Desire Black

This fragrance is one of the best sleeper masterpieces on the market. If you like masculine, non sweet, non ambroxan scents that feature saffron, leather and black pepper, then this is your must have scent. For the price this is going for, there is no greater value for money proposition on the market that I can name. Smooth, dark, and rich is how this smells; think of an opulent study in a royal lodge in the Scottish Highlands. Opens with a brief hit of bergamot, then runs quickly into a mild black pepper note that is balanced out by grapefruit. Opening lasts about 3 to 4 minutes. The black pepper goes dark and is joined by a smooth woody cypress which is the bridge to the long drydown. As that bridge is crossed by your olfactory senses it's accompanied by saffron and warm rose. The saffron is light and airy and the rose (Turkish?) is warm and rich but not sweet. This middle is accented with a slight oud which itself is a short lived affair that gets you over the bridge and back on terra firma to the drydown. That last trace of slight oud opens up the leather note and now we are in a saffron infused, leather, cypress and black pepper scent cloud for the next 6 to 8 hours. Every now and then depending on how active you are, you will smell that warm Turkish rose radiating off of the main scent cloud of leather, cypress and black pepper. It's exquisitely masculine. This is a fragrance that a man can wear to a business lunch or to a business dinner and feel completely at ease and confident. If you have ever heard the phrase "quiet power" then you will immediately understand this fragrance because that is what it is. If this was bottled by MFK, Tom Ford or FM, this same juice would be selling for north of $300, easily. Nothing on the market smells like this. It's a unique fragrance that sadly the men's market could use more of and it stands as a tasteful reminder of what muscular, masculine and refined men used to smell like when men had tailors and sneakers were not sold by French couture houses. To my mind, this is what Sean Connery's James Bond smelled like when he introduced himself to Pussy Galore. bon chance

I tried this the other day and was really surprised by the strong licorice-like notes that I had been looking for - I tried 8 or 9 other brands and this one stood out as unique and manly - no sweetness (and quite linear) - only that it may be somewhat two-dimensional in a serious scent kind of way.. But, it is certainly what I was looking for - and more unique and daring than say L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme (but perhaps not as punchy as Issey in terms of the peppery hit), whereas Desire Black has that great black note (note: this is a totally different smell- and no cat’s piss, unlike Issey Intense). So, Dunhill Desire Black and the other flankers are decent non-weak fragrances, I must say, for first impressions, I really do like this one! It is certainly unique! UPDATE: A few days later (13 May 2018) Decided to purchase a 100mL bottle! AU$35 (on sale) No regrets - loving it! A unique and strong licorice-like note (not sweet) - masculine and dry., not musk-like. May need to reapply to strengthen longevity if needed, giving a stronger dry-down effect. The smell of this fragrance is just what I was looking for - great for the office, strong manly vibe, but not too sexy. UPDATE: 24 July 2019 Loving this - gets sweeter and just gets better and better - now getting a great sweet juicy and tangy lime. Fantastic value for what this is. I've got a tonne of fragrances and this continues to be one of my favourites! UPDATE: 4 Dec 2023 Has been discontinued for a few years now. Found a tester available for AU$44 on FragranceNet. Still my favourite fragrance out of many. Had to get a backup. Now too rare - a pity. If you miss this, or think you'd like something in the same vein, try Amouage Overture.

