Black Opium

Dark Crystalline Blend, but the Almond-Vanilla Drydown...ahhhh! This scent has remained popular for over 10 years for a reason. Opens with a dark crystalline blend of Moroccan orange-blossom, pear, pink-pepper & coffee but already the almond-vanilla in the base is swelling through. I like the opening of this, but the drydown is where it's at, imho. I love the woody-almond-vanilla in the base, that makes it stand out from other scents that might seem similar initially. It's great on its own, or layered with dupes, or other almond scents. I've posted some layering combos for this in the layering threads. Overall: Gourmand-ish dark crystalline coffee-jasmine scent with almond-vanilla drydown and excellent performance for year-round wear. It's a love for me. Enjoy! Contrast to To Be Born to Shine by Pollice: Inspired by Black Opium Yves Saint Laurent, this isn't meant to be a clone but more of an approximation with a twist: sweet coffee with jasmine, apple-blossom & cinnamon. Both are sweet coffee-jasmine scents, with Black Opium has added almond and Born to Shine having added apple-cinnamon. I don't get the woody-almond notes in Born to Shine that I get in the drydown of Black Opium. Born to Shine has a more vanillic rather than woody-almond drydown. Both have the dark crystalline texture and excellent performance although Black Opium slightly outperforms. Contrast to Midnight Addiction Bath & Body Works: This is a dupe of Black Opium with good approximation, and it does highlight the almond which I love. However, the performance is not as strong as Black Opium, and more what you would expect of a perfume mist (although well above average for a mist). Love them both for different reasons, and they layer well together.

listen. listen. i do not care. this is *THE* IT GIRL scent to me. maybe thats because this was one of the first designer fragrances i really fell in love with, but if nobody got me, i know YSL black opium got me. i don't remember who left this comment, but someone described this fragrance as being a "young teen's idea of what a mature woman would smell like." i'm not going to lie, they were completely right. BUT its a really good fragrance. it serves. CUNT! and maybe it is nostalgia clouding my lens a little bit here, but the syrupy coffee notes and jasmine HIT SO GOOD!!!! if this fragrance was a person, she would either be the nicest sorority girl you've ever met who always rocks pleaser black heels (girl dont do it... youre gonna get varicose veins), or the mean girl in highschool who grows up to be a charge nurse. NO inbetween. i'm going to be real here, things get popular and become "basic" for a reason... black opium is one of those things. it's fine if people don't like the fragrance, but hating the fragrance based on the sole reason of it being popular seems shallow, and contrarian just for the sake of being contrarian. if youre gonna be a hater, BE A HATER FOR REALLLLL 💯💯💯 anyways. i got distracted. this is a nice fragrance! it's cute! if you want to wear it, wear it! literally who gaf ! overall rating: 8/10 — she'll always have a special place in my heart 🐦❤️❤️

Certainly! Black Opium by Yves Saint Laurent is not just a perfume, it has become a true pillar of modern perfumery since its debut in 2014. It is the fragrance that cleared the concept of "floral coffee" on a large scale. The soul of the fragrance: Rock & Glamour. Black Opium is built on a vibrant contrast between the darkness of the coffee and the brightness of the white flowers. It is a fragrance designed for the night, for those who love to be noticed without giving up an enveloping sweetness. The first spray is fizzy. Pink pepper and pear offer a juicy freshness that prevents the fragrance from immediately feeling too heavy. In the heart, the protagonist emerges, coffee, mixed with the creaminess of bitter almond and the femininity of jasmine. It is an almost gourmand mix made sophisticated by the bitter note of liquorice. The finish is warm and velvety. Vanilla dominates, supported by patchouli and woods, which give a sensual trail and an almost "dark" depth. Bold, magnetic, nocturnal and deeply sweet mood. Despite its 10 year history, Black Opium remains a contemporary classic. It is the ideal choice if you are looking for a gourmand but not childish perfume, capable of balancing the sugary sweetness with a more "dirty" and mature touch given by coffee and patchouli.

