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Collection Extraordinaire

Cologne Noire Van Cleef & Arpels 2009

6.2 / 10 73 Ratings

A perfume by Van Cleef & Arpels for women and men, released in 2009. The scent is woody-fresh. It was last marketed by Interparfums.
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Main accords

Woody

Fresh

Spicy

Citrus

Smoky

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Bitter orange

Mandarin orange Neroli

Neroli

Bergamot

Heart Notes

Ginger

Black pepper

Base Notes

Cardamom

Woods

Perfumer

Mark Buxton

Ratings

Scent

6.273 Ratings

Longevity

5.157 Ratings

Sillage

4.850 Ratings

Bottle

7.563 Ratings

Value for money

6.310 Ratings

Submitted by Kankuro · last update on 05/09/2024.

Source-backed & verified

Interesting Facts

The fragrance was part of the collection Collection Extraordinaire.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Agua Brava (1968) Eau de Cologne

Sources d'Origine - Pierre Originelle

Silver Musk Extrait de Parfum

Reviews

8 in-depth fragrance descriptions

05/04/2018

MasterLi
376 Reviews

MasterLi

Helpful Review 2

Spicy, Fresh & Peppery...

I like this one. I have smelt this kind of smell before though. The use of ginger and black pepper together is not new, and has been done before. I think it is a nice mix, although in my experience the house of Comme des Garçons does black pepper the best. I can't say the longevity is the greatest, although it lasts a few hours initially, but dries down fast. It seems like a fragrance that is light in some aspects, so I think it's limited in where it can be worn and when. I think this would be great in Spring in particular and during the change of the seasons. I get the cardamom and bergamot and orange, these all add a freshness when combined with the pepper and ginger. For me, I don't find this too different from what exists out there and I think that because of that I would only recommend it if you love it after trying it first. Still this house (and the Collection Extraordinaire line) are very good but it's just worth trying out on skin first.

12/09/2012

5Scent 7.5Longevity 7.5Sillage

Sherapop
1239 Reviews

Sherapop

3

Woody Incense--but is it niche?

I have sniffed my way through my vial of Van Cleef & Arpels COLOGNE NOIRE, and I must say that my opinion of this fragrance has not deviated in the least from my initial whiff: this smells to me like a mainstream designer woody incense cologne. I am confused as to why this would be marketed in niche-esque or niche-oid packaging except for the obvious purpose of commanding a niche price.

I usually avoid commenting on such mundanities, but I am struck in this case by the similarity of COLOGNE NOIRE to several recent middling men's offerings. It's not overly masculine and could certainly be worn by women, if they wanted a simple woody incense scent. But that is the question. There is no complexity or development or depth to this fragrance: it's just incense and woodiness and the usual solvent suspects.

I would compare the quality of this composition to something in the D&G Anthology series. Needless to say, I will not be acquiring a bottle.

01/17/2012

SystemeD
58 Reviews

SystemeD

2

Cool Spices

Cologne Noire opens with bergamot, ginger, cardamom, and pepper.

The pepper lingers into the heart, where it blends with neroli, and then orange.

The drydown is less peppery and more woody, with a waft of incense.

While there are similarities to Penhaligon's Malabah and Penhaligon's Elixir in the spices here (no cinnamon here, though), the distinguishing thing about Cologne Noire is its quality of coolness rather than warmth -- a very interesting thing to find in a spicy aromatic.

Try this for an experience of refreshingly "cool" spices. It is of very high quality, and long-lasting for a traditional cologne.

08/10/2010

2Scent 0Longevity

FrauHolle
556 Reviews

Translated · Show original

FrauHolle

14

The Last Shall Be First

Kankuro, I'm echoing your words, this men's (!) perfume (!) competes at best with 8x4 Masculine or AXE for men.
Ordinary, flat, unremarkable, that's what comes to mind. Every man who walks by wearing this scent can pass go without having to pay me 5000,-.

Nothing special tickles my nose, the citrusy opening still appeals to me, but everything that follows smells like fallen asleep feet, frozen fries, vacuum-packed pebbles, fully glazed windscreen...

I have no idea where you get the 50% from; in my view, they would at best be justified on the price tag.

I'm sorry, I promised to make an effort in commenting, but after about 30 minutes, I unfortunately smell nothing anymore, I'm de-inspired, and should I perhaps pull something out of thin air now?
That's just not my style.

01/08/2012

2Scent 0Longevity

Florblanca
1166 Reviews

Translated · Show original

Florblanca

8

Pepper and Salt?

Black Cologne - sounds quite good at first. At least it raises certain expectations for the scent. But here VC&A has miscalculated with the name. Although it is a nice cologne, it shows no sharpness, no soapiness, or too much citrus; it doesn't reach anything black, not even something dark. Perhaps the Noir was meant to refer to the pepper, as I can certainly perceive pepper, as well as mandarin and ginger. However, to be accepted as a cologne, it would need to have a bit more punch. It doesn't come anywhere close to the L’Eau de Cologne by Ramón Monegal that I recently tested. That one is not only fruitier and spicier but also significantly longer-lasting.

Ergoproxy, you are right, something could have been made of this. But it wasn't. After just half an hour, I can no longer perceive Cologne Noir on my skin. The sillage is also close to 0. Well, on to the next scent from the Collection Extraordinaire. This candidate here is a clear miscast in such an illustrious circle.

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