Black Gold

Mancera Black Gold EDP opens with a strong projection of floral, citruses, spicy, leather, and some oud notes. The opening is mature, elegant, unique, projecting, and refined. The lavender, cinnamon, violet, jasmine, leather, and oud are the opening most noticeable notes. The lavender, violet, and jasmine create a neutral floral accord that presents itself as fresh, clean, herbal, sweet, white floral, mildly powdery, and airy. The oud and leather are also part of the opening, both create a very refined accord, far from animalic or pungent, but bold, elegant, and delicate. The opening oud in this fragrance is closer to the scent of a very refined dark wood as opposed to the musky oud found in oud-predominant fragrances. Similarly, the leather is very polished and noticeable. The cinnamon and nutmeg are one small step behind, with a spicy, and warm touch but barely sweet. Calmly, the fragrance moves to its dry down without any drastic changes; the rose, patchouli, and vetiver come up a few steps behind with a faint floral and green touch. The woody notes grow from their initial shy presence and move to the top place with a very polished, elegant, and fine wood accord. The musk and amber are support notes, just a whiff in the backstage. The fragrance has a smooth opening to dry down transition, the opening favors the floral, spicy, leather, and woody oud notes, this lineup of notes is brief as the fragrance moves to its dry down very quickly; at its dry down, the very polished leather and woody notes grow, the oud blends behind the woody notes, and a mild white musk and amber note develop to support the fragrance. The last noticeable change is the projection, which takes a small step down from strong to moderate. Once Mancera Black Gold EDP has reached its full dry down, it can be summarized as a moderate projection, woody, leather, floral, lavender, violet, jasmine, spicy, cinnamon, and nutmeg fragrance with some green, rose, oud, musk, and ambery accords. The fragrance feels airy, elegant, exotic, expensive, white and powdery floral, formal, high-quality, leathery, long-lasting, masculine, mature, modern, nicely-blended, persistent, mildly powdery, professional, pure, refined, sharp, sophisticated, woody, and pleasant. BATCH REVIEWED: 2019 WOW RATING: 10/10. An impressive, polished, and elegant fragrance. DISLIKE RATING: 2/10. The fragrance contains leathery and oud notes, refined and polished but noticeable. UNIQUENESS: 10/10. The combination of notes creates a unique and distinguishable fragrance. MASS APPEAL: 7/10. This is a professional, elegant fragrance, pleasing but not a crowd-pleaser. PROJECTION: 5/10. Very good, about five feet around the wearer. SILLAGE: 6/10. Excellent, about 6 feet behind the wearer. APPLICATION: 4 atomizations. LONGEVITY: 6/10. Very good, about 6 hours, it projects well for over 4 hours. SEASONS: Winter, spring, fall, colder days, daytime, nighttime, and climate-controlled environments. OCCASIONS: Formal events, office, business. This is an office-friendly fragrance. VERSATILITY: 7/10. Very good, a great fragrance for professional, business, and office wear. GENDER: Masculine. The noticeable wood, leather, and mild oud lean the fragrance to the masculine side. AGES: 30 and above. RECOMMENDATION: Mancera Black Gold can be found discounted for about $100. It is a very elegant, professional, and unique fragrance. This is a great buy. BLIND-BUY: No, sample it first. SIMILAR: These are examples of fragrances in the same genre. AllSaints Leather Skies EDP is a low projection but pleasant, sweet resinous cistus, sandalwood, leather, incense, and smoky olibanum fragrance; Amouage Epic Man is a great, intense, smokey incense, spicy nutmeg, and leather fragrance; Azzaro Pour Homme EDT is a great, strong, mature, leather, very spicy, woody, and green fragrance; Chanel Egoiste Platinum EDT is a great cedar, vetiver, and oakmoss fragrance; Issey Miyake Nuit D’Issey EDT Men is a very good, dark, incense, and green fragrance; John Varvatos Dark Rebel Rider is a good, short-lived, dark, incense, tobacco, and leather fragrance; Mancera Aoud Lemon Mint features citrus, oud, and green notes, and it is very versatile and pleasant, ideal for those looking for a softer oud; Mancera Gold Intensitive Aoud is woody, floral, and musky, the musk is more prominent; Mercedes-Benz Club Black EDT Men is superb, sweet vanilla, benzoin, smoky incense, and woody fragrance; Mancera Black Gold EDP is a great, mild, woody, leather, floral, lavender, violet, jasmine, spicy, cinnamon, and nutmeg fragrance. SUMMARY: A moderate projection, woody, leather, floral, lavender, violet, jasmine, spicy, cinnamon, and nutmeg fragrance with some green, rose, oud, musk, and ambery accords. The fragrance feels airy, elegant, exotic, expensive, white and powdery floral, formal, high-quality, leathery, long-lasting, masculine, mature, modern, nicely-blended, persistent, mildly powdery, professional, pure, refined, sharp, sophisticated, woody, and pleasant.

