Absolutely Dark Zara 2023

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7.9 / 10 180 Ratings

A new perfume by Zara for men, released in 2023. The scent is fresh-woody. It is still in production.
Pronunciation

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Main accords

Fresh

Woody

Aquatic

Citrus

Spicy

Fragrance Notes

Marine notes

Moss

Tonka bean

Amber

Cashmere

Rose

Woods

Bergamot

Mandarin orange

Orris root

Sandalwood

Perfumer

Marion Costero

Ratings

Scent

7.9180 Ratings

Longevity

7.6173 Ratings

Sillage

7.2170 Ratings

Bottle

7.2179 Ratings

Value for money

9.2167 Ratings

Submitted by ExUser, last update on 25.04.2024.

Reviews

16 in-depth fragrance descriptions

11/03/2023

9
Pricing 8
Bottle 7
Sillage 8
Longevity 9
Scent

Simma0815
1 Review

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Simma0815

The pair of white sneakers among the fragrances ...

... round, pleasing, straightforward and versatile.

Foreword:
How often do you hear or read about fragrances being dismissed as "generic" and "shower gel" and given negative reviews? It is not uncommon for me to ask myself whether the fragrance was really smelled and tested before the evaluation or whether the comment was written out of "coolness" in order to once again devalue a designer? Perhaps the reader will notice that I find this type of evaluation difficult and I wish that some statements or comments were not written so as not to block the view of those who are really interested in the essentials.

About the fragrance:
Well, dear critics, here it is! The shower gel fragrance par excellence, as generic as it can be. But this is by no means to be taken as a negative. Absolutely Dark is such a wonderfully successful composition that I can't pick out individual notes. At the same time, new facets can be discovered every time you wear it. This makes the fragrance pleasantly simple and appealing on the one hand, and extremely versatile on the other, without ever becoming boring. Whether sporty in your free time, cozy in front of the TV, convincing at work or elegant at family celebrations - Absolutely Dark simply always fits. Ultimately, it's like a pair of white sneakers that goes with any outfit and always makes the look special.

Everyone probably understands the term "shower gel" differently. For me, Absolutely Dark smells fresh, with a citrusy, light fruitiness. It is absolutely round, very dense, only slightly aquatic and has a pleasant creamy, gel-like consistency. Its fragrance progression is fairly linear and hardly changes.

With 6 sprays, it lasts between 4 and 6 hours for me. If I spray it on my clothes, I can easily get through a working day. The sillage is perceptible for about 1.5 m in the first two hours.

The only reason I don't wear this fragrance more often is that it quickly makes you smell blind. And what a shame it would be to wear this wonderful Absolutely Dark without being able to fully enjoy it

10/13/2023

10
Pricing 7
Bottle 8
Sillage 8
Longevity 7.5
Scent

Noneya
17 Reviews

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Noneya

Helpful Review 13

Unspectacular and yet great versatil Cheapie

TL;DR? Clear buy recommendation. "Blue Fragrance"/"Showergel". Very versatil, very cheap without smelling cheap. Fierce/Percival clone.

Surely I speak here the owners of this fragrance from the soul when I say that this fragrance is not really an "absolutely sinister" creation from the house of Zara. On the contrary, this fragrance comes wonderfully fresh, slightly woody-citrus with a slightly salty amber / ambroxan note therefore, more on this later. A typical "Showergel" / "Blue Fragrance", as many perfume influencers and half YouTube they are currently able to dub.
Absolutely Dark gives you a familiar and familiar feeling when smelling the spray head and also a short time after spraying. A memory. It immediately reminds me of Fierce Cologne . While the notes differ, the vibe and overall feel of the scent is very similar. But there is more. The spiciness of Absolutely Dark brings it amazingly close to the blue knight horse from France. Knight horse? Knight Percival of course. Although not exactly in the noble, high-quality blue robe, but IMHO about 90%. The scent progression goes from fresh, citrusy-woody and ends in the almost "salty" drydown that has something of sea minerals. I have and appreciate the same phenomenon on my skin with Percival . Absolutely Dark does everything #Percival would also do at 90% at 10% of the price and the same versatility as the already mentioned "relatives" Fierce Cologne and Percival .
That alone makes it an absolute no-brainer for me. I wear it to work, I wear it to college, I wear it (lightly dosed) to the gym, I wear it in a t-shirt/hoodie, and I wear it in a shirt to go out. It's amazing and awesome at the same time what Zara has created with this fragrance. They haven't reinvented the wheel or released a groundbreaking creation. They have once again created an accessible alternative to a very expensive niche fragrance for the masses. They have learned from their mistakes of "cheap" DNA in other of their fragrances and also still significantly improved the durability.
I get here just under 2-3 hours strong projection / sillage which is slowly distributed throughout the day less and around the 10 hours to the Skinscent is almost endless long to smell. So be careful with the dosage, I had him also very underestimated.
All in all, I speak a clear purchase recommendation for all who want a spicier and unbeatable cheap alternative to the usual suspects like Versace pour Homme Dylan Blue Eau de Toilette , Bleu de Chanel Eau de Parfum and Sauvage Eau de Toilette , or a dupe to Fierce Cologne / Percival l looking for or a daily driver.

