Absolutely Dark

Transitive Similarities Is Absolutely Dark really that dark? It is no mystery that this new creation by ZARA, signed by Marion Costero, immediately brings to mind that fresh, citrusy, aromatic, a little green and a little flowery genre to which more well-known fragrances such as Fierce COLOGNE, Legend EAU DE TOILETTE, and Percival belong to. This was the first impression I had when I smelled the three fragrances in the series, which include Amber Brown and Nostalgia Blue, to which Unexplored Black was recently added. Although the olfactory pyramids are quite different, the DNA is very similar between fragrances. If we look at the year of release on the market, the first fragrance with that kind of smell was Fierce, followed by Legend, and finally by Percival. Even if the similarity is not a transitive property, we can always say that some Fierce is present in Legend, which is present in Percival, and finally, it is present in Absolutely Dark. In other words, Fierce --> Legend --> Percival --> Absolutely Dark seems to be a natural transition. Alright, I think I’ve rambled on too much and it’s time we dive into the scent in question. Absolutely Dark blooms with a blast of super fresh and aromatic accords on a powdery background. Not a tough powderiness like #Prada Homme or #Givency Gentleman, but a sort of dusty cobweb, perceivable yet invisible. There is an unmistakable herbal touch of lavender, fresh, and balsamic, surrounded by a mix of citrus accord. So, the opening is bright, stunning, a smidgen soapy, with a barbershop slant. It never crosses the citrus boundary or the spicy one. The advertising mentions marine accord, which I barely recognise, except in the salty shades of amber. So, the perfume doesn’t overflow into marine fragrances, which is a good thing for me. Then, I was expecting an explosion of blossoms, given the participation of rose, orris, and lavender. Instead, it is not overpowering, while I receive the right dose of powderiness and spiciness. The rose is closer to the green geranium, without those jammy and dewy facets, while the orris just adds that dustiness without lipstick or makeup reminiscences. The trace it leaves in the heartfelt phase must be very pleasant for others who perceive it because I received a lot of compliments within about half an hour of applying it. Musky, mossy, and woody are the most prominent aspects I catch in the dry-down. Among those nuances, there is a pleasant dry amber, which I associate with salty ambroxan. The more it dries, the more it turns warm, sweet, and vanilla-like, and the tonka expands, cuddles, and wraps around me. Courtesy of sandalwood, the woodiness is not exaggerated, and together with cashmeran, it gets a creamy and smooth slant. My impression is that it starts like Fierce and ends like Percival. Though, it is further from Fierce, a bit more balsamic and resinous, and closer to Percival, somehow more dusty and woody. The projection is strong initially, then moves down to moderate; about longevity, I can smell it for several hours on my skin and clothes as a skin scent. I like to wear this kind of aroma during the season transition, such as winter to spring, and fall to winter. It is pretty versatile, and it works both day and night, for leisure, and at work either. Absolutely Dark ain’t not so dark, yet is a lekker, and mass pleasing, I'm describing the sensation I get on a bottle I've owned since October 2023 (BC 32300).

Honestly, this is (probably) the best Zara fragrance for men to date. I love Percival, it’s been my signature fragrance for years, and Absolutely Dark is a 99% match. In fact, the Zara reinterpretation of the DNA performs better than both Percival and Fierce. Projection is strong and easily lasts up to 10 hours on skin. The quality of the raw ingredients is not the same as in Percival, but honestly, the difference is negligible. Absolutely Dark smells amazing both in the air and up close. At this price point this is an absolute steal. To my nose, this is better than Sauvage, better than BDC and better than any of the Y flankers. A well-made, versatile blue fragrance that is dirt cheap, has good performance and also pulls compliments. What else could you wish for?

Simple showergel fresh blue fragrance. Similar to A&F Fierce and PdMs Percival. It leans more to the latter with a slightly salty Drydown and less harsh spices in the Opening. I haven’t received a lot of verbal compliments except for one or two, however I noticed a noticeably friendlier demeanor from my co-workers and even strangers. All in all it’s well executed and genuinely affordable, to me that was a no-brainer and the perfect daily driver for College, Work or casual wear. My final assessment: Presentation: 7.5/10 Scent: 7.5/10 Versatility: 9/10 Uniqueness: 6/10 Compliments: 7/10 Sillage/Projection: 7/10 Price: 10/10 Give it a try!

