Cerruti 1881 Black

I picked-up several Cerruti fragrances back in the Spring including 1881 Black. I only tried it once and didn't recall any details since one of the other 1881 fragrances caught my attention. Fast forward three-seasons and I said to myself, "Wow, I really like this one" when it was applied to my skin: 1881 Black walked that fine line of having a clean, fresh, sweet side but also striking a nice balance with having a woodsy-spicy side. Nice! After spending 10-minutes wondering why I didn't give this fragrance more attention upon first sniff...well, the lavender started to push-forward, and push-forward loudly on my skin. While I do love some lavender fragrances, I really loved how 1881 Black opened and didn't like how it transitioned to this lavender-heavy stage. Fortunately, 20-minutes later and I'm really enjoying the drydown: woods, fresh-spices and a touch of marzipan sweetness. Not to shabby! This fragrance performs well for inexpensive EDT: lasts 7-hours on my skin and projects moderately except for that lavender phase in which radiates off my skin for about an hour. Overall, I like this one: versatile scent that is good for the office and in most casual settings. In a nutshell: the opening is excellent; the heart a bit challenging and the drydown very nice. A very good fragrance for the price.

1881 Black is not a new version of the OG 1881, but an entirely new creation. The word Black envokes a dark and sensual feeling. It is very sweet and alluring. The pepper balances out the sweetness and it’s a smooth but sexy smell that could be unisex. In my experience the scent is entirely different if sprayed on the chest versus the arms/hands. As some have complained here, it turns into a “pencil led” after an hour. Which is terrible TBH. But when sprayed on the chest it is magic and stays that way for it’s duration! All-in-all I consider this a unique, slightly spicy, very sweet smell that is well worth the money. It’s not necessarily a versatile fragrance and is best suited for evening events such as dinner, movie nights, dates and even nightlife. It’s sillage is strong when applied to my chest.

Dark-ish with a sweet note. Different and exciting, supposed to have been inspired by the seductive, balmy atmosphere of an Italian evening. The first time I sprayed this on my wrist, at an airport duty free, it smelled medicinal, so I put the bottle down and walked away. 10 minutes later, I was intrigued by a sexy smell near by, so I looked around trying to find the wearer of this mysterious scent. There was nobody, the smell was coming from me..it was the Cerutti 1881 Black. Wow! On the dry-down, it smells really good. So I went back and bought it. This is how impressed I was. If you are into male gourmands, like me, this could be a nice and interesting addition to your collection. Silage and longevity are both good. Also complements to the designer of the bottle; it's a work of art.

I totally love this bittersweet harmony created with marzipan, cedarwood and orange in combination with the warmth and depth that the exotic spices provide! What gives this scent another punchline, is that the orange and the pepper notes add a very nice breeze of freshness and liveliness, to ensure that you do not fall asleep in all this sweet and pleasant warmth. All the ingredients are perfectly balanced and create a seductive, warm, deep and complex atmosphere that just makes me feel sexy! A first class, modern and masculine, oriental scent, that gives you more maturity by simply wearing it! Also it last very long on skin. Perfect composition, perfect longevity, perfect projection - that is true quality!

Cerruti are surely one of the most underrated houses. The original 1881 is a favourite, and stands as a unique fragrance. This flanker doesn't share much with the original, but it's great on its own merit. It's soft and spicy as described in the dry down, it starts of very fruity, but soon dries to that soothing powdery soft spice. There is a mild Woody smell, I don't know what it is, but it isn't oud. Lovely, with good projection, and rather good longevity also.

I just got this today, up to now its seems a decent enough frag, not the best cerruti i have though, That goes to L'Essence de Cerruti. to me this is not a strong scent although longevity seems ok maybe 6hrs, it mainly sits as a skin scent after a hour or so, but its a cheap scent so that's ok. overall id say give it a try its worth a shot for the price :)

Very almondy and sweet but not overbearing. Not the best as far as projection but it's quite well done. More of a casual than a night scent beacause of the lack of power.The oud and woody aspects play their parts well. A nice change of pace frag for all year wearing. Females can wear this one as well.

Very nice, I totally dig this fragrance and again its a Girard creation! Calm and sophisticated, a bit sharp, slightly sweetish woodiness with some dark berry mystery to it yet refreshing and never cloying! Perfect for a nice evening dinner and similar occasions!

Wow this really smells like marzipan on the drydown, the opening is as same old same old, but jus wait a few minutes than it's getting really pleasant. thank you Cerutti. the bitter orange works well with marzipan.

10/10 Buy it! Masculine, deep and mysterious, cant pull my face away from my wrist. Just buy it, next.

I've been looking for this for ages! I remember when it came out thinking I hadn't worn the original 1881 for years so why would this interest me? Having looked at the notes though on here some 6 months ago or more I found myself thinking wow! That sounds like a bit of a fragrance wet dream for me...sweet almond, Oud and spice I have to smell this one. Unfortunately, no where seems to stock it anymore and would have to blind buy online, well I actually found it at a discount store in the end. The opening is great and you do get pepper and orange in there with some nice fresh spice. It settles into the marzipan accord almost instantly and the woody Oud gives the Almond note a creaminess that gives the impression of vanilla.(perhaps there's some in there? I don't know because you can usually tell in the dry down, 1881 Black seems to be getting woodier on my skin...if anything.) Having said all that it never once tips over into gourmand really as you still get the spices and lavender which just freshen it up and give more dimension. A really nice sexy scent and not too dissimilar to D&G The One...(not as popular obviously) Not really in smell, more in character. It was... and it wasn't quite what I was expecting... but in a good way. got 100ml bottle for £20 can't say fairer than that. Oh and the bottle looks great same as the original with a black tint. Update: wearing this again and the Oud is definitely present now, I honestly couldn't detect it for sure at first just a distinct woodiness but the more I wear it the more I get it. The interaction of sweetness and wood reminds me a little of Jo Malone Oud & bergamot but with almond instead of citrus very creamy, this scent is getting higher up my winter fragrance list!!!

