Green TeaOpens with
SandalwoodHeart
LeatherDries down to
Annick MénardoThe nose · 109 fragrances · also made Bottled Absolu (2024)Portrait →Will you like it? Mark a few fragrances you own or love and we'll tell you.
Bvlgari · Sold as unisex
Black
The moment when dusk falls over a bustling city street — smoky lapsang souchong tea, rubber tires on asphalt, and the warm glow of streetlights.
Smells likeleather·vanilla (but not sweet)
Full bottle: Premium tier, typically $100–250. Links open each seller's own page. We may earn a commission; it never changes the order.
BlackPremium · $100–250
55%Similar accords, often for lessShuhrah Pour Homme · RasasiBudget tier, under $40 · shares 6 of its 11 notes8 matches →How it wears
From community votes · bars are each option's shareComposition & Character
The story behind the bottle.
Black by Bvlgari, created in 1998 by Annick Menardo, is an avant-garde Oriental Woody fragrance that challenges conventional olfactory expectations. Noted for its pairing of smoky lapsang souchong black tea with an accord evoking rubber and car tires, it was a daring structure for a mainstream designer release at the time. The composition opens with green tea and bergamot before giving way to rose, jasmine, and leather notes that merge into a powdery base of vanilla, amber, musk, and smoky woods. Its distinctive character has earned cult status after its discontinuation, making vintage bottles highly sought-after on the secondary market.
Apply one generous spray to pulse points. The smoky top notes are fleeting but impactful, while the powdery base unfolds gradually over several hours, making it perfect for an evening out.
Fig. 01 — Black, Bvlgari
Where to buy.
Wear it for a week first
A decant costs a fraction of a bottle and tells you how it lasts on your skin.
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Annick Ménardo
Three decades at FirmenichAnnick Ménardo is a French perfumer who has worked for the fragrance house Firmenich since 1991, building a long career within one of the industry's major laboratories.
Designer Bvlgari
More from the house · founded 1946 · Italy
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Chosen from what wearers say it smells like, what its fans also love, and its notes
Love it, not the $100–250 price?
Matched by accords and notes. Sample first, then decide.
The originalBlackBvlgari · Premium · $100–250RasasiShuhrah Pour HommeShares 6 of its 11 notesunder $40★ 4.04 (2,613)56%Match
Al Haramain PerfumesMillionShares 6 of its 11 notesunder $40★ 4.03 (213)58%Match
Ralph Lauren · 1985MonogramShares 6 of its 15 notes$40–100★ 4.39 (70)52%Match
Rasasi · 2023Men in BlueShares 6 of its 12 notesunder $40★ 5.00 (4)
With Tauer Perfumes Vanilla Absolue
Adds balsamic, rose and warm spicy; shares vanilla and rose.
Suggested from accords and notes · not yet tried by wearers
What people
are saying.
Well loved by wearers: loved by 44%, disliked or hated by 14%.