I have never smelled Percival, so this review is not in comparison to it. All I know is that this fragrance is incredible - it projects nicely, it smells gorgeous, and it lasts for a long time. I wore it at work and had two people immediately ask what it was, with one of them intending to buy it. Unbeatable at its price too; if it had a designer label on it, you wouldn't bat an eye if told that it cost $80+, so getting it for $20-$25 is remarkable

I don't have a well trained nose, but to me this can take the place of Percival when it's empty. Nearly identical, with some nearly undetectable differences in the top notes. I detect more fruit in this and less pepper. The dry down is spot on. I've heard Zara discontinues scents frequently so I'll stock up on a few of these .

For the 25usd I think it is OK. It smells almost exactly like Old Spice Captain body wash. Lasts almost as long, too! I love it. Very manly, aggressive and fresh. I wish it lasted a little longer. This is for a younger gentleman, something to wane a man off axe body spray.

Smells amazing , I’ve own Percival , fierce and legend and for me this one it’s closer to percival , the musky dry down it’s so fizzy and pleasant , last all day , absolutely a compliment monster , be careful with the trigger otherwise It can cause you to get a headache

I have Kaaf. This is slightly fresher and less powdery/musky. Very versatile and safe and wearable all year round. Perfect as signature scent or for office.

@Admin: Why are there no Notes here?

I have only owned A&F Fierce in the past, so I can vouch that it indeed smells very similar to Fierce in the opening. As for the dry down and longevity, I will have to test it out and update later. On first sniff, it seems safe, reminiscent of the refreshing scent of a typical men's shower gel. However, if you apply more than 5-6 sprays on the skin, you may notice a bit of nausea due to its pungency in the opening. Typically, this is where great fashion houses stand out from brands like Zara; they put effort into ensuring that the opening of their perfumes is 100/100 right. Update: This is weaker than Fierce; however, when exposed to heat, you may start to notice its sillage. Besides exposure to sunlight, it dissipates at a much slower pace, if not completely unnoticeable for some. Also, I can imagine it would give you the 'Cool' vibe from the 2000s when exposed to continuously running air-conditioning in an office environment.

I never smelled First Instinct, but I do see the resemblance with PDM Percival and Montblanc Legend. Of the two, I feel like the Zara perfume shares more similarities with Percival, especially in the dry-down, when I can smell a fizzy mossy-woody musk. Not as spicy pungent as Legend, but more of a citrus-lavender, aromatic amber based fragrance, Absolutely Dark is absolutely not dark, but a fresh, easy wear, most likely mass pleaser kind of scent. Although rather basic and lacking originality as it does, this is easily one of my favorites releases by Zara. Thumbs up!

I bought it on recommendation of a youtuber who did a haul of ZARA fragrances, in store it was ok but i thought maybe the dry down is worth it. It's defintetly just ok, it reminds me of FIERCE but less enchanting and performing. Fierce started sucking in the last years due to reformulation so I'd say quite on par which each other. I'd say it's not the best ZARA (for me it remains Vibrant leather ) but at least it offers something at least different from the overcharged citrus aventus segment.

On my skin it last the same if not more than Percival, and it costs 200€ less. Definetly not the same smell, this one is marine, citrus, slightly woody, more synthethic, while Percival is more natural citruses and flowers. I like this one over montblanc's because that one is more fruity/sweet. Absolutely Dark is Fierce and Invictus Aqua's baby. Yeah, I prefer Percival, but, at that price, for less longevity, and same effect on people... You do you.

To be honest I don't see so much similarities between Percival and Fierce/Legend. These are different scents in my opinion. Percival is way higher league scent. ZAD is a great clone of Percival with solid longevity (6h) and a strong Sillage in first hour. In the drydown I can smell a Burberry Touch vibe though. Scent: 8,5 Longevity: 7 Sillage: 7 Bottle: 5 Price: 10 SIMILAR TO: Percival: 9 Fierce/Legend: 2

Tested this one in the store and it immediately reminds me of Vodka on the Rocks by Kilian. Performance is okay, I think it's a good deal

Blind buy as a percival dupe but was disappointed. - Opening: very sharp and alcoholic and sometimes even headache inducing. To me the scent becomes pleasant after 10 minutes. That being said, it could get better with maceration. - Scent profile: has the percival DNA but is not nearly as well blended. Compared to the OG it smells flat and one-dimensional. It does not captivate but rather stays unimpressive. Overall: 65 percent close to me. Exact same scent profile but just not well enough made. - Performance: relatively short even with 5 sprays. I would give it two good hours then you’ll have a hard time noticing it. - Recommendation: get Montblanc legend edp. It’s more expensive but is much better blended, and has a higher longevity. To me it comes way closer to Percival. Percival is amazing but the price not justified for a relatively straightforward scent profile like this. Willing to trade/sell the nearly full bottle for half price if anyone still wants.

