Black XS

I almost never purchase fragrances again once I finish the bottles but this is one of the few I do. This was the most love at first sniff for me. I remember getting this when I was 18. I was very new to fragrances and was in a department store and tried a tester of it while my dad was yelling at my brother to try some clothes on so I had time to kill. The original formulation and L'Exces both were as the internet says "beast mode", very loud , yet it was deserving because the scent is that good and it lasted much longer than anything I had at the time. I live in an area where you don't get very many complements yet I had gotten a ton of them from this. The original has been discontinued so all the hustlers are all trying to sell it for silly amounts of money. I'm on the fence whether or not I want the updated version as they did a fantastic job on the L'Exces update which I did not think was going to be better than the original but after trying the tester the next day I paid retail for it how amazing it was which is the first time I'd ever had a flanker (slight update/variation) and the original on the same shelf. So how does it smell? Dark, rich, an alcoholic strawberry drink with a splash of fresh cut exotic fruit is the opening. You almost want to eat that opening. It's sweet and sticky, yet not sickeningly sweet or unisex like One Million. As you pull the scent into your nose it slowly goes up in such a way that you are pretty much introduced to every note in this scent and trails off like a shadow. I What is similar to it? The cheapest is Black And White by Degree the dry spray not antiperspirant stick. There are many that this copies as well just like One Million it's often imitated. This is very easy to wear, it's hard to find an occasion not to wear it. This is a great first scent for someone in school to 40s maybe. Night time, dating, clubbing, intimate moments. Go light on this if you work in an office or something similar. I used to do 2 or 3 sprays and get through the day with it without running out to your car or smelling yourself to see if you can still smell it. Longevity 8/10 Scent 10/10 (I'm nostalgic) Blind buy worthy? Absolutely, Good luck getting it in the near future, How copied it is as well you can probably find 5 or 10 companies who do it cheaper but who knows how long they'll last or how accurate they will be. The last time I was this impressed by a scent was the copy of Creed Aventus by Al Haramain called L'Adventure I tried last summer. If you had a bad experience with Pure XS (original) or found the original Invictus or One Million too unisex this will make up for it.I wish they would make an EDP of Black XS. I think we're all getting tired of the 9999 invictus and one million flankers that all smell too sugary sweet, unisex leaning for her and playful.

This was the second cologne I owned, gifted by a family member. It was late 2009 and I was in 10th grade, I used it until I ran out in late 2011. The scent immediately brings back memories of those days. This was a unique scent at the time, maybe still to this day, and women loved it! In fact, I remember getting stopped one day by a classmate whom I had a crush on, she mentioned how good I smelled and asked which cologne I used. She took a photo of it, and her friend sitting next to her naturally got jealous and had to mention "you should get it for your boyfriend". Funny enough, I remember not liking it that much when I first tried it because I thought it smelled a lot like bubble gum, and at the time I liked typical freshies in the 2000s style cause they smelled mature. The scent itself is nice, leaning towards the younger crowd. It's really sweet, cinnamony, fruity, and bubble gum-ish. The performance was quite good when I had it (2009 batch or older), it's hard to remember now, but I might have gotten 6-8 hours out of it, with good projection for 3-4 hrs. It was well blended but also had an edge and character to it, unlike most of the mish-mash of freshies released at the time. If you smelled it, you knew it was Black XS. Side note; I was actually grilling pineapples coated with cinnamon and brown sugar the other day and the smell reminded me of black XS, despite pineapple not being listed. Was it the best scent around at the time? Maybe not, however, for its category - sweet, youthful, night-time/clubbing, desginer, cheap-ish - it was a spectacular bargain. The downside was like that of 1 million, it became very popular. It was eventually reformulated in the early 2010's, which hurt the performance, and kinda took out its aggressive edge. Then they extensively refromulated it in 2018 to make it less sweet and fresher (the sweetness was what made it stand out from the freshies in the 2000s in the first place) and changed the bottle design (I prefered the slimmer bottle). Later batches were still good and the newer 2018 is decent, but they lacked that kick you got from the original formula. Although Black XS holds sentimental value, I won't go out of my way to buy a vintage bottle, as there are endless options in the sweet-clubbing category and I'm out of the age bracket for this fragrance. I did pick up a bottle of Nike Man Green for 10$ to scratch the itch and it does resemble it enough. It'd be interesting to try out the other flankers of this line as they are better rated, but those seem to be a rare find. Overall a solid fragrance! Scent 8/10