I find that Dunhill's fragrances are quite unique. Though their fragrances are not always original, they are never "generic". There is usually a note or combination that tilts even their most uninspired scents toward interesting/intriguing at worst and high quality at best. Combine that with the low price most of these can be had at, this is one of the best quality/cost houses out there, imho. Desire Black: Quintessential Dunhill- not original by any means- just another citrus/pepper/vetiver/amber scent, right? Well, no. You've smelled this combination before, but then- bam! Something quite UNfamiliar hits you. Some reviewers have called this a "medical bandage" smell. I wouldn't have thought of that if I hadn't read it, but yes, this "medical" smell is the "Dunhill" uniqueness. Now, that description doesn't sound promising, but it works out quite well. I believe it's the cypress/saffron turning this typical peppery/fresh scent into an earthier, darker, and more complex fragrance than ones with similar notes. I definitely get a light, sweet amber in the dry down. This is a mature scent, serious rather than playful. I can see it working for business/casual. Not really formal or fun, but in the middle. Overall, a good fragrance and is easily has more depth than many 2-3 time it's price. Another good offering from Dunhill. Final note: The "Desire" flankers have a lot in common (Black has similar base notes as "Silver" and they have the same DNA), but smell nothing like the original "Desire for a Man". Weird. Update: Very nice after the initial blast smooths out. Something about it- intriguing.

Dunhill Desire Black is a very unique, slightly odd but beautiful ctrus-green fragrance for every occasions. Elegant but also sporty a bit. Definitely not for everyone, but it will find its owner. Not too strong, but if you spray it also on your shirt, you'll smell it in the evening. And others even more so. About the fragrance itself: - No musk, no density, no sweetness but a little salty. - Fresh, green and slightly tart. - A very nice harmony of citruses and tart greens with a touch of florality, but I wouldn't think rose if I didn't know it was. - There's even a little lime-wasabi vibe developing from the rich interference and I'm also smelling a bit of gasoline and camphor. - The salty mineral notes are a bit reminiscent of Oriflame Ultimate, but only by a long shot and Dunhill is in a far higher league. - Terre d'Hermes doesn't come to mind (Td'H is heavily orangey, it's lime-bergamot-grapefruit that makes it very different, plus the saffron here) - The strong yet delicate harmony of saffron, cypress, and grapefruit makes it unique. - It can be good in all seasons maybe less at summer. scent: 9/10 sillage: 7/10 longevity: 7/10 price/value: 10/10 - negative: sprayer and flip-cap is ultra-crap. Overall, Dunhill Desire Black is a modern, airy citrus-green fragrance, very quirky but with an interesting and beautiful twist, far from trendy. I recommend it for those who are not averse to a bit of adventure and exploration, who like tart greens as a genre and appreciate a bit of sophisticated bizarreness.

So, first things first: What came first, Dunhill Desire Black? Or Bettega Veneta pour Homme? Answer: Bottega Veneta pour Homme - 2013 You may be wondering why? I’ll tell you! Got this fragrance a few days ago, adding to my Dunhill collection, which I love a great deal. But here’s the thing, something has bugged shit out of me all day about this fragrance, like “where tf have I smelled this before?!” 🤔 It’s literally just hit me now before I decided to write this, it smells (to my nose-imo), very similar to Bottega Veneta pour Homme, 2013. Now, don’t get me wrong, this Is an incredible male fragrance, and there are very clear differences between the two! The pine note of BV ph for a start, that’s obvious to anyone who’s a fan of BV ph, and there is only one note they both share, but even that’s a different variety, bergamot. Normal, good ol’ regular bergamot for DH db, but Calabrian Bergamot for BV ph - go figure! So far, though.. as much as I love both my Bettega Veneta pour homme edp, and the parfum, on my skin Dunhill desire lasts a hell of a lot longer, then on the dry-down it turns into something a somewhat fresher than the opening, while still retaining the musky darkness. Such a beautiful scent, and how cheap! I paid £15 for 100ml so I am more than made up with this purchase! Besides, I’m sure if I layer this with either my BV ph edp or the parfum, it will easily garner me a few extra compliments - my wife has already said she likes the DH desire black on 👍🏼