"Meh" would be the definition for this fragrance. A boring interpretation of Fierce with an added fruitiness that might recall Percival to some people. I own a clone of Fierce that I paid 10 euros instead of 22 (the price of Absolutely Dark) and it lasts longer than the Zara fragrance, which is a mediocre performer. First time I can say that I'm disappointed by a Zara release, this was utterly unimpressive. Hard pass.

Yeah, this smells like a combination of Percival and Montblanc Legend edp in the opening only. Nice opening, however after a while you just smell the generic sweet base that some of the Zara fragrances have. It's ok, but I regret buying it.

It is an ok fragrance, I would wear it from time to time. It is not a bad fragrance, but it really doesn't fit my style completely. It is a little bland for me, a little basic, but is not bad. A just meh...

A sweet spicy mix of Legend and Fierce. Not bad given the price but it's a very 90s nightclub vibe (same as Fierce). I personally don't like it but I understand there are fans.

This is so syntethic it makes my head hurt, however others dont report this, so maybe i got a bad batch.

I gave it a shot and pulled the trigger on this cheapie. It’s for sure the cheapest fragrance bottle I’ve ever held in my hand lol. The juice is the same. Very cheap smelling. It would work better for a middle schooler getting into colognes. Although I’d choose adidas or Jordan as I used when I was that age.

Just skip this fragrance, you would think it's a safe blind buy because of the Fierce DNA, but i don't think so because is very synthetic and can be cloying. If you liked it i wouldn't pay zara full price, i would wait for a discount. IMO there are better fragrances in Zara.

There's nothing dark or absolute about this fragrance, it's a quintessential 90s fresh fragrance that doesn't really need a revival. Yes, it does resemble Fierce and Legend (a Fierce clone itself). Synthetic, redundant, ubiquitous and boring.

AWFUL smell! I bought those due to below reviews, and I regret this! Where is the smell of Fierce, where is Pervical? This smells like cheap cologne from chinese store "everything for $1" or the Tesco Value soap/shower gel. Instant headache guaranted! Such a waste of money... If people are asking about this smell, then they probably have headache already, and simply want to know what perfumes they should avoid at any cost!

Synthetic, not the best quality, very cheap smelling.. Mediocre performer. Zara has better fragances than this.

This is nearly 1/1 Percival with cheaper ingredients. I'd say about 90 percent similar but has less ambroxan and I can sense Iris-marine notes somewhere. It is a very good cologne, but sadly not very performing (especially in cold weather) If you want the cheapest you can get to fierce/percival, this is very good. If you want a fierce/percival clone with the best performance, go with legend EDP.

Likening this to Percival is unfair. This reminds me of the super versatile mid/late 2000s signature scents DNAs. Fresh without being aquatic or citric, spicy without being heady or vanillic, perfectly adaptable for work, errands and dates alike. If you just wanna smell good and you don't wanna open the door for fragrance OCD and going weird or niche, this is a solid one-and-done scent.

A very decent clone of Percival. Absolutely Dark is to Percival what CDNIM is to Aventus. I have a 10 ml decant of Percival and the notes are very similar. The difference is in quality, Percival is a lot more pricey and it is justified by the quality ingredients. Overall a great buy for someone who likes the scent DNA but doesn't want to spend a lot of money 7,5/10

It should be called absolutely fresh. Its Percival / Fierce DNA in a weaker not that much evolving formula. It will work great as a gym fragrance so not to waste the original juice or for younger ages that don’t want to spend a fortune for a montblanc/fierce/PdM type of scent and spend it for something else. Safe blind buy!

Notes on the box, as Fragrantica does not mention them : Mandarin, Bergamot, Rose, Orris, Sandalwood, Dry Amber , Tonka Bean Description : " The bewitching sensuality and deep elegance of black encapsulated in a fragrance "

On my skin it made me instantly think of Chanel Platinum Egoiste.