Stunning and powdery lavender heavy scent with spices, florals, woods and musk plus a few more notes thrown in for good measure! Plenty of quality ingredients that amalgamate to produce a gorgeously aromatic and quite unique take on the barbershop/fougere style of perfume. What you get is a pungent, very noticeable attention grabbing scent that'll initially project for a couple of metres, lasting an hour or two. It drops off slowly for another 2 -3 hours until it becomes a very pleasant skin scent that lasts for many hours more. It's really difficult to know where to recommend who, where, when and why to wear this fragrance such is the individuality of Black Gold. It's probably more for a well presented slightly older man who can either dress up to look effortlessly impeccable or is one of those fellas that looks and dresses like an aging rockstar but carries it off! 😂. I also think this would be amazing on the right woman, think bohemian-chic or again the rock chick style done well! To me it smells niche and gives off the vibes of someone who is reasonably wealthy but doesn't ever mention it, but everyone knows by their effortless style and laid-back, charismatic demeanour. You know the bastards I mean! 😆 Strangely, I often wear this when it's approaching bedtime! Something about the powerful, vintage lavender aroma just comforts me! I'll still be able to detect it easily upon waking the following day too. But, I've happily worn this in the heat and cold of the day, out and about on errands and trips or functions in the evening. It's fair to say this is a versatile scent but only if it's your thing! It's one aroma I think it's imperative to try and sample if possible due to being so different to the mainstream, having said that I can't imagine many people outright disliking it! I love it and so do the women in my life, no I'm not a Casanova! 😆 I'm talking about my wonderful wife, miserable older teenage daughter, also a couple of lady (and one male) neighbours all mentioned my scent while chatting in the street, all approved. Very well priced, above average performance and something a little different that'll make a great, easily identifiable signature scent, standing out amongst most other fragrances.

// EDIT: Below is a review for a '21 batch. I got a' 17 batch instead and it's very different: linear, lavender soap heavy, doesn't do that wonderful barbershop -> leather and patchouli + amber transition. Stays lavender + oud + aquatic fresh till the very end. BUT - it has better longevity. It's confusing as hell, I know. // So this starts out as a modern take on a barbershop fragrance but then throws you a curveball! Pretty quickly the lavender opening makes way for some (non-feminine...) florals, a slight aquatic note, and leather comes in a really big way but keeping things edgy. This is not leather ala 'Bentley For Men Intense' - it's a lot more polished and smoothed out. It's not heavy or difficult to wear at all and quite stylish. The further this stays on my skin, the more it transitions to - again, think it's important to note this for the guys - to my nose non-feminine floral note along with some soft amber now making it's way up there with the leather. Lavender is still around but gently whispering along with the other notes. This is an aromatic and spicy affair for a fair bit. A nicely balanced one. /edit - forgot to add at some point the patchouli makes it's presence with a soft, well balanced earthy feel as well. This is dense but somehow keeping it light in the air (if you don't overspray). Doesn't come off heavy off you at all. It's an easy profile that's a joy to wear. Not a soapy fragrance! From the bottle it does indeed smell like lavender soap as someone mentioned, but that's a very small and temporary part of what you get when you spray. I thought it would stay close to the body but I just wore 3-4 sprays on an outdoors gathering well into the early morning (so summer, but chilly at night) and everyone could pick it up around me for hours. I'd pick up whiffs and had a sense of my own bubble for quite awhile. Got a few obvious compliments - sadly, from guys only... I actually dilute this one with Molecule 01. Haha. I got it to give a boost to weak fragrances, not dilute a good perfumer!! Matter of preference but I think it also helped with projection and longevity. 2 sprays of Molecule 01 under every spray of Black Gold. Like sharply transitioning to Love! Signature worthy IMO!