I'm an old head and wore this when it first came out. Just recieved my new bottle today, 2012 batch and as far as i can tell the scent memory tells me its the same. i was actually expecting the newest formulation because my online order showed the newest bottle packaging. i was happy to get the pre 2018 formulation/bottle (shown here) because of all the hub bub on fragrantica about reformulations. my first impression within minutes of spraying on is citrus but not tart. sweet underneath, has that trademark deep strawberry smell and i can also pickup a sweet musky undertone that reminds me of versace man eau fraiche. i can't speak for the newest 2018 and newer batches, but this 2012 version still bumps as far as smell. it has that trademark warm strawberry vibe and just smells great. The name Black XS is kind of a misnomer, this is not a dark scent, its fruity sweet yet masculine/leans unisex, warm and pleasantly musky. i cant detect any traditional dark or spicy notes ie black/hot peppers, smoke, booze, tobacco. there may be a touch of cinnamon but its not spicy at all. can be worn all season except for maybe high heat weather. it might be considered juvenile because of that happy sweet vibe but my 50 year old self will wear this unapologetically. I'm glad to add this again to my collection. ill add to this review for longevity and performance once i give it a few more wears. Update after wearing few days: if you like warm, sweet scents designed for men that might be unisex safe this would be a great addition to your collection. My 2012 batch performs just fine, on my skin all day (8 plus hrs), projects strongly four about 4 of those hrs and continues to envelope you in a decent scent bubble, creating sillage as you move about for about 4 hours until it dies down after 8 hrs. it lasted on my skin faintly after 8 hrs until i showered at night about the 12th hr and actually remained very faintly on my skin after a brief 10 minute shower. Total longevity 12 plus hours on my skin. Projects real good for 4hrs, moderately (sillage/scent cloud) for 4 more hours. Skin scent for 4 more hours. Everyone please calm down on the poor performance and scent change gripes, at least for pre 2018.

I bought Black XS again recently to reminisce and because I remembered how much I loved it, especially since it garnered so many compliments back in the day. Sadly, the new version is a mere ghost of its former self. The iconic sweet, fruity, almost floral opening, with its strawberry-like character swirling in wet tobacco, is almost entirely gone. The sweet, dark complexity of the original has been generically freshened up in the reformulation, which was a disappointing realisation. Let’s rewind to when it was great. I got Black XS for Christmas in 2005 or 2006 after asking for it. I had seen the rockstar-themed advert with its rebellious, edgy vibe—it really spoke to me at the time lol. On Christmas morning, when I first sprayed it, I hesitated. 'Wait, did Mum buy the women’s version by mistake?' I panicked. My girlfriend, amused, checked the box and assured me it was the men’s version (not knowing the female version hadn’t been released yet). Back then, this fragrance felt revolutionary. The opening was sweet, fruity, and almost floral, with a dark amber and tobacco twist that was unlike anything I’d tried. It was worlds apart from fresh, sharp scents like HUGO (OG Red Label) or CH 212 Men (NYC). Even my dad’s Calvin Klein and my cousin’s Tommy Hilfiger fragrances felt conventional by comparison. Black XS was bold, blending sweetness, florals, and tobacco in a daringly modern way. Its gourmand twist set it apart and felt ahead of its time, paving the way for sweeter, daring men’s scents. Black XS helped inspire the massive success of 1 Million, solidifying the trend of bold, sweet, and unisex-leaning men’s fragrances. Overall score for the original: 8.5/10 New formulation score: 7/10 A rather nostalgic sweet, fruity, slightly gourmand blend with dark tobacco and amber was ahead of its time and still resonates with today’s trends. I wish Rabanne would re-release the original or something that captures its original scent.