Bought this in April after smelling the bottle - I had sprayed many frags on myself already and it was overkill - so I just picked it up, It cost about 50 CAD$. Between this and Dunhill Icon, I chose this but I didn't try either on my skin. Fastforward 5ish wears and this is what I find (never having worn Terre D'Hermes): Boozy and woody opening - reminds me of The One but not as sweet, Dirty English boozy and Dunhill Pursuit sharp (shudder) but that fades. What you're left with is pretty beautiful (to my nose) - citrus olibaum sprinkled with pepper. It's dry down is very similar to that of MJ Bang (one of my favourites) - but the weak dry down (3 hrs) and heavy pepper mill effect of Bang, make Dunhill Desire Black a more accessible choice. I wear with collared shirts to work - For me, it easily replaces Starwalker, Dirty English, The One, Dunhill Pursuit, Marc Jacobs Bang. If you put those last three in a custom perfume bottle you would get something similar. What really makes this brilliant is the use of floral notes to soften the the "sharp" problem I've had with those I've just mentioned. I am enjoying it thoroughly and recommend it if you're looking for an office friendly - slightly serious - hardly sweet frag. It's not in my top five but I love it.

YOOO! Dunhill Desire Black smells A-MAZE-BALLZ! Im truley surprized at how nice, unique and OBVIOUSLY Under-Rated this scent is! What really caught my attention has to be that Rose/Cypress combo along with the Black Pepper Zing I mean this smells fantastic imo. Im ashamed to say that I own over 200 fragrances (I need help!, lol!) Yet NOTHING I have smells quite like desire Black! Dunhill should've put this scent in their "Exclusive line" and called it Cypress-Something its that great smelling! Im sitting here sniffing my arm super impressed with this scent.. Anyways enough of THAT! Desire Black imo is said to be a "Oriental Fougere", but to my nose it comes accross more like a Woody Fougere/Chypre and has a "classic vibe" yet its not dated but makes ya smell like a clean, Grown A$$ MAN! lol. Only dig I have is the projection, it wears quite intimate and has moderate longevity. Bout 5 hours on skin and does wear pretty long on clothes, but again, SMELLS AMAZING and even unique! I really like Desire Black A Lot and def recommend it for fellas 30 and up! Perfect for office bc it wont offend even if ya go a bit heavy on the sprays for added longevity. Im thinking bout grabbing a back-up but I NEED TO STOP!! lol

Oh man this deserves a little bit of a story. I bought almost the entire Desire lineup when I first started collecting. Loved the blues and ocean and the sweet ones I thought they smelled amazing. And I didn't like Black at ALL... Then I expanded to other fragrences and let them go unused. And my nose developed...then I began with all the old ones I loved. And they smell really synthetic and really not the greatest of things around but definitely still likeable, except Ocean Blue... Now I when I use Black? Wow it's the best by FAR. This is a mature man's flanker of the bunch. The black pepper is noticed right out the gate. Sharp and in front. A bit of citrus and then a travel into the midnotes. I get the cypress, it's noticable but not as in your face as an Encre Noir is. And the spicy saffron. The base shines with it's warm amber and Vetiver... Final Sniffs: Scent combo power: 8/10 80's Pimp Vibe: 10/10 Duration: 8/10 this one sticks around! Sillage: 4/10 really close all the time in my opinion. Overall: 8/10 this one just agrees with me a whole bunch now, love it!

Loving this very classically masculine 'fresh spicy' with an edge. It's sort of right in between TDH and something more like Encre Noire but it doesn't go quite as specifically weird as Encre Noire does. On me, the black pepper top lingers for a while, obviously supported by bergamot, then after a little while the middle comes out and I get some saffron. Not getting rose but maybe I will notice it eventually. The vetiver in the base is what's reminiscent of Encre Noire, and ummm yes there is something a little bit raunchy in here, which I have finally narrowed down-- it's choya nakh, a very bold choice, but when used properly as it is here, it adds a certain edge to a composition. Any more of it and it would become unwearable. I wouldn't call this polarizing but, if something like Aventus is more your style, this will be a shock to your system because it doesn't satisfy any of the pretty boy tastes that men's fragrance has gravitated toward in recent years. It doesn't have a playful note. Serious and sexy.