Mancera Black Gold: A Masterpiece of Lavender, Spice, and Elegance From the first spray, Mancera Black Gold captivates with a harmonious blend of lavender, cinnamon, citrus, and nutmeg. The lavender offers a clean, refined freshness, while the citrus brings a bright, invigorating lift. The nutmeg and cinnamon add just the right touch of spice—warming but never overwhelming, creating a balanced, sophisticated opening that feels both polished and inviting. As it develops, the heart reveals a beautiful complexity: rose, violet, and jasmine unfold in soft layers, adding floral elegance without tipping into sweetness. It's masculine, but with real grace. The base of leather, amber, and vetiver grounds the scent with warmth and smooth depth—a comforting, confident finish that lingers close to the skin like a tailored jacket still warm from the sun. And then there’s the oud. I normally avoid oud scents, but here? It’s seamlessly woven in—supportive, not dominant. I barely notice it, yet I know it’s doing important work in the background, adding that quiet richness that makes everything else shine. What surprises me most is how versatile this fragrance is. Black Gold fits effortlessly across seasons and settings—elegant enough for formal wear, grounded enough for daily use (dressed casual), and smooth enough to transition into the evening. It feels at home in both sharp tailoring and soft knitwear. I wore it on an important professional night, a hit. If you're looking for a fragrance that offers freshness without being cold, warmth without being loud, and elegance without pretense, Mancera Black Gold is it. A quietly confident scent—timeless, modern, and deeply satisfying.

I have, I don't know, five hundred fragrances (majority niche although I don't like that term), and if any of them deserves to be worn in winter with a suit, it is this one. The one I would wear for summer with a suit in a similar way would be Amouage Honour Man. I know people like Prada L'Homme and its intense variant, so do I, and they are more likeable, but this one is more of a statement. Day time fall/winter, dressed up, you can't go wrong. Clean lavender, musk and spices, and that musk gives it a soapy clean nuance. Fragrance snobs will not likely look down on this one, but those who flex with terrible cheaply made LVs (that also smell soapy) would do, because it's not enough flex for them...childish! Oh I forgot to mention, this is for men, and if your beard doesn't need a daily shave, then you're too young for it, sorry. There is one other fragrance that serves a similar purpose in my collection, and I like it as much as this one despite smelling very different, and that is Vertus Monarch. I can wear both of them without ending up self conscious, believe me, I would like to wear Amouage Purpose, or Jubilation 40, and/or TF Tobacco Vanille, but for a business meeting they are a bit too strong, don't get me wrong, they are all subjectively better fragrances, but I just wanted to highlight the fact that this is suitable for a specific purpose.

This has been my daily wear for over a year now, so it feels right for this this to be first frag review. The scent itself: It opens with jasmine and citrus, and cinnamon in the background. As it dries down, it settles into a lavender-musky base, think a refined, soft barbershop vibe. It's a floral masculine smell done right imo. Performance: Longevity is solid. I can't give a hour-by-hour breakdown, but I'm still catching it on myself after a full day of work from a morning spray (3-5 sprays). The projection is worth noting too, pretty good but it's not cloying, It's more of an airy presence, something you'll catch a whiff of rather than something that creates scent bubble. Have I gotten compliments wearing it? Yes, but I wouldn't call it a compliment getter. But people will smell it though if they're around you. Final thought: I wear this fragrance everyday bc I find It's unique without being offensive and clean without being boring. The bottle, the smell, the whole thing, it has to be discovered. That's the best way I can describe it. This isn't a fragrance that is likely to stop someone in their track, or turn heads, or go viral on social media. It doesn't need to, it's not trying to. Refreshing in the era of fast fashion consumerism and attention economy.