I first got into fragrances back in 2005, and this was a new release at the time. I absolutely loved this stuff and it became my signature scent for 10 years alongside Chanel Allure Sport. This generated a lot of female attention and "What are you wearing" comments back in my early/mid 20's, and having recently a new bottle after a break of 6-7 years, the memories and nostalgia returned. The performance and sillage on this used to be excellent, however I must say my most recent bottle is very disappointing in both departments, it now disappears after a few hours. It also doesn't seem to be a rich as it once was. For me this is a unique fragrance as it doesn't really smell like anything else, a great combination of fresh, sweet, aromatic, woody. It smells somewhat oriental. It's super pleasant, hard not to like. Some people have mentioned the sweetness, but I don't think it is overly sweet when compared to stuff that's on the market today. I personally think this can be worn year round, in any circumstance. Office safe, but interesting enough for evening events, spicy enough for winter months, and fresh enough for the summer. It's a real shame that Paco Rabanne didn't do more with this line, as it's much better than a lot of the stuff they are doing these days, but then i understand their fragrances are money making behemoths, perhaps this is too sophisticated for the common Paco Rabanne fragrance buyer!? Personally, I'd love to see this be released in a parfum version or revised and modernised in some other way. It does smell somewhat a product of it's time, as do many fragrances released back in the 2000's. Whilst I'm glad to have it in my collection, perfumery has evolved and there are so many other good fragrances in my collection, I don't wear it as much as I should, but I had 10+ years of great memories with this so I have to give it some love 8/10.

You know... Most men in their 40's can say they started their Fragrance Journey in one of 3 camps. Drakkar, Brut (that was me), or the original Old Spice. And most colognes you were gifted or privy to in your pre-teen years were some variation of the same. For that reason most of us never start their fragrance journey properly. It wasn't until I went into a fragrance store on my own that someone let me try Black XS. Sure I had Tommy Hilfiger, and various generic blue and or Sport fragrances through out. But it was this Fragrance that started my Fragrance Addiction. And the first time I learned what a "Gourmand" fragrance was. I had no idea that fragrances could be this way. The Lemon, Sage, Praline, and Tolu Balsam with that dark Patchouli base! To me it smelled of a Masculine Strawberries n Cream. Olivier Cresp is an absolute master when it comes to Patchouli based fragrances. It has held a special place in my heart and nostrils ever since first sniff. You will never gaze upon my collection and not see this with in its confines. I have smelled the reformulation and it has definitely lost its potency..... Its like the difference between regular coke and diet. You get the idea of Coke but something that you can't quite place your finger on is lost. Or maybe im just getting older.

This is one of my very favourite fragrances period. I love those one. I do believe smells are subjective. And not all frags smell amazing to all lol. But there is lots of weird comparisons that I don’t get at all am find impossible also. Makes me think that some might be reviewing the wrong black xs by mistake since there are so many. I own three and have had a sample of one. I Own the original black xs, black xs potion, black xs LA, and I had a sample of black xs lexcee. Black xs potion. Has lots of reviews saying it smells of strawberry milk... For me. The original black xs smells clean and sweet and zesty. The three most pronounced notes are definitely sage, lemon, praline. This fragrance is also a beast! It last and lasts and projects like crazy! And is a compliment king! It invokes cofindence and energy and richness. Black xs excees is the closest to it. But I find the original is much nicer done. Out of all four the original is my favourite. I will be reviewing black xs potion and La soon. But a quick tell is LA has the black xs DNA deep in there but it’s wrapped in a almost fresh herbal summer vibe. Potion is rounder less zesty and is sweeter and creamier.

Me and this fragrance have some issues. Nothing to do with the smell at all, and that is why it hurts. The smell is phenomenal, and could very well be my favorite scent of all time. It's got a strawberry praline like scent too it with a slight milk chocolate twinge and some other beautiful backing I adore. I smile when I spray the sample on, but an hour later it makes me sad due to it's lack of performance. I do not own a full bottle because it dies on me. I love it, but our love is not meant to last. This is the older formulation in the deodorant stick shaped bottle too, and so I have not paid the fifty bucks to smell this for an hour. It's why I don't own any creeds, and because I love performance so much I do not own this one. If my chemistry changes I will pick it up in heartbeat. Update: I own a full bottle, but I dropped it and the lid is in pieces. I love it though, worth the price for sure. It just smells like my emo phase, mixed in with lovely gourmand notes. If this was a song it'd be anything by MSI.

