Anchor Black

I must admit, I was intrigued by Encre Noire and its flankers. Had been thinking about buying it or EN Sport for a while, but hadn't due to the polarizing nature of the reviews. Some folks say it's great; others trash. Not expensive by any means, but considering my 150-bottle (give or take) collection, I really didn't want to blind buy and waste $25 on something I might hate... but that didn't stop me from being intrigued. In walks Anchor Black. Amazon's algorithm suggests it for me. I do a minute's worth of research, and decided to take the plunge. Ended up being $13 (after coupon)... and with free shipping, I figured why not? It was waiting for me last night when I arrived home after work. Opened it up and gave it a spray. It smelled like NOTHING. I could barely detect any scent at all. Reminded me of my first experience with the Molecule fragrances. After a few wears, you start to detect the subtle nuances, and so long as you aren't expecting to be knocked over by it, you come to appreciate it for what it is. It is what it is. I sprayed it on before going to bed. Woke up this morning, and smelled nothing. Well, I could smell something. It was faint and dark. Like dirt. The reviewers were right. Not good or bad, still not sure what to make of it? One of the points I heard YouTube influencers make over and over again about EN was the strong Vetiver note... which I couldn't detect. Truth be told, I wouldn't know what vetiver smelled like if a half-ton of it fell from the sky and buried me. When I applied it again this morning, I decided to layer it with Fattan, which is a vetiver-heavy clone of Terre d'Hermes. This brightened it up. A lot. So I'm still not sure what to think about Anchor Black as a standalone fragrance... but I think it will layer well with any number of the fragrances in my collection. If you want to use it as a layering base, for 13 bucks AB definitely has its place. It's interesting, to say the least, and I will continue to go back to this. On its own, AB doesn't last very long and doesn't project very much. But it for sure smells nice layered with Fattan. I will try it next with Afnan Supremacy Noir. I notice this scent profile intrigued me. I kept spraying it on in the evenings around the house. There's just something about it? After a few wears, I realize I absolutely loved it! And so do others. Women I work with draw in close and take a deep breath. Often they don't say anything, other than I smell good (and they've never smelled anything like it before). So I went and bought the entire EN line (Sport, a la Extreme, and Indigo). All have gotten rave reviews! They're similar, yet distinct enough, to warrant buying them all without being redundant. As mentioned before, AB is a great layering base. I typically spray this on, then apply the other EN scents on top. Or use with vetiver or orange (Fattan/TdH), incense (Afnan Supremacy Incense), or Cypress (Afnan Supremacy Noir) to bring out the notes. The possibilities are endless here. Thanks, MA, for coming up with Anchor Black. This is a great low-cost introduction to this rather unique line. Definitely a fan!

Someone asked me to write a second review of this fragrance and compare it to Lalique Encre Noire, the original, not the flankers. First, I have seen old stock photos of Maison Alhambra Anchor Black, and it was indeed called Maison Alhambra Archer Black. I have a theory that there are brand, copyright or legal issues around some dupe fragrances, and changing the names can perhaps help the dupe creators to manage that. Just a theory I came up with when I saw Maison Alhambra Kismet Angel was renamed Kismet Magic. Onward. Anchor Black is strong and lasts longer than Encre Noire. Anchor Black lists "spices" at the top of the notes. Encre Noire does not. That makes sense, because Encre Noire is more forest and pine needle than Anchor Black. Both have the "dentist office" angle, a medicinal note reminiscent of the clove-derived Eugenol that dentist offices use as a disinfectant. Other sources attribute the dentist office scent to a combination of Eugenol and the scent of ground teeth. I think it's all just the Vetiver (English) or Vetyver (French). Same thing, just spelled differently. Here are the Encre Noire notes from Lalique's site: Cypress, Vetyver, Bourbon and Haitian Vetyver, Cashmere Wood and Musk. It's harder to pin down the Anchor Black notes. This site says: Spices, Vetiver; Kashmir Wood and Musk. Very similar on paper. Very similar in many other ways as well. Encre Noire is very inexpensive on discount sites, but I find the discounted bottles still cost more than Anchor Black. Vetiver can be smoky, earthy and damp. It can also be fresh and citrusy. Anchor Black smells more smoky, earth and damp with a "spicy" edge. Encre Noire smells a bit more fresh and citrusy. But at their cores, they are very similar. Both are herbal, woody, like a forest, as others have said. I love Vetiver, so I don't care if this fragrance causes me to have occasional flashbacks of having my teeth cleaned. The rest of the time I find it to be both comforting and sophisticated at all at once, a heady walk in the woods. I can see how the black bottle and packaging, combined with the earthy, damp forest might cause people to call it dark and gothic, especially if your walk in the woods is enroute to the cemetery.

