Black Eau de Toilette

After my second divorce, I started having trouble getting dressed. My ex-husbands had always badgered me to wear this or that – something to make me look hot, to look not quite as hot, to wear something that ‘suits the occasion’ as one of them would often say or *insert condescending glace here* as the other would often react. Now that I’m once again free to reinvent myself, I’ve realized that I’m not exactly sure who I am or want to be for other people. In my apartment, I’m comfy pajamas, and at work, I’m business casual, but just outside, out and about? Random. And that counts for perfume too. Whatever grabs my attention. Enough dumb reaches to send perfumery students back to Pre-K. So inevitably, a lot of blue fragrances and polite green fragrances. My bottle of Costa Azzurra went from 90% full to 10% in a year, and now I’m going to have to figure out how to transfer the new juice from its mid-ass gold-ripple bottle back into my overpriced but very-pretty blue Private Line spritzer. But as we know, repetition breeds boredom, sterility (not that that’s anything new for yours truly) and, with a style of perfume so popular among the general population, it starts to erase one’s identity. WHO AM I? Is not a question that is cute for a thirty-something-year-old to be asking. Yes, life is an adventure, but baby, you should have a foundation in your fourth decade! Enter Comme des Garcons Black. The Blue fragrance for bad bitches. Maybe its just my blackened heart or the last gasps of a rebellious teenage spirit trapped in an young unc’s body, but this magic potion works anytime, anywhere. It’s a statement maker that’s somehow still smooth and classy as hell. It has edge, but the kind that’s closer to a sharp jawline than a scowl. In the office it’s no nonsense, and in the club it’s mischievous as hell. Incense? Not churchy – clean and mysterious. Woods? Dry and textured, but no cutesy or try-hard NYC chic. If I smelled this on a man, I might get another ex-husband, and if I smelled it on a lady, we’re getting a uHaul. Here’s a numbered rating for you math-brained fragheads: Scent: 8.5/10. Excellent, but too chill and polished to send you to fragrance Nirvana. Performance: 10/10. And I don’t mean beastmode bs, I mean perfectly balanced. It’ll do its job for a good 8 hours without scaring the hose unless you spray it like a hunky fireman all over your fire-hot body. Weather: Whenever. Apply lighter in hot weather, as if any reasonable person who wears fragrance wouldn’t do so automatically. If you like: Nasomatto, masculine classics, walking into a room like everyone already has a crush on you, Robert Eggers movies, getting 100mL of a top-of-the-line fragrance for under $150, women wearing shoulder pads, Women Wearing Shoulder Pads (the excellent new Adult Swim series), the masculine vibe of looking pensively over a cityscape dotted with hazy dive bar memories and streetlamp-lit night walks.