#248 in my "Tour de Fragrance" I bought this as a travel spray, tried it for the first time this morning and I just ordered a full-size bottle. First fragrance I've sprayed where I thought, "I want to smell like this for the rest of my life!" The combination of accords literally hits every note I love, except Iris, and the violet and lavender make up for that. This is my favorite of the eight Mancera scents I've tried so far. Long lasting, great projection. I'd spray conservatively, especially if you car-pool, until you've seen for yourself how this works with your skin and clothing. We all know citrus is the most volatile note and doesn't last past the opening in any fragrance, so that shouldn't surprise anyone. If lavender and violet scream "grandma" to you, as rose does to me, then of course you'll hate something that has "Lavender", "Violet" and "Floral" components and will want to avoid this. I can totally pull it off. Among my favorites is Amouage Interlude Black Iris, way more beast mode floral than this, and it's been the top pick of the women who count in my life, all of whom hate "grandma scents" with a white hot hatred, but I expect this to be a hit with them as well.

I read the reviews on here and tried to give it a shot, thinking it would be a feminine-leaning/possibly unisex fragrance. Tested it one time, and I instantly knew it was too masculine for me. Although people are correct in saying it is very floral, it’s also very green/herbal with a beautiful leather-amber combo in the base. There are also lots of spices here, plus some Oud and sea notes, so don’t think it’s just one big bouquet of flowers. I absolutely LOVED it, don’t get me wrong. But, I loved it in the sense of wanting to smell it on a guy. After going back and forth over whether to keep it, I ended up giving it to my friend. He wears fragrance, but he’s not a huge enthusiast with an extensive collection or anything. He smelled this and instantly said, “Oh, yeah. This is a men’s fragrance.” He sprayed one spritz on his hand to test it, and I could still smell it on him over five hours later. I have a feeling it probably lasted several more hours after he went home. He really likes it, so thankfully it found a good owner. But, as someone who wears women’s fragrance almost exclusively, I couldn’t wear something this fougere.

I gave this a glowing review, but I ran into a situation with this. My batch from '21 had it's atomizer crap out on me. No worries - Notino actually change faulty products. However, they shipped me a product in return that's from 2017. The 2017 batch is night and day from the '21 batch. It's very heavy on the lavender, much more linear. The '17 batch smells notably soapy. A reviewer below had commented on it but initially I said I don't get it pass the smell from the actual atomizer/bottle (which smells like lavender soap). But I see in that older batch that's very much the case. This is lavender, oudy, shower gel till the very end. The entire beautiful transition the '21 batch does (I reviewed it below) is not present in this one. Gone are the florals, leather, patchouli... I'm so bummed. HOWEVER - much better longevity. Pushes out for longer, stays for longer. Denser. I'm super confused... but I think I'll try to source a '21 batch again and return this one while I still can. Smelled much nicer, better blended, rounder, not as linear etc. Sorry to be a negative Nancy. Just sharing my experience 🍻

Unique aromatic leather with a hint of something sweet. Its a top notch fragrance. As with most mancera, performance is great. This is an impressive one in my opinion. Edit Alright... this is just simply one of the best ones I've come across. Deep, seductive and warm - without crushing you with the rose/oud that we have come to expect from mancera. Easily one of the best I've smelled. In regard to other reviews - I've had a different experience with this: namely, I can't really pick out the citrus. As I mentioned before, this doesn't blast you with rose/oud like many of the others. Sure, it's in there, but it takes a back seat to the leather and cinnamon - and is further subdued by the patchouli. With that said, it feels very well blended and offers such a pleasing smell that seems to project for quite a while - even with only one spray. While I haven't tested this outside on a hot summer day, it certainly feels like a cool weather scent. It's also easy enough to be an every day grab for those who like a sweet, yet dark aromatic. A+! 8/10