This is a new one for me. Dark forest fragrance with vetiver, musk and wood. I do have a history of loving vetiver. Just because it's not sweet or floral doesn't mean it can't be loved and worn by a woman. I have seen this fragrance mentioned in lists of "goth" scents. I find that interesting and intriguing. I personally enjoy it. Moderate projection, last all day on clothing. I'm waiting for my Encre Noire A L'Extreme Lalique and Encre Noire Lalique to be delivered this week. We'll see how they all compare. Great price on this. Worth it for me.

I got this fragrance today. Idk if its a different batch but mine is a cylinder wooden cap. i cant find any difference between this one and the og. i miss this smell so much. i bought the og 2 times before but sold it. this is very good for the price. one way to describe the smell, a creature called mother nature digging some soil under the three looking for peanuts in a light rain environment. ahhh heaven

Oh come on! There is not much to criticize or defend here. This Anchor/Archer Black is close enough to Encre Noir original to pass for a flanker: sweeter, softer but not as extremely as L'Extreme, this one less expensive (both show up with unstable prices). I love it, but I will surely return to Encre Noir.

I only spent 6€ on this one so I didn't expect it to be anything special. However, it's very close to the original and I can say that I like it a little more than the Encre Noir. Of course, it lags in performance, but for only €6, who cares?

Just picked up anchor black for 15 on amazon. Very vetiver forward scent. Smells upscale like you'd wear it while dressed up. Lasts a long time for me and projects decent. This is a clone of encre noir.

Woody and mysterious. I paid $14 for it. Well worth the blind buy.

If you aren't a frag head, this will smell very similar to EN. If you love and own all of Lalique's vetiver offerings like I do, this probably won't get much wear time. It is less complex, lasts only about 30 minutes with 6 sprays, and the vetiver accord smells thinner and of slightly lower quality than EN. The cypress note of EN is hardly detectable in AB. It isn't bad in the absolute, only suffers relatively. Connecting to my long-winded peer's comments below, this will serve as a slightly less expensive alternative to EN in those countries where Lalique is either unavailable or too expensive due to customs or tariffs, but the rest of us are still going to want to stick with Lalique for the extra $8 per bottle.

It has a dark mysterious aura, not very versatile but very pleasing indeed, imagine wandering in a forest while it's raining Longevity isn't great lasts 4 hours and projects 1 hour but it is insanely cheap so who cares The bottle design isn't great and the cap comes off easily, the atomizer kind of sucks but overall this is a very nice fragrance

I’m on my third bottle of the OG. My curiosity about whether they could replicate that gem led me to buy this bottle of... water. YES, the DNA is there, but it’s as if they’d used a drop of the OG and filled the rest with air and water – not even alcohol. Disappointed. I finished it off in a couple of weeks as a bed linen freshener.

