Black Opium Floral Shock by Yves Saint Laurent

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Black Opium Floral Shock Yves Saint Laurent 2017

7.0 / 10 102 Ratings

A perfume by Yves Saint Laurent for women, released in 2017. The scent is sweet-floral. It is being marketed by L'Oréal.
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Main accords

Sweet

Floral

Fruity

Synthetic

Creamy

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Pear

Mandarin orange Freesia

Freesia

Lemon

Heart Notes

Gardenia

Floral notes

Orange blossom

Base Notes

Iced coffee

Mineral notes

White musk Amber

Amber

Perfumers

Marie Salamagne, Nathalie Lorson, Honorine Blanc, Olivier Cresp

Videos

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Ratings

Scent

7.0102 Ratings

Longevity

7.094 Ratings

Sillage

6.895 Ratings

Bottle

7.6107 Ratings

Value for money

7.130 Ratings

Submitted by OPomone, last update on 10/31/2025.

Interesting Facts

The face of the advertising campaign is British model Edie Campbell.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Black Opium Nuit Blanche

Black Opium Eau de Parfum

Flowerbomb Nectar

Bronze Goddess 2019 Eau de Parfum

Poison Girl Eau de Toilette

Manifesto Le Parfum

Reviews

7 in-depth fragrance descriptions

02/11/2017

7Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

pudelbonzo
2405 Reviews

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pudelbonzo

Top Review 13

Pleasure and Adrenaline?

Yesterday, I happily received the sample of Floral Shock, as I enjoy the original Black Opium, and it even gets a good reception from my picky husband.
The deliciously cozy coffee note appeals to both of us.

Now the cover promises: the shock of an iced coffee, between pleasure and adrenaline.

While I'm not directly shocked by the sweet fruity start - I am somewhat taken aback.
The fruits make quite a statement, but the hoped-for coffee note only gradually and very shyly makes an appearance.
I miss the coolness of iced coffee - it’s more like room-temperature, heart-friendly flower coffee.
Speaking of flower coffee - some blossoms also peek out from the harmless drink.
Not a bad scent - but pleasure and adrenaline just don't seem to kick in.

Maybe I'm also disappointed because Floral Shock doesn't have much in common with the original Black Opium.
If you consider Floral Shock as an independent fragrance, you might actually like it.
But the title Black Opium is better left forgotten.

03/29/2017

7.5Scent 7Longevity 6Sillage

Ineke89
53 Reviews

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Ineke89

Very helpful Review 5

Floral Flop instead of Floral Shock!

Since I quite liked Nuit Blanche, I requested a sample of Floral Shock. Before I comment on the fragrance, I must point out that I had quite high expectations, as I really like some scents from YSL and the bottle appealed to me. I can usually get very excited about extremely floral-sweet fragrances, so I became curious.

Scent:
At the beginning, I clearly perceive a very sweet milk coffee. Whether cold, iced, or warm: it doesn’t matter, this note stands out prominently for me. Along with a hint of cotton candy, popcorn, milk chocolate, and vanillin.
The pear comes across as overripe and sweet; more like from a can than fresh and crisp.
Lemon??? No, I don’t notice any of that, no matter how hard I try. I am usually very sensitive to lemon notes, but no, that’s not where the fragrance fails - it’s the flowers.
Floral notes can be smelled, but they are very subtle and restrained. This is not how I imagine a Floral Shock!!! The freesia and orange blossom are drowned in the overly sweet milk coffee, which simply dominates everything.
Here, the fragrance disappoints me enormously; I would have wished for much more pronounced flowers and expected the scent to be much fresher.

On the test strip, the flowers develop much more clearly than on my skin, but ultimately, what matters is how the scent smells on a person.

The fragrance is sweet and pleasant, but it does not meet my expectations at all, which the name Floral Shock suggests, and in my opinion, it is a victim of poor marketing. Sweet Sugar Latte would have been more fitting.

