun. The notes may have you believe that this is going to be fruitier, more citrussy than it really is, but I'm glad that's not the case. My ratings: Scent: 8.5/10 🎖️ Packaging: 9/10 🎖️ Longevity: 8.5/10 🎖️ Sillage: 8/10 Uniqueness: 8/10 Price: 7.5/10

To religare and all future raters- Please make sure you are reviewing the correct version. This is the 50ml Extrait, whereas the 100ml bottle is the Eau de Parfum (much weaker)... there is a different page for that one

This fragrance is fantastic. The initial blast of mint and citrus is outstanding. I agree with someone else that said this smells like a mix of Aventus and BDC. Great juice and definitely full bottle worthy. 9/10

For my men out there, don't hesitate to blind buy this. It's by far the best freshy, citrus frag in my collection outside of PDM's Percival. Do yourself a favor.

Phenomenal, far superior to the EDP. Mass appealing, smells great through the life of the spray. Highly recommend.

I’ve been in this game for a while now and have a nice collection of niche fragrances of all types but sometimes I just want an easy wear, versatile, accessible fragrance but with great quality. Aventus used to be that fragrance for me until it was butchered and lost its potency and also copied to death by every other house and their mother! So onto Gladiator. I’ve just discovered this house and the reviews for this fragrance got me intrigued so I ordered a sample, with some fairly high hopes. Could this be a great replacement for Aventus? Different enough so it’s not a clone but still with great versatility, performance and quality? In short, the answer is no. I’m not sure why this fragrance gets likened to Aventus as much as it does. Perhaps there’s some slight similarities in the top notes but there’s no deeper base here. It’s very much a warm weather citrus freshie. It seems that any fragrance with pineapple as a note automatically gets referenced to Aventus. Tbh, I can’t even smell the pineapple here. As for the scent itself. If I had to compare it to anything, I’d liken it to FdB’s London Oud or London Spice, mainly because of the citrus mixed with mint with some light floral touches. I find it very fresh and a little soapy and it’s fairly potent for a citrus fragrance with great projection and longevity. However, I wish there was something more to it. Something heavier or muskier in the base. Don’t get me wrong, it’s pleasant enough but it doesn’t grab me. I feel like I’ve smelt similar many times before. I like the way it’s been executed and the quality is a notch above the usual standard. But, ultimately, I’m left wanting more. Perhaps my expectations were too high. Having grown bored with Aventus, I was hoping this might make a good alternative. Different enough so that it’s not a clone but also a fragrance with great performance and versatility to wear in all seasons. This has the performance but lacks the versatility and it’s just a little too generic for my tastes. Perhaps I need to test in spring or summer as it’s winter here now. However, for those that like a quality fresh citrus fragrance then it is certainly worth testing out.

This might be the new hype in the community. Sora Dora is a new house, making good things with what it seems good ingredients, yet Gladiator as good as it smells and is blended, tends to lack of personality. So this opens very Aventus, with a juice sweet pineapple along a beautiful grapefruit. Is not smoky, just fruity and sweet. As it settles, after 5 to 10 minutes a zesty, bright and cold hearted mint comes along with the geranium and apple. This might remind you Sauvage, not as for the smell, but how the ambroxan comes along in Diors EDT. With that said, after 40 to 50 min, the woods come along and rounds up the citruses and flowers, making it fresh and with Invictus Paco Rabanne vibes going on in here, but in a more mature way (kind of an older brother). After almost 2 and half hours, you get a beautiful and intoxicating dry down with a little touch of musk (is not listed, yet you can smell some traces) flowers and ambergris, just greatly combined. All and all this is a great 4x4 scent that will give you a good amount of compliments, with 2 an half hours of good projection and up to 6 to 7 hours of an arms length projection, with +10 hours of longevity. Is good, yet it reminds me very much to other fragrances. EDIT: I don't know how nearly four years have passed since I wrote this review. Naturally, my bottle has changed a lot since I first smelled it. It is a fragrance where mint and ambergris have taken center stage. Excellent longevity and decent projection. It is one of the fragrances that has earned me the most compliments. It seems to me that comparisons to Aventus and Invictus are wide of the mark. There is no trace of that left in my bottle.

Great fragrance. To me it comes across as a niche version of Legend Blue by Montblanc, which itself is a great fragrance but a little synthetic/industrial in that designer way. Gladiator is a much smoother and refined version of roughly the same scent profile, just with a bit more fruity/sweetness (but nothing over the top), and more natural woods/vetiver instead of the Legend Blue ambroxan bomb. Performance isn't as good, but still pretty solid. Don't get me wrong though, this isn't a Legend Blue clone (putting aside Gladiator came out years earlier), it is its own distinct fragrance... it is just that that is the strongest and clearest way I can think to described the fragrance. If you are a new collector who has Legend Blue in their collection (if not you should, excellent cheap entry fragrance) but are looking for something more refined, a little sweeter (but not too much), and with a bit of that niche funk/challenge, then Gladiator is a great choice.

I'm working off a decant of this, so I can't speak to the presentation. The juice, however, is quite good. It's firmly in the "Aventus adjacent" camp, meaning it's fruity and woody and musky. The mint is a really nice addition and a standout note for me. I think it makes this more suitable for hot summer days than Aventus itself. Longevity is solid, around 8 hours or more and projection is moderate for a few hours. It's really a scent with designer sensibilities, while having niche quality. If you're into the Aventus style scents, then this is really worth checking out.

Starts off mossy and fruity like a certain fruity chypre but quickly gives way a traditional blue scent. Well done, and with a slight twist to the many ‘reminds me of’ blue fragrances listed at various points, nice smelling but a little played out. It’s like they took bits of different popular mens fragances and mashed them together. If you can’t decide between them just get this and you’ll have smell good but unmemorable.

Gladiator I definitely like. It's a classy, very masculine, fresh and aromatic scent with a bit of a retro feeling, like the "in your face" male fragrances from the 80s. This definitely works for Gen Xers. Good lasting power, good sillage. Good day wear on hot days.

Masculine apple, fresh, boring, price tag is the most interesting thing about this. Still good if you can get it of course.

Lovely scent dont get me wrong but just a really well done blue fragrance which isnt something i reach for much often.

smells pretty basic, fresh citrus clean aromatic. boring take on a simple dna. nothing to ride home about. 6/10