1881 Black! Got it for present. It was in the want-list a while. First spray : Opens fresh with a 90's shaving cream vibe waiting 5 minutes (lavender?? where??) when its slowly turns into aquatic warm spicy mix , what in my opinion is a really great combo. Its not groundbreaking but damn its comfortable! It gets (on my skin) warmer and sweeter in the next 12-15 minutes leaving the fresh blue path towards a little gourmand waft path lead by the caraway (nutmeg is slightly there and i cannot detect the much used Oud). It stays in this warm combo for 30-100 minutes turning to the marzipan route which ends up a close to skin warm,cozy, sweet gourmand smell. But the gourmand is in the final stage and will be smelled after 1.5 or 2 hours. The stage before this is a great journey You are mostly walking around with this spicy warm cozy smell with a hin of freshness The sillage is not great its moderate. But its long lasting through its slow top to base Women will love this in a intimate setting.

Overall, I was expecting far more from this beautiful bottle than it actually delivered. With its “Black” title I was expecting a suave scent to match a black shirt or polar neck sweater, or even a tuxedo, but was soon frustrated to find that projection from my skin after the first hour or so is virtually non-existent even in winter. So I’ve resorted to spraying my clothes where the smell lingers for a few hours more albeit still a bit too softly for my liking. Based on performance alone this is my second disappointment (after Amber) from the 1881 series, and it desperately needs an intense version to give some potency to what I’m sure is aspiring to be an evening fragrance. I think it’s best used in a very intimate setting as the scent is warm, sweet and cosy (women seem to like it), but curiously is no more “black” than Davidoff’s Cool Water and regrettably comes across to me as rather shy and common. Would I get it again? No, but at least it's generally affordable.

I remembered choosing D&G The One edt over this about 10 years ago. I really liked them both so when I saw a 30 ml of this online recently, I grabbed it. This slightly gourmand warm and spicy scent helped nudge the way forward for the future almond, caramel, tiramisu and coffee fragrances we have come to appreciate. It's not as sweet as others that have come after it but it's still sweet from start to finish. The marzipan is so realistic to my nose, and the pepper, oud and caraway float in and out starting about 20 mins in. That's my favourite part before it all blends together and then disappears. The woody notes and lavender provide a very solid base. In my collection, I don't really have anything similar. I could stretch and say Mandarina Duck Pure Black but that's more syrupy and orangey and maybe Guerlain Ideal Intense without smoke and way thinner. This is an awesome cheapy! Really like it.

I don't always agree with the "Main Accords" that are used here at Fragrantica to characterize a fragrance. But "Fresh spicy" is exactly what this is. The orange/pepper top notes are not very exciting, but be patient. The oud, the marzipan and the woody base notes come slowly creeping and turn 1881 Black into a very good, fresh spicy evening scent. It is not a powerhouse, but it easily lasts a whole evening on my skin. It is not terribly sophisticated either, but sometimes you just want to smell really good in a straight-up and safe manner. For that purpose you could choose a lot worse than this. And that goes both for young guys and oldies like myself. Everybody can use this stuff without feeling out of place. As an extra bonus the bottle is great and it is very inexpensive. A true bargain.

I've had this for a few years now. The performance has not blown me away, especially since in principle this is a rich, winter-friendly fragrance, and even a little Christmassy with the orange, marzipan and nutmeg. I've kept the bottle (in its box) just because I like the scent, plus fragrance doesn't have to be about extorting attention. The orange, which was indeed noticeably bitter, is no longer noticeable in my case. It's a cool September night here now and I'm wearing what's left as a bottom layer, under Acqua di Parma Blu Mediterraneo Cedro di Taormina. The AdP offers plenty of citrus and this or that matching note. I'm very happy with the combination and could happily wear it for much of the autumn, day or night.

Blind bought this for my 16 year old son, and boy does it smell great. Honestly this would work for just about any age man 16-45. It’s not generic and it has some notes that you won’t catch on others. If you can get it for under 40 bucks I’d jump on it. Cozy in the dry down, and interesting enough to deserve a place in any man’s wardrobe. Great bottle too. The opening notes to my nose were a little harsh upon first spray out of the box, but everything after that balanced out thankfully. Signature scent worthy for sure. The marzipan is not a note I’ve noticed yet, but it must not be too prominent, because I wouldn’t categorize this as a sweet fragrance.

For the price, definitely better than much expensive ones. Don't know about other skins but on my oily skin it has more sillage than any other perfume I tried. Longevity is very good, can last for hours. A bit of lovely black peppery smell at start and the dry down is extra warm and cozy. Highly recommended for those who like, woody, spicy, earthy, leathery perfumes even though it will not fall in those categories. In other words, if you like non floral perfumes, this is a must buy for you.

I like the bottle :) smells very powdery almost berry like and very similar to kenzo power but more watered down - I think its a nice scent and longevity is not an issue either I was smelling this the next day on my skin , and it was on that basis I bought another bottle , I think it smells refined but it is similar to a lot of other fragrances out there thats what makes it hard for this one to stand out

Opens up with a lot of bitter orange and black pepper. If you leave it at that, yes it's quite boring. Once it dries down and you get the marzipan, oud and guaiac the game changes. Cedar creeps in gradually and really compliments all the other notes. Bitter, sweet and a bit smoky. A touch barbershop from the lavender, and a bit gourmand. Strikes a nice balance. I like it on myself, and on my boyfriend.