Unexplored Noir

As Dark As Dante’s Infernal Pitch Pine Tar, a singular keynote blended in this concoction, is a substance obtained from pine trees that has been used since ancient times for creating a water-repellent, protective barrier on wood. Pine tar is a dark, tacky substance produced when heat and pressure are applied to pine wood to decompose it. Depending on the species of pine used, tar may have a different colour and odour. A resinous, smoky scent envelops and subdues, descending into the languid heat and darkness of pine tar, burnt wood, and leather. Unexplored Noir fits perfectly as the pine tar accord is somewhat unexplored as an ingredient in designer perfumes. And it's pitch black, or Noir as the French neighbors say. Unexplored Noir is really so mysterious, alien, and unknown. Tested on the paper strip, the smoky, gummy, liqueur accords that characterise this essence immediately emerge. On the skin, it opens with a boozy roar of warm spices. Marion Costero freshly crashed the pink pepper with just a hint of cardamom, which is supportive and not primary here. Balmy and minty facets are not noticeable. Around this spiciness is a bitterish, liqueur-like, dense, slightly burnt aroma, that of toasted sugar. It has implications similar to liquorice root, but at the same time, it is pungent, like fresh resin dripping from the bark of a conifer. A toasted and burnt accord emerges on the base, like the aroma released when we melt and caramelise brown sugar on the fire. It’s not buttery like a sticky browned butter salted caramel but like a crunchy frosting. The opening promises to be warm, like a camel-coloured merino wool sweater with a turtleneck, soft, warming, and enveloping. Time goes by, but this burnt edge shows no signs of diminishing; on the contrary, it acquires a new dusty, powdery, and sweetish nuance. These new colours take shape from iris tubers dried and burned by the sun, crushed, and reduced to an excellent powder, like iris talc. The warm and woody notes of the cashmeran molecule intertwine the powdery aspect, so silky and creamy. Only a few minutes have passed, and Unexplored Noir gives me many unknown sensations. Even if floral notes of iris and violet participate, the heart does not appear excessively flowery. The sticky, rubbery, and burnt nuance I felt at the beginning is now more conspicuous, pleasantly smoky, gloomy, and slightly medicinal with tanned leather quality. It is the smell of pine tar, which smells pitch-black, dark and bitter, acrid, smoky, oily, and petroleum-like, not unlike roofing tar, or the asphalt as they roll into the streets. It does not smell fresh, like crushed green pine needles or newly sawn pine lumber. Pine tar has a distinct, resinous smell. People often describe it as woody, earthy, and slightly smoky. I don’t get any pine-like or piney aroma. The perfume does not change much from the heart to the dry-down. There is a slight hint of patchouli, but nothing reminiscent of the opulent oils of the 70s. The creamy notes of sandalwood combined with caramel bring to mind other trendy perfumes, including the recent Spell Caramel and Nocturnal Life. However, Unexplored Noir remains a unique perfume and not a reinterpretation of those. What remains as sillage is a trail of browned and smoky woods with sweetish and earthy tendencies. Beautiful, unpredictable, surprising, intricate, confusing, and difficult. The genre of this perfume is right up my alley. Despite having a high intensity, full of dark and thick notes, the fragrance is not excessively brazen, intrusive, or annoying. The initial strength subsides within the first hour to become a sensual and intimate skin scent. On me, it is a perfume with moderate performance. I've to move closer to the hot point to smell it. Unsure about the sillage, as I need more wearing in a public place and gather feedback. The resins, spices, and woods make it suitable for the autumn months; the smell pierces the air, which becomes more humid and cold every day. I can wear it during the day, even in the office, as it does not project much but gives its best during afternoon, evening, and night events. It is safe for people who work in public places where fragrances are not tolerated, such as hospital or similar places. Marion Costero has done an excellent job “niche-like”with this new fragrance from Zara, added to the triptych released a few weeks ago. I wrote this review on the fly based on a bottle I have owned since October 2023 (BC 32611).

Sprayed it in my local Zara store (they finally got testers of this). More masculine, spicy and rugged version of Magnificent Black. It smells like this 15 minutes after spraying. Before that it was straight up pepper/smoke/cardamom oriental heavy metal concert that I didn't know which direction it was gonna take. I'm getting similar first couple of minutes with Oriflame's S8 Night, maybe Platinum or even Volume (all long discontinued) and they all take different paths. I like it! If it's gonna have the performance of Magnificent Black, I might as well buy it someday, because it is quite how I would like MB to smell if that makes sense 😅 EDIT: After 6 hours I've come to conclusion it's pretty much a linear scent meaning that (unlike MB) it doesn't take sudden turns in its smell as it develops. Rather the layers of spices slowly fade away to leave you with a skin scent that is dark, a little sweet but still with a bit of edge. I think MB lasted longer and projected longer but was more mild and unisex. Gonna bring my MB decant with me and compare them wrist to wrist tomorrow. As for the comparison to Oriflame frags - just sprayed all 3 of them and S8 Night hits the closest but is more sharp, boozy and less sweet. I think layering it on top of MB would give off similar vibe to Unexplored Noir.

This one is such a great smelling composition, smells really full bodied and smooth . Great for colder weather as it envelops you in this soothing warm soft yet semi sweet smell , like when you are sitting in a cozy place , fire burning and coco in your hands and enjoying this warm wonderful moment after having been out in the cold . Also reminds me of the smell of a good quality coffee shop , that coffee/ caramel/ cardamom smell mixed with milk and cookies . It’s a moment this perfume and it’s quite a sticker to the skin and projects softly but steady. The longer this macerates the more potent it gets . It’s a ❤️ for me , especially that I’m normally not a ‘sweet smelling ’ kind of guy , this one is not too sweet , it’s more sultry. PS: this gets better the longer it macerates and don’t be scared to overspray either . Batch code : 32750 so it’s only been 3 months since it’s been macerating .

Pretty sad no one has commented on this one in 2025. It's a lovely perfume. And the name suits it very well. When you first spray it, it's like you get outside of a cozy chalet, to see the vast forest and there's smoke coming from the fireplace chimney. (I was amazed to see more people commenting similar experience when smelling and that alone makes this perfume even better for me) It's kinda ashy at the beginning but settles to a light spicy caramel smell. It resembles By The Fireplace in the way that they both evoke simillar images and feelings when smelled... I bought this 2 years ago of course, and haven't seen it at Zara since then. It doesn't perfom very well, but a nice combo of mysterious and cozy vibe. It's not often that a Zara perfume evokes such strong images

Got my bottle yesterday and sprayed on my arm but couldn't really smell much probably cause I sprayed 3 other fragrances at the same time as I had a zara haul however after a while I checked the bottle and smelled the nozzle and from the nozzle it smelled really nice but based on that first impression I can tell its not a strong fragrance but the smell is nice Edit: today I had a full day wear of this and this is actually beautiful and the trail it leaves is amazing not very complex but still beautiful in the opening I get some roasted coffee nuances which I love