DESCRIPTION: "Top notes are Incense, Black Pepper and Olibanum;" MY EXPERIENCE: super strong incense and black pepper, couldn't smell the olibanum. There's a subtle sweetness to it as it dries down a bit which could be either the olibanum OR the liquorice, hard to tell. DESCRIPTION: "middle notes are Birch, Licorice, Leather and PepperwoodTM;" MY EXPERIENCE: Definitely get the pepper wood and that campfire smell from the birch. Liquorice very subtle, just a hint of that anise sweetness. Couldn't for the life of me smell any leather. DESCRIPTION: "base notes are Cedar and Vetiver." MY EXPERIENCE: Cedar comes through subtly since the middle and top notes linger around in waves for quite a while, so can only notice in the gaps. Couldn't really discern the vetiver smell, but it did smell like an outdoor campfire so maybe the vetiver subtly contributed to an outdoorsy vibe. I wouldn't call it smokey, but to me it smells like burnt wood after the smoke has mostly gone away. Kinda like what's leftover of a campfire thats been going all night on a dampish winter morning. +pepper. If I'm layered up in winter and I spray it on myself and a bit on my clothes, it feels like I'm all cozy and bundled up next to a campfire. I don't wear this in warm weather but it is GREAT when it's cold. The smell also comes in waves rather than a consistent smell. I'll be able to smell it consistently for the first 0.5-2hrs, but afterwards it'll just be random waves of this peppery, burnt wood. I use a lot of it but I definitely don't need to. I just REALLY like the smell. If I don't wear a lot then I often wear it with another fragrance, usually after about 2hrs have passed. Definitely need to sample before getting a whole bottle. When my friends have tried it, not all of them have loved it. A few of my friends didn't like the initial smell but liked it after about 30-60mins when they started to get more of the wood and liquorice notes. If you don't like incense or black pepper in fragrances, don't get it. OVERALL MY EXPERIENCE: smell: 10/10 pepper, incense, campfire longevity: 6/10 Technically lasts long, but not at consistent level. Similar on clothes too. sillage: 2/10 doesn't linger in the air long, so if someone doesn't like the smell it won't stick around much projection: 5/10 Strong initially, then comes in waves. Overall it projects about an arms length away in short bursts, more intimate in the gaps. NOTE: I'd only wear it in cold weather, so it doesn't project super far since it's either on my clothes or it's on my skin under my clothes. Strength: 5/10. Comes in waves. 7/10 initially, then after about an hour it's a 1-2/10 with short bursts of 5-7/10. NOTE: I like the smell so it might not seem as strong to me - my sister who wasn't a fan of the initial smell thought it was overwhelming when first sprayed.

I have been reading reviews of Black for a while now and finally decided to bite the bullet and purchase a bottle... and I am SO glad I did! Black is a fragrance that actually lives up to its name! I tend to get colors from fragrances, some change colors throughout the day based on the phase of the scent at that moment in time, Black however, remains true to it's name. That is exactly what I get out of this, Black... PITCH Black, without a trace of light. This one also give me a "story". Closing my eyes I am transported to a city street. A hot day quickly turns into a brisk overcast night. A power failure has eliminated all sources of light around me. I stand on a freshly paved city road experiencing a tar type scent. Incense wafts from the open door of a nearby church. Remnants of arc welding smoke drift in from the scaffolding of a new building under construction. A spice shop across the way adds to the odors filling the air around me. An ominous feeling comes over me, something is about to happen, but what? Maybe an exorcism in the Church? My senses are heightened. All around me is silent, except for the creaking of my leather jacket as I breath in and out. Wow! Black is a Very intense complex scent. Mysterious, raw, untamed and sensual, almost like having forbidden fruit in your hand, getting ready to take a bite, but stopping to ask yourself if you should. Hanging on the edge of light and darkness. Black opens with an incense, licorice and heavy pepper vibe on my skin that is almost clove like to my nose. As it begins to dry down a slight vetiver and leather start to make its way through the darkness and mingle. I agree that is has some similarities to Avignon, but Black folds Avignon's chruchy scent into it own dark world. It is a small part of this scent. Overall a VERY good scent for a person that enjoys darker / heavier scents, but certainty not for the faint of heart. Bottom line: If you lean towards clean fresh scents, this one is NOT for you. But if you like heavy, dark, almost ominous, scents you should give this one a try.

I never thought I would say this, but Black is as close as a signature scent gets for me. It is dark, dark without drowning in the ever-obligatory amber. Unapologetically dark- I love it! I now wear it everyday (I never wear deodorant, I wear perfumes instead) and I noticed how Black even brings out the best from other fragrances- likely because the olibanum adapts well. Black is one of the greats in the land of smokes. Upon testing it, I have worn it throughout the week to see how it held up and it did not disappoint me at all. Eventually, I am so happy to have gotten a full bottle of "Black". I compared Black to other fragrances before I ordered a bottle. Perfumer H's "Smoke" is very similar to Comme des Garcons' "Black", but Comme des Garcons is the obvious winner to me. CdC has what Le Labo's "Patchouli" and "Guaiac" are lacking for me: they only project tar for a very short duration and much weaker than other smokes. It outperforms other smoke fragrances, while being only an Eau de Toilette instead of an EdP. Black is not completely original in the birch tar and olibanum range, it is even reminiscent of Oudh Palao and Shalimar, but it holds its own spot as a beautifully dark scent that does not go down the path of ambering itself down (I know it has got an amber note, but that is not the same as being watered down by it). What has been said about Black not being for "soft types" is true. I am not at all genderfluid nor unisex, but as a more dominant/diva type, this suits me. Black has great longevity, given that it is an EdT. Actually, the projection and longevity are insane. Better than most niche fragrances I have ever worn (which are a lot). 9/10.