It's quite hard for me to describe and even to explain what occasion is the best one to wear Black Gold, because of how unique it is. This fragrance is so weird, in a good way. It is a fresh, spicy, powdery, and powdery fragrance, but very suitable for the colder days. It is just so pleasant and love at the first sniff for me. The lavender is very dominant here, with cinnamon, violet, jasmine, nutmeg, and leather present too. It is just blended so well, that it makes me addicted to sniff it over and over again after spraying it. It lasts for a very long time on my skin (about 10 hours) Even though I described it as a colder weather fragrance, wearing it in a hot summer day doesn't make me feel nauseous at all. It is one of the best Manceras I've ever smelled and I'm looking forward to have other fragrances from this house just because I think it suits me and my budget really well. It is so worth it for the price. Even though I wouldn't recommend blind buying this one, it's great to at least try it first. A 9/10 for the scent, easily.

This is a fragrance that takes a few wearings to understand. My first wearing I didn’t like it...lavender and more lavender. But this is a really subtle and complex scent. If you spend some time with it you start to get the rose and the vetiver as well as the species. What separates this from most of designer office scents is that it radiates for an entire day. Most designer houses produce the big lavender/fresh soap opening that are brisk and strong but than rapidly dwindle into very weak skin scents after and hour or so...this one is the opposite...it stays at a low boil all day and just pumps out this sophisticated gentlemen’s scent for hours and hours. And that is pretty much true for all Mancera products, they have weak, muted openings but once the thick oil starts to open up on your skin they just radiate all day long. If you haven’t tried this house I highly recommend them. They aren’t trying to sell you at the fragrance counter at the department store so no fancy opening...they are made to last all day and they really do.

Black gold is one of my favorite Mancera fragrances. There's a beautiful opening note of spicy lavender from the cinnamon citrus mix. The Oud almost helps morph the opening into a slighlty smoky dark bouquet 💐 of rose 🌹 and iris. We all know Oud and Rose are the perfect blend like burgers 🍔 and fries 🍟. Toward the end I really got simple light noticeable leather and feint whiffs of vetiver. I sometimes layer another strong vanilla fragrance with it because then you become edible. It's a masculine leaning fragrance but I know ladies that rock this and it's extremely sexy on them😏. 8+ hours of good wear and the sillage; depending on how much your spray, nuclear☢️. (depending on your environment can be great) I spray a ton but if that's not you, be gentle🤣. The prices are great on websites for Black Gold but it's not a safe blind buy unless you know you enjoy Oud Rose combos and are used to oud. Definitely go to a gallery and sample it first. Scent: 7/10 Performance: 8/10 Value: 10/10 Overall: 25/30

This is deep love! Absolute perfection, sensual, erotic scent that I find irresistible. If a man wearing this walked past me, I would faint waving white underwear, surrendering myself to him completely. Gods, I am obsessed! Cinnamon and violet might not be your typical choice of notes in perfumes, but this one is simply a work of art. And the lavender! Nothing medicinal or heavy herbal as you might imagine, no. Simple and soothing, like a Christmas bubble bath together before a night of passion. Candlelight, spiced rum with cinnamon and nutmeg, and the scent of lavender, sea, jasmine and violet. Silken bathrobe waiting for me as it will be the only thing I will wear when we take this to the bedroom. Some perfumes are gorgeous, but forgettable. And some, like this one, can paint a whole picture in your head, intoxicating you, drawing you close. This might be just the very best creation from Mancera, and they have many wins on my front.

This gives straight up “gramps” vibes from the excessive amounts of powdery lavender. It’s not exactly the same as things like Brut or Stetson, but it’s playing in the same sandbox. Old school, green, powdery, some rose... honestly, maybe it is just 50/50 Brut/Stetson. This lasts a long time, projects well enough, but I just don’t think this is for me. And older, more mature man could definitely rock this all year round, though. Edit: by the time I’d finished my sample, I had changed my mind. Not about the review, this is definitely a classic, mature fragrance, but about whether I could rock it. I’d received several compliments while wearing it, and I found I really wound up enjoying this, especially the dry down. So, yes, I can wear it, which I guess makes me an older, more mature gentleman. I think I’ll head to my barber and get a straight razor shave.

