Bvlgari Black 1998

Bvlgari Black by Bvlgari
Bottle Design:
Thierry de Baschmakoff
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7.4 / 10 530 Ratings
A perfume by Bvlgari for women and men, released in 1998. The scent is leathery-sweet. The production was apparently discontinued.
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Main accords

Leathery
Sweet
Smoky
Woody
Spicy

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
Green teaGreen tea BergamotBergamot
Heart Notes Heart Notes
JasmineJasmine CedarCedar SandalwoodSandalwood
Base Notes Base Notes
LeatherLeather VanillaVanilla AmberAmber MuskMusk

Perfumer

Ratings
Scent
7.4530 Ratings
Longevity
6.9395 Ratings
Sillage
6.4380 Ratings
Bottle
7.6395 Ratings
Value for money
7.287 Ratings
Submitted by DonVanVliet, last update on 04/23/2025.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to
Midnight in Paris (Eau de Toilette) by Van Cleef & Arpels
Midnight in Paris Eau de Toilette
Lesquendieu Le Parfum by Lesquendieu
Lesquendieu Le Parfum
Crème de Cuir (Eau de Parfum) by bdk Parfums
Crème de Cuir Eau de Parfum
Aigner Black for Men (Eau de Toilette) by Aigner
Aigner Black for Men Eau de Toilette
Luna Rossa Black by Prada
Luna Rossa Black
Tabacco Toscano (Eau de Cologne) by Santa Maria Novella
Tabacco Toscano Eau de Cologne

Reviews

24 in-depth fragrance descriptions
5
Bottle
7.5
Sillage
7.5
Longevity
6
Scent
Missk

1357 Reviews
Missk
Missk
Very helpful Review 7  
Black rubber
Every time I see this fragrance in the stores, it is almost always placed in the male fragrance department. For people that don't follow fragrance like a religion, one would assume that it is a male fragrance rather than unisex.

I was compelled to try Bvlgari Black after reading that it was a popular and unique fragrance which women seemed to enjoy wearing. As a fan of everything unique, I tried this in a store yesterday. I was not game enough to spray on my skin, so I tried it on a tester card.

There was an immediate blast of sharp rubber and leather, which left me surprised but not repulsed. However, in only a few minutes the scent changed to a sweet honey and car tyre rubber scent. I was horrified by this combination. Before this fragrance had become repulsive, I would have suggested that Bvlgari Black was a unique and masculine perfume, but the sweetness of the honey made it, in my opinion, far too sweet for a man and too disgusting for a woman to wear.

I've never had such a bad reaction to fragrance in my life. With every sniff I would shudder, gag and almost pass out. Perhaps this is one of those love it or hate it type of fragrances. There is no doubt that I absolutely hated this.

EDIT:
I have re-visited Black, and I must say it isn't as bad as how I had perceived it two years ago. It's still rubbery and sweet, however the scent is much more pleasing to my now trained nose. I have removed this fragrance from my dislike list.
0 Comments
10
Bottle
5
Sillage
5
Longevity
8
Scent
Sweetgrass

35 Reviews
Sweetgrass
Sweetgrass
Very helpful Review 8  
Days of war, nights of love: Sultry vanillic leather
Black is one of the few fragrances I would call outright sexy, and one of the few in which a prominent vanilla accord doesn't get cloyingly sweet. I get only a whiff, if that, of the various woods and florals listed: to me, this is almost entirely rubbery leather tinted with vanilla, and grounded by a warm musk that doesn't steal the show or invoke sweat or laundry detergent. I find it perfect for the cold season, and have no idea yet how this behaves during warm weather, but I'm really curious to find out! My only complaint is that the leather isn't quite as intense as I would have hoped, but at EdT concentration this is only a minor concern.

The bottle and packaging complement the juice perfectly, which is a rare enough occurrence that it warrants a separate mention. It is black, stylish and self-assured from box to drydown, and it is absolutely GORGEOUS. Black is an outstanding example of genius in simplicity. Sex and style often seem irreconcileable in perfume, but with Black Annick Ménardo has achieved that, and more. On top of everything else, Black is widely available through online discounters for very reasonable prices at least in Scandinavia and Finland, so keep an eye (or nostril) out for it.