I've grown to love all the landmarks of CdG perfumery, it is maybe my favorite brand at the moment, and, knowing that, I could safely assume I'll love this one. However, it failed to fulfill my expectations. To make things clear, I love the juice. The first star of the fragrance is black pepper, with lots of it in the opening, along with, for CdG, traditional incenses of different kinds. Later, the scent pyramid is dominated by both artifacts of the opening, but primarily birch tar, and a lot of it. You can totally feel the color of black through the composition. The final stage is a surprisingly dark vetiver, combined with birch and maybe liquorice, but definitely not a sweet variety of it - this scent has absolutely nothing even remotely sweet in it. Now, the trouble is, I want Black to be stronger. And seeing these numbers here really baffles me, since I had to reapply it at first in order to feel anything, and, even after that, the scent evaporated within two hours. I tried it again in few days and the same thing happened. It also stays close to the skin, but that would be all right with me if only it lasted longer. Those two hours were magnificent, dark, heavy in a great way. Original. But those two hours were, well, two hours. Like someone said, I want Black Intense. I'd save money for that, really. That would be as awesome as any CdG ever. I'll surely try this a few more times in order to try to change the perspective. Until now, it's just too short-lasting. 8/10, just because it's so daring and unique. Otherwise, it would be much lower.

Hypnotic smoke 👁️💭 Have you ever been addicted to smoke before? I find smoke accord when used in the right amount can add a beautiful depth and luxurious touch to a fragrance. But I never expected to find a fragrance dominated by smoke accord to be as equally appealing. BLACK is an amazing smokey perfume that manage to highlight this particular accord with the mixture of incense, spicy black pepper and balsamic olibanum notes to create a smoke accord so beautifully executed that it almost hypnotic for the one who smells. It has an effect that coming from inhaling slow burning bakhoor (wood chip) so the smoke is never come across heavy or suffocating. In fact it is very addictive and pleasing to the nose. The rest of the notes here are hidden in a very well blended manner and carried smoothly. Ending this wonderful journey the smoke accord begin to calm down and powdery aldehydic accord seamlessly begin filling the composition. It lift the experience become brighter and goes into comforting state. I find this fragrance is very sexy too because it has the mysterious aspect in which only a person with great self esteem can wear it confidently. It wears amazing in all weather especially in the hot which is contrary to all other smokey counterparts I have in my collection. If you love Maison Margiela by The Fireplace I highly suggest this to be enjoyed for your summer rotation. Hopefully you can experience this one too and get ready to be hypnotized by it's beauty. #vscentorientreview

Boy is it black! First sniff was like "Did I stand next to a bonfire?" It is dark, black, so gloomy you will instantly feel as if you're in middle of deep dark woods, middle of autumn night and only a small fire warms you. But the smoke is of dry wood, and this is where the birch tar note comes from. For my nose, the smoky note (not incense, IMHO) is harsh. Aromatic? Yes. Warm? Somewhat. Strong? Believe me! But only for two hours. Later it sets down to remain a softer version of previous scent for couple of hours and after about 5 hours it becomes a skin scent. Since young days I enjoyed the smell of burning dry wood. Not rotten or wet wood which makes bitter smoke. Because of this, it was a blind buy. From the comments here I was expecting something not that strong (or maybe I'm too sensitive). But that is a positive impression, don't get me wrong. If you're a bonfire kid like me, go for it. If you don't want a common smell, go for it (this is niche, duh!) This is also not a crowd pleaser but I definitely imagine a gothic/folk/medieval fest where this smell could be a common one. ***EDIT 05/03/2022*** So after some 3 months of wearing I can say that it really isn't that harsh! Aromatic notes seem to be dominating. It is still black smoky, but I feel that it is not offensive at all. Definitely not a borderline wearable - more like a strong and distinctive but decently wearable.