This is one of my signatures for fall and winter and always will be. I am obsessed with it. I feel like if I had to choose just one fragrance for winter this would be it because it is very satisfyingly to me. I love the coffee vanilla and orange blossom combo. It’s very sweet, sexy, mysterious and feminine and the scent makes me feel very happy, I think due to the orange blossom note and there is something about this fragrance that is so calming to me. Orange blossom in here is definitely the star of the show for me, I get coffee and orange blossom the most. Orange blossom is my favourite note in perfumery. It is such a magical flower that makes you feel you are standing in a beautiful sunny spring garden, orange blossom is a very sweet, solar and honeyed scent. I love the use of orange blossom in here as it blends with the coffee and vanilla so well and gives a little spring joy on a cold winters day. I also get a little spiciness in here which is very sexy. Even though it’s very mainstream and overused I still find it a very interesting scent. You can also wear it in spring I just would not wear it on a hot day because I find it shines the most in cooler weather because of the coffee and how deep it is but it’s nice in spring because of the orange blossom and jasmine to.

This was the first perfume I ever received as a gift when I was a university student. The bottle has followed me through nearly a decade of life including late nights, different friends, and a relationship that has long since ended. Only recently have the last drops begun to disappear...I had to order another bottle. I remember exactly why I chose it back then. My boyfriend at the time leaned in, smelled it on my wrist, and told me it smelled erotic. At twenty-something years old, that was more than enough justification. Even years later, I still receive compliments whenever I wear it. This is a sweet coffee-vanilla fragrance that has an atmospheric touch. It smells like the air of a fun night out. It reminds me of an espresso martini, neon lights, and pounding music. It is a basic bitch Starbucks frappuccino threaded through the spicy warmth of clove cigarettes. Some people dismiss it as an outdated millennial perfume. But this should not be considered evidence of mediocrity. Just because it is no longer trendy doesn’t mean that it doesn’t stand the test of time. It is designed to smell good, not different. The fact that so many people still love it is a testament to how effortlessly it works.

I missed it so I had to buy it again. Basic slutty gem, crowd pleasing, nothing bad about it. Syrupy, but not as vanillary as the le parfum version, yet it's so sweet and so fcking good. The opening is juicy and sweet, rather than spicy as some users might've mentioned, I consider the pear can be way more noticed than the pink pepper. The base is much more warmer, it gets cozier thanks to the vanilla and cashmere, so it has similarities with the le parfum version, although this one is a juicier type of sweet, instead of the syrupy essence in the le parfum version. If you find yourself loving the vanilla in that flanker but getting tired of it, this one's just the perfect blend of smokiness and sugar, no tobacco detected. Love this one much more than Libre. Personally I hate the smell of coffee and this one is just delicious. I don't get why people hate it, like, it's not as "mysterious" as it claims to be, but goes the same for Dior's Hypnotic Poison...

Some fragrances feel like home. Some feel like a quiet embrace. And then there are the ones you reach for when the night asks you to be a little bolder. Black Opium found me through someone who knows me well. It was a gift from my son, who somehow understood my taste before I did. Every time I wear it, I remember that beautiful feeling of being truly seen. Dark, addictive and full of energy, it carries a confidence that never feels forced. It's playful, mysterious and just rebellious enough to make me smile. This isn't the fragrance I wear to disappear into a crowd. It's the one I wear when I want the night to remember me. Some evenings call for softness. Others ask for a little fire. Black Opium is my answer to those nights. And every time I reach for it, I'm reminded that confidence doesn't always have to be loud. Sometimes it smells like coffee, vanilla... and a woman who finally stopped apologizing for taking up space.

WARNING! Harsh language ahead. Reader discretion advised. I am a male in my late twenties and I was curious to try this scent. Heard it was a dark ''sexy scent for malificent''. xd When I smell this, I imagine a somewhat robust dark haired calmly but intensely sexual woman (above 30's) in leather wearing this in the bedroom and you're about to go town with eachother like lions. To me this invokes a feeling of primal, raw, clean but all over the place intense sensual sex ..(lol) As soon as I smelt this it's on, my male organ and primal brain was activated. I feel like this is for the dark, quiet, strong mysterious, type of woman (between 30 - 50) who won't overtly express her sexuality, but you can definitely sense it. I really enjoyed this fragrance. From a male perspective, If my intimate partner were to wear this it would be on immediately. I signed up just to make this comment for this particular scent. Hope this helped

I swear some people would rather drench themselves in cat pee than actually admit when something smells nice because they don’t want to be seen as “following the crowd!” If you don’t like the scent that’s okay and you can say so, likewise if it doesn’t match your body chemistry. However, to be really nasty and disrespectful about anyone who enjoys scents that are popular is just pick me energy and it’s not the flex you think it is!! Black Opium is a beautiful vanilla/coffee oriented scent. I personally prefer it to the original Opium that my mother used to wear. Black Opium is not generic in the slightest! It’s a scent that, if you know it, you recognise in a crowd. I personally think it has a gothic vibe to it. It definitely has its own personality. Please don’t feel like you have to pretend to dislike this because it’s popular! There’s a reason it’s popular and that’s because it’s good. Let people enjoy things!!