Addendum: In light of Omni's review, there is a sci-fi feel to this, definitely. I don't know about Terminator, but maybe Pacific Rim.
1 Comment
7.5
Sillage
7.5
Longevity
9
Scent
cItypark

22 Reviews
cItypark
cItypark
Very helpful Review 8  
Smoked Tea
In the Bulgari line-up are quite some tea scents, one of them is BLACK, evoking the smell of Lapsang Souchong, a Chinese black tea dried over pine wood smoke, a note which is very dominant in this perfume.
This smoky note, also identified as rubber or tire, stays on strong for a long while until the vanilla note shows in the dry down and and adds a slight sweetness and powdery touch. I do not get any floral notes.
It is very suitable for the monsoon period as it does not fades so easily as other perfumes, but I wonder if the humidity (around 60%) amplifies the smoked tea note.
0 Comments
10
Bottle
7.5
Sillage
5
Longevity
7
Scent
Njdeb

63 Reviews
Njdeb
Njdeb
Very helpful Review 6  
Don't let the rubber scare you off
At first spray you do indeed get the unmistakable smell of rubber tires. This will surely not appeal to everyone. Me, I like it. Perhaps this is because one of my favorite memories from my rural mid-American childhood is rolling myself up inside the cavity of a discarded tractor tire (these always seemed to be just randomly lying around), and having my friends roll me around in it, or, better yet, send me flying down a hill.

(Come to think of it, lots of probably toxic smells make me nostalgic for my late sixies/early seventies youth: hot tar, leaded gasoline, mimeograph fluid and rubber cement, to name a few. Surely sniffing these things was not good for me, but, hey, that stuff smelled good.)
But I digress....

Back to Black. Along with the rubber, I get a slightly powdery woody note (the tea?) and a bit of leather. Nothing floral here to my nose, and I can't really pick out the bergamot, but maybe that is what makes this scent lighter than you would expect from the notes. This is not industrial strength rubber, but actually quite tame and well behaved.

The vanilla starts to emerge rather quickly to lend some sweetness and smoothness, and the rubber note becomes a tad more leather-like. The smell that you get about ten minutes after spray remains pretty stable for the duration of the scent.

All in all, this is a unique fragrance that I feel is appropriate for both sexes. Rest assured, though, this is not a "weird" scent, but one that actually settles into a very wearable, light leather/vanilla. Oh, and the hockey puck bottle makes a great paper weight
1 Comment
7.5
Bottle
2.5
Sillage
5
Longevity
6
Scent
Miaw2

339 Reviews
Miaw2
Miaw2
Very helpful Review 6  
Classic rubber!
Sexy and sweet leather that sometimes smells like burnt rubber with vanilla, which is great.

Classic and innovative when was released. This is probably the main inspiration of VCA Midnight In Paris.

I only wish it had more lasting power. Unisex. Worth it.

Updated January 2014
0 Comments
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Statements

14 short views on the fragrance
LillibetLillibet 7 years ago
9
Bottle
7
Sillage
7
Longevity
8
Scent
A slightly off-beat take on leather & vanilla. The leather is smokey-rubbery & the vanilla is a sophisticated blend. Unusual & fun to wear.
0 Comments
CumulnimbusCumulnimbus 3 years ago
7.5
Bottle
5
Sillage
5
Longevity
8.5
Scent
Fresh citrus herbal start followed by the most sophisticated cool modern take on rubbery leather. Brainy scent. Lost treasure. Total love.
0 Comments
Simo975gSimo975g 3 years ago
8
Scent
Menardo's signature cashmeran ties together the powdery vanilla with the smokey, rubbery leather. A classic scent with an edgy modern twist.
0 Comments
TruckladyTrucklady 6 years ago
Menardo's Hypnotic Poison for the boys. More emo than goth, but definite dark number.
0 Comments
RavonaRavona 8 days ago
10
Bottle
5
Sillage
7
Longevity
0
Scent
First batches had lapsang tea (removed later) and this scent was perfect. I would buy couple of bottles if only was it available again.
0 Comments
TripnoTripno 5 months ago
10
Bottle
7
Sillage
7
Longevity
9.5
Scent
Powdery vanilla over leathery rubber. Reminds me of a 90s Batman movie. Odd and unique. Wish I still owned this!
0 Comments
PetarMolnarPetarMolnar 1 year ago
8
Bottle
6
Sillage
6
Longevity
8
Scent
Sweet rubber smelling like fragrance. Really soothing green tea note with sandalwood. Loved to wear it back in late 90s
0 Comments
EmbombEmbomb 1 year ago
I now believe people when they say this smells like sweet rubber tires, phew!
0 Comments
Topfpflanze3Topfpflanze3 2 years ago
6
Bottle
7
Sillage
7
Longevity
7.5
Scent
Powdery vanilla with a soft leather, a bit scratchy but maybe due to my older sample. For the price at that time awesome
0 Comments
Loulou31Loulou31 3 years ago
8
Bottle
7
Sillage
2
Longevity
7.5
Scent
J aime ce parfum depuis toujours,c est profond mais avec une douceur incroyable.le tout légèrement poudre .
0 Comments
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