Bought it as a Xmas present for myself. After sampling more than a 100 niche fragrances in different luxury perfumeries, and buying dozens of 1 ml samples, I've finally decided on this one. It smells like something burning on a cold winter's night and gives off a very distinct vibe. I think that it is similar to Incense Avignon (which is a nice frag too, along with Montale Full Incense and Heeley Cardinal. Damn, those smell a 100% alike), however I find this much more wearable. It is still in the category of "strange and far from popular taste" fragrances, but if we imagine that family as a continuum (rather than a homogeneous group), with probably some oudish monsters at the very end, this is quite close to where it starts. This means that while even the average Joe and Joellyn can smell that this is something unusual and bitter, they won't tell you that you stink like some sort of animal covered in its own sheit, but enjoy every sniff that they get from you instead. I don't get why people complain about the longevity and sillage, after only 3 sprays, my classmates said that they got hit in the head by it, even outdoors. The following day, I had sprayed 2 on my neck in the afternoon, and my girlfriend said that she could smell it the following morning.

I bought this b/c I have a 30 Ml of TF Black Lacquer that I am guarding with my life & stingy spraying like it's never going to be avl again. Who knows? It may be ruined by reformulation, so I need to be gentle. I want to smell just like that my entire life, 24 hours a day.. ANYway, I read this was very similar & I love Leather, Incense, Black Pepper, & LICORICE?? OH YEAH! I did read a review on this that mentioned molasses cookies & I def get that too! I faintly get a Clove note, but wish it had more. maybe I am wanting some nuclear cinnamon in this. What stands out here to me more than anything is for sure the Smoke. I LOVE it! I will update after a few days of wear,..drydown..dousing myself,.. on clothes, etc.. As a first impression, I see the similarities, but I also see the differences. If anyone knows of something that smells even more like TFBL, PLEASE let me know. This is more Smoke & more Masculine leaning to me. I AM loving this tho! Update~ Worn this everyday since I got it. I feel the same, I love it, altho TFBL just cannot be beat, it just doesn't last long. This has better longevity for sure. NatalieN on Youtube.

A gorgeous, dark, warm and comforting scent built on a shapely cedar/vetiver base. Opening with some resins and ethereal incense, as do many CdG scents, it is very quickly joined by all the woods and all the pepper one could want, resulting in something not dissimilar to Black Tourmaline or Bvlgari Black, although nowhere near as sweet as the latter thankfully, due to the lack of vanilla. It remains quite linear and sticks pretty close to the skin after an hour or so. It lasts quite well on my skin, unlike what some have suggested in earlier reviews. Black is perfectly unisex, delightfully different, as are most offerings from this house, and a bottle is really quite affordable by niche standards, although not everyone would consider CdG niche. They certainly are in my book though, if only for their high strike rate with avant garde, artisan scents you'll rarely find in a department store or on many people in a crowd. I really love this offering, it's right up there in my favorites from Comme des Garcons and I've experienced or owned a large number of them. A definite two thumbs up from me!

This might actually be one of my favorite perfumes ever. It smells like tar, smoke, wood and liquorice - although the smoke definitely dominates here. If I had to imagine situations for this, it would be a dark, underground bar with cigars and old leather seats. Or an old, vintage office that you see in movies. This is a true fragrance bomb. It‘ll last forever, even though it‘s just an EdT! It‘s strong, moody and dark - definitely a night/winter fragrance. You can, of course, wear it at any time though. However, it has a few downsides to me as well. First of all: the bottle. It‘s so boring and cheap looking, I hate it. CdG has so many fantastic designs, even simple ones. Why is this one so boring..? Also, the smell in it‘s first few seconds. It‘s so overpowering, strong and alcoholic, just don‘t be around anyone after spraying it on. Overall, I think this is a fantastic smell that has it‘s pleasant oddness. You will stick out from the crowd, although not always in a good way. It‘s either you love it or you hate it. And I‘ve heard both opinions while wearing it.