I got this perfume from my mom a couple of months ago and I left a review on here about how basic smelling this fragrance is (in a good way). After wearing it for a few months now, I can confidently say that this has been my go-to these past few cold months. It’s so simple yet, so delicious. It’s not very gourmand, it has a bit of sweetness and a coffee note that lingers, but I would say this is mostly warm floral enveloped in some vanilla with a side of coffee. It’s not strong at all and I think this is safe for everyday use, it’s non-offensive! This is sexy, simple, clean and easy to wear. I currently have a 30ml bottle but I think it’ll be done soon. I will be buying the 100ml bottle without a doubt and I’ll definitely check out the other flankers. Final rating 7.7/10

this was the very first designer perfume i ever bought and i still love it. it opens up fruity, and i cant rly say i can sense the pink pepper. my skin immediately pulls out the smell of coffee and the fuzzy cashmeran note. it dries down into a faint vanilla/floral scent that im fond of, and the woody notes prevent the perfume from becoming cloying all the way. a lot of people have compared this to loverdose by diesel, but to my nose that one gets rid of the sweeter notes of BO and highlights its notes of licorice. it also started my obsession with perfumes with almond accords. with all the notes i can pick apart it still somehow smells well blended. my only gripe with this is the poor performance

i don't quite understand the hate for this perfume. sure, it can be a bit harsh depending on your tastes, but it's nowhere near as bad as people make it out to be, and certainly not as common as y'all think! i sprayed a tester of this on my wrist, kept sniffing that wrist for the entire rest of that day, then immediately went back and bought the perfume the next day -- it's gourmand and spicy yet floral, so so so sexy & strong! i'm obsessed and very happy that this was my first big perfume purchase. once i'm done with my bottle of this one, i'd love to try le parfum or over red next! :)

I don't get any coffee or almond, just a very , very sweet candied vanilla. Le Parfum is much better to my nose, it's got just the right amount of coffee and vanilla, with depth and darkness like it's namesake. This one is just... sweet. Update edit 5 days later: I''ve been spraying my jacket with it and I've come to really enjoy the sweetness. My nose is finally picking up some of the depth of coffee and patchouli. It's got great sillage, about 5 ft for 6 to 8 hours. I love walking into my room where I hang my jacket. I'll keep it for the winter months for sure.

Coming from an 18 yr/old male, I must say I love this scent. I smelled it on one of those tester papers that come in the Ulta magazines my mom gets often. Then I smelled it in store and Oh, my GOD! How is this so controversial?! This is a beautiful, sexy, feminine fragrance. Sweet without being too cloying or overpowering. The vanilla is well-balanced with the coffee and fruitiness of the pear makes it smell so delicious. I would get it for my mom, but she doesn't like it. Too bad. Will be getting it for my future wife. You can be certain of that. :)

I'm one of those freaks who doesn't drink coffee and actually dislikes the scent of coffee. But somehow, some weird way this perfume WORKS for me. I simply cannot explain how. It's just the right amount of everything gourmand-y you'd want in a perfume. Vanilla, coffee, licorice, white flowers, and just the right amount of sweetness: chefs kiss. I've gotten the most compliments on this fragrance so far. If it works on your skin, it's worth to stock up at least a 30ml of Black Opium for the winter times, it's a perfect Christmas scent.

I love this fragrance. I don't use it everyday but it gets worn at least once or twice a week. I hear people say this one is too much or too strong but it's my comfort scent, it's cosy warm and relaxing to me. It's also very sexy date night dont get me wrong. I mostly get warm coffee and jasmine. The pink pepper tickles my nose. The ceder and vanilla keep this warm and neck nuzzley for hours. It's a top 5 all time for me I also love Donna born in Roma, Donna born in Roma intense, Prada paradoxe, la vie est belle and Si.