What happened to this powerhouse? It is but a whisper of its former self. Some fragrance fun-sponge has neutered this ballsy scent. The original was beast-mode powdery strawberry with a warm fuzzy-lemon opener. Not fruity per se, but it had a candy vibe. The dry down was a hazy musky wood meld that would float above warm skin in an inviting fragrance fog. BXS was playful & fun - a scent that didn’t take itself too seriously & could be worn by any gender. It wasn’t a scent to nuzzle into - it was loud & proud & commanded attention. And boy did it last. It was a scent to go clubbing in as it would still be partying hard long after you had crashed. Now, the sillage & lasting-power have dwindled & the scent is a shadow of its former glory. It’s still a solid fragrance & a good wear but it’s no longer nuclear, thick or voluptuous. It’s like it settled down, had kids, went on a diet & got to bed early. No fun. Where has the excess in the XS gone?

I have a full bottle just a few sprays used of a 2013 batch (based on my research). It’s an amazing fragrance. I haven’t smelled another bottle of it but it smells so good that I just assume it aged well like wine. There’s no harsh or synthetic opening at all for me, it’s smooth and pleasant all the way through really impressive. And as someone young, I’m surprised every time by how much I love older designer scents compared to today’s popular designer releases. It’s just disappointing that most of them don’t last very long. This one isn’t very long-lasting either, but it’s still worth it. I still haven’t smelled a lemon note this good and smooth in a fragrance, The lemon here acts more like a touch of "lemon zest" on top, not something that takes over everything. but everything in this one just works, and it feels relevant even today. I also really love how this bottle looks, and the cap feels old-school. I feel proud to own this bottle.

#1074 in my "Tour de Fragrance" For an EDT this is not bad at all. The note combination is inoffensive, versatile and attractive, and it performs pretty well for an EDT. But off the top of my head I can name three EDPs with identical notes in the same price range. Swiss Arabian "Shaghaf Men", Swiss Arabian "Al Basel" and Dumont "Nitro Blue." And if the price is comparable why would you settle for EDT potency when there are EDPs offering the same note combination at the same price point? Of them all the Dumont "Nitro Blue" is my preference as it's a tad fruitier, more citric and fresh than the others, but the difference isn't dramatic. Car pool, elevator and small office safe. Versatile for any use, any weather. But it is a moderate performer you'll want to respray midday. So I recommend you pass this up for Dumont Nitro Blue, or if you can't get that where you live, either of the Swiss Arabians I mentioned.

I fell in love with the scent profile immediately. It's sweet, spicy, woody, and slightly fruity. Dark, yet playful. That "strawberry" accord that I smell is honestly one of a kind, and I don't think I've smelled anything close to it. But here's the bad part... As much as I really love Black XS, it's probably one of the most disappointing fragrances that I own right now. Calling this an EDT may honestly be stretching it. I've had better performance and longevity from dupe fragrances at Walmart, and I wish I was kidding. You might get 2 hours max if you spray 8+ times. All the talk about how legendary the 2005 batches were gives me one of the biggest cases of FOMO that I've ever had with a fragrance. If Rabanne released the older batches or if a dupe house got their hands on the DNA and made it perform, it would be the only thing I'd end up wearing. Now I have a $50 bottle of literal room spray .-.