Scratchy, dry, smoky, inky, charcoal-like modern incense - and perhaps the reviews here skew male, but this is firmly unisex in my view. Warming without smothering, the opening burst is all aromatic warm wood with a peppery kick which lasts far far longer on me than Blackpepper, which died within minutes. The birch and tar do give it a feel of outdoors; somehow despite all its darkness, there's a freshness in there too. I thought hints of juniper/cade, not listed, but that might be a weird liquorice cross-contamination effect. Moody and magnificent - thank you so much UK Fragrantian corkscrewcurly for introducing me to this very dapper gent of a scent. ETA: been wearing this more and more as the cold weather draws in, and with enough applied (2-3 sprays in each desired point) this actually lasts very well, though very much contracted after first few hours; it's only left as a skin scent, pretty much exclusively made of incense and mild wood notes, but that skin scent can still be there even 8-9 hours later, which by CDG standards is a marathon.

Well, I can't believe I haven't reviewed this. And I also can't believe my bottle sat on my dresser almost all winter without my wearing this. Wearing it now and mad at myself for treating it as precious. But... it IS precious, make no mistake. It is one of the most intriguing, most well blended, truly masterful scents I've ever tried. But it is challenging. I think I leave it alone a lot because I'm almost afraid to wear it--like what if I accidentally have to make an emergency grocery trip and people smell me and immediately I'm in a crowd of villagers shouting "burn the witch!!" This scent is dark in that way. But anyway, to be more descriptive--it is VERY bonfire-like. and not a fire at a beach party--no--instead, a blazing, nearly out of control fire deep in the woods--probably for a secret ritual. It's a night scent. Very masculine although, as a woman, I have always been unwilling to leave this to the men. I get mostly pepper and smoke/incense, get good longevity and not too much changing or morphing as it wears. A LOVE.

In my quest to find a dark smoky scent I was signposted to what is perceived as a more masculine fragrance and as such I've become quite hooked on "male" perfume, so thank you for that! CdG original is in my top 5, it's my drug of choice, and I adore the CdG DNA overall. I'm definitely more of a unisex type I've come to notice, tired of the fruitchouli hell that mainstream women's fragrances has become. CdG Black is as expected, wonderful; dark, smoky, licorice, tar, burnt embers and ash which is peculiarly very reminiscent and comforting to me. When I was a kid we used to get some very hot summers here in the UK and I'd sit in the back alley and play with the melted tar which was grouted between the cobbles and had now bubbled up into something I thought quite magical. I imagined I was making a potion with this thick, sun-scorched, sticky treacle. CdG Black reminds me of that smell. We didn't have YouTube back then :) To me, this is bold but wearable, dark and dry yet extremely suitable for women.

8.5/10 for me. A very unique fragrance to say the least, like most of Comme des Garçons offering. That's why I love the brand. The fragrances smell niche but at a designer price point and the brand isn't afraid to experiment. The opening is definitely smells strongly of licorice but unlike other reviewers I can't for the life of me pick up the black pepper note, but I think that's just me. After like 20-30 minutes you start to smell the tar and incense and it settles into a nice woody scent. When I smell this fragrance, I picture a pine forest at night. This would've been a 10/10 if not for the longevity and sillage. On my skin, it only lasts for 4 hours before becoming a skin-scent and the sillage isn't great either. But I can forgive these aspects just for the smell of it, especially at the price (got it for like 95$ for 100ml which is on par with most mass-appealing designer fragrances) Hope this review helps. P.S my classmate thought I was wearing D&G The One so make of that what you will.