My favorite of all time, the coffee scent is more noticeable on the dry down but that truthfully depends on your skin chemistry. I initially get a lot of the Orange blossom, Jasmine and Vanilla on the initial spray. I don't get a lot of Licorice, Pink pepper, Almond and Cedar. I personally don't mind! I think it works out well for what it is.. The vanilla isn't cloying or in your face, that's probably from the florals/pear/coffee.. but overall this is an amazing perfume! Something i'd recommend to just about anyone!

(I work as a beautyadviser and a spokesman from YSL visited us today at work. So my review is real and honest.) This is going to be a hit! Seriously. I really, really liked this one. After few hours it's so soft on my skin. At first you can really smell the coffee, but it's not a bad coffee. (And I don't even drink it!) It really smellt delicious and sultry at the same time. Perfect for winter. Vanilla and coffee together in a perfume, who would have thought? :) LOVE. (And I'm from Finland - if anyone is wondering!)

I once loved her more than anyone I’ve known intimately. Sadly we’ve grown apart, as I’ve fallen out of love bc she became someone I no longer recognize. She is but a watered-down shell of the magnetically mysterious, powerful and captivating femme fatale she was when we first met. I will never forgive her for the 180° energy change she made without warning. Also, she attempts to gaslight me by insisting she didn’t change a thing whenever I try to address the issue.

Black Opium edp - this beauty may not be for everyone but she is for me! She is dark, mysterious, sweet, alluring, lasting and I sum it up as a very intoxicating seductress. A fragrance that I would imagine female villains desire - the maleficents, the cruellas, the Dracula's brides of the underworlds. I never fail to be asked what I'm wearing and where can they get it. My top 10 - for those who don't wear it, leave it for those of us who do. =)

I’ve repurchased this perfume more than four times it holds a very special place in my heart. It’s deeply nostalgic and reminds me of cozy winter nights. The scent is beautiful and long-lasting. On the first spray, I get orange blossom and coffee, while the dry down settles into a warm blend of vanilla, coffee, and woody notes. It’s one of the most complex fragrances I’ve experienced, very well put together and undeniably sophisticated. 9.5/10 🖤

So nostalgic. I will never forget when it was first released in 2014 and gained more popularity around 2015, the following year. Everybody was rushing to get it, and truly the scent did not disappoint at all. Some say that it’s rather basic but i personally believe that it’s because it served as a trend setter back in it’s day, the same way most brands outside Europe are trying so hard to replicate the Sol 62 as of now, especially Lattafa.

Classy, sophisticated, a creamy-dark mystery wrapped in silk and stilettos - this perfume is a forever favourite of mine. Sets off nostalgia for Jean Paul Gaultier Classique when it first came out in the '90s. A late Gen-Xer or early Millenial who has gone through her glow-up. Amazing blend of notes, excellent longevity and decent silage (I love to reapply her). If you like dark-themed scents, this one is an easy winner.

This is so beautiful! I sidestepped this fragrance for a long time. I remember hearing about its "basicness" from fragrance influencers, and every time I was looking for a coffee fragrance, I went for everything but this. It's a sexy scent that lives up to all of my expectations. This is my idea of what "friendly with a tinge of flirty vibes" should smell like and what I want to smell like for fall and winter.

I love this perfume for the vanilla and coffee notes, it's a beautiful spicy vanilla that I always come back to and make sure i have a bottle of. It smells sweet and a little mysterious, and it was one of the first perfumes that kickstarted my scent journey, so for that I'm a little biased and nostalgic for it 😅 Tbh i dont get complimented ever really on it, but i like wearing it just for me 9/10

Recently got a tester vial to try and it is love at first sniff! Absolutely gorgeous scent. Definitely not something I would wear in the summer. It is a strong and seductive type fragrance and would probably be best in cooler months or for a date night. The orange blossom is beautiful and the dry down is a warm and cozy vanilla with a hint of coffee on my skin. I definitely need a big bottle!!

Didn't expect to love it as much. Got it from my bf for christmas, I was scared because I didn't like it in store and had a dupe before which wasn't that good. But this is so addicting!! Love the coffee and vanilla in this. Wish it lasted longer tho. The pear is distracting but I appreciate the fresh touch it tries to give. The intense version is even better. Or the over red.