I really like this a lot, I’m a fan of “black” and “dark” scents so I thought I’d give it a try and I’m glad I did....it does start out super sweet almost syrupy in the beginning can can be overpowering if u spray too much on at first, but it really mellows down after the first two hours, keeps a nice little scent bubble up to 4-6 hours, then it’s a skin scent but does stay on your clothes faintly after 24 hours...in describing the scent I have to agree with one user, that I totally get like a dark jammy strawberry scent, even tho it’s not in the notes, mabye that’s the praline, i get something like honey and vanilla, a deep dry woodiness that makes it masculine, its different.....if u like dark sweet ambery scents you’ll love it...I feel like I have a scent for every occasion... this is what Id wear if I’m going to go see Alice Cooper, or Marilyn Manson in concert... for sure

DAAAAMN!!... I used to get so much action off of the back of this fragrance!😳 The flip-lighter bottle version was a BEAST!! The new, reformulated bottles suck; it doesn't matter if you spray on fabric or not. It just sucks! The older version(this version), however, is PHENOMENAL!! This was a worthy adversary to the O.G Creed Aventus (not the new watered-down shite). This was sexy, simplistic, strong, tropical, yet alluring to women... something that could be worn all year round. Now, I look good, but I didn't even have to open my mouth... this fragrance was the ice-breaker, and... my god, did it break ice!!... with a motherfucking pickaxe! 🧊💥⛏️ R.I.P to an absolute MASTERPIECE. Had I'd known you'd be discontinued, I'd have stocked 20 bottles, as you used to be my signature-scent from early 2000s right through to 2015 Goodbye, Wingman💔😪

A VERY BIG plus goes to this for being totally unlike any other scents out there, at least when it was released - a candy-like sweet gourmet scent that is turning heads. Unfortunately it doesn't last or develop much. I would layer it with something ultra masculine as the woody notes would capture the scent for a bit longer. Try to use in cold seasons. Packaging is tacky and I don't think it reflects its content at all. This Gothic font ruins it (as I care for this sort of thing) although the bottle is made by a very good German company. I'll take points away for: -1 packaging -1 short longevity -1 complex composition that burns out with no development (so a bit boring) 7/10

I'm a type of guy who wears Black xs typically anywhere, the best place I took this on a vacation to Goa, Cold November weather, Shorts, Flip Flops, Lady by your side, wore it in the evening and the waft's I was getting with this felt so unique, Fresh and Energetic. Not Boasting but I played a smart move, So the lady with me was into Fragrances and I thought well She might have experienced fresh/aquatic scents on a breezy beach, So let's give her an experience and a new memory. Instead of Bvlgari Aqua (My Fav) I chose this. Since We are not together anymore, But I met her once and I was wearing this, She Said "this smells makes me miss our Goa vacation'. true Story

after down with covid and lost my sense of smells for almost 2 weeks this is my 1st perfume I craved to smell. Indeed the virus has made my sense of smell came back but this time I went crazy for anything gourmand, chocolatey & sweets ;p Edit: this frag I wore it last when I was younger but no match with body chemistry back then, but surprisingly now in 30s this scent mixed well with my skin chemistry, probably young skin is more sweatier made sweet frags terrible, and now my skin getting drier so I guess this revisit a successful one... and now am buying all kinds of sweet frags, weird.

From a females perspective if you like this try Britney Spears Believe, it dries a little similar although the initial spray is totally different. It reminds me of hugging my partner after the XS dry down, masculine but sensual. My partner had this when I met him and it will forever be the smell of sensual heady teenage love, you just can't beat it. Even now he has creed and muglar, this is still one of my all time favourite smells and I've worn it myself for over a decade. If you love this, try Muglar Havanne (brown one is our fave so far) or PR Million

I saw it in a Playboy magazine in 2005, and I bought my first perfume at the age of 13-14, and that's where it all started.I have used it for many, many years. Now I'm happy to be able to relive the memories. Fortunately, there hasn't been a drastic change in the scent, although it won't be my signature scent at 35. The scent is really sexy and masculine, and it was really special then and it is now. It's a really cool date scent for a younger generation. Another plus is that it's not a sweet fruit bomb like all the "sexy scents" these days.

Yes, it's "sweet" indeed, as most people say. It's also soft and calm, nothing like One Million bomb. Both opening and dry down smells very alike, there's not much of a difference, like those fragrances that changes a lot after a few minutes. My thought at this scent it that it's discret, but fancy at the same time. It does project at a good rate, but its scent it's so soft and clean that people do not feel "invaded". Lasted a good 6-8hrs on my skin, projected for 3-4. A very vesatile fragrance, that one would use for almost any ocasion.