Boadicea the Victorious — Blue Sapphire Supercharged
Essence
Blue Sapphire Supercharged is the 2022 amplified flanker to the 2013 Blue Sapphire - Christian Provenzano’s “pumped-up” rework that strips the original’s chamomile-marigold apothecary opening, adds aldehydes, raspberry, cardamom and orange, and pushes deeper into a leather-oud-patchouli base. Marketed at roughly EUR 1,195 for 100 ml (versus EUR 835 for the original), it is the most expensive non-limited Boadicea in standard rotation. Within the catalog it functions as a “Big Sister” upgrade designed to capture buyers who already love Blue Sapphire and want a more dramatic, more leather-forward, less herbal version.
Scent Profile
The opening ten to twenty minutes are immediately different from the original Blue Sapphire. Aldehydes fizz softly throughout, lifting the top into a sparkling-fresh impression; sharp mandarin and tart raspberry burst alongside lemon. The herbal-apothecary triptych of the original (chamomile, sage, marigold) is absent; in its place is a cleaner, more citrus-fruit opening with a noticeable raspberry-jam facet that several reviewers identify as the most distinctive new element. Cardamom emerges within minutes, warm and intoxicating, weaving between the citrus and the fruit - this is the most legible spice in the composition. The heart, from one to three hours, brings rose and jasmine to the foreground. The rose is “rose water in a clean stone basin” rather than the dewy fresh rose of the original - slightly more abstracted, cleaner, less garden-like.
Performance
Projection is beast-mode for the first three to four hours at five-plus feet, then strong at arm’s length through hour eight. Sillage is among the highest in the Boadicea catalog - fills rooms, lingers in spaces after leaving. Longevity on skin runs twelve to sixteen hours; on clothing it is genuinely days-long. Cool weather is optimal; heat amplifies the leather-patchouli and can push it into stuffy territory.
Wearing Context
Best in autumn through winter, evening and special occasions. Supercharged is more “evening only” than the original Blue Sapphire - its leather-patchouli base is too heavy for daytime professional settings, and its projection is too aggressive for close-quarters indoor wear. Black-tie, formal dinner, statement-evening contexts are the prototype. It falls flat in summer, daytime office, casual settings, and any context requiring proximity.
Comparisons & DNA
The primary comparison is Boadicea Blue Sapphire itself: Supercharged is meaningfully different - less herbal, more fruity-spicy-leather - but shares the citrus-rose-oud-patchouli backbone. Most reviewers in the side-by-side context prefer the original; one wearer’s direct comparison concluded that “BSSC doesn’t have the saffron, has less rose, the general feel is also more complex and leans into the oriental nature of the profile relative to the Parfum smelling somewhat wearable, esp. In a side-by-side.” Clive Christian X for Men is the most-cited external comparison - both share the rose-leather-amber-spice density. Roja Parfum de la Nuit 3 and the broader PDLN line is the price-bracket cousin (Supercharged at EUR 1,195 vs PDLN’s EUR 1,500+).
Reception
Wearer sentiment is more divided than for the original Blue Sapphire, and the division is fundamentally about price-justification. Praise concentrates on the projection (“absolutely screams power, strength and masculinity”), the leather-cardamom-raspberry top, and the longevity. Criticism is sharper: the most-upvoted wearer review concludes “outside of the emphasized oriental notes, it sure feels like the only thing that Boadicea supercharged here is the price.” Several reviewers in side-by-side comparison rate Supercharged equal-or-worse to the original despite the EUR 360 price premium. A vocal minority finds Supercharged the superior of the two - “blue Sapphire on steroids…
Versions & Reformulation
Single Pure Parfum composition since 2022. No reformulation. Available in 10 ml, 50 ml and 100 ml. The 100 ml flacon features two certified sapphire stones on the pewter shield (versus one on the original), serving as the visual differentiation between the two.
Acquisition Notes
It sits in the top of the standard Boadicea range range. Retail roughly EUR 1,195 / GBP 950 / $1,150 USD for 100 ml.
Notable Facts & Lore
- Blue Sapphire Supercharged was Provenzano’s 2022 amplification of his 2013 flagship - a response, the brand suggests, to customer demand for a more “supercharged” version of the original.
- The press materials reference “the need for speed and the desire for living in the fast lane” as inspiration, and the bottle features two certified sapphire stones on the pewter shield (versus one on the original) as a visual differentiation.
- The “Supercharged” naming and conceptual framing positions it as the masculine, evening, statement counterpart to the more refined original.
- Provenzano’s note pyramid for Supercharged adds aldehydes, raspberry, cardamom and orange to the citrus side and emphasizes leather in the base - these are the most clearly different ingredients between the two.