When I smell it, I constantly feel reminded of La Rive dupes, which often come across as overly sweet and slightly synthetic. In comparison, the fragrance still holds up quite well, but it’s not quite enough to make the scent interesting enough for me to want to wear it as a perfume. It’s not a brutal flop, but I’m not exactly thrilled either.

08/03/2018

1.5Scent 7Longevity 6Sillage

Expertise
21 Reviews

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Expertise

8

A Total Flop Through and Through

In my opinion, the entire line of Black Opium is a complete flop, lacking character, expression, and any distinctive recognition value. Everything essentially has this cheap, fruity-sweet, and in this case, floral-shock, flowery-fruity-sweet mainstream character, absolutely interchangeable, replaceable, and basically negligible. There will be no Ooh's and Ahh's with this fragrance, and in response to any potential question "What are you wearing?" one would probably be very surprised that it is supposed to be a YSL - which used to stand for style formation, revolution, and exclusivity. The kicker is that for this fruity-sweet synthetic concoction, where the bottle is likely more expensive than the content, they still demand a very high price.

04/06/2022

10Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

AnPerseous
1 Review

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AnPerseous

7

Juicy Black Opium

So, I will now also try my hand at a review. But where do I even start… I like Black Opium. I own the majority of the flankers (Illicit Green, Extreme, Intense, Floral Shock) and the original - and I have to say, Floral Shock is the only one that stands out to me. All the others smell absolutely identical on my skin after 1-2 hours. For some reason, that’s not the case with Floral Shock.
At first, I strongly perceive a fresh pear, yes, sometimes even a bit of the citrus notes. Over time, the scent becomes sweeter and the typical Black Opium coffee/vanilla blend emerges. BUT: Floral Shock remains consistently lighter and fresher on my skin. Although I also like the regular Black Opium, I think this one is a bit more interesting, but also lighter/fresher. It’s suitable for spring, and for those who are bold, it can also be worn in summer. In my opinion, this is the best Black Opium here.

02/10/2017

5.5Scent 7Longevity 6Sillage

Amber83
3 Reviews

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Amber83

4

Shock? More like a flat scent...

... full of anticipation, I naturally ordered 90ml and am torn. It smells sweetly floral but actually quite similar to Dior Girl. I had imagined a perfume shock in a positive way, similar to what I experienced with the new BonBon Intense. I will use it, but it won't become my new favorite scent, which is a shame for the price.

More reviews

Statements

28 short views on the fragrance

Lucieliz

7 years ago

8Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

2

Very fruity, but like a tropical fruit! With a bit of coffee and Amber.

Julia142

9 years ago

3.5Scent 6Longevity 6Sillage

18

3

Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium White Flower Candy Frozen Oriental Love L'Eau de Parfum... huh????

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BlueBird

9 years ago

6.5Scent 6Longevity 6Sillage

12

I prefer to comment on tested fragrances. But as a customer, I no longer feel taken seriously or valued. Quantity over quality?

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Andi136

9 years ago

10

Flower shock. Is the flower dead too? Weed killer, now I get it. :D
Incredible; I’d love to read the job description at YSL.

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Scorpio

9 years ago

9

2

One definitely gets a shock from this uninspired brew. It's a shame how a big name has turned into a carnival booth.

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Helena1411

7 years ago

6.5Scent 9Longevity 7Sillage

8

2

Top note: Canned pear compote
Heart note: Minimalist floral decoration
Base note: everything above topped with iced coffee

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MichH

9 years ago

8.5Scent 9Longevity 8Sillage

8

A really good scent, in my opinion, doesn't have the class of Black Opium EDP or BO Nuit Blanche.

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Tanith

9 years ago

7

4

Soon these things will need their own perfume section. What a shame, YSL can do so much more.

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Seerose

6 years ago

5Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

6

2

1. Synthetic shock: sharp-aquatic-nail polish
2. synthetic floral notes + faded flower water-gardenia
3. + creamy musk + Ambroxan = there used to be more opium

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