Bottle Design:
Grand Public, Pierre Dinand

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Black Citrus Vilhelm Parfumerie 2015

7.8 / 10 140 Ratings

A popular perfume by Vilhelm Parfumerie for women and men, released in 2015. The scent is citrusy-smoky. It is still in production.
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Main accords

Citrus

Smoky

Woody

Green

Spicy

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Calabrian bergamot

Cardamom

Heart Notes

Maté

Violet

Base Notes

Birch

Vetiver

Indonesian patchouli

Perfumer

Jérôme Epinette

Ratings

Scent

7.8140 Ratings

Longevity

7.5111 Ratings

Sillage

6.9114 Ratings

Bottle

7.5121 Ratings

Value for money

5.839 Ratings

Submitted by Franfan20, last update on 09/15/2025.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Eau de Citron Noir

Aventus

Noir Anthracite

Morning Chess Eau de Parfum

Orion Extrait de Parfum

Royal Vintage

Reviews

6 in-depth fragrance descriptions

12/21/2024

7Scent

Telekinec
498 Reviews

Telekinec

1

Spices, woods and smoke: a man's fragrance

This is a VERY masculine-leaning fragrance and something I should've known not to try based on the notes. At least I tried it and now I know I'm not a fan of smoky, woody and spicy accords mingling together: they remind me too much of a man's fragrance.

I get a hint of citrus at the beginning, but it's immediately washed away by a strong spicy cardamom that leans almost dirty on my skin. I start getting a hint of fresh and floral violets that's squashed underneath a strong green and herbal maté. Birch and vetiver offer this duo of woodiness and spiciness that are very strong and quite overwhelming. A dirty, woody and spicy patchouli also enters the fray. It projects very well off my skin (too well?): I could feel it radiate from where I had sprayed it. As it dries down, it starts smelling like my dad. There's nothing wrong with that (my dad smells very nice), but I don't want to smell like my father xD

A niche offering for a guy who wants to upgrade from their spicy, woody and smoky designer fragrance. I can see myself enjoying it on a man's skin, but certainly not on mine!

04/10/2025

10Scent 6Longevity 7Sillage

sundays
6 Reviews

sundays

1

Great Everyday Fragrance

Fair warning: I think this fragrance depends greatly on a person's skin chemistry. To me this was a very simple citrus to birch fragrance that wasn't too strong or too weak and I could still smell it on myself after a workday.

It smelt very natural to me and I think that's why it became my favorite. It's very easy to wear but it's an unusual combo of top to base notes makes it interesting to smell.

I'd say it's a gender neutral fragrance leaning more masculine.

08/12/2017

9Scent 10Longevity 9Sillage

RobGordon
59 Reviews

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RobGordon

Top Review 23

"No winner believes in coincidence." [Nietzsche]

At the latest since the fragrance, the name of which I have decided not to mention in this post, scents in my fragrance consciousness have taken on a somewhat martial quality. Not all, of course. There are also the cuddly ones among fragrances that just want to play.

The black lemon does not want to play. It does not want to refresh in the slightest. It aims to bring any alpha candidate to their knees over the course of a workday and awaken the winner within you.

But not in a way that it drives every opponent to tears. (By the way: it’s not a good idea to try drying a mountain of fresh chili peppers in the microwave, as I read some time ago)

Much more cunning, by planting virtual stop signs in the olfactory cortex with the sub-message:

"Stop, this is not a good situation, choose your words wisely and keep your distance."

At the same time, the scent evokes associations with aftershave, which one would not want to locate in the depths of the 70s and 80s. It is modern, clear (although smoky), transparent, and cool.

The Byredo alchemist has made a great effort with "Black Citrus" to avoid the typically familiar accords of the Swedish label. Not even the violet is Byredo-like. It merely serves to tame the roughness of the birch tar and does so with a gently aromatic veil that is fixed to the lush body of the birch tar with a non-straining leather seam.

Up front, there is a subtly sour-green note, which, as bergamot, does not give itself away too clearly, countering the monotony. I wouldn’t have thought of tea here on my own, but it still sounds plausible as a replacement for green notes. Cardamom allergy sufferers can also breathe easy; it does not want to stand out.

No one needs to fear patchouli either; it shyly clings to the hem of the birch tar, which is present here in a concentration that I wished for in the fragrance whose name I did not mention at the beginning.