Oh Dunhill desire black how you remind me of a 1921 womans parfum called maja by myrugia! I only say this because i went to cvs my local drugstore and saw this maja purfum for $10 for a 50ml. I looked it up on here and saw it was from 1921 so i thpught hey this stood the test of time must be good!! I brought it home she opened it Said she wouldnt wear it!! I smelt it, i was tooking back! I like it its woody spicy with a tad bit of rose i suspose!! Fastforawd some months i wanted to finish buying the Dunhill desire line up and black was up!! On the intial blast it def. Remind me of this parfum but maybe a bit less of florals ,less powdery detected!over all i like this juice great dry down to adore sweetness !! Woody spicy green!!

I enjoyed this scent. I really didn't get much citrus out of the opening, which was interesting given how sensitive I am to citrusy notes. The first thing I noticed was strong pepper (though not as strong as Cartier Santos), and then a drydown into a smooth balance of pepper, saffron, and a vetiver/cypress combo similar to Encre Noire (though nowhere near the quality of EN). Projection and longevity were average at best, but for $13 US at Ross, it was a steal! Nice woody/spicy fragrance that I'll be wearing again soon.

Ok, so you like Terre d’Hermes? You like the Burberry Hero line? Let me introduce you to an affordable middle mash up Desire Black. This is a classy, office friendly scent. Smells great and is just a little softer in projection than the ones I am comparing it to, but it still performs so don’t get me wrong. It’s been around over a decade now, so if you have not tried it, I highly recommend it. Oh, and you can pick it up for under thirty CDN dollars. So give it a try as a relatively safe blind buy.

I really enjoy this fragrance. It's really unique. I don't have something like this in my collection. It's a 100% man's perfume. I totally agree with ONE-CLASSIC-MAN in here who says that this fragrance is the bridge that connects the 70s with the 21st century. Peppery scent with a touch of citrus and elegance amber. The other notes support the perfume successfully. Perfect for a date. Thumbs up Dunhill. Also, I must add that the perfumer of this masterpiece is Irina Burlakova.

Rapidly becoming one of my favourites. I blind buy a few fragrances at this price point, and aside from the old school classics Aramis Devin/900, Zino by Davidoff etc, I’ve not been impressed by anything as much as I have by this. There is a wonderful hit of black pepper which just lingers throughout the day, I applied it 11 hours ago and after a day in the office I’m still able to pick up the odd hint of it coming through. Just Delightful!

My first review is a little below. ......Now a few months later and Dunhill Desire Black is even better especially because it settles faster. I named this frag "the bridge" because it connects the 1970's with the 21st century. 100% for men, very good price and the bottle represents the scent. Good longevity and you feel this scent around you, this follows you!!

Dunhill Desire Black - Definitely male fragrance. Not too strong pepper - well balanced with citrus + cypress and a little aromatic. Not very strong but lasts. Nice smell and after 40 - 50 minutes it gets better with a very nice reminder of the 70's - but if you are a young man don't be afraid - your girlfriend will like it. And her mum too!!

Gorgeous scent for the smart, professional man. The perfect scent for a first date, you're guaranteed to get a second date if you wow your partner with this magic. It can come off as a bit smoky at times but in small doses it's very alluring, don't wear too much. Affordable and very cool bottle design.

Excellent masculine fragrance. Affordable with good quality. It is green and woody with classic cypress/patchouli/inscense vibe that is so nice. Vintage but doesnt smell dated due to the grapefruit addition. Projection and longevity are average. Recommended for classic fragrances lovers.

Got a sample of this. Well yeah to be honest it does smell like TdH. It does not smell cheap, it lasts long with an average sillage. I am thinking to buy this one as I cant afford TdH. And yeah, if you dnt like TdH still give Desire Black a try and u might like this one.

Wow! THEE definition of a "Hidden gem fragrance." Masculine, mature, unique and modern. Above average longevity, moderate projection, back up bottle/signature scent worthy!