This is one of the most unique fragrances I've tried, and thus one of the most difficult to review. It smells nothing like most other Manceras (that is to say, no jammy rose/oud bomb here) and is the true embodiment of a "niche" fragrance in that it's very hard to categorize. If I were to describe Black Gold concisely, I would call it a modern interpretation of an '80s barbershop fougere combined with a hint of contemporary "bubblegum" sweetness - lots of florals with a dark undertone. And if that doesn't make any sense, well, you see where I'm coming from. It's a tough fragrance to figure out, which is ultimately why I had to get rid of it; I just couldn't find enough settings to wear it in. Regardless, this is an incredible fragrance. Get a sample and try it out. Hopefully you'll have more patience than I, because there is MAGIC in this bottle!

The best 2017 release from Mancera. Stunning opening with citrus, lavender, spices, and light oud. After 30 minutes, floral notes and sea notes blend in beautifully. The oud gets lighter and lighter over time. The stars of the show are soft suede leather and dry but fresh patchouli. The fragrance smells very sophisticated and expensive. The performance is very satisfying. The longevity is more than 12 hrs on skins and days on fabrics. I'm very glad that the projection is moderate and it does leave a trail behind me. I wore this at work, after 7 hrs, I walked by a coworker and she said, "wow, you smell very nice". Scent: 10/10 Projection: 8/10 Sillage: 9/10 Originality: 9/10 (The opening does remind me of Uden. But the heart and dryout are totally unique) Totally, the scent is definitely 10/10. It is still hard to find in the states.

This is a complex scent that meanders and transitions through its notes, but is quite pleasing at every stage of its development. On first spray, lavender, citrus, and spices create a oriental fougere accord along with the slight touch of oud giving it some character. Moments later, florals project loudly, which is why I think some commenters say this fragrance is too feminine for them. I get mostly rose at this stage. An hour or so later, the florals combine with the woody notes, leather, and violet producing a soft yet masculine scent; this is the bulk of what you smell with this fragrance on. I can swear there is a tobacco note that I smell at this point as well; it might be the combination of the jasmine and violet giving that effect. The drydown smells of musk and vetiver (~6 hours after applying).

This is a really sexy fragrance, and I don't say that about a lot of things. Rarely any, if I'm being honest. It opens with a playful citrusy-floral suggestion. It's bright and inviting, but not exactly innovative. The top notes are blended in a way that make it seem familiar, comforting. You almost assume you know what you're going to get right off the top. Then it pulls a sharp turn, revealing the power and seduction hidden beneath the surface. Spicy, woody, patchouli, pine, leather. It reminds me of another one of my favorites throughout the mid and dry down: Quorum, by Antonio Puig. You don't need to wear this all the time, though you could. Save it for a special occasion when you feel like getting a little outside your comfort zone. Take the weekend driver out for a spin.

still don’t get the hate this house receives. From an ROI standpoint, it’s a seriously solid fragrance house. The bottle presentation, the atomizer, the magnetic cap & most importantly the juice itself all justify the price you pay. I will keep championing this brand... have over a dozen bottles for a reason. Discovered an incredible layering combo last night by mistake, wore it to bed & it absolutely blew me away...Black Gold layered with Jasmin Exclusif... chef’s kiss. 💋👌🏽✨ Ranking my Mancera collection,they are all bangers IMO.. 1.Aoud Lemon Mint 2.Royal Vanilla 3.Black Prestigium 4. Hindu Kush 5. Jasmin Exclusif 6. Precious Oud 7.Tonka Cola 8.Intense Red Tobacco 9.Black Gold 10.Sand Aoud 11.Soleil d'ltalie 12.Amberful 13.Aoud Exclusive 14.Aoud Violet 15.Roses Vanille