11/20/2023

10
Pricing 7
Bottle 7
Sillage 7
Longevity 7.5
Scent

PhilFord
13 Reviews

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PhilFord

Absolutely what?

Dark? Everything, but not dark..
But let's start differently:
Zara's fragrances and I have not been friends since "Sunrise on the Red Sand Dunes | Zara"... didn't pick me up at all and nope... I didn't like it.
Now a few days ago, while strolling around town, my mistress wanted to inspect Zara again (I used this word deliberately, as nothing works in the store for less than an hour... EVERY item of clothing is scrutinized very closely)
Well, I went to the men's department and how could it be otherwise, I ended up in the perfume section... since I had enough time, I smelled my way through... I smelled a Kirke/Erba Pura... an Angels Share... my beloved Sunrise on the blablabla... all more or less okay but I wasn't really enthusiastic... until I picked up the last one: Absolutely Dark.
Hmm okay, what could be dark behind it? I was expecting a woody, dark and heavy fragrance, sprayed it on and was a little confused.
Dark? But not at all.
On the other hand, I was no longer at Zara but was immediately catapulted 10 years back in time to an Abercrombie & Fitch / Hollister store. WOW.
I loved the smell in these hipster stores, amazing.
The similarity to Fierce Cologne is definitely there, whether it copies a Percival I can't say as I haven't smelled it yet.
Are you getting a super complex, multi-faceted fragrance here? Absolutely not.
Absolutely Dark is a fairly simple, straightforward, clean fragrance that comes across as freshly showered.
Fresh, blue, a little spicy, a little citrusy. A fragrance for everyday wear.
The bottle is absolutely nothing earth-shattering, just Zara.
H/S are really okay, especially considering the price of ~20€.
I just don't know why they gave the fragrance such a name, because... as I said, dark is absolutely nothing here.
Definitely a recommendation from me, especially for fans of Fierce

10/14/2023

10
Pricing 8
Bottle 7
Sillage 7
Longevity 8
Scent

BluChallenge
2 Reviews

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BluChallenge

The actual "Nostalgia Blue

Of the four new Zara fragrances, the names of the Nostalgia Blue and the Absolutely Dark were certainly confused. The Absolutely Dark is namely the epitome of a nostalgic blue fragrance.

As mentioned several times, it is an almost 1-to-1 clone of the Percival . It smells like a typical 90s shower gel or deodorant. Fresh, spicy and goes strongly in the direction of Fierce Cologne .

Compared to the Percival, one has here a slightly alcoholic opening, while the Percival with extremely strong (for me already pungent) citrus stands out. The opening of Zara I therefore find even slightly more pleasant, although this is probably also a sign of weaker durability. Nevertheless, you have here a fragrance that holds a good 6-8 hours with me and also wants to be smelled in the first two hours.

All in all, a top everyday, sports and leisure fragrance at an unbeatable price. I have now stopped second bottles for later to get and my previous also all sold. Here but had to equal 3 Ersatzflakons here and should he be once in a sale, follow immediately the next. I have namely since receipt (about a week) consumed over 5ml :)

12/01/2023

8
Pricing 6
Bottle 6
Sillage 6
Longevity 7
Scent

Ravn1904
41 Reviews

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Ravn1904

Absolutely misleading name

Because this fragrance is not dark. Instead, it starts where Percival ends. An ultra-fresh shower gel banger that washes salt water into your nostrils. Perfect for the office/sports/couching, but the DNA is too linear for special moments. Considering the price, however, this is a cool shower to go, which works excellently in warmer temperatures.

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