Ok let me take roll call now of everyone in the comments Incoming lecture on the absurd hypocracy of most of these comments...(incoming rant) (one thats necessary) Frankly, the absence of self-awareness in this comment section is quite remarkable. @Coriemulvey questions the existence of this fragrance when the original is priced similarly, which indicates they have not contemplated the fundamental idea of global distribution. Encre Noire may be considered 'inexpensive' in their location, but in many regions worldwide, it is either unavailable, subject to high taxes, or sold at double the price. The creation of an alternative by Maison Alhambra is not futile. This concept is known as supply and demand, and not everyone has access to a Macy’s nearby. Then we have @mischiefviousaroma, who exclaims, 'why the hell does this even exist' while listing Club de Nuit Intense Man as a favorite. This is akin to criticizing knockoffs while wearing a counterfeit Rolex. If one intends to gatekeep, they should at least refrain from revealing their own hypocrisy in the process...tragic @Gravemind98 contributes nothing constructive to the conversation, only unnecessary hostility. Reviewing their comment history resembles reading someone argue with their own reflection. (telling others to kil themselves in other comment sections...really @gravemind98...embarrassing smh) One cannot demand positivity from others while dedicating their entire online presence to complaints. This behavior is not criticism btw it is projection. Additionally, there are individuals whose fragrance collections are filled with dupes, yet they suddenly adopt moral standards when Maison Alhambra produces similar products. They behave as if the existence of Anchor Black is a significant affront to perfumery, when in truth, it is merely another brand catering to markets that Lalique does not serve. The same individuals who feign a defense of 'authenticity' are the ones who keep dupe houses thriving through their own purchases. @mrlepur is the sole individual who truly comprehends the situation. They recognize that fragrance is not solely a Western-centric pastime. It is global, cultural, and economically varied. Not everyone can locate Lalique in their local shops, and not everyone is willing to incur international shipping costs for a bottle of Encre Noire. This is the reason for the existence of Anchor Black. It is not merely about affordability for privileged consumers; it is about accessibility for billions of individuals beyond the confines of the Western market. They seem to operate under the delusion that affordability is the only reason a dupe exists, completely ignoring factors like supply chain logistics, geographic availability, import costs, and cultural influence. The truth is that not every region in the world has the same access to Lalique or other “affordable” Western brands. When an Arab house like Maison Alhambra recreates something and puts it in global circulation, it isn’t redundancy, it’s accessibility. It’s smart business and inclusive market scaling. The irony is that many of these self-proclaimed purists are unknowingly proving the exact point they’re trying to discredit. They worship duplication under one label and condemn it under another, exposing their opinions as less about principle and more about performative elitism. In other words, they’re not fragrance connoisseurs. They’re just consumers who believe their proximity to a bottle of Encre Noire qualifies as expertise. And yet, amidst the noise, a few intelligent voices recognize the larger reality. Maison Alhambra, and houses like it, aren’t copying for the sake of imitation. They’re filling a global demand the so-called “originals” never cared to reach. That’s not lack of creativity, that’s market dominance executed with precision Tell me you just discovered import taxes without telling me. Being completely naive about why dupe houses exist while proudly owning bottles from those same brands is honestly embarrassing. I can already picture half of you spraying on your Lattafa or Armaf and convincing yourselves it’s the original...cope harder

Very identical with encre noire, the intension was to create a clone relatively the same with Encre noire, which that particular one has succeeded. In terms of the longevity is slightly less in contrast with the original Encre noire and the scent profile is the same, however does not have the similar quality. In conclusion, if it is doable to manage to purchase it at half the price of the other original one, don’t hesitate at all.

Why would u need a clone of Encre Noire? I guess it's okay if Encre Noire is hard to find and this is the only "alternative" that's available

Hi ! Fragrantica, the name is ANCHOR BLACK not Archer Black .no one will find it if you dont corrige the name

This is Encre Noire. Ive both. Theyre the same scent. Literally the same. This is a bit weaker.

isn't the og encre noir like 20 bucks and some change? why would they make a dupe of it? lol

Why would you buy a clone of Encre Noire when Encre Noire costs the same as the clone?

@Morgoth0108 Thanks; no info, maybe one of there flanker ?

@Coriemulvey maybe stronger juice ? EDP vs EDT ?