This was an instant love for me when it came out in 2014 and it became my signature scent for ten years. Then my perfume preference was changing into fresher, rose based perfumes like Chloe or Miss Dior. Now I’m falling in love again with the original Black Opium after sniffing all of its flankers at the airport last week. I will repurchase a new bottle of my old love soon. 😍

I know many call this basic or do not like this perfume, for me this is wonderful ,date night, sexy perfume. This is sooo addictive. It does give little medicinal vibe in the opening but my oh my the dry down is to die for. The only issue for me is the reformulated one is not as long lasting as before. Love this and also the Black Opium over the red. Perfect!

I can’t believe I considered selling this. I’ve had it for almost a year and in the hot summer months i was getting a lot of white florals. But now in the fall and winter (despite it not being especially cold where i live) I’m finally getting a lot of that warm vanilla and coffee. Maybe it’s from maturation but I’m so enjoying this now! She’s a keeper!

Extremely popular-but for a good reason! I'm a sweet-vanilla-gourmand perfume lover and it's my absolute favorite. Not too heavy, not overly sweet. It has an intriguing deph that unravels as the perfume sits on the skin. I personally wear it as both everyday perfume and for special occasions. Longetivity is okay. Will buy again:)

I wore this all through high school, and to this day I absolutely love it. I was very surprised to see patchouli as a note however. I don't get any of that note, which I am usually not a fan of. I definitely get the coffee and vanilla scents, and I'm a huge fan of coffee. I would describe this this be a sweet coffee scent.

one of my favorite night out perfumes ! i love her a lot <3 despite her problems haha. she is pricey... and i never touch her when the weather gets hot. a lot of other girlies smell like black opium too, but this never bothered me personally, anyone is allowed to be a baddie

Pink pepper leaves as fast as it comes in, then all I smell is jasmine slightly sweetened with vanilla. To me it’s just a jasmine-vanilla fragrance, lasts a while, I like it and it has made me actually appreciate the smell of jasmine more.

As a Dior Sauvage Demon and manipulative evil male, this is the perfect female pendant to me. This is honestly the best womens perfume, I genuinely start tweakin when I smell this somewhere. Makes me wanna get my shi together

An absolute classic 🖤 Pleasant, noticeable and easy to wear. The kind of fragrance that gets compliments without demanding attention. Cool-girl, model-off-duty energy. There is a reason so many people love it. My rating 9/10

For me it's a black dress scent. Whether you're going out for coffee with friends in the evening (with a fancy outfit) or having dinner with your boyfriend at a fine dining restaurant, this perfume would be a great choice.

Love this scent so much, it has a soft sweetness that makes my mouth water. So long lasting as well. Lasts on clothes for days and lasts on the skin for 8 hours for me. The vanilla and coffee stand out to me the most

This is a really beautiful fragrance. Right away you get a warm orange blossom scent and that blends into a sort of jasmine patchouli blend. It's very feminine and sexy. Definitely something to wear on date night!

Oooohhh this one is deep and sexy. Goes really well with Lush products I just got for Xmas. Great winter scent. It’s warm, a tiny bit spicy, very sweet, but somehow not cloying mars you smell like human candy

I love black opium its definitely worth the popularity its received. Its dark sweet and woody. I can smell the notes of pink pepper and Patchouli. I also love how the name reflects the scent so well 9/10

The hype this perfume gets is deserved cuz it smells like heaven. Sexy, sweet but not cloying. The coffee note is js chef’s kiss. Now I wanna try Black Opium Supreme that got more prominent coffee note.

As a guy: this scent is so fkn attractive. If you’re wearing it, just know you’ll be turning heads, and yes, WE will shamelessly try to catch another whiff... It's just that addictive.

My favourite date night scent! very smooth vanilla coffee fragrance with a touch of florals and spicy notes. Lasts forever on my skin and clothes <3

Every college girl's going out perfume....everybody moved on but I'm still there idc. I wore this to the clubs in Vegas recently and fit right in.

superrrrr sexy- if the weeknd’s music had a perfume ambassador it would be this one. enchanting and pulls you in, just like every song on trilogy

Iam a guy but daimm, i wanna buy it and use it when i will go out idk why (idc that its for girls i wear what i like and you should too😂)

Love her. I wore this to every frat party in college and still wear it out to the bars sometimes. Reminds me of pink whitney and sex.

This being released in 2014 makes so much sense. I douse myself in this before going to dorm parties. Sleazy and sexy.

Smells like Boss lady who has money. Smells like something vintage, antique and can sell for millions. Loved it when.