This was the first cologne I ever purchased when I was 18, as a total blind buy. I really liked the aesthetic of Comme Des Garçons, and I figured I would try their fragrance off the title and aesthetic alone. I read that cedar was the main ingredient, but WOW. This stuff smells like you just walked into a northwoods sauna. Warm, woody, and refreshing. No floral notes at all, just straight wood and smokiness. The only sweetness I can detect is from the birchwood I pick up on. My brother loved this scent so much he would not stop bothering me for it, so I sold it to him and it's now his signature (and only) cologne. I wish I wouldn't have sold it, I'll definitely be on the lookout for another bottle. Growing up in northern Minnesota and smelling these scents all the time, no matter where I go this scent is almost like a piece of home. The great northwoods. Not an every occasion cologne, but is definitely very nostalgic and would love to wear it whenever I go back home. 9.4/10

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again... at this point Comme Des Garçons can do no wrong. I love everything I’ve smelled from them and I continue to purchase from them because the fragrances are just so unique. CDG does incense like no one else does. With that being said, Black is exactly that... if black were a fragrance here you go. For me I get black pepper, burnt wood, sweet smoke, licorice, and the incense DNA that CDG does so well. Black is very churchy and gothic, but not like say Avignon. There’s a birch tar note as well, but it’s not smoldering. I get vintage leather jacket and smoke. I wear this scent when I go out. This is sexy and sophisticated. I feel great wearing this fragrance along with black clothing, and my Schott leather biker jacket. That’s the vibe here. While this is labeled as unisex, Black is very masculine. Also I don’t think this is meant for the younger crowd. Black (my personal opinion) is geared towards an older mature crowd.

If obsidian shards could be cooked and thus release an aroma, they would smell of CDG Black. This is black pepper incense, plumes of forest smoke, cinder cone daydreams and licorice-scented vinyl records that would play public service announcements on conservation. Black is that delicious Maillard reaction on toasted marshmallows on a campfire, sands sweetness, sans gooey. Peppery charcoal pillows, glowing embers at dusk, comforting warm tar on a cool, shivering night: this is what Black feels. The trigeminal nerve tickling black pepper eclipses the smoke in its heart, embedding itself into rubber: Never, ever had a lover who put the pedal to the metal and burn rubber on me, Charlene, oh, no—kinda rubber. It would make Bvlgari Black and Jacomo de Jacomo blush. It mellows into creeping root stalks of vetiver, toasted oat morsels, and the most realistic driest sauna cedarwood accord—heavenly. CDG Black is a fragrance for the books, my favorite smoky scent.

coming back to add that my edgy friends did not like this.. they said it was too much. well damn! im not alternative like that and i think i can pull it off. it is edgy and goth and mysterious and dark and AH just sooooo sexy. i bought a full bottle for me and my boyfriend to share. has great projection. it is truly a masterpiece !!! the picture that comes to mind is a... grey foggy beach with an old ship washed up on the shore... it reminds me of wearing an all black wool outfit... it is so cool and grounding. i truly love it. when i first smelled it in store it was love at first sniff. we bought a sample later to remember what it smelled like and to really make an educated decision. the sample ran out and we couldnt get enough. its beautiful. you must try it if you desire coming off as a mysterious person. and btw i hate the taste of licorice ? so i would think id also hate the smell but i really dont. so dont let those reviews scare you <3

When I bought this I meant to gift it to a friend who I thought would appreciate what seemed to me an almost caricature of a masculine smell, it was giving me tar and leather, something my scandinavian ancestors would rub their skin in to scare off the mosquitoes. However, I ended up trying on 3 full sprays on the same day of buying it, going to an outdoor rave on a sunny spring afternoon. I was only there for one hour, several people told me how good I smelled instantly when greeting me, one proclaiming SAGE after hugging me. Afterwards I went to a french restaurant, and I just felt overall fabulous in a genderfluid way, getting small whiffs of black pepper all night. I went to bed smelling like I had been in proximity of a bonfire. I will keep this scent for myself and honestly think this could be my everyday perfume.