Birch tar is a note that polarizes strongly. For some, even a little is too much, and there is indeed more contained.

"Knize Ten (Toilet Water)" is nevertheless not one of them, and I find that good. Its Achilles' heel will likely be its straightforwardness overall. The transition between top and heart notes is nevertheless wonderfully successful and is worth the test alone. At least for those who would like classic men's fragrance themes interpreted in a modern way; the puck with a handle in the form of this bottle does not need to be presented.

Before I forget:

Thanks to the donor Salmix for his nice addition in the form of this fragrance experience.
A sugar- and flower-free zone, the Haralds can come down from the trees again.
It is not unisex, but perhaps suitable for aspiring winners among the ladies, for whom Woman III (old formula) was still too little masculine.

12/15/2019

9Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

Norleans
65 Reviews

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Norleans

Top Review 27

Mhhhhmm

Today is my birthday. I am turning one year old. One year as a member and connoisseur at Parfumo. During this time, not only has my bank balance continuously decreased, but my self-control has often been put to the test. Most of the time, it lost. I would like to dedicate my birthday comment to Black Citrus.

I came across this fragrance through a roundabout way. I was wandering around downtown Hamburg between two appointments. The bottle and the scent description of Invasion Barbare by MDCI caught my attention, so I visited the Hofparfümerie in the eponymous passage. Unfortunately, they do not carry this brand. But since I was already there, I browsed a bit and admired the large selection in this store. In the meantime, the nice saleswoman checked online about Invasion Barbare and came back to me after a few minutes to show me fragrances that went in the same direction. That is not only business-savvy but also very courteous, in my opinion.

She then presented me with a fragrance from Vilhelm Parfumerie (which I unfortunately forgot the name of). In any case, the scent was not quite my style, as it smelled very herbal. Only after that did she present me with Black Citrus. And that was a bullseye! As I once wrote in a statement, I immediately thought of an extremely smoky Aventus, or an Amouage with a very high freshness component. I believe I am a big fan of birch (birch tar), as that is the dominant scent nuance in Black Citrus.
As the fragrance develops, BC approaches Noir Anthracite by Tom Ford a bit, without appearing as aggressively and dominantly. I would describe it once again as a managing director's perfume. Because BC comes on strong, is not reserved, and certainly not quiet. However, it remains pleasant for those around and doesn't hit you over the head, uh, is not as harsh as Noir Anthracite.
I think it can be worn year-round and would still work at high temperatures.

The price is quite high at 210 EUR for 100 ml. That was a bit too much for a spontaneous purchase. As luck would have it, a day later, a pretty well-filled bottle was available for an absolutely fair price in the Souk, and the vicious cycle began (Paypal/bad conscience/DHL/bad conscience and anticipation/satisfaction of addiction).

A great, special, and noble fragrance that hits my taste just right.

Fun fact on the side: The lady in the perfumery said that Vilhelm Parfumerie makes its bottles from whisky glasses. As a whisky enthusiast, I find that very appealing.

Thanks for reading and have a lovely third Advent.

PS: RobGordon below me has described the fragrance exactly and really well, please be sure to read it!

04/18/2020

6Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

Chizza
361 Reviews

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Chizza

Top Review 11

Fumes of an Extinguished Fire...

...of birch wood on lush green. For me, that is Black Citrus. One might ask: where is the citrus? And what is black about it? We will get to the citrus, but it only appears much later. At the beginning, there is fresh green, by no means intense smoke; nothing is burning, there is no campfire or anything like that. Vilhelm and his Norsemen have long moved on, the trail is cold. This reminiscence of a blazing fire is what Black Citrus is at the start. You have to like this cold smoke as it mingles with freshly cut green, almost a kind of green smoke.
That can't be all there is... and so you sniff and sniff and faintly detect the citrus. Softly and quietly it signals, I am here too. The fragrance becomes richer by one facet but not better. This is very subjective, as I clearly rate it lower than the general assessment.
For me, the scent radiates what I symbolically see before me and have hinted at above. An empty fire pit next to a clearing in the woods. Remnants of the previous night's rest, a solitary deer rummages through the fire pit and what is left of perhaps a raucous celebration. A fading memory that continues to disappear. A lone rider observes the decline of this scene, the image turns gray and soon dissolves, the last sounds of trumpets fade into the distance.
This is what Black Citrus reminds me of, although the scent smells intense in its own way and is also perceptible for a long time.

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