Bvlgari Black Bvlgari 1998

Bottle Design Thierry de Baschmakoff

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7.4 / 10 504 Ratings

A perfume by Bvlgari for women and men, released in 1998. The scent is leathery-sweet. It is still in production.

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Main accords

Leathery

Sweet

Smoky

Woody

Spicy

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Green tea

Bergamot

Heart Notes

Jasmine

Cedar

Sandalwood

Base Notes

Leather

Vanilla

Amber

Musk

Perfumer

Annick Ménardo

Ratings

Scent

7.4504 Ratings

Longevity

6.9373 Ratings

Sillage

6.4359 Ratings

Bottle

7.6373 Ratings

Value for money

7.267 Ratings

Submitted by DonVanVliet, last update on 25.04.2024.

Reviews

22 in-depth fragrance descriptions

09/06/2021

7
Bottle 6
Sillage 8
Longevity 8
Scent

DonJuanDeCat
657 Reviews

Translated Show original

DonJuanDeCat

Top Review 21

Black as my soul, but powdered!

Hello you smelly butts! It's been almost a month since I last posted a comment here. That was on purpose, because I just wanted to see who missed me and who would write to me during all this time. Of course, not ONE got back to me, which was supposed to make me leave perfumo forever, you mean meanies!!! :D
Why am I actually writing here, huh? Tsss...

Well anyway, I'm coming to a Bvlgari fragrance today, Black that is, as my mood and soul is darkening right now because you guys don't like me for a long time and worship me like a god as I always thought, argh! :D

Hm, okay, I'll get to the scent anyway, even if you don't deserve it, whew!... Strange, I always thought I'd described this scent long ago, after all, I've described quite a few Bvlgari scents, including the lovely tea scent series (the "Eau Parfumée au Thé" scents). And I just see that this fragrance here should also contain tea, so my motivation is also even higher to test this fragrance and describe it for you, although you have, as just said, so not deserved, hmpf!

Okay, before I still endlessly further grumble, I'll get started then!

The scent:

I smell at the beginning of a slightly greenish-sweet scent, in which it is briefly difficult for me to recognize any fragrance note correctly, even with the fragrance listing here on Parfumo I need a while to recognize a little sour, citrus notes like those of the bergamot. None of this is a big deal though, as the mix of fragrance notes smells really good from the start. So I would guess at the beginning of bergamot, sweetish jasmine and possibly even something alcoholic like whiskey or rum, I could also smell tonka bean easily (or did I get the men's version of the fragrance there after all?... let's wait and see).
But as time goes by, it turns out (if I'm not mistaken) that these scents are more like amber after all, and the assumed tonka (probably thought tonka because of the powdery notes) is moving more and more towards leather.
A little later, it becomes more powdery, the leather decreases a little, but the scent becomes more resinous-sweet. Now he also has some similarity with the (men's) fragrance "Midnight in Paris" by Van Cleef & Arpels.
So the fragrance remains in any case also until the end, because you can smell only powdery and soft fragrance notes, which come across pleasantly and smell sweetish as well as resinous. In the base, the leather has become quite weak, but then you can smell a little musk. A pretty nice fragrance.

The sillage and the durability:

The sillage is pretty okay. The fragrance is not a firecracker, but you will be able to smell him on not so great distances yet good for a while. The durability I found with so about 8-9 hours quite good.

The flacon:

The bottle is disc shaped and thick, if you didn't have the spray head it would look like a hockey puck or a car tire. Anyway, the thick black wall is not transparent all the way through, as the interior (i.e. the bottle glass) is visible when viewed from above. The lid is also disc-shaped, but white with a black interior. It all looks quite nice.

Conclusion:

Okay, so that was Black by Bvlgari. And it's pretty good! The beginning had me still unsettled, because I thought I had caught here the men's fragrance, but then I could gradually better assign the fragrance notes present. As I said, Black is a beautiful fragrance that exudes sweet powdery and thus also comes across quite feminine. The only thing I missed here was the green tea, which I saw listed in the top note here but couldn't smell it, but maybe others can perceive it better.

For me, it's a fragrance that could be used quite well for going out. But it can also work well on its own, as it is smooth and most people probably like such soft and powdery scents. But if you don't like such things, well then the fragrance is just absolutely nothing for you. The fragrance is for me anyway an all-rounder that you could always wear, so no matter whether during the day, in leisure or even to go out. Seasonally, he is also almost an all-rounder, but I would tend most to autumn.

A test is already worthwhile, generally the Bvlgari fragrances are yes not bad, especially among the tea fragrances mentioned, but especially among the "Le Gemme" fragrances you can find some so really great fragrances, so it's always worth sniffing around at the Bvlgaris.

And with that I've come to the end again, of course I could go on grumbling here for a bit, but I think half of my introduction already consisted of grumbling, so I'll just wish you a nice evening, so see you :)

Your fragrance god
Don Juan de Cat :DDD

03/07/2020

6
Bottle 5
Sillage 5
Longevity 8.5
Scent

3lbows
50 Reviews

Translated Show original

3lbows

How Fahrenheit Absolute should smell...

I think every perfumer knows the feeling of having a fragrance in front of him or her that you can really identify with. Most of the time you still have the test sprayer on your hand; you get a "whiff" every now and then, lead your wrist or back to the olfactory bulb and think, man - that's him. I must have that. It suits me. It expresses me. The nice thing about it is that it usually happens by chance. A bit of perfume research here, a bottling there, a free test there, and sometimes it just works
Bvlgari Black is one of those for me. A state of mind expression, an emotional statement, a familiar aura. We like scents especially when they are more than just the sum of their (pyramid) parts, because they stimulate the different regions of our brain that construct our world view. Memories, images, wishes, situations, colours, physical sensations, but never the isolated scent impression, which is the only one we can neither remember nor, for example, dream about. There is always a need for a "wherefore around", and the more of it a fragrance brings, the more intense it is anchored in us
Bvlgari Black has it particularly easy here, as he unfolds a very concrete connotation right after spraying it on, namely that of rubber (tea?), something like a workshop with brand-new tyres. But other associations are quickly added. I perceive a dirty, petroly note (leather?), which is surrounded by vanilla sweetness. This dirty, almost animalistic, warm sweetness, which dominates the further drydown, is what Black is for me. But at no time do I find him obtrusive, bold or unpleasant - no, Black is rather reserved and harmoniously composed. That's how I had always imagined Fahrenheit Absolute, until I was bitterly disappointed by the uniqueness of the latter. As far as the fragrance intention is concerned, Fahrenheit, although fresher, more spherical, more floral and above all - more dominant, plays in the same team of creative garage-smutters. Bvlgari is then, if you like, whose autumn version, the Fahrenheit absolute is not, in my opinion.

It's probably the plasticity of Black that makes the fragrance so attractive to me. Similar to Terre d'Hermes hot orange road, Black is less abstract and easy to understand compared to other fragrances. But that shouldn't diminish his artistic aspirations, because you have to get that right first, without letting the fragrance drift off into the trivial. The real art is to depict more than just smell, to build a bridge, to play with all these sensory impressions, but still to create something that you want to smell, that you can smell well. A garage with car tires alone, or a street in summer heat with a few oranges bumming around in front of you can't do that.

That's why yes: Bvlgari Black is great perfumery, great cinema, synthesis of smell and scent, of olfactory everyday perception and luxury cosmetics, of urban anonymity and cosy warmth.
Bvlgari Black is certainly not for everyone. If you can't stand one of these notes, or the combined effect, you'll find it disgusting. But for me there is a lot in it All the more I find it a pity that he does not have much to offer in terms of performance. One hour, let's say, he shines with a suitably dosed dose of Sillage. One arm's length, that's all it takes, because otherwise his scent concept could quickly become overpowering or even repulsive. After that, however, it quickly becomes skin-tight, and after 6 hours I can practically no longer perceive it.
I haven't come across a suitable alternative yet; Prada's Luna Rossa Black also has this sweet rubber accord, instead of leathery-warm, but it continues to develop a slightly soapy, cool and distant tone. Midnight in Paris I couldn't test it yet, but it's hard to get anyway. Gucci's current release Memoir d'un Odeur is designed very similarly, although brighter and fresher with chamomile.
Black was not reformulated for this. Here I have a vintage residual bottle, as well as current bottling - practically identical in fragrance and shelf life. Speaking of the bottle: it looks chic, definitely an eye-catcher, the rubber coating feels great. So Bvlgari also skilfully communicates its unique fragrance concept via the feel. But the spray head, which in the Vintage version still has a screw cap, is a catastrophe: rickety plastic, which, if not handled carefully, simply falls off when turned on, and if you press too timidly, you will only get a weak jet out of the tyre's surface instead of a spray mist
And who's the best person to buy it now? Although discontinued, Bvlgari Black is still available online at a discount. I still can't recommend a blind buy, it's definitely too special for that. I also think that - although not outdated at all - this is more of an U30. The best way to test the effect is by bottling. Even if you don't like it, Black is a fragrance experience that you should have done once.

01/05/2012

5
Bottle 7.5
Sillage 7.5
Longevity 6
Scent

Missk
1165 Reviews

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.

01/17/2014

10
Bottle 5
Sillage 5
Longevity 8
Scent

Sweetgrass
35 Reviews

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.

07/08/2013

7.5
Sillage 7.5
Longevity 9
Scent

cItypark